Revna had turned and fled the tent, running as fast as her oversized body would allow. She knew Sten. She had grown up with him, knew his favourite places to be with his friends, places to hide from their father’s keen gaze. If Sten had been unable to humiliate or harm Giordi outside the palisade, then Revna alone knew the places that Sten would risk doing so within.

  She ducked around the tents, avoiding the ropes and pegs, batting her way through the damp clothes that were so cold it was impossible to tell if they were dry to a corner that looked completely cut off yet Revna knew there was a way to squeeze around it.

  As she did so, she found Giordi, gagged from being able to cry out and struggling against the grip of one of Sten’s friends while her brother cracked his knuckles, ready to start laying into her husband.

  “Sten, stop!” She cried, forcing herself into the tiny corner.

  “Stay away, Revna!” Sten snapped. “He will get what he deserves!”

  “No!” Revna grabbed his arm and he threw her backwards to land on the unyielding ground, pain tearing through her body like she had been struck by lightning.

  “Revna!”

  Sten’s friend had released Giordi, fleeing the scene. Giordi didn’t pay Sten any attention, tearing the gag from his mouth as he dashed towards Revna who was clutching at her belly. It wasn’t hard to see what was paining her. There was blood mixed with fluid staining her tunic. Giordi stood over her, feeling panicked.

  “What do I do? What do I do?”

  “Giordi?! Where are you?”

  “Emeri?!” Giordi nearly fainted in relief. He leaned out of the tiny pocket of space and saw Emeri’s eyes lock onto him. “Emeri, get Aalis and bring her to my tent! Hurry!”

  He went back to Revna who was panting and sobbing. “We’ve got to get you out of here.” He helped her up and she cried out. “Lean on me, Revna. I’ll take your weight. Come on, over this rope…watch the peg. That’s it, around this tent…then we’re going to go up here…don’t trip…”

  They had to stop numerous times for Revna to clutch at her belly and groan mightily. Giordi stood by, useless and frightened, waiting for the pain to pass so that they could continue. Revna’s movements were so slow that by the time they reached the tent, Aalis was already there with Emeri. Numerous nomads had gathered, curious by the commotion but none ventured close or offered to help. Aalis pulled the tent flaps apart, allowing Revna to stumble into the tent, clutching at her belly, speaking in ancient Terra.

  “I know it hurts,” Aalis said, guessing what she was saying, “I think the fall has pushed you into premature labour. Emeri? Emeri!” The young woman looked at Aalis, her eyes wide and frightened. “I need your mother and as much boiled water and as many clean cloths you can find.” Emeri nodded and darted away. “Get her to the bed, Giordi.” Aalis ordered and Revna cried out.

  The tent flaps were pushed aside with grand authority and a nomad woman, at least three times Revna’s age or more, strode into the space, immediately barking angrily at them in ancient Terra. Giordi felt Revna’s tremble as she clamped her lips shut, beads of sweat trickling down her face. He could sense her recoiling from the woman and her sharpness.

  “Who is she?” Giordi demanded softly.

  “Midwife,” Revna was unable to keep her moan silent which incurred another rebuke from the woman, “she tell me…be silent.”

  “Silent?!” Giordi exclaimed.

  “Nomad women…silent in birth…” Revna’s clamped her teeth down so hard to keep her agony silent that her jaw was ready to snap.

  Giordi looked up in shock as the nomad midwife started harassing him, telling him off. She kept pointing at him and at the flap of the tent. When Giordi realised what she meant he shook his head.

  “You want me to leave?” Revna’s grip tightened on him. “No.” The midwife threatened him with a bony finger. “You can point at me all you want. I’m not leaving!” Revna cried out, her body spasming and the midwife lunged forward and slapped her into silence. Giordi immediately stepped forward in front of Revna. “Get out!” He snapped. She argued fruitlessly for he would not budge. “I said out!”

  She left, probably cursing him with every syllable she uttered.

  “She right,” Revna sobbed, “I poor mother…”

  “You listen to me,” Giordi grasped her shoulders, “if you’ve got to scream to get through this, you scream. Don’t you let that old hag tell you that what you’re going through should be endured alone and in silence.”

  “Forgive the lack of propriety, Revna.” Aalis tore at her clothes and removed her leggings and all clothes except her tunic. “Giordi, sit on the edge of the bed.” Aalis ordered and he did so. “Spread your legs and let Revna sit in your lap.”

  Giordi took Revna’s weight, becoming a chair for her to recline on. He could feel every twinge of her body, the way she arched her back and gripped his hands. Yolana appeared in the tent, Emeri following, her arms full of cloth. Aalis looked at her, relieved and took the bowl of water from her.

  “I have never delivered a baby on my own before.” Aalis admitted.

  “I’ve delivered several.” Yolana pushed up her sleeves and knelt, lifting Revna’s tunic. “It is too early to push, Revna. You must wait.”

  Revna’s response was wordless but the scream was filled with pain and panic. Aalis put her right hand on Revna’s belly, closing her eyes and concentrating.

  “We have time,” Aalis looked at Yolana, “but not much.”

  Yolana grasped Aalis arm and drew her aside. “If she pushes now, Revna will die.”

  “I fear if she does not, both will die.” Aalis confessed.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Yolana’s face grew grim. “I can get her through labour if we can just delay it a little.”

  “I will help her recover.” Aalis nodded.

  They returned to Revna who leaned back on Giordi, her legs spread, her belly spasming. Yolana spread cloths beneath her and set the bowl of water nearby. She wiped at Revna’s legs.

  “You can push, Revna…but do so as gently as you can.” Yolana warned.

  Revna whimpered and sobbed.

  “Giordi,” Aalis whispered, “talk to her.”

  “What do I say?” Giordi cringed as Revna howled.

  “Anything! You are a minstrel! Sing!”

  Giordi’s mind was blank. A thousand songs and a hundred melodies simply deserted him. All he could recall was the song his mother had sung to him when he was bouncing on his bed, determined not to go to sleep. His mother would sit him down with a cup of milk and sing the song to him. It might not have put him to sleep but by the time it ended, he was calm and relaxed, his milk was empty and without fail, he would nod off soon after.

  “Sleep, sleep my little child

  The sun is down, the moon is up

  Sleep, sleep my little child, sleep.

  Sleep, sleep my little child

  Your bed is calling out to you

  Sleep, sleep my little child, sleep.

  You’ve had some fun today,

  There have been games and play,

  But now it’s time to go to sleep

  And dream the night away.

  Sleep, sleep my little child

  The sun is down, the moon is up

  Sleep, sleep my little child, sleep.”

  Giordi’s eyes were full of self doubt and questions but Aalis smiled at him and nodded. Revna’s panic had lessened during the melody and Giordi suddenly recalled another gentle song then another and another. He lost track of time, holding onto Revna as she whimpered, sweat pouring down her face as she tried to heed Yolana and Aalis’ encouragement.

  Aalis felt Revna’s belly and looked at Yolana. “It must be now.” She warned softly. Revna was panting and missed the whispered warning but Giordi heard it and caught Aalis’ eye.

  Something was wrong.

  “It is time to push, Revna,” Yolana urged, “when those contractions come, bear down.”

  “You can do this, Revna,” Giordi told her as her grip on his hands tightened to blood restricting grasps, “that’s right, you can push. Push, Revna! You can do it!”

  She tilted her head back and howled.

  “Giordi, lift her up!”

  Giordi tried to stand, his arms beneath her armpits, holding Revna against his body. Her legs were bent, half squatting with Yolana braced beneath.

  “Revna, you have to push!”

  “Pain…” Revna sobbed. “So…much…pain…”

  Giordi wanted to close his ears like he could close his eyes. He couldn’t listen to this. It was agony as Revna screeched and arched backwards as though trying to escape her own body.

  “Revna, push!”

  “I cannot!”

  “Revna,” Aalis stood up, “if you do not push, this baby will die. Do you understand?”

  Revna shook mightily and Giordi could feel that some of it was pain but most of it was fear.

  “Revna,” he whispered, “it won’t last forever. And when it’s over, I swear I will look after you and the baby. Please…you can do this.”

  Revna closed her eyes and nodded then nearly crushed his hands as her hips flexed, her abdomen contracted and she threw her head back, braced herself and howled.

  “I’ve got it!” Yolana cried. “I’ve got it!”

  Revna collapsed. Giordi threw himself backwards, taking her with him, landing on the bed, holding onto her body as she panted and sobbed.

  She mumbled something that Giordi didn’t understand.

  “You did it,” he cooed gently, stroking her damp ashen hair back from her face, “you did it, Revna.” Yolana knelt at the end of the bed, the bloody red babe in her hands. Giordi frowned at the silence. “It isn’t crying…why isn’t it crying?”

  Yolana wouldn’t meet his or Revna’s gaze. She looked down at the baby, tears streaking down her face. “I think the baby came too soon…I’m…so sorry…” She sobbed.

  “No…” Giordi breathed as Revna turned her face to his neck, wailing softly.

  “I failed…punished…my baby…”

  “Give it to me.” Aalis said, her tone grim and terrible.

  Yolana swallowed and handed it to Aalis who knelt by Yolana’s side. She held the lifeless babe in her gloved left hand, closed her eyes and put her right thumb on the thin little chest and her fingers on its forehead. There was no sound, no movement…no breath in the tent. Enthralled and terrified, they stared at Aalis whose brow flickered lightly. She gave a sudden gasp, her eyes tearing open, her irises blazing with a dark blue light and she slipped sideways. Yolana scooped the baby out of her arms as Aalis collapsed on the floor of the tent and didn’t move.

  But before anyone could ask if she was alright, the baby filled its lungs and let out a glorious squall, tiny red fists shaking as it cried long and loud. Despite the pain she must have been in, Revna tried to rise, Giordi helping her to sit up a little and she gazed at the newborn, still smeared with red, a stringy red cord connecting it to its mother from its belly.

  “That’s right, little one,” Yolana wept though she smiled, gently wrapping the baby in a blanket, “let the world know you have arrived.” She lifted the baby to Revna who held her arms out, trembling. The baby blinked, its blue eyes peering up at Revna as she gently moved some of the cloth from its face. “It’s a boy, Revna. A son.”

  Giordi suddenly realised his cheeks were covered with tears, turning the world into a salty blur.

  “I will cut the cord,” Yolana said, tying a thin piece of leather around the cord close to the baby’s belly then used a blade to separate it from the bloody discharge that had followed the baby’s entrance to the world, “there. Giordi, could you help Revna back onto the bed?”

  Giordi nodded numbly, climbing out from behind Revna, using furs and cushions to prop her up. He saw Aalis trying to claw her way back to standing and helped her upright. She nearly fell again immediately but forced herself to drop to her knees, addressing Revna’s bruised and torn body with tender care.

  “You will be sore,” she said in a ghost of a voice, tremulous and weak, “but it will heal.”

  “Sore? Look at her,” Giordi whispered, “she feels nothing.”

  Revna was utterly enraptured by the face of her child, speaking gently to it and the baby blinked at her, blue eyes focussing on her grey ones.

  Yolana squeezed Giordi’s hand. “You did brilliantly, Giordi.”

  “I felt so useless.” He confessed.

  “I think Revna would argue that.” Yolana smiled then turned, seeing Emeri standing in the tent by the entrance. Horror flooded Yolana, realising her young daughter had witnessed the entire event. From the panic and the pain to the distress and the sorrow to this very moment. “Emeri…”

  Emeri fled the tent. Yolana stood up and chased her out. “Emeri!” She caught up with her at the campfire, leaning against one of the stone pillars. “Emeri?” Her daughter was weeping. Yolana embraced her. “My darling…” All of Emeri’s shock, fright and joy culminated in a wordless cry and she hung onto her mother. “Everything is alright now. Hush my darling.”

  “Yolana?” Suvau approached with Judd, Verne and Caste in tow. “What happened?”

  “Revna gave birth to a beautiful little boy.” Yolana summarised simply.

  “Is everyone alright?” Verne asked tightly.

  “It was not without drama,” Yolana admitted, “but it is done now.” Emeri pulled away from her and left the crowd. Suvau watched her go then turned to his wife. “The life she knew of in books just became much more real.” She held up her hand before Suvau’s next question. “She will be fine.”

  “And you?” Suvau asked, taking her hand and drawing her close. “You are covered in blood.”

  Yolana looked down, having forgotten about her appearance. “I should change.”

  “How is Aalis?” Judd asked, unable to keep from inquiring any longer.

  “Aalis is…”

  Judd frowned at Yolana’s pause and the distant, somewhat disturbed look in her eyes.

  “Yes?”

  “She is fine.”

  Judd and Verne watched Suvau escort his wife back to the tent.

  “Did the word ‘fine’ just now seem to mean more than it usually does?” Verne asked.

  “Or less…” Judd glanced towards Giordi’s tent, obscured by other tents. “I imagine when she’s ready, she’ll come down.”