Part 7
“Bah!” Mark said with a shake of his head. “It’s useless and worrisome to even speculate about it. We’ll know eventually. In the meantime, here, have a distraction…”
In less than ten seconds, all three of them were quite distracted indeed.
Three weeks later, after a pregnancy that would have been of about average duration for a human but was short for an elf, Alilia went into labor.
She had felt heavy and lethargic that day, and had slept through most of it. The third hour past midnight found her in the living room, slowly rocking in a rocking chair, sipping tea and lightly drowsing occasionally, unable to truly sleep as the rest of the household slumbered.
She felt her first contraction and smiled, knowing it for what it was. She knew that there was no real use in waking anyone at this stage, and waited for it to pass.
Her next three contractions came about ten minutes apart and lasted about a minute each, and seemed normal.
Her fifth contraction, however, struck her suddenly, and with a power that took her breath away as her entire torso clenched. She knew it shouldn’t be so sudden or so strong, but she wasn’t very concerned yet, initially. But the contraction only got stronger and stronger, long past when it should have ended. By the third minute she was in absolute agony, and would have called for help if she’d had any attention left for it. As the fifth minute approached she felt a bolt of panic as she realized that she was in serious trouble. She hadn’t been able to take a breath for almost two minutes.
Within her, unborn Valentia struggled against the crushing feeling of the abnormal contraction. First it had frustrated her, then angered her, then filled her with a fear that grew constantly along with the increasing pressure. As the baby began feeling serious pain, her sense of magic awoke in her with a rush like an explosion.
In the moment when Alilia tried to call for help psionicly, Valentia struck out against the crushing pressure with Force and Fire. Alilia’s call became a psionic scream that jolted everyone in the settlement wide-awake in an instant.
a second later the twins ran in,
a spray of blood, or a small Fireball burned its way out from within with a huge puff of stinking smoke, and each time Alilia’s body Healed the wound in a fraction of a second. It was a testament to the power of
the scene and decide on action. It was difficult to even think over Alilia’s continuing
the baby that cut her off from
Linked with Valentia and did their best to
the fires and vented the
Nemia did their best to
which were already mostly Healed by her own inherent
took a while after that for everyone to get their racing hearts and panicked breathing under control. Hilsith continued to treat Alilia for the next fourteen minutes,
in a soft blanket. She stood close, holding
up from the ruined rocking chair with Levitation, and Translocated to the bedroom with her, Yzell, and Valentia.
she caressed her baby. “All of you, thank
they were both asleep, but everyone else was far too wound-up from the excitement to want to go back
Mark sent a quick Speaking to the awakened community, announcing Valentia’s birth, but asking all but the closest family
made tea and snacks, while Mark, Yazadril and Reggie cleaned and Restored the living room. Shortly Dalia and Bezedil arrived with sparkling wine for the congratulatory toasts. Only then did it truly strike home in Mark’s emotions that he had a new
Helemia fell asleep in their parents’ arms an hour later, but the rest stayed up and waited to meet the new baby when she and Alilia
happened an hour before noon, and a few minutes later Hilsith and Yzell said it was fine for small groups to visit in