Reaping

Leaf's life again intersects with Finola, forcing the Sidhe girl to intervene.

7.

Reaping

 

The village had greatly changed since her last appearance.     More homes lined the streets, and they were built close together.    Many were of brick or stone and some of the streets were paved with cobblestones.     On a low hill in the center of the town was a respectably large stone keep, surrounded by a palisade wall of wood, though some of it was being replaced with a stone wall.   

It was a growing, living human town and reeked of the smell of them.    Llaiannileaf held her cloak to her nose as soon as she materialized just inside the walls of the fort.

 

A heavy rain blanketed the village in a bleak gray dawn, so no-one was around as she cautiously moved from shadow to shadow in the courtyard.     Lightning flashed continually and thunder boomed in response as Leaf worked her way to a position as close to the keep as she dared.

Four guards skulked by the double doors of the main building, trying to keep themselves as dry as they could during their shift of guard duty.

She had to find out what was happening to Finola, so Llaiannileaf partially faded out and simply walked through the nearest wall.    The Keep was very dark and her ears filled immediately with the sounds of a woman experiencing an extremely difficult labor and delivery.    Her gasps and groans seemed to echo through the dark halls, intermixed with the steady drone of rain and the sharp explosions of thunder.    

Appearing as a disembodied spirit, she moved quickly down one hallway and then another, hurrying to find the source of the woman’s crying.

Once, as she was about to turn a corner to head down the second hallway, a servant at the other end saw her ghostly half-materialized state and screamed in alarm, running back the way she came.

By the time the servant girl had brought someone to see the apparition, Leaf had slipped through the wall.

 

Now she was in some sort of throne room.    Quickly she moved into some of the dark recesses of the room.    In her semi-material state, she blended perfectly into the gloom.   Against a wall, opposite of the doorway, was a raised platform upon which two thrones sat.   One was tall and regal, the second one delicate and respectful.   

Llaiannileaf vaguely recognized the older of two men on the platform.   He sat in the regal throne, looking up anxiously each time a woman’s scream or groan escaped from a chamber nearby.

He was the father of Finola’s children - King Cedric.    She had last seen him as a very young man, now he was bearded and his eyes betrayed years of struggle.    He kept glancing sideways at a young blonde man who paced back and forth anxiously.     The younger man was quite handsome and resembled the King enough for Leaf to conclude this was Prince Mordric.    He had a caged animal expression in his eyes, wary and dangerous; a bowstring ready to be loosened at any time.    

Whenever a groan or scream would come from an adjoining room, he would cringe slightly and glance wildly around, fire in his crystal blue eyes and his fists clenched tightly at his side.   He seemed to be fighting off an emotion that was about to overpower him.

 

Though Llaiannileaf knew she should go and assist Finola, she was spellbound by the heavy tension in the room.     The King kept his eyes on his son, sensing the young man’s growing aggression.  

“How long must this go on?”   The young man shouted, though not directly to his father.

“Peace, my son, do not fear; your mother is strong, she shall be alright.”

Mordric’s back stiffened and he scowled, though with his back turned to the King so Cedric could not see his disgusted reaction.   He forced himself to nod, wrestling with composure.

“She’ll live.” He said flatly, no emotion coming through.

“Sit, Mordric, it shall be over soon.”

 

The Prince spun around, “Sit?!   With that damnable noise?!”

He shuddered, probably realizing how harsh his words sounded.    He rubbed his forehead, “I must get some air, father.”

 

With that said, he nearly ran out of the throne room, going through the doors just as a loud clap of thunder shook the building.

Leaf stealthfully shifted through the wall, determined to see what the angry young man was about to do.

She found him just inside the front entrance to the Keep, speaking to a dark cloaked man underneath a flickering torch.

Unseen, the Sidhe girl moved close enough to hear their whispered, yet animated, conversation.

“My Lord, surely not by morning light!”   The cloaked man protested to Mordric.

“Yes!  This very day!   It must be this soon, while he is distracted!”

“But how?   The guards-“

“He will soon go see his new child -you will accompany me with Nyles and Ian and the other three, shortly thereafter.   Follow my lead - do not act until I nod to you… understand?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Strike quickly; him first, then my mother.”

“And the baby?”

“Leave him or her to me.”   Mordric hissed with a burning hatred in his eyes.

 

Leaf had heard enough, she knew now that she had to hurry to save Finola and her baby from the murderers.

 

She shifted through the wall of the birthing room to find Finola - now a middle aged human woman- struggling again with delivery of her child.     Five midwives surrounded her, encouraging her to push and breathe, while two matronly women seemed to be nervously standing guard at the door.

It was clear to Llaiannileaf that Mordric’s hatred was known to everyone in the royal court.

She shifted into view at once and crossed the room as the ‘guards’ cried out in alarm at her sudden appearance.

Those women surrounding the laboring mother shrank back fearfully as she went to Finola’s aid.

“Angel!”   The lady gasped, “Have… mercy… upon…me.”

 

Leaf chanted a Sidhe birthing spell, taking the Queen’s hand and beckoning for the midwives to go back to their positions.     She knew it would not be long before the evil prince commenced with his plan.

Finola cried out in agony, squeezing Leaf’s hand so tightly the girl’s eyes watered in pain.    She kept her spell going and from the voices of the midwives, the baby was now arriving.

“Angel…help…me.”  Finola gasped between contractions.   Yet she could not answer her, for if she stopped the spell, it would make Finola’s agony worse.

“The baby’s coming!”   One of the midwives announced.    At that moment the doors swung open and King Cedric stood there, his way barred by the women positioned at the entrance.

He ordered them aside, telling them that he wanted to be by his wife’s side.   Yet they hesitated, glancing back at the mother.

The King’s eyes widened upon seeing Llaiannileaf, but she had to focus on the birth of Finola’s child.

Unseen by all in the room, five grim-looking men carrying swords silently crept down the hall behind the King.    Upon seeing him -without his guards- and with his full attention focused ahead of him, they stealthily rushed forward.

Although Leaf did not see this happening, the sixth sense of the Sidhe gave her a vision of it occurring behind her.    She glanced up, wanting to warn the King, but the baby was being born and it was her magic that bolstered mother and child, so she could not break the spell.

One of the women at the door screamed in alarm upon seeing the assassins, but before Cedric could turn, they struck.    One chopped savagely at his neck, while the other one ran him through the back with his sword blade.

To Leaf’s horror, Finola saw the death of her husband and let out such an awful shriek that everyone’s blood ran cold.   

But only for a moment.    The assassins now were wild with bloodlust.    Before Cedric’s body had fallen to the floor, one of the women at the doorway had also been run through with a sword.

The other one retreated backwards in terror, and the second of the assassins slashed savagely at her.    The other three murderers pushed past the petrified woman and ran toward the birthing couch.

The midwives attending Finola were frozen in panic.     The baby fell into one of the women’s hands, reviving her enough to move again.

“Quickly!”   Leaf yelled to midwife, breaking the spell, for as soon as Finola had seen the murder and had given the piercing wail, her heart had burst and she had died.

Dumbfounded at the horrible events, the midwife simply held the newborn out to Leaf.    She snatched the baby out of her hands.

“Cut the cord!   Quickly!”   She ordered the terrified midwife.

With trembling fingers she cut the umbilical cord and the baby began to give a lusty cry.

But there was no time for joy.    Both of the women posted at the door were dead and the other midwives had rushed out of the path of the assassins.    The men were covered with the blood of their victims and had crazed eyes as they rushed across the room to do Mordric’s bidding.

“Run, girl, RUN!”   Leaf screamed at the midwife who had handed her the baby.   But it was too late for her.    A swipe across her back sent her tumbling to the floor dead.

Leaf was already fading out, her arms cradling the child as they began to disappear from view.

“Witch!”   One of the assassins yelled angrily as he slashed and stabbed with his blood covered sword.

But the blows passed through nothingness as Llaiannileaf and Finola’s baby shifted out of time and space.

 

***

 

Leaf wasted no time, fleeing the palace by thinking of some place - any place- safe.   They appeared inside the barn of the Order of St. Edward where she had slept the night before.

Only the animals cried out in alarm as they appeared.    Leaf glanced down at the baby, which was still covered with the fluids of birth.     A son, she thought, noticing the sex of the infant as she frantically tried to figure out what to do.

She could go backwards in time and try to stop the events from happening, but she was far from precise in her movements through time and the further she went back to change things, the more different everything would be now.  

‘Never change a death’, her father had told all of them when giving accounts of his manipulation of the worlds he visited, ‘It causes far too many serious problems.    If you ever visit any of the worlds, never go back and save someone from dying.   Trust me, beloved ones, it makes a greater mess and rips up the flow of time.   Better to fix the damage the death caused, rather than change the ultimate fate of a mortal.’

“What should I do little one?”   She desperately asked the crying infant.   Leaf knew the human newborn needed his mother, but she had joined her husband in death, leaving the young prince an orphan.

An orphan that his older brother would desperately hunt and kill.

Mordric would hear of her appearance and perhaps of her taking the infant.     He would be unsure, however, where to find her,    unless he recalled the accounts of her appearance at the top of the hill where the offerings were presented.

 

Perhaps she could throw him off through some trickery.    Smiling sweetly at the little baby -who possessed a mop of fair blonde hair and pale blue eyes like his mother and brother- Leaf hurried out of the barn.

Outside, the rain beat against the cobblestone pavement of the monastery.   She covered the baby with her cloak and ran toward the chapel area.   

As soon as she pulled the door open she wondered if this had been a mistake.    The church was partially filled with the monks in the middle of their early morning prayers.    All of them jumped up and backed away from her as she rushed inside, closing the heavy door with her foot.  

They stared at her and the infant in wonderment and more than a bit of fear.    

Thankfully, she did not have to search for the monk who she had spoken to earlier.   He apparently was their leader, for he was standing on the platform at the front of the church.    The man raced down the aisle upon seeing her.

“M’lady, what has happened?”   He asked, eyeing the baby.

“Mordric has killed King Cedric, Queen Finola and many in the court.”  She told him, not bothering to explain how Finola had actually died.    It had been Mordric’s actions which had hastened her death, so indeed he was responsible.

“What?”  The Monk asked.

“They are dead, monk!”  She told him, glancing around at the other monks, “Mordric has killed them all… except for this baby.   This is Queen Finola’s newborn son.”

“Her son?   Heaven preserve us all!   How did you get him away from the palace?”

“I rescued him; that is all that matters.   His brother will search for him.  Then he will murder him as well.    He does not know if the baby was a brother or sister, but he will not be happy until all competition is eliminated.”

“What are you going to do with this child?”

“I have brought him here to hide him.”

“Here?!   Are you insane?    We are an order of brothers!    The infant will need a nursemaid to feed him.   We cannot take him.”

“You shall take him and conceal him.”   She countered with an edge in her voice.

“That’s out of the question, m’lady.”   The monk remained steadfast, but he sensed that she was equally determined.

“Does not God demand you protect the weak, feed widows and care for orphans?”

“Well… yes, but-“

“Then now, before God, I call on you to do this.”

“Lady, we-“

“I do not have much time, monk!   I hope to make Mordric think the child is far away from here.    You shall raise this child and conceal his identity from him.   I shall check on him and help as I am able.”

“And if we refuse?”

“Then I will destroy this place and all of you, for your refusal to help a helpless baby.”   She held the monk’s gaze and he sensed that she was not bluffing.

“It will be difficult.    We need a wet-nurse.”

“You can find one; I am certain.”

She handed him the baby, which he took hesitantly.    Thankfully, he seemed to have some sense on how to hold the child.

“Do not betray him to his brother or share his identity with anyone.”   She glanced at the other monks, “If any of you do this, you shall experience my wrath.   Keep him safe and hidden and this monastery shall be under my protection and patronage.”

“You ask a lot of us, lady.”   The monk said, gently rocking the infant.

“Yes, and you shall not disappoint me.”   She responded, “Remember what I have said to you.”

She began to shift out, which brought a chorus of astonished gasps from the other monks.

“Where are you going, lady?”   The monk called to her.

“To confront Mordric.”   Leaf responded as she faded from view.

Reviews

[Elina]

"The lady gasp..." You'll want to change "gasp" to "gasped."
"...evil prince commended with his plan." I believe you want "commenced."
"His brother will search for him to murder him as well." This sounds a bit awkward and repetitive with the abundance of "his" and "him."

[Eddie Davis]

Your proofreading skills are amazing, thanks, Elina

[Dhaye]

So sad. Even inside the family there is someone who will do wicked things because of greed.

[Eddie Davis]

Thanks for reading this story, Dhaye.