The morning was cold and quiet when Liana felt something was wrong and went to Elara.
It was earlier than Elara had predicted. Lois was in the training yard, running drills with the new recruits, when the mind link hit him. Liana's voice, strained. “Lois. I think the baby is coming.”
He ran straight to her.
By the time he reached the healer's wing, Elara and her assistants had already taken Liana inside. The door was closed. The corridor was silent except for the muffled sounds from within, Elara's calm instructions, the shuffle of feet, a low moan that made Lois's blood run cold.
He paced.
His scarred face was pale beneath its weathered tan, and his hands kept clenching and unclenching at his sides. Rufus was pacing restlessly too.
Lois pressed his palm against the cold stone wall a
