YEAR 1: REVELATIONS

The woman screamed as she writhed in pain, sweat beaded her brows as she gritted her teeth, the man sitting beside her held on to her hands as if his life depended on it while he mopped the sweat from her brows. The room smelled of blood sweat and antiseptic, the room was equipped with the best modern medical equipment money could buy, but you could clearly see that it wasn’t a hospital. Abbey worried, as his wife had been in labor for 2 days and counting, he couldn’t take her to the hospital because he was supernatural; something that shouldn’t exist, and he was an ancient at that. But his wife, she is human and therein lay his fear; what if she couldn’t survive? He could not imagine a life without her. She is his mate, his life, his reason for living. He was about to give himself over to eternal sleep to become one with nature before he met her and now his life revolved around her. His kind only ever had one mate, no second chance mate like the Lycans, the werewolves, the werecats and other supernatural’s, no do-overs. If he waited for a bit and she couldn’t still deliver, he would negate her wish for a natural birth and push for surgery. He was ripped from his reverie by his mate’s scream and the voice of the midwife urging her to push. Olamma strained and pushed following the midwife’s instructions. She could sense her husband’s turmoil through the bond they shared, she could sense his fear and the war waging within him whether to order the medical personnel to take her into surgery or still acquiesce to her choice of a natural birth. She still marveled at his world every day and she was in awe of the love he had for her. It was that same love that was keeping her calm and giving her strength to push her baby out. With one final push, Olamma expelled her baby from her body. She was feeling dizzy, exhausted and most importantly sleepy, but she wanted to see her baby first. Her baby was placed on her bosom by the midwife already wrapped in swaddling clothes. Her baby was beautiful. Olamma slipped into unconsciousness even as she heard her husband wailing her name. Abbey watched his mate fall unconscious as he felt the fraying of the mate bond. He had 2 options; let her go or change her. He looked at his son, who was now calm as he held him. He knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he opted to be selfish. He ordered the room to be cleared as he prepared to change his wife. Abbey placed his son in the bassinet and drew the cot close to the bed. He smoothed his wife’s hair and proceeded to clean her up as best as he could. He cleaned the blood from her body and tried to place her more comfortably. Abbey began chanting the ancient words of the ritual, a ritual as old as time itself. He shed his mortal form for his true form, his ears elongated, his hair lengthened as his form became more slender and effeminate, his skin turned purple as winds whipped through the room, water gathered above his wife’s body while shadow and light swirled around her body. His voice rose in crescendo as his chanting was coming to its peak. The other occupants of the house and the extensive acres on which the house stood all cowered. They all knew that something unnatural was happening, even if they were supernaturals, this was more than them. Abby knelt beside his wife’s body as he bowed his head to the embodiment of the most ancient power, Gaia. She is the earth, the waters, the storms and everything that embodies nature. She is the lifeblood of the earth and his patron spirit. Bowing before Gaia he placed his request before her. “ So you want to change your wife, asked Gaia have you considered also summoning her patron spirit or did you think that all humans just are, scolded Gaia. I did not know my lady; I may be ancient, but I do not know all. Please, my lady, who is her patron spirit and how do I summon them? Why should I tell you, why should I allow you to change her Gaia asked Abbey. Abbey held onto Olamma’s hand, looked up to Gaia and said, my lady, she is my life. You know that I never thought that I would ever have a mate as the first high royal elfere ever created. I thought I would go through immortality alone, but after centuries of loneliness you gifted me my mate, my redemption and my life. Now you have just blessed me with a son, I cannot go through life alone again my lady. I cannot raise this jewel you have gifted me alone, my lady. Please!!! “Your plea is genuine and heartfelt and all I want for my children is happiness. Let me confer with her patron goddess. Abbey watched as a goddess materialized beside Gaia, he didn’t know her; he always tried to avoid the gods and their politics.