Chapter 16
Corinne woke, her body rippling with pain. She heard the soft echoing cry of the baby, and was frightened that her time to give birth had come too soon. It was that small, forlorn cry in her mind that kept Corinne calm. She took a deep slow breath to provide her daughter with precious oxygen. “We’re all right, baby,” she crooned softly. “We expected this to happen.”
It was very dark in the cave. Only the water shining like black silver gave off a faint light, a reflection from a vent far overhead, yet Corinne could see as clearly as if it were daytime. She took a cautious inventory of her body, excited, afraid, yet determined. She tried not to notice that her heart was pounding far too hard and laboring sluggishly.
She didn’t want to think of dying, or to be frightened by it. She had loved. Completely. Totally. Without reservation. And she had been loved in return the same way. How many others could say that? And she knew she would accomplish this most important, most monumental task of her lifetime. She would leave a legacy of beauty and wonder. A treasure for the world. Her daughter. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, centering herself. She could do this. She could always do what was required of her. More than anything else in her life, this was her important moment. Giving life to her daughter.
“We can do this, baby,” she whispered softly. “Together. The two of us. We can do this.” So many other women had gone before her and there would be millions after her, but this was her moment in time and she wouldn’t fail her daughter.
Corinne turned her head slowly to look at Dayan. He lay beside her absolutely motionless. He was very pale, there was no discernible rise and fall to his chest. His skin, usually hot to the touch, was stone cold. He lay as if dead. She found his long, dark, silky hair and tangled her fingers in it to connect with him. She needed him, needed him solid and real beside her. Asleep or awake, he reassured her with his presence. The sun hadn’t yet set, but instinctively she knew the time was close. It was strange not to have Dayan a shadow in her mind. He had been there so much, she took it for granted now, although she hadn’t realized until just then that she felt so connected to him at all times. How much it mattered.
So, my love, it is happening.
Her fingers tightened in his hair. She held the silken strands against her face.
‘I think we’re ready for it, as ready as anyone can be. I love you very much. Hear me, Dayan. I love you.
The wave started again, a long, angry ripple that seemed to rise higher and higher so that she breathed over the top of it, concentrating on the air moving through her lungs, winding its way to her baby. The child was uncomfortable, frightened. Something was squeezing down on her, pressing her to move, but she didn’t want it to happen yet.
Instinct took over and mother and child began to work in a kind of union. Corinne commanded her body to stay relaxed and tranquil, breathing through the uncomfortable contractions, all the while soothing the baby with her mind. She found herself astonished that she could touch the infant’s mind, that the baby was so intelligent and aware at such a young age. The baby would warn her before Corinne actually felt the onset of a contraction, enabling her to take a deep, calming breath and breathe her way through each one. She wished she could get up and walk around, knowing it would speed up the process, but didn’t dare take the chance. Despite her determination not to panic, Corinne found fear flooding her as the contractions increased and a heavy stone seemed to settle in the vicinity of her chest.
She knew the instant Dayan awoke. He was there in her mind even as he drew his first breath, even as the sound of his heart filled the chamber with its reassuring, steady beat. Her rock. Her anchor.
Dayan.
She breathed his name, inhaled his scent. Of course he would come to her in her time of need.
His hand moved over her face, a loving, tender gesture. She could feel his love for her pouring out of his heart and soul and into hers. “You will never be alone, my love, not ever again. Whatever happens here this night, I will be with you.”
“I’m glad you’re with me. I wanted Lisa, but I know she would have had a difficult time coping. I couldn’t lean on her too hard. That makes her feel so guilty. She doesn’t realize she has given me so many other gifts. I don’t need to lean on her to love her.” Her breath caught in her throat as the next contraction began to swell like a great tide.
“It is time.” He made it a soft statement. His voice was velvet soft. His black eyes met her moss-green ones, and instantly she was falling through time and space into a deep, fathomless well. Dayan shifted position even as he held her mesmerized within his hypnotic gaze.
Her time has come. The baby is coming, and her heart is failing. We have need of healers now.
He sent the call out into the night, knowing the others were somewhere close by, sleeping beneath the soil in the network of underground tunnels and chambers. His call would awaken them instantly.
He held her in the thrall of his gaze, removing the pain from the experience of labor to rest her heart. He could hear it, the terrible skipping, the heralding of disaster. Her body was already worn out, and she was just beginning.
“I can’t feel the contractions anymore,” she whispered. “I’m supposed to help the baby through this, Dayan. If I can’t feel what’s happening, how can I help her?”
“I am simply blocking the pain as mortals often do with medications when they give birth; you will feel the contractions without the discomfort of labor.” He was outwardly calm, tranquil within his mind where she was safely merged with him. Deep inside where she couldn’t see, a hand was squeezing his heart like a vise. “There is no need to put unnecessary strain on your heart if I can prevent it.” He tried to sound matter-of-fact. The moment the contraction was over, Dayan pulled her into his arms, sensing her need to change position.
Corinne was devoting every ounce of will to keep her heart going, but the labor was depleting her energy quickly. Dayan buried his face in the silky strands of her hair, hiding there for a moment while he forced away his own fears. “I wish I could do this for you, Corinne,” he murmured softly.
She tilted her head to kiss him. “Lisa is fragile, Dayan. She’s my family and I love her very much.” Corinne found it difficult to catch enough breath to speak.
Dayan held her in his strong arms as if that would keep her from traveling beyond his world. “Ssh, honey, I will see to it that Lisa is protected and loved all her life. You do not need to worry about her.”
But what if I don’t make it, Dayan? Who will tell her, how will she get here to be with the baby and you? Cullen—
“Cullen is doing very well at the moment, resting comfortably with Lisa holding his hand,” he assured her quickly. “Syndil and Barack are guarding them, making sure no harm comes to either of them. I can touch them at any time, as you are able to do. You have only to send your fears to our brethren and they will reassure you as I am doing. Syndil knows you are in labor; she is monitoring us as I am monitoring them.”
Don’t let her tell Lisa anything is wrong. If something happens to me, you go to Lisa yourself. You go, Dayan. You must be the one to tell her.
“I want you to remain quiet, honey. Conserve your energy. Your job is to stay alive through this, to give life to our child. Do not worry about something that may never happen, and certainly not about Lisa, who is perfectly safe.”
The next contraction swept through her body, much more intense than the last. Her heart erupted into a violent, frenzied pounding. It was impossible to breathe. A stone was crushing her chest, and inside her, the baby went very, very quiet. Panic welled up as she fought just to breathe. She knew Dayan was aiding her, yet she couldn’t draw air into her lungs.