Born of Shadows- Complete Series

by J. R. Erickson

  "That hurt, didn't it?" he asked, guiltily.

  "It didn't feel good," she told him, "but I'm getting used to it. I think she's preparing for her journey into the world."

  "I like that, her journey. She needs a theme song to prep her for her adventure. Life is a highway and I'm gonna drive it all night long," he crooned, leaning close to her belly.

  "Wait, wait," Abby interrupted. "How about Free Falling? Let's make this birth as easy as possible."

  ****

  Abby cried out and fumbled in the darkness.

  "I'm here. Are you okay?" Sebastian's voice came to her. He flipped on the light and their bedroom materialized.

  Abby winced and touched her belly as a cramp pulled her muscles taught.

  "It's a contraction," she told him, straining to see the glowing neon numbers of their bedside clock.

  He blew a big breath out.

  "Okay. It's two-fifteen in the morning. Let me grab my phone and we'll time them. I downloaded an app a few days ago."

  Abby smiled and leaned back on her pillows. The contraction had passed quickly, but she tensed with anticipation for the ones to come.

  "I can do this," she whispered to the empty room. "Everything will be good, great even."

  Sebastian returned and held out his phone. "Click the blue button when another one starts. I'm going to the library to tell Helena with a shell."

  Abby grabbed his arm.

  "We don't need to wake her yet. Remember she said it's liable to take hours and we'll have plenty of warning from the contractions."

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

  "I appreciate your relaxed attitude. It's good for you, but I want her to know, anyway."

  Abby watched him plod from the room, naked except his underwear. On his head one black curl stuck straight in the air and she almost laughed. Nothing was funnier than a sleepy man on a mission in his skivvies.

  She peered at the clock, but over ten minutes passed without another contraction. When it hit, Abby had nearly fallen back asleep. The spasm jolted her awake.

  Sebastian returned looking more alert.

  "Coffee's started and Helena is on her way," he announced.

  "Sebastian." She threw a pillow at him. "Don't you..." but she had to stop talking as the contraction caused her muscles to seize and a ball of pressure to appear in her low spine. She squirmed on the bed. "Don't you remember that Helena said to go back to bed when the contractions started," she huffed out.

  He smiled.

  "I'm sure you'll be sleeping through those," he joked. "I'm ready to be awake, though."

  Abby shrugged, not wanting to agree that he was right.

  "You realize that this may be our last night of peaceful sleep for quite some time," she reminded him.

  He sat on the bed next to her, taking her hand.

  "I'd hardly call it peaceful. Plus, who wants to sleep when you have a baby you can stare at instead?"

  Abby touched her belly, having almost forgotten about the contractions, but a glance at Sebastian's phone told her another would start in four minutes.

  "What did Helena say?" she asked.

  Sebastian smiled at her wryly.

  "That we should go back to bed and rest up for your big performance. She's coming through the mirror to get the house ready."

  Abby took a deep breath and closed her eyes, not surprised this time when the muscles in her uterus pulled tight.

  "Does it hurt?" Sebastian asked.

  Abby opened one eye and looked at him.

  "Not exactly. It's just...uncomfortable."

  The contraction lasted for less than two minutes. Abby sighed and rested her head back when a light knock sounded on the door.

  "Well, a very early morning to you," Helena bubbled, looking wide awake and excited. She shooed Sebastian from the edge of the bed and sat down. "I'll do a quick check of your heart rate and blood pressure and baby's heart and then leave you to rest."

  "I'm not sure I'll be getting much more sleep," Abby admitted as Helena blew on the cold stethoscope before placing it against Abby's skin.

  "You'll be surprised, honey. Those contractions take a lot out of you. Even ten minutes between will help with your energy," she explained, wrapping a cuff around Abby's upper arm.

  "That's a good idea," Abby admitted, yawning. She was tired.

  "Sebastian, I think you better get some more shut-eye as well," Helena started, but he shook his head before she finished.

  "Nope. Put me to work Helena. I'll just toss and turn and keep Abby awake if I'm in here."

  ****

  Abby slipped out of her robe and climbed into the large tub. The warm water rose over her, easing the pain as a contraction surged through her. Oliver had been right, the floor of the tub felt like clouds wrapped in silk. She settled against the edge and looked up through the trees at the starlit sky above. Lydie had strung white twinkling lights from the branches. It was terribly romantic and Abby allowed her mind a moment of reverie before another fist of pain arose within her.

  Abby had been having contractions for eighteen hours. The last two hours they had changed. When Sebastian asked what they felt like, Abby told him she wondered if someone were grounding spices against her spine with the dull end of a hammer. He didn't ask again.

  He sat in a chair at the edge of the tub and wrapped his arms around her, settling his head on her shoulder.

  "You're amazing," he whispered.

  She nodded, but didn't speak as another contraction drew the muscles of her abdomen tight.

  All the witches of Ula had come to her house. Bridget was cooking and stocking the freezer with pre-made meals. Elda and Lydie were performing spells of welcoming, nurturing and setting up little bits of magic to soothe nighttime cries. They bewitched the washing machine to call out to soiled clothes and blankets so they'd float to the laundry room and self-wash. Faustine, Oliver and Julian had spread across Abby and Sebastian's property standing vigil. Faustine had come equipped to fortify their house against invasive energy. Even a human could not stumble upon the place. Divergent shields would send wanderers passing by and deflect enemies. If Kanti knew of Abby's birth, then Clyde would know as well, though they hoped that Galla's blanket had blocked her access.

  Helena brought Abby a plate of fresh fruit and a glass of water.

  "Here, honey. We've got pineapple, mango, strawberries. Have a little something to eat. We want to make sure you're refreshed when the time comes."

  "Thank you," Abby told her, touching her hand. She took a few strawberries and a piece of mango and settled back into the water.

  The time between contractions had reduced to less than four minutes.

  She popped the fruit in her mouth and pushed away from the edge of the tub, moving in a circle. It helped to move. Breathe and move, breathe and move. Another contraction squeezed, and she rushed to the side of the tub gripping the rock ledge and closing her eyes. She imagined a lotus flower blooming on the surface of a pond. She had read about visualization in a baby book. As the lotus petals folded back, her muscles loosened and relaxed. She sagged against the side of the tub where Sebastian stood, ready. He didn't ask what he could get for her, but offered a sip of water and wiped her sweating face with a cool, damp rag.

  As another contraction overwhelmed her, she cried out. She grabbed a towel and bit down. A vice-like pressure wound through her middle and a wave of nausea rolled over her. As the pain peaked she whimpered and bit back a desire to scream.

  "You're doin great, mama," Helena murmured. She stood next to Sebastian and reached for Abby's wrist, holding her pulse.

  "I need to push," Abby said, suddenly wanting to bear down as an enormous pressure moved against her pelvis. Helena might have spoken, but Abby didn't hear her. She pushed and cried out. For twenty minutes the pushing continued. Abby descended into her body so deeply it was as if she were outside of it. The external world ceased to exist and a primal urge to deliver her baby engulfed her. Abby relea
sed a guttural cry.

  "Nice, slow pushes now, honey. Let the skin stretch on its own," Helena urged her.

  Abby blew out a long ragged breath trying to lengthen the push.

  "Reach down, Abby. Feel for Vidya," Helena urged.

  Abby stretched her arms into the water, gasping as her fingers brushed the soft crown of her daughter's head.

  Sebastian climbed into the tub.

  "I feel her," Abby shrieked, locking eyes with Sebastian. He breathed loudly through his nose and looked rapidly back and forth between Abby and Helena. Abby laughed and Helena laughed with her and then Sebastian started to laugh, but Abby saw tears pouring down his cheeks.

  Helena climbed onto the edge of the stone tub.

  "Another push, mama. There, that's good. Guide her out."

  Vidya slipped into the water. Together Abby and Sebastian lifted their slippery infant. Her cries echoed through the forest. Abby held her against her chest and cried with her baby. Somewhere in the night, Abby heard the witches of Ula clapping and hooting. They too had heard Vidya enter the world.

  Chapter 6

  Though Vidya had come into the world two months before her due date, she was a healthy seven pounds with a tuft of golden hair and piercing blue eyes. Helena had set up Abby and Sebastian's bedroom with everything they needed and she would sleep in the room adjacent and check on them frequently.

  It was nearing dawn when Abby and Sebastian lay in bed and marveled at their tiny creation. Her pale blue eyelids were capped with wisps of black lashes. Abby touched her fingers and hands, curled in as she slept on Abby's chest. Sebastian stroked the back of their baby's little head, watching both Vidya and Abby with an expression of complete wonder. They were both exhausted - beyond exhausted - but those first moments alone with each other and their new baby gave them a boost.

  "You were amazing, Abby. I don't know what I expected, but I had no idea," Sebastian whispered, shaking his head from side to side as if he still couldn't quite believe it.

  Abby smiled and strained forward to kiss the top of the baby's head. Helena had helped guide her to Abby's breast shortly after the birth and she'd latched easily, though Abby's nipples were now sore and raw.

  "Me too," Abby agreed. "I felt primal, like an animal."

  "You looked primal." Sebastian smiled, tracing Abby's collarbone with his finger. "Like an amazon warrior goddess. I've always respected women, but now I revere you."

  "I'm feeling very unwarrior-like," she yawned. "I'm so tired and seepy."

  "Sleepy or seepy?"

  "Sleepy and seepy," she laughed.

  "Well let me take this little beauty and you knock off for a few hours," he told her, sitting up in the bed. He gently lifted Vidya from Abby's chest and held her against his own.

  Abby blew him a kiss.

  "Thank you, Sebastian. I love you so much."

  "I love you." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

  Abby closed her eyes and drifted away.

  ****

  Sebastian held the baby against his bare chest, savoring the warm puffs of her breath on his skin. He sat in the gliding chair that Abby's mom had bought for the nursery. Downstairs he could hear the bustle of the other witches. Bridget cooking, Helena cleaning and Lydie likely adding little bits of magic to every household item with the pretense of making their lives easier. He'd agree if he hadn't gone to get his shoes the day before and been attacked by the vacuum. He heard steady footfalls on the widow's walk above him. Most likely Julian scanning the skies for signs of skin-walkers as Oliver and Faustine did the same at ground level.

  "The entire world is keeping you safe," Sebastian whispered into the top of Vidya's head. She was so soft, her skin like flower petals, and his hands seemed huge and clumsy. He'd always considered himself a graceful, gentle man, but his baby daughter turned him into a bumbling ogre. She released a tiny sigh followed by a mewl, more like a kitten than a baby.

  He leaned back in the chair and rocked, closing his eyes and noticing the heaviness in every limb of his body. Like Abby, he was exhausted, but also determined to be present for a little longer. The Ula witches waited downstairs for their chance to whisk Vidya into their arms and shower her with kisses. Sebastian wanted a little more time alone with his baby girl. The force of her arrival called for some time in quiet reflection. As he listened to the steady drum of her breath and followed the rapid beating of her heart against his chest, he imagined his parents and Claire in the room with them. He could almost sense them hovering in the space.

  "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked them. Only silence followed until a tiny sparrow flew to the window and pecked on the glass. Another arrived just after. Several minutes later, more than ten birds sat on the eave outside the window. Sebastian studied their tiny black eyes. "They're here for you," he told Vidya.

  Abby had told him that birds were drawn to their child.

  The door pushed in and Helena peeked around the corner.

  "Am I interrupting?" she asked.

  Sebastian shook his head.

  "No, just admiring our bird welcoming committee," he told her, nodding his head toward the window.

  Helena smiled and walked to the glass.

  "This is nothing," she laughed. "You should see the front porch. Crows, seagulls, blue jays, cardinals, sparrows. It's like a bird sanctuary out there."

  "Really?" he asked, glancing at his baby as if she somehow called out to the birds.

  "Yep, she's a force all right. Ready for a nice rest? Or are you getting some daddy time under your belt?"

  Sebastian yawned and took another breath of her infant smell.

  "I'm ready. I'm getting that up-all-night stoned feeling, better nod off before I start wanting to pound coffee instead."

  Helena grinned and put her arms out.

  "Ooh now I get to snuggle that sweet little nugget," she cooed, taking the baby from his arms.

  Helena whispered and giggled to the baby as she carried her down the stairs. He returned to the bed and crawled in next to Abby, watching her. A long curl fell across her forehead and rested on the pillow. Her face, lined with exhaustion a short while earlier, was seamless in sleep. He closed his eyes and allowed the sound of her breath to carry him away.

  ****

  "This week had been a blur," Sebastian told Abby, carrying a breakfast tray.

  "For moi?" she asked, eyeing the piping hot coffee and equally tantalizing cinnamon roll slathered in frosting.

  "Yes, it is mi amour," he settled the tray over her lap on the bed and slid in next to her. "I've safely deposited Vidya with Auntie Helena and you get to drink your coffee without worrying you'll slop it on our baby's head."

  Abby laughed. "Oh, the things you take for granted." She took a sip and closed her eyes, allowing the steady thrum of caffeine into her blood. "The week has flown though," Abby agreed, "when it wasn't crawling like a sloth that is."

  Sebastian smiled. "Yeah, a few of those late night wake-ups seemed to span hours and when I looked at the clock, fifteen minutes would have passed."

  Abby picked up a cinnamon roll and inhaled.

  "Your recipe?" she asked.

  "Yep, I trusted Bridget with my Infinitely Tubular Cinnamon Rolls."

  "Is that their formal name?" Abby asked, taking a gooey delicious bite.

  "Claire called them that," he admitted. "I figured I should make it official."

  "Well they definitely live up to their name."

  Sebastian took a coffee and leaned back against a pillow.

  "How can our lives change so much in a week? I feel like the same person and yet totally different."

  Abby nodded.

  "Me too. Though the whole witch revelation obliterated any ideas I had about the slow progression of reality. What's weird is that it doesn't sink in. One minute you're Abby and the next you're a witch and a minute after that you're a wife and then a mother..." She trailed off trying to make sense of all the new roles in her life.

  "A son an
d a brother, then an orphan with no family. A man and then a hybrid, a husband, a father." Sebastian frowned into his coffee as he spoke. "Where's the lightning bolt? Shouldn't the transition be a little more pronounced?"

  Abby squeezed his hand.

  "Vidya's arrival had the lightning bolt. I don't think I'd wish for anything more intense."

  "True enough," he said, his eyes wide at the memory. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The energy that night was like..." he searched for a word. "Magnetic. Obviously, you were there on a whole other level."

  Abby touched her belly, already nearly gone. Some vigorous massage from Helena and her body's own contractions had shrunk her womb back to a non-baby holding size in the hours after the birth. A bit of belly remained, and it made Abby sad to think of it gone, all evidence that her child had lived within her, rooted and been nurtured there, would vanish.

  "I'd do it again too," she told him, feeling strangely shy at the implications.

  He paused with his coffee halfway to his lips.

  "Really?" He asked, a smile of delight spreading across his face. "As in a second time? Two babies?"

  "Not anytime soon, cowboy," she laughed, handing him a cinnamon roll. "But yeah, right?"

  He nodded, chewing his cinnamon roll slowly and staring at her with mingled wonder and terror.

  "Yeah. Hell yeah. Now it seems strange that I've never even thought about it," he confessed.

  "To be honest, I haven't either. Not to mention, we've had other stuff on our minds. But seeing Helena and the other Ula witches this week, I've thought why aren't there more babies in everyone's lives? I mean, have you ever experienced so much joy? And presence?"

  He cocked his head to the side.

  "No, I haven't. But I have to admit, I've never been so scared either. I probably shouldn't say that, being your protector and all. Sometimes when I hold Vidya, I want us to move to another planet where she can never get hurt."

  Abby chewed her fingernail and then stuffed her hand beneath the comforter.

  "I know, me too. I'm scared for her and for us. But we will survive this curse and when we're all free, that's when we'll talk about another baby."