I mirrored her actions. I didn’t actually know if she spoke the universal tongue, but I greeted her with, “Healer, mypikisaid you requested me.”
“Lysi,” she replied and I was thankful I wouldn’t need the guard to translate our conversation. “My herbs revealed to me that you are pregnant with theVorakkar’schild.”
I reached out to grip a tall chest to keep from falling over.
“Morakkari,” the healer exclaimed, rushing me to sit down at the low table.
I blinked, falling onto the cushion in disbelief. “A little warning next time would be great,” I breathed as she immediately thrust a small cup of hot tea into my shaking hands.
I stared into the dark liquid as her words began to penetrate.
“I’m…” I whispered. “I’m pregnant?”
“Lysi,Morakkari,” she replied, taking a seat across from me. “Drink. It is good for the young.”
“How can you be certain?” I asked.
Her brow furrowed, her head cocking to the side. “The tea? It is a blend I make myself.”
“No.Nik. About the pregnancy. You are certain?” I clarified, hope beginning to spring in my chest, though I desperately tried to keep it reined. “I haven’t had any morning sickness the last two days. I thought…”
“My herbs have never told me an untruth,Morakkari,” the female said, “and I have done this for many, many years.”
“But I’m human,” I pointed out. “Not Dakkari. Maybe the test doesn’t work for me.”
“Your child is Dakkari,” she said gently.
I looked down at my belly, my breath hitching.
A child.
A baby.
Excitement, fear, hope all swarmed within me and I looked back up at the healer.
“I’m pregnant?” I said, just to clarify one last time before the gates opened.
“Lysi, Morakkari.I am certain,” she said patiently with a small nod. “Now, drink. You must have a cup every morning and evening.”
And because I didn’t know what else to do, I drank the foul tasting, bitter liquid until the cup was emptied.
I closed my eyes as tears of happiness welled up in them, not wanting her to see me cry.
“What now?” I finally asked once I opened them again, once I was able to control the sudden, overwhelming emotion at her abrupt announcement.
What now?
Words that Kivan had just asked me and now it wasIthat felt uncertain.
“You continue to live,” she said, as if it were obvious. “You wait. The baby will grow and when the baby decides to come, it will.”
I blew out a breath and then asked a question that I’d been wondering, “How long do Dakkari females gestate for?”
“Five moon cycles,” the healer answered. Almost half of humans. It explained why the morning sickness came early.
“Alright,” I whispered, looking into my empty cup before looking up at her, a small, hesitant smile appearing on my face. “Thank you.”
“You come see me often,Morakkari,” she continued. “I will have your tea delivered with your meals and once the worst of the nausea comes, I have something to settle your belly too.”
