Her knights try to lift me off the ground, but I raise my hand and send them back with my wind magic. “Back off!”
There’s a ripple in the air, and I sense another type of magic was triggered.
“Shit!” Queen Merissa curses. “You shouldn’t have done that. You just alerted your mother of your presence.”
“You shouldn’t have brought me here against my will like a fucking psycho. You’re no better than my mother.”
She leans down and grabs my chin. “I’m nothing like your mother. If I were, I’d take the powers of Aquila for myself instead of allowing you to have them. Now get up and quit your whining.”
Queen or not, I’d kick her ass if another contraction didn’t rob me of strength. Adrian, bless his heart, rubs my back and tells me to take deep breaths.
“Do you think you can stand now?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He helps me to my feet, and together we make the trek to the ancient mother tree while Queen Merissa orders her knights to take defensive positions. If I’d known using my powers here would alert my mother, I wouldn’t have done it. Dear auntie should have been more honest from the start. Her distrust may have caused our doom. If being so suspicious of everyone and everything is the price of the crown, I don’t want it. But if I don’t take part in the ritual, if I don’t strip the powers of the land from my mother, we’re all as good as dead. I’ll do anything to protect my baby.
When we reach the ancient mother tree, I hear my mother’s voice in my head.“You can’t win this fight, Vryenn. Give up now and I may let your disgusting offspring live.”
“Get out of my head!”
“Holy Mary, Mother of God,” Adrian breathes out as he stares at the valley below.
My mother has come and brought her entire army. Normally, that sight would strike fear into my heart, but instead, I’m filled with strength, and it’s not only my own. It’s coming for the ancient mother tree.
“Good, the powers of the land are already reacting to you,” Queen Merissa says.
“How do we start the ritual?” Adrian asks.
“It has already started. Don’t worry about Maewe. I’ll keep her occupied. Just focus on completing the ritual.”
She steps in front of us and makes rapid movements with her arms, weaving a dome of shimmering light that seals Adrian and me with the ancient mother tree.
I want to yell that I don’t know how to complete the ritual, but I have another contraction, and that takes my focus. They seem to be getting closer together and lasting longer. I feel faint, so I brace my hand against the tree. The trunk pulses against my palm, shining where I touch it.
“What can I do to help?” Adrian asks.
I close my eyes for a second when the pain is too much. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Yes, you can. Sit down. I’ll help you to the best of my ability.”
“We need to finish the ritual,” I say through clenched teeth.
“I think delivering your baby is the key to finishing it.”
I study his face, and then my eyes drop to the medallion around his neck. Even though the Magna Vis is inside him, the medallion is its representation. “How do you know?”
“A hunch. Or maybe it’s the Magna Vis telling me it is so.”
I sit down, resting my back against the ancient mother tree. It gives me strength, and the labor pains become more tolerable. “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”
He grimaces. “Never.”
I lean my head back against the tree. “That’s great.”
There’s a battle cry, and then I lose sight of Queen Merissa as she charges down the hill. Her alone with her pitiful personal guard won’t stand a chance against my mother and the might of her army. I foresee this ending too soon.
“Come on, baby. It’s time for you to make an appearance.”
