Chapter 227 - 228: Is he going to die?

Chapter 227: Chapter 228: Is he going to die?

Something about her voice made Swanly’s stomach drop.

Nahla ran.

Vida nearly fell.

"My baby."

Her words broke.

"My baby is hot."

Nahla reached.

Vida jerked backward.

"No!"

Nahla stopped.

"Vida."

"No!"

Vida clutched the infant so tightly Swanly feared she would hurt him.

The baby did not cry.

That was worse.

His little head rolled against Vida’s arm.

His skin was flushed dark with heat.

His lips looked dry.

Vida was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"He was feeding. He was feeding and then he stopped and he..."

Her voice cracked.

"Wake up."

She shook him gently.

"Baby."

Nothing.

"Wake up."

Nahla’s face changed.

"Vida, give him to me."

"No."

"Vida."

"No!"

The young mother backed into a post.

"You’ll take him away!"

"No."

"You took the others away!"

"We moved them to treatment shelters."

"You’ll take my baby!"

Swanly stepped between them.

Nahla looked at her.

Swanly lifted one hand.

Wait.

Then Swanly slowly crouched.

Not touching.

Not reaching.

Making herself smaller.

"Vida."

The mother’s terrified eyes found hers.

"You have five babies."

Swanly’s chest tightened.

"Yes."

"If this was yours..."

Her voice collapsed.

"If this was your baby, would you give her away?"

Swanly looked at the limp infant.

Then Vida.

"No."

Nahla’s head turned.

Swanly continued:

"I would probably bite anyone who tried taking one of mine from me."

Vida cried harder.

"But I would let someone help them."

Silence.

Swanly moved closer on her knees.

"I am not asking you to leave him."

Vida swallowed.

"You aren’t?"

"No."

"You promise?"

"I promise you can stay where he can see you. You can hold him when Nahla says it’s safe. You can sleep beside the reed partition."

Vida’s arms trembled.

"But you have to let Nahla touch him."

Vida looked down.

Her baby’s little chest barely moved.

That decided it.

She broke.

"Please."

The word was so small.

"Please save him."

Nahla moved instantly.

Vida did not release the baby completely.

Nahla worked while the mother held him.

Sari brought cooling cloth.

Tilla boiled fresh water.

Swanly wrapped her own hands and helped remove the baby’s tiny hide clothing.

No bite.

They searched again.

Arms.

Legs.

Back.

Scalp.

Between tiny toes.

Nothing.

No scratch.

No Rot.

Just heat.

Too much heat.

The System scanned.

ROT INFECTION: NEGATIVE.

Swanly should have felt relief.

She didn’t.

The baby suddenly jerked.

Vida screamed.

His entire little body stiffened.

Then went limp again.

"No!"

Vida pressed her face against his hair.

"No, no, no, no..."

Swanly grabbed her shoulder.

"He’s breathing."

Barely.

But breathing.

Tilla stood behind Vida crying silently.

She wiped her face angrily and kept working.

Nahla snapped:

"Cooling cloth."

Tilla handed it over immediately.

"Fresh one."

Another.

"Water."

Sari passed it.

The whole little team moved around Vida and her baby.

Not strangers now.

Women trying desperately to keep one tiny life anchored to the world.

Then Eira and Sira appeared at the shelter entrance with Kael.

Swanly almost shouted at him for bringing them.

Then saw his face.

"They would not stay."

Of course.

Eira stared at the baby.

Sira had been smiling at something in Kael’s hair.

Her smile vanished.

Both girls became completely still.

Vida saw them.

Her eyes widened.

The twins had become frightening little omens in less than a day.

Eira leaned forward.

"Down."

Swanly looked at her.

"What?"

Eira pointed at the baby.

"Down."

Vida sobbed.

"What does that mean?"

"I don’t know."

"Is he going to die?"

"No."

Swanly answered too fast.

Vida heard it.

"Don’t lie to me."

Swanly stopped.

The young mother’s face was destroyed.

Red eyes.

Wet cheeks.

Hair stuck to her skin.

"Please."

Swanly sat beside her.

"I don’t know."

Vida closed her eyes.

Swanly continued:

"But he is breathing. Nahla is here. Sari is here. I’m here."

Tilla wiped her face.

"And me."

Vida gave a broken laugh through her tears.

Swanly squeezed her hand.

"We are not stopping."

Hours passed.

The fever finally dropped.

Not enough.

But a little.

The baby made a weak sound.

Vida froze.

Then sobbed so violently she bent over him.

"My baby."

His tiny mouth moved.

Vida kissed his forehead again and again.

"You’re here. You’re here."

Nahla sat back.

Exhausted.

"Not safe yet."

Vida nodded frantically.

"I know."

"You listen to me."

"Yes."

"You do not hide symptoms."

"I won’t."

"You do not give him anything I have not approved."

"I won’t."

Nahla’s hard expression softened.

"Good."

Vida hugged her baby.

Swanly stood slowly.

Her back hurt.

Her head hurt.

Everything hurt.

Then she noticed someone beyond the western fencing.

Far away.

A Veskari figure.

Watching.

Not Azren.

Not Lyssara.

One of their healers.

The winged female’s gaze was fixed on Vida.

Vida’s mate stood several paces away from the shelter.

He saw her too.

His eyes moved from the distant healer...

to his sick child.

Then back.

Swanly saw that look.

Desperation.

The kind that made good people do terrible things.

She would remember it later.

By the second night, Ironwood finally became quiet.

Not peaceful.

Quiet.

There was a difference.

People slept because their bodies had given up.

Guards walked the paths.

Nahla had finally allowed herself to sit.

Sari slept with her back against a treatment-shelter wall.

Tilla had gone home to Tavi only after Swanly practically ordered her.

Vida still sat beside her baby.

And Soren was awake.

Of course.

Swanly found him at the long stone table.

Maps everywhere.

Guard markers.

Food counts.

Water locations.

Isolation shelters.

Boundary points.

His hair was loose.

His shoulders were tense.

He had not noticed her yet.

Or perhaps he had.

With Soren it was impossible to tell.

Swanly stopped at the table.

"Sleep."

"No."

She blinked.

"You didn’t even look at me."

"I knew what you were going to say."

"You haven’t slept properly in two days."

"Neither have you."

"I slept."

"When?"

Swanly paused.

"That is not relevant."

His silver eyes finally lifted.

"Exactly."

She folded her arms.

"Go lie down."

"No."

"Soren."

He looked back at the map.

Swanly’s eye twitched.

Fine.

She walked around the table.

Soren ignored her.

She climbed onto the edge.

He looked up.

Then Swanly deliberately sat directly on top of the maps.

Soren stared.

Swanly folded her arms.

"Now?"

"Move."

"No."

"Swanly."

"Soren."

His pupils narrowed.

She stared back.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Swanly almost smiled.

She had won.

Then his hand moved.

Fast.

One arm hooked around her waist.

The other caught the back of her hip and lower curve, shamelessly firm.

Swanly gasped.

"Soren!"