A Crown Of Blades(ARTK, Book 3)

Chapter 60-61

Jono 1st,3330 A.G

The screams from that day would never leave Andrew, nor the speed at which he carried his half-conscious, bleeding wife. He were out of breath by the time they were halfway to the sickroom, which'd been converted to a birthing room upon their arrival- at his instruction.

  "My lord I..." House Simonett's witch started to argue, despite how Andrew and Jade had stood with their arms crossed that day. "I cannot.... We do not typically convert the sickroom until the expectant mother is declared to be days away from labor, and that is not the case with... my lady. You would be surprised at the injuries people manage to give themselves. I once treated a man who'd tried jumping off a roof into a metal tub-"

  "And broke so many bones in the process he could not walk for two years?" Jade had raised an eyebrow and stepped forward until she were less than a hand's length from the younger witch's face. "I remember that day. I was there as your teacher. You were my apprentice, he is both of our lords, giving a command for the well-being of our lady that you will not disobey. Or am I wrong?"

  The much younger witch gulped, and Andrew said nothing. Jade had seemed to be handling it well enough,

  "No you...." She paused and walked over to the beds to start moving one aside, to give the birth team space to move around. In less that a moment, Andrew had been beside and helping her- and Jade were clearing ridiculous clutter off a table. "You are correct."

  Now, Krea were conscious again- just long enough to scream. Jade were just beside him and trying to help; though there was next to nothing she could do until they got to that converted sickroom.

  Or so she though; before Andrew began to shake so hard he were in danger of dropping her.

  "I'm so...." Then the tears started to quickly fall, blurring his vision- and she knew what she had to do. "I'm so...sorry you.... jade's going to figure out what's happening and then you'll .... She'll give you valerian and....."

  Jade shook her head, but not entirely as his last suggestion.( She'd been practicing long enough to know Valerian could only help so much- that there was a limit on how much pain it could take.)

  She stopped walking long enough to grab Andrew's arm, to gesture that she would carry Krea the rest of the way. Andrew resisted a few moments, but he didn't have the strength to argue- not with the possibilities flashing through his head.

  Agnes.

  Krea.

  Agnes.

  Krea.

  Once they finally reached the converted birthing room and Krea were placed on the bed, Jade got to work. She'd started with just a look to try and understand exactly what were happening; and from her view- blood spurted like a waterfall every time Krea were conscious enough to scream or crush Andrew's hand.

  She watched a few rounds of this before allowing it to sink in, before she wanted to lean over and throw up. Around the third Andrew's panic grew intense, and he looked to Jade with it written over the his entire being; in the way he kneeled next to that bed-  and how he could hardly keep hold of Krea's hand for how bad he shook.

  "Why aren't you doing anything?" He'd intended to yell at her, but his voice came out broken and cracking.

  Jade swallowed and stood up, gesturing for him to join her by the door. He did so reluctantly, feeling empty without the skin contact.