Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters except Shaitara, Shai, and Tara. I also own the general plot.
Chapter 1
"Jaenelle, are you almost ready to head down?" asked Daemon from the outside of the door to the bathroom.
"Why don't you head down without me? I'll be a little bit longer."
"Alright, I'll see you down there, but if you need anything call me."
As Daemon was walking away Jaenelle was thinking, Why am I so nervous to go down there, it's just another party. I look like myself, but why am I so nervous? Maybe I should call in the Protectorate, she always said to when I was feeling strange. Yes, that's what I'll do, then she'll be paying attention and I won't feel so nervous…or nauseous.
Jaenelle speaks on a black distaff thread, Shaitara
Yes, my Queen? came the response.
I need you to keep an eye on my surroundings tonight, something doesn't feel right.
As you wish, enjoy your party.
I feel better already, thought Jaenelle as she began heading downstairs where her First and Second Circles were gathering for the first time since she had saved the Realms from Hekatah.
Meanwhile, Shaitara was not so comforted. What has her so spooked that she called me? Maybe I should get over there to keep a better eye on her in case there is something They can't take care of. With that she caught the Black Wind towards the Hall, all the while thinking what in Mother Night's name was scaring Jaenelle so bad that she thought to contact her Protectorate. Jaenelle NEVER called in the big guns unless she was terrified, Oh well, won't know until I get there…I wonder… With that Shaitara tried something Jaenelle had taught her long ago, how to use a person as a homing beacon instead of riding on the prearranged Winds.
Back at the party, Daemon was talking to Khardeen and Aaron when he saw Jaenelle as she began descending the stairs. She is gorgeous, and she is Mine.
Jaenelle saw him right before she reached the bottom of the staircase and started working her way towards him, pausing now and then to greet old friends and some of their children. When she reaches his side, she tucks in under his arm for support as if she were afraid of something. Jaenelle, sweetheart, are you alright? he asked on a black spear to distaff thread.
Yes, just a little shaky. I just don't feel up to snuff, maybe because of Lucivar coming back and his work out this morning.
Ok. he says as he tries to hold her a little closer to him. Suddenly, he feels a steady tug from his middle. Father, do you feel something?
Like what? asked Saetan.
Like someone is pulling on your insides?
Not really, no more than usual when I am worried.
Alright, probably just nerves on my part too, just keep an eye out.
As if I weren't already doing so. came the pithy reply.
Just then, Jaenelle asked, "Do you think we could go sit down? I'm feeling more than a little short right now," she said as she looked up the half-foot and more to Khardeen, Aaron and Daemon.
Shaitara put up psychic and sight shields before she dropped from subspace, just as Daemon was helping Jaenelle to her seat. She had to sidestep quickly and carefully to make sure she wasn't felt by anyone. Shit, I thought she said this was a party, not a gathering of all the Queens and Warlord Princes of Kaeleer. Jaenelle, don't react. I'm here, just relax and enjoy whatever this is.
Thank you, Shaitara. Are you going to introduce yourself to the family afterwards?
Hopefully not.
As you wish.
"Jaenelle? What's the matter?" asked Khardeen. "Were you talking to someone?"
"Yes, sorry for being rude. They needed to tell me something before I found out the hard way."
"Ah, well then. How have you been since you guys last came to visit?"
"Fairly well, still enjoying being married," said Daemon to the response of laughter from the entire group. Suddenly, they heard a scream from across the room. Everyone at the table stood up, as Shaitara still shielded walked around to stand in front of all of them. "What's the problem?" crooned Daemon softly as he let the cold rage envelope him.
Unexpectedly a crossbow bolt was shot straight at Jaenelle, Daemon dove in front of her expecting to feel the pain of the bolt entering his flesh. The pain never came, Daemon turned around to see a cloaked and hooded figure with their arm out holding the crossbow bolt in their hand. Daemon looked closer at that hand, it was the same shade of light brown as his with the same black-tinted nails that adorned his hands.
"Noooo. You will pay for that!" shouted a male voice from across the room followed by running footsteps that got louder as the assailant came closer. The cloaked figure threw back its hood and removed its cloak, revealing a slender woman with a black French braid that ended about her waist. She was wearing skin-tight black leather trousers and a black leather top that was little more than a bra supporting what appeared to be an ample bosom. She was also wearing a belt with two swords, two whips, and several daggers attached to it. She was shorter than the males near by but taller than Jaenelle and the other Queens. While the assailant was still more than halfway across the room, she grabbed her cloak as it was falling and laid it neatly across a chair-back near by. Then she drew her swords while saying, "You ok, Jaenelle?"
"Yes, stop them now."
"With pleasure, my Queen." Once she said this she started running towards the attacker. When she reached a point where there were fewer possible casualties she stopped and took a fighting stance, similar to the one Lucivar favors but different as she was fighting with two weapons instead of one.
As the man neared her, he pulled up his crossbow again and shot directly at her heart. The bolt bounced harmlessly off of a protective barrier she had erected about half an inch off of her skin. She just looked at him as his momentum proceeded to bring him within range of her swords. When he reached that point she spun around swinging her swords and decapitated him. She then sheathed both swords and strutted over to his corpse her boots, which were hidden by the length of her pants, giving off the ringing notes of stilettos. She then knelt next to the body and passed her hands over it and saying something in the Old Tongue. He immediately made the Transition to demon-dead. As he was reawakening she grabbed his head and walked over to the table, keeping a bucket-like shield underneath the severed neck to prevent blood from dripping onto the tiled floor. She then grabbed her cloak in the other hand and walked back towards his body. Then past it, and as she past it, the body began to float and follow her like a well-trained pup. She managed to reach the front door before Daemon reacted enough to summon the Hall's defenses. When the unknown woman reached the door and tried the handle, she was unable to open the door. The room suddenly went freezing cold and ice raced up the mirrors and windows, across the floor and tables, and up the Ladies' skirts all from one central location, the front doors.
The temperature continued to drop and the room began to spiral downwards, or rather they all felt like they were spiraling downwards. This continued until the windows exploded outwards and the warm air from outside rushed in to meet the room's occupants. Suddenly Jaenelle walked around her wall of men and towards the front doors and the woman staring at them.
When she reached the woman she whispered, "Shaitara…Shaitara, none of them are going to hurt you or me. Leash it, Princess. They don't deserve your rage, he does."
"Ah, but which male are you speaking of, my Lady? The one floating behind me? One of my brothers? My Father? Which male do you speak of, Jaenelle, because from where I'm standing they ALL are beginning to deserve this," crooned Shaitara. She then turned away from the front doors and raising her voice slightly so as to be heard throughout the entrance hall she said, "Another's rage should not knock you men from the killing edge." With that she turned back around and whispered to Jaenelle, "No one will die tonight save the one I hold, you needn't worry. I just need some time." Upon finishing speaking she turned away from Jaenelle and towards the doors, and walked right through the doors and the Black Shield that had been created around the Hall and out into the night.
Jaenelle put her hand up to the wood of the front doors and sighed. Then she turned around and began heading back to where the First Circle was beginning to gather in order to discuss this strange young woman. When she got there she was hit with a barrage of questions…"Who is she?" "What is she?" "How come I can't get a reading on her?" They went on and on until Jaenelle held up her hand for silence.
"Just wait until she returns, then you may get some of your answers." With that she began walking away towards the front doors when they reopened admitting the young woman again. Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan began walking up behind Jaenelle.
Must you bring them? queried Shaitara.
They need to know I'm safe. Jaenelle responded. To which Shaitara's only response was a huff and the jutting out of one hip as she shifted her weight and began to pick at her long black fingernails.
When Jaenelle reached Shaitara she reached out to shake hands with her. Shaitara pulled her into a big bear hug, lifting her up and spinning Jaenelle around.
"…down. Put Me DOWN!" shouted Jaenelle.
"Have to get my hugs when I can before these three try to stop me," she said nodding towards Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar.
"Who are you?" crooned Daemon.
"Hell freeze over while I wasn't looking, Sadi?"
"You little…" started Lucivar as Saetan also began saying, "You want to see?"
"No, not really Saetan. I don't want to see. Jaenelle, tell them to back off…or I will teach them to." Lucivar called in his Eyrien war blade.
All Shaitara did was look at her nails. Then the three of them noticed as she lowered her hands back down that each of her fingers had glistening drops falling from them. They all took a step back.
"Nice boyos, I see you did train them." she said and then she changed to the Old Tongue. "If you want them to know who I am fine, but Mother Night will sire another child before I tell them." Then she walked away towards the buffet table.
"Alright witch-child, you going to tell us or is Mother Night going to sire another child?" asked Saetan.
"She is Shaitara SaDiablo and your true daughter, Papa. I can't explain anymore than that because I don't know anymore that I can tell you without having to fight her." Jaenelle then spun on her heel and headed towards the window where Shaitara was standing and looking out on the front lawn and eating a leg of chicken.
As Jaenelle approached Shaitara put the chicken back on her plate and set the plate on the table nearby. She put her arms around Jaenelle and continued looking out on the front lawn. Shai, why don't you want them to know who you are?
Because, I don't want the prophecy that involves them to come true.
And it is?
That I open the doorway from death back to life for certain individuals and fall in love with one.
That doesn't sound so bad, Shai. I mean I'm in love with your brother and nothing bad has come of it in the years we have been married.
Really? What about the children you are carrying in your womb? I can sense that one of them is like me. You don't know what it is like being a Warlord Princess.
"What?" asked Jaenelle, so shocked that anyone else had any inkling that she was pregnant, she had just thought it was possible earlier that evening.
"Don't play stupid Jaenelle, it doesn't suit you. Thank you for helping me to calm down, I can see that everyone here would give their life to protect you so I don't see why I was needed."
"You were needed because I asked you to come!" shouted Jaenelle. This caused Shaitara to form what appeared to be Eyrien wings out of her back with growing solidity.
"And I don't see why you needed to call in your Protectorate when all you wanted was moral support, for the sake of all the Darkness you are married to my twin! And you have my other twin right there with him as well as my father! Don't give me this crap about needing me, you haven't needed me in ten years." exclaimed Shaitara. "What in the name of Mother Night was so fucking dangerous that you had to call in a Sovereign Black Widow Warlord Princess? Tell me that." By this point the entire room is looking at them shocked that anyone in Jaenelle's service would speak to her like that except Lucivar and Andulvar. "Tell me why you risked your entire court's lives on the fact that I made you feel safer than you already were."
"TELL ME, JAENELLE!" Shaitara growled when Jaenelle refused to answer.
"Alright, I'll tell you. I called in my Protectorate because I was frightened. There have been very few times when I have been well and truly frightened and you were the only person here who was able to make me feel safe again. I'm sorry I wanted that, but with wearing Twilight's Dawn I don't have the resources I once did to protect myself and those around me. And now that I am pregnant…" Jaenelle's voice drifts away as she begins to cry uncontrollably. She takes one more look at Shaitara before running towards the stairs, once she made it to the top all of the other people in the hall turn on Shaitara.
"So I take it you all want to eat my liver? Too bad," she says before all motion in the hall ceases and Shaitara sprints after Jaenelle. Five minutes later they all can move again.
Lucivar is the first one to recover his voice. "I guess we have another sister after all."
"Jaenelle's going to have a baby!" shouted Daemon as he starts to dance towards the stairs to go up and see his wife.
"And all Hell has broken loose again," states Saetan.