~A night in the Fourth months ~

Ryner rubbed a hand over his stomach as he sat submerged in the public steam bath right outside of town in the dead of night. His pregnancy was becoming more and more evident as his girth was now shaping out as his child grew in him and it was becoming even more difficult to hide. From morning sickness, to fatigue and slowing his temperance was being affected as well. Ryner sighed it was still early in the pregnancy but he could no longer hide this from Ferris.

But how could he break the news to her gently.

It was a well kept secret that Ferris had a growing affection for one of them or so the previous gossips back in Roland had been quick to highlight. But whether it was Sion who she loved or not, how could he bring himself to tell her that Sion was the father of his child and more so that Ryner's relationship with Sion had been far more intimate for far longer than she had assumed.

And in general how could he ever tell a living soul that the ruler of the world was the father of his child. So many would do whatever he wished knowing that they would be handsomely rewarded by the king if they were to offer food and shelter to the spouse and unborn child of the king. And on the other hand of course there were those would behead him on sight in high hopes of earning the king's wraith and succeeding in wounding him by killing those the king cared for.

Ryner sighed feeling the pulse of magic inside of him ripe and pure.

He didn't know how long he could keep things up at Ferris' pace. Sure he was a wanted convict and a man who was on the run from certain death and nowhere was safe at the moment, but what else could he do now. He needed to settle down or surely he would lose the baby!

He simply could not let that happen.

Tears pricked at his eye as he glanced up at the moon, saddened by the thought that yet again he was all alone. Certainly he had Ferris on his side but she could not fill the hole in his heart that Sion had left bleeding and gaping in his wake that day a few months back when he had tried to kill him.

But why didn't he do it?!

Ryner had woken up without a hair out of place after Sion had him right where he wanted him. He could have killed Ryner right then and there but he didn't so much as lay a finger on him. After so many years of fighting his way into Ryner's life he turned on him within the blink of an eye simply because it was what there fate dictated. But if their fate followed what legends had been recorded in history, why then was he alive and more so, why then was he pregnant with the child of the man destined to devour him whole.

He sighed rubbing his stomach to comfort his little one.

What whould he say, to it when it came into the world. How would he explain the fact that the newly crowned king of the world bent on Ryner's destruction was his father. And worst of all. As he had feared for most of his days, what would he do if his child was born with the Alpha Stigma the way he had done?

He flinched as another presence became clear to his senses.

If it was Ferris he was screwed if she saw him like this. Without his clothes on there was no way he could seek to hide the pregnancy from her. But a moment later as he backed away from the edge of the natural hot spring he had spent most of his nights during their stay in this little city, he realized that this presence did not belong to Ferris.

"Who is it and what the hell do you want?" he began slowly in the ever present lackluster tone, "as you can see this hotspots occupied and it aint big enough for the two of us."

"So you finally picked up on my presence," a familiar voice questioned calling his attention to the familiar lanky dark haired youth, "for a moment I thought you had lost your touch."

Tiir?

After all that had happned he thought for sure lost him and the kids as well but much to his relief according Ferris even after all that had happened they had miraculously managed to be revived by an old healer who had said that the time of their rest had not come. After being revived they began living under ground in remote cities like Lorna's Bae in secret where no one knew who they were or what they were for that after. He simply stared at the other stigma bearer in sheer disbelief, he didn't expect to see him. Not after how things had gone down.

"What are you doing here," those were the only words which came to mind as Tiir came crouch low on his hunches at the edge of the small pool and simply stare at him.

Was it safe for him to be here? That was the thought that raked Ryner's mind. He had lost Tiir and everyone else once already, he couldn't imagine a repeat of that happening, no matter how he looked at it. so far the story had been that Tiir was seen as a threat to humanity but the truth about it that only existed between Ryner and Sion was simply that Tiir was a threat to Sion's relationship with Ryner. To Sion, they were compatible and the possibilities of losing Ryner to Tiir had been far to high. Sion couldn't allow it and in truth he didn't stop until he had completely grinded the only group Ryner could possibly get close to into the dust.

"Shouldn't you be dead?" Ryner continued feeling far too naked under Tiir speechless gaze.

As far as the books went Tiir and the other Stigma bearers had been slaughtered one after the others and he would like the stories to stay that way. If people saw Tiir now they would be hunted down and executed.

"You called and I answered," was Tiir's simple response as his steady eyes slipped from Ryner's face to the water that caught him at the shoulders now that he stood in the centre of the small pool.

"What?" Ryner rose a brose as he gave the taller male as skeptical look, "I didn't call you."

"And I'm not the only one," Tiir continued reaching for Ryner's cloak and offering it to him before stepping away to give Ryner room to exit the pool.

"Your freaking me out," Ryner blurted out taking the cloak gratefully but still too hesitant to exit the pool and expose the biggest secret that he wouldn't be a secret for much longer, "I don't recall calling you or anyone else."

"It seems your senses have really dulled," Tiir stated in a flat tone waiting in silence for Ryner to get the hint and join him.

Ryner grimaced he hated when person's spoke in riddles as if something was wrong with saying things bluntly.

Seeing his lack of comprehension Tiir sighed, "your not the one who called us here."

So Ferris was behind all this Ryner reasoned adding logic for it make make sense. But why would she call him here?

"Before that train of thought leave the station, Ferris is not who im speaking of," Tiir stated getting doing on one knee to offer an out stretched hand at Ryner who still held his cloak in his hand the way he had received it.

Now he was truly lost. If not Ferris then who?

"Nor was it you but whatever you have inside you did," Tiir explained watching the color drained from Ryner's face as he unconsciously took a step away from him.

How did he know about that.

Wait don't tell him, did someone send him here to capture Ryner. If that was the case it wouldn't surprise him. After all who better to capture a monster than another one of its own kind.

But how did anyone find out that he was pregnant

"Whatever your thinking I can guarantee that your wrong," Tiir stated with his hand still out stretched,"we all came here following the sounds of bells ringing and this is where it brought us," Tiir explained seeming to be able to read Ryner's thoughts through his eyes.

We, us they?! What the hell was he-

His thoughts were lost to his a shudder of awareness crept through him. There were flickers of presences stirring to life all around him. He was utterly surrounded.

He grimaced suddenly feeling protective of fretful for his unborn babies.

He didn't want to be parted with it. Now or ever, if he had to lay waste to all of them he would.

"What do you want? I can guarantee that I have nothing," Ryner sighed eyeing the other stigma bearer as he drew closer to the edge of the pool, pulling on the cloak as he got of the steaming water careful to be fully covered before a glimpse of his growing girth came into view, " and as I'm sure you know in my present condition there is nothing I can do for you unless it's to knit you a new pair of socks and mind you I'm not very good at that either."

Tiir offered a faint smile the Alpha stigma behind his eyes shining bright enough to pierce the veil of night that had settled on the area.

"Let me assure you that even though we know not what we are called for, socks is the last thing we could ever need," Tiir mused, "especially from the likes of a amateur such as yourself."

There it was again, 'we', Tiir kept saying that. But before Ryner could come up with a witty retort, the answer became clear as faint traces of red light blinked into life from several angles. He could feel it this pressure and sinister urge for blood, the power of true darkness identical to his own stood her with him. There were alpha stigmas everywhere he looked.