Author's Note: Just to let you know their some kind of disturbing stuff in this chapter. It might even be kind of grisly, so be fore warned.
Bianca watched, stunned, as the warriors under Amelia's command mowed down the raiding monsters. Within seconds the few that were still alive were fleeing to the woods with immortal warriors on their heels.
"Cowards," The warrior woman, stated, as she swung herself down from her horse. "They only look for easy meat. At the first sign of silver, they run." She snorted delicately.
Bianca tore her gaze away from the dark wood were roars and the crashing of pursuit still sounded. In front of her the huge creature lay, frightening even in death, and beyond it sprawled the body of the Meehan. A sweet young woman, married to a warrior, and practically due with her first child.
Bianca stumbled in a broad circle around the creature to get to her. Behind her Amelia spoke, "It is too late for her, she is dead." Bianca ignored her.
Of course, Meehan was dead, Bianca knew that. She'd seen what the creature did. She just couldn't quite accept it. It was such a waste, such a horrible waste, and not just of one life. Bianca laid her palm on the slain woman's protruding belly.
"We must burn the bodies." Amelia's voice cut through, Bianca's musings.
"The monster's bite poisons, just as ours." Bianca looked up, startled, and the other woman gestured to the body.
"Most of these will soon be like those others were."
"But she's dead?"
The warrior woman removed her helmet, and shook her hair free.
"The bite could still do it, though possibly not." She shrugged.
Bianca opened her mouth to speak further, but the words choked off as she felt something move under her hand. Amelia reacted instantly to the sudden change in her expression, cocking her crossbow and aiming it grimly at the dead woman, but Bianca held up a hand.
"Wait!"
"Lady Bianca, this is no time for foolishness," The other woman hissed, as Bianca moved to press both hands against bulge of belly. She felt the movement again.
"It's still alive!" She breathed. Amelia's face twisted in incomprehension.
"The Baby, Meehan's baby is still alive." Bianca explained hurriedly. "We have to get it out though." The vampire lady pulled back, letting the tip of her crossbow drop, a look of intense uncertainty on her face.
"Get it out…" She echoed. Bianca nodded briskly, though her own lips pressed together hard.
"I have seen it done once before. If the mother dies, it is still possible sometimes to cut the baby out." With a start and a surge of guilt, Bianca suddenly remembered Sonja, and her promise. Amelia meanwhile, was beginning to look a bit sick.
"That is barbarous."
Bianca hardly heard the words. "Amelia, I need to find out if my sister is safe; but the baby will die if I don't get it out soon."
"I will find your sister." The other woman volunteered immediately, looking relieved.
"If you find Helena as you go, send her and tell her to bring cloths and light."
"I will do so." The other woman nodded. "I will also send warriors who can assist you if the woman begins to turn."
Bianca nodded absently, the bulk of her mind focused on the operation before her. She had been barely more than a child when goodwife Yentle had delivered her sister from her stepmother's dead body. The old woman had spoken softly through the whole thing, murmuring prayers and songs. As always, at a birth, Bianca found herself following that habit. She wished that she could move Meehan away from the stinking carcass of the dead creature, but there wasn't time. She drew her eating knife, and quickly began cutting the cloth obscuring the woman's belly. She grimaced at the dullness of the edge, it needed whetting, but again there wasn't time.
Abruptly, Helena was there as well as a few others.
"My lady, thank Jesu your safe!" The older woman gasped, sinking down beside her. Bianca was too busy to acknowledge that.
"Helena, have you got a sharp knife?" The other woman patted her skirts helplessly.
"Not even my meat knife, I dropped it when the alarm went up."
"I have one, my lady." Another voice spoke up. One of the human warriors, holding a torch with one hand held out a knife with the other.
"Robb, my sister will be very glad to know that you are unharmed." Bianca commented as she accepted the blade, then she hesitated. Helena patted her hand.
"Lady Sonja's just fine. I left her to help mind the younger babes."
"The monsters never got past the inner circle, though we were pretty near breaking when the Lady Amelia's party showed up." The warrior, Robb added.
"None of the children were harmed." Helena finished. Bianca felt relief melt some of the tension in her body, but resisted the temptation to sag. Instead she adjusted her grip on the knife, and beckoned the light a bit closer. Her eye sight was good, but she didn't want to make any mistakes here.
The first cut, into the pale white flesh of the woman's abdomen was the hardest. Even though she held her breath, the sight of the blood was almost as bad. Grimly, she concentrated on keeping her hand steady, as she drew the blade down the slope of belly. It wasn't just the blood either; no matter how much she reminded herself that Meehan was dead, it seemed somehow wrong to be cutting into her like a slaughtered pig. Bianca clamped down on that thought as well, forcing her attention on the child. There was very little time now; its movement were weak and infrequent.
Bracing herself, Bianca set the knife aside, and carefully eased her hand into the opening she'd made. Behind her she dimly noted that Robb was cursing softly.
Mostly she was concentrating on her hands though, as they felt their way to the unborn child struggling for life. She remembered Yentle's explanation of the sack that carried the baby beneath the skin, and how the child must be freed from it before it suffocated. She could feel the sack, a slick, fragile membrane that she could feel the child through. Gently she pulled, wincing at the wet, tearing noises.
The child lay curled, and unmoving, in it's sack. It barely filled both of her hands.
Helena's shaking voice, seemed to come from a long way off, as she lifted the little bundle from the dead woman's abdomen.
"Is it still alive?"
Bianca was too busy to answer. As soon as the child was out she began ripping the sack away, carefully.
The first view of the child took her breath away. Except for the streaks of blood left by her fingers, it, he – she amended- was perfect. Porcelain skin, with none of the puffiness that most newborns had. A beautiful child, But one that was not breathing. Bianca felt a strike of pure panic that she might have been to slow.
"Rub his chest." Helena advised into her ear. Bianca was already starting that, but she didn't bother replying. It was working in any case. Under her touch the little body shuddered and opening its little mouth wide sucked in its first breath. The resulting wail drew a quiet laugh from Robb, who still stood holding the torch.
"He's got a strong voice at least."
Bianca nodded feeling the slightest of smiles tug at her lips. She turned and held the child out for Helena.
"Take him so I can cut the cord Helena."
A movement from the corner of her eye made Bianca gasp. She heard Robb let out a startled curse. The corpse of the woman was twitching.
"Cut the cord, my lady." Helena's frightened voice pulled Bianca's attention back. Behind her, she could hear Robb shouting, as the twitching became more violent. Bianca clamped down on her fear and worked faster. Yanking a string from the hem of her skirt and knotting it firmly around the cord snaking out from the child's navel. She heard Amelia's voice join the noise as with a precise motion she severed the child's last connection with his mother.
"Don't be stupid! It is not alive; the monsters bite is transforming it into another like it." Amelia's voice rose in exasperation. Bianca turned to see her standing at the front of the group beside the body. Meehan's body was spasming grotesquely. As Bianca watched the woman' back arched so that she seemed to be resting only on her shoulders and heels. Then she snapped back down, and abruptly her neck was in place. Horror seemed to freeze everyone in place, as the woman's eyes opened. Black pebbles of polished stone seemed to have replaced her eyes, and her gaze was a mad glare, devoid of all humanity. She let out a scream that deepened at the end into a monstrous roar.
Just barely audible above the bestial noise, Bianca could hear Amelia shouting.
"Get out of my way, you fools." There was a metallic swish, and the roar went silent. Bianca looked away. Everyone was silent for a moment, stunned by what they had seen. Bianca could hear Helena crying quietly. Amelia broke the moment.
"Take the body, and burn it like the others." She instructed several of the men. "The child as well."
"What?" Bianca blurted. Amelia didn't look at her.
"The child lived on the mother's blood; it is undoubtedly infected as well."
Bianca felt herself go hot with anger. Without a word she took the boy from Helena and stood up. The movement woke the child, and he immediately let out a tiny wail of protest. Bianca stepped close to the other woman.
"Have you even looked at this child?" She hissed. Amelia glared at her.
"It does not make any difference if I look at it. It is a monster, or soon will be."
"It is a child!" Bianca contradicted. "A beautiful, little boy; and I am not going to allow anyone to hurt him."
"And how are you going to feed him?" The other woman gritted out. "Have you looked at him? He already has teeth." She challenged.
Bianca looked down at the wailing infant in her arms. He did have teeth, so tiny that they were hardly visible, but sharp looking. She drew in a shuddering breath and steadied herself.
"The child's care is my concern."
"Is it?" The warrior woman challenged. Bianca fixed her with a steady gaze and the full authority of the mistress of Wraithburg castle.
"Yes, it is."
Bianca held the other woman's eyes till she finally looked away and muttered.
"Let it be on your head then." And stomped off; then she sighed and let herself sag. The baby's crying hadn't ceased, though it was occasionally interrupted with little hiccupping breaks. Bianca recognized its hunger.
"Helena, send some one to milk one of the cows." Helena's reply was an almost inaudible "Yes milady." Bianca shifted the cloth wrapped child to one are and wondered what she was going to do.