The phone rang once again, and Alcina was once again going off to answer it.
"Excuse me, darling." She said while lifting Bela off her lap, the eldest had been sleeping soundly on her knee as she read and drank.
Making her way to the room, she ducked under the doorframe to head over to the phone. She sat herself down on the stool to look herself over in the mirror, while taking up the receiver to answer the call.
"Mother Miranda?" she answered.
"Alcina," came the voice from the other end. "Would you be so kind as to come see me?"
Alcina's brows furrowed at the request, she didn't usually call to have them come see her unless it was jury duty.
"You know how I favour you the most, my dear. You are the only one that I fully trust, you're smarter than your siblings."
She grimaced at the mention of siblings, but the praise was just too much.
"I will be there shortly, Mother Miranda."
"Good, my dear."
Quickly heading out, she told her daughters that she would be out for a while before climbing in her carriage to go meet with Mother Miranda. She felt a little nervous, she wouldn't lie. She was unsure of what Miranda had in store for her, but all would soon be revealed.
"Mother Miranda," she greeted as soon as she walked in.
The older woman was hunched over a table, papers and bottles scattered about.
"Ah, there you are, my dear." Miranda turned to greet her with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm well, as always." She responded as she was guided over to a bed.
"Now, my dear. I would like to do a few experiments as I say you are my brightest and most favourable child of all."
She couldn't help but look down with a smile, she was happy her mother was proud of her.
"Now don't be nervous, my dear. This shouldn't hurt, but if it does then I'm so sorry."
"I trust you, Mother."
"Good, girl. Now underwear off then lie down and just relax."
She did as she was told, slipping off her hat before taking off her underwear to then lie down on the bed, also slipping her feet out of her heels as she did so. Miranda was straight to lift up the younger woman's dress and start making her prop her legs up to then part them aside.
"Just relax, my dear." She cooed as Alcina lifted her head slightly to try to understand what she was doing. "You, my sweet will be the vessel that will hold my dear sweet Eva."
Her head dropped back against the pillows, was she really going to go through with this? Had she even given her consent?
"This will be the biggest honour of all for you, my dear." Miranda praised as Alcina gripped the side of the bed as the woman did who knows what to her.
A few times had her gritting her teeth, before being unable to hold back her cries.
"It's nearly done, my dear." Miranda soothed her. "Just need to add the main part."
It was a weird feeling, something like a worm was felt wriggling inside her.
"Pay it no mind, my dear. This is just fertilising your eggs."
Soon it wiggled free and Miranda disposed of it.
"Now it's just a waiting game."
"What do you mean, waiting game? Am I not able to go back home?"
"I just want to monitor you for a while, my sweet." She smiled as she brushed her thumb over the younger woman's cheek, brushing away a stray tear. "Don't you want to spend time with your dear sweet mother?"
Alcina nodded. "I do, Mother Miranda, more than anything."
"Good, girl." Miranda smiled as she now turned away to busy herself while awaiting any side effects.
oOo
She hadn't any idea how long it had been since she fell asleep.
"Still no progress after five hours of waiting, nothing not even a single grimace from her. Anything to indicate she's took to the treatment."
Alcina was feeling something and it wasn't the growth of the child either. She groaned as she pulled herself up.
"Lady Miranda," her assistant now pointed.
Miranda quickly turned around, finding her 'daughter' was sitting up.
"You should be resting," she frowned.
"I'm hungry," Alcina warned, as she clutched the bed.
Miranda quickly turned back to her assistant. "Quickly bring her fresh blood and raw meat."
"Mother Miranda!" Alcina hissed, feeling her body try to transform without her permission.
"Hurry up would you!" Miranda snapped as her assistant came running with a large bowl.
She took it from her to hand over to the tall woman, who snatched it from her grasp to quickly drink back the blood before consuming the meat like a wild animal.
"I'd forgotten all about your hunger," she now sighed as Alcina finished up.
"I need more," the woman now demanded forcefully.
Thinking it may be due to the thing growing inside her 'daughter', she ordered for more food to be brought her way. Upon further tests, she found she'd failed. Alcina had gone back to dozing again.
"She has no reason to stay here. I'm rather disappointed in her altogether, send her back! I have no further use for her."
Alcina had only been pretending to sleep as Mother Miranda continued to belittle her. It wouldn't go forgotten though.
"My lady," she felt the assistant arouse her slumber. "You are to go home."
Alcina was glad she could finally go back, but the hurtful words from Miranda stung her in ways she never felt would.
"So she deems me a failure now does she?" she said as she balled her fists. "I'll show her failure!"
Once she was out of the carriage she made her way up to the castle and inside.
"Mother, you're back." She was warmly greeted.
She gave them a smile, her hand brushing down the side of Daniela's hood.
"Yes, my dears. Mother Miranda just needed to see me for a while but I'm back now."
She lowered her hand to now duck under the door to head straight for her bedroom.
"Is she alright?" Bela asked, noticed something was off about her.
Cassandra shrugged as she looked her sickle over. "Anyone up for a hunt?"
Bela shook her head. "I'm going to check up on mother."
"Dani?"
"Like I'd ever let you have all the fun." She smirked, with her hands on her hips.
"You go let a few maids out from the dungeon."
"Fine!" Daniela whined as she swarmed off.
Once she was down in the dungeons, she opened about three of the cages to let seven young maids free.
"Be free," she smiled as the women quickly ran for it all apart from one, which wasn't as stupid as the others. "I said be free."
The woman ignored her and was swiftly dealt with there and then to the hooded woman's teeth before she swarmed off to hunt down the rest with Cassandra.
"I love a good hunt!" Cassandra grinned as the women tried desperately to escape.
One even passed Bela, who was heading downstairs. She didn't care for the thing and swarmed off to materialise at her mothers room.
She gave a soft knock. "Mother."
"Hmm," came the soft reply.
Instead of opening the door, Bela materialised on the opposite side of it.
"I came to see how you were," she told her.
"I'm fine, my dear." Her mother stated as she moved upon the bed.
Bela walked around to the side, cautiously climbing onto the bed as Alcina opened her eyes to look at her. At first she thought she'd be shooed away, but her mother welcomed her. She crawled over, turning to lay down with her back against her mothers front as Alcina's arm now rests upon her.
"What did Mother Miranda want with you?" she now asked as she lay her own hand on her mothers.
"It was nothing important," Alcina sighs softly against her before becoming so comfortable she dozed off.
oOo
Screams in the halls awoke her with a start. Bela had snapped to attention, what with her mother seemingly wondering where she was all of a sudden and what she'd been doing.
"What is that?" she asks a little disoriented.
"Just Cassandra and Daniela on a hunt," her daughter replied with a yawn.
Alcina seemed to settle at this. "I wish they'd keep the noise down though."
"Should I go tell them?"
"No, my dear." She snuggled back into her.
Bela smiled in comfort, just the feel of her mother's comforting embrace had her feeling wanted and loved.
oOo
"Catch her at that end!" Cassandra pointed, clearly excited over a good chase.
"Got her!" Daniela smiled as she lunged at the woman, who toppled over with her. "No escape!"
"Better get them away from mothers room before she punishes us," Cassandra warned as she grabbed a maid by the hair to drag her back again.
"Come on," Daniela frowned, grabbing another to drag off.
"I think I'll have this one before bed, you wanna give mother the spare?"
"Yeah, come on. Best knock her out first so she doesn't bother mother."
The woman was quickly knocked out cold, the other two had their legs broken so they wouldn't be going anywhere.
"If Bela wants one she can share with mother," Cassandra frowned as she gently opened the door to then drag the maid inside. Daniela followed on after, tapping her sister on the arm to make her look at the sleeping pair. "Cute."
Daniela now forced the first hook into the woman, followed by the second from Cassandra. "Alright hoist her up."
Daniela walked over to pull the lever, raising the woman up by her hands.
"I'm famished," Cassandra now said while walking out.
Daniela followed as quietly as possible, they grabbed their maids and left.
oOo
Sometime in the middle of the night, Alcina had awoken to the smell of blood. She was ravenous all of a sudden, lifting her arm from her eldest daughter she turned over to slip off the bed. The maid was now awakening to see a bright pair of eyes looking back at her.
"W-What's going on?" she asked in a panic.
Alcina gave her a toothy grin before grabbing her to rip her from the hooks. The maid screamed loudly, but Alcina's hunger was overpowering her need to feed. She tore the woman's rags away before sinking her teeth right into the woman's flesh.
"Mother?" Bela now awoke to find her mother dabbing at her lips.
"Sorry I woke you," she smiled sweetly at her. "I was a little peckish."
Bela looked over at the body, seeing the flesh, muscle and organs all nonexistent.
"I've never seem you strip a full human before, mother." She thought bewildered. "Are you alright?"
Alcina just smiled as she laid back down. "I feel great, my darling. Full of life."
Bela smiled at this, there was something different about her mother, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.