34
I was a mild loss of words as Kandomere slid around to stand in front of me now, his hands cupping my face.
"You're pregnant." he exclaimed.
"I mean I don't know but we can't be so sure!" I said quickly.
"Well women have periods, did you have one?" he asked. I looked down thinking about when the last time was that I bled. Oh no, I couldn't remember.
"Oh I don't know it's been really long." I said with mild panic.
"Really long!" he asked. I have never seen this much expression in his face before. I raised my hands up.
"Okay, okay. Let's be calm. My mother will be able to tell us this." I said and he nodded quickly looking down at my stomach and then back at me.
"You don't think I'm pregnant, do you?" I asked with mild worry. He looked down at my stomach and shook my head.
"I don't know." he said. I never thought of children before. I wasn't objective to it, but right now some renegade coven of elves was after me and being pregnant would add to the danger. Did Kandomere want children? It wasn't something we ever spoke about. We left my room and found mother in the kitchen and told her our worries. She led me to one of the rooms upstairs where pregnant sirens came to give birth. There was a pool in the middle of the flood with towels and water art engraved in the wall. I lied down on a mat while mother got on her knees before me. Kandomere remained in the doorway watching as mother lit four candles and sat them down, two above me and two at my feet. She moved over to the pool and with a small bowl in her hand she gently scooped up some water and moved back over to me.
Since mother was a priestess, she had the ability to use the water to see into the body, specifically for pregnancies. Her magic was that deep and old, she created the ability herself with years of practice. She got down on her knees beside me and I just looked at the bowl of water she sat down by my body. I watched as she closed her eyes and began to chant gently to herself. She raised her hands outward over my body. My gown was pulled up for easy access, and I watched as the water flowed from the bowl and over onto my body. It was cool and light.
The water spread out over my stomach and I watched as it stayed there for maybe ten seconds before suddenly spreading out into the air forming a perfect circle. Mother looked at it now.
"It shows what's going on in your body." she said before giving a light exhale. "You are not pregnant. After what you experienced last night, just influenced your body is all. Your body is not even producing milk anymore, so you will have to get rid of what's there on your own." Once the water dissolved into the air I sat up and placed my gown down feeling relief wash over me.
"What happened last night?" I asked, and she took my hand, eyes soft and motherly.
"You sang and ensnared everyone. You almost made us all jump off the hospital balcony." she answered. My eyes widened in horror as I looked at Kandomere and he just looked down some. I stood up immediately. "Odette?"
"I need to be alone." I said hurrying from the room. Kandomere followed behind me.
"Odette." he called, but my mind was racing, and I couldn't even stop my heart from beating so fast. My eyes watered, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I moved back to my room and he followed. Once I heard the door close I let out a yelp of pain and began to cry. I feel his hands turn me around and pull me into his chest. I sobbed into his shirt, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
"What's happened to me Kandomere?" I cried out. I could have hurt my family, I could have hurt my mate. I looked up at him, face wet.
"Odette it is not your fault." he said.
"Not my fault? I almost killed my family, I almost killed you!" I exclaimed, but he held my tighter.
"I was not hypnotized by your singing." he told. I looked at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
"A siren's song does not work on its mate. You cannot force your will upon me." he said. His words brought me great relief and I just closed my eyes and buried my face into his chest. He gently rocked me from side to side.
"I am the one. I can sing the songs of the fallen." I said gently, and he nodded.
"Yes." he said lightly.
"This means our lives will never be normal." I said.
"It can be." he said and I looked up at him.
"How? The Inferni are after me and we don't know why." I said and he nodded.
"I know why." he said. I looked him over waiting for him to speak. "They want to use you, your power to bring back the Dark Lord. They want to impregnate you and use the child as a vessel for him to return." he said. My face fell in horror at his words. I was almost speechless as I looked down muttering some.
"How do you know all of this? How did they even know I was the one with the ability? They've been stalking me, but they've never heard me sing." I said, and he nodded.
"Yes. But maybe someone else has." he said. I looked up wondering who else I have sung to. The only ones I could really think of was Nick and Dorghu. I looked back at Kandomere to see he didn't seem so surprised. He knew something.
"What do you know?" I asked. He sighed heavily.
"We had to bring in your orc friend, Dorghu. We had surveillance pictures showing him that he has had numerous encounters with Inferni. He told me." he said. My face soured up in shock at these words.
"Dorghu gave them information on me?" I asked.
"He said he was trying to help by gaining their confidence, making it look like the orcs are going against the humans." he said. I nodded looking down now in thought.
"Yes. Many orcs are being persecuted for the shooting down. Everyone thinks they did it. Why hasn't there been any announcements on the real culprit?" I asked looking up at him now. He looked away with a sigh.
"Everyone loves asking me that." he said. I frowned.
"Because it is your job to protect us." I stated. He looked back at me and nodded.
"You're right. The reason is because no one wants the backlash to turn to the elf district." he said. I was frozen a bit at his words.
"You would rather hide the truth and have innocent orcs get killed then expose it because you don't want your kind getting hurt." I said.
"Don't say it like that." he frowned.
"But it is the truth. One species can take the hit rather than the guilty party." I said and he shook his head.
"Until we know the entire story."
"We KNOW the entire story. An elf open fired on a town of innocent people, an elf attacked us at your home, and a coven of elves want to raise the Dark Lord from the dead and use me to do it! You are responsible for keeping the people informed Kandomere, keeping them safe, even if they don't have pointed ears or an overflow of money!" I snapped before turning and moving out of the room. I felt like anger was overflowing inside me. I just needed to disappear for a second. I wanted to go back to my apartment. I was passing the living room closest to the front door when I saw father at one of his desks in the back.
Seeing him made me remember last night and mother's words. He lifted his head and smiled lovingly at me.
"Hey my little one." he said. Tears flowed down my cheeks again as I ran up to him and he met me half way. He hugged me tight and I cried on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Da, I'm so so sorry." I cried.
"It's alright my love. We are all safe. That is what matters." he said. I pulled back looking him over.
"Mother told me what happened. I don't want this, I don't want any of this." I cried as he pulled me back to gently rub my tears away with his thumb.
"The gods chose you for a reason. But I know that you live your life by no one else's plans." he said. I nodded slowly, and he nodded back. "You won't stay here." I shook my head confirming his words.
"I need to figure this out on my own." I replied. He nodded.
"It is the tradition for me to step down as clan leader and hand all power to you. But if you plan to stay away, then I will act as your counsel and hold down our clans until you need us." he said. I nodded slowly liking the sound of that. I hugged him and he returned it.
"I love you my little one." he said.
"I love you, too." I replied, and we shared loving smiles before hearing the bootsteps of one of our guards. We looked at him and he nodded at us.
"My lord and lady, there are four elves at our gates demanding counsel with you, Lord Odell." he said. My father and I gave each other confused looks before Kandomere came into view, fully dressed. The guard looked at him. "They say they are your parents."
Kandomere's eyes widened.
"No, no, no." he said with annoyance before exiting the house. I was still in my gown and knew I had to get dressed before going out and meeting anyone.
"Elves are not allowed on siren lands." Father said with apparent anger in his tone. I hurried to my room and rummaged through my closet. One elf was enough for my family, but five. That was not good. I slid on one of my yellow sun dresses and slippers before hurrying through the door. It was strictly written in the Siren Forgiveness law, elves were not allowed on our land without permission or invitation. Anything else gave us reason to kill on sight.