Chapter 16: The Bond
It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. She could not tell.
Ria's chattering teeth and cracked lips had ceased their pleas to Eywa long ago, the pain too much for her now. Her sweat-slick skin alternated between fiery hot and icy cold as whatever toxin she had ingested continued to devour her body and mind. The numbness in her limbs was an agonising ache and she trembled and thrashed helplessly. Her mind was in disarray, her thoughts and prayers muddling in a hallucinogenic mess.
At some point in the midst of her agony, a tacit understanding came over Ria that the poison would not be the death of her. Perhaps it was the Great Mother finally answering her prayers and Ria could not explain how she understood it, but she felt it in her soul. The sleeping mat beneath her was drenched with her perspiration and she comprehended, as the salty moisture continued to ooze from her pores, that this was her body fighting to rid itself of the toxin.
Her maternal instincts pricked sharply at the forefront of her addled brain. She needed to hang on for her baby... She needed to survive this so her baby could live.
Slowly, the throbbing numbness in her limbs began to recede and pins and needles took its place. The tingling in her arms and legs was extremely uncomfortable, but it was better than the pain from before. Her lower back started to burn in a strange tightness and her pelvis began to ache. The feeling of warmth was returning to her hands and feet, the pins and needles getting milder, but as the pain in her extremities decreased, the pressurised ache in her back and abdomen increased. The pain was changing, moving.
A sudden vise-like grip encased her midsection and it forced a sharp inhale of breath into Ria's lungs as she gasped. Pain consumed her again through the powerful squeeze in her torso. She panted frantically through it, her breaths coming in small, short sips. A contraction. Alarm shot through her. No… She was not due yet. It was too early.
Ria had experienced false contractions in the last while, but they were child's play compared to the spasming cramp she had just experienced. Her mind was still foggy from the poison and she absently lamented her earlier actions of eating something that had not been provided to her by Neytiri or Mo'at. But the satchel had come from Neteyam… she had thought it safe…
Gingerly rolling on to her side, Ria pushed up into a sitting position. Blinking sticky eyes, she was a little relieved to find her vision fairly stable. Her body still quaked from the sweats but she could feel her limbs properly now, solid beneath her. Crawling on all fours to the water pail in the corner, she messily scooped some water up with one shaky hand and brought it to her parched mouth. The cool liquid was refreshing down her throat and she sloppily patted the wet remnants of her hand over her face and neck.
Glancing out the alcove archway, she saw that the outside was still blackened with the deep darkness of the middle of the night. Only a couple of hours must have passed. She took a few more wobbly sips of water and dragged herself back to her mat, but she remained sitting upright and leaning against the alcove wall. The changed position eased the pounding throb of blood in her head.
The reprieve from the intense pain in her body was short-lived though as another contraction soon wracked her frame. Grimacing and gritting her teeth, Ria clutched at her belly and a strangled sob forced its way from her throat. Great Mother it was pain like she had never experienced… Panting harshly again, she felt hot tears squeeze out from between her scrunched eyelids. Eywa, help me…
Over and over the cycle repeated itself. The excruciating and clenching pain of the contractions overwhelming her followed by a blessed reprieve, but the duration of the reprieves were shortening and the contractions intensifying. Every time Ria thought they could not get worse, they did.
Ria felt an unfamiliar liquid warmth seeping from where she was seated and she shifted upright on both her knees to glance back at the mat. The movement caused a bigger rush of liquid to come trickling down her thighs and panic clamped around her heart at the realisation that her waters had broken. It was happening, she was in labour.
She felt her fear keenly in her solitude as she fought grappled with the toxic fog in her brain to think of what to do next. Everything was going wrong. The timing of all this was so ill-fated… Jake was on the brink of death because of her and she had been careless enough tonight to eat something that caused herself harm. The Sullys needed to be with Jake tonight. They had risked so much for her already. They did not need the distraction of her burdening them at this time.
By Eywa, her heart longed for Neteyam though… She longed for the heat of his embrace as he held her and the soothing sound of his voice. But Ria had to be strong for him now. She would not pry him from his father's deathbed. Women had been giving birth for eons before her and she would do this on her own if she had to.
A guttural and strained moan left Ria as another intense contraction overcame her and she buckled onto all fours. Great Mother, give me strength… Help me, please!
The contraction subsided after what felt like an eternity and Ria slumped forward onto her mat, her forehead resting on the backs of her hands. Something tickled her shoulder and she turned her head slowly to see a cluster of atokirina floating around her. A wave of tranquillity washed over her, enclosing her in its warm embrace and her skin prickled. Whispers pranced and frolicked past her ears and she heard a voice deep in her heart…
I am with you, child, do not be afraid… Trust in me… Go where your heart remembers him most… I will help you…
Memories of cascading water pattering against the serene surface of a pool streaked through her mind and the peaceful chirruping of insects filled her ears... Ria knew where she had to go.
An otherworldly burst of strength energised her limbs and she felt her body rise to its feet. Grabbing the flying shawl from the foot of her mat, her arms wound it round herself. It was an out of body experience for Ria, like a fevered and hazy dream as she left the alcove and climbed down to the ground. Her legs walked of their own accord and she barely felt the hardness of the earth beneath her. Ria felt like she was floating.
The pair of Omatikaya guards that had been stationed at the entrance of the village, in light of the evening's anarchy, eyed her curiously as she approached. Ria recognised the older man, Wa'Onong. He had been one of the warriors with the Sully men when they had found her that first day outside the Kill Zone. He had not been hostile towards her, but he had not been friendly either.
"Where are you going?"
The question was muffled to Ria's ears and in her daze, she felt words leave her lips but heard nothing of what she said. She watched the guards' ears twitch at her response and Wa'Onong eyed her unpleasantly for a calculated moment before he waved the younger guard away, letting Ria pass.
Ria's journey to the spring grove passed in the same manner, her trance still thick and hazy. It was not until she had stepped into the familiarity of the spring that her senses cleared and she noticed the moss between her toes again and the cool chill of the spring's moist air.
Instinctively she made for the rug in the corner. She curled up on it and pressed her nose to the soft blankets and inhaled the smell of him. Her heart pined for Neteyam again at the memory. Eywa, she had pictured him by her side through this... Grimacing through another contraction, she buried her face into the fabric and wept.
Time crawled by with agonising slothfulness while Ria laboured. As her body prepared itself to birth her child, the contractions worsened until she felt she could no longer bear them. She was nauseous from the pain and the cold sweats from the poison still ailed her.
Ria had always prided herself on not being a quitter, but this was the hardest thing she had ever done. The poison did not kill her, but perhaps childbirth would. The pains were excruciating and the desire to give up was fierce. The only thing that kept her clinging to life was the thought of her baby.
Come, Ria… Warmth poured through Ria's veins again as the divine voice urged her to get up. Ria did not want to move. Everything hurt. Get up, go to the water… I will soothe you there… The urge came again, stronger this time and her muscles invigorated, hauling her up from the rug and onto her feet.
Padding on weak legs to the edge of the spring, Ria expected cold water to greet her toes, but the water was warm. Sinking slowly to submerge herself, she sat against the bank and let the welcome heat of the warm water pool around her chest. Sighing at the relief the warm water brought, Ria lifted a prayer of thanks to the Great Mother.
A warm zephyr glided through the spring and the deity's voice whispered in the depths of Ria's soul… You are reaching the pinnacle of your path now… your greatest challenge yet lies ahead… a great horror you must endure… When the time comes, you must trust in me… Your soul will fight it and your heart will weep… but have faith for I will do what is necessary…
Racking pain again and Ria cried out sobbing, trying and failing to steel herself against the contraction. The warm water helped, but it only just took the edge off the agony. The Great Mother's words were cryptic and she was in no frame of mind to attempt to decipher the horror she spoke of.
A flash of woven silver flax and the wailing of an infant… roaring rapids down below as the sleeping basket jostled and tossed in the clutches of the angry roil… Screaming… Gut-wrenching screaming…
They all took it in turns sitting by Jake's side through the night. The purpose of this was so that the others could rest while someone always remained with their father, but Spider thought it was a pointless exercise. No one would be getting any sleep that night. None of them had wanted to leave the medical bay in the ground level alcoves to return to their family alcove to sleep. They would see this through as a family. Sullys stuck together.
Mireya, the Tawkami tsahìk, had come earlier to offer her aid and pray over Jake with Mo'at. She had gently woken Jake to administer a dose of healing rosewater, slowly dribbling the nectar into his mouth and massaging his throat to coax his half-conscious form to swallow. A piquant smelling poultice had then been made and pressed to the freshly stitched wound site to ward off infection and promote blood circulation.
Murmurs and quiet melodies floated through the alcove as their grandmother and mother continued to pray. It felt like a long and endless night.
Spider ran a slow thumb over his father's knuckles as he held his hand. He and Jake technically shared zero genetic material and yet Jake was the only true father he had ever had. The man who had contributed half of his DNA to Spider had been a tyrant and he was long dead now.Spider had cared nothing for Quaritch's death, but after Kiri, losing Jake tonight would be a second blow he might never recover from.
Neteyam sat across from Spider, his eyes closed and his back leaning against the adjacent alcove wall. A deep frown furrowed his brow though and Spider knew Neteyam was not asleep, far from it. The tell-tale ticking in his jaw was a dead giveaway that his brother was ruminating silently over his burdens.
Cold fingers squeezed Spider's fingertips and he startled with a sudden gasp. Jake emitted a choked grunt and Mo'at hurried over, propping a lit lantern on a nearby ledge so she could examine him better. The rest of the family followed straight after, making room for each other to crowd around.
Jake's expression was twisted in pain, but in the brighter lamplight Spider could already see that the clammy sweat that had clung to his skin in the hours before had dissipated. The sickly and pale hue of his complexion was darker now, a deeper and livelier shade of blue than before.
"Dad?" Spider queried softly, "Can you hear me?"
Squinting through groggy eyes, Jake croaked feebly, "Yeah son, hurts like a bitch though."
"Daddy! Thank you Great Mother!" Tuk exclaimed, breaking down into tears of relief as she knelt down to rest her forehead on her father's shoulder.
"It's OK baby girl, I think I've got this. I'm not going anywhere."
Neytiri was repeating her own prayers of gratitude to Eywa and Spider shifted so his mother could clutch his father's hand. Mo'at lifted a vessel of cool water and Neytiri helped to prop Jake into a more upright position so he could sip carefully from it.
Mo'at performed several more of her physical checks, eliciting a stifled groan from Jake when she checked the wound site, before she breathed a thankful sigh and smiled, "It appears your work here in this life is not done, Jake. The Great Mother has not called you home to her."
Jake huffed a weak laugh, "Yeah, back to the grind of life. What happened after I dropped? What's the plan?"
"The Tipani warrior who moved against you is dead, sir. I took care of him." Neteyam stated matter-of-factly, immediately returning to warrior-mode, his inscrutable expression betraying nothing of the turbulence churning in his soul, "The insurgents have revolted and they want Ria dead. We have three days and three nights. Those who support our cause are meeting in the morning after first meal to assess and deliberate our next steps."
Swallowing tightly, Jake sucked in a deep inhale and winced when the action pulled at the stitches of his wound, "Right, I'll be there."
"No, my Jake, you must rest! You have lost much blood and you need time to recuperate." Neytiri rebuked immediately, her large and gold eyes boring firmly into her mate's and making it clear that there was no room for argument, "Neteyam will stand in your place until you are well again. You have taught our son well and he is ready. He will do us proud."
Spider did not miss the flinch from Neteyam at their mother's words. Mr Nail in the coffin? Meet your friend, Mr Hammer...
There it was again, the crushing weight of duty bearing down upon his brother's shoulders. The reminder of what was expected of him threatening to swallow him whole. Little by little, Spider could see Neteyam's resolution from the previous day declining. It was the last thing his brother needed or wanted.
"I'm going to take these things up to Ria and check in with her. She will be relieved to hear you will recover, Jake. She feels badly and she would have blamed herself if you had left us." Mo'at said poignantly, gathering the ornately carved bottle of rosewater and the woven baby basket in her arms to take with her as she moved to depart the medical bay.
"Tell her she's not to blame. We won't let any harm come to her. We'll think of something." Jake rasped, though his tone was compelling still despite the hoarseness in his voice. He beckoned to Neteyam then, who moved to kneel next to Tuk by their father's sitting form. Jake gingerly lifted a hand towards his firstborn son and Neteyam instinctively bowed his head, tucking his chin to his chest, to receive the gesture on his head.
"Thank you for avenging me," Jake murmured and he smiled then as he looked at his son, grown up now and looking almost like a replica of his younger self if not for his mother's eyes and cheekbones. He joked then, "You've done well, son, but your old man isn't going anywhere today so you'll have to wait your turn to become chief full-time. Or maybe I'll retire early and just pass the mantle on to you now."
A snort of laughter left Jake at his witticism, but he regretted it immediately when his injured abdominal muscles protested the action vehemently. Jake knew his sense of humour was inappropriate at times, but he was unprepared for how stricken Neteyam appeared at the quip.
Neteyam felt the bile rise in his throat. He had failed his father… He would not be chief after him… The truth clawed its way up his throat, struggling to break free from the confines of his tightly pressed lips. Shoulders shaking, his breathing began to shudder and he felt his mother place a concerned hand on his shoulder.
"What is it, Neteyam?" Neytiri probed gently, "What's wrong?"
With a determined grunt and clearing of his throat, Neteyam shook his head, "It's nothing, mother. I'm just a bit shaken."
Spider's jaw worked furiously as he ground his teeth. The timing of this was all wrong, but Spider knew it was now or never. He would not let Neteyam dig himself another temporary hole to hide in. He would not let his brother play the role of self-sacrificing liar any longer. Time for some tough brotherly love. Time for the plaster to be ripped off, "No, tell them."
Golden eyes flashed at Spider as Neteyam shot him an unspoken warning, but their parents' interest had been piqued now.
"Tell us what? Is this what you wanted to speak to your father and I about?" Neytiri pressed.
"Yes, but now is not the time." Neteyam ground out through gritted teeth, glaring harshly at Spider for throwing him into the thick of it.
Spider was not backing down, however. With an exasperated hiss, he played the one card he knew would get a rise out of Neteyam, "You promised Ria you would tell them."
Neteyam snarled bitterly in response and he spat, "That was before what happened last night!"
"It doesn't change the truth, Neteyam! You're only delaying the inevitable and Ria needs you!"
Three pairs of wide eyes settled themselves on Neteyam as his mother, father and younger sister waited for his answer. Spider had well and truly backed him into a corner and the scared part of his heart snarled and spat like a cornered creature.
Jake could see the conflict in Neteyam's countenance; an army of emotions swarming in the battlefield depths of his eyes. However, one emotion arched over them all: Fear.
"Out with it, son." Jake grated, "Whatever it is, it'll be alright. We'll work through it together."
Neteyam's heart felt like it was thumping in his throat and the space around him turned claustrophobic. With a deep grimace he summoned every ounce of courage within himself and forced himself to speak, "I have failed you. I've brought shame upon this family. I won't lead this clan after you, Dad, I'm not fit to."
Neytiri gasped sharply and turned aghast eyes on her son, "What do you mean?"
The hurried patter of footsteps sounded as Mo'at reappeared at the alcove entrance, marching into the medical bay and casting her anxious gaze about the alcove, "Has Ria come down here?"
"No?" Tuk answered, her tail weaving apprehensively behind her. She did not like the look on her grandmother's wizened face. It did not bode well. It had been a nightmare of a night as it is with their father's near brush with death; her older brother was on the cusp of delivering troubling news of his own and now, it appeared something else had gone awry.
"Ria is missing," Mo'at stated tensely, "She was not up in my alcove when I reached it and her sleeping mat is soaked and a little bloodied. Her waters have broken; the child is on its way."
Neteyam was up like a shot. The insurgents had left their village last night and returned to the secret camp they had made on the outskirts of the territory. Guards had been posted at the entrance of kelutral and there were patrols running through the night. No harm should have come to Ria without the guards' knowledge.
The confession to his parents would have to wait. Ria's safety was paramount.
Jake cursed mutedly, "We will talk later, Neteyam. Find her."
The atmosphere in the alcove turned frantic again. Mo'at was bustling around the alcove, gathering wads of cloth and assembling a small pack of medicinal supplies. Her long arms waved about as she hastily murmured directions to Neytiri to help her.
"Where could she have gone if not here?" Neytiri breathed aloud, "If the child is coming she should have instinctively sought Neteyam out."
"I'll speak to the guards. They'll have seen her if anything has happened." Neteyam said hastily.
Picking his dagger up and untangling its holster from the ceremonial neck-piece he had worn the day before, he strapped it to his hip. He had not even made it out of the alcove archway when he smacked straight into another large male coming the other way.
"Lo'ak!"
Strong arms flung themselves around Neteyam in a crushing embrace as Lo'ak greeted his older brother, "Bro, what's happening? Is Dad OK?"
Tsireya stepped out from behind her mate, her arms opening to receive Tuk and Neytiri as the women rushed to greet her, "My mother sent us after the Great Mother granted her a warning through Kiri. She said there was danger and it was urgent!"
Adrenalin surged through Neteyam and shock accompanied it as his brain rapidly attempted to process the current situation as it unfolded. Great Mother, things were happening and colliding at a breakneck pace…
"We've flown most of yesterday and all night from the islands," Lo'ak declared, stepping back from Neteyam to meet his gaze. The two brothers stood eye to eye now, each of them as tall and broad as the other. Lo'ak still sported the same hair, head shaven on one side with most of his beaded braids pulled back, leaving only a couple of stray braids to dangle down one side of his face.
"I don't have time to explain!" The words rushed from Neteyam, "Stay with Dad and them, I need to find Ria."
"We will come with you," Mo'at added, turning to Neytiri who agreed with a resolute nod.
More kisses and embraces were exchanged all around as Lo'ak and Tsireya ventured deeper into the medical bay.
"Who's Ria?" Lo'ak asked, settling himself by Jake's side and taking his father's hand.
Jake was weary, his earlier burst of energy after waking was rapidly waning now. He waved a feeble hand in Spider's direction, gesturing for his other son to elaborate.
Spider blew a deep breath out through his cheeks, his lips juddering as the force of his breath went past them, "Bro, there is so much I need to fill you both in on."
Outside the medical alcove, in the main expanse of the ground level, Neteyam stopped every warrior and patrol guard he came by, frenziedly questioning them around Ria's whereabouts and if they had seen her. Most of them shook their heads firmly, reaffirming that nothing untoward had occurred during the night. No one had been let in to kelutral from outside apart from his brother and Tsireya who had arrived by ikran.
"Check with the entry guards," Neytiri urged her son, "Could she have left kelutral?"
Jogging up to the pair of warriors stationed by the ground level entry, Neteyam greeted them and met Wa'Onong's cagey eyes, "Report. Have you let anyone in or out tonight? We're looking for Ria, she's not where she should be."
Wa'Onong blinked deliberately, but his younger warrior companion beat him to a response, "No one has come in through here, sir. However, Ria did leave kelutral hours ago. She has not returned."
Mo'at and Neytiri both hissed at the words and Neteyam snarled, "Did she say where she's gone? Why did you let her out in the middle of the night in the first place?!"
An acerbic chuckle sounded from Wa'Onong and his words were mocking as he spoke, "She did not say where, only that she felt unwell and needed to take a walk. Who are we to question Eywa's chosen one or deny her what she wishes?"
With pinned ears and bared teeth, Neteyam growled, his tone menacing, "You will do well to watch your tone, warrior. You should have reported her attempt to leave or at least reported her disappearance when she failed to return. If any harm has come to her, I will have your throat."
Striding out of the Hometree with dread weighing heavy in his heart, Neteyam stopped when his mother grabbed his forearm.
"By Eywa, I don't know why she didn't come straight to you, but Ria will have gone where she feels safe to labour, where she feels connected to you. Is there somewhere she would go?" Neytiri said, her voice laced with concern.
Mo'at recalled her visions of the woman alone in childbirth, the woman she had eventually come to realise was Ria, "In my visions of her time she is outside, in water."
Neteyam's memory jolted. There was one place. His ears pricked up and he broke into long strides, gesturing for his mother and grandmother to follow, "I think I know where she might be, come!"
The bioluminescence in the spring pulsed lightly around Ria where she lay half submerged in the spring. It was as if the flora and fauna around were celebrating, eagerly anticipating the birth of a long-awaited child. The spring water remained warm around her as she leaned with her front against the mossy bank, head resting on her folded arms atop the bundled flying shawl she had brought with her.
Beneath the water, Ria was bare and on her knees. Amidst the agonising pains and the disorientation of labour, she had had the sense to remove her loincloth at some point. Another powerful contraction gripped her and Ria pushed, bearing down with what little strength she felt she still had. She could feel her baby sitting low in her body, ready to be born, but she had been straining for hours now without success.
Great Mother, she was exhausted… She did not even have the strength to cry anymore. Eywa, please… please deliver this child and end this… Maybe if she closed her eyes she could fall asleep and just drift away. Neteyam… she would never see him again if she did and she would never meet her baby...
Every pulse, thought and beat in Neteyam's body stopped as his arm reached for the verdant vines at the entrance of the spring grove. The frenetic buzz in his mind quietened and his ears felt blocked. Please be here, Ria… I don't know what I'll do if you're not… He parted the vines and stepped into the grove, hearing his mother and grandmother gasp at the sight that greeted them all.
The entire grove shimmered in striking purples, blues and greens, the phosphorescence pulsing like a mystical beating heart. Tufts of atokirina floated about, sailing through the air or resting their undulating forms on branches and in crevices all around. It was a sight of staggering beauty and Mo'at murmured sacred words under her breath, acknowledging and paying respect to the Great Mother's presence.
In the spring pool on the far side, Mo'at spotted Ria partially submerged in the pool. Understanding bloomed within her as the visions she had been having fell into place at their current point in time. Ria had laboured alone all night. Mo'at should have known better than to doubt the Great Mother's visions or try to change them. Whatever Eywa meant to happen would always come to pass as she intended.
The breath Neteyam had been holding huffed out of him in a whoosh as he caught sight of Ria lying against the bank in the pool. He called out to her, his mother doing the same as they rushed to her unmoving form.
"Ria?" Neteyam called, crouching at the water's edge and stroking her sweat-damp hair from her face in an attempt to rouse her, "Ria, can you hear me?"
Mo'at set her things down and moved to check the girl who remained unresponsive. The tsahìk placed gentle hands on Ria's arms, jostling her mildly. Her body was warm, which meant she still lived. She bent her head to sniff the girl, noticing the sticky sheen of sweat that clung to her skin. A bitter odour filled her nostrils and she frowned with a soft growl. Arachnoid toxin. Ria had been poisoned. Someone had made an attempt on her life.
Arachnoids were a six-legged arachnid species with venomous stingers in their tails. Their toxin was most often harvested and used as a psychoactive stimulant during some traditional Na'vi rites and rituals. If the toxin was mixed incorrectly or administered in too large a dose though, it would prove fatal.
"She's been poisoned," Mo'at declared, "Quick, get into the water with her and see if you can wake her. She still lives but she is very weak."
"Poisoned? How?" Neytiri queried, bewildered.
"I do not know, but I can smell the kali'weya venom seeping from her pores."
Terror speared through Neteyam at his grandmother's words and he hastily stepped into the spring pool. He sucked in a surprised breath as he sank into the water, registering the atypical warmth of it. The water was very warm, almost hot but not hot enough to burn. He shared a twin look of shock with his mother as she realised the same after getting into the water after him.
"Great Mother, stay with us and guide us. Please keep Ria and the child safe." Neytiri prayed, motioning to Neteyam to sit with his back resting against the bank, "Hold her against you and see if she wakes."
Gently taking Ria's form, he unfolded her limp arms and turned her around to settle her body between his legs with her back and head resting against his chest and shoulder. Her head lolled unreceptively and fear lanced through him. Please stay with me, don't go… He wrapped an arm around her ribs, just above where the swell of her belly began, careful to keep the waterline around her shoulders.
"Please Ria, wake up!" Neteyam urged, pressing a hard kiss to her temple, "I'm here now." He felt her torso clench and spasm and Ria stirred with a pained cry.
The contraction brought consciousness back to her and Ria vaguely registered that she was no longer leaning against the bank. She was looking up at the lush flora above her and someone was calling her name. One large hand cupped the side of her jaw and it turned her head to face its owner. Neteyam.
Neteyam's handsome face greeted her and Ria's heart leapt in her chest. She did not know if she was hallucinating, but if it was a cruel trick of her mind then it was a very convincing one indeed. She swore she could feel the solid strength of his body cradling hers too. As the force of the contraction subsided, however, unconsciousness threatened to claim her again. She was so tired…
Mo'at hissed a curse under her breath, "She is exhausted. She must stay awake. She needs to push to birth the child. Maite, can you check her?"
The spring water swished around as Neytiri moved to face Ria's reclined form against Neteyam. She reached for the girl's knees and carefully propped them upright, widening them so she could check her. Neteyam raised his own knees to support Ria's limp thighs against his.
"I'm going to check you Ria, alright?" Neytiri voiced. There was no response from the girl. Neytiri reached down and gently did her work and then she gasped, calling out to Mo'at, "Sa'nok! I can feel the child! Ria you're so close, you must keep awake and push!"
Neteyam could hear Ria's soft and shallow breaths where his cheek was pressed to her temple. His mind raced while his heart prayed to Eywa and his lips continued to whisper, "Stay with me, Ria, yawne (beloved). You can do this, listen to my voice."
With each unanswered whisper, his fear spiked even further. He could not lose her. It would kill him to lose her. Neteyam despaired at how helpless he felt. No amount of him begging by her ears or rubbing his hands against her gleaned any response. Even when the next contraction came and he felt her abdomen stiffen of its own accord, Ria remained silent. Great Mother, please help her… tell me what to do… don't take her from me…
A pleasant heat tingled at the top of his skull then and it flowed like a soothing balm down his neural queue, prickling the gentle tendrils at its end. Comprehension dawned upon him and an ethereal voice answered in the depths of his soul… Give her your strength, child… Fulfil what I meant for you to fulfil long ago… seal the bond…
Droplets of water trickled down Neteyam's right arm as he raised it to reach for his queue behind him. Ria's own queue lay over one of her shoulders and he took it gently in his other hand.
Neytiri spotted her son's actions and she hissed in astonishment, "Neteyam! What are you doing?"
Neteyam's expression was regretful as he replied, "This is how a male supports his female, isn't it? Helps her through her labour?"
Mo'at hurriedly shifted to sit by the water's edge and she cautioned him, though her tone held a tinge of sadness at her words, "You are mated to another. This cannot be done."
Shamefaced eyes turned on his mother and grandmother and Neteyam finally uttered the truth he had hid for so long, "I am not mated to Penina. Our mating failed. Our bond was rejected by the Great Mother."
Two pairs of stunned eyes regarded Neteyam, dumbfounded in their shock.
"All this time…" Mo'at murmured, astounded. On the one hand it made no sense and yet considering the way everything had unfolded, it also made perfect sense. The end would be theirs…
Neteyam swallowed the lump in his throat and shrank slightly under his mother and grandmother's astounded stares. However, there was no time to go into details now. Ria needed him.
Returning his attention to the woman in his arms, Neteyam brushed his lips over one pointed shell of Ria's ear and whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair, "Hang on my love,"
Bringing the end of her queue to his, time slowed as Neteyam watched the dancing tendrils reach for each other. There was a surreal sense of déjà vu to the moment. After all, he had been here before with another, but there was no dread now, no aching throb in his heart at what he was about do. There was only a sense of tranquil anticipation.
Neytiri averted her gaze, not wanting to feel like she was intruding on such an intimate moment usually shared between a couple in solitude. The comprehension that Neteyam had lied about his marriage for months pained her. A failed mating was rare and it was unfortunate, but that was not where she felt her pain. Why had her son deliberately concealed such a thing from them?
Neteyam's eyes slid shut as tsaheylu was formed, the tendrils of their queues twining and coiling tight to form a single twist. He felt something deep within his being snap into place and a profound sense of devotion filled his chest. The bond was indescribable and he had no words for it. It felt like everything good and right, love and belonging, all at once.
And he could feel Ria… He could feel how drained she was and he caught fragments of her earlier ordeal; her determination and then her fear and loneliness as she had struggled. Pushing through their bond, he sent her a wave of his strength, willing her to feel him and return to consciousness.
Ria jerked awake with a cry in Neteyam's arms, her violet eyes flying wide. A surge of strength poured through her, but it was not the Great Mother invigorating her this time. Neteyam… Neteyam! The sudden burst of strength brought a vivid clarity with it and Ria registered Neytiri sitting in front of her, and she felt a strong chest breathing at her back.
"Ria," Neteyam's voice murmured at her ear and her hands flew to clutch at his arms, finding them solid and secure around her. He was with her! Her gaze fell to the glowing bond of their queues in the clear water before her and her heart sang in joyous understanding.
Twisting carefully to face him, Ria's violet eyes locked with Neteyam's own of a dazzling gold and she beamed at him, "I see you, Neteyam."
Framing her face in his hands, Neteyam returned her smile and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before leaning his forehead against hers, "I see you, yawne. I love you."
It was a tender scene and a happy moment of much needed respite after a harrowing night. Mo'at shared a warm smile with Neytiri, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears of emotion. The bond between Ria and Neteyam was strong and it was right.
The moment of reprieve was fleeting though and reality took hold of everyone once more when Ria experienced her next contraction.
Awake and fairly alert now, the clenching pain seared fresh and clear through Ria. A hoarse scream tore from her as her body contracted forcefully. Neteyam grunted at the impact of the onslaught. He could not feel her pain bodily, but the pain manifested itself in its own way through their bond.
"Alright, you need to work now Ria," Mo'at instructed, going straight into her role as tsahìk, "Your child is ready to be born. I need you to bear down every time you feel the pain. Neytiri will guide your child out."
"Turn around, lean against me. You can do this, Ria, I'm right here with you." Neteyam coaxed, settling Ria against him again as she manoeuvred her thighs to hook them over his bent legs so she was positioned in something of reclined squat.
Heart pounding now and trembling with renewed adrenalin coursing through her, Ria breathed deeply, waiting in dread for the next excruciating wave. It did not take long. The painful wave swelled again, consuming her and she pushed downward with all her might. She felt her baby shift within her, its body moving down with her straining.
"That's good, keep going," Neytiri praised, "I can see the baby's head, you're almost there!"
Ria pushed through to the end of the contraction before she slumped back against Neteyam. She felt like she had achieved more with this one push than she had in the hours she had spent straining before. A heartening feeling of encouragement trickled through her bond with Neteyam and Ria realised it was because he had helped her. He had pulled some of the pain from her and pushed his strength back in return.
The next contraction arrived and Neteyam held each of Ria's hands in his own, allowing her to clutch them as tightly as she needed. As before, when the pain crested, he pulled a portion of it towards himself and pushed a fortified wave of vigour to Ria in return. He could feel her entire body straining with her effort as strangled grunts emanated through her gritted teeth.
"You're doing it, Ria, keep pushing." Neteyam reassured.
Ria gave a pained cry suddenly as she felt a fiery burn stinging between her legs, adding to the vise-like agony in her torso.
"Don't stop, that's your baby's head you're feeling! Push through it!" Neytiri advised. She could hear her mother chanting prayers in the background, ready to welcome the child into the world. The peace-marker…
The pain was unbearable to Ria, much worse than it had been before even with Neteyam supporting her. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and she began to cry again. Neteyam was soothing her as best he could with words of encouragement, but she wanted to scream that she could not bear it.
"Come on, my love, one more time! We'll do it together." Neteyam pressed, giving her hands a squeeze.
Ria thought of her baby; the child that she had carried and cooed to as it had kicked and moved within her. She would meet him or her soon if she could hold it together and persevere.
With a determined yell Ria bore down again when the next contraction overcame her. She pushed through the pain to Neytiri's instructions and just as she was about to scream that she could not do it, something pulled free from between her legs and sweet relief washed over her.
"You did it, Ria! Well done!" Neytiri called, a melodious laugh bubbling up from her as she gently lifted the squirming baby out from beneath the water.
Mo'at waded into the spring to join them, smiling brightly as the piercing cries of an infant echoed in the grove around them.
The baby was all kicking legs and waving fists as Ria propped herself more upright so Neytiri could settle the baby on her chest. An indescribable feeling of elation bloomed in Ria's heart as she held her child, peering down into its scrunched little face as it protested its new environment. Immense love swelled though their bond and Ria felt Neteyam press a kiss to the side of her cheek.
A little tail flopped against her and prying her baby's thighs apart gently, Ria looked and discovered she had given birth to a daughter. Crying tears of joy, she turned to look at Neteyam, "It's a girl."
"She's perfect." Neteyam pronounced and he claimed Ria's lips in a fervent kiss, communicating his awe, his love and his gratitude through their bond.
The baby girl still screeched spiritedly and Neteyam placed a warm hand over her little shoulder, speaking in low soothing tones to daughter. The little one calmed, her face relaxing and she blinked open large golden eyes to look at her parents.
Neteyam huffed out a laugh, the little face looking very familiar to him indeed, "She looks like you, mother."
The smile that stretched across Neytiri's face could not have been any wider as she slowly approached the pair of them to gaze down at her grandchild. The baby was perfect, little arms and legs, a little tail, all beautifully blue with her own unique striations and bioluminescent spots.
Neytiri gave a wet laugh as her emotion overcame her, "No, son, she looks like you."
Neytiri kissed her fingertips and pressed the kiss to the soft skin of the baby's forehead. She shifted away, wanting to give Neteyam and Ria some space as a new family as Ria attempted to coax her baby to suckle at her breast. Backing away to join her own mother several feet back in the pool, Neytiri realised Mo'at had not approached to greet the child yet.
"Sa'nok?" Neytiri asked softly, gazing at her mother whose eyes had not left the child in Ria's arms despite the distance she kept.
The tsahìk's golden eyes were dazed and a frown sat heavy on the older woman's brow. The warm feelings of happiness and joy that Neytiri had just enjoyed were quickly dissipating, replaced with a new wave of concern. Something was wrong.
Mo'at regarded the new baby. She appeared perfectly healthy, a little small in size but certainly very lively for one that had just been born. However, Mo'at recalled her prophecy and the visions she had been granted of the peace-marker…
Five fingers and five toes… born of demon and Na'vi…
First of its epoch… eyes violet like paysyul…
The baby kicked her legs, a little arm waving as she suckled at her mother's breast… four little fingers and four little toes… eyes of gold like her father's…
This child was not the peace-marker Mo'at had foreseen.