Chapter 71-Bond
Her body cradled by soft sheets as she slept in the same chamber with Tamli, Nethial twitched and rolled onto her side. Beads of sweat collected on her forehead as she cupped her hands together and a low murmur rose from her throat. It hadn't taken long for her metallic legs to be repaired and Tamli had made certain that Finca apologize for the incident. Resting in a chair that he had brought up from Aurelia's medical facilities at her request, Tamli watched her as worry kept him awake during the early hours of the morning. Two months had passed since he had discovered her hidden secret following the death of Tanui and there was no doubt that she was with child now as she looked to be in the sixth month of her pregnancy. Even with her carrying a hybrid fetus, he was still concerned for her health as she complained about back pain and had an unusual lack of energy that often resulted in her sleeping most of the time. Despite him not being the father, he took it upon himself to take care of her and had suggested she stay in his chambers since the large area had been built for two dragons to reside in. With Finca dead, he had no one to share the space with but decided to offer it to her out of good will. He had been surprised when she had admitted she had thought to ask him if he would let her use his quarters to stay in until the birth of her child and made sure Aurelia agreed before accepting her to reside where he did for as long as she wanted.
Running a hand through his hair, he stifled a yawn and watched as her metal legs kicked at the white blanket he had put at the foot of the cot in case she got cold. A small smile briefly lit his features before he lowered his risen arm back into his lap and turned his thoughts to how Narssia was handling herself. There was still no word on when a trial would start but he had noticed strange white patches all over her body and a slight enlargement of her abdomen that possibly hinted at her being gravid. He knew from talking with Geer that she was staying with the formerly blind dragon and watching over her two eggs but what interested him was that there had been no mention of the two mating. It wasn't any of his business to know but he had hoped Geer would have come to him before deciding to make love to the dragoness that had been through so much darkness during the last seven years.
Blinking, Tamli pressed his right shoulder blade harder into the soft material behind him and softly grunted as the motion jarred the Dragonisicm extract located there. His wounds were slowly healing but his back still bothered him and he suspected it always would as a lasting reminder of what he had been through. Resisting the urge to scratch the tender flesh as it throbbed slightly in pain, he nodded as he recalled that Reath and Ryta had begun to interact and Sitedal had been released to go finish the remainder of his healing while staying with Verdra, Seraphina and Ladetis. He also had heard that Aurelia and Dhran were thinking about trying for another child and it warmed his heart to realize that he had started this period of growth by becoming leader after the death of Uria on the field of battle. Taking over the position hadn't been easy but he had accepted it and found that Sitedal now treated him with respect and dignity.
A soft cry from Nethial broke him from his thoughts and Tamli focused his attention on her as he noticed her body tremble slightly. Concerned, he slid out of the chair and gradually walked over to her, having found that slower movements allowed him to keep his breath better and help limit the twinges of pain in his scarred back. His hand touched hers and he felt the heat they radiated from them while also detecting the slickness of her skin and determined she was experiencing another nightmare. It hadn't taken him long to discover she was still deeply affected by the way Ladetis had taken her legs and the first nightmares had started after only a few days of her sleeping in his room. He normally didn't walk over to her before they ended but she was getting close to carrying the child for four months and fears of what had happened to his own birth mother had made it difficult for him to sleep as he realized she was nearing the time Szara had told him that hybrid babies were ready and able to be born.
Pulling back the sheets to try and cool her off once she awoke from the dream, Tamli sat down on the edge of the cot and fought the urge to tenderly rub her swollen abdomen. He had offered to tell her the gender of the baby but she had declined and said she would rather see it with her own eyes when the child was born. Thinking about her stubbornness dampened his mood and he sighed, rubbing his right arm to help relieve some of the numbness that had settled in it during the night. Glancing at her metal legs, he observed the craftsmanship of the detailed work and realized that a clone had created it for her after she was separated from the pair Cambre had made in Tel-var. Sensing her heartbeat rise, he placed a hand over her own and silently waited until she woke up screaming as she always did after her nightmares. His gentle action reminded him of their younger years and he briefly smiled before one of her metal legs kicked him in the center of his back.
Biting back a scream of his own, Tamli lost his balance and fell to the floor as colors swam before his eyes. Hearing Nethial softly murmur his name, he was unsure of she was awake. Hissing in pain, he used the side of the cot to get onto his knees and blinked as a soft light flickered on beside the makeshift bed. Purple irises met grey ones as Nethial lay with a hand on a light stone Tamli had never seen in his chambers before.
"Sorry about kicking you," she apologized as she slid up to give him some space. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Those dreams just feel so real . . ."
"The one about Ladetis being down in the cave system with you and coming after you to burn you alive with acid?" His hand was gently cushioned by her own as Nethial took hold of it and helped pulled him up beside her. "Net, that was a traumatic experience for you. You can't expect it to just go away after only months."
Reluctantly rising into a sitting position, Nethial sighed in shame as her hands still warmed Tamli's own. "I know, Tal."
Hearing the old nickname she used to call him by caught Tamli off guard and he blinked, glancing at her in shock. "You remember that? I thought you wanted nothing more than to see me in misery . . ."
Nethial dropped his hand, laying hers over the damp sheets as she averted her gaze. "I'm not like that now. Corruption used my anger as a weapon and, as a result, I almost killed Raoul because of my rage against you."
Tamli placed a firm hand on her shoulder in comfort as he listened to her talk about the moment she forever damaged the relationship she had with Raoul. He had heard some of it from Finca before her death but he could only imagine how much guilt Nethial was under for what she had almost done to their son. Now he knew why Raoul had been so bitter when she first came to the Compound and understood the reason behind his son's harsh comment to him about being close to her again.
Noticing a tear threatening to fall from her eye, Tamli wiped it away with a finger before letting go of her shoulder and grasping hold of both her hands. Lifting her hands up between them, he smiled softly as he thought back to the last night they had spent together in paradise and knew she would recognize his behavior from that time in their lives. Gently pulling her over to him, he broke their physical contact seconds before he kissed her.
Her lips were as soft as he remembered but he soon tasted salty tears and pulled back to see she was quietly crying. Worried he had done something wrong, he started to slid back but was stopped as she reached for him and buried her head in his chest, her sobs becoming audible. Gently patting her back, he sighed and rested his head on her own.
"Net, what is it? I never saw you cry when we were young. Did I do something wrong? Is the baby hurt?"Tamli silently knew the fetus was fine but he thought maybe having her hear he was concerned for both of them might make Nethial open up to him about what caused her to suddenly start crying.
"We're both fine, Tal. It's just that Tanui never did this with me. Never took time just to sit and talk. I guess it's because we were on the run and then his mental state declined but I realize now that I missed this. You were always so gentle with me but that was before you knew you were a hybrid."She laughed softly, lifting her head back as Tamli lowered his to make direct eye contact. "After all we've been through, it come back to us being in a room together. I don't regret falling in love with Tanui but I felt lonely even when he was near me."
Tamli was about to speak when Nethial leaned in and kissed him back, her left hand rising up and gripping his right shoulder as her other hand rested on his chest. Breathless for a moment, he stared at her as she moved to showed him she had grabbed a white tunic from his own supply of clothes and had fallen asleep in it and a pair of shorts. He chided himself for thinking she had been undressed but had little time to even consider that as she kissed him again and pushed him back onto the cot, curling up beside him as her breath tickled his left ear.
"Times may have changed but you are still as easy as you were when we were kids," she remarked as his eyes followed the shape of her curves down to where her natural skin stopped and winced when her metal leg closest to him lightly smacked against his healing knee.
He softly hissed and glanced down to check on his still twisted knee while Nethial briefly grimaced in pain and moved her hands closer to his left shoulder. Satisfied he had avoided further injury, he turned his attention back to her and sighed as she placed her head on his chest. Her long nimble fingers danced over the black cloak he wore to protect her and the fetus from the Dragonisicm in his back and he thought for just a second about opening the material and letting her massage his chest as she had done in the past.
As if she had read his thoughts, her head lifted and her eyes narrowed in warning. "You know opening your cloak would put me at risk. I don't mind the close contact but I would like not to have to be rushed down to see Aurelia if at all possible Something tells me she wouldn't like to patch up broken bones this early in the morning."
Tamli nodded and ran his left hand across her back, feeling the amount of bones he could touch having increased since he had last helped Aurelia examine her. Szara had told him nothing about Autuma losing weight during her pregnancy with him but it was not enough to raise too much concern. He would simply make sure to get her some more food or ask Aurelia if she needed supplements to ensure the child was born healthy.
"Tal, didn't Geer say Narssia has been rather quiet the last couple of months? She should be happy that Sitedal and Ryta are alive to welcome her back into the company of others."
"I think he senses there's something else going on but I can't get him to tell me what he thinks. It's not normal for a dragon's scales to lose color and even more so for it to last several months." His hand stopped rubbing her back and Nethial shifted her weight to indicate that she had to use the bathroom he had adjacent to the large chamber.
Realizing her movement meant she was getting up, he offered to walk her over to the small area but she refused and insisted she was capable of handling it by herself. Moving out of her way, he watched her to make sure she made it to the bathroom before closing his eyes and reaching out to Geer, hoping the dragon would be awake. It didn't take long for the formerly blind scale-flier to answer his probing inquiry and he asked how Narssia had made it through the night.
"She was unusually restless," Geer replied as Tamli felt the damp sheets around him. "How about Nethial?"
"Fair enough. She was about to wake up screaming from the nightmare but she lashed out with her metal leg and kicked me instead. I guess the jolt broke her out of the dream and she apologized for her impulsive action. She struck me right in the center of my back, right where a large portion of the Dragonisicm is. I'm surprised I didn't pass out right there."
"Wait a minute, she kicked you?" Geer's pause gave way to amusement as Tamli realized the dragon found it funny that he had gotten hit by his former love. "Nethial actually kicked you? Well I guess that blew off some steam. Anything else? I know you're about ready to drop from sleep exhaustion, Tamli. She'll be just fine."
Gingerly rubbing his shoulder from where Nethial had dug her fingers into before she had shoved him onto the cot with her, Tamli dimly nodded. "There's something going on, Geer. Those spots on Narssia aren't normal and I worry more each day for Nethial. Let me know if you notice anything else."
As Geer promised he would keep him informed, Tamli heard a scream come from the bathroom and he froze, panic washing over him as he remembered that Szara had said she tried to get Autuma help in time but was unable to and watched as the life drained from her. His hands clutched the white sheets beside him as he stared towards the direction of the side room to see Nethial had closed it to give herself privacy. The second scream, although softer than the first, finally broke him out of his dazed state and he ran to her. Stopping at the door and trying to unlock it with a twist of the knob, he heard metal bindings snap as he braced himself before pulling the wood back towards him and having it snap in half and smack him in the face,
Thrown onto his back from the force of the impact, he heard Nethial crying as he tried to get his dazed mind and body back into action to save her and the baby. Sitting up, his breath caught in his throat and he fell into a coughing spasm, nearly falling back onto the floor as he fought to get to his feet. Now winded and struggling to get a clear breath, Tamli managed to get on his hands and knees and crawl over to Nethial as he found her laying in the middle of the bathroom floor with both hands on her abdomen and a faint mist of blood oozing from between a metal strap across her pelvic and hip bones to ensure her metal legs stayed where they were supposed to and not fall apart.
"Net . . ." he wheezed, hearing the words Szara had used echo ominously in the back of his mind as he dropped to the floor beside her and finally managed to get a clear breath of air.
Reaching out to Geer again, Tamli hoped he could manage to say what he needed to before passing out as his back started to sent spikes of pain down his spine. The dragon was slower to respond this time but after hearing only that Tamli thought Nethial had gone into labor, he promised he would find Aurelia and be right there to help. Thanking Geer, a wave of dizziness passed over Tamli before he blacked out . . .
Nethial was dimly aware of what was going on around her as Aurelia and Geer came and picked up her and Tamli, rushing them into the room she knew all too well from the number of times she had been due to the strict promise the healer had said she would keep based on what had happened to the woman that gave birth to Tamli. The only thing that keep her awake was the pain in her abdomen and the feeling that her legs would need to be taken off so she could deliver her baby into the world. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cried as a contraction nearly took her breath and she tried to fight against it. Her instincts screamed at her that she shouldn't be delivering her second child into the world this soon but the knowledge that the offspring was a hybrid made everything different.
Being carried by Aurelia as Geer had Tamli on his back, Nethial heard the healer start to snap orders as she was being put down on a sterilized table. She vaguely understood the words as she slowly opened her eyes to glance and see that Tamli had been placed on a similar table next to her on his side. Her gaze swept across his face in mild panic before she realized he had fallen unconscious right as he had reached her. Even with his black cloak tightly on, she could barely make out a pulsating glow from various parts of his back and quickly remembered that Dragonisicm extract lined the area to limit his healing and restrict him from doing even ordinary things.
Aurelia spread her legs before growling under her breath and glaring at her as Nethial briefly looked back at the healer before returning her attention to Tamli. The metal bars between her legs were there to keep them in place, not that she had expected to be pregnant when she had asked Gregal to include that in the new design. She heard Tamli's breath catch momentarily in his throat before he coughed and jolted upright. Geer was immediately at his side and trying to convince him to take it slow but his eyes found hers and she knew he was feeling guilty for not having walked with her instead of checking in with the formerly blind dragon about Narssia.
"We're going to have to take those legs off," Aurelia grumbled as Nethial noticed Tamli seem to grimace in pain and wondered how badly his back was hurting him. "I know I don't have the strength to do such a thing though."
"You saw the door as you entered," Tamli whispered as Geer retreated a step in defeat. "I did that before half of it broke and smacked me to the ground. Let me help, please."
Nethial noticed there was a pleading tone to his voice as he spoke and silently wished Aurelia didn't hear it. She hadn't expected to hear him so vulnerable with her life being in the balance. It almost brought a smile to her face but another contraction seized her and she screamed, trying to force herself to keep her baby in until they decided what to do with her legs.
Aurelia's disgusted huff proved enough of a sign for Tamli as he slid off the table and walk over to her. His hand touched Nethial's leg as she panted and a gentle nod from him told her that he was willing to do anything to keep her safe and make sure she survived having her baby. The first pull he made sent pain shooting from her hips and she knew he had tried using the two bars themselves as the part he had grabbed hold of. A low moan escaped her as he tried again and she heard the sound of metal clicking and sliding out - the sound of her legs detaching from her natural flesh.
Before she could whisper her thanks to him, another contraction hit and Aurelia commanded her to push before shoving Tamli out of the way and helping to coax her through the process of delivering her hybrid baby. Concerned for Tamli as she heard him growl in pain and silently worried that he had fallen to the floor, Nethial tried to find him with her eyes as she half-heartedly followed the healer's wishes. When a scarred hand rose into the air from the location he had fallen to, she relaxed and turned her attention to having her child.
Narssia lay on her side in Geer's chamber as pain threatened to overtake her. She had believed Arxa when the spirit had said several hours or several days but it had been two months and she was growing tried of the white spots on her scales. Her beauty had never bothered her before but it worried her that her darker half was lagging behind because it enjoyed her body as its home.
'Arxa,' she snarled softly inside her mind. 'Hurry up. I'm getting tired of this.'
She expected the spirit to snap back with a harsh remark but was surprised when she got no reply and sensed nothing in her mind that would indicate Corruption's presence. A low growl of surprise rippled from her throat as she tenderly poked at her abdomen with a single claw to confirm that there was an egg in there. Arxa was finally ready then and she was about to become a parent to the very creature that had nearly killed her.
The first spasm of pain from her underside caught her off guard and a soft growl tore from her throat before she could stop herself. She had laid eggs before but they had come from males she had mated with and not from the very darkness itself. Explaining this to Geer would be almost impossible if he happened to walk in on her.
Shaking her head, she hissed and used the natural contractions of her body to help further the egg along. Her thoughts briefly turned to Nethial and she wondered when the baby was going to be born but decided to worry about it after she had finished laying Arxa's egg. Digging her talons into the floor, she moved around to rest on her belly and arched her back as a slight shake of one of the eggs from Windra caught her attention.
Everything in her screamed that it was wrong for those eggs to be hatching right now but she could do nothing but stay where she was and finish breaking her last ties to Arxa. Another shake of the egg brought out an irritated growl from her as she slapped her tail against the floor and fought the urge to shriek as a stronger contraction sent ripples through her body. Scraping against the floor, she crawled forward towards her soon to be hatched offspring as pain from her abdomen jostled her with every movement she made.
Another roar rippled from her throat as she jerked violently to the side and lay trying to catch her breath. Several more contractions caused her tender underside to burn with pain as she waited for them to stop. Chest heaving, she closed her eyes and brought her forelegs to rest beside her as a feeling of something gradually sliding out soothed her worried mind.
Giving everything she had left in one final push, she heard the sound of an eggshell hitting the floor and knew she could breath easier with her mind now her own for the first time in years. She searched until her gaze came to a dark grey egg and fear crept into her gut at seeing the shell was entirely one color. Normally the eye and scale color of the hatchling was represented but one with neither meant that something had gone wrong during development for the protective coating to be dull.
She used her tail to bring the egg over to her and sniffed it before realizing the two others had stopped and returned to being silent. Wondering if she had imagined them moving, she heard a tiny squeak from the one with green tint and knew that they would soon hatch.
Nethial knew something was wrong when the pain stopped and she felt almost weightless. Her eyes were open but she couldn't turn her head - although she could still look around a limited field of vision. Tamli had been put back on his table but he was either asleep or unconscious again as she glanced to see Aurelia's arms and hands covered in blood. She knew that blood had to be from her and felt a shiver go down her spine at the sight of it. The woman who had given her Tamli in the first place had died during his birth but that had been because medicine was not far enough advanced to save her life back then.
She dimly heard Aurelia ask for something but couldn't make out what the request was and chose to ignore it as she stared down at the stumps of her legs and the crimson liquid flowing freely from between them. Part of her was rattled by the idea she might die before even giving birth but she took a deep breath and reasoned that it could be healed before things got out of hand.
The pain flooded back to her as a strong contraction nearly had her bend over in agony and a scream tore from her lips as Aurelia glanced worriedly between her and Tamli. Getting a momentary pause, Nethial glanced at the father of her first child and noticed he hadn't moved since she had been jolted out of her pain-free state. It worried her but she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by him when she had to deliver her baby or else risky serious complications.
"Nethial, come on. Just a little bit more and I can see its head. You're doing a great job." Aurelia's praise meant little to her as Nethial let the tears flow from her eyes as a series of short contractions left her winded.
She wanted to hit something but she restrained herself and clenched her hands into fists as Aurelia asked her to push harder. Focusing herself on surviving the birth, she used her memories of Tanui to give her a reason to work with her body and free the life she had inside. As she started to ready herself for another contraction, Nethial heard a low growl from Geer and turned her head to sense Finca venturing near.
"Mother, now is not the time. Nethial is in a dangerous position right now and I cannot afford to have extra stress on her-"Geer began but a soft growl from Finca silenced him as Nethial screamed and tried to fight against the contraction.
'I come for Tamli, not the former rider. Nethial's will is strong but I sense my love is giving up hope,' Finca whispered softly as Aurelia cleared her throat.
"Tamli has been like that ever since I shoved him out of the way and Geer had to drag him back on the table. He doesn't blink, doesn't move, and just stays there like he's waiting to die."
'That would be the obvious assessment, healer. It seems Tamli is willing to do anything to have Nethial not end up as his birth mother did upon the delivery of the hybrid fetus.'
Grunting, Nethial glanced at Tamli to confirm what Finca had said was true. He did look nearly dead, although tiny particles of white light were slowly flickering towards his right hand as it hung off the side of the table. Interested by the discovery, her eyes watched the gleaming specks as they shimmered around his flesh - forming a barrier around that particular piece of him. She wasn't sure why it seemed to be alerted to her presence and glow a little bit brighter but another contraction soon returned her to the fact that she was weakening and there had been only a small amount of progress made on delivering her baby.
Nethial realized Geer had noticed it as well as the dragon's eyes flickered from Tamli's hand to her. "Mother, is it possible that Tamli is attempting to do what Uria did when he tore a portion of his essence from his body and gave it to Tronay so she would continue to live?"
'Possible? I am uncertain, my son. As you know, I was not aware of the risk Uria took until years later due to Szara's possession of me during that time.' She paused for a moment, gaze flickering to Aurelia. 'The amount of energy required for him to do that would . . . would kill him.'
"We are not ending any lives just to save two!"
Nethial was surprised by the venom in Aurelia's voice, glancing at Geer to see the formerly blind dragon was also shocked by the response from their healer. She knew that Nathaniel's mother was a reborn dragon in human skin but she wondered why the strong attachment to Tamli. What made the hybrid different than her or her unborn child? Shaking her head in confusion, Nethial tensed as a strong mental presence rammed against her mind and nearly rendered her unconscious from the force of the attack.
Holding off the attack as best she could, she waited until it temporarily faded to fight back and return the mental assault. The one that had come after her had weak defenses and she was easily able to break down any opposing walls, discovering quickly that Tamli was the individual who had sought her out in such a violent matter. Nethial's shock echoed clear to the weakened hybrid and he chuckled softly in muted amusement.
'What is there to find humor in? You attacked me mentally, Tamli! That is a direct path to confrontation, or has the time spent away from our ancient home dulled your senses?'
'Forgive me, Net,' Tamli apologized as he quieted and Nethial felt for a moment the pain that racked his body from the Dragonisicm's contact with his flesh. 'I swore to myself night after night that I would protect you and make sure you never had to go through what Autuma did. Now I see that even I cannot stop the laws of nature . . .'
Alarmed by how quickly Tamli seemed to be losing hope, Nethial commented, 'Who says it is over? I noticed your . . . . aura, is it? Your life force swirling around your right hand. Planning to sacrifice everything to keep me safe? Tal, not even my life is more important than your own. I cannot justify letting you die just so I survive childbirth.'
'Net, this is about more than just your survival. I wish there was another way but we both know your body is giving up. The shell you were restored into cannot handle the strain of delivering the hybrid fetus. Without my help, both you and your child will die.' Tamli's voice softened, reminding Nethial of the nights they used to spend together back in paradise before he left her alone and pregnant with Raoul.
Shaking her head, Nethial dimly heard Aurelia asking her to push and knew Tamli was right. Her body was becoming less and less able to cope with the strain. If something wasn't done soon, her and her baby's life would be over. A strong will would never overcome a weakening body, no matter how much she tried to fight for her survival.
'Tal, this will kill you, won't it?' She asked as a quiet sight from her former love confirmed what she had suspected from the very beginning. 'You love me more than your own life . . . You have always felt that way about me. I treated you horribly but you would give up everything to see me safe.'
'I knew this time would come so I made something for you. When you are able, go to my chamber and find a long black cloak pressed in between two rocks. Open it up and retrieve my blade and the object I crafted for you . . .' Tamli paused for a moment and Nethial felt a stab of pain from his back break through their mental connection. 'I feel so guilty that I would be so selfish as to prevent your own partner of mind from coming to you as you died. Attor must have held a grudge against me for years because of that . . '
Nethial nodded, seeing the light around his hand glimmer and pulse as if it was a living thing. 'He understood your reasons for doing it and so do I. Never would I have thought that this was how we would end up separated again, our roles reversed. I was going to have you be the one to raise my child if I didn't survive . . . but now I will honor your sacrifice by choosing a fitting name.'
'I am honored, dear one. Go ahead and take my hand. The energy there will be more than enough for you to survive and ensure the delivery of your baby,' Tamli whispered as Nethial closed her eyes and reached for him. 'Nethial Asburo, you were the one that first stole my heart and it is because of you that I established a legacy all my own.'
Nethial felt Tamli ease away from her mind as her left hand grabbed his right and a comforting warmth spread through her entire body. She heard Aurelia mutter something softly but turned her head to watch the life drain from the man she had loved. Her attention stayed on the hybrid well after his hand slipped from her grasp but the soft cry of a newborn captured her attention.
Her eyes turned to see Aurelia and she glimpsed a bundle wrapped in white cloth in the healer's arms. Nethial also noticed that unmarked, lightly tan skin flowed from her hips downward and realized Tamli's gift to her had been the restoration of her natural legs as they were before Ladetis had melted them with acid. She was certain her mouth was open in surprise and shock but she could care less as the small baby was passed over to her and she gently sat up to feel the coolness of the metal under her new flesh.
A soft bubbling cry rose from inside the white cloth and Nethial opened it partially to see two amber colored irises staring back at her with wonder. She wasn't aware she had even begun to cry until she heard her tears hit the table underneath. Easing her newborn into her arms, she noticed a tuft of white hair sticking up on top of her baby's head.
'I do not wish to know what was exchanged between you and Tamli prior to his death but congratulations on the successful birth of your new daughter,' Finca growled as Nethial glanced to see the paleness of Tamli's skin and knew the tender tone from the dragoness spirit was forced.
"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the back of her throat a little dry. "Aurelia, would you mind getting me some water?"
With a nod, the healer briefly left to find a glass and fill it while Nethial lowered the white cloth and made it into a makeshift diaper so she could see her baby completely. The skin on its arms and legs were unusually red and as she ran a finger across them, the reason was obvious. Being a hybrid, her new daughter's arms and legs were covered in dozens of tiny red scales that, while not fully developed, would make the child instantly noticeable.
"So what are you going to name her?" Aurelia asked as she returned with a cup of water and helped Nethial drink it.
"Ilma . . . Nosma . . .Asburo . . ." Nethial replied slowly as the name came to her, realizing very few would understand the hidden meaning behind the unusual name.
'Beloved one . . . A true way to remember the sacrifice Tamli made to ensure you and her would live to see another day,' Finca hummed softly as Geer left to go check on Narssia.
Aurelia nodded in agreement with Finca. "An interesting name, Net- I mean Nethial. Sorry, Tamli's tender nickname for you just rubs off after a while."
"I don't mind, Aurelia," Nethial admitted as she carefully cradled her newborn. "Tamli's sacrifice gave me her and also restored what was once taken from me . . ."
'Yes, the recovery of your legs is to be prized,' Finca hissed softly in muted interest as Nethial glared at her. 'If you hadn't come back, Tamli would still be alive now and-'
"And be yours?" Nethial questioned as she shifted, hearing her baby yawn and bury its head in her chest. "The clones would have attacked regardless, Finca! My restoration to life means nothing compared to what Amia's plan was. There's a chance Tanui might not have been so mentally unstable when they attacked but a fight between the two would still have happened. It was your selfishness that forced Tamli to deal with Tanui in the first place! From what I heard, he would have been fine with leaving them alone as long as they stayed away from his family but you had to complicate things by running after him when Amia lured him to the ruins of Misery's lab."
'He had no memory at that time!' Finca snapped back, chilling the room in her anger as her essence responded to her emotions. 'Tamli was vulnerable and Amia took advantage of him in that weakened state. He would have been killed by the grief-stricken former rider if Tanui had not stepped in and killed Amia.'
"I am aware of that, Finca. Tanui told me it was out of self-perseveration that he chose to save Tamli's life and kill his creator."
"Finca," Aurelia muttered, "maybe we should give Nethial time to recover? She did just deliver a baby-"
'A child she would never have delivered if Tamli hadn't killed himself to allow it to be so. Why can't you see that she is as manipulative now as she was back during the years of her youth?'
Nethial sighed, running a finger over her baby's soft hair as she listened to the stubborn dragoness. Finca had little to argue against her but it did make her uneasy to heard the irritate spirit bring up her past. Those memories and that time were meant to stay buried - although some refused to accept locking away their ancient thoughts and emotions so they could use them against those that were unable to defend themselves.
Tired of hearing the same arguments again and again, Nethial lifted her head and straightened up. "Finca, let the past stay in the past. I have just as many reasons to be bitter about things that happened but I don't let my emotions overrun how I react-"
'And you think I do?' Finca hissed as Aurelia stepped away to give them some privacy to work out their issues. 'Don't forget that it was your death that pushed Tamli to slowly consider a relationship with me as he was tortured by Amia for thousands of years inside that one body with two other different souls to keep him company. You never had the pleasure of seeing his memories of that time . . . but I understand you were broken during the years you spent in a state of limbo with only Corruption by your side.'
Startled by the words she had heard from Finca, Nethial blinked and clung tight to her baby with her left arm to rub the back of her neck with her right hand before lowering it back to cradle her newborn. "How did you find out about that? I keep my knowledge of that time in my life closely guarded and almost never say anything about it . . ."
'I figured it out from the way you spoke. Anyone with a brain can see you shy away from anything resembling a reference to our ancient home. Putting the pieces together showed me that you consider it a traumatic time in your life and refuse to tell anyone about what happened to make you so anti-social.'
"Finca, let Nethial rest. I know you have unresolved issues with her but she almost died!" Aurelia pleaded as the deceased dragoness ignored her request.
'Listen, Nethial. I may have nearly ripped your artificial legs to pieces before but now I can make you bleed to death if I so chose. Do not cross my path again or you may deeply regret it.' Snorting, Finca turned around and departed, leaving Nethial uneasy and concerned for her new daughter.