Savage Beauty(39)

“Thank you. I won’t be long. The babe is crowning.”

“How do you—?”

I smiled and eased the midwife’s door open, startling both women and a burly, hairy man pacing in the corner. “What the ‘ell?” he yelled.

Staring at them, I let a glamour fall over the room. Not much, just enough to calm them. I didn’t want them to fear me. “Hello,” I answered calmly. “I need something that only you can give me.”

“You can’t have my baby,” the woman panted.

“I just want part of the cord tethering him to you.”

She looked at her husband, who pulled his pants up higher. “What’ll you give us in return?” he asked shrewdly. The midwife pushed on the woman’s abdomen, staring beneath the sheet tented by her knees. The mother gritted her teeth and cried out when a new wave of pain struck her.

“That’s right. One more push,” the midwife said.

The man looked at his son as his wife pushed him into the world. The midwife gave him a slap and the child began to wail. The mother cried, tears of joy and exhaustion streaming down her face.

“My God,” he said, moving to her and kissing her head. “You’re beautiful and strong.”

I swallowed, watching the scene. This was as close as I’d ever get to childbirth, but I’d just witnessed a true miracle. The midwife used a clean cloth to wipe blood and mucous from the child, stretching his arms and legs out.

She reached for a pair of scissors. “NO!” I shouted, raising my hand toward her. “Please. I need to cut it.” The father stiffened. “I need that cord, sir. Please. If you refuse, I’ll be forced to use magic and take the cord anyway, but I’d rather you give it to me of your own free will. Name your price.”

“Make him strong and smart,” the father said without skipping a beat.

I nodded. “I can do that.”

Moving across the room toward the child, I watched him cry. “Strength he will have till the end of his days, intelligence this witch bestow; guide these parents, show them the way, let the boy child flourish and grow.” As the magic left me and entered the boy, he quieted, staring at me.

The parents stared at each other and then looked back to me, wariness in their eyes.

“I won’t harm him. I swear. I did as you asked.”

The man looked at the midwife. She confirmed, “It needs to be cut, anyway. It won’t hurt your boy.”

The man stroked his fuzzy beard. “Very well.”

I took her shears, cut a small piece of umbilis, and tucked it into my bag.

“Witch?” the woman called out as I turned to leave.

I turned to her.

“Can you make sure he never goes near the roses?”

“You know about them?” I asked, surprised.

“Everyone does, and we’re all terrified. Can you protect us?”

“That’s why I needed the umbilis.”

She nodded, wisdom shining in her eyes.

“Look at me,” I said. “All of you.” When the three adults and child stared at me, I glamoured them to ensure I had their full attention. “Never step foot near the roses of Virosa. They’re deadly. Toxic. If you see a rose, you will run away. You won’t go near or pluck any bloom.”

I walked through the door and Phillip handed the broom handle to me. “Did you get it?” he asked.

“I did, and I didn’t even have to be mean about it. I did have to work a spell for them, though.”

He smiled. “Small price to pay.”

“Indeed it was.”

“See? There are other ways to go about things,” he said smugly. “Take Prince Terigon, for instance. I can help you with him.”

“How so?”

“I’m a prince. I can get us into the castle.”

I shook my head. “That’s a terrible idea. If we waltz in together and then cut out Terigon’s tongue, you’ll be hunted down.”

He waved it off dismissively. “You need it, so I’ll do it for you.”

“Thank you. I really do appreciate your willingness to put your neck on the line for me, but I have a plan.”

“What’s that?”

I settled on the broom and waited for him to clasp onto my hips. He did and we took to the sky. “I’m a woman, Phillip.”

His hands tensed on my sides. “You used my name.”

I swallowed. “Of course I did.”

He gave me a squeeze and I settled against the comfort of his back as we flew home.



Why didn’t Aura hide her deeds? The fact that everyone in Brookhaven already knew what lay beneath the rose bushes meant it was intentional. Aura wanted to frighten the humans. She wanted to send a message; a threat and a promise of what would happen if they crossed her.

I tightened my grip on the broom handle.



PHILLIP

For a moment while we were flying through the night sky, it felt like it was just me and Luna against the world. It felt like for once, our differences weren’t insurmountable. For once, it wasn’t her steadying me; we steadied each other. There was no one but me and her. No outside forces trying to force us apart.

But when we landed and our feet hit the earth, the gravity of the situation returned and the illusion was erased, the moment was broken. “I’ll take this inside,” she said, carrying her broom in and unfastening the bag from her waist.