The Ice King (The Witch Ways 0.5)(31)

Outside, the moon had shifted its light and illuminated the flat rock that served as resting place and sentinel post at all times of the year. Vanessa’s progress was measured in pain as she halted every third step to ride out each new wave of agony.

Hettie Way had delivered many babies over her lifetime but her heart was pounding at the imminent arrival of her first grandchild. She too, locked onto the practicalities, this was not the time to be felled by emotions. They were both focused on the pain, on the timing, arriving at the rock as Vanessa’s waters broke, flooding over the rock and lashing back and over and into the lake where they were drunk up thirstily.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” Vanessa’s voice was low and tight, grinding through the contraction.

“You don’t have to, your body does.” her mother said and squeezed her hand. Vanessa gave her a searing, poignant look, looked through her almost as if at a stranger, tears springing into her wild scared eyes.

“It will be fine.” and Hettie hoped it would be. Her daughter was strong, so far everything was progressing.

In the end, there were no dramas, once at the rock the contractions were harder and in a few moments the baby was out, slithering onto the rock with a cry that echoed around the lake. Hettie cut the cord and Vanessa held her daughter to her chest. Hettie waited, worried about them getting cold, anxious to get them inside the cottage. For some time Vanessa couldn’t speak, could only make strange small moans and then the tears washed out of her, warming her daughter who gave another strong, high cry. Tears pressed at Hettie Way’s eyes and blurred her view of her newborn granddaughter.

They called her, Anna.

Far North, a lone black wolf paced by a hole in the ice on a vast frozen lake that had a name no one could remember. At a sound, a high cry, as of a baby being born, the wolf looked deep into the water, reached in with its tongue and lapped a little. Then, he turned and headed back towards the shoreline.

Anyone foolish enough to be freezing on the lake would have watched the wolf’s steady progress, up until the moment that the wolf seemed to stretch and yawn its body open and out stepped a man who once was Dr Lachlan Laidlaw.

Different now. Chieftain. Ice King. The God of Winter’s Night.

A man who found himself Elsewhere and was not given to looking back.