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[Alisiea]

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Alisiea writhed in agony. A sharp, stabbing pain raced up her spine and across her abdomen. Cold sweat beaded on her brow. Clenching her teeth she caressed her swollen belly and pleaded with her unborn child.

“Celestia please. I do not know what you mean. I do not understand.”

Her own thoughts were shoved aside. Her own will circumnavigated. A new voice filled her mind; a child’s voice.

“Mother. The Black Gate must be closed. The void must be destroyed.”

Tears streamed down her face as her spine arched upward at an almost inhuman angle. Unable to bear the agony in silence any longer, Alisiea wailed out in a long, shrill scream that echoed through the sleeping house.

**********

Mariko sat bolt upright as the shrill, blood-curdling scream sliced the silence of the night. Before she could rise, a frightened Umeko was at her side.

“Aijin. Isoi. De onnanoko. Kanojixyohiaitami desu.”

“Yes, yes Umeko. Quickly now, go and fetch the healer. I will see to the girl.”

As Umeko raced down the stairs and out the front gate, Mariko went to the girl’s side and did her best to comfort her. She blotted the sweat from her brow with a soft towel. She whispered comforting words and held her hand. Finally, she moved behind the girl, held her head in her lap, and gently stroked her hair. Alisiea squirmed, gritted her teeth but managed to gasp out a few words.

“It … is … not time yet. It is … not time.”

Mariko smiled and caressed the girl’s face in her hands.

“It is not always up to us to choose our time. If the child wishes to come into the world now, then we cannot stop it. You must obey the will of the goddess and she will comfort you.”

**********

By daybreak, Alisiea was sleeping peacefully. The healer had arrived just as the pain began to subside. There was no danger, he assured them, and both the mother and child were fine. A false labor, he said. Something that happens often. He left a potion which the girl was to drink once each day until the actual birth. She was not to be moved. He would return in two days time.

Mariko bowed and thanked him for coming so quickly. She closed and locked the gates and returned to her quarters where she took out quill and parchment. It would be wise, she thought, to notify Judas and Jolicia that the girls time was near.