Chapter 167: The Water Broke

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: The Water Broke

Brea stared.

The powder coated his nose.

His hair.

His chest.

Half the ground.

Bright yellow dust everywhere.

She smiled proudly.

Perfect.

Selka stared.

"You idiot."

Brea blinked.

"What?"

"He is covered in it."

Brea looked down.

"Oh."

"When he wakes, what do you think he will tell them?"

Brea’s ears lowered.

"We do not have time!"

She rushed toward the wooden bars.

"The outsiders are here."

Selka’s irritation vanished.

"They came?"

"Yes."

"They will help me?"

"They said you must reach them."

Selka’s eyes lit up.

Finally.

Brea worked the loosened wooden peg.

One bar shifted.

Just enough.

Selka squeezed through.

Pain shot through her back.

Her stomach made everything harder.

"Slow," Brea whispered.

"Do not tell me to slow down."

She finally stepped free.

Free.

Her heart nearly exploded.

Then a hand caught her arm.

Selka screamed.

She turned.

Brann.

His huge boar body blocked the path.

His dark eyes stared at her.

Not angry.

Worse.

Devastated.

"What are you doing?"

Selka froze.

"Brann."

His eyes moved toward the unconscious guard.

Then Brea.

Then the open cage.

His face hardened.

"Did you cause what is happening at the gate?"

"No."

"Selka."

"No!"

She yanked her arm.

"Let me go."

He did not.

"Let go!"

"No."

Her eyes widened.

She stared at him as if he had struck her.

"You are my mate."

"I know."

"Then choose me!"

His jaw trembled.

"I have."

"No, you haven’t!"

She shoved at his chest.

"You are choosing them!"

Brann barely moved.

Selka’s eyes burned.

"You would keep your pregnant female inside a cage?"

"You put yourself there."

She slapped him.

Brea froze.

Brann’s head turned with the strike.

For several breaths, he did nothing.

Then slowly looked back.

His eyes were wet.

"I already buried one brother because of you."

Selka went still.

His voice cracked.

"I watched Varek die because every time you wanted something, somebody else had to bleed for it."

Her face twisted.

"He chose..."

"Stop."

One word.

Brann had never spoken to her like that.

His tusks showed slightly as his jaw clenched.

"I loved you."

Selka’s breathing stopped.

"I still do."

That hurt worse.

"I hate that I still do."

Brea looked away.

Brann’s hand trembled around Selka’s wrist.

"I wake every morning knowing I chose you."

His voice dropped.

"And every day I regret what that choice made me become."

Selka looked horrified.

"You regret mating me?"

His eyes closed.

For one terrible second, he could not answer.

That was answer enough.

Something inside Selka shattered.

"You bastard."

Brann opened his eyes.

"I do not want you dead."

"Then let me go!"

"No."

"I have other males!"

"I know."

"You think I need you?"

His face flinched.

Still, he did not release her.

"No."

That calm answer made her angrier.

Brann looked at her stomach.

Then back at her.

"After you give birth..."

His throat moved.

"...whatever the tribe decides to do with you, I will support."

Selka stared.

He looked like the words were killing him.

But he said them anyway.

"I will protect the cub."

His voice broke.

"I will not help you destroy everyone else."

Selka’s face became vicious.

"You will regret this."

"I already regret too much."

He pulled her back toward the cage.

Selka fought.

Kicked.

Cursed.

"You coward!"

Brann said nothing.

"You worthless male!"

Nothing.

"I SHOULD NEVER HAVE MARKED YOU!"

That one hit.

His face went white.

But he still put her back inside.

The wooden bar slammed shut.

Selka stumbled to the ground.

Brann stood outside.

Staring at her.

Two mates.

One cage.

A future neither of them wanted.

Selka’s eyes filled with pure hatred.

She would never forgive him.

Never.

Brea had already disappeared before more guards arrived.

...

The Veilkin did not leave.

That was the worst part.

They simply remained beyond Ironwood.

Not close enough for arrows.

Not far enough to forget.

Sometimes a face appeared between the trees.

Then vanished.

Sometimes Druun growled in the middle of the night.

Sometimes Nerin’s damaged antler ached for no reason, and every time it did, Soren doubled the guards near the lower caves.

Nobody hunted alone.

Nobody left casually.

Raku reorganized every watch.

Arion sent Sunmane hunters to the northern posts under Soren’s command.

Kael checked the cub shelters himself.

Soren ordered everyone:

"Assume they are waiting for weakness."

Nobody argued.

Ironwood had food.

Fruit.

Crops.

Stored meat.

Salt.

Water.

They could survive.

For now.

But Swanly hated being watched.

She hated it even more because she could not see who was watching.

...

That evening, the system appeared inside Swanly’s sleeping hollow.

It looked guilty.

Immediately suspicious.

Swanly stared.

"No."

{Host has not heard what I am going to say.}

"No."

{It is important.}

"No."

The system’s shoulders dropped.

{I am receiving an upgrade.}

Swanly’s face went blank.

"What?"

Kael looked over.

She quickly lowered her voice and continued mentally.

Why?

{Accumulated system development threshold has been reached.}

Tell it to un-reach.

{That is not possible.}

Swanly glared.

Every time this thing changed something, her life became worse.

How long?

{Unknown.}

What do you mean unknown?

{Possibly several hours. Possibly longer.}

Swanly’s eye twitched.

{During that period, I may be unavailable.}

Of course.

Then the fairy looked even guiltier.

Swanly’s blood pressure rose.

What else?

{Storage access may temporarily close.}

Silence.

Swanly stared at it.

The fairy smiled nervously.

{Surprise?}

I am going to kill you.

{Please do not. Upgrading me improves Host survival probability.}

WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAPPEN AT THE WORST TIME?

{There is technically never a good time in Host’s life.}

Swanly opened her mouth.

Stopped.

Fuck.

Fair point.

The system quickly continued.

{Host should remove essential supplies before the upgrade begins.}

Swanly sighed.

"Fine."

Kael looked over.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said fine angrily."

"My magic is being irritating."

Kael nodded.

Apparently that required no further explanation anymore.

Swanly spent the next hour pulling essentials from storage.

Medicine.

Bandages.

Her remaining weapons.

Normal ammunition.

The Rot-Burner Hybrid Launcher.

Food.

Clean water.

Blankets.

Emergency herbs.

Anything she might urgently need if the storage suddenly became inaccessible.

She hid most of it inside a sealed section of their shelter.

Kael watched.

"You are worried."

"Yes."

His hand touched her back.

"I’m here."

Swanly looked at him.

Then smiled.

"I know."

That helped more than she expected.

The system floated near her shoulder.

{Upgrade beginning soon.}

Swanly pointed.

"You come back."

The fairy looked offended.

{Obviously.}

"You better."

{Host would miss me.}

"No."

{You would cry.}

"I would celebrate."

{Liar.}

The system stuck out its tongue.

Then vanished.

The storage connection dimmed with it.

Swanly hated the empty feeling immediately.

...

The next morning, Swanly was nearly seven months pregnant and extremely tired of sitting.

Nahla had told her gentle walking was good.

Gentle.

Not running.

Not lifting.

Not climbing walls.

Not fighting infected.

Apparently every adult in Ironwood had received a secret list titled:

THINGS SWANLY IS NO LONGER ALLOWED TO DO.

She suspected Soren had written half of it.

So she walked.

Slowly.

Her white tail swayed behind her.

People greeted her as she passed.

"Swanly."

"Morning."

A female lifted a basket.

"The red fruits are ready."

"Save some for me."

"They are already yours."

Swanly smiled.

Farther ahead, Tovan was arguing with builders.

"That wall is crooked!"

"It is not."

"I HAVE EYES!"

Raku walked past carrying a spear.

"You also have a loud mouth."

Tovan shouted after him:

"THE WALL IS STILL CROOKED!"

Swanly laughed.

Ironwood felt alive.

That still amazed her sometimes.

Fields.

Children.

Smoke.

Food.

People arguing about walls instead of whether they would survive until sunrise.

Nilo spotted her first.

"Mama!"

He ran over.

Then slowed abruptly.

"No running into Mama."

Swanly smiled.

He remembered.

Good boy.

He hugged her carefully around the side instead.

"Are the babies awake?"

"I think so."

His hand immediately went to her stomach.

A kick.

Nilo gasped.

"They know me."

"Obviously."

Miko came charging next.

Kairo caught his tunic from behind.

"Slow!"

"I was slowing!"

"You were flying!"

"I cannot fly!"

"Exactly!"

Swanly laughed.

Her boys.

Full sentences now.

Bigger.

Healthier.

Still completely ridiculous.

Miko reached her.

"Can I touch?"

"Yes."

He pressed both hands gently against her stomach.

Another movement.

His face lit up.

"Sisters! I brought you something."

Swanly became suspicious.

"What?"

Miko reached into his little pouch.

A rock.

Of course.

"No."

"But it is smooth."

"No."

"They like rocks."

"They have never seen a rock."

"They kicked when I showed one last time."

"You shoved it against my stomach."

"I showed it closely."

Kairo covered his face.

Swanly laughed until her cheeks hurt.

For one moment she forgot Veilkin.

Forgot Veskari.

Forgot Selka.

Forgot the system upgrade.

Forgot everything beneath Ironwood.

She simply walked.

Talked.

Ate a piece of fruit someone handed her.

Complained that everyone was feeding her too much while taking another piece anyway.

Eventually her back started aching.

"Okay."

Enough.

She returned toward her shelter.

Kael was inside.

Soren was somewhere with Raku.

The cubs had run off toward Lumi and Tavi.

Swanly stepped inside.

Her feet hurt.

Her back hurt.

Her stomach felt unbelievably heavy.

She reached for the wall.

"I am sitting down and nobody is moving me for the next hundred years."

One step.

Then she felt it.

Pop.

Swanly froze.

Warmth rushed suddenly between her thighs.

Down her legs.

Onto the ground.

Her blue-gray eyes slowly widened.

She looked down.

Water spread beneath her feet.

Her hand flew to her stomach.

"No."