Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 51

Kyla

The brothers and Kalvar take my father's body into the Sanctuary. A dark cloud seems to settle over the Sanctuary, and rain softly falls. As if the land of Underland is mourning their king with me.

I'm sure once the dust settles from the chaos around us and Rift and I have defeated the Dark Lord, there will be a well-deserved time of mourning for my father throughout this kingdom, but the stigma of his Curse left him isolated from many of the people in Underland. I'm sure some will even be glad he's gone. They dismissed my father as evil because of his Curse. My anger burns at them for it. My father was a good man. He was a hero and he died with honor, breaking the ancient spell by sacrificing himself for us.

I'm told my mother was injured by the Blood Queen but she will make a complete recovery with Father Ryland's healing abilities. However, she no longer is a Fire Blood and Cursed blood will not heal her. In fact, Cursed blood isn't even a thing anymore.

Which leaves the question, what am I?

I don't have time nor do I want to really think about it.

So when Rift, Helle, and I discuss our next step in ridding Axus of the Dark Lord  it is welcome distraction.

"With no Fire Bloods, King Lionel's army will be useless against me," I say. "I don't want to have to do it, but if he attacks I will retaliate. Even if it gives the Dark Lord power, I refuse to bow to him by not fighting back and saving my country."

"You've changed, Kyla," Rift says with a bittersweet smile on his face. "I'm proud of you. You're never going to let anyone manipulate you into doing something you don't want to do again."

"Tell Ryland to..." my voice trails off and ears prick forward to better pick up the sound of a chirp coming from the Sanctuary. The sound is from a tiny throat. The chirp repeats and seems to drown out all other noise till it's the only thing I'm hearing.

"Rift," I say, my heart rate pounding and eyes wide, "Did--did you hear that?"

Rift doesn't answer, his gaze meets mine, eye similarly widened. Upon this exchange between us he rushes into the Sanctuary, pushing past one of the brothers who stands in the doorway.

That sound is coming from our baby! I know it and so does Rift.

All eyes are on Rift as he emerges from the Sanctuary holding our egg.

Our chirping egg.

My face lowers to the where Rift holds the egg so that my muzzle is pressed against the side of it. A low beast purr comes from my chest.

"Meep. Meep," the baby inside answers me and a tiny crack forms in the shell of the egg.

"What is going on?" Helle asks, her eyes fixed on the egg. "What is that?"

"She calls for you," Rift says, his voice hushed in awe. His arms gently cradle the egg. He raises it higher so I can press my cheek against the hatching baby.

A little red-scaled nose presses through the crack. I rumble in encouragement at the little hatchling and she stretches her jaws to reveal tiny pointed teeth.

"Meep," she chirps and what look like her little wing talons create two cracks either side.

"There you go, you can do it," I purr. "You're almost out."

"Is that yours?" Poor Helle is trying to wrap her mind around what is happening and we're too distracted with it to answer her.

"It's our baby," Rift says, as if he can't believe it.

Finally our baby, our Raia, uncurls herself and in doing so breaks her egg open. Some of the shell sticks to red-scaled body, it sticks to Rift's shirt too. Her eyes open to reveal they are the same color as her father's: a golden brown. Her tiny wings shine like mine, except the membranes between the fingers glitter like rubies instead of sapphires. I've never seen anything more heart melting in my life. Her huge amber eyes meet mine, staring up at me bleary-eyed and trusting.

"She's so beautiful," Rift murmurs, his eyes are glassy with tears.

She's not human. At least... not right now. But I love her. My heart belongs to her already.

She crawls from her father's arms onto my snout. Her little claws hold onto me and her long glittery red tail curls around my jaws. I don't know why, but my instincts are telling me to treat her as a drakon treats it's young.

Rift walks over to me and puts a hand on my neck. Resting his face against my body. "Raia?"

I gently nod my head at him and a smile curls on my beast face.

Helle speechlessly watches us, eyes wide with wonder over what she's just witnessed. She rests a hand on her belly and a vague smile spreads across her lips. Finally she steps forward tentatively and says, "Kyla, you're a mom? Is Rift the--uh--father?"

I nod once more at her.

Somehow, looking at Raia for the first time and feeling her little claws on my face, clinging to me for care and protection... she doesn't feel like an accident Rift and I made.

"Meep, meep," she chirps, nuzzling against my face.

Is she ever going to be human? Will she ever speak like a human? I suppose human babies aren't born talking and walking around, but this isn't exactly how I pictured my mother-of-a-newborn existence looking like. Late night feedings and diaper changes, not the prospect of regurgitating wild boar meat and carrying my baby around on my face like a momma drakon does.

Maybe if I take my human form my baby will too?

"Raia will need lots of care," Rift says, "How can we fight the Dark Lord when our child needs us to be present?"

"I still am trying to figure out why you didn't tell us you had a child?" Helle says.

"Everything was happening so fast, I learned I was pregnant when I was in Erlund," I tell her, I sense Raia clambering to curl up on the very top of my head, I'm assuming between my set of horns. I lay on the ground and place my head next to where Rift stands so he can be closer to us.

"My love, I believe she's gone through the same change you did when the Curse was broken," Rift says quietly. "But that still doesn't answer the question of what you and she actually are."

"Yes," I say, finally letting this thought settle in. "What are we exactly, Rift?"