| A Precious Jewel |
| Evil Wizard Keenan Series - Nine |
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| Elayne had been feeling out of sorts for a couple days now. At first, she thought that it was merely some she�d eaten. However, if that were the case, she would feel better by now. She was beginning to wonder if something was seriously wrong with her.
She glanced over at her consort, who was humming happily as he graded papers from his students. Keenan had never been unsympathetic before, but he seemed oblivious to her condition. �Why are you so happy?� she grumbled. He glanced up at her with a bright smile; then frowned slightly. �I�m sorry, dear,� he said quietly. �Would you like me to get you some crackers? I�ve heard eating them might help.� �What on earth are you talking about?� the wizardess snapped irritably. Keenan grinned mischievously. �You�re feeling nauseous, right?� he replied, eyes twinkling. Elayne glared. �I have been for nearly a week, Keenan,� she said, fighting to remain calm. �You never struck me as the sort to enjoy the suffering of others.� Meadows sighed deeply and set his papers aside. He glided across the room and knelt in front of her on the floor. �I�m sorry, Elayne,� he said again, kissing her hands. �I know your body is changing a lot right now, but I can�t help but be happy about this.� �Changing?� Elayne repeated, scowling darkly. Keenan giggled and shook his head. �You missed this month and last?� he prompted. �I�ve been stressed,� she countered. �That can happen when you�re under a great deal of stress, Keenan.� �It can also happen when you�re pregnant, Elayne,� Keenan whispered. He touched her abdomen and smiled wistfully. �Our baby is growing inside you. A tiny life that we made together.� �No,� Elayne countered, shaking her head. �I can�t be pregnant.� �Why not?� Keenan asked, sitting back slightly. �I don�t have time for that,� Elayne snapped. Keenan shrugged. �Nothing to be done about it now,� he said firmly. �You�re pregnant and she�s only going to keep growing until it�s time for her to be born.� �Her?� Elayne repeated, touching her abdomen lightly. �How could you know it�s a girl already?� Keenan smiled fondly and bounced up to kiss Elayne on the lips. A moment later, he stepped back and answered, �I knew when you first became pregnant, Elayne. I sensed her presence from the moment of conception.� �Because you�re Loyalian?� Elayne asked. Keenan hesitated for a moment before answering. �My heritage means I can sense my children, wherever they are. Even if they haven�t been born yet,� he answered in a quiet voice. Elayne sighed deeply and shook her head. �We won�t tell anyone yet,� she said quietly. �I�ll go and see Jason, since he�s the only healer here.� �That�s a good idea,� Keenan agreed, nodding sagely. He kissed Elayne lightly once again and then turned around to head back over to his desk. Elayne watched him for a few moments longer before she stood and glided out the room to see the healer she employed. ** Later that month, Elayne talked to Jason about the different options open to her with regards to her pregnancy. At his suggestion, she brought Keenan along. �You�ll be showing soon,� the healer said. �Right now, I can tell you that the baby is strong and healthy. I can tell you the sex as well, if you�d like.� �Keenan already said it was girl,� Elayne stated softly. Jason blinked in surprise at the wizard and then smirked. �Right,� he said. �It is a girl, you�re quite correct.� Keenan smiled and nodded. The healer turned back to Elayne and frowned. �Well,� he said. �You have two options at this point. You can carry the child for the full term, or you can have a nurse tree carry it for the last six months.� �No,� Keenan said sharply, startling both of them with the intensity of his response. He blushed and turned to Elayne. �It�s� just that I want to be close to the baby and if a nurse tree carries it�� �You can�t do that,� Elayne finished. She cupped his cheek in her hand and kissed him lightly. �Of course, sweeting,� she said. Turning to Jason, she said, �If I�m going to carry the baby, that means the other members of the Council will have to know.� Jason nodded. �I�d tell them soon, rather than waiting and risking their discovering it on their own,� he advised. Elayne nodded and turned to Keenan. �Call the members to a meeting, sweeting,� she ordered gently. �Yes, dear,� Keenan replied dutifully. After her consort had bounded out of the room, Elayne sighed and glanced over at Jason. "Some people won't be pleased with this development," she said. "Berklians have a rather archaic view with regards to pregnant women and there are many Berklians among the council members at large." Jason nodded in agreement. "Having a nurse tree carry the child would stop most of the protests they might lodge," he stated softly. "But you aren't going to do that to Keenan." "No," Elayne said, shaking her head. "He's so pleased and excited. I can't take that away from him." Smirking, Elayne slowly moved to her feet and followed after the wizard. She paused at the doorway, to say, "Thank you, Jason." "Yes, Mistress Elayne," Jason said, bowing politely. As soon as he was alone in the clinic, Jason whirled around and opened a hidden drawer in his desk. Phillip might be interested to know that Elayne was carrying Keenan's child. ** Keenan yawned tiredly as he made his way down to the rooms he shared with Elayne. He'd been working on potions most of the day and knew that Elayne had finally returned from her duties. That meant he'd have a chance for a little quality time with her before he went to bed. He never even saw the attack before he was shoved violently into the wall. A sharp pain spread through his chest as his assailant pushed magic energy into him. Keenan screamed in pain and then pushed at the others hands with all his might, at the same time forcing the energy back the way it had come. The would-be assailant collapsed against the opposite wall, clutching his hands miserably. "Rusty!" Keenan called, already running toward his quarters. The conjuror peered into the hallway and scowled. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Get Jason, send him to our room," Keenan replied, pausing for a moment. "Get someone to take him and throw him in the dungeon," he added, pointing at the stricken mage sitting in the hallway. Without waiting for a response, Keenan turned and continued down the hall once more. "Elayne!" he screamed, entering the sitting room. He glanced around for a moment before he saw his lady, sprawled on the floor in one corner. "Oh, God!" he gasped. He rushed to her side and knelt down to touch her cheek. Finding a pulse he breathed a sigh of relief. Elayne, at least, was alive and would likely recover. However, Keenan could still feel the distress from his unborn child. He gently set a hand against Elayne's swollen abdomen and closed his eyes. "What's wrong, little one?" he mumbled, not really sure he'd get a response. Suddenly, he knew, as though someone had shown him a picture of the inside of Elayne's womb why the child was in distress. He glanced around quickly, searching for the healer. Not seeing the younger man, he turned back to his unconscious wife and set both hands on her abdomen. The magic used had been targeted at the child instead of the mother, effectively tangling the umbilical cord and cutting off the supply of nutrients and oxygen from her. Keenan sighed deeply and closed his eyes, willing things to return to normal. He wasn't even sure he was doing the right thing, until he felt the child move under his hands. "Amythist?" he whispered. The only feelings he was getting now were those of contentment. "Keenan?" a voice said behind him. The wizard turned to find Jason standing in the doorway. "They're fine," he whispered uncertainly. "The mage who attacked them got away, but they're fine." The healer frowned thoughtfully and stepped across the room to kneel beside Keenan. He set his hands above Elayne and moved them slowly down her body. After a moment, he opened his eyes and nodded. "You're right," he said. Turning to Keenan, he whispered, "You Healed her, Keenan." "I'm not a healer," Keenan argued, shaking his head. Jason laughed softly. The argument was so very much like the one Meadows had described as happening when he told Elayne she was pregnant that he couldn't help it. "You most certainly are," he countered. "Although completely untrained." Rusty, still standing in the doorway, cleared his throat. "Who's Amythist?" he asked. Keenan smiled; then giggled softly as Elayne's eyes opened. "Amythist is the baby," he whispered. "A precious gift should be named for a precious jewel." "It's a wonderful name, Keenan," Elayne whispered, sitting up slowly. She caught Rusty's eye and silently asked a question. "He got away," Keenan whispered. "I thought you and the baby were more important than catching him." A dangerous glint came to Keenan's eye and he added, "Besides, there's no way he'll escape for very long." Elayne nodded. "He'll be punished for attempting to harm our child," she agreed. "Just as his accomplice will be punished for attempting to harm you." She stood carefully and allowed Jason to lead her towards the bedroom. "I'll leave that to you," she called back. Keenan nodded and turned to Rusty. "Let's find out who this guy was, shall we?" he asked. Rusty nodded slowly; then followed Keenan out of the room. Somehow he got the distinct impression Keenan cared less about punishing the mage for attacking him and more about the fact that Elayne had been assaulted. Smirking, the conjuror remembered an old adage that his father had told him. "Never get between a mother bear and her cub and never get between a Loyalian and anyone they care about; do either and you are just asking for trouble." "What if he won't tell us who he was working with?" Rusty asked. Keenan smirked and confidently replied, "He'll tell us." Glaring darkly, he murmured, "If he likes being an adult male, he'd better." "You'd turn him into a child, like you did Kingsley?" Rusty queried. Keenan shook his head and then eyed the conjuror mischievously. "I'd turn him into a little girl," he whispered, bouncing his eyebrows in anticipation. Rusty's eyes widened. He seriously doubted too many of the other members of the evil mages were going to try their luck against Keenan too soon after this incident. Keenan, when his family was threatened, was far scarier than anyone Rusty had ever known. End� |
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