Changer's Blood (Balancer's Soul cycle) (90 page)

On one side of the wall
she
saw a small stack of firewood, several bottle
s of water, a pile of food and Sarah’s
eyes zeroed in on the apples. There were even some cooking pots, cups and bowls.
She
then grabbed
the three bags from where she
dropped them and sat them next to Connor’s hiking bag.

Moments later she
heard someone talking down the shaft. “Connor, don’t you dare eve
n think of dropping me!”
Came
Jillian
,
almost screaming in sheer terror.

Sarah
poked
her
head
to look
down the tunnel. Connor held
Jillian
with one hand and
Jack
in the other
, flying them both
.
Jack
was intently keeping his eyes closed.
Connor
said “I will
,
if you don’t quit struggling!” Connor then
gracefully
flew into the opening with
both of
his in-laws safely
. He sat
Sarah’s
parents on the ground gently and then disappeared as he flew back
up in
to the
sky
for some reason. Jack
finally opened his eyes as he felt ground below his feet
. As he sighed with relief so
too
did
Jillian
.

Sarah
yelled down the hall
with excitement
. “Come in here and see this!”
Her
parents turned to the sound of
their daughter’s excited
voice and cautiously walked down the tunnel
in silence
. Sarah
sat down in front of the warm fire and waited until they finally came in.

Jillian
entered first. Her reaction was priceless. She gasped and her hand came up to her quivering lips. She whispered “It’s…so…beautiful!” And as
Jack
came in his eyes s
oftened and a proud half smile graced
his lips.

As
her
paren
ts also touched the glassed dome
Sarah
noticed the tunnel become dark. She
poked
her
head down the tunnel and felt the ground trembling slowly
under her
feet
. Connor suddenly came into view saying “Sorry, but I had to seal the entrance because
the wind that comes through the tunnel gets very cold.”

Jillian
asked in alarm “But what if we suffocate?”

Sarah
said in a calming voice “Connor made three ventilation shafts and a hole to the surfa
ce for the smoke to exit.” She
pointed to all the holes
she located
and could see
her m
other visibly relax in the orange glow of the fire.

Connor walked over and sat beside
Sarah
.
Jillian and Jack
took the hint and sat before the fire
as well
, but on the opposite side.

He
turned his hazel eyes on Sarah as he laid a single hand on her
lap.
In his manly voice he ask
ed “Do you like your present?” She
tried forming the right w
ords, but none could describe such
feelings. Connor smiled at
her
inner struggle. “Is it that
good?” All she
could get out was a rapid succession of nods.

Jack
gained
their
attention by asking Connor a question. “How long has it taken you to build this?”

Connor smiled with obvious pride. “I’ve been planning this for several months.”

Jillian
asked quietly “That long? How did you make this sanctuary?”

“I first used Terra to dig out this place
and the shafts
. When I was satisfied with the structure I used Terra to hold the shape of the dome while I used Fire to melt the sand and rock
s
into glass
.” Connor instantly shifted his gaze to
Jack
. “I had to use my fire shield to absorb the flames so that I could continuously melt the dome.”
Jack
nodded and
Sarah
knew he was afraid of it becoming too hot to work in a cramped spot. “I also reinforced the dome and the tunnel so you needn’t worry about cave-ins.”

Connor spent the next ten minutes explaining every aspect of how he built this place specifically for
her
birthday.
Meanwhile
they
all took off
their thick outer
jackets
and boots
because it was getting a little toasty.

Connor looked at
Sarah and she knew what that look meant. She
nodded and he took a dee
p breath as he looked back at her
parents. “Now it’s time to tell you the other present for Sarah’s party.”

She
took a steadying breath as
her
heart began to race.
It’s time!

Jillian loo
ke
d
up from the fire to
Connor
. “What else do you have up your sleeve?” She raised a playful eyebrow
and asked
“How can you have a present for my daughter that could top this room
?”

Sarah nervously reached for
his still hand. He
interlaced her hand with
his
an
d
she took
their
entwined hand and sat them in her lap.
As she looked down shyly at their hands he
turned
his
eyes back to
his
in-laws.

Connor
looked directly into both golden and a
zure eyes and took
his
own steadying
breath. “I’ve read that in the past
,
that when it was someone’s birthday they would give gifts to those who came.
Today it’s the opposite.
”

Jillian said “That
was the norm until about five hundred years ago.” Her golden eyes widened. “Are you saying that you
’ve
got us a present?”

“I am.” He
said evenly.

Her eyes softened. “But what would I want
? I really don’t need anything.”

Connor
shook
his head and smiled. When he
looked back at
his mother-in-law he
gave her a one sided smile. “This gift can’t be returned.”

Jillian sighed. “Alright, what did you get for us?”

“Your gift will be her
e
in about si
xteen months!” He
said
,
still with a one sided smile.
Her brow came together because she thought she wou
ld get the present immediately.

Then her eyes widened in excitement when
she understood the context of
sixteen months. She shifted her eyes immediately from
his
to Sarah
’s
. Evenly she asked “Is it true?” Sarah nodded once while still looking down at
their
hands.
Connor
rubbed her hand with
a
thumb. Jillian slowly got to her feet, but she didn’t move forward.
Her tone gained some excitement.
“Are you lying to me?”
Sarah shook her head from side to side making her hair come over her shoulders.
Jillian’s
excitement
became
unmistakable now. “Am I really going to be a Grandm
other
!
?” Sarah nodded as she finally looked into Jillian’s
golden
eyes.

Sarah’s lips turned into a proud smile. “Yes, Mother
.
I’m
with child
!”

Silence
…

Jillian
grew
a full blown grin. Jillian jumped up a little as she yelled “Finally! I’m going to be a grandmother!” Jillian ran around the fire and scooped Sarah in her arms. The two girls giggled and tears streamed down both of their cheeks. When Jillian let go she dropped to her knees and lifted up Sarah’s shirt high enough to look at her flat belly. Jillian rubbed Sarah’s belly with her
free hand
gently as
she spoke softly to
her
unborn
grand
child. “Hi there
,
little one. This is your grandmother
,
Jillian.”

As
Jillian cooed to Sarah’s belly Connor
glanced over to Jack leaning back on his hands. His smile was that of knowing and pride.
His eyes looked as ageless as ever as
Connor
entered his mind.
“Jack,”
His
azure
eyes turned in his
direction.
“When did you know that she was pregnant?”

He
returned a one sided smile in Connor’s
direction.
“On the way home from
you visiting
my shop. You told me that she ate every apple in the house. You said she was also feeling a little off. At that moment I knew what
had
happened. Jillian was the same way for each of her pregnancies. The only thing she would ever eat was meat, especially venison.
I can
’
t even count the number of
herds
who died just to satiate her apatite.
”

Connor
smiled that he was taking this so well
and not trying to kill
him
.
Connor
turned back to see
J
illian
continuously
rubbing Sarah’s belly
delicately
. “
Would you like to see your grandchild?”

Her hand sto
pped rubbing as she turned in his
direction. Out of the corner of
his
eye Jack s
a
t up. She asked
in a tight voice
“You can see my grandchild? How?”

“Sonar.”
He
said
while
holding up a finger. Sarah looked from the top of her mother
’
s head and into
Connor’s
eyes with loving pride
and a gracious smile
. “That was the very first thing I did
,
when she told me
the news
.” He
stood up and walked over to Jillian and the still standing Sarah.
He
pointed to a spot just
below
his
mate’s bellybutton. “Focus on this area
right here
.”

Jillian immediately and
excitedly
did what he
said.
H
er eyes light up
,
but only for a second. “I have been practicing everyday, but I
doubt I’ll
ever be able to master it the way you two have.” Jillian admitted and went back to work. On her twenty ninth try
she said with glee “I’ve found her
!
I really am going to be a grandmother.” Jillian then leaned forward and kissed Sarah’s belly. She then turned her head to Jack. “
Get
over here to meet your new grandchild.”

“With pleasure
,
m
y Love.” He stood up and walked over.
Connor
now stood behind Sarah as her mother moved over to allow Jack
some
room. Sarah held her shirt up as he rested a gentle hand on her belly. He used his Sonar and soon found
the
new heir
to his legacy
. He stood up and hugged Sarah’s neck. “I’m so proud
for
you.”
Sarah’s
black
shirt came back down and covered her stomach again.
As
t
he
ancient warrior
leaned back
t
ears
were
streaming down
his cheek
s
.
His
azure
eyes and smile were a perfect match
for the happiness that all of them
were feeling
right now
.