The Witch of the Western Gate: Dragon's Gift (21 page)

"If you and Ivy could go sit with Raveen, then Grandma Lily could take a break and I could run to the store for a few things. I bought baby onesies and jammies already but forgot the most important thing -- diapers."

"Why not just take her to the hospital?" asked Ivy. Everyone stared at her.

"Paranormals avoid mundane doctors and hospitals, if at all possible. Wolven women giving birth never use them, because…."

"Because why?" demanded Ivy. Aunt Violet looked at Brando. He shrugged.

"Oh look at the time! I must go. Bye!" Brando bolted out the door and nearly ran to the Sybil carriage parked outside."

"One good way to get rid of men," said Aunt Violet. "Start talking about childbirth."

"Don't change the subject, Aunt Violet. Why don't wolven women ever give birth in a hospital?"

Aunt Violet sighed. "Just as well you know, since you'll be helping with Raveen. It would probably be a bigger shock if you saw…"

"Saw what?"

Aunt Violet cleared her throat. "Wolven babies change form in the womb. A lot. We think it's due to the adult wolven hormones of the mother affecting them. So when they're born they can be in either human baby form or wolven pup form."

"Oh My God!! You can't be serious?" shrieked Ivy. "Just when I was getting used to the idea of being a werewolf!"

"Don't say 'werewolf' Ivy. Wolven hate that name. It's very derogatory. They say 'wolven' instead."

"This is just great. Is there anything else I should know? Tell me the worse."

"That's all," said Aunt Violet. "Enough explanations for now. Time to go."

Chapter 21

Walking across town to the Grey Owl Shoppe, Ivy began to ask Blue questions about their paranormal family and friends.

"I've been told that I'm the only wolven in the family, aside from Grandpa Lou, and that you, Grandma Lily and Aunt Violet are all red haired witches. What's that all about?"

"Well, we are escarpment witches and escarpment witches always have red hair. We get our power mostly from the ground, from the hard escarpment rock made of dolomite that cuts across New York and Ontarior and makes Niagara Falls. "

"Do all of you do the same things?"

"There's a lot of overlap, but witches all have areas of expertise; for Aunt Violet it's healing, for Grandma Lily scrying and illusion, and for me --spellcasting of the destructive type."

"That sounds cool," replied Ivy. "Better than being fuzzy."

"My talent is embarrassing. Witches are supposed to be wise women of peace, and I'm geared the opposite way. My talent for destructive spells comes from the McChesney side. Sorcery."

"What exactly does Grandma Lily do?," asked Ivy.

"Grandma Lily's speciality is scrying and illusion. She can find out the truth and set things straight faster than any witch. She can also do the opposite and create illusions, veils of invisibility, and shields."

"There are a lot of spooky stories about her. I've heard loads of them from the kids at a school. People in this town think our family is whacked."

"Yes. The mundanes know we're different, but most are too modern to believe the rumours fortunately. Grandma Lily helps the mundanes sometimes and that's how the troublesome rumours start. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to help mundanes. She says, 'If it's a matter of blood and bone, and the injured party is an innocent, then it's the duty of an Escarpment witch to use magic to help.'"

"That sounds nice. Then why are there so many creepy stories about her?"

Blue sighed, "It's messy to involve oneself in other people's personal affairs, especially when the other people are mundanes and you're a paranormal. If a son goes missing in war, or a woman keeps miscarrying, or a child is lost, or a spouse is abusive; then Grandma Lily will do a ritual to right things, if she is asked. Sometimes the righting causes upheavals like a body found, triplets born, child molester caught, abusive spouse disappears. Things like that add to Grandma Lily's reputation."

"I've heard stories about you too," said Ivy.

Blue sighed. "Yes, when I was much younger I had a few indescretions. I've been in school with the same kids since kindergarten, so they haven't forgotten. I learned that even healing a mundane's skinned knee causes trouble. One day a boy teased me and I accidentally made his lunch burst into flames. After that, I became very careful and also tried to avoid the mundanes as much as possible."

"What's the deal with Stella?" asked Ivy. "She must be paranormal too, since she's your best friend, but no one mentions her."

"Oh look, we're almost there!" said Blue.

Ivy's eyes narrowed. She knew she was onto something good. "I can tell Stella is not a werewolf, or a vampire. She doesn't have red hair so she's not an escarpment witch. So she must be another kind of witch, or something else."

"We don't talk about Stella," replied Blue. "That's just the way it is and you need to accept that."

"So no one trusts me!" said Ivy. "I'm tired of always being the one left out and the last one to know!"

"It's not meant as an insult, it's just really, really serious and you're new to this. I'm sure someday you'll find out and then you'll understand why we're so careful about Stella."

"She doesn't seem very powerful," observed Ivy.

Blue looked very serious. "Right now she's not, so we're very protective of Stella and her secret. But someday Stella will be the most powerful of us all."

"Here we are!" Blue was relieved to change the subject. Even Ivy knew that she couldn't ask about Stella in front of Raveen.

"How are you Raveen?"

Raveen growled in reply. Although in human form, the shadow of the wolf lay heavily upon her.

"This is my cousin Ivy. I don't think you've met her yet."

"Sit next to me, white wolf," ordered Raveen.

Ivy sat next to Raveen. "I'm new at this. I just made my first change last night, and I know nothing about delivering babies."

"Stay," ordered Raveen, when Ivy started to get up.

"It's easier on her if she has someone of her own kind to help," explained Grandma Lily. "I'm going to lie down and rest for a while. Violet and I have been tending to her since yesterday morning, so we're worn out. Just give her ice chips to chew on and make sure she takes at least a sip of lemon water every ten minutes. Help her walk when she wants to walk. Oh, and take this." Grandma Lily handed Ivy a stopwatch. "Call me when her contractions are three minutes apart." Aunt Violet returned shortly with the diapers and also went to lie down.

"It's up to us," said Blue, looking at Ivy.

Ivy sighed. "This just goes to show that when you think you have a big problem there is always someone with a bigger one." Raveen growled in agreement.

Chapter 22

"Raveen's contractions are now three minutes apart," announced Ivy. "Time to wake up Grandma Lily and Aunt Violet."

"I can't believe we've been at this for five hours!" said Blue.

Raveen growled loudly, the shadow of the wolf within her, showing clearly now with each painful contraction.

"Sorry," Blue said. "I shouldn't complain, since you've been in labor for over thirty hours by now."

Aunt Violet finished examining Raveen. "One is breech, but the other is down low in the birth canal pushing on her cervix."

"Are you sure she's having twins?" asked Ivy.

"Yes, multiple births are very common among the wolven, particularly twins," replied Aunt Violet. I've delivered several sets of wolven twins."

"Sounds like it's going to be a difficult delivery," said Blue.

"It could be easier," replied Grandma Violet. "Better text Stella and have her come over here, just in case…"

"Just in case what?" asked Blue, wondering what on earth Stella could do to help deliver babies.

"I feel something," interrupted Ivy, standing up and looking cautiously out the window. "I think it's another wolven, a strange one. Not one I've felt before." There came a loud knock at the door. Ivy and Grandma Lily went to answer it. On the porch stood a thin agitated young man with longish hair.

"I didn't know she was pregnant," he said.

"Come inside," replied Grandma Lily. "You must be Ramone. No point airing your business all over the town for anyone to hear."

"I didn't know," he explained. "I went to get work and told her I'd be back. I needed to make some money before I proposed. Then when I return I find out that now only did she run off, but she was heavy with child when she left."

"Well, you arrived just in time. Raveen is about to deliver your twins. The young man slumped to the floor in shock. "Twins?"

"Yes, twins."

"Follow me Ramone. You and Raveen will have plenty of time to work out your issues later. Right now there are babies ready to be born."

Stella rounded the corner.

"Stella!" Blue waved and held the door, waiting for her friend.

"You arrived just in time, Raveen is about to have the babies."

Ramone followed Grandma Lily to the back apartment where Raveen was squatting with her back against the wall, Blue and Aunt Violet helping to hold her up.

"Ramone I'm going to kill you," groaned Raveen.

"Later darling, Ramone replied, taking Blue's side and putting Raveen's arm over his shoulder as he kissed her forehead. A few minutes later the first baby was born."

"A girl," announced Grandma Lily, quickly wiping down the squalling infant with a soft cotton towel, then diapering her and wrapping her tightly in a blanket and handing her to Blue. "Fine looking dark-haired girl, in human form."

"They liked to be wrapped up tight the first week," she explained. "It calms them."

Raveen was on the bed now, with Aunt Violet gently palpitating her belly. She howled in pain, holding tight onto Ramone when Aunt Violet checked her cervix. Removing a rubber glove Aunt Violet reported, "The second baby is breech and in wolf form."

"Can you turn it?," asked Grandma Lily.

"Too late for that, a back leg and the tail are already halfway down the birth canal."

After several arduous minutes the second baby was born, backwards and face up, a furry wet wolf cub. Not breathing. Aunt Violet scooped up the cub and swept out of the bedroom into the kitchen, where she worked on the infant on the kitchen table. Grandma Lily stayed behind with the frantic parents. "Stay calm. Violet is doing everything that can be done." Blue and Stella watched Aunt Violet working over the cub using a tiny mask and oxygen tank to fill its lungs. But in a few minutes it was clear that he was beyond her help and was not going to respond.

"He's gone," said Aunt Violet. "I'm so sorry. Everything went wrong. He was breech and just didn't get out in time. I'm so sorry."

Raveen wept, holding tight onto Ramone. "I know you did everything. It just wasn't meant to be…."

"Stella," said Grandma Lily. "Take off your ring. See if you can reach him.

Stella took off her black onyx ring, the one given to her by her necromancer grandmother to keep spirits from bothering her. Her eyes grew large and bright.

"He's here!" With her mind Stella reached out toward the glowing life force of the infant cub. She could see him now and telepathically could speak to him.

"Come back!" she called out. "This is your family. Your parents crying for you. Your twin sister missing you already." The glowing light moved toward Stella. Only she could see it. To the others, she just looked crazy -- eyes glowing and talking to herself.

"I can't get back in. I tried and I can't get back in!"

"I can help you," replied Stella. "Take my hand." Stella held out her hands and picked up the glowing ball of energy. "You're so small I can almost hold you in one palm." Stella walked to the kitchen table where the dead wolf cub lay and lowered the ball of energy into the prostate form. A paw twitched. Then the cub coughed. Aunt Violet ran over to the table and took his pulse.

"He's here," she cried out. The cub opened its eyes and looked at Stella, then transformed slowly into a human infant.

"Stellan," said Raveen. "We will name him Stellan, after you Stella, because you saved our little star boy."

Chapter 23

"I know now why they won't talk about you, Stella," Ivy said solemnly, as the three girls sat at a table eating cookies and chai tea.

"You have power over the dead."

"Yes," admitted Stella meekly. "I can summon spirits of the dead. I can talk to them. They are compelled to follow my directives." She paused. "I can also summon bodies of the dead, which is more than a little gross and creepy, but that's how it is. I'm a necromancer. It's hereditary. My grandmother was a necromancer also. Every generation or two, there's a necromancer born into my family."

"The ring you wear, what does that do?"

"It's a shield ring that Grandma Violet made for my grandmother decades ago, so that she could rest and not be bothered by spirits. It also shields us from their sight."

"Necromancers are extremely rare," explained Blue. "There are many evil people, both paranormal and human, who would kidnap a necromancer in order to harness their power. It's also an exhausting calling."

"Many necromancers go mad," said Stella. "Since my grandmother passed, Grandma Violet has been trying to find a trainer for me. I hope she finds one soon. It will help a lot."

"Can't your family help you," asked Ivy.

"No," replied Stella,shaking her head. "They have minor abilities, but none of them are necromancers. I think they would prefer it if I was, well, just normal. They're always after me to keep the ring on. I think they'd like to stunt my abilities if they could, or just make them go away."

"Sounds like my family!," said Ivy.

"Grandma Lily did find another necromancer recently, and she says he is moving here soon to train me. So things will get better."

Blue interrupted, "This has been an awesome afternoon, but we need to focus now on uh, my urgent project."

"Which is?" asked Ivy.