Fledgling: Part 112

Merry Belated Christmas, Readers

Today, I am switching back to Kay for a bit before we return to Saita, and then Shareik. These are the three main characters at the moment, so I hope that you all enjoy it!

The hot and muggy spring, which stretched on far longer than Kay had liked, and even hotter summer, ended with a violent crash when she was woken by thunder. She sat bolt upright in bed to look out the window. A second later, a flash of lightning illuminated the surrounding forest, quickly followed by another crash of thunder. Then the sheet of water came down.

Storms were often fatal to those who lived on the street. If the rain didn’t cause disease to take root, the sudden flash floods in the sewers quickly ended the lives of those who dared to go there to try and remain dry.

Kay concentrated on reducing her heart rate as she watched the flashes and flinched at the crashes. These had been two nightmares in her youth, but now, she was resting in a room that was her own, in a bed that was clear of parasites, and she was warmed by the embers in a fireplace close by.

Knowing that her instincts wouldn’t let her go back to sleep, she got up and went to the window to look outside. The sky had been threatening rain for weeks now, and the heat had been unbearable. She was glad that it was finally raining.

Many of the villagers had mentioned in passing that the monsoons had come late this year. They had counted it as a blessing and attributed it to the new shaman and her assistant coming to the village. No crops would be damaged this year. All dried meat and hides would have been brought in safely.

The village had been a constant source of resources to both Kay and Silens. They never had to purchase anything. Between trading for Silens' concoctions and Kay bringing in more difficult to hunt prey occasionally, the villagers made sure they were never without.

Silens had fit right in with the villagers, but Kay didn’t. They knew she was different. She knew she was different. When Silens went to the village for any supplies not brought to them, Kay would remain behind. That was until Mitis started exerting more backbone than she had ever shown before.

She had dragged Kay, practically kicking and screaming, to the village to enjoy the early summer harvest festival. Kay had tried to beg Silens to save her, but she had joined in. The guardsman’s wife had even brought the baby that Silens and Kay had birthed out in the middle of the forest when the woman had tried to make her way to them by herself.

Kay remembered the tiny creature being placed in her arms as soon as she had emerged from her mother. Silens had instructed her to lay the child flat over one arm and rub its back to aid its cries. Covered in all manner of birthing fluid, Kay had worked fast, knowing that every second counted.

There hadn’t been cries from the infant, and the mother had burst into tears. Silens had tried to reach for the baby, but Kay wasn’t done. She had been around enough brothels and prostitutes on the street to know what she needed to do. Placing her hand on the baby’s back, she had sent some of her energy into its tiny lungs. She forced them to work, worked the heart, until life started sparking.

The child screamed. More from the agony of having a life force that wasn’t its being forced into its body than its birth. That scream had caused tears to roll down Silens’ cheeks and the mother to reach for her wailing infant.

Kay had thought she would feel nothing, but something had shifted. She didn’t know why she had done that. It hadn’t been her job. Silens may have managed, but somehow, Kay felt compelled to save the infant. She didn’t understand why. Her chest tightened, and she almost allowed withered emotions to get the better of her. She gave the child to the mother before running to the village to get the guardsmen and the father to inform them of the successful birth.

The woman had been too distraught to see what Kay had done, but Silens had. There had been no lecture that day, but a few days later, Silens had opened up about her only pregnancy and how it had ended. She showed off a scar that had nearly taken her life and the life of the only child she had ever carried.

Kay, overwhelmed by what was shared with her, showed her own scar that split her midriff in half, something she had hidden since she had gotten this body.

“I don’t have a womb either.” Admitted Kay as she touched the scar on her face. “Never noticed it was gone until I got this. Then again, not having a menstrual cycle was a relief.”

“I was under the impression you were a copy of Saita.”

Kay shook her head, “I’m shorter, the scars are different, and I’m missing a few teeth and…other body parts. The only thing that is the same is the machine within us.”

“But how?”

“When the stupid Heavenly pulled me from Saita, I think he built my physical body from my memories. Should have had more happy thoughts.”

Happy thoughts.

That thought was interrupted as another flash of lightning lit up the forest and the crash of thunder rolled amongst the trees.

Kay is changing ever so slightly, and I am enjoying playing around with her as a character.

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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