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The nation Chapter 54
Kaya sat on her parents’ bed, on the side where her mother lay. The sound of the winter winds blowing and the distant crackle of the hearth fire, were the only sounds as her conscious mind processed what her sub-conscious mind already understood. Her mother was gone. A panic gripped her after the realization. She jumped up, pushing on her mother’s side, shaking her, and screaming. She was in shock. She shook her mother intensely praying that she would wake up. Kathryn did not wake up, Kaya screamed again. No one heard her wails; they were instead carried away with the wind.When her mother didn’t wake up, Kaya raced around to the side of the bed that her father lay on. She touched his hand after she uncovered it, she was too afraid to pull the blanket back too far, his hand was frozen too. Her eye’s burned, her throat went dry as a pit formed in her gut. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest; tears fell freely.“Dad?” She called out.She continued to shake her father’s body, she lost
The nation Chapter 55
Callum was sitting on a hay bale in the stables where his father kept their horses. Marx was brushing a mare as Callum watched. Callum was not the best horsemen, sure he could ride, but it often was at his own peril. His father told him that the animals were smart and intuitive, they could pick up on the emotions of their rider. Callum wasn’t afraid of the horses, per say, but they did unnerve him most of the time. Callum rarely rode because of this and that was why Marx was brushing the horse now. Both Callum, and the horses of Ondu, had an unspoken agreement; they only shared company if they had too.Marx was brushing the flank of Callum’s father’s horse. Everyone in Ondu knew that Callum and the horses had a tenuous relationship at best. She was only there to be with Callum, the horses were only slightly annoyed. She also knew that standing out in the cold talking to Kaya through the wall of her room was something she wouldn’t do. Marx and the cold had a hate, hate, relationship. S
The nation Chapter 56
When Briaunna awoke she was still tired. Her eyes felt like they were filled with sand, the gritty feeling kept her from blinking. Her mouth was dry from sleep, her nose was stuffed up and it was impossible to breathe through it. The chill from winter hung low, lingering close to the ground. She was warm under the blanket but knew that she had to get up. Reluctantly, she flung the covers off her and was immediately attacked by the cold, the bitter air made her skin feel raw as her body heat was quickly wicked away. When she put her feet down, it was so cold that she pulled them right back up. Then she sighed and put them back on the ground.Briaunna was responsible, she was diligent and intelligent, most people underestimated her. She quietly took in everything she could, her studious eyes watched the world around her with interest. Interest that always led to understanding, she wanted to know everything she could, she looked to understand why things were the way they were. She also h
The nation Chapter 57
“You’re almost there Indra, one last big push!”“C’mon mom, one last push.” Echoed Briaunna.“I can’t. I have nothing left.” Indra said in a weak voice.“Yes, you can!”“I can’t, I, can’t.” She gasped.“Brie, keep holding her while I get some water.” Talia rose and fetched some water for Indra to drink. “Drink this honey. Slowly, take some small sips.”Indra did as she was told, she couldn’t argue anyways, she didn’t have the energy for it.“I’m here mom, here, lean on me.” Briaunna cradled her mother’s weight, she held her tightly. “You can do this.”“No, I can’t, not anymore.” She was breathing heavily into her daughter’s chest.“Yes, you can, and you will.” Talia said with finality.The last contraction struck. It was as strong as all the earlier ones, but with Indra’s exhaustion she was almost limp when it started. It was the last contraction; her limp body offered no Resistance to the contraction. Her body did what it did naturally, her tiredness kept her from bracing herself for
The nation Chapter 58
Indra remained sheltered in her room, she rarely revealed herself to anyone, even her family seldom saw her. She refused to feed her son, the first night Talia had stayed to breastfeed the newborn, Harden had to have two other mothers help with the feeding of his son. Indra wouldn’t care for the baby in any capacity, she flat out refused. She stayed in her room, and in her own head, she beat herself up with the thoughts of her horrible actions and how they changed everything in her life. She felt so depressed, so worthless, she cried frequently. Harden had given up trying to convince her of his love for her and the baby, he said he would raise the child as his own, but that just made Indra want to vomit.This winter also marked the first murders in the history of The People. Rognvald Aa Scandiniv had become so convinced that his son Erek’s affair with Indrasena would ruin his chances of becoming chief, along with his reputation, so he acted. Erek had told his father that Tombold Flist
The nation Chapter 59
“Let’s keep the insults to a minimum, please and thank you.” Leland had the tone of a parent in his voice, “we need to discuss what is actually happening here, in Ondu, and not fantasize about unfamiliar places to live. We have people here who are hungry and without some basic necessities because of the flooding, how do you propose we handle that, Rognvald?” He let a little disdain carry the last few words across the hearth.“Yes, let’s get back on topic here. We have food shortages, damage to homes, livestock and horses missing or injured. The pens and stalls have also been looted by the rushing waters; how do we recover from that?” Sokonan walked over and sat in her usual spot.The rest of the council members all strolled back to the hearth when they saw Harden walk in. He was late but everyone knew that Indra was pregnant and having a tough time since her delivery. Harden had been doing all he could to care for the infant, it showed on his face like the sun on a clear summer’s day.
The nation Chapter 60
“Wondered about what?”Pause.“Briaunna, did you go to sleep or something?” “No,” she said, her hands fidgeted. “You know how people talk about things that they really don’t know about?”“Yeah, like gossip.”“Right!”“What does that have to do with your mind?”“My mind, what?” She was confused.“When I sat down you said that your mind was wondering something, I asked you what it was because you stopped in mid-sentence.”“Oh yeah, I remember now, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”“Is it hurtful?”“Maybe.”“Is it true?” Erek asked.“Yes, all of the evidence points to it being true.”“Then how can it be something you are unsure to say aloud?”“Erek, what happened to you?”Now, Erek paused, his thoughts screeched to a halt. He really didn’t know, he knew he was different now, somehow better than he was. Everyone had remarked about how thoughtful he was now, and how well he understood things. Had he not understood things before? Erek remembered having trouble understanding things befo
The nation Chapter 61
Her husband had done and said things to her that made her sick. Harden promised to raise the boy as his own child, he said that he forgave her and that he didn’t care who she had been with. He never told her that the reason he hadn’t made love to her wasn’t because he didn’t love her anymore, it was because he carried so much stress that he could not perform in bed. Harden wanted to explain everything to her, but they weren’t able to have a civil conversation. These days they just avoided each other.When night came, Indra had gotten up from her bed. She moved like she was sleep walking, but she was fully awake. The ache in her gut had grown to an overwhelming pain that was unbearable, so unbearable that only one thought persisted in her mind. She walked around the room looking for a little pouch that her father had given her when she was thirteen winters old. The pouch had something in it that she needed, she had no idea where it was, so she searched the room.Harden and Briaunna did