Pure

Maigred cradled her tiny newborn son in her arms. His golden eyes stared up into hers without blinking, as if he knew this was his last chance to commit her face to memory.

Maigred kissed his tiny forehead. “I love you. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you longer.” She wanted to name him, but a name was a tie and she was not going to give him any ties that could bring him back into danger. He would go free so that he and his sister would both live. She had even carefully wrapped the placenta in a cloth and given it as an offering to the wolf mother who had answered her call. Anything that had his blood on it could not be buried in the land.

Maigred looked up at the she-wolf who was laying in front of her. The wolf mother looked back, her brown eyes calm and warm. “Be good to him, take care of him.” Maigred pleaded.

The wolf blinked, and Maigred wasn’t sure if it was her imagination when the she-wolf gave her a quick nod.

Maigred set her son on the ground between them. He unsteadily pushed himself to his feet and toddled a step before tumbling to the ground, the beautiful blue scales that covered his back and shoulders flashing in the first rays of the sunrise. Maigred swallowed.

She knew that tarasque babies were more advanced than their human counterparts at birth, but she hadn’t dreamed that they were this far ahead.

Maigred’s son crawled to the wolf mother’s teats and began suckling, his little eyes scrunching closed in containment, his body curling in itself.

The wolf mother lay still, allowing him to drink. Then her head shifted, her ears erect, listening to something that Maigred couldn’t hear. She stood up, pulling away from the baby’s hungry mouth. He let out a little mewling cry and the she-wolf leaned down and nuzzled him.

He giggled, his hands grasping her muzzle.

The she-wolf looked up at Maigred again for a moment, before she bent down and picked the baby up by the nape of his neck and carried him away, northwards.

Maigred let out a shuddering breath. Hopefully she would never see her son again, but she wished that she could. She wished that she had cradled him close for one more moment. That she had allowed him to nurse from her breasts once, before she had let him go. Tears misted her vision.

A tiny cry interrupted her thoughts.

Maigred quickly wiped her eyes and unslung her daughter from her back. “Sinead, my love, what’s wrong?” she cooed, cuddling her close.

Sinead’s face turned towards Maigred’s chest, her little mouth opening and shutting, searching. Maigred felt warmth flood into her breasts, then she could feel milk leaking into her chemise. She quickly untied her blouse, let her breast out and pushed her nipple into her daughters tiny searching mouth.

Sinead quickly latched on and began suckling contentedly.

Maigred’s other breast continued to leak, soaking her front. Maigred sat staring at her daughter’s tiny, perfect, face and wept, mourning the loss of her son.

She could hear something approaching from the south. Something thundering along the ground, trumpeting out a terrible scream. Maigred could feel panic fluttering in her chest, the urge to get up and flee, but her legs refused to move. She remained rooted to the spot, still nursing, cooing at Sinead as if they were already safe at home.

Hadeaon in his wyrm form thundered up behind Maigred, his long figure curving around her till she was surrounded by his shining, white, scaled body. Caevah was riding on his back. A knife was protruding from her chest, blood streamed down her robes. Her eye sockets were dark and empty.

Hadeaon’s monstrous head came to rest on the ground right in front of Maigred, his mouth partially open, hot breath gusting out into her face. She could see blue fire flickering at the back of his throat.

Caevah dismounted and came to stand next to Hadeaon, her hand resting on him.

“It’s time, Maigred. You must feed your daughter to the wyrm so that your people can be free.”

“No.” Maigred cradled her daughter to her chest protectively. “I’ll never give her to you!”

“You’re being selfish. Every child in your town will be eaten by him if you don’t sacrifice your daughter.”

“I don’t care. I will never give her to him!” Maigred said firmly.

Hadeaon spoke up, his voice a raspy growl. “She’s my daughter, she belongs to me. I love her.” He raised his head from the ground and loomed over Maigred. “If you won’t give her to me, I’ll swallow both of you up together.”

“You can’t have her!” Maigred cried.

Her legs were finally free from whatever was holding them back, she turned and ran, clutching her daughter to her chest. She could hear Hadeaon chasing her. There was no way she could outrun him.

Suddenly Finten was running beside her, his stride long and sure. He laid a hand on Maigred’s shoulder. “Take my wings.” He said.

Aching pain sprouted from Maigred’s back, resistance pulled her back, but when her shoulders twitched, she rose into the air. Powerful wings tugged at new muscles, beating at the air, pulling her quickly up and away from the earth, but she could feel her connection to it strengthening rather than weakening.

She could sense Hadeaon rising up behind her, his mouth open, ready to swallow her and her daughter whole.

Maigred woke up with a gasp, her heart pounding. She tore the covers back, got out of bed and went down the hall, cracking Sinead’s door open and peered inside. She was sleeping peacefully.