Chasm (7 page)
“You found it?”
“I did. Ooof.” She clutched her belly and waved at Ailan’s assistant while he checked on her.
“Almost there.”
“Are you going to be able to do this? I won’t be able to keep blocking for long.”
Eckhar and Ailan winced in unison.
“Carry Micral will be here in a moment and she will take over from there. I sent for her when you said you were on your way.”
Razi nodded and kept breathing in quick pants when the pain escalated and by the time the doctor arrived, both of her mates were hunched over and breathing with her.
Razi watched Carry stop and look at the scene with unbridled amusement. “I wish I had my vid recorder. This is precious.”
Ailan gave her a scowl, but he had to gasp again as Razi stopped blocking her pain from her mates. They put it in. They were going to feel it when it came out.
“I believe that it is on its way, Carry.” Razi blew her hair away from her eyes and tried to look composed.
“I really hope so. If not, you need to cut down on the fibre, Razi.” Chuckling at her own wit, Carry checked and whistled.
“Hold on for just a moment while I get you ready, Razi. Your baby is almost here.”
Razi ignored the maintenance that was going on below. She was concentrating on not pushing.
Don’t push, don’t push, don’t push.
The child was
theirs
. The design job that Nala had done on her was up to ancient standards. The genetic scans indicated that it was a blend of all three of their little grouping. This child and his or her descendants would breed pure Oefric.
Don’t push, don’t push, don’t push.
“Okay, Razi. When I tell you to push, I want you to push.”
Razi stowed the sarcasm and pushed. She concentrated on shifting her body from the waist down and she pushed again.
After all the pain, the baby slid into Carry’s hands without a fight. “Stop pushing. Just breathe now and put yourself back the way you were. The view is just disturbing.”
Laughing and crying at the same time, Razi waited for a sound. There was a sucking noise and then a gurgling wail and their little one was making a lot of fuss.
Carry lifted the infant and laid the baby on Razi’s chest. “Congratulations. My son has a date to his first school dance.”
A huge baby girl was on her chest. Wide amber eyes were staring up at her and Razi looked to Ailan and Eckhar who were at her side, staring down in amazement.
“She’s beautiful and huge. How much does she weigh?” Razi had been assured that she wasn’t carrying twins, but her size had made even her doubt that she wasn’t.
“Fourteen pounds. It’s a good thing you can shift. She would have ripped you apart.” Carry was delivering the afterbirth and when she had tidied up, she left the family to admire their new addition.
“A girl. I never thought it would be a girl.” Eckhar held out his finger and the bright-eyed baby gripped it tightly.
Ailan bit his lip and Razi smiled. “What do we name her?”
Ailan answered, “Barial Razi. She should wear your name.”
Razi smiled and leaned back on the cushions while Ailan helped Barial to her breast. This little girl was going to be loved and when she was grown, the local men who wanted to court her would have to be very, very brave.
For a woman whose life was investigating the past, Razi had a sudden interest in seeing the future. Looking at her family, she knew the future was going to be so brilliant, it would blind all who looked at it and in that moment, she decided to begin her own record of where she came from.
Hundreds of years down the road, this moment might give hope to a species or a person who thought that the past held all that the worlds had to offer.
The future was a bright and living thing and Barial was living proof.
Epilogue
“The exhibit is wonderful, Razi.”
“Thank you, Gwen. Thanks for coming to visit.”
“Thank you for the invitation. There, is that enough politeness?”
Laughing, Razi smiled down at her daughter. “It is.”
“How is the AI handling being part of an exhibit?”
“Nala is doing rather well. Her base programming is still intact, but she can’t go anywhere. The security here is rather tight and Eckhar has a truth seer go over everyone in the facility before they are hired.”
“She seems to enjoy holding court.”
“Surrounded by male and female Oefric, she has no reason to create more. The population records here calmed her down rather effectively.”
A crowd was swarming around the station where Nala’s housing was under guard. Folks asked the AI questions and she answered them all. She contained all of the records of the original Oefric and those who offered a genetic sample could find out the name and origin of their ultimate ancestor.
It had brought the entire city in in the last week and they had had to schedule appointments after that.
“Barial is lovely and so big.” Gwen’s admiration was evident.
“Do me a favour?”
“Sure.”
“Mention that to Ailan and Eckhar. They want me to have another baby right away. They are addicted to the idea of spawning a dynasty.” Laughing, she rocked Barial and stroked her downy cheek.
“Why should I mention it?”
“Because they were there when she was born and I couldn’t block the pain. Just a little reminder of her size will make them a little less eager for an immediate rerun.”
Gwen laughed. “Will do. Don’t you want more?”
“Of course, but I want a year between them. She deserves my undivided attention for a while.” Razi made a face at her daughter, loving the way her nose crinkled when she smiled.
They talked and enjoyed the Oefric who lined up for genetic identification.
When Razi spotted Etien in line, she started laughing and Gwen groaned. “I can’t believe he is doing that.”
“Don’t be surprised. As much as they hate what she did, Ailan and Eckhar were the first testers with Nala. Learning where you came from is important.”
Gwen put her arm around Razi and grinned, “And knowing your future when you see it is essential.”
Watching Ailan and Eckhar walk Etien through the process made Razi smile. She hadn’t recognized her future when it first appeared, but now, she couldn’t see anything else.
Author’s Note
Hello, back to the Oefric…again. I just love multi-shifters. Razi and her men were a little bit of fun. They were normal men with normal jobs and when push came to shove, they ran to the rescue.
Gwen and Etien were first seen in
Enforce
and they haven’t had a moment’s rest since.
Thank you for joining my Terrans,
Viola Grace
http://www.devinedestinies.com
About the Author
Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.
Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.
