The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 11

Part 3

The next few months were a series of long, comfortable days, filled with pleasant work done at a comfortable pace. But when they looked back on this period of their lives, it seemed that the time had gone by so quickly that it was most surprising.

Mark and Talia spent their time fishing, gathering, hunting, making warm clothes for the coming winter, and maintaining their household, gardens, and livestock. They spent time with Hilsith and Yzell, who gave Talia periodic examinations, and under whom they studied their role as parents, as well as doing what they could toward helping to solve what became known as ‘the fertility problem’. There were eleven mixed human and elven couples in the settlement, many of whom had been together for some years, and of them, only Mark and Talia had been able to achieve a pregnancy. The elven Healer and Midwife spent the majority of their time working on this problem.

Within two months, Yzell was able to determine the gender of Talia’s unborn twins with certainty. The smaller twin was female, and seemed to be developing at the normal elven pace. The larger was male, and seemed to be developing as quickly as human fetuses generally did. This caused Talia some concern as she feared a difficult birthing, but Hilsith and Yzell assured her that all would be well.

The three households who were their closest neighbors were also their most frequent visitors; those being Dalia, Bezedil, and Alilia; Yazadril, Nemia, and Hilsith; and Mark’s cousin Dren and his wife Mandri, whose wedding they had attended in Belinhome Finitra some four weeks before the plan for Hiliani was decided. Mark had grown close to many of his extended family, but More so with Dren and Mandri since they were almost the same age as Mark and Talia, and shared most of the same interests.

They shared in the community activities of military training, magical research, and building hidden emplacements on the tops of many of the mountains on the islands. The natural caves in the islands were prepared as bunkers to be used as shelters in case of attack. They were stocked with supplies, and their entrances were fortified and hidden. The majority of their training was combat exercises against simulated demons, that were cast and directed by Quewanak and Ria; the spirit of Talia’s sword, who was a copy of the personality of Visinniria in her youth, recorded long before she became a goddess.

Quewanak and Ria became the most unlikely of close friends. Quewanak, no longer the eldest mortal since he was now secretly the new Draconian God of Dreaming, was the only friend that the spirit of the sword chose for her own sake, as her affection for Talia and Mark was duty-bound and spelled. Of course it helped that Quewanak was the only being in the settlement besides Talia whose touch was able to invoke Ria from the sword. Having two people who could do so afforded Ria many more hours of consciousness than she would normally have enjoyed, since Talia could not hold her sword for every hour of the day, and Quewanak did not need to sleep.

Sometimes Mark commanded their little militia, sometimes Yazadril did, or Alilia, but they all learned from every experience, and their skills increased rapidly.

There came a day in their third month on Hiliani when Mark and Talia were visited late in the evening by Hilsith, Yzell, and Alilia.

“Be welcome.” Talia said as she waved them in with a smile.

“I hope we’re not interrupting?” Yzell asked as they were seated in the living room.

“No, we’re just studying Somonik’s history of the first demon war, as translated and transcribed by Quewanak.” Mark explained, showing them the twenty-seventh volume of the one hundred and thirty that detailed that ancient conflict.

“Good. I know it’s late, so I’ll explain why we’ve come.” Yzell said as she accepted a cup of herbal tea from Talia.

“Alilia is conflicted because she desires something very much, yet she does not wish to desire it. She confided in Hilsith as her Healer, who counseled her, and recommended that they ask me about aspects of her problem, which they did.

“If you do this for me, there’s nothing I could do to repay you. Already I am your slave, if you wish it, and I would do anything you asked if it was within my power to accomplish, yet you ask nothing of me. There’s no repaying such a gift as I am asking for, and I would be even further indebted to you for the rest of my life, yet I desire it so strongly, I am still asking it. If I thought it would do any good to ask another instead, I would, but it seems you are the only practical hope for me to have another child.”

“Give us a minute to think about it?” Mark asked.

“Of course.” Alilia replied with a little nod.

“What do you think, my love?” Talia inquired after she and Mark had deepened their Link to speed their communication.

“In this matter, my thoughts are of no importance, and I have no real preference for one side of the question or the other at any rate.” Mark told her. “This is your decision, and I will gladly abide by whatever you decide. You’re the one who would have another woman intruding in our marriage, and you’re more likely to have to deal with competitiveness and jealousy from Alilia, and in yourself.”

“Thank you.” Talia responded, and considered a minute.