บท 48: Chapter 42: Cold Blood
Maria woke up the next morning with the sun's rays on her cheeks. She felt a little bit different, but she did not know what it was. She was used to morning sickness now, but she felt no nausea that day. Yawning, she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. She was the first one awake. Everybody else remained sleeping. To help herself wake up, Maria shook her head slightly. She enjoyed the Paperblank Forest during the morning hours. The birds chirped melodic tunes–tunes that would calm any weary soul.
Maria patted her belly to say good morning to her baby. That was when she felt it. She knew something was different! Maria whipped her shirt up. Her deep brown eyes widened. She was already starting to get her baby bump! It may have been small, but it was still one.
Instantly, the young woman freaked out. Warm tears rolled down her cheeks. "No! No!" she begged. "Why do I have it?" She was not ready for her baby bump, not with Mateo in serious condition. She thought a woman did not start to show until between twelve to sixteen weeks. She just entered her ninth week. Exactly nine weeks ago, Isabella was conceived.
Nausea returned, but it was not from morning sickness. Sobbing, Maria leaped to her feet. She moved so quickly that she accidentally batted Krysta in the head with her foot.
"Ow!" the ranger grumbled, snapping awake. She propped up on her elbow, confused by Maria's ghastly expression.
She tossed her shirt back over her belly and scurried away from the camp. Maria ducked into the woods, right when Krysta herself stood up.
"Maria?" She peered down on Mateo, who was still as a rock. It did not look like he was going to wake up any time soon, which was fine. He needed his rest.
Evie slept with her head on her mother's tummy. Charlotte's hand rested on her back. Keegan lay next to her. He snored up a storm. Not far from them, Evie's friends were in a circular fashion.
Krysta checked on Maria while it was still quiet. She pushed through the plants she disappeared into and found her leaning over a small, rushing stream on the other side. She splashed herself with the cool water. "I'm not ready," she mumbled to herself.
Krysta approached her back. "Maria, what's wrong?" A few deer and squirrels in the area scattered when they saw her. Krysta opened a path for them. She then kneeled to Maria. She could hardly hear her through her fast, continuous sobs.
"Please put 'She wasn't ready to die' on my grave. Just take care of Mateo," she said.
"What are you talking about?" Krysta was so confused.
Maria rubbed tears from her eyes. "I never wanted to die from a miscarriage. Mateo and I had planned to live happily with our two children."
"What are you talking about?" Krysta repeated.
Fresh tears escaped Maria's eyes. She turned her body so Krysta could see the bump. "Tell Mateo that I love him."
"Oh my gosh! You're starting to get your baby bump!" A grin stretched across Krysta's face. There was nothing for Maria to be scared of. This was completely normal for the pregnancy she was experiencing–a fae one.
"Why are you smiling?" she choked out. "Are you saying you want me to die?"
Krysta quickly waved her hands. She clamped Maria's shoulders and turned her towards her. "Maria, stop. This is completely normal."
"Normal? How?" Maria accidentally spat on Krysta when she said that. "I'm not supposed to start showing until I'm twelve weeks! Please, Krysta, I'll do anything. I just don't want a miscarriage."
Krysta shook her shoulders. "This is no miscarriage, Maria. You're carrying a fae child. They develop faster than humans. Nine weeks is usually the start of the second trimester in these pregnancies. Fae children are usually born between six and seven months, unlike human children who are born at nine months. Heck, Ms. Brook had Mateo when she was seven months."
"She did? Why didn't she tell me?" Maria sniffed. "This is my first pregnancy, Krysta. Ms. Brook could have at least told me I was having a fae child!"
Krysta sat down next to her. She pulled her knees up close. "She did not know. This is proof, Maria, of your child's species. The second trimester is when the fairy's wings start to develop, so they add to the baby bump."
Maria started to calm down a little. She removed a strand of hair from her face. "My baby has wings? Why wasn't Mateo born with them?" She clutched her belly with both hands.
"It varies from couple to couple," Krysta answered. "Mateo, though, was born with a destiny–that he would one day earn a pair of wings. To be frank, Maria... Faelyn and Ms. Brook had a very difficult time conceiving, so they turned to magic for assistance. Evergreen used hers to help Ms. Brook get pregnant, but in return, she told them the baby would one day rule the Paperblank Forest. So, it's a win-win situation. Mateo's already the son of the chief before Edger."
"How-How do you know this?" Maria's mouth hung open. She ignored the fact that a bird just decided to use the bathroom on her shoulder.
Krysta examined the forest's tall, umbrella-like treetops. A cool zephyr brushed against her face. It gave her the confidence she needed to finish the explanation. "Ms. Brook caught us up to speed when the Union hired him. She told us he was Euphorbia's successor from the beginning because he was created by magic. He's a fae prince. He's supposed to have such powerful magic and a deep admiration for nature. As I said, it's destiny."
"Wow." Maria was at a loss for words. Mateo a prince? She never expected that. She just recalled that sweet boy who helped her with her scraped knee on the first day of kindergarten.
***
Maria and Krysta returned to the camp, right when everybody else woke up. Edger and Faelyn hurried to Mateo because Faelyn was scared by how still he was. He begged for his son to finally hear and see him, but alas... Mateo did not. Not yet, at least. He would not be able to communicate with his dad until Keegan gave him his blessing. Heck, the others–excluding Euphorbia, Sam, Evie, her parents, and Krysta–did not yet know a fae ghost was part of their group.
Notmuth and Diana tried to approach Mateo, too, but Edger pushed them back. The young ranger could only have a few people around him at a time. Any more, and it would stress him.
Edger and Faelyn allowed Maria and Krysta to approach him. The two women kneeled.
In a calm voice, Krysta said, "Mateo, Maria has a surprise for you."
The others turned on bewildered faces. While they enjoyed surprises, they did not understand what Krysta was saying.
Groaning, Mateo opened his eyes, but just barely. He coughed and glanced at Maria and Krysta.
Maria gulped, but she said, "Look." She plopped down and sat on her heels so Mateo could have a clear view of her belly. She moved her shirt up to the bottom of her sternum, right under her breasts.
One look at the bump, and Mateo's eyes widened. He said not a word. He was too shocked.
The others moved in closer. They wanted to see what was going on. How did Maria already have her bump?
Mateo blinked back a few tears. He was both happy and confused. He touched Maria's belly. Some of his tears escaped his sockets. They splashed onto the ground, changing the dirt to mud. "How?" he whispered.
Nervous, Maria asked, "Why are you crying?"
"He's happy," Krysta elucidated.
However, Mateo was not happy for long.
His and Evie's great-grandfather got back in Keegan's head. From out of nowhere, he turned excessively violent.
Keegan rushed to Mateo and Maria and snatched his hand away from Maria's tummy. He then pulled off the mask and slapped him hard across his cheek! "Don't you dare touch her!" he yelled.
The sting on his face and in his wounded shoulder frightened Mateo. He reached for his throbbing cheek.
"Mr. Madison!" Maria shouted, but it was already too late.
Mateo hurried away from Keegan and crawled to the basilisk. It protected him. It wrapped its tail around him.
Faelyn was mad. He wanted to punch Keegan so badly, but he couldn't. Instead, he floated over to his son.
Maria glared at the cursed man. "For Pete's Sake! Isabella is his baby, too!" How dare he slap her fiancé! Mateo never hit her, drunk or not. She had enough of Keegan's abuse. Rising to her feet, she snatched his arm and shouted, "Don't you touch him!"
Charlotte and Evie hurried to the twitching, conflicted Keegan. They pulled him away from the angry, young woman. He tried to break free to get to Mateo, but they held him tightly.
At the same time, Crystal cantered into the campsite. "Did y'all not hear my neigh? We need to flee! The enemy has broken through the blockade, and they're headed this way!"
"Oh, that's not good," Krysta whimpered. What could she do? Mateo could not walk, and the basilisk was too fast and bumpy for him.
The serpent tried to put him on its head, but that did not go well. Even the slightest bump hurt him. "¡Ay!" he shouted. "Stop! Stop!" He clutched his belly. It throbbed just as much as his cheek.
Ranger Krysta was the only person who could move him. She had steady paramedic hands. She glared at Keegan, who continued to twitch in Evie and Charlotte's grasp, and said, "Just accept him, Keegan! It's as simple as that!"
And it was. If Keegan just said, "I accept you," Mateo's survival rate would improve.
A zephyr picked up screams from the undead army. They were getting closer. The basilisk released Mateo. It and John left the group. It was their turn to distract the enemy.
Edger delivered his stretcher to Mateo, as well as the mask. He and Krysta quickly put him on it. With Krysta's steady hands, it wasn't as painful. Mateo did not yell that time around.
Maria shoved past Keegan, Charlotte, and Evie so she could be by his side. "We're going to get you to the tree. I promise," she said.
More tears fell from Mateo's eye sockets. He tugged Maria's hand. "I'm scared, Maria."
Maria knew he was. He did not need to tell her. Keegan was going to pay. She swore that on her life. Mateo did not deserve to be treated so horribly.
***
The basilisk and John confronted the undead army. They made it to the campsite soon after the others left. The basilisk smacked skeletons away with one of its tails. It threatened them with its enormous fangs.
John soared into the sky. He unleashed a great blast of wind from his wings, which knocked a few more skeletons back. "Snap out of it, Ben!" he shouted at his friend.
Ben threatened to chuck his sword at the crane's chest. "Never!" he yelled. The remark alone was enough for Fororli to give him a proud look.
Just before Ben could let his sword go, the basilisk snatched it out of his hand. Using its powerful jaws, it snapped the weapon in two pieces. It shoved Fororli away and cornered the young king.
Ben toppled over. He crawled away from the creature, but his back hit a tree trunk.
The basilisk prepared to hit him with its poisonous breath, but it stopped itself just before it could. Its mind returned to Mateo. Its poison was the reason why he was so ill. It hurt his mom, and also the love of its life... Euphorbia.
The basilisk was not a killer. It never was. It only did what its master told it to do. It spared Ben, but it growled at him. The hunter would never torment it again. The basilisk knew that for sure. Except, its betrayal came with a consequence.
Fororli swiped a sword from one of the undead fairies. He whispered a spell to himself. The sword's blade flickered light blue, indicating that it was ready for action. Without a second thought, Fororli chucked the weapon at the basilisk. Its razor-sharp tip stabbed it right in the heart. The whole sword went through it, so only the hilt was visible.
"No!" John screamed. He dropped to the ground, hurrying towards the creature, but the Fused Monster ambushed him. It smacked John away with its antlers, injuring his wing all over again. The crane blasted through the Paperblank Forest like a cannonball, and he landed in a heap at Evie, her family, and her friends' feet.
Under the basilisk's intense screeching, the whole forest shook. It swayed to the left, the right, and then fell towards Ben. He backed up before it could crush him. The serpent crashed through the tree where he had been cornered and landed on its side. The sword remained in its–no, Embrose's–heart.
Pinta's first ranger had been murdered in cold blood.
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