The tent smelled faintly of herbs, smoke, and broth. Lucan stood close to Laura as the healer worked in silence, her fingers steady, her eyes sharp. She had taken a small vial of blood earlier, pricking Laura’s skin with a needle that had made her wince. Lucan had stroked her arm immediately, as if easing her pain. They had been at the healer’s tent for hours, waiting for the test results. Lucan had kept Laura company as she lay still on the bed, weak and feeble. Now the healer returned back to them, her expression unreadable as she held a strip of parchment marked with faint lines. She looked first at Lucan, then at Laura.“You’re three weeks pregnant,” she said simply. The words hit like a sharp blow. Laura froze. She shook her head violently, then she snapped, “No. That can’t be right. Maybe your test is wrong,” she said, her voice rising, panic in every word. “I’m not… no, I can’t be.”Her breathing quickened, her chest heaving as if the walls of the tent were closing in. She
Last Updated : 2025-09-10 Read more