Chapter 6
Glaston Township, State: Percival, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat Year: 2040, Planet: Grimoire
Shock, grief, and little relief spread through Harper's body and mind as he witnessed his mother's death and the resurgence of life within the last nine gifts from his mother. He bowed his head as the remainder of the chant was spoken by the adults who put their hearts into it.
It crossed Harper's mind that none of them were prepared to take on the task of rearing thirty newborn infants. How was this going to be supported? Even as he wondered, he watched as his mother's body disappeared in a spark of black and purple lights. Then ash showered the ground around them, leaving the stone where Davina had been placed clean as though nothing had ever laid upon it earlier. Even the nine babies were now cradled in the bassinets.
"How shall these be named?" Harper regarded them somberly. Then he looked at his siblings and they shook their heads nervously. This time he and they were in agreement.
It didn't feel right to give the nine of them names. The adults had to do it. Plus, Harper was becoming increasingly nervous. He sensed something ominous approaching the meadows.
"I think we should continue all of this elsewhere." Harper insisted. "I feel we're going to become overshadowed by a nasty source of malice." The urgency he felt reflected in the faces of his siblings. Unfortunately, he could tell that something also held them in a state of instability. He just didn't know what would remove that instability and that drove him crazy.
As if shaken out of some trance, Hermina frowned and looked around before nodding in agreement. "Yes, however, we need to name the children before leaving this place. Otherwise, the blessing won't imprint upon them." She sounded frazzled.
That statement surprised Harper, but within the atmosphere, he could almost hear a sigh of relief. There were spirits and elements combined in that spell which held them where they stood. The elements and spirits couldn't leave without being harmed if conditions weren't fulfilled. With that unspoken realization, Harper could tell that she stated the truth. Since he'd already spoken up, he felt it would be better if someone else attempted to convince the adults to hurry up with the process.
Fortunately for him, his siblings were quick to agree with him. "I think we're all caught in this net," Anara spoke calmly. "So the names need to be stated here and then we can depart." She sighed. "The sooner the better for all of us will lose energy the longer remain bound here."
Harper grunted. Indeed they were still bound within the spell created by that chant earlier. The siblings contributed their thoughts on the matter with similar statements garnered from unspoken thoughts and emotions conveyed by the spirits around them.
Joan clicked her tongue. "I'll name three, you two do the same." She stated. "These three," she motioned to what appeared to be males in the middle, "Gabriel Joseph, Franz David, Phillip Connor." Joan inclined her head to Marcus.
"Jemima Helen, Hermina Poppy, Mint Genevieve." Marcus grinned at Hermina who rolled her eyes at him.
Then Hermina sighed. "Brianna Joanne, Forest Marcus, and Leslie Rose." With her choices, the last nine were named.
A deeper, thicker weight settled upon all of the gathered in the forest, and Harper felt as if he'd lost a burden on his entire body. Sparks flowed around his body. He sighed in relief. "Now we should leave."
There was no doubt about it. Harper knew that the matriarch lurked nearby.
With his words, Harper was able to chivvy the rest into moving posthaste.
This wasn't the time to dally. They could discover what their newfound blessings were somewhere safer.
*
They were all in luck, Anara was pleased with how swiftly the last task was fulfilled. Now they could move on with their new lives. She thought some of the names were rather formal and stuffy, but a sense of humor lurked in the adults at the same time. Indeed, none of the names honored any of the founder families within Glaston. That lack of distinction further cut the cords binding them to the township.
Now, however, they truly needed to make their way elsewhere. It wouldn't take long for the spies of the matriarch to figure out what happened. Not only that but what else took place in the revival of the nine offspring that hadn't survived the initial birthing process. That last part had unnerved Anara quite a bit. She found the whole situation very devastating but couldn't find the need to grieve quite yet. That would have to wait until they were somewhere safe.
Yes, Anara realized belatedly, that their personal safety was paramount to the three adults that shepherded them swiftly from the meadow. Now they were on a deadline to either get out Percival completely, or at least find another part of the huge state within to reside.
Personally, Anara wouldn't mind leaving the state entirely, but she also didn't want to abandon the newborn siblings either. A good question had been raised as to who would take care of all thirty newborns. That was something she was curious about resolving. However, for now, she wanted to find a place to rest.
That had been a truly stressful situation and her energy while not quite drained, certainly wasn't as high as it could be either. Anara stumbled, and Harper caught her.
"Be careful, we're not quite out of the danger zone yet." Harper cautioned. "It isn't just human interference we have to be cautious of."
Oh, that's right, they were in a zone where monsters still preyed upon humans and livestock. Anara sighed. "What were the states where monsters lived in harmony with humans?" She couldn't quite recall although the question had been on the exam earlier.
Too bad nothing would come of those results. They would likely be starting over from scratch at this rate. Not fun, but not completely demoralizing either. Maybe they would learn a less biased form of history elsewhere, Anara cheered up at the thought even as she narrowly avoided tripping over something that was definitely not typical of this area. "What is that?"
*
What is that, indeed? Joan Whitcombe paused in the traversing of the rough and uneven trail. She took a sip of water that hadn't come from the township's reserve. She saw Marcus studying what Anara had almost tripped over.
Joan's heart sank when she identified the sight and grimaced. "Ugh, why is this area seeded with bait for carnivorous monsters?" She was pretty sure that was downright illegal.
Not only that, but Joan didn't remember this area being so wild and unkempt. That it was in such a state meant only one thing. The matriarch had done her utter best to desecrate this area where young people would generally have been allowed to receive a blessing when they were of an appropriate age.
Then they would've been able to leave Glaston and surrounding villages to make a new life elsewhere. They would have the choice of returning if they wished to do so after experiencing the broader world. Evidently, that was no longer the case in some of these backwater towns and villages.
Joan exhaled wearily. "This is problematic indeed. We're going to have to change our tactics for departing here swiftly." As it was, they would soon be too exhausted to walk further. In her estimation, they hadn't even reached the densest part of the forest where a transportation portal was located. If they couldn't reach that, they'd be in serious trouble as far as finding shelter for the night.
Dusk came swiftly to this part of Percival and that also meant feral creatures would attack without discrimination. It was a sad fact that Percival bordered one of the few areas of Barat that hadn't been explored and turned safe for travelers. Now what to do?