“Oh, don’t do that. You’re the queen,” Icelyn muttered with tears filling her icy-blue eyes. “I think I wet myself, but the babes keep shifting, and my body isn’t my own anymore,” her tone was filled with embarrassment and horror. “I can do that.” Icelyn bent toward the towel, but the pain stopped her. “Something isn’t right.”
“You’re in labor,” I announced, standing as the cloth vanished. “I may be queen, but I am never above helping my family, no matter what title I hold.”
“No, I can’t be in labor. I’m not due for two more months.” Icelyn’s face suddenly turned ashen, and her body began to tremble.
“Your water just broke, which means the babes are coming whether we are ready for them or not. Come with me, so we don’t worry the other children as we bring yours into the world.” I extended my hand to her while Lilith gave the infant she’d been fawning over to Keely. “I had my chamber prepared for you.”
“But I will soil your bed,” she complained.
“It’s just a bed, and it’s the only room where you can have privacy. It’s also soundproofed, so your screams will not upset the little ones. I am queen, remember? You have to do as I say.” I smiled tightly like an idiot as she laughed, but it was empty from the pain she was enduring. “You will come to my bedroom, where we will assist you through the beginning of your labor. I am sure the men will return shortly, then the wards on the tower will cease, and Eliran will be able to come up from the infirmary to deliver your children. Until that happens, we need to get you laid down and comfortable.”
“I’m not ready, though, Sinjinn isn’t here.” Icelyn’s eyes widened in horror as the reality of the situation hit her.
“He will be here before your babes arrive. You can’t worry about what is happening outside the doors, Icelyn. Your children are coming, and what is happening right now is all that matters. Ciara, assist me,” I whispered, watching as Ciara handed Fury to Meera, the newest handmaiden.
Worried violet eyes held mine as we helped Icelyn into the room and disrobed her before settling her onto the bed. Blood coated her thighs along with mucus from the membranes of her cervix. We were both thinking the same thing: Icelyn’s children were coming too early, and complications of an early birth could be bad, very bad. Once she was stripped naked, I removed the blankets from the bed, laying her down and pulling the sheet up to cover her the moment she was in a prone position.
Standing back, I nodded to her, terrified that we were locked inside the tower, and no one could reach us until the men finished handling whatever was occurring outside the fortress. I withdrew the phone from my pocket, dialing Eliran as I stepped outside the bedroom door and stood in the narrow hallway. I silently prayed the reception would work well enough to reach him in the infirmary.
“Syn? Everything okay?” his deep, soothing voice came through the receiver.
“Icelyn is in labor,” I answered, somehow keeping the fear from my tone.
“She isn’t due for two more months.”
“I’m very aware of that, but her water broke, and we’re locked in the tower. I don’t know how long it will be before Ryder opens the door, and from the way she is wincing, her contractions aren’t that far apart. What do we do?”
“This isn’t good,” he muttered worriedly. I could hear him moving around in his medical ward through the phone. “Is there a lot of blood?”
“Just a little, but it looks thin. There’s no gushing or anything like that.”
“That’s good,” Eliran sighed in relief. “It’s Icelyn’s first pregnancy, so it won’t be a quick labor. The fact that she is having twins is going to complicate the situation, which isn’t good news. I’ll get the staff ready to meet me outside the tower door, so we can get to her as soon as it opens. I’ll get a message to Ryder stating we have a precarious medical condition in the tower. Keep her rested and be sure she drinks enough fluids. I need to prepare the incubator since the babes are premature; they will need help. If I’m not there when they come, you need to be ready to deliver them.”
“Let’s just plan on you doing that part.” I expelled a breath, listening to the women, who were keeping the conversation lighthearted in the room behind me.
“Was the fluid clear?” he asked gently.
“Yeah, it looked like water on the floor, but there were some traces of blood. I have Icelyn resting on my bed, but she’s not happy about her children being born early.”
“That’s good; that’s really good. Just keep her calm and rested. If it comes down to it, and she feels as if she needs to push, don’t stop her. Trying to stop her labor would do more harm than good at this point. Thousands of babes are born every day. It’s natural, and her body will do what it’s supposed to do. Just be there to clean out the babies’ mouths and find something to clamp the cords if they do come quickly. I’m here, too; if anything changes, call me and I’ll walk you through it.”
“If the babes are born this early, do you think they’ll survive?” I asked, hating to pose the question that no one else would.
“No. The odds are against them,” he stated honestly. “If the twins are born this early, they may be stillborn. I need not point out the other complications of having children in this world since you know it better than most.”
“Thanks for being honest,” I snapped.
“I can’t lie; besides that, you need to prepare for the reality of what is happening. Keep her hopeful because if she gives up, we may lose her too.”
“Eliran, I can’t do this. What if I mess it up, and they suffer because of it, or something worse happens?” I whispered, voice trembling as a tear rolled down my cheek.
“You can because you must. You are one of the fiercest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, Synthia. If anyone can do this, it is you.”
I hung up the call, entering the bedroom with a smile in place, wincing as Icelyn released a pain-filled shriek. Darynda lifted the thin sheet, peering between Icelyn’s legs, and frowned, shaking her head. Righting the material back over Icelyn for modesty’s sake, she walked to me, urgency filling her stride.
“Something is wrong. The babies are coming faster than they should be.”
“They’re tiny and very early,” I admitted. “Get water for her to drink, please. Check on my babes. Make sure Olivia and Alannah are keeping them occupied and not killing each other in the process. Let Olivia know that if she feels the need, she is welcome to help us here. I know she is closer to Icelyn than we are.”