Birth of the Chosen - A Short Story

"In harvest night under the twins' soft light, an Eldritch child shall be born. Stolen into the night, taking wings of flight, she will raze the rule of man and bring harmony to the land."
~ a prophecy of the Eldritch Pslams, Chapter 4, verse 3

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This short story is a prequel to "The Awakening" - and now a second perspective of The Awakening, "The Protector's Call"

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Vahan watched as yet another contraction wracked his wife, Myra, bringing forth a suppressed groan through her clenched teeth. He gasped as Myra's grip crushed his hand while she struggled to keep from crying out. This time he felt a bone crack, and she looked up at him with concern. But he nodded assuringly back to her through tearful eyes and brushed back her long thick black hair with his other hand. He would do anything to keep from drawing attention to their household tonight. Even if that meant losing his hand.

They were both dripping with sweat from the stifling heat. "The heat of the harvest" many called it. The time of year after the growing season when all croplands are harvested before they burn up in the month-long dry spell.

Lord of the heavens - Vahan thought to himself, why did it have to be tonight? Why did it have to be in the damn prophetic Eldritch Solstice? The child was not even supposed to be due yet. We should have another month. What are the odds? Vahan looked to the window to see the bright light of the twin moons illuminating the cobblestone streets outside of their small flat in the city.

The month of the harvest occurred every year, but this month, this day, was the peak of the Eldritch Solstice. An occurrence that only presented itself every two years. Vahan could not believe that the government still had such strong superstitions about it. Under the King's law: A child shall not be born on the Eldritch Solstice without the supervision of a Seeker. And if the child is a girl, she shall be executed with haste. This law went into effect immediately after the Eldritch wars to prevent even the chance that the ancient prophecy my be real.

Let us hope no one has heard. Vahan wished to himself, more of a prayer than a wish really. Maybe we can lay low and present the baby in a week or two. The thought of a Seeker entering his house sent chills down his spine. Vahan had never seen one, but he had heard stories of the abominations that would put fear into almost any man.

Mina, their only servant girl wearing a light grey tunic brought them towels soaked in cool water. Vahan found the young woman begging in the streets just after Myra became pregnant, and he decided to hire her to help with household chores. She couldn't have been more than eighteen years of age, but she was mute. Not many people wanted to hire a mute, and he was sure that's why she was begging on the streets. It didn't bother him because she seemed to understand both of them without any trouble.

Mina took one of the towels and walked to the other side of Myra, wiping her forehead with the cool cloth and rubbing her back. Myra was standing, or squatting now, leaning forward bracing herself on a chair. Her legs straddled shoulder width apart, she hovered over a bundle of linens below her.

Just then, three loud thumps rattled the wooden door!

"Open in the name of the King!" - a man's voice yelled from behind the door. The voice seemed to echo down the street outside as if the city was abandoned.

Myra locked eyes with Vahan, and fear gripped of them both. How did they find out? How did they know?

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,.... "I won't ask a third time, now open the door!" - the voice demanded. Vahan nodded to Mina and she went to the door and opened it.

As the door unlatched, Mina was thrown back as three uniformed guards shoved the door open and stepped inside. They each wore a breastplate of brass-studded leather. The leather was dyed deep crimson, and the brass rivets looked almost like gold accents against the clean polished leather. Two of the men were tall, thin and young. The third was a short heavyset fellow with a dark mustache and heavily receding hairline. The two corded bands encircling his right shoulder gave him the rank of captain, and he was clearly the one in charge.

"Oh good. We arrived just in time." the short man said impatiently as he glanced at Myra leaning over the chair.

Mina went to close the door but it swung open again. A small yelp escaped her normally silent lips as she jumped back and flattened herself against the wall. A heavy boot struck the floor and Vahan felt his blood go ice cold as a massive cloaked figure stepped over the threshold and into his home. It had to stoop to get through the door and was at least a foot taller than any man Vahan had ever seen. The creature wore robes of black canvas, thick and rough like those used for potato sacks. Its giant hands had a thumb and two wide, thick fingers, all three tipped with thick, sharp claws. The skin on its hands was covered in scars as if the flesh had been burned and mended at some point in time. The robes thankfully covered the whole body of this beast, and a hood hung low over its face only revealing shadow. A thick musk permeated the air in the room, like that of livestock.

The Seeker slowly walked over to the short captain, and the other two guards uneasily moved to the opposite corner of the room.

"The time is near ... Cap-i-tan. I can ... smell .. the yung-a-ling." a deep voice hissed in an odd broken accent from beneath the cowl making Vahan's skin crawl.

Myra squeezed Vahan's hand again as another contraction seized her. "It's coming!" Myra cried out as she bared down and pushed. Mina ran to her and grabbed a hand full of linens, lifting them just under Myra's shaking thighs. The child's head crowned and the room fell silent except for Myra's grunts and cries.

Vahan's mind raced as he watched his wife bare down. He looked at the captain who appeared bored, almost impatient for this to be done. He looked to the guards who watched in awe at the woman giving birth and then to the .. creature, the Seeker standing eerily motionless by the captain. If it is a girl, Vahan thought to himself, I can't let them kill her. I can't let them have our only child! Vahan quickly glanced around the room. He had never been in a fight. He was a passive man. He made and sold baskets for a living. What could he do against three soldiers and a Seeker? Maybe I can run with her. He thought frantically. Maybe I can get to the back window!.. A shrill scream from Myra broke his train of thought.

With a final agonizing push from Myra, Mina caught the baby as it dropped from Myra's exhausted body. She immediately swaddled it and reached for the hot knife resting on a tiny brazier by the bed. She quickly cut the umbilical cord, sealing it with the hot blade, and the baby gave out a small cry that echoed loudly in the otherwise silent room.

"Is it? Is it?" Myra tried to form her question but she was trying to catch her breath, now on her knees beside the chair.

"Well let's look at this then." The captain said and began to stride forward when the clawed hand of the Seeker reached out and gripped his shoulder stopping him. At the Seeker's touch, the color flushed from the captain's face.

"It is for meeee to ssseeee" the haunting voice whispered.

With that, the Seeker straightened and inhaled sharply. As he inhaled the light in the room seemed to dim, but a wisp of soft white light rose from the baby and floated towards the Seeker. The two guards gasped, and the baby's cries became silent. Mina took two steps back hugging the baby tightly to her chest.

"No!" Myra yelled - and with a surprising burst of speed she lept from her knees and threw herself at the Seeker. Light exploded back into the room at the disruption.

Releasing the captain's shoulder, the Seeker caught Myra by the neck, his giant hand easily encircling it. With no effort, he lifted her from the ground with one hand and tossed her towards the two guards in the corner. Her body fell motionless at their feet.

Primal rage flooded Vahan as he grabbed the chair heaving it over his head and quickly brought it down on the captain's head. The chair cracked as the captain staggered senseless backward into the Seeker. A swipe from the Seeker sent the captain flying towards the door and then slumping to the ground. The two guards in the corner had both drawn their short swords and begun to circle around the room towards Mina. The Seeker took a step forward.

Mina knew this day would come. The Ancient Ones were right, they had foreseen this day. This child was their savior, the gateway to return magic and balance to the realm and rid the world of these, these... abominations. Though her mission was to protect this child she had come to love Vahan and Myra. She had been hopeful when only the guards had entered the room that they might survive this day. But when the Seeker had entered, she knew the truth of it. None in this room were to be left alive. All of her training, all of those years practicing under the watch of the Ancients, it was all for this moment.

In a blink, Mina threw the small knife that she had still been holding in one hand. She threw it with the skill of one who had thrown blades their entire life. The blade sliced through the air and found purchase in the seam of one of the young guard's armor. It buried deep into the shoulder of his sword arm causing him to drop his own blade and curse as he reached to remove it. Still holding the baby in one arm, Mina reaching into the pockets of her tunic and hurled an egg at the ceiling above the two guards. The egg shattered above the guards releasing a cloud of dust that descended over them. Both of the guards choked and reached for their faces as the finely ground pepper dust burned its way into their eyes and lungs.

Looking at the sharp edges of the splintered chair, Vahan charged with all of his might at the Seeker's chest. The Seeker did not try to evade as the sharp wood buried well into its chest. Nor did it stagger or react in any way as if it had been hurt. It simply stood immobile as if it had been rooted to the ground. Instead, the Seeker reached a long arm over the now broken chair protruding from its chest and palmed the top of Vahan's head. With a quick jerk and twist of his wrist, Vahan's legs were lifted from the ground and swept in a circular motion around his immobile head. The Seeker heard the crack of Vahan's neck and let the man's quivering body drop to the floor. He then pulled the chair from his chest and casually dropped it to the ground. Looking to the guards now collapsed, their faces were swollen, their lips were blue, and then the girl at the back of the room, the Seeker laughed. A spine-chilling, grinding chuckle emitted from under the cowl.

"They sssent ju - did they not?" he sneered. "I have not tasted the esss-sence in more dan tree hundred years child - but I smelled it when I walked into dis rooom. I ssmelled it on you and the yung-a-ling."

Mina's mind focused as she knew her next actions were critical. Reaching behind her back and into her sash, she drew forth a small blade about four inches long. Not an ordinary blade but one formed of amethyst. The Seeker hesitated for a moment upon seeing the object and then chuckled again.

"You think you can..." the Seeker began.

"Mássád Höreim Kähh" - Mina whispered to the blade. A soft violet glow sprang to life on its edges, and to her surprise, also from under the cowl of the Seeker!

The Seeker yelled in rage as it dove for Mina with unnatural speed, but she had practiced for this day. Her whole life had been preparing for this moment. Still holding the baby with one arm, Mina spun under the reach of the Seeker. The spin was not quite fast enough though and a clawed nail raked her back as she spun from its grasp. In a fluid motion coming out of the spin, she thrust the blade under the outstretched arm of the Seeker and shouted at the top of her lungs "Mássád Höreim Kähh!"

A burst of cold and light flooded the room for a brief instant with the sound of cracking ice, and then all stood still. The Seeker stood motionless as if frozen in time. It was like a statue, and though it's balance and stride dictated that it should fall to the ground, it stood suspended and motionless in the room. Despite the sweltering heat of the day, ice and frost extended from the creature and ran up the walls. Mina could see her own breath in the room now.

I don't have much time. Mina thought to herself. The stone was not close enough to his heartstone to bind him for long. But it would buy her the few precious moments she needed. Despite the frost and chill in the room, Mina felt a hot sting and blood trickle down her back as it began to soak her leggings. Her mission was not complete yet. The Ancients had instructed her to take the child to the lake by the rock quarry on the outskirts of town. There she would find help. The room was already getting warmer and Mina could no longer see her breath in the air. Swaddling the baby and tucking it tight to her chest, Mina ran out of the flat with the child. She had to find a horse, she had to flee.

Thank you for taking the time to read my short story. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm finding that I enjoy writing them. Let me know if you'd like to see more like this.