Taken: The Life of Uktesh Book 3 (22 page)

She unsheathed her rapier and said louder, “I’m going to get back my mother and my husband, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop me.  The good news is that means the enemy, the bad news is, that it also means any of you jackasses that thinks they can stop me.”

Thulmann quickly jumped between her and the Numbers as several of them brought forth their weapons too.  “Sorry lass.  New rule!  No women on the trip unless we run out of men; unless that woman is a Number!”

The Numbers quickly shouted, “Aye!” and huddled up again.

Laurilli said, “How do you become a Number?”

One stepped before her and towered over her.  He said, “You have to kill one of us, or get the Numbers’ permission.”

Laurilli sheathed her rapier and said, “Good, then call me Three.”

1.         
   Is it time already
   

Eight months and two weeks apart from Uktesh

Laurilli heard Pamfilo shout, “Push,” for what seemed like the hundredth time.  Laurilli screamed as she pushed, “I am!”

In the end she hadn’t needed to become a Number as it turned out that they only had about one hundred and fifty male volunteers which meant that Sara, Pamfilo, Lana, Pippy, and all of Basam’s children were on the boat too.  Sadly none of the Beletarians had volunteered to come.

Laurilli hadn’t really thought about what she would have done if Pamfilo had wanted to stay as she was the only one on the boat who knew how to deliver a baby.

Pamfilo said, “Oh look, there’s the head, and he’s looking at Tylor.”

Tylor paled and said, “Don’t make me throw up again.”

Laurilli pushed again, and Pamfilo said, “His shoulder is out!”

Laurilli shouted, “He’s only got one shoulder?”

Sara said, “No.  She meant to say one of his shoulders is out, and that I need to keep supporting his head.

Laurilli felt beyond exhausted as she pushed again.

Pamfilo said, “Okay, there are both of his shoulders! One more big push, maybe two should do it!  Sara make sure you hold his head, I’ll catch the body. Tylor, are you ready?”

Tylor must’ve nodded as Laurilli took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could and with relief felt the baby slide out.  She collapsed and saw Pamfilo and Sara carry her son and wash his body clean.  He was already crying quietly and Laurilli saw a familiar dragon tattoo on his right arm.  Sara said, “He’s going to be a strong baby, he’s already crying on his own.  Tylor, your turn.”

Tylor said, “Really?  It’s still pulsing, shouldn’t we wait longer?”

Pamfilo said, “We’ve waited long enough while we cleaned him and made sure he was breathing. It’s time.  Do it.”

Tylor said, “Just two more minutes.”

Pamfilo said, “It’s already been five minutes. Man up and cut the cord.”

Tylor said, “I just don’t want his first memory to be of his Uncle Tylor chopping off part of his body.”

Pamfilo said, “He won’t remember, it’s not part of his body, and I know you’re just delaying.  Do it.”

Larut shouted from behind the door, “If he won’t I will!”

Laurilli said, “What?  No!  I don’t want everyone looking at my private parts!  Tylor, man up or I swear by the nine hells when I feel better I’m going to make you pay.”

Tylor said, “Fine.”  He took the clamp from the table and Laurilli couldn’t see what he did, but he suddenly bent over and threw up into a bucket.  The women moved him away from the baby and Laurilli both.  Then they moved the baby away and brought him back.  They laid him naked on her chest and put a blanket over them both. 

Pamfilo said, “Okay, you’re almost done, but inside you is a protective coating that now that the baby is out of you isn’t needed.  It’ll be expelled on its own in ten to thirty minutes.  It’s normal, I’m just letting your know it will happen.”

Laurilli held her son to her chest as Sara let those waiting come in.  “She needs her rest so you can visit for five minutes.”

Larut came in with most of the kids and almost before he saw Laurilli Larut said, “Wow doesn’t she look good!  Still hot even after giving birth. There’s a feat of womanly prowess!”

Laurilli saw Sara slap her fiancée on his shoulder and she said, “Watch yourself.”

He wrapped her in a hug, kissed her, and said, “Ah, you know you’re the only one for me.”

She leaned into him and said, “I better be.  We’re going to have one of those soon enough.”

Larut said, “One of what?”  Sara nodded to the baby in Laurilli’s arms, “You’re pregnant?  How do you know?”

She said, “It’s a woman thing, I just do.”

Larut said, “Wow, you’re not even showing. Laurilli didn’t know and it looked like she was stuffing her shirt with a watermelon.”

Laurilli said, “Hey, I was new to the whole thing, and you two aren’t married. You need to fix that before you have a kid.”

Larut stepped back and said, “I was going to wait until we got back, but yeah, will you marry me?  Today?  The captain has the ability to marry at sea.”

Sara said, “Kind of an afterthought wedding don’t you think?”

Larut said, “No way!  I’ve been thinking about when we should tie the knot and not just be engaged.  This is just our speed.  We met, got engaged, like a month later, got pregnant six months later or something around that, and now we’ll get married within a year of meeting you!  We’re like Uktesh and Laurilli, breaking all the rules.”

Laurilli said, “Hey!  Uktesh and I waited until we were married before we--” she looked around and said, “well, you know.”

Pippy asked, “What?  What did you do?”

Laurilli said, “We ate food in bed together.  Remember.”

Pippy said, “Daddy Repus said that’s not really why people get married.  He said it’s so that they can have fun while they’re young enough to have fun.”

Laurilli said, “Did he now?”

Repus said from the hallway, “What?  I don’t lie to her.  I don’t always tell her the whole truth, but I don’t ever lie to my daughter.”  Laurilli heard him mutter to himself, “It’s the least I can do for Leilani.”

Pamfilo said, “Okay, time to let her rest. Out!” She shooed everyone out the door and said, “Let Thulmann know he’s a grandfather, but that she has to rest, so no more visitors today.”

Pamfilo shut the door and Laurilli said, “I’m fine. You didn’t need to make them leave.”

Sara said, “You’re not fine, you really must rest.  Having a child can kill you.  Now, don’t worry. Your delivery went about as smoothly as I’ve ever seen, but you need rest.  And you’ll need rest for weeks, if not a full month.  You’ll also …” Sara’s voice faded away as Laurilli drifted to sleep.

1.  
   A Gift in the Life of
   

Eight months and three weeks apart from Laurilli

Uktesh killed the gladiator and thought,
what a waste!  If it wasn’t for Neftalix dragging his heels to give me my three points I’d be done by now!
  There was a rule that if a gladiator wasn’t injured they had to fight every two months.  Ordinarily this was to force the smaller ludisii to contribute to the games.  Since Uktesh wasn’t injured Neftalix had waited a month and three weeks to schedule Uktesh to fight. 

The good news was now he only had to wait two more months at the most for his freedom.  He had to wait for the rest of the gladiators to finish their fights as he was now the lowest of the low in rank, even though he was only one, ‘kill,’ from earning his freedom. Uktesh missed Talia and Ceftin. The three months and two weeks they’d been gone had been so boring.  It’s not like they would have made it much better; he’d have been waiting for his turn to fight either way, but with them gone and the dragon’s exit he had only had Destus to talk to until he’d died in the ring.

The other gladiators had easily picked up that the new Storm lord was out for Uktesh’s blood, and the blood of anyone he was associated with.  This was proven when Destus, a solid solo fighter, was paired against four gladiators, each with over seventy, ‘kills.’  After that Uktesh was left alone.  The last fight finished and the surviving gladiators headed back to the ludis.  When they arrived Uktesh walked past Cavavos, the new doctore, to the iron post that was his to train with.  Uktesh Stepped, attacked the post with a true palm strike, and quickly followed up with a titanic palm strike that caused the metallic post to ring loudly as it vibrated back and forth.  Uktesh Stepped to the other side and repeated the process.  Soon all that Uktesh could hear was a pause as he Stepped, a quick, “ba,” of his true Strike, then a, “boom,” of his titanic Strike.  For hours Uktesh lost himself to the rhythm of, pause, ba, and then boom.

When the sun started to fall into the horizon Uktesh stopped and got something to eat before he went back to his cell to sleep.  One perk of the Storm lord Neftalix’s wrath was that Uktesh had a ten-person cell to himself.  Uktesh closed the gate with a squeaky creek that reassured him.  After the first two attempts on his life by fellow gladiators who were trying to please Neftalix, he’d quickly begun sleeping lightly. Any squeak of the gate hinges brought him instantly awake.  That was the reason he’d nearly killed Heathyr.

He heard the squeak of the gate and instantly Stepped toward the gate and woke up just in time to see that it was Heathyr just before his True Palm Strike killed her.  He couldn’t stop the attack without a backlash so what he did was Strike the air near her and even still she got an arm up and deflected his Strike further from her.  She kneed him in the side while his guard was down as he pondered the fact that she was there.  He Stepped back from her punch and said, “Mom?  What are you doing here?”

Her eyebrows rose and she said, “Uktesh?  Is that you?”

He looked down at himself and realized he was wearing what Talia had promised correctly that he’d get used to; a loincloth.  He Stepped back to his bed and wrapped a cover around himself and said, “Yes.  Sorry. This is just what they make us wear.”

Heathyr flung her arms around him and held him tight as she sobbed on his blanket.  Uktesh had never seen Heathyr so emotionally broken before. He had no idea what to do, but he held her and slowly her sobs quieted.  When she’d composed herself she said, “We thought you’d died when you didn’t join us, but the dragon told Laurilli that you were still alive when he left you and that made Laurilli believe you to still be alive.”

Uktesh smiled, “So it worked?  The dragon was able to heal her?”

Heathyr smiled and said, “Yes, the dragon saved her, but her injures were too severe to save all of her.”

Uktesh felt his face scrunch in confusion and said, “I don’t understand.  He saved her, but not all of her?”

Heathyr patted his left arm and said, “She lost her left arm.”

Uktesh felt his jaw drop. 
So many skills that she learned that she won’t be able to use!
  He asked, “Is she okay?  I mean has she adjusted well to the loss?”

Heathyr nodded and said, “It’s hard for her to do simple things like button tight pants, or tighten belts, but she’s getting so much better at all of that, that it’s no surprise she’s done so well in the army training.”

Uktesh asked, “She’s training to join the army?  With one arm?”  Uktesh thought about it for a moment and smiled and said, “She’s started using your sword style, I assume.”

Heathyr smiled and said, “Yes and she’s incorporated your style and the dragons’ style into it and changed it into something all her own that is incredibly effective.”

Uktesh leaned back on his bed and thought of all Laurilli must’ve gone through and felt more proud of her than he had since they first met. 
She’s doing it!  And she’s doing it all on her own! 
He said out loud, “That’s my girl.”

Heathyr smiled and said, “She’s also did it all while pregnant.”

Uktesh felt his jaw drop again and said, “Pregnant?  We only had those few nights together?”

Heathyr said, “It can only take one time, you know.”

Uktesh said, “I’m going to be a father?”

Heathyr said, “You’re actually probably already a father.  Before I was captured she was about eight months pregnant and it’s been about a month and a half or two months since then.”

Uktesh smiled and said, “I’m a dad.”

Heathyr said, “What about you, what have you been up to since being captured?”

Uktesh explained the trip; the dinosaurs, the coliseum, and everything that had happened to him as quickly and completely as he could, and he ended with, “So, now that I’m at ninety-nine ‘kills’ I just need one more and at the most that will be in two months, but with the grudge that Neftalix, the Storm lord, and his brother Astiau feel toward me, they’re going to make it a fight as impossible to win as they can manage.”

Heathyr patted his shoulder and said, “I’m sure you’ll survive it.”

Uktesh felt his heart fall as he heard the voice of Neftalix say, “I wouldn’t be so sure.”  He stepped into view with his brother and twelve people that didn’t look like typical troops, but they felt, to Uktesh, far more deadly.  “I’ve already secured three god failures to fight you and in two more months I’ll have another three.  I think that for the winner of the Rumble that’s a fitting a tribute as we could ever hope to achieve.”