mainland maternity ward

As experienced a healer as she was, Lucretia knew labor pains when they started. She had already ingested some crushed trillium petals and roots but didn't want to overdo any painkillers. Part of her wanted to experience the pain of labor. It would shape her experience going into motherhood. Lucretia wanted to be a mother who endured for her children, even if it made her uncomfortable. Although she loved the islands they had laid claim to, she was too far along to swim and her eventual new den would have to be near the shrine so that anyone too ill to cross the channel wouldn't have to. This was her home.

Half grumbling and half whimpering, Lucretia settled in a secluded area of tall grasses a few yards away from the faintly glowing pool. The sun had just begun to set but the temperature was ideal: warm with an occasional cool breeze. A perfect summer night. Her contractions began with earnest; she tried to find a natural rhythm as she waited for Bourbon to arrive.