The Seven Orbs

Chapter One

Birth and Death

1.

Lightning split the darkness, and thunder shook the earth. The brief moment of light chased the shadow of the castle into the black forest and covered the front of the castle with tiny sparks that flickered out as soon as they appeared. In the main bedroom of the queen, Lady McMiland screamed as the contractions grew more frequent, longer, stronger. The Nuns of Our Father of Mercy Convent attended to the pregnant Queen. The Lady had labored for nearly four hours now and no sign of crowning. The candles' flames fluttered as a breeze shot into the royal room high in the tower where the physicians oversaw the birth. Another jagged bolt raced across the night sky followed by the low rumble that quaked the very walls of stone.

“Bring the boiling water now,” ordered Sister Jessica, and the two younger nuns obeyed.

The lady screamed again.

“Drink, my Lady,” said Jessica and raised the bottle of dram to her lips. The lady refused. She ground her teeth as the sweat flowed over her face. Another flash at the window sent the nuns scurrying to protect the flames that the gusts of wind threatened to extinguish.

In the base-floor dungeon, the Wizard Greyeye read from the ancient text. He was too old to remember the words and relied on the book to cast his spells.

“Nar Wince Balu Con Tar Wince Indu Lar,” he spoke aloud as the thunder roared.

First, a flicker of light appeared, faded, and grew to the size of a pebble. Greyeye repeated the words. The illumination now as big as an egg and bloated till the orb was the size of a bush made of glass. This was the first of the hundred orbs that the King had demanded. His hand trembled as his index finger dragged across the words of the spell once more. The grey-haired, wrinkly wizard continued to read till another orb started to form. 

The baby’s head crowned, and the lady huffed through the pain. Blood dripped generously from her womanhood as the male child emerged from her body. The nuns cut the cord with a dagger and blanketed the crying baby. Jessica said a prayer and crossed the child's forehead with her thumb. As the nuns helped the Queen raise up a bit, Jessica handed the baby to its mother. The child stopped crying as its mother held it.

The storm broke, but a steady rain continued. 

After creating six orbs, the wizard struggled with the seventh. With what little strength he had left, he read the spell once more, but only once. for the wizard’s heart gave way and his breath ceased. He fell dead unto the cold stone floor, right beneath the seven orbs.

2.

Coming soon...