188 The truth of her birth II
Twenty–three years ago.
Miriam POV
Mother Liora made up a tale about me needing to go on a mission of self–enlightenment, citing that I was the youngest person ever to be appointed as the next High priestess and as such, ! needed to.
I was tucked away in a little cottage on the outskirts of Golden Gate Pack, in the house of a middle–aged midwife and her husband. They would take care of me and, in turn, give my baby to couples who needed it when the time came.
Months passed, and my belly grew with the life inside me. Mother Liora seldom came to visit me. She would send either Terra or any of the younger priestesses but never came herself. I couldn’t tell if she was still disappointed in me, but I didn’t have many options either.
Worse still, I tried to keep my distance, from the child growing within me, praying every night for the strength to follow through with my vow, but as the life within me stirred and grew stronger, so did my love for the child.
Often, I would remind myself that I was only the carrier and nothing more, and the baby was not mine to keep, to begin with. But it was impossible. Every kick, every flutter, felt like a bond being formed that I knew I could never sever.
How was I supposed to stay detached? This was my child, a part of me and the thought of giving it away tore me apart.
“You should eat the herbs dear,” the midwife said gently, interrupting my thoughts. “The baby will be here anytime soon. You need to be strong for her.”
I nodded wordlessly picked up the bowl of herbs she had set before me and slowly started eating it. After a while, I was feeling nauseated – it was a symptom I started experiencing recently but the midwife assured me it was nothing to worry about.
I dropped the bowl anyway and turned to her. She was grinding something on the stone.
“How do you know it’s going to be a girl?” I asked quietly.
She smiled, without looking up and responded. “I just know. Aside from the fact that girls take your beauty to look better, the position of the baby is slightly higher.”
I looked at my baby bump, it looked normal to me.
“The couple you intend to…”
“Miriam!” she stopped me mid–sentence, abandoning the stone she was grinding with. “We’ve talked about this several times, I cannot tell you that but the couple are lovely and they’ll treat her right. You don’t have to bother about that.”
I played with my fingers, trying to figure out how to explain this burst of emotions that had
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188 The truth of her birth II
recently begun to grow in my heart.
“I just want to know,” I sobbed quietly. “Please!”
She stopped grinding for a minute, as she stared at me. After a few seconds, she sighed, taking in a deep breath. “After the baby is born and we give it away, a few weeks later, all of this guilt and emotions will disappear. But if it is still the same after three months, if you come back to me, I’ll tell you where she is.”
My eyes lit up with hope. “You promise?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I do.”
The child had come in the dead of the night. I had been in so much pain that I passed out. When I opened my eyes, I had seen Priestess Liora, Priestess Khaliah and Priestess Tania present. They had helped to deliver the child and held a screaming baby in their arms.
It was Mother Liora who cuddled her, whispering warm words to the crying child. They were waiting for the birthing of my placenta. It was Priestess Tania who noticed I was awake first.
“Miriam, you did a good job,” she murmured, smiling at me. “It’s a girl and she’s so beautiful.”
I nodded turning my head sideways to the midwife who was at the other side of my leg. She had a tired smile on her face. She nodded to me.
I turned back to Mother Liora who had passed the baby to Priestess Khaliah. “Can I have the baby, please?”
The priestesses exchanged worried glances. “Miriam, we agreed…”
“It’s okay,” the midwife intervened. “Just before the placenta comes out, it’s okay for her to hold the baby. It would just be like carrying her in the womb.”
The three women exchanged worried glances again before Mother Liora placed the child on my chest. She was a small, beautiful girl with a patch of brown hair. I held the baby close to my chest, as I fought back tears, biting the insides of my mouth.
I had agreed to give the child way and had promised to follow Mother Liora’s command, but at this moment, all I wanted to do was run. To take my baby and go far away from the temple, from the Golden Gates pack. Far from the laws, that bound me, to a place where no one could ever find
- US.
But I didn’t run.
The placenta has been birthed. Mother Liora came to me, her expression was stoic but I could see the sadness in her eyes. Gently she took the child from my chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time since I’ve known her.
I nodded; my teeth still clasped firmly on my lips. I wanted to kiss my baby… but I was scared that
I would never be able to let her go. I watched silently as they handed the baby to the midwife who took her to the corner of the room while her assistants began to clean me.
I didn’t notice what they were doing on my had my ever were fived on her Desnite how heav
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188 The truth of her birth II
my eyes were, I forced them to remain open. I wanted to remember what my baby looked like.
When she finished preparing the baby, she placed the child in a bassinet and turned to Mother Liora and the other women as they whispered for a few minutes. I didn’t mind them. I wasn’t interested in what they were saying. I just kept staring at my baby.
When they finished whispering and the midwife was about to take the baby, I murmured the first name that came to mind.
“Lyla!” I muttered, drawing in a deep breath. “Her name is Lyla.”
