Chapter 502: Surprise
Mason walked in the door with a feeling of peace and calm flooding through him. He was home, back with his girls, and for a (very) little while he could forget the world, the responsibilities and violence.
A high heeled shoe flew by his head.
“Son of a bitch!”
Rosa took the time to stare daggers at him, then stomped away into the kitchen with one shoe. She was wearing a long shirt and not much else, and looked like she'd been crying.
Haley gave him a ‘sorry’ face like she knew something he didn’t, but still didn’t explain. He glared but followed, no idea what he could have done, and why Haley didn’t tell him.
Becky popped in from some side door all covered in dirt, wearing coveralls and gloves.
“Oh shit,” she said. “Is it happenin’? I ain’t gonna miss this.”
“Should I, uh, come back later?” Mason called, sort of hoping the answer was ‘yes’.
When no one said anything he looked at Becky, who just shook her head like ‘you’re fucked’. He cleared his throat.
“I’ll come back.”
“I’m pregnant!” Rosa shouted from the other room. “We’re all fucking pregnant, you horny son of a bitch.”
Mason went through a range of confused emotions. He took a few steps closer to the kitchen, steeling himself before looking in to see Rosa and Lexi in chairs around a table covered in seemingly random items.
“I was going to be different,” Rosa said, flopping her face down into her arms.
“They um, wanted to tell you themselves,” Haley said, with an apologetic face. She leaned over Rosa and put her hands on her shoulders. “We knew it was going to happen. And now we’ll do it together. It’ll be fun! And our kids will be the same age.”
Rosa picked up what looked like a slipper off the table and yet again tossed it at Mason’s head. He angled it to let it pass.
“Of course our kids will be the same age! That walking dick over there is fucking us all over the place!”
Lexi looked up at Mason with a sheepish grin.
“I’m pregnant, too. It’s scary. But…kind of exciting.”
Mason smiled and wanted to go to her, but he held back for the moment. Rosa tossed the other slipper with terrible aim, and Mason watched it sail past.
“At least let me fucking hit you!” she yelled, then flopped back down on her arms. Mason wasn’t an expert Rosa-reader yet, but he sensed the fight was going out.
And while he had no idea what to do about a hormone filled, angry Mexican woman, he knew you reeled in a fish when the line went slack.
He came closer and knelt down beside both girls, taking Lexi’s hand and waiting for Rosa. She slapped him, but her heart wasn’t in it. Then she hugged him and cried a little as he rubbed Lexi’s fingers.
“You do live in a tree fortress,” he said. “And you don’t have to work.” Haley gave him a panicked head shake and he spoke again quickly. “Of course you can work. If you want. We could always use the potions.”
Rosa kept hugging him but punched his leg, then slowly pulled it away, pretending it hadn’t hurt.
“Work with chemicals? Like this? You think that would be good for the baby, do you?”
Mason shrugged with a helpless grin.
“We could…get you a gas mask?”
Rosa pulled back and rolled her eyes, but then looked like she was considering it. She wiped her nose.
“I guess I do have helpers around. Even if they are all pregnant.”
Mason smiled encouragingly, standing to pull both women up to give them a proper hug. He looked at Haley for some other idea of what to do, but she just grinned and shrugged.
“There might even be a….I don’t know…children’s center, or something? I can check the buildings. Maybe we can stick the kids in pods.”
Rosa pulled back and stared with angry eyebrows.
“You think I’m going to put my little girl in a pod? What the hell is wrong with you?” She pulled back and started speaking so fast and weird it had to be translated, and with Mason’s bits and pieces of knowledge it still came at him like Spanglish. But there was definitely a few curses.
“It could be a boy,” he said. She looked at him like he was an idiot.
“The Majorcas always have girls first. It’s like six generations. So no, it’s not a boy. And thank God for that, because in twenty years your boy would go knocking up every girl in Nassau. Except they’d probably be his cousins.”
“I’d like a boy,” Lexi said, glancing between the other women and Mason. “I mean, they’re so cute when they’re small. Like little baby bears, or something.”
Rosa rolled her eyes some more and flopped back in the chair, eventually taking the hand Haley hand draped over her shoulder.
“OK,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’m hungry. We should cook some lunch.”
And just like that, it was all over.
Mason let Rosa and Haley start arguing and pulling a dozen things out of the fridge, carrying Lexi to the couch for a proper cuddle and a few words about the pregnancy.
“You’re OK?” he said. “I mean, I guess it doesn’t matter how we feel about it, it’s happening. And I know it’s…fast. Everything’s fast now and to be honest I’m just trying not to freak out or…”
Lexi kissed him and grinned, and he took a breath.
“I’m fine,” she said, practically bouncing now. “More than fine. All I ever wanted was a big family. And with all the girls there’ll be so many kids. Isn’t it brilliant? Just think of the Christmases. And the Halloweens! Oh my God there’ll be little adorable babies everywhere.”
As usual, it was hard not to get caught up in Lexi’s excitement. Mason noticed Becky was still lingering at the edge of the room, and he held out an arm until she glanced around and crept over.
“I mean, I like bein’ an aunt and all,” she said. “But this is gettin’ ridiculous.”
“Yeah.” Mason shook his head. “I didn’t even have a dad. I mean not until my adopted parents. Now I’m supposed to have three kids? What the hell do I know about anything.”
“Pa said his job was to be honest, fair, and sometimes scary. He said Momma would do the rest. I expect you can manage at least that.”
“Oh my God.” Lexi covered her mouth and giggled. “My poor baby is going to have to look up at his father’s glowing green eyes just because he stole a cookie. You’re going to have to learn to be nice.”
“I can be nice,” Mason said, struggling to even imagine himself with a small child.
“Drop that cookie, kid,” Lexi badly imitated his voice, and an American accent in general. “You won’t make it to the door.”
Mason glared with narrowed eyes, but the girls were all giggles.
“You think this is a game, kid? Be ready for anything,” Becky said in her own imitation, but couldn’t hold it and started howling.
“OK.” Mason threw their legs off his lap and stood. “I don’t have to take this abuse. I’m tired and came home because I need help. And I’ve been dodging shoes and existential crises.”
They joked and talked a little more, Mason not wanting to ruin things quite yet by getting out the artifact. Finally Naya and Ayet came from another section of the hall, and things got a little awkward.
Mason did his best to overcome. He smiled and ignored Naya’s polite elven greeting, scooping her up for a big hug, then pulling Ayet in too.
“You’re doing well?” he asked.
“Yes, husband.” Naya was obviously pleased to see him, but there was a sadness and impatience in her face and body language. He expected the other women being pregnant was hard on her. And that she didn’t have any news of her own.
He had no idea what to say. The nymphs had said things should be working. They just hadn’t had many opportunities, which he imagined explained the impatience. All he could do was promise to spend a lot more time trying…which was definitely not a hardship. Except he was so damn busy he wasn’t sure he could promise…at least not in the short term.
“We’d better get to your item, Mason, I know you don’t have much time.”
Haley saved him. Just like usual. He sighed and stepped back from the elves, taking the artifact from his bag.
“I’m really here to get help with this.” He carried the seed and set it on the table, impressed by roboGod’s tree-city construction when the sphere didn’t roll an inch.
The girls all stared, half their eyes eyes glazing with visual powers. Mason was mostly watching the elves. Naya just looked curious. Ayet blinked and raised a hand, muttering something before pulling back with wide eyes.
“It’s…some kind of natural artifact,” she said. “I’ve read of such things in the magic texts. But…to see one in person. Where did you find it?”
A promising start, at least. Rosa’s eyes eventually cleared and she shrugged like she had no idea.
“A great tree gave it to me,” he said, not wanting to get into too much detail. “It was the last thing it did before it died.”
The elves sagged as if understanding the weight of such a thing, but Ayet was still staring at the orb. Mason really hoped it didn’t screw with her as it had with the nymphs.
“We need to get Oracle Dariya,” she said. “If anyone knows about such a thing, it will be her. She is the oldest elf alive, as far as I know.”
Mason nodded, his paranoia pinging. The old elf hadn’t given him any reason to distrust her, at least since their initial meeting. She’d tricked him but he’d understood why. And she’d done nothing but help the settlement since then.
He had no rational reason not to trust her. She served his house now, and had served his wife before. What other motivation could she have? But something in his gut wouldn’t budge.
“OK,” he said, pushing past it. “Message her please, Haley. But only her for now. If we can’t figure anything out, then we’ll open it up to all the other civilians and elves.”
Haley nodded and wandered off with a hand to her head like she had a damn ear piece. And maybe she did.
“What are you trying to understand?” Ayet said. Mason shrugged.
“How it works. How to use it. What happens when I do use it, and what happens after. I know a bit more than I’m telling you. But this thing is very dangerous.”
Mason wanted to go to each girl while he waited—maybe to give them all some more comfort and sit with them one by one and talk. But he knew if he started that it wouldn’t end with him leaving.
He wasn’t a husband or boyfriend right now—he was a ‘Baron’ in charge of thousands of lives. And maybe the whole damn human race.
Dariya arrived puffing in a few minutes. Haley escorted her in with a few pleasantries, but the ancient elven woman mostly grunted or ignored her.
“What’s so important?” When she saw Naya and Ayet she relaxed visibly. “My ladies. This is all very clandestine. Do you require the talents of a seer?”
“Possibly.” Mason gestured at the orb. “Ayet thinks you might know what this is.”
“It looks like a blurry green grapefruit,” she said without interest. Mason gestured to take a closer look, and the old woman sighed and squinted as she came forward. “I could chant a little if it makes you feel better,” she said. “Mumble some fancy sounding words.”
He just waited, and the ancient elf poked the seed and squeezed it literally as you would with fruit. Eventually she shrugged and waved a hand over it, her eyes glazing with magic. Mason heard a kind of sizzling sound.
Dariya stood there as if still channeling, and he was about to ask if she detected anything when a scent like burning ozone filled his nostrils.
Something in his gut flipped. He didn’t know what was happening or why, he just knew it was bad. He stood and activated his Earth gem, blasting out a wave of anti-magic force that had the girls shrieking as a burst of air and natural magic flew through the hall in a wave.
He managed to catch the seer as she collapsed.
“Get Alex,” he ordered. “And tell Aila to open the infirmary. We might need it.” He swept the old woman with his Ranger’s Mark looking for anything obvious. She blinked and swallowed and shook her head as she glanced around the room.
“No…I’m…I’m alright. Stop fussing.”
Mason helped her to her feet, and the other elven women bombarded her with questions, offering some kind of tea as they were all helping her into a chair. She waved them off and kept saying no until she stopped and actually thought about it.
“Actually, some tea would be nice.”
After a few breaths and a long sigh she looked at the seed again and shivered.
“Gaia’s memory is…long. Her magic still despises my mistress.” She sighs. “I suppose I have some explaining to do.”