Page 113 of The Warlock's Trial

“Congratulations. So did I.” I held out my hand to show them the ring.

Quentin’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. Who’s the lucky guy?”

I smirked and rolled my eyes. “I’ll give you one guess.”

Quentin grinned in a teasing manner. “Congrats to you and Lucas.”

“Sorry we couldn’t be there,” Lydia said. “Travel isn’t very easy for us at the moment.”

I waved my hand. “Don’t worry about it. We had to keep the ceremony small and private.”

Quentin nodded. “Understandable. Last we heard, things have only gotten worse back home. We want to come back to Octavia Falls eventually, but we can’t come back until things settle down. We’re taking classes again, and Lydia’s got her physical therapy and treatments.”

“The Anichi doctors have been amazing,” Lydia raved. “Their healing powers have sped up my recovery significantly.”

“What kind of prognosis did they give you?” I wondered. I knew they couldn’t heal everything, but I wondered just how far the Anichi’s healing magic went.

“The damage to my spine the night of The Hearse Tragedy was too severe to fix,” Lydia told me. “Besides that, I’d already been healing by the time we came here, so they couldn’t undo what my body had already done. I’m not going to be able to walk again, but I’ve been able to manage my pain better. Months of recovery were condensed into weeks, but we’re not finished. Every spinal cord injury is different, so we’ve just been taking it one day at a time.”

“So you come here often for physical therapy?” I wondered.

“Actually, my physical therapy is in another building,” Lydia replied, before glancing toward Quentin.

He replied with a goofy grin. “We’re actually here because we just found out we’re pregnant!”

“Wow…” I trailed off. I couldn’t imagine having a baby in the midst of everything going on in our coven, but Quentin and Lydia seemed safe and happy here in Hok’evale.

Lydia noticed my hesitation, and she laughed. “We’re very excited.”

“Well in that case, congratulations!” I cried.

“It was a bit unexpected,” Quentin admitted. “But we can’t wait to meet our little one.”

He placed his hand on Lydia’s belly, and she rested hers over the top of his. I didn’t notice a bump, so she couldn’t be very far along.

“I guess the Anichi treatments made me extra fertile,” Lydia said with a laugh. “My legs may not work, but my reproductive organs are operating just fine.”

I forced a smile. I was happy for them, but I wished we were meeting under better circumstances. “I’m glad everything’s working out for you two.”

Quentin squeezed Lydia’s hand. “We’re doing great. We really are. I can’t wait to be a dad. It’s killing me not knowing if it’s a boy or a girl. I just want to give the little one a name, you know?”

“Do you have names picked out?” I asked.

“We haven’t settled on a girl’s name yet,” Lydia said. “But if it’s a boy, we’re naming him Alistair.”

“Maybe you won’t need a girl’s name,” I offered. “In less than nine months, we could be meeting little Alistair.”

Lydia lit up. “I like the sound of that.”

“Nadine Taylor?” a voice came from behind me.

I turned to see a nurse. I waved goodbye to Lydia and Quentin, then stood to follow her. She led me back to an exam room and took my height, weight, and vitals.

“What concerns do we have today?” she asked.

“I have lupus, and I got a kidney transplant a few months ago, but I woke up with some stiffness and fatigue that worry me,” I said.

She typed something into the computer, then stood. “All right. Dr. Malach will be right with you.”

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