Page 166 of The Warlock's Trial

I hurried to get Onyx, then left the girls in the bedroom while I portaled to Hok’evale. I found Luana standing in her office next to her father.

“Luana has asked me to accompany her to interpret,” Chief Cauac said. “But only if you’re okay with it.”

There were very few people I trusted to come into our safe house, but I trusted these two with our lives. Teleinsight had been useful in a pinch, but a skilled interpreter was always the better option.

“Yes, you’re more than welcome,” I told him.

Luana grabbed a medical cart beside her and followed me through the portal with all the equipment. Her father entered the portal behind her. Nadine lay propped against the pillows. Onyx sat on the bed beside her, holding her hand.

“Hello.” Nadine greeted Luana with a smile and a gesture in American Sign Language. Luana signed back kindly.

Chief Cauac stood next to me, on the opposite side of the bed from Luana, so that she could easily see us all. “I will be interpreting everything said today, and all conversation will remain confidential. You may speak between one another as if I’m not here. I may ask you to slow down or pause, and I may need to ask for clarification. Do I have everyone’s consent to do that?”

“Yes,” we all agreed.

“How are you feeling today?” Chief Cauac interpreted for Luana.

“Better than last night,” Nadine answered.

Luana made a questioning gesture, and Nadine nodded. Luana placed one hand on Nadine’s head, and the other on her belly. A magical white glow filled the room. Luana tried to mask her disappointment as she drew away, but I saw it on her face clear as day. She signed to Nadine.

“Your blood pressure is high,” Chief Cauac said. “I believe you have preeclampsia, but I will need to do a blood test and urinalysis to measure your protein levels.”

“It’s a good thing I really have to pee, then,” Nadine joked. I could tell she was feeling at least a little better, or she wouldn’t be joking right now.

“You’re not worried?” I asked her.

“A little,” she admitted. “But we’ve known for a long time I was high risk, so I guess I’ve already been preparing for this news. I’m not surprised.”

I looked at Luana. “I thought Nadine was taking meds to reduce her risk.”

Chief Cauac interpreted. “Nadine’s medication only reduces the risk by about fifteen percent. The meds may have helped reduce the severity, as her case is mild at the moment.”

“So it could get worse?” I asked.

Luana gave an affirming nod, and Chief Cauac added, “Yes, but we can keep her symptoms under control with close monitoring.”

I shifted my weight between my feet uncomfortably. “You’ve been monitoring her weekly. How could this happen so fast?”

Luana signed quickly, and Chief Cauac said, “Preeclampsia can come on suddenly. Many women don’t even know they have it until it shows up on tests. When you start feeling sick, you need to be admitted right away, and we may have to induce early.”

“Is this why she threw up blood?” I asked Luana desperately.

“No, that was something else entirely, though it could have triggered preeclampsia,” her father interpreted. “We’ve prepared for this. Nadine has lupus, she’s undergone a kidney transplant, and she’s carrying twins. These are all risk factors, and we’re going to keep her symptoms under control.”

“You can’t heal it?” I wondered.

“Since preeclampsia is widespread, Anichi can’t heal it without the risk of triggering labor. Pregnancy, in particular, is difficult for even the most experienced healers to manage with Spirit magic. We Anichi believe that pregnancy is the magic of creation itself, and therefore, it’s not able to be easily influenced without causing something to go wrong. Keeping Nadine’s symptoms under control is the best option. The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery.”

“Cool.” Nadine looked up to Luana. “Can I pee now?”

“I’d like to do an ultrasound before taking a urine sample. A full bladder helps with the imaging.”

Luana started untangling cords from her cart, which I noticed for the first time had a laptop on top.

“Here, let me help,” Onyx offered. She only knew one sign in ASL, which I guess was the word help.

The girls worked together to get the ultrasound machine plugged in. Nadine had two ultrasounds before—one right after we found out she was pregnant, and one at twenty weeks. Still, I couldn’t get over how special it was to see our baby boys on the screen. I held Nadine’s hand as Luana ran the wand over Nadine’s belly. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen as I watched the boys wiggle. According to Luana, they appeared healthy and unaffected by last night’s incident.

---