Page 72 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
"Nowhere, which is why the mortality rate for women giving birth was astronomical and like seven out of ten babies didn't survive their first year," Aerin preached.
"Be quiet! Just all of you be quiet. Please." Tierra deflated onto the cushions of the couch and buried her face in her hands. "It's too much. Zombies, covens, Horsemen, and goddess,babies." She couldn’t take it anymore.
"Oh, Tierra, you poor thing," Moira said. "Want me to make you some soothing tea?"
Aerin folded her arms over her chest. "There is a way to take care of your condition."
"No. Don't mention that again—"
"Aerin's right, Tierra," Claire said. "Maybe this isn't supposed to happen. You are miserable. You look like death warmed over—okay, okay, not the best choice of words, but we are worried about you. What if this baby kills you?"
"It won't." Though she wasn't sure. She'd yet to find a case online or in Grim that addressed the topic of witches and the Horsemen procreating. Plenty about demons. So that begged the question: were the Horsemen demons? Were she and her sisters?
"We don't know that," Claire continued, pointing to Tierra's belly. "Death is that thing's baby daddy." There was silence for a minute as Claire's word sunk in.
"It'll be okay." It had to be. Tierra took a deep breath and nearly choked on the rotten-egg smell coming from the kitchen. "But if we don't air out this house, I will be moving out."
"I can help with that." Aerin jumped to her feet and stirred the air.
"Moira, let's make an ocean breeze to rival the air freshener companies."
"On it."
Fresh air with a hint of brine and sunshine circulated into the room, driving the hellish smell away, and Tierra breathed easier.
Claire sat next to her and took her hand. "There, that's better. Have you tried meditating lately? Close your eyes and think of your gardens."
Tierra moaned. "My gardens were trampled by zombies last night."
"Right, not gardens. Think of the Standing Stones."
"Where Idied?" She looked at her in horror.
"Ugh, help me out here."
"Think of our mother," Moira suggested. "Remember how lovely she was, how much she loved us. She carried four babies. Lord love a donkey. What if...what if you're so sick on account of you're having more than one?"
"It's too early to tell," Aerin said, looking worried. "It's hard enough to think of one."
"Not helping," Tierra said, opening her eyes and getting to her feet. She had to grab the back of the couch as a wave of dizziness attempted to take her down.
Moira reached out and steadied her. "How about we go outside for a bit."
"Hey, we can practice flying our brooms!" Aerin jumped to her feet. "It'll be a nice break for all of us and something we need to master— and fast—anyway."
"Except the coven is watching and wanting to know how to do that very thing," Claire pointed out. "And something like that is best done under the cover of darkness."
Aerin waved her hand as though to shoo away a pesky bug. "I'm not worried about them."
"They could have spies on us right now," Tierra said. Tommy would be the perfect spy as Lucy gave Claire the spell to bring him back. No matter how they brought up the subject, Claire refused to evict him. Could he be what was stinking up her kitchen?
"I know a cloaking spell," Claire said. "I found it in the book. It just appeared. Funny, right? Get it, cloaking spell,appeared."
"A cloaking spell as in the Romulans?" Aerin asked.
"I love that you know that, and yes, just like that." Claire smiled.
"Sorta."
