Page 112 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
Tsumiko brushed away tears. “Come to me, little one,” she whispered. “I’ll do my best to give you what you need.”
Brynn murmured soothing nonsense until the contraction faded, then beckoned insistently. “Argent, a word.”
Kyoko cried, “Stay back! Keep him away! You promised!”
Her nurse’s jaw worked, but she inclined her head. “I’ll bring more tea.” Pulling both Tsumiko and Argent into the hall, she shut the door and rounded on them. “She is wavering. Her life is in danger.”
“Agreed,” said Argent. “She will be used up, and that will bring an end.”
Tsumiko bit her lip. That wasn’t the ending she’d hoped for. But wanting wasn’t always enough to keep disappointments at bay. Still, she had to speak. “The baby wants to live.”
Argent’s eyebrows arched. “Naturally.”
Nurse Fallowfield said, “There is a way they can both survive.”
“If you are only mentioning itnow, can we assume this is a measure of last resort?” Argent asked with acid politeness.
“For more than one reason.” The lady of the horse clans frowned. “Not the least of which, it would go against Kyoko’s wishes.”
Tsumiko asked, “Why?”
“Because she doesn’t want the fox anywhere near her.” Brynn gestured helplessly. “But he could lend her the strength she needs to survive the delivery.”
“Oh?” Argent asked. “And how am I expected to accomplish such a feat?”
For the first time since Tsumiko had met her, Brynn Fallowfield looked uncertain. “A second reason is that the method is not widely known. To be blunt, it has been kept secret.”
Argent inquired, “Should we consider this trust … or desperation?”
Tsumiko nudged him with an elbow. “You can trust us. What can we do to protect them both?”
“After recent events, Mare Withershanks briefed a few of us—her former apprentices in midwifery—with regards to children of mixed descent.”
“Recent events?” asked Tsumiko. “Do you mean the Emergence?”
“I’m referring to the birth of Harmonious Starmark’s son.”
“We heard a little about that.” Tsumiko stole a look in Argent’s direction. “They were on the news—the whole Starmark family.”
“Common knowledge.” With a dismissive snort, Argent stepped closer to the nurse. “I am more interested in this great secret.”
Brynn said, “The mother is a human whose time has slowed to match her bondmate’s.”
Argent’s stiffened. “How?”
“That which washes inland can be pulled back into the sea.”
“Meaning …?”
“We are able to give as easily as we take.” Nurse Fallowfield spread her hands wide. “You can lend Kyoko strength. Take the absent bondmate’s place. Tend to her.”
“No.”
So much for obeying orders. Tsumiko asked, “Is there no other way?”
Brynn’s calm crumbled a little at the edges. “Without tending, I don’t know how she’ll survive.”
Tsumiko turned to Argent. “And you …?”
