Chapter 3 Episode 3: The black stone

Chapter 3

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Lucas was still looking at the baby, smiling, and was almost crying as Ursula kept screaming.

"I can not do this anymore. Please," she kept crying as the midwives urged her to push.

Lucas stood up and handed the baby over to Odette who smiled at the baby. She started rocking the baby as Lucas heard Ursula scream again as his attention was averted toward her.

When he was carrying the baby, his attention was totally taken away from his wife, but now that he had given the baby to Odette, he immediately thought honored his wife.

He walked up to her and knelt as he held her hand.

"Ursula, you can do this. I know you are strong. Please. Have you seen the first baby? She is very beautiful. Come on, she can not wait to see her sister" He spoke to her as she kept pushing.

Odette made sure that no one was paying attention to her as she looked at the baby with great intent who was staring back at her.

(I am very sorry, you are so fragile and innocent. But I have to do this for the benefit of the coven. You are not supposed to live. Your birth would only cause destruction and chaos in Stoneville. I am so sorry, little one that I have to do this. You have to go back) she said to the baby through her mind as she moved to a corner and covered the baby's nose with her fingers and the baby started struggling to breathe. She covered the baby's mouth so that she would not be able to cry out as she kept struggling.

"Odette! We have a problem! The baby!" Adelle called out to Odette who got shocked.

"What Is it?" She asked still holding the baby's nose.

She was scared because if she released her grip when the baby was not dead, It would mean more trouble. But if she does not leave the black stone and go and see what was happening to the white one, they might lose the two and the Council Chief asked her to do whatever that is in her power to save the white stone.

She removed her grip from the baby's nose as she burst out crying, Lucas sprung up and ran to take the baby from her as she rushed to check the Queen and the baby.

"What is it?" She asked immediately, the Queen had stopped pushing and was breathing hard.

"The nuchal cord is looped around the baby's neck!" Adele cried out.

"What?" She became stoned as she started trying to do whatever she could to save the white stone.

Meanwhile, Lucas does not understand what was wrong with the baby that he was carrying, he could see dry tears that had rolled down from her eyes and she was breathing heavily and fast.

He was about to panic as he considered that it might not be good for Ursula as he tried to calm his nerves. He glanced over at Odette because she was the only one that held the baby before she became this way.

He started soothing the baby who was still wailing, he could not help calling the attention of one of the midwives.

He began to suspect if Odette did anything to the baby, but the way that she was sweating and doing everything humanly possible to save the other baby that was about to die made him have some doubts.

When the baby finally stopped crying, he took the baby back from the midwife who went to help out with Ursula.

"Do not worry, little one. Father would never leave you again" he said to the baby as he heard another outburst of a crying baby.

He rushed over to Ursula who was smiling and looking at the other baby that Odette was holding. The baby had white long hair with a tattoo of a white half-sun on her forehead.

"I did it!" Odette mumbled looking at the crying baby as she began to cry as she was able to save the baby.

The midwives and the king and queen had no idea why Odette was crying, they just watched as she carried and soothe the baby, and Lucas immediately removed the doubt he was having about her.

Lucas held the other baby and Odette was with the other. They presented the babies to Ursula who began crying and laughing at the same time.

"My babies!" She muttered. By this time, the white stone had stopped crying.

The midwives began to clear up the place as Odette handed the white stone to Adelle who took the baby and started rocking her.

"I need some fresh air" she announced and walked out of the chamber and closed the door after her. She immediately rested her back on the wall and could scarcely breathe. She wiped off the bead of sweat from her forehead and started walking through the passageway again.

She moved stealthily and kept looking back at regular intervals, making sure that no one was trailing behind her back until she got to where the Council Chief was waiting for her.

Immediately he saw her, he grabbed her shirt and pushed her to the wall. She bulged her eyes as her heart skipped.

"Tell me the black stone is dead!" He mumbled as a flicker of tears dropped from her eyes.

"I tried to, but she did not..."

"She did not what?! Tell me if she is alive or dead!" He yelled as she began to cry.

"She is alive! There was no time. The King was there, I could not. But I think he must suspect me for doing something to the baby and..."

"What happened? Why could you not kill her?" He barked at her

"I almost did. I swear! But the white stone was in trouble!" She cried out as he started using his magic on her. He clenched his fist as her throat began to tighten.

"If I had killed... killed...the black stone... the white stone would have died... I had fo sacrifice..."

"What?!" He exclaimed and released his fist as she fell to the ground and began coughing while holding her throat.

"What do you mean by that?" He urged her as she continued coughing, trying to catch her breath.

"The nuchal cord was looped around the neck of the white stone, I had to intervene else we would have lost her" she finally spoke and was touching her throat, she immediately wondered what the black stone felt when she was obstructing her from breathing.

"And you feel that that could not wait? You could have executed the plan first!" He said angrily.

"Adelle called to my attention and if I had not intervened fast. If I had hesitated, we would have lost both of them and the chance of having another Queen!" She explained as his nerves began to calm.

Although he was filled with rage, he back faced her and became deep in thought.

"Leave!" He uttered as she scurried away without thinking twice.

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7 Days Later. (Presentation of the Princesses to the Council)

At the Council Meeting.

The council was gathered as they waited for the scroll keeper, Clara, who rang the bell the day her grandmother died and she saw a new prophecy. But the council did not hold as the Queen who gave birth that same day could not attend.

So, she was to tell the prophecy on the day that the princesses were to appear before the council for the first time.

The princesses were kept in two different cradles, the white stone in a black cradle and the white stone in a white cradle at the middle of the hall where everyone could see.

The Queen sat on her throne while Lucas sat beside her. They knew that it would be very tough at the meeting as everyone was prepared for the worse.

This time, the black and white witches did not sit together as they used to, rather, they segregated themselves with the black witches, staying in a row and the white witches staying at the other.

The council chief was also present as he held a sullen expression.

"Forgive my delay," Clara said immediately she walked in. Although she was just 16 years old, she was given the respect given to Scroll keepers as they do not see her age, but what she is and could do.

The council chief immediately stood up to address them so that they could quickly move on.

"I stand on behalf of the whole council members to give our sincere condolences to Clara for the loss of her grandma, Annabel. It was not just her loss, but the loss of Stoneville at large. We would all stand in silence for a brief period to pay the last respect to our Annabel" He spoke as everyone

suddenly stood up in silence.

They remained that way with their heads bowed for a few minutes as the Council Chief nodded, and they all say down except him.

"We shall start the meeting now" he announced.

"But before we move to the decision to be taken about the babies, we need to hear the new prophecy from the new Scroll Keeper" he ended and sat down as Clara stood.

She did exactly as she saw her grandma did 7 days ago when they arrived to relay the prophecy before she started talking.

"I am honored to be before the presence of the great council of Stoneville as the new Scroll Keeper. I promise to do my best to carry out the duty that has been assigned to me by destiny and bloodline" she spoke and bowed as they waited patiently for her to start spilling the beans.