Among Men: Genesis, Book 1

Chapter 10

Naomi saw as two little eyes peeked up from the railing of the stairs. Kyran stood on the tip of his toes to see over the landing, into the room where Octavia was being managed.

She intervened and hastily closed the door to scold him. "Kyran, this is not a scene for little lads. This is a woman's business."

She tugged him by the collar, pulling him back down the staircase. Her hand lifted her skirts as she walked explaining with a stern tone,
"Madame would be hopping mad if she found you awake at this hour."

"Why's Octavia crying?" He asked holding her hand over his collar as they turned to descend the alternate set of stairs leading down to the servant's quarters and Naomi tsked, she knew this was a conversation a boy should only have with his mother. Unfortunately, in some ways, they were all Kyran's mother. She held his wrist once they came to the servant's corridor, the bleakness of the gray stone walls greeted them with the chill in the air. She stood in front of him, kneeling down to level with his eyes.

"You know that Octavia is with child, don't you?"

"But she's having two babies."

"Yes, dear, and bringing those babies into this world is very painful. It's the most painful part of a woman's life. Octavia is laboring and she will do so for a long time."

Kyran turned his head up as he heard another groan of anguish from the level upstairs and his eyes widened with the uneasiness tugging at his heart,
"Is she gonna die?"

Naomi couldn't answer. No one wanted Octavia to die. But the last few months had been so poorly for the girl. She remembered the story of her walking south to England, not knowing she was carrying two children away from the life she so desperately needed to evade. Naomi sighed heavily and assured Kyran to keep his spirits,
"Octavia is strong. Madame will take care of her. You know that."

Kyran swallowed the lump in his throat as her screams still echoed through the walls and Naomi brought the boy close, into her skirts and wrapped her arms around him. She tossed his blonde locks with her fingers and they began down to his chambers he shared with another stable boy. He looked up to watch Naomi's copper hair sway with her steps and he asked,
"Where were you after supper? No one could find you."

"I was attending Master Sam. He asked for me. Now, you will stay in your bed. No more sneaking about "

She opened his door, the light in the corridor dimly falling into the room and he shuffled towards his bed. She used a candle from the hallway candelabra to light her path as she moved inside

She crept quietly to the bed on the opposite side of the room, beginning to pat the shoulder of a boy who slept soundly.

"Tobias." She said, rousing him softly. "Madame needs you lad, I'm sorry to disturb you."

He rose in the bed, grimacing at the candlelight and Kyran nestled down into his cot. Tobias held his head and said with his teenage voice breaking,
"What time is it?"

"Just a while before dawn, love. Madame needs you to ride west to Doctor Marshall."

Tobias shut his eyes tightly in annoyance and fell back into the pillows. Naomi turned to leave, urging him to start immediately and the door closed with a shutter. Kyran sat up in bed, watching Tobias rise, beginning to find his clothes and he said,
"Octavia is in labor. She's having two babies"

"Good. She's as big as a house." Tobias grunted picking up his trousers from the floor, and sliding them onto his legs frustratedly while Kyran spoke,
"Does that mean she was with a man twice?"

Tobias rose his eyes pettishly and said lowly to not let his next words carry too far,
"No, Kyran. If that were the case…Naomi would have a whole litter by now."