Chapter 9 - The Long Night Begins
Inside the cabin, the agony of labor had stripped away all pretense. Elena’s screams were muffled by the thickness of the cedar logs, but the pain tore through her with increasing frequency. Mara worked tirelessly, boiling water, preparing clean linen, and using the herbal tinctures her mother had taught her to brew decades ago.
Keller stood guard at the frost-covered window, a hunting rifle resting against the sill.
“They’re cutting the power line,” Keller said suddenly as the single electric bulb hanging from the rafters flickered and died, leaving the room illuminated only by the orange glow of the hearth.
“Keep your eyes on the gully,” Mara ordered, not looking up as she checked Elena’s dilation. “Elena, look at me. Breathe. You have to push now. We don’t have the luxury of time.”
“I can’t,” Elena wept, her fingers digging into Mara’s forearm, breaking the skin where the earlier scratch had barely healed. “I have no strength left, Mara. Tell Leander... tell him I didn't steal anything from him.”
“You will tell him yourself,” Mara snarled with fierce tenderness. “You will stand on your own feet and look down at him when he breaks. Push, Elena! Bring your child into this world!”
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Outside, the first gunshot echoed through the trees—a sharp, whip-like crack that caused snow to fall from the cabin’s eaves. Keller returned fire through the shattered pane of the window, the smell of cordite instantly overpowering the scent of lavender and blood.
Elena screamed, a sound born of primal endurance, as the door of the cabin groaned under the impact of an approaching force.
