Elemental Tears: The Eldritch Files, #8

Elemental Tears

The Eldritch Files, Book Eight

Phaedra Weldon

Caldwell Press

To the readers who have stuck with me this long. Again, remember, love endures, and there is always a plan…

…and there will be answers.

Summary

Now that Samantha no longer possesses the powers of an Elemental Witch, adjusting to life as a mere mortal, married to a Drachen, is harder than any enemy she’s ever encountered. Why? Because though she’s powerless, her friends aren’t, and those powers are leading them down paths she cannot follow. 

Ivan’s inability to resist the call of the Cyber Web has Dharma terrified. She’s worried about his physical health after finding him unresponsive.  

Kyle’s growing power in Southern Conjure has the Witch’s Parliament worried as the only tertiary member capable of controlling and advising the young Hedge Witch is now on his own path of destruction as he searches for the Dragon’s Eye. 

A new enemy has discovered Sam is vulnerable and with Crwys busy investigating a mounting number of what appear to be Voodoo related murders, there is no one there to protect her…

…or the secret she’s keeping from everyone, including her husband.

ONE

I stared at the doctor, taking in her more than happy expression. And the longer I stared, the faster that smile faded. Miss Holliard…you don't look too happy about this news.

I looked at my hands, then down at belly. My slightly protruding belly.

Crwys and I had been married for six months. It was the end of July, coming into the hottest, yuckiest weather in New Orleans (though some would debate August was the yuckiest). I'd slowly—very slowly—acclimated to not being a Witch. But saying that was like saying I was getting used to being without all five senses. I really hadn't known how much I'd depended on my abilities to live day to day. I couldn't sense danger; I couldn't sense enemies. I couldn't even sense Ivan or Kyle any longer.

I missed my Elementals. Their laughter. Just…their very presence had always been reassuring to me. They'd been with me since, well, as long as I could remember. Cowen children had their imaginary friends, and me—I'd always had my Sylph, Salamander, Undine, and Gnome. There was a huge hole there now. It was like growing up and learning Santa didn't really exist. Or the Easter Bunny. There was nothing magical in the world anymore.

BOR-ING.

I could pick Crwys out in the city. But that was because we'd bonded. And at first, he was a constant presence with me. Kinda like having a huge, fire-breathing guardian angel watching over me. But in the past month or so, he'd become busy with work. More murders to solve, more magical things to whisper with Kyle and Ivan about. And me…

Well…

I still ran Bell, Book and Candle most of the time. Kyle and Ivan handled the more specialized customers, and I just…again, well…

I stocked the shelves. I ordered materials. And lunch.

Lots of Chinese.

Because lately I was famished all the damn time! At first, I thought it was depression, ‘cause, you know…not a Witch. But when I started fainting when I stood up, I knew something was wrong. And the headaches…NOTHING was stopping the headaches. Tiny gnomes with platinum jackhammers tirelessly punching holes into my brain.

So, I made the usual ten o’clock in the morning doctor's appointment, though the only doctor I’d ever used was a OB/GYN, and that was just to get birth control. As a Witch, I could heal. Kyle could heal and we’d always done routine checks on each other. No need for a regular general practitioner.

But lately Kyle and Ivan were busy a lot more. Kyle was still studying Southern Conjure and helping Crwys and Tas locate Solomon Dumaine. Dude went crazy when he saw the Dragon's Eye…something he should have never seen. He stopped being Kyle's teacher and set out to get back into the Eye. And damn near succeeded…if I understood Tas and Crwys's cryptic conversations. They really didn't talk about it with me anymore.

No longer being a Witch cut me out of the club. So you see why I thought…depression.

As for Ivan…he was online a lot lately. Something Dharma had mentioned a few times. Like, really online. Completely submerged into Cyberspace. Tinkering with his limits, per Dharma. She was the only one who still talked to me about things that were happening in the Witching world, so to speak. She worked at the shop with me, but I think she did it to be close to Ivan or to keep me company. Jack and Kyle had finally bought Ina's old place and were living in happy bliss…I guess.

I'd been pretty much left alone. Even by Arden Vervain.

Until this morning when I'd received a text on my phone that my presence was requested in Parliament. That's the Witch's Parliament. The request had been made by Cosgrove, the High Witch personage. Muckity Muck. Hadn't heard from him since the wedding. They wanted me there at eleven-thirty…an hour and a half after my doc appointment.

Well…pffft. They could wait. I needed to check out my health.

I just…I really wasn't prepared for the news.

Miss Holliard?

I looked at her and I was trying really, really hard not to cry. But even that was difficult. I…we were so careful.

And you never forgot to take a pill?

No. Not once.

Let me see. She sat back down at the computer desk in the examining room and tapped a few keys. Huh…your hormone levels are all as they should be for someone taking the pill regularly. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked as perplexed as I felt. There is a percentage of effectiveness attached to taking birth control. I think a ninety-five or so percentage. Maybe you're in that five percent for whom it doesn't work.

Great. Just…great.

She lowered her arms and sat forward. Pregnancy can be a blessing, or a burden. Only you can make the decision which.

Yeah… Crwys and I had discussed this. He adamantly didn't want children. He knew Lethe had had children, and those kids had been born little more than zombie-like monsters, killer little dragons. Knowing that sort of muffled my maternal instincts. But…realizing I had a life inside of me…changed everything.

I can't make these decisions for you, Miss Holliard. But what I can do is go over what I'm seeing as possible problems.

Problems? I looked up at her real fast and protectively put my hand over my belly. With the baby?

No, with you. Baby seems fine at two months—

TWO MONTHS?! That's not possible. I just had my period last month!

Calm down, Mrs. Holliard. Was it a light period?

Yeeeah.

That’s called implantation bleeding. First two weeks of pregnancy you aren’t actually pregnant. Sperm meets egg within those two weeks, and you can still have what is assumed is a period. It's not uncommon. She waved her hand and then sat down at the computer in the room. Your blood work has some alarming trends. Your sugar levels are high, which usually doesn’t present itself as problem till late second or beginning of the third trimester. But since it’s so erratic now, I've ordered a glucose test.

How can you tell that?

There was a high concentration of blood in your urine. We check it for pre-eclampsia.

Oh.

About that time, someone knocked on the door and handed the doctor a small cup of something clear. She handed it to me. Drink this, and in an hour, we're going to take a blood sample.

An hour? I looked at the clock. Uhm…I have an appointment.

This is important, Samantha. When she used my first name, I knew it was serious. You could be a candidate for gestational diabetes. And if we don't catch it and it is gestational diabetes, it could affect the size of your child. It can also cause low blood sugar in babies when they’re born. That could land your baby in the NICU. Sometimes, stillbirth.

All kinds of jokes about birthing a Dragon came to mind, which of course quickly turned to panic. Was the fact this baby wasn't fully human the reason for the sugar problems? And would the doctor be able to tell this baby wasn't human?! That didn't even occur to me until that moment…what was I thinking taking this to a human doctor?

Nothing—you didn't know you were preggars!

I drank the stuff. Like…drinking pure corn syrup. Gross. She took the cup and tossed it. Now, there is also the concern for your heart.

Huh?

Your blood pressure is slightly elevated. She frowned at the computer screen. I’m just confused here. Most of these problems don’t happen till later in the pregnancy, if at all. But you’re barely pregnant. The triage nurse attributed it to what we call White Coat Syndrome—and she pulled at her own white lab coat—but after half an hour, it's still too high. We're going to have to monitor that and put you on medication that won't interfere with the pregnancy.

I felt light headed. Like…really…

I didn't realize I'd blacked out until I opened my eyes and saw three faces staring down at me. The doctor was on the right, taking my pulse again, while another nurse was pulling blood from my arm. I was on the examination table, flat on my back.

Welcome back, the doctor said and then shined lights in my eyes. What is your name?

Samantha…what happened?

You fainted. Where are you now?

I'm in the doctor's office. Why did I faint?

Not sure, but I suspect—she pulled the lights back and looked at me—it was the glucose you just drank. How is your stomach?

Oh. Yuck. I didn't realize how bad my stomach felt until she asked that question. I put my hand to my mouth. Nauseous.

Try and sit up.

I did…and the room spun out of control. What the hell was wrong with me?

Do you have someone who can drive you home?

No. I drove.

Give it another ten minutes, okay? I'll be right back. And everyone vacated the room. Which left me alone with my thoughts and fears. And lemme tell ya…them fears were big and ugly, and had sharp teeth.

I had fainted. I got dizzy and fainted. How Southern belle was that? I slid off the table and managed to keep myself upright, but…damn I was sick to my stomach and I was still light headed. All of this from drinking sugar?

I wasn't going to go into the pounding in my head at that moment. I needed to grab my big girl panties and woman up. Geez!

I had serious decisions to make. Did we keep this baby? Was this baby going to be a Dragon zombie? How was Crwys going to feel? I was pacing…I needed to move. I had to move. I wanted out of this room.

The door opened. I'm sorry, Miss Holliard, but you failed the preliminary test, so I'm scheduling you for a full glucose test first thing in the morning. Get here at eight and don't have anything to eat or drink after midnight. And I would really recommend you have someone drive you.

Glucose test? Didn't I just take one?

That's the preliminary. The one tomorrow morning will be the real test. What's happening is your body isn't producing enough insulin to counteract the glucose in your blood. After drinking that, with food in your system, your body should have started producing insulin to deal with what you just drank. But it didn't. Your sugar level should have dropped. And it didn't. So, we're going to try this on an empty stomach.

I put a hand to my head. Damn gnomes.

Headache?

Yeah…look… I stepped to the desk and grabbed my purse. I really have to go. I'm gonna be late.

Just see Jenny on the way out and make sure you're here at eight sharp.

I nodded