Page 70 of Zar

Zar stared down at the woman of his heart, his Callie, as she held their baby. Sweat coated her forehead and strands of her long, blonde hair stuck to her face. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He leaned down and kissed her.

“I’m so happy, Zar. She’s beautiful. And perfect.”

He stared at the small bundle and his heart swelled. “That’s because she looks like her mother,” he murmured.

“I was so worried when I went into labor.”

He nodded, understanding her fear. He’d felt it too. “But the baby is healthy and the next time we will know what to expect.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not complaining, just glad it went well.”

“Her wings, my king,” Flare whispered from beside him. His brothers were in the room as well. All of them stared in awe at the baby in Callie’s arms. Suddenly, swords were drawn and they all slammed them into the floor and knelt before him. “Garra has blessed us all,” Flare stated, his eyes filling with tears.

Zar shot them all a glare. “Stand, all of you,” he ordered, knowing he’d have to explain the odd coloring of the baby’s wings to Callie. “Leave us.”

Everyone got to their feet and quietly left the room. All but Flare. Instead, he stepped closer to the bed and touched one, tiny wing. Suddenly, the regis stiffened and his eyes shot wide. “Ofelia,” he mumbled.

Flare’s voice was quiet enough that Callie didn’t hear, but Zar did. How could it be that the baby Callie had given birth to only an hour ago would someday grow up to be Flare’s ofelia? And how was he supposed to explain that to Callie?

Zar motioned for Flare to stay silent. His brows drew together as he gave a jerky nod before leaving the room. Once Zar was alone with Callie, Zar sat at the edge of her bed and softly explained, “Our baby is rare, Callie. Her wings are…they are not something I’ve ever seen. I’ve only heard of it happening.”

Her eyes filled with worry as she stared up at him. “Of what happening? Is something wrong with her?”

“Nothing like that, little dove,” he quickly reassured her. “Her translucent wings signify a trueh.”

Her gaze went back to the innocent bundle in her arms. “What does that mean? I don’t remember you teaching me that word during our language lessons.”

“A trueh is, for want of a better word, a psychic.”

“Wait, seriously?”

He nodded. “She will be able to foretell the future of any who touches her wings.”

Callie watched as their baby yawned and stretched. “That sounds like a heavy burdened to place on a child simply based on the color of her wings, Zar.”

“Nevertheless, Garra has willed it to be.” He stroked the baby’s head and sighed. “I’ve never personally been in the presence of a trueh because there hasn’t been any born in a millennium, but our healer was around during the time of the last trueh. She has confirmed it. Our Sasha is a trueh. Our people will be overjoyed by this news and will want to celebrate the blessing Garra has bestowed upon them.”

“I’m afraid for her, Zar,” Callie admitted, her brows scrunched in worry. “She’s just a baby. She’s our baby. I don’t want her to feel this huge weight. I just want her to be a happy, healthy child. That’s all.”

Zar moved to calm Callie by smoothing his palm up and down her arm. “She will not feel anything except for love. You have my word, okay?”

“Love, that’s all I want for our Sasha,” she explained, a tear trickling down her cheek. “To know that no matter what she is or what she becomes, her parents love her unconditionally.”

He swiped away her tears and kissed her lips briefly. “Of course she will be loved. And besides, I have a feeling Sasha will walk her own path, just like her mother.”

A smile replaced the fear and Zar let out a breath. His people had very clear rules for a trueh, but those rules were about to be broken. Callie had once said they should introduce one ripple at a time when it came to their traditional Zenarian ways. But Zar had a feeling that when Sasha came of age a tsunami would most definitely strike if she were anything like her mother. And there was Flare to contend with. Sasha was Flare’s ofelia. That was a bomb he would drop on Callie another day. For now he would bask in the happiness of having Callie by his side and a beautiful daughter to raise.

As long as they were together as a family, they could weather any storm. For now, Zar would cherish the blessings he’d been given. A beautiful and intelligent queen and his sweet little princess. Their future might not be certain, but one thing Zar knew for sure, he was the luckiest Zenarian to ever live.