The sight of a real baby jolted Riven, taking his breath and wrenching his stomach.
Avice didn’t even blink.“Nora will see to you,” she said, securing the box and getting to her feet.
“Thank you.”Riven frowned as he stared at the child.“What’s the baby’s name?”
“Baby,” Witless said, cooing to the bundle, letting the tiny hand hit his nose.
“No need for names, that comes later,” Avice said.“After the casting.”She gathered up her work and the scroll box.“They’ve acquired the number required, I believe.”
The sick feeling in his stomach expanded.
Avice swept past Witless, heading to the door.“Have a care for yourself, Riven.We can’t have you working yourself to death.”
Riven sagged on his stool as the door closed behind her.Witless was by the window, cuddling the child.
They’d started to accumulate spell components.The shelves around him were filled with bags of diamond dust, gold, and gems, all with a strict inventory.Barrels of quartz sand, pure silver bowls, the highest quality beeswax candles…
Babies.
Knowing was one thing.Seeing was a gut-punch.
Names were important; they’d had names before they’d ended up in the orphanage.He’d forsaken his name due to his shame, but theirs had been discarded, trashed, erased.
“Master?”Witless gave him a worried look.“No eat dinner?”
The baby peeped out of its swaddling, staring at him with dark eyes.It was darker skinned, a chubby face, with just a few wisps of black hair.
He’d undoubtedly had a name before this, but it had been discarded as if it had no meaning, like so much trash to toss in a midden.Riven had given up his name; he’d no right to it.But this child, all the babes, they—
Riven’s stomach flipped again.“No,” he said.“No dinner.”
“Nonsense,” Nora came through the door, clearly having heard his words.“You need to eat.”
Witless dropped his eyes, backing away as she came to stand behind Riven, putting her hands on his shoulders.He could feel her warmth through the cloth and melted slightly.She was so beautiful, her black hair down over her shoulders, her scent surrounding him as she pressed against him.
“What are you doing to yourself, tying yourself in knots?”she murmured as she started to knead his muscles.He leaned back against her, taking a deep breath.She smelled of ginger and tea.
A sneeze startled them both.Riven turned to see the baby’s face suddenly scrunch up as it let out a wail.
“Take that back to the nursery, moon-child.”Nora commanded.“Do not return.I will see to the tray.”
Witless obeyed, backing away, shushing the babe as he went out.
“Eat,” Nora said as she slipped onto the stool beside the tabl, and started to uncover the dishes.“Then we can see about the knots in your back.”
Riven took a piece of bread as she poured kavage.He started to pick at the bread.“So we have all five babies?”
“So I was told,” Nora said.“Apparently the orphanage idea was a good one.”
“How fares Xykeir?”Riven asked.
“Well enough.”Nora shrugged.“He’s got wet nurses and nursemaids.They care for him.”
“The Queen isn’t feeding him from her own breast?”
“Not likely!”Nora laughed, then tilted her head as if surprised at his reaction.“She gets daily reports.”
“I guess I thought that you and the others would care for him,” Riven said slowly.
