Natas didn’t look away from Phlox, to observe the baby. Her eyes yes stayed trained on Phlox, drinking in her fear and helplessness. Her desperation was so satisfying, though Natas gave no indication in her voice or expression.
“Help…help him live.” Phlox said, her voice breaking then, her fear and distress coming through. “Please…he was born…he was born dead. I need him to live. I’ll do anything. I’ll give you anything.” She choked. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Natas pulled away, her hair slithering across Phlox’s shoulder as she did so. Only perhaps Armand, could see the most camouflaged smile in her stone expression. Natas didn’t ask permission before snatching the babe from her arms. She held the bundle up in her palm, examining him in the firelight. Natas contemplated how funny it would be to revive him, and then toss him into the fire anyways. It would be easy, Natas could do anything with confidence. But she wouldn’t let that be known right away, the only thing funnier then tossing the baby into the fire, would be wasting a desperate woman’s time.
“He’s been dead a long time already.” Natas declared, as if it meant anything to her. He was easier to hold like this, like a hard loaf of stale bread. There was heft to him, but he hardly felt like a baby anymore.
Phlox’s hands scrambled for her baby, but only able to tangle themselves into Natas’s skirts. She pulled at them, not in a malicious way, but in desperation.
“Please, please! You must be able to do something for him.” Phlox begged, eyes overflowing now. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Natas continued to hold the baby up in the air, like a game of keep away. She was quiet, feigning contemplativeness even though she already knew what she wanted.
“Of course I’ll fix your mistake. But nothing is free.” Natas began. “On his eighteenth year, I want you to come back here, and lay on your sword. Your life, in exchange for his. Of course, if you tell Jack, I will terminate the agreement. It’ll be like he was never alive.” It was important to decimate Jack that way, he’d most certainly perish in one way or another. Whether he came to her guns blazing, or died of a broken heart, but it needed to blindside him. Jack could not know, and have time to prepare for the eighteenth year.
Phlox didn't skip a beat. If Natas was asking for her life, even if she knew it would break Jack's heart, she would give it up just to have their baby.
"Yes, yes, I'll do whatever. I'll do anything, just make him alive. Just let him live." She agreed quickly, nodding her head fervently as she clung desperately still to Natas' skirts. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Natas brushed Phlox’s hands off the skirt of her dress. She reached for a dagger that was mounted above the wood stove, once in hand, she sat the baby down onto a nearby table. Then, she took the dagger and sliced her own palm before snatching up Phlox’s hand and slicing her palm as well, no warning before she did so. At that point, she clasped their hands hard together, white knuckled, squeezing her hand.
“Swear it, swear to me. You must tell no one, and you come back to me in an eighteen years from today. Don’t try to escape it, don’t try to hide, your life for his.” Natas hissed, pulling her close.
Phlox winced and let out a hiss of pain, but did not recoil and showed no signs of protest or hesitation.
"I swear it. I swear my life for his. I swear I will tell no one...not even Jack." Phlox said, swallowing hard at that last bit. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Natas thrust Phlox back down onto the floor, wiping her hand on her dress as she moved back over to the babe on the table. She smiled softly and cradled him in her arms, she rocked him gently, and with the bloodied hand, she dragged it down his face. Slowly at first, and then violently all at once, the bundle began to wriggle. Some quiet fussing could be heard, coughing and squawking the blossomed into cries. The baby fussed in her arms, full of life and renewed strength, his mouth made a little ‘O,’ rooting for a breast.
Natas held him by the front of his swaddle before extending her arm, to dangle the wriggling babe near her.
Phlox let out a sputtered little sob of joy and relief and reached out to paw at the air, feeling for the crying baby. Her bloodied palm found the bundle first and she quickly gathered him up from Natas without hesitation. She touched his face with her unwounded hand, feeling out his soft features, now full of movement and warmth. She raised him to her face and pressed her cheek to his, weeping as he wriggled and turned towards her to mouth at her. She composed herself enough to lift her shirt and lower the babe to latch onto her breast.
"He's alive, he's alive." She wept in lieu of expressing gratitude, after all, Natas was still Natas.
And she hadn't brought the baby back out of kindness, she had made Phlox pay.
She rose to stand on wobbly legs, turning to start the trek back. She wondered if she would be magicked back to the city or if she would have to walk through the night, though, she didn't care.
Her baby was alive. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“Now, go home.” Natas said, it was a command though it was unclear who it was for. Again without any warning, Natas snapped her hand forward and the door to the witches hut flung open again, and Phlox was pushed from the hut and thrust backward through the tall grass. The wind whipped wildly around them as Natas had pushed Phlox back to the compound, dropping her at the front gate that surrounded the compound.
Back at the compound, Jack had only just returned as the sun was rising again. He had snuck away in the night to exact some semblance of revenge. He had quietly drove himself back to the theater, and set it on fire; killing anything left alive inside and burying what happened here in the ash. When he returned, his bed was empty of Phlox, which was alarming. He began racing around the compound and calling out to her.
“Phlox! Phlox, please answer me!” He yelled, opening every door he passed.
Phlox swayed on her feet, but managed to stay upright with precious cargo still nestled in her arms. Even from outside, she could hear Jack yelling inside. She reached out a hand to guide herself, making sure not to stumble with the babe in her arms.
"Jack?" She called out as she crossed the yard. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“Phlox? Where are you?” He continued to call, still jogging down the halls. He opened one of the miscellaneous rooms and look out the window, he could see Phlox at the front gate…with something under her shirt. He opened the window to call to her again.
“Stay there! I’m coming to you!” He called before leaping out of said window. The compound was large enough, but everything was on one floor, save for the armory in the cellar underneath. He jogged over to Phlox, observing her for injuries as he approached. Her feet and legs looked scuffed up, and there was blood on her hands, her shirt, but he was having trouble eyeing the wound. “Are you hurt?” He exclaimed as he closed the gap between them, enrapturing her in his arms.
Before Phlox could respond to Jack, the baby unlatched at let out a squawky whine that turned to crying upon being pressed between his parents. Phlox pulled away then, lifting her shirt to reveal the pink faced infant now fully rejuvenated and alive.
"Look, he's alive." Phlox said, her voice wobbly with the threat of sobs as it had been all night, but now full of reverence and relief. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Jack looked at the baby between them, but he couldn’t believe it. Their baby had been born dead, and he had been dead for a while. Jack looked back to Phlox, to study her face for fallacy, or maybe he had been tricked and this wasn’t Phlox at all.
“How is that possible?” He asked, still studying them both for some sort of evidence one way or another. “Where did you go, and where did you take him…?” He asked.
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