A Wintertide Spell Read Online Free Page A

to meet my so—, I mean, my child. Darling, are you
ready?”
    “Fine. I’m ready,” Geneva said.
Braced by her man, who might still be worthy of the title husband, she began to
push her third baby into the world.
    Because of the efficacy of the
healer’s spell, Geneva felt only pressure and discomfort as the babe crowned.
She panted and struggled, with Reginald and Binny urging and encouraging her,
cheering her on. Soon the fifth member of the royal family of Foresta slipped as
easily as these things go into the waiting arms of a Naudo. Healer and
assistant checked the child quickly before wrapping it in a clean towel to be
introduced to the parents.
    “Hurry up. I want my baby,” Geneva demanded.
Her arms ached to hold the child.
    “Your baby is healthy.” Naudo smiled
at her and raised his wand for the next part of the process.
    “Child of King Reginald and Queen Geneva
of Foresta, I dub thee—” He paused for Geneva to supply the child’s name. Magic
tingled in the air as the naming spell waited to take effect.
    She opened her mouth to speak, but
Reginald, in great excitement, leapt to his feet. The pendant heated, singeing the
back of Geneva’s neck, as her husband blared out, “We shall call him Peter!”
    Latching onto the name, magic
sizzled across Geneva’s skin, then sparkled through Reginald, before it centered
on their new baby. The baby began to cry. The newborn had a thin, wobbly wail
that grew stronger and stronger as the lungs grew accustomed to sucking air in
and out.
    For a long moment, the babe’s wails
were the only sound in the birthing chamber.
    The sear of the pendant on Geneva’s
skin and the prickle of the naming spell disappeared before they became excruciating.
Tears glinted in Reginald’s eyes, and she pressed a shaking hand to her mouth. Binny,
beside them, muffled a gasp as well.
    A boy? This birthing charm Reginald
had procured…had it broken the Female Curse? It must have done something, else
why would it have burned her skin?
    He slid one arm around her and held
out the other. “My wife and I would like to hold our son, please.”
    It would be only fitting if the two
of them broke the curse when they’d essentially been the ones to cause it. Geneva
reached behind her to touch the skin beneath the pendant and found it tender,
almost sore.
    The healer frowned and cradled the
baby to his chest. “What is hanging around the Queen’s neck?”
    “Does it matter?” Reginald rose to
his full height and towered over the smaller man. “The deed is done, sir.
Introduce us to our son.”
    “I cannot do that.” Naudo shook his
bald, brown head with what seemed like genuine regret. “But I can introduce you
to your daughter, whose name shall be Peter, from now until the end of recorded
time.”
    “Daughter? But the fairy said the
charm would work.” Reginald untied the smelly pendant from Geneva’s neck and
shook it. “Do you know what I had to do to get this? Do you know how much I
paid for this? You must be wrong. The babe in your arms is a boy.”
    The healer narrowed his eyes at
Reginald and the hideous object in his hand. “Really, King Reginald. The fairy
black market? What would your constituents say?”
    “They would have said, ‘Thank you
very much, King Reginald’, if the damned pendant had worked the way it was
supposed to,” he growled. “You’re sure we had another girl?”
    The baby cried louder, as if
sensing the displeasure of her father turned against her already.
    “I’m sure,” Naudo said with a sour
expression.
    “If they won’t take the child, give
her to me.” Binny held out her arms, and the healer slipped the tiny, crying
bundle into them. “There, there precious. Your Papa is joshing. He loves his
girls, all of them. He’s so happy you’re here.”
    “Let me see her.” Geneva had
expected a girl and wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed to have one. “Let me
hold my baby.”
    Binny rushed to her side and placed
the red-faced