The pain had gotten so that she could no longer deny that it was there. Something was wrong... something was awry with her pregnancy. Spasms would come and go, but as time went on the spasms would get closer together and deeper in pain. It had been a slow progression over the last few weeks, but something was happening that marked it more significantly. She'd been forced to realize it when she'd been in the office with Gabriel.

"Isabel...." she whispered, trying to rub her stomach soothingly as she came into the kitchen.

Lyndra was sitting at the kitchen table sipping some warm spiced cider, munching on an oatmeal raisin cookie and grading some papers. She was happy because it was the last set of the session! Yeah! She looked up as Sha'uri walked in the room, waddling and rubbing her stomach oddly. Lyndra was instantly worried.

"Aye, M'Lady! Sha'uri, Lass.... ye look ill. Come sit down. What ails ye?"

Sha'uri couldn't say *nothing* anymore. It was too apparent and Lyndra had a right to know. All her family had a right to know. It was probably getting to the point that they could all feel it.

"I don't know, Lyndra. Something's not right. I wish Bri were here...." She sat down with Lyndra's help.

"Aye, so do I. What do ye need me to do? Should I call fer the healers? Should I get Alex? Yer husband?...eh.. TRiv?"

No, Lyndra didn't know him at all and often forgot about him or that Sha was married. Not that she ever saw Sha'uri acting badly or anything, it was just that Lyndra didn't know him and found it odd he never seemed to be around. He never came to the school. Like father, like son. She hid her feelings as they progressed...

That accent, it kept getting thicker as time went on. This had not gone unnoticed by her. Sha'uri shook her head. "No.. no.. I just need a minute."

"Are ye sure? Ye look a bit pale. Maybe some soothing tea, eh?" Lyndra offered.

Sha'uri nodded. She waited for Lyndra to bring her the tea before she blurted out. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's time I went home to the healers and sought their expertise. I.."

Another spasm cut off her words and she breathed through it until it subsided. A bit of tea was sipped."I need Bri's sword... the one I gave him. He left it behind."

"Oi? Ye mean that sweet looking piece of work he swooned over during solstice last year?" she grinned. "I know the one. Where'd he leave it? I'll get it."

Sha shook her head. "He's got it warded."

"What ye need it fer?"

"I don't know.. I just know I need it."

"Well, can't ye contact him?"

"I suppose I could. But... I'll need to go back home."

"Well, then I'll help ye through the portal then.."Lyndra proceeded to help Sha stand up. Sha'uri helped by casting levitate on herself then hung on to Lyndra to tow her along as the two moved upstairs to Sha'uri's bedroom....

As Lyndra helped Sha'uri through the portal, something happened. A flash of magical energy knocked Lyndra back against the wall, leaving her in Ravensheart Academy. Sha'uri was flung to the other side, into her bedroom wall on the side of the Citadel. Both women slumped to the floor unconscous. Sha'uri was no longer pregnant. It was as if she had never been.

((reposted from Ravensheart Academy))
((Adding in a note that this string started to happen around the time Briarius was on Sabbatical and on the island fighting godly avatars.))

As Sha'uri lay in a comma she slowly became aware of a presence near her. She was in another place, or rather her mind created another place for her to be while her body was in a comma within the Citadel infirmary ...

She turned her head at the sound of a purr expecting to see Prestancia. Instead, she found a silver panther not the expected black fur. The eyes were green, almost a match for Triv's eyes.

"Briarius will return soon."

Sha'uri felt the panther's words more then heard them. She had also somehow seen Bri with another woman and fighting unspeakable things upon a platform. She watched her daughter die before she was even born, knowing... she would never be.

"It's the price of peace. It was my choice. I chose this... to never be there... and to take my place here."

"Isabel.." Sha'uri whispered.

"I love you. Tell father I love him, too. I have to go.... Briarius will come to you soon."

The great panther nuzzled Sha'uri ever so gently upon her forehead and turned away... shifting into a dragon form.. fading away as she flew off.

All the while Sha'uri remain in a comma upon the infirmary bed, monitors attached to watch over her.

"Bri.."

Triv sat in the dining hall with Bryce and listened to his son's latest stories. Bryce, not being quite ready to settle down, had taken up bounty hunting. He was constantly trying to talk Triv into going with him but Triv seemed content to spend his time in the stables. He found that he liked horses. For one, they didn't expect much. Just a bucket of feed and maybe a good brushing every now and then. Also, he'd gotten used to sleeping all night without having to keep one hand on his sword. Few people would bother to kill an old stable hand.

"I didn't think I was ever going to catch that guy," Bryce said. He had only returned the day before after hunting down a thief and bringing him back to justice. "Some people just don't know when to give up."

Triv sipped his coffee. "If bounty hunting was easy...." His brow furrowed and his eyes lost focus for a second. His bond with Sha'uri had gotten stronger and he suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. He stood up so quickly his chair skittered across the tiles before crashing to the floor. "Sha'uri..."

"Triv!" Private Stark shouted from the doorway. "Everyone's looking for you. It's--"

Triv cut him off. "The baby. Something's wrong with Isabel. Where is she?"

"The infirmary but.."

Triv was gone in a dead run before Stark finished. As he ran, Triv did something he had never done. He prayed. He prayed to any god that might listening. Just let them be ok. I've never asked for anything. I just want my wife and my baby to be alright. You can't take them yet. You can't. A healer led him to Sha'uri's room when he reached the infirmary. He stopped just inside the doorway when he saw Sha'uri unconcious. His brain suddenly caught up with him and he realized he had no idea what was going on. "Alex. What...What's going on? Is she ok? And the baby?"

Hours passed..... There was no improvement for Sha'uri, but Lyndra was conscious and getting out of bed with short trips between the poking and prodding of one test or another as they used her to find what they could about what happened.

******************


Jalek watched him go before she went back to her family, her life....


The guard at the gate in Exodii inclined his head with a bow.

"Well met, Headmaster. Come back again soon."

The guard smiled and let Briarius on his way through the portal back to RhyDin. It was only after the headmaster went through that the guard realized... he just let Sha'uri's sort of step father through. He turned to the other guard.

"Call dispatch. Send a messenger through the portal at the school. I believe that one is still working. Inform the Headmaster Briarius that Sha'uri and Lyndra are at the Citadel infirmary. Let the infirmary know the Headmaster has returned...."

The other nodded and was on his way to have the message delivered.

((Note: re posted from Sabbatical thread as a means of time line clarification))

Alex, after sitting there for hours, decided that it wasn't doing any good. So he left Triv there to come with him or not on his own.

"I'm going to go see Lyndra. Maybe she knew something."

He kissed his mother's forehead and moved out of the room. He found Lyndra's room and knocked on the open door and peered inside to see a nurse with her taking a blood sample.

"Hello. I came to see how you were doing."

Alex was there in a blink of an eye, easing himself down unto her bed facing her but sitting next to her. He put his arms around her, drawing her into a warm and secure hug.

"Shhh....it's okay... She's alive. You're alive. She will be all right. They must have told you then, by your reaction you must have heard. Triv's with her now. And we sent a guard to bring Briarius back. Apparently he's back from his trip but went through to the school. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Alex just held her, rocked her gently and stroked her hair until she felt better before asking.

"Tell me... Why were you both coming here? Tell me what happened."

As Lyndra finishes, a ruckus can be heard from the hall.

"I swear to the High Gods of Secak if you even think about poking me with that needle again, I will release a fell incantation that will reduce your entire infirmary to dust. That's what I thought. Now, where is Lady Sha'uri and Mistress Lyndra. Clearance? Clearance? I was summoned he- My name is Headmaster Briarius Ravensheart. Yes, please do find someone to find Alexander or Triv."

Her gaze perked with hope, if not baffled as the noise went on down the hall. She couldn't help but grin just a little, though she quickly grabbed a mirror and tried to straighten her messed up hair. She looked terrible and set the mirror back down to get a drink again. She waited for Briari to enter and Alex to begin explaining things.

"Oi... Briarius, it's so good to see ye."

She held out her arms to hug him, and then she told him about what happened, repeating just what she told Alexander.

"All I know is that something was wrong and she was in a lot of pain. She said she needed yer sword, the one she made for ye. She needed it but couldn't get to it because of all the layers of spells protecting it. So we were coming here so she could contact ye. I'm not sure what happened when we stepped into the portal. I remember a flash of light and being blinded... weightless... stretched in ways I have no words for... and then searing pain when my head hit the floor. Then I don't know from there. It's all blurry, like some weird dream. Can ye help her?"

"But the other portals she made are fine. There is no evidence that anything went wrong with them. The one in her room did show fluxuations before it shut down, and it is still not working."

Alex, while fairly versed in things of technology, was not so well versed in the things of magic or even spiritual matters. What Briari said had made no sense to him.

"Her spirit will use it...with some aid of course."

He looked at Lyndra

"Yes...my wife gave it to me..."

He let that one trail off.

"Being a Necromancer, my pull over the spirit world will help us focus on Lady Sha'uri's soul and get it attuned to reality.

As far as her portal goes, it was more to do with Sha'uri specifically."

"It was recently done."

Again, he moved past this fact quickly. He did realize however that this was the work of a Goddess of this world, it wouldn't be easy to brush details aside for long.

"We should get to Lady Sha'uri as soon as possible. Mistress Lyndra, are you well to move?"

"All the technology in the multiverse and you still resort to artificial conveyances instead of curing the sick."

The Headmaster went to take Lyndra's illness away, but a new power washed over him and instead of taking on the broken bones, he actually called upon divine powers to repair the bones. This was different...not like before when he was a vessel of a God, but it was stronger. The earring twinkled slightly as this power flowed through him.

It wasn't that the bones were still broken, it was more that they were strengthening and the nerves were settling after the operation they performed on her to mend the bones and excellerate the healing. Nanites were working diligently to finish the process. Bri didn't know because he didn't bother to ask. Of course, there were no scars from the operation either, no sign at all to indicate anything was done, except that she was alive and her head wasn't falling off.

Lyndra was going to protest the healing. She wasn't sure how that might react with the technology within her. However the Headmaster just went ahead and did it, a fact that seemed to take her by surprise as she had always witnessed him asking. He'd been meticulous about it in the past. This time he didn't.

Because the damage was already well on its way to recovering, she didn't notice that he didn't take on the wounds to himself, though she knew he'd done something. The aches and pains of the settling nerves vanished in an instant.

Still, her body stiffed with uncertainty and even fear for a moment or two. However, seeing Alex was unconcerned about the nanites, she relaxed. She didn't notice anything wrong anywhere. She did notice the pinky ring on Bri ... that was new, too.

"Thanks.... an when this is all done, Briarius, I wanna hear all about yer trip! Ye owe me a story..."

She smiled and grabbed a bathrobe from the foot of her bed and placed it on. Then got out of bed to follow Alex down to Sha'uri's room. She seemed to feel better and even moved better, though it had been done gingerly at first. She was glad that she wasn't blowing up, though. The thought had crossed her mind as a possible reaction.

Alex quickly escorted them down to his mother's room. He took Lyndra to the foot of the bed where there were some chairs, though he motioned to Briarius to his mother's side. Alex wasn't keen on magic, He wasn't sure what magical mumbo jumbo Bri would have to do, though he knew that Briari could help his mother. He trusted the Headmaster.

"Briarius .. Can you help her?"

He sat with Lyndra offering her emotional support, though in truth he needed it just as much.

Sha'uri lay there unconscious, her mind in another place.... but her lips moved and a whisper barely escaped her unconscious form.

"Bri.."

Alex suddenly felt strange as Briarius began to do that thing he was doing to his mother. He didn't know why he felt strange, only that he felt disconnected for some reason, almost like a dream. His hand squeezed Lyndra's and it felt strange, too. His gaze lingered on her visage....

"Come on home, Sha'uri... Time fer ye 't come home."

Sha'uri heard the words in her unconsciousness, but the voice was clearly her mother's. She turned her vision and there she was as she had been so long ago. Sha'uri could see her mother. Her arms open wide, flowing softly.. distorted... trails of magick flowing from her fingertips like bloodhounds searching, swirling round and coalescing into small whirlwind trialing down.. down... down...


"Come on home, Sha'uri... Time fer ye 't come home."


She heard Lyndra's voice from up above her, swirls of magick twirling down... down.. down from above as they descended down a long dark tunnel.

"I can try." It was the Headmaster's voice.

"Bri? Where are you?" she called out in the room where Bri and the others were, and in her vision.

A woman stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the tunnel. Flaming red hair, piercing green eyes.. the woman changed, regressed in age to a young teenager, freckles splattered across her cheeks and nose. Younger still as her form shrank to a young child, a toddler and finally a baby now held in Sha'uri's arms. It was all a vision and Sha'uri wept, knowing it wasn't real. Still, she held the girl close to her anyway, never wanting to let go.


"I can try." It was the Headmaster's voice echoing in her mind...

Sha'uri didn't look up. She only held to the child for as long as she could. But Isabel's form continued to fade from her grasp...

"Bri, Luv... Stop... Time here is nae so linear as ye're accustomed 't thinkin." Sharilis held to the headmaster's spirit form, her own hand gently caressing his as delicate digits curled round the proverbial hand, gently thwarting him from finishing his task.

"I'm sorry, Luv... I can't let ye complete Isabel's. Ye've nae memory, none of ye 'ave thanks 't the sacrifice this child made. Ye've nae idea the future an past tha t'was undone by 'th crossin 'o Sha'uri an Lyndra through that portal. It's unfortunate that it's happened, but there's naught 't be done 'bout it. If Isabel's born into 'th world 'o Exodii, it'll unleash events, a series fer which there's nae turnin back. Ye an Jalek would nae 'ave survived. Ye both would've been killed, destroyed. Aye, even ye, Bri..... An ye've nae idea what that would mean 't so many. I know ... I was there. I know what could happen. I know this can nae be allowed."

The baby was gone now from Sha'uri's arms. A painful cry escaped her. She crumpled into a fetal position and likewise her body did the same as the connection was completed back to herself. Then Sha'uri wept.

"But I exist here, Briarius." Isabel, once again an adult came up from behind them. "I can never go there, but I am here between the planes of existence. Tell my father and my brother that when their time comes, I will be there to see them and guide them to their final resting places. Tell them that they may not know me now, but we will have the rest of eternity. As for my mother, she knows.. she understands.. but she will have the hardest time accepting. She will need your support more now then ever during the days to come. Treat her gently."

"Hugs, Bri... give 'er lots of hugs, luv. She'll need 'em."Sharilis hugged Bri's spirit and kissed him soundly. "Ye know how 't find me." Then she and Isabel seemed to just vanish.

The silver thread for Isabel was gone, but Sha'uri was beginning to really wake up now that her connection was secured. And Sha'uri wept deeply a cry that was quiet and driven inward. She could not speak.

He felt strange, noticed Bri doing some kind of something and for a brief moment he swore he saw a ghost like figure of his mother sitting up and holding a bundle in her arms, weeping gently. He blinked and when he looked again, Sha'uri was laying down as she had been. He thought he was hallucinating. But like Lyndra, he couldn't hold back a tear as his mother turned to a fetal position and began to weep deeply. She was conscious, he could see that and he could see the deep depression falling over her like a blanket of night over the day.

His gaze shifted to Lyndra. There was something odd about her voice. He didn't have time to ponder as his hand reached up instinctually to wipe away her tears. Whatever strange disconnected feeling had passed over him had just as quickly faded to a more normal feel.

"I know.."

His gaze shifted back to his mother.

Alex would of course see to it that the two women were well cared for and rested. He gave the headmaster a nod of reassurance and watched him leave.

While he was feeling more normal, he notice later that day while he was walking through the Citadel, there were no dark rooms even though some of the lights were completely off in some of the rooms.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, eyes bleary and vision somewhat glowing from the emotional exhaustion he felt. It was when he entered a room and the guards stepped in to turn on the lights for him, that he realized he didn't need them on at all. Everything was illuminated all around and the lights coming on actually hurt. It was only for a few moments until his vision adjusted, but he knew then that something was different.

Several times over the next few weeks, he would catch glimpses of a little girl running down the hall, or a teenager darting along the paths of the Sanctuary gardens... or he would wake up from his rare moments of sleep or meditation to see her adult form standing over him, longsword in hand as if guarding him. All these were brief glimpses and always they were wearing white robes. He felt, somehow, that this was Isabel.

His lack of sleep seemed to be getting worse as time went on. He had tried to catch scans on the area whenever the ghostlike image would appear, but nothing was conclusive, always hints and wisps of magic from the surrounding magic, as if someone had just walked through the magics in the make up of the building. It was never enough to determine anything for certain.

All the while, Alex could not stop the glow he would see whenever he looked at anything with magic. He reluctantly knew what he would have to do: Accept that he was the grandson of a Goddess of Magic. It was time to accept who and what he is. It was not hard for him to realize he would need help for this.... but he was not going to let his mother know...