She woke up with a start, her heartbeat accelerating, sweat coating her forehead, limbs paralysed. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to cry for help. It was happening again. Her body felt tied down, she had no control, she was weak and pathetic. Tears obscured her vision until her finger twitched, she inhaled as much air as her lungs could hold. She began circulating her qi. Each circulation calmed her down more than the last.Finally she had control back.

Her eyes wandered to the curtains blocking out the night. It was so quiet as though behind the curtain lay a peaceful land. Her fingers gripped the black opal necklace as she chanted fake rea.s.surances to herself. For the next few hours she remained motionless as her eyes fixated on the unseen.

**

Emilia was a slave brought into the Willow clan when she was five years old. As a slave you have no name just a value, she wasn't pretty nor talented but being brought in as a family servant was one of the better options for her. She grew up serving her mistress for a long time and was given the name Emilia after Lady Fae's most treasured doll. She was named after a toy, a toy that cost more than she ever would. All her life she held onto those fleeting memories she had being tossed around and sold. She had to remember that no matter how much Lady Fae valued her she was always just another disposable item. This was her reasoning as she made herself her Lady's most trusted aide, almost invaluable.

Emilia woke up while the night was still young, it could be said that she slept less hours than healthy but it was how all servants were trained and as she was the only servant in the old house, she had more work to tend to. Boiling the water she did it the villagers way, with wood and a cauldron. Constantly stoking the fire as her stomach protested as usual.

Due to poor finances, her lady prevented her from using mana stones

For the last few months, Maria took care to boil herbs for her lady to take and in those months she saw Fae become more despondent.

It happened a month earlier than planned. During a breakfast serving Fae went into labour. It was truly unfortunate. The velvet drapes were shut and the guards were called. It was never meant to happen during daylight.

Marias' hands shook as she poured the dried herbs into the boiling water. She was no alchemist, if anything went wrong...

Fae held her screams back with a cloth worth 100 taels of gold. Maria hated how her mind idled to the stupidest of things. Finally Bron came forth, through the secret pa.s.sage. He carried his wife, Liu Ling as she cried in anguish.

He laid her down on the prepared mattress and tied her down with rope.

"Stuff her mouth, her screams will give us away!"

When Bron finally came to his mistress's side, he kneeled down and spoke softly. "Lady Fae, Jonah and his wife have fled. I dare not follow as I did not want to delay."

'You did well, when the day is over it won't be too late to silence them.'

Liu Ling had agreed before, but today was too soon she had only safe guarded her child for seven months, he was too young. Tears rolled down her face as she glared at her husband with as much hatred as she could. Her heart ached as Maria brought forth a medicinal bowl. It would be a long battle- but she had to remember she was giving him a chance, a chance to be better.

Diallo made it in time. He was a healer one who worked with clients that had more than one secret to take to the grave. The babies were premature, they were weak and their mothers were dying. Maria was untrained so Liu Ling fell to a fever first, her body lost more blood with the hour but his main priority was Lady Fae, her birth was unnatural, her body showed signs of poisoning and so did her children. If he hadn't had 300 years of medical experience he may not have been able to save them all.

For two days and three nights shadows flickered throughout the room, the babies cries were so soft they could be whispers.