"Whaaaaaa, Whaaaaaa."

I did not want to cry, but there was no stopping it. I had no control over this new body of mine. It was working on autopilot now. My emotions had some small influence but only on the scale of present actions. Nothing more.

Eh, what is this? In the room where I am are three women and my mother that I cannot see, but I am sure she is here because I did not pop out from thin air. Well, I did pop out but not from thin air. One is the Midwife, for sure. One was wearing something that the Cardinal in the dark ages would wear. And the last one was some Lady. She had so much gold on herself that my hand reached towards her golden chains on its own ... ooh, so shiiiiiiiny.

They were talking, but I understood totally and utterly nothing. Understandable but frustrating, and the frustration only made the crying worse. I know my mother should be somewhere behind me, but it is not like I could move my head. A little too early for that, hell, but I have healthy lungs, I can tell you that. Now the Cardinal-ish woman started to speak, and she didn't sound happy.

"It is cursed. It is bearing the mark of the heretics, I told you, dutches Ariadna that you should not let your daughter choose her spouse. Look, he brought a terrible curse on your House."

"Mother Superior, you are right." The Dutches had the expression you got from seeing someone else chewing on a citron. "It's double cursed.

Not only is the mark of the heretics on it, but it's also male. It cannot inherit a thing. It is suitable only for manual work. And for entertainment."

"Please, Mother Superior, is there anything we can do to rectify this situation? We cannot allow this to become public knowledge. It would be the end of my House."

"Do not worry, Dutches Ariadna, the mother, the light of our Great Mother shines on all her daughters, and she will show you the way. But even Great Mother will not always hold your hand as if she did that. You would learn nothing." The Mother Superior was looking at Dutches Ariadna intently.

"Yes. I understand Mother superior. I wanted to make a grand donation to the church anyway. Whatever the price, I will pay it. Maybe if I give You ten times that, and instead of a great donation, I will make it a Grand donation, can You pray for my and my daughter's soul?"

"Of course, do not worry, Dutches the Grant Mother is benevolent. She will look at your gift kindly. Now I think everyone here understands that there should be none apart from us that know about this." She put a hand on the shoulder of the Midwife. " Do we?"

"Yes! Of course, Mother Superior. The child was a Stillborn girl. A great loss for the House of Daen." Said the Midwife while looking at the poor boy with a pale handprint above his sternum.

The mother Superior smiled. "Good, now throw away this trash and silence it before that. Its curse already makes my ears bleed."

On this, there was movement on the bed and a weak voice. The mother tried to say something. Her voice was soft and hoarse from the screaming during the birth. The Dutches came closer and bent to hear her daughter's words. And as a question, the Dutches asked only short "Yes?"

"Mother, please don't."

"What is she saying?" Asked Mother superior.

Dutches Ariadna Dean paused for a moment, half bent, and her face was calm, but there was a mix of emotions in her Eyes. "She said that she was sorry. I'm certain she was saying she regrets giving birth to such disappointment."

"Oh, that is a very appropriate response of hers." The Mother Superior turned toward the Midwife and the crying boy. "What are you doing here? GO." The Mother's Superior did throw her token to the Midwife. The Midwife practically sprinted from the room. The moment the doors closed behind her, the Mother Superior came closer to the child's mother and put her hand on top of the mother's hand. "Do not worry. The Great Mother is delighted by the gift of your mother. The Great Mother forgave you already. We will find you a new spouse to make you beautiful daughters."

The childbirth tears, almost dry now, started to run again, far heavier than before. "Look, Dutches, Your daughter is so moved by the kindness of Great Mother that she can not stop the tears."

The Duthces bent a little toward the superior mother and then looked into her eyes.

"I don't think we can trust the midwife that she will keep this secret, Mother Superior."

"Do not worry, Dutches Ariadna, your granddaughter, died because the Midwife botched the childbirth. Tonight your valiant son-in-law, devastated, will kill the responsible Midwife, and then when he realizes what he has done, will kill himself to be with his daughter."

And the silent tears became accompanied by sobs.

As the Midwife walked down the stairs, she started breastfeeding the child. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Poor boy, how lucky are you that you don't know what is happening? Eat from me as you will never feed from your mother's bosom. I swear that I will help you. I think I know how. I will save you. It's too late for me, though, sob."

"My beautiful daughter. My poor husband. What will become of them? I know I will not have the opportunity to see them even for the last time." She Was Walking as fast as she could while still feeding the child.

"Be quiet little one. The church and your grandma need to think that you are gone forever. While I think your mother would try to help, your birth was long. You were her first child. Sixteen hours it took You to come into this world." She blabbed in a vain attempt to calm herself.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The place of her destination was far, and it took longer because it was night, but with the pendant carrying the mark of Mother Superior around her neck. No one tried to stop her.

Everything was silent, tears dropping from the young woman's cheeks, the first snow was falling from the sky, and a boy born on the night of winter solstice ate his first meal from the woman that ate her last.

She, the Midwife, arrived at the cemetery. She aimed it directly at the massive Oak in the Northern corner of the cemetery. Right Next to it was a place for compost from the graveyard. She put the child on the steaming compost pile. The child was silent, slowly falling asleep but fighting it as if he felt something was amiss.

"Here, little one, this will keep you warm until they find you. I know it's smelly, but the compost generates heat."

She then walked directly to the humongous Oak and put her left palm on its bark.

"May the Lady in white guide you. May the Stars Watch over you. In the shadow of the Oak, always follow the gates to Nav." She pulled a strand of her hair and wrapped it around a twig.

Then she turned and started to walk away. "May my end become your beginning." she did another ten steps when she saw a small girl peak from behind one of the tombstones.

"Kind Lady, can you tell me your name?" The Lady whispered

"I... I'm Vasilisa. Vasilisa Anastasievna Basilissa ."

"Thank you, kind Lady. I will ensure he hears your name once he is old enough."

"All life runs in cycles." Whispered the girl.

"The end is the beginning." Whispered the midwife.

"The beginning is the end." Finished the girl

When she returned, six guards waited for her. In the middle of the room was a tub of water. It was the same one that she used during childbirth.

"Did you get rid of it?" Asked Mother Superior.

"Yes, I threw it into the trash as you ordered. Your holiness." It was almost impossible to lie to the high clergy, so Vasilisa bent the rules until she could tell the truth.

"You know what will follow. Please step closer to the tub. Vasilisa wished to see her daughter, but anyone she met from the moment she left the House Dean would be sentenced to the same fate. Vasilisa wanted to go with her head high, but she couldn't help it. When it was directly in front of her, she ran. She got almost to the door when two hands grabbed her by the hair and arms.

When Mother Superior saw this, she clicked her tongue and stomped her staff on the ground. A red light flashed in the room, and Vasilisa felt like someone had punched her in her guts. On the verge of losing consciousness, she lost all her strength. But she never stopped in her counterattack.

Before she knew anything, she was under the water. She expected pain. She expected agony.

She trashed, and she fought but did not drown. She started to lose her strength. Yes. But felt no agony.

And at that moment, Vasilisa felt pressure on her mind and something a voice without words wanted to enter, some force residing in the water. She had no energy to spare, no reason to resist. It was similar to her feelings while performing the rite of Slava. She opened herself to it, and it used her as a gate. It came through her, lashing into her adversary, anchoring like hooks into the fish's mouth.

The first pair of hands lost all strength, and two pairs switched their place. And When even they lost all power, all remaining guards grabbed her.

The power that ripped the life force switched targets automatically.

And Vasilisa got two times the energy.

From all the possible ways to kill someone, they wanted to instigate that the father drowned her in the tub where she cleaned the baby.

Any surface of the water, but the water that touched the birth or death more than others, are the gates to Nav. Not speaking of water that felt the baby, that's soul bearing the mark of Lady in white.

From All the people in the City, They chose to kill the daughter of Slava, who still performed the old rites by drowning.

When the Mother Superior saw this, she snapped her fingers, and a flash of red light came from her. Vasilisa felt like someone had punched her in the guts, and the power was gone.

She could fight no more.

There was no agony. There was only a tender hug from the Lady in white.

"Come, Vasilisa. Come and rest on the green plains of the Nav."

"This is a nightmare," Dutches Ariadna said as she looked at the five mumy-like bodies. In the center of them was the body of Vasilisa, blue and purple. The last guard was dying too.

"Six guards killed by one midwife."Said the Dutches.

The mother's superior spat on the ground, rage twisting her face. "It is no midwife, Dutches. It is a heretic. You let the heretics into the City. You let the Heretics into Your House."

This time, a red glimmer came from Mother Superior instead of a flash. The source was the ring on her Right index finger.

And Dutches Ariadna felt as if a mountain descended on her shoulders. First, she knelt and then prostrated herself. "You will cleanse the City from them, Dutches."

"As you will, your holiness."

"NO, it is not my will. It is the will of Great Mother."

In the meantime, in the graveyard. The little boy lost the battle with sleep. "There seems to be an incident in the palace." Said a one-eyed old crone, bending over the compost pile, steam enveloping her face. She inhaled deeply. "Ooh, how I love this smell. It reminds me of life and youth."

"Are you sure it is not death and decay, grandma?" Asked the little girl from before.

"Visenna, you are young and know so little. Do you think the heat generated by the compost comes from nothing? It is Full of life, simple life, yes, but life nonetheless. From death and decay, there will always come life. Come here, close your eyes, and focus your senses as I taught you. Here extend your hand." The Crone grabbed her wrist and yanked toward the pile until her hand touched the steaming mound.

"Ewww... No. Let go of me. I will not touch that stinky thing" the girl started to fight, but the Crone didn't budge. After a few seconds, the girl gave up and did as the Crone said. She knew that she cant made too much noise. She closed her eyes and focused.

"It's glowing. It is like there are so many... it is like the City. It is so pretty."

The old Crone smiled and said. "Yes, young one, now dig the poor child up and let's go. We must warn the poor fellows' family and leave the City before dawn."

"Eww, why me? You do it, you old hag."

The Crone bashed her staff on the girl's head and said.

"You already touched the pile. So stop whining, and let's go."

"Aww, aww, its hurts."

The Crone rose her staff again.

"Okay, Okay, I'll do it,

And she did. It was no digging. She just picked the baby up and cleaned the blankets.

The Crone then raised her staff. A raven flew from the Oak and sat on the top of her staff.

She said the message that she wanted to deliver to Vasilisa's family.

The Crone took the strand of hair, and the girl walked toward the crypt, where a secret tunnel connected to the cave behind the walls lay.