The Prologue

Here is the Prologue to my book. If you are still interested in reading the rest, post your email address...

(oh, I guess I should warn you that it is a young adult fantasy with romantic undertones :) )

Soul Mates

Prologue

The weather had been questionable since dawn. Verena watched the gathering clouds from the bed that had been pulled near to the glass doors leading to the garden. She could almost feel the tension building in the air. She did not understand why it would not rain, why the clouds would not release their burden. She was not sure the sky could get any darker.

Verena could feel the building tension inside her too. She was only too familiar with the feelings associated with her approaching labor. Verena was already the mother of five boys. There was little about this pregnancy that was similar to the others, though. This one had made her weak, weaker than she thought she could be. She had not left that bed for months.

A pain struck her, starting in her abdomen, but she felt it everywhere. Simultaneously, lightning parted the blackened sky. The thunder rumbled as the pain exited her toes.

“Missy,” she hissed, gripping the edge of the bed, “where is Andrew?”

“I am sure he is not far, ma’am, I think he went with one of the boys. Do you want me to find him?”

Another pain cut through her, echoed by the growing thunder. She doubled over with it, biting hard on her bottom lip.

“Ma’am?” Missy touched Verena’s arm. Verena did not notice.

The rain started to fall outside, bursting from the clouds. The lightning sliced the clouds, again and again, growing closer.

Verena shuddered with the pain. She knew something was wrong.

“Master Andrew!” Missy ran from the room. “Master Andrew!”

Missy returned with Andrew in tow. Verena raised her eyes to her husband.

“The surgeons, now, girl!” Andrew’s usual calm was shattered.

Lightning sliced the sky, and with it another pain coursed through her. This one burst in her, causing colors to dance in her vision. The thunder sounded almost atop of the lightning strike, echoing through the castle.

“Andrew,” she thought she shouted it.

Then the room was filled with people, surgeons and midwives, and maids, and the boys.

Verena was only aware of the noise, the people’s voices just blending with the thunder.

The pain interrupted everything.

Verena could not think.

Everything seemed too loud.

“Missy, get the boys out of here.” Andrew lifted Dickens to the young maid.

“Andrew!” she did shout it this time. She folded in half, shaking uncontrollably.

The surgeons were all working to position her, trying their best to make her comfortable, but failing at it. One of the maids mopped the sweat from her brow.

“We have to get the baby here,” one of the surgeons called over the thunder.

She felt Andrew grip her hand. “You can do this.”

“She needs to breathe,” one of the midwives said.

The labor progressed, and the storm raged.

Another shudder took her, only this one came from the earth. It knocked Andrew into the bed. One of the maids was thrown to the ground. There were screams from other rooms in the castle. The lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the commotion.

“I can see the head.”

The earth moved again, more violently. There was a distant crashing sound and more screaming. A piece of the ceiling fell. It grew darker as several of the candles went out.

“Focus, Verena,” Andrew said, never taking his eyes from his wife.

Tears squeezed from her eyes.

The baby came and Verena felt all of her energy drain out with it. She did not even hear them say it was a girl. The baby was taken by one of the midwives who began cleaning her.

The earth gave a final quake. It was the strongest one yet. A loud rumble and then a deafening crash somewhere quite nearby accompanied it. Another of the maids lost her footing. There was more commotion from within the castle.

Andrew reached over to wipe a tear from his wife’s cheek. Her skin was cold.