The midwife brought the baby out for a moment so Roxanne would know the delivery was over. The child is healthy and breathing strong, and Vivianne has begun her recovery. The healers could do very little; everyone inside the room knew a far greater power had been wrapped around their empress from the very beginning.
That soft, bluish radiance, Undine's essence—still flowed around Vivianne like a protective tide. It shimmered faintly, lifting the hairs on their arms. They had never seen anything like it.
The moment the baby was delivered, the bleeding slowed, the torn flesh knitted, and Vivianne's body began healing on its own. Normally it took three trained healers to close a birth wound. This time, the spirit did it with a single breath of power.
Roxanne stared at the bundle of warmth in the midwife's arms. The baby is still streaked with blood, but her tiny face glows with life. Morwenna leaned in, eyes widening in delight.
