I’ve been writing the sequel to Calixta from the moment I published the first book. The book’s title has changed four times. At the moment, the book doesn’t have a title. This story is going to be a duology. I thought I would write a trilogy, but I merged the two books and finished the series in two books.

Here I am going to give you the first unedited Chapter one of the sequel of Calixta. I would like for you to tell me what you think. I can still make changes. Keep in mind the chapter hasn’t been edited.

CHAPTER 1

Pain and then Love

“Aaaaahhhhh, damnation to hell, ORRA, get out of here,” shouted Calixta from her bed. She had been in labor for fifteen hours. In the last hour, with almost every contraction, she had sent a fireball to the fireplace. And now, the woman could barely move her arms. Her sunken eyes and pale face only had a bit of color when she shouted. Exhaustion overtook her body, and the child wasn’t crowning. Orra, the child’s guardian angel, flew out of the room, but Calixta could hear Dreyden, Erasmo, Wally, and Mario as they paced outside. When Orra got outside the hut, they kept asking if everything was all right.

In the Desert Dweller’s village of Elijah, Dreyden and his group stayed for the duration of Calixta’s pregnancy. In their hut, while Calixta labored, Lala, Elija’s wife, and Miomi helped, and all the rest waited outside. Elijah, the Desert Dweller Chieftain of his people, had given them a place to stay, food, some men, and minokawas. They still had to travel from Elijah’s Desert Dweller’s village to the Fort of Marr. However, at that moment, Calixta cared for nothing, only to get the child out of her.

“Sissy, take a deep breath and exhale with the next contraction, but don’t push; your body is still not ready. The child will come when your body has prepared to let her be born,” said Miomi. Her dark tan skin and sweaty body shined in the light from working with Calixta.

“Please, Miomi, do something! You have healing magic; please make this pain go awayyyyy, oooohhh.” A massive contraction took over her body.

“I am sorry, love. I can’t take your pain away. The only way for us to know when a contraction is coming is by your pain,” said Miomi.

“M’Lady soon, ya be gett’ng yer little in yer hands. Jani, bring more water,” said Lala. Young Jani left the hut in a run, and Miomi kept her hand on Calixta’s knees with her hand glowing green.

“What ya do’ng with yer green magic?” asked Lala.

“I am ensuring the little one is not hurting in this process,” said Miomi.

“Miomi, please, listen to me. I need to push. This is not right. I’ve been at this for hours,” moaned Calixta. The contraction left Calixta breathing fast and hard; after it was over, she turned on her hands and knees and stretched her back. A pain in her hips came in waves. Her hip bones cracked; they moved up and out. She felt relieved from the pressure. She then turned and sat back on her bed.

“I feel better,” said Calixta with her eyes closed.

“M’Lady, I think yer hips finally unlocked to let yer little one be born,” said Lala.

“Sissy, please try to relax and let me check you,” said Miomi. She checked Calixta, and she smiled.

“I think you are almost ready,” said Miomi.

“I am feeling another contraction coming. Ooohhh, it hurts—so much!” Calixta frowned, and she had to shut her eyes. “AAAAHHH,” her scream came in a loud and long wail.

“Calixta, do not push. I can feel her head, but you are not there yet,” said Miomi, but Calixta didn’t care; she pushed with her contraction anyway.

“Miomi, I am hurting. I am so tired.” Calixta’s light brown hair was in a braid to the side of her body. Sweat covered her entire body. Her hazel eyes looked at Miomi, pleading, “My arms feel numb,” said Calixta.

“I know mi Amor, but you need to take deep breaths when the contractions start and try to relax between them. Corazón, ya prontito trendras a tu nena. Your little girl will be here soon. Just wait to push when I tell you,” said Miomi

“Aaaaaahhhh” Calixta shouted with the subsequent pain, and the door slammed open, and Dreyden entered the hut brandishing his sword.

“Oh Lord in heaven! Ashton, I am not done here. Aaaaahhhh, GET OUUUUUUT” shouted Calixta at her husband Ashton Dreyden as another contraction overtook her.

“CALIXTA, DON’T PUSH YET. DREYDEN, GET OUT OF HERE, NOW,” shouted Miomi.

“Me Lord, this’s no place for a man,” said Lala placing a cold rag over Calixta’s forehead.

“I want to help. I can’t bear to hear her scream,” said Dreyden.

“Alright, fine, you want to help, then come and sit by her side and help by rubbing her back between contractions. And later, you can help her by holding the back of her thigh towards the side of her body when it’s time to push,” said Miomi. Dreyden dropped his sword to the side and went to sit next to Calixta.

“She looks exhausted. Miomi, do something now,” said Dreyden.

“That is part of labor. If yer gonna be in thee way, ye need to leave,” said Lala with her hands on her hips. Her gray hair was loose around her face, and her imposing persona made her look like exactly what she was, the chieftain’s wife.

“I’ll stay quiet,” said Dreyden.

“Good, then rub ‘er back, she’s hurt’ng,” said Lala. Jani ran into the hut with a bucket of clean water, and Lala kept wetting the rag and keeping it cold for Calixta. She cleaned her sweaty brow.

After a few more minutes of contractions and pain, Miomi said with a smile.

“Calixta, your daughter is crowning. I can see the top of her head. On the next contraction, you must push hard.”

“Dreyden, I am so tired. This child has taken all my energy.” Calixta’s head was reclined on Dreyden’s chest.

“I can see you are tired, my love, but now you must breathe and push when Miomi tells you.” Dreyden gave a kiss to Calixta’s temple.

“Miomi, I don’t want to do this anymore. Oh no, another contraction,” said Calixta. She pushed with every contraction for about five minutes, and then Calixta saw Miomi’s eyes open wide.

“Push, do it now. Push hard; her head is almost out.” Calixta pushed hard. The child’s head came out, and Calixta saw as Miomi moved the child’s head left and right.

“Miomi, what are you doing with her head?” asked Dreyden.

“I am ensuring the cord isn’t around her neck,” said Miomi. Calixta pushed with the next contraction one more time, and the child’s body was out. The child made a loud cry. She cried, and her mother smiled.

“It’s a girl,” said Lala, and she passed a clean piece of cloth to Miomi. And she cleaned the little girl’s face, mouth, and nose.

“Calixta, here is your daughter,” said Miomi placing the Baby on Calixta’s chest while she cut the umbilical cord. Calixta counted two dimples, ten fingers, and ten toes. She had brown hair like her father. Her eyes had the glazed of a newborn, so she could not tell the color. They might be brown like her father’s or hazel like hers, only time will tell, but this was her child. The same little girl she had seen at the Box Exchange Train Station all those months ago. And Calixta felt all the love from the world. It was as if the virtue of Lord Love had given her an extra measure of his gift. She felt it for one little person she just had seen for the second time.

Miomi was cleaning her hands when Dreyden began to cry, and Orra flew through a wall. The man’s tears came down the side of his face and touched Calixta’s face. He had witnessed the birth of his daughter.

“I can hear her cry from outside. She has good lungs,” said Orra, and his enormous white wings opened out, surrounding all in the room.

“Are you both fine? Is she hurt? Why is she crying so loud?” asked Dreyden.

“Newborns cry when they’re born, silly man, meet your daughter. And Orra, you can stay but step away; this is a Mommy and Father moment,” said Miomi.

“Lord Ashton Dreyden, meet our daughter, Lady Erika Miomi Natalie Harlow Dreyden,” said Calixta in a tired voice with the child laying over her chest. She cleaned her little nugget with a cloth, kissed her, and held her precious gift.

“Hello, little Lady, I’m your father.” And the little girl gave a little hiccup to her father. Dreyden kissed Calixta and kept looking at the two ladies in his life.

“I need to clean mother and child and deal with the afterbirth, so Dreyden, you must leave. I’ll tell you when you can return to your family,” said Miomi.

“How long will it take?” asked Dreyden.

“It will take about an hour. Now go; when Calixta and her child are cleaner, you can all be together again,” said Miomi then she took some linens and held the little one. Then Lala and Miomi began to clean the baby.

Dreyden left, but Orra stayed hovering in a corner.

“Lala and Miomi, thank you for everything. I could not have survived this without you both,” said Calixta letting Miomi take the child.

“You are welcome, cariño. I think you are the first woman who managed to leave an undesirable exotic trade behind. You are now a Vanquisher, a mage, the wife of a marchese, and now you are a mother. Sissy, you are a blessed woman indeed,” said Miomi holding the baby.

“M’ lady yer most welcome. Ye must rest. Come, Jani, take these dirty linens outa h’re,” said Lala, and she had Jani take the linens out of the hut. Miomi placed little Erika in Calixta’s arms.

Calixta wanted to sleep, but she wanted her child by her side even more. Her body felt as if she had battled hundreds of demons. Her legs felt numb, and her back ached. All her training as an exotic did not prepare her for birth giving. She wanted her child in her arms from the moment she saw her. Miomi then helped her push the placenta out. After, Lala called three other women to help them clean Calixta and take out the bloodied bed and bring a clean one.

Finally, Calixta was in a clean bed with her child, and the little girl screamed bloody murder. And Calixta looked at Lala, questioning.

“Lala, what is wrong with her? Why is she crying so much?” Calixta’s rocked the child and kept looking at Lala and Miomi, scared.

“M’Lady she’s hungry,” said Lala.

“Sissy, you must nurse her,” said Miomi with bags under her eyes and in a tired voice. Calixta took one of her breasts and tried to give it to the little girl. It took mother and child a little while to figure out how to nurse, but they managed.

“I need to go and sleep love. I am tired,” said Miomi.

“Go rest, Healer Miomi; I’ll have Jani come and help M’ Lady Calixta throughout the afternoon. I’ll come in the evening and stay with her for an hour or two,” said Lala.

“I’ll talk to Dreyden. He will be here throughout the night. Erika will wake every few hours to feed. I’ll let Dreyden know to place Erika on your breast to nurse and let you sleep,” said Miomi cleaning her hand with clean linen.

“Thank you, my dear friend, go rest. I will be fine with Jani,” Miomi left the room, and Calixta stayed feeding her child. Lala called Jani, and she entered the room and helped Calixta with Erika. The little girl fed a little, and soon she fell asleep, and so did Calixta.

……….

Twenty-five days after Erika was born, Dreyden and the others sat around Calixta’s bed talking about their next move.

“We must leave in two days,” said Calixta while she was nursing her child.

“You are not going anywhere. You just gave birth to Erika not three weeks ago,” said Dreyden rubbing Calixta’s foot.

“Ashton Dreyden, we talked about this already. I am not staying behind. Orra will protect Erika, and I feel fine. I am a Vanquisher just like you. We must go to the Fort of Marr. This trip has taken us what?” Calixta looked at Miomi.

“It’s been more than seven months since we left Barshaw Manor,” said Miomi

“The minokawas are ready to travel. Elijah gave us all the supplies we needed to take us to the Fort of Marr. Joppa says we are packed and ready to go. We could leave at any moment,” said Erasmo while drinking his tea.

“I said we must wait. It’s too soon for Calixta to travel,” said Dreyden.

“Ashton, you made us stay in Elijah’s village for two months before Erika was born because of me and the baby. Well, fine, I went along with it because I was feeling awful. But now she has been born, and we are doing well. She has her protector in Orra, and I will not let anything happen to her. I will fight with her shielded if I need it to be.”

“You both are all I have, and I am not going to lose either one of you,” said Dreyden.

“You are getting me upset. I don’t need you to fight my battles, my love. I know you want to protect us, but I am not a little thing to keep hidden. I am a woman of power and strength. I need you to fight with me not for me. We move together as a family. We fight together as a family. We are best when we are united. We are leaving. Things are getting worst in this kingdom, and we can’t let this happen because you are afraid of losing us. I am leaving in two days, and Erika is coming with me. You want to care for us, you better be ready to fly, or I will leave without you. Gálida must awake, and Joseph needs our help,” said Calixta.

“You are a pain on my ass, woman. How can I love such a female? Fine, you win; we leave in two days,” said Dreyden.

“Finally, someone hit some senses into his brain,” said Erasmo.

“You are welcome, Erasmo. Now, can all of you leave my hut? I want to change my daughter’s swaddling cloth, and that is a smelly job,” said Calixta, and they all left except Dreyden. As Calixta changed the little girl’s cloth, Dreyden looked at his wife.

“Why do you love contradicting me?” said the man.

“You know I will do anything for you, but you also know we have a big job ahead of us. Listen, there is one thing I didn’t tell you, and you need to know. The last time I went to the Box Exchange Train Station, the Virtues were going to take Erika from me. But what you don’t know is that I made a promise. If they let me have Erika, I wouldn’t let her be in my way of doing my task as a Vanquisher. They gave her back to us, and I will keep my promise. I am trusting she will be protected. I will do all I can to keep her from harm, and I suggest you do the same. You must place her in the arms of our God and let Orra be her guardian. Or else I am afraid they might take her away from us.” And Calixta left her daughter on her bed. She stood up, went to Dreyden, and kissed him. He took Calixta in his arms and hugged her tight.

“What you are asking is a hard thing to do for a man. It’s even harder for me to do. You both are my life,” said Dreyden.

“Yes, but you are not an ordinary man. You are my man, a Vanquisher. You are the man who got an Exotic woman out of her trade. You got her pregnant and taught her how to forgive.” Erika cried, and Dreyden went to her side, picked her up, and got mother and child into a family embraced.

……….

Two days later, Joppa, Olag, Jani, and Vikas’, four of the Warriors Elijah had given Dreyden, were waiting outside the village limits. Elijah had given them enough supplies to last them about three months of travel. Erasmo came carrying ammunition to last them through a war with another Nartagos.

Mario and Wally collected all the supplies, and Erasmo helped them saddle the animals. Calixta had prepared a special harness for her baby. She was going to carry Erika attached to her chest. Elijah stood with his two sons while Dreyden packed all he had received on the minokawas.

“Elijah, I must thank you for all your help. I will do all in my power to wake the second Vanquisher and then go find Joseph,” said Dreyden.

“I hope you get to the Fort of Marr in good health and with good winds. These Minokawas are strong, and these men are tough warriors,” said Elijah.

“I will never forget what you have done for my family and me,” said Dreyden.

“Know that we will stand with you in the coming war, but you must be ready to make sacrifices,” said Elijah.

“What do you mean?” asked Dreyden.

“You are the first Vanquisher. As a leader, you must be willing to make the good but hard decisions and not the easiest. Remember that when you are in battle,” said Elijah

“I will, said Dreyden, and Elijah walked back, and he stood next to his sons. Calixta and Miomi had mounted their Minokawas and were waiting for the others to finish packing. They had said their goodbyes to Lala and Elijah. It had been a great experience living with Elijah and his Desert Dwellers. Calixta adjusted her bag by her side when Mario got near her.

“Is something wrong, my lady?” asked Mario.

“No, Mario, I’m fine. You must be happy we are stopping in your hometown of Matra,” said Calixta.

“I can’t wait for you all to see my town,” said Mario.

“I bet your family will be happy to see you,” said Calixta.

“I think so, just wait and see; when we reach Matra, we go to my father’s farm, and there we will have a feast. My wife can cook the most fantastic pies. I can’t wait to see my sons,” said Mario. Dreyden walked to his Minokawa that was next to Calixta’s.

“I keep telling you to bring them to live at Barshaw Manor. I’ll gift you land for your family to live and work,” said Dreyden.

“I can’t. My family has had their land in Matra for generations, and my father will never leave. I can’t wait to see my wife and sons. She is going to be upset with me. It’s been almost a full year since I was last home,” said Mario as Dreyden mounted his Minokawa.

“Well, we will be there to stop her from killing you. I hope none of them is a mage because then it will be a little bit difficult to keep you alive.” Calixta smiled.

“Most of everyone in my family are mages. My middle son and I are the only ones without magic. They are all unregistered. My father didn’t want them to go to the capital and work for the king as mages. I can’t wait for you to meet them all,” said Mario.

“It will be our pleasure to meet your family.” Calixta held Erika tight and readjusted herself on her minokawa. And they took off onto the sky. Dreyden’s group left Elijah’s village early in the morning and headed towards Matra on the way to the Fort of Marr.