On a Clear Winter Night: An Irin Chronicles Short Story Read Online Free PDF

Istanbul without you, so we decided to come here.”
    “And who is watching the house?” Malachi asked.
    Rhys sat in a chair by the tree and batted a red glass globe like a curious cat. “Damien and Sari brought Mala and Orsala from Cappadocia to the city. Get them out of Cappadocia for a bit. I think Mala was getting edgy. They’re keeping an eye on things.”
    Malachi relaxed. Grigori activity in their section of Turkey had been quiet, but it was always a risk. And with many humans fleeing war on Turkey’s borders, that meant thousands of vulnerable humans could be prey for opportunistic sons of the Fallen. Damien, Sari, and Mala, however, were more than a match for any Grigori foolish enough to try to infiltrate Istanbul.
    He turned to Max. “Heard from Renata lately?”
    Max shrugged and said nothing, which likely meant the nomadic Irina was still in the wind. Malachi didn’t know what to make of their relationship, so he didn’t ask. He was simply happy to see them all. He put his arm around Ava and kissed the top of her head.
    “Are you happy?” he asked quietly. “More people means more—”
    “Noise. And voices. And stomping feet on the stairs. And mouths to feed.” She looked up and grinned. “But it also means more people I love are here to celebrate with us. I’m happy. This is the best, babe.”
    “I’m glad.”

    THAT night, while Karen roped Max and Leo into meal preparations for Midwinter, Ava and Malachi met with Evren in the library. The old scribe pulled out a carefully wrapped leather-bound manuscript and opened it in front of Malachi.
    An old ache eased in Malachi. “The Hokman Abat. ”
    “I have brought you my own copy. There are notes written in the margins, but we’ll go through all the inscriptions and possible variations. The sections on Irina birth and twin births I must confess to have not studied as closely because, of course, my mate was only having a son.”
    “Wow.” Ava leaned closer and looked at the well-worn book. “So this is like… a childbirth manual for Irin dads?”
    “Of course,” Evren said. “For scribes, there are many tasks during the labor process. The spells are quite intricate.”
    “I have studied what I could,” Malachi said. “But I am greatly relieved to have a scribe with practical knowledge to advise me before the birth. We should start right away. That is, if Ava can spare me.”
    “Of course!” She was smiling, and Malachi could not interpret the expression on her face. It was surprise, perhaps? A hint of amusement.
    “What is it?” he asked.
    “I love that the Irin have a birth manual for fathers. That’s so cool.”
    Evren frowned. “Are you saying there is no similar manual for fathers in the human world? Granted, there are no spells that human men can do, but surely they have specific tasks while the mother is in labor.”
    “No,” she said with an amused smile. “None that I know of.”
    “That’s shocking,” Malachi said with wide eyes. “How did fathers know what to do?”
    “A few generations ago, human men weren’t even expected to be with their wives while they gave birth.”
    Malachi must have looked horrified because Evren patted his shoulder.  
    “I think it is very different for women now in most of the world,” Evren said.
    “Were these humans under the impression that their women spontaneously reproduced?” Malachi sat up straight. “That is absurd.”  
    Humans never failed to amaze him. Malachi could acknowledge that he never paid much attention to their mating or child-rearing habits, but he had no idea how a male could leave his mate unprotected while she was physically vulnerable. What if an enemy attacked during the hours of labor? Perhaps they had other security measures in place Ava didn’t know about. That had to be the case.
    “Luckily,” Evren said, “you are having Irin children, not human children. While the labor will be difficult, I will help Malachi to perfect his spells to ease as