Beyond the Boundary Stones (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 3) by Angela Holder Page A

slight softening of her expression? Josiah wasn’t sure whether he’d imagined it, and it was gone in an instant if it had been there at all. “We married, and I waited to become pregnant, but it never happened. I should have divorced him, too, but I kept hoping and seeking other remedies. Eventually, though, I knew I had no choice. If the Verinna hadn’t found Tevenar and brought you here, I would have cast him off and tried again with another.” She looked directly at Elkan. “I still will, if necessary.”
    “Hopefully it won’t be. I’ll need to examine him as well,” Elkan told her. “Since you conceived easily with others, it’s likely he suffers from a condition that impairs his ability to father a child. Certain types the Mother’s power can reverse, though others are permanent. It is true that women with the disorder suggested by your history can sometimes have healthy pregnancies with a different father. But that disorder can also be helped by the Mother’s power. If you and your husband are able to conceive, and the child is affected the way your others were, we can give you regular treatments that will reverse the effects and keep the baby healthy.”
    The Matriarch gazed at him. Either Josiah was getting better at reading her reactions, or her emotions were overcoming her tremendous skill at hiding them. Hunger blazed from her eyes and radiated from every line of her body. “If you can accomplish that, I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams.”
    “No reward will be necessary save the help you’ve promised Tevenar.” Elkan quirked her a wry smile, which Josiah recognized as an effort to lighten the mood. “Although I might be able to think of something both the Mother and I would like.”
    She regarded him with haughty coldness, but Josiah detected a hint of teasing in the way her eyebrows arched. “You must earn it first.”
    “Of course.” He shifted in his chair and laid his hand on Tobi’s head. “May we examine you now?”
    “Do so.” Her lips tightened. “Do you wish me to lie down or remove my clothing? You healers always seem to require the most distasteful intimacies.”
    “Not now. Possibly later, depending on what we find. Just sit back and relax.”
    She gave a little snort, but complied.
    Gold light flowed from Elkan’s hand to envelop her abdomen. “Josiah, you and Sar follow what I’m doing.”
    Josiah obediently put his hand on Sar’s back, and his familiar sent gold light pouring through him. He’d examined plenty of other women under Elkan’s guidance. The surreal sensations provided by the Mother’s power, so different from the way things really looked or felt, made it pretty easy to keep the proper professional attitude. As long as he didn’t think too much about the fact he was observing the reproductive organs of a woman his mother’s age.
    The impressions pouring into his senses agreed with what Elkan was saying aloud for the Matriarch’s benefit. “Everything seems healthy and functioning. You’re clearly still fertile. There are some changes typical of your age, but nothing that will cause serious problems. Even without intervention, I’d judge you have at least five more years before you reach menopause. And if necessary we can slow things down with the Mother’s power and delay it a few years.”
    The Matriarch let out her breath. “Do I suffer from the disorder you mentioned?”
    “We won’t be able to tell until you become pregnant and we observe how your body reacts. I see no reason why you shouldn’t attempt to conceive as soon as possible. We’ll deal with things from there.”
    He sat back and took his hand from Tobi’s head, causing the gold light to vanish. Josiah copied him. Elkan gave the Matriarch an encouraging smile. “If you send for your husband, we’ll examine him as well. You’ll be at the most fertile part of your cycle in a few days, so with luck we can deal with whatever problem affects him in time for a good