Carpathian 20 - Dark Slayer

support those children,― Ivory said, remembering the ceremony from her childhood. “All of us are expected to educate, love and become family to them so that should anything happen to their parents, they will not feel alone in the world.― She brushed a kiss along the side of his face. “More children for you.―
    He flicked her a promise of retaliation at the laughter in her voice. “We will have to have at least ten more.―
    Ivory sucked in her breath and scowled at him. She didn’t know the first thing about babies—give her a sword every time.
    Razvan made a little snorting sound and even the wolves stirred as if they were laughing.
    Gregori handed his daughter to the prince. The baby seemed impossibly tiny to Ivory, but she had all her fingers and toes and a head of thick, dark hair—and she was alive. Her head turned and her eyes met Ivory’s. There was awareness there.
    Ivory’s throat tightened more.
    â€œWho names this child?― Mikhail asked.
    â€œHer father,― Gregori answered.
    â€œHer mother,― Savannah proclaimed.
    â€œHer people,― the entire crowd chanted back.
    â€œI name you Anastasia Daratrazanoff,― Mikhail said.
    â€œBorn in battle, crowned with love. Who will accept the offer of the Carpathian people to love and raise our daughter?―
    â€œHer parents, with gratitude,― Savannah and Gregori answered formally.
    The second infant was handed to Mikhail with great care. She was visibly smaller and a little more fragile, with the same head of dark hair. She, too, looked at Ivory as Mikhail held her high in the air for the Carpathian people to see. Elation swept through the room at the sight of the small baby, an almost electric excitement that had tears swimming in Ivory’s eyes. She smiled at the baby and was shocked when the infant smiled back.
    â€œWho names this child?― Mikhail asked.
    â€œHer father,― Gregori answered. His voice sounded choked, as if he could barely get the words past the lump in his throat.

    â€œHis mother,― Savannah replied, cuddling little Anastasia protectively against her body.
    â€œHer people,― every man, woman and child in the room proclaimed in unison.
    â€œI name you Anya Daratrazanoff,― Mikhail announced.
    â€œBorn in battle, crowned with love. Who will accept the offer of the Carpathian people to love and raise our daughter?―
    â€œHer parents, with gratitude.― Gregori and Savannah accepted the tremendous honor and duty together.
    The crowd erupted into singing and chanting, joy filling the ceremonial chamber. Laughter broke out. Ivory caught sight of Travis hugging Falcon. He looked happy and carefree. She found herself smiling right along with the rest of them.
    â€œI suppose we should swear allegiance to the prince,―
    she whispered.
    â€œI suppose,― Razvan agreed, “but not now. Now, I want to take you home and start on those ten children we are going to have.―
    Ivory laughed and placed her hand in his. She doubted the ten children thing was ever going to happen, but she certainly had no objections to the trying.
    APPENDIX 1
    Carpathian Healing Chants

    To rightly understand Carpathian healing chants, background is required in several areas:
    1. The Carpathian view on healing
    2. The Lesser Healing Chant of the Carpathians
    3. The Great Healing Chant of the Carpathians
    4. Carpathian musical aesthetics
    5. Lullaby
    6. Song to Heal the Earth
    7. Carpathian chanting technique
    1. THE CARPATHIAN VIEW ON HEALING
    The Carpathians are a nomadic people whose geographic origins can be traced back to at least as far as the Southern Ural Mountains (near the steppes of modern-day Kazakhstan), on the border between Europe and Asia. (For this reason, modern-day linguists call their language “proto-Uralic,― without knowing that this is the language of the Carpathians.) Unlike most nomadic peoples, the wandering of the Carpathians was not due to the need to find new grazing lands as the seasons and climate shifted, or the search for better trade. Instead, the Carpathians’ movements were driven by a great purpose: to find a land that would have the right earth, a soil with the kind of richness that would greatly enhance their rejuvenative powers.

    Over the centuries, they migrated westward (some six thousand years ago), until