I turned the baby on its side, ignoring the blood that painted my hands as I reached up into the witch’s opening to massage out the first shoulder as gently as I could. It popped free and I laid a tiny, dark arm next to its stomach. I kept turning the child over, lining up the other shoulder vertically to the opening. I held my breath as I twisted and pulled, digging my fingers in and ignoring the agonized shrieks of the woman on top of me. The shoulder came free.

“Can someone—”

I straightened suddenly, knocking my head into Thad’s chin. We both hissed in pain, and I half-expected my collar to tighten in punishment. It didn’t. I had been so involved in what I was doing that I hadn’t noticed him directly behind me.

“What do you need?” he asked with no sneers or hatred. Just a question. I quickly looked away, focusing on the woman. I grabbed his massive hand and put it right above the witch’s pelvis.

“Make a fist and press in and down to push the head out. Do it slowly, and carefully.”

My hands continued to twist with the child, letting it turn naturally as Thad pushed down on the area below her stomach and above the pelvis. The head started to slowly, agonizingly slide out.

“Yes! That’s it! Push if you can!”

I didn’t know if the witch could hear me, but any little bit would help us now. I kept my one hand near the neck to protect it, the other still guiding the body. I shifted to hold the baby with one hand and put my other bloodied one on top of Thad’s to direct his pushes. With a final twist and push from our entwined hands, the baby was out. The witch slumped backwards in the demon’s arms as I caught the child in my hands. It immediately began to cry, and I smiled for the first time since getting captured. I held the baby up to the first person near me, which happened to be Thad. My face radiated joy, while his was pale and shocked, his eyes darting from me to the baby as if he didn’t know where to look first.

The baby was a boy with deep indigo skin and black hair to match his mother. One of the demon imps snatched him from my hands, leaving me clutching at empty air. The witch was moaning now, and my attention swung back to her.

“She needs—”

“That is enough.” Severn looked to Thad, who grabbed my chains and yanked me up.

I looked around frantically but didn’t see the child. Where did they go with the children? The demons were already grabbing the witch, carrying her back to her cell. That wasn’t right! She needed after care, attention, to be cleansed.

“Move.” Thad ordered.

I tripped again, but Thad held my chains tightly and I couldn’t protest. I glanced down at my hands, painted in the witch's blood. I swore then I’d destroy everyone here if I ever got the chance.