Slowly the boy's hands rose, a gesture that his purpose was harmless and an attempt to calm the madness in his mentor's eyes. "I did not know what lay in wait..." It was a pointless explanation as he lowered his hands and softened his posture as he drew another calming breath and assessed the room with uncertain eyes. They were alone. The fire was burning low. They had been within the house for some time, and all was not right. The woman he knew to be a great friend and wife of the man he called his father struggled, so obviously in distress and weariness in the arms of Antonin. It was too early, but Evan understood now the purpose of his summons. The baby was to be born.
Slowly he pulled his cloak free, nodding his confirmation of Antonin's inquiry as he gave the heavy fabric to his arms and without command moved first to attend the fire that would die if left much longer. "But the fire dies...I will clean them agan once I have tended it. She will freeze."
Fear rose in his heart, unsettling the boy who quaked for so very little in this world. But the idea of this baby's arrival, the uncertainty of the night, and the idea that it lay in his hands was enough to terrify his brave heart. The wood crackled and hissed as he put it upon the pile of coals, stirring the fire with haste before he drew his wand to cleanse his hands and returned to the pair with concern.
The silence was broken only by the labor of the girl's breathing, the catch of her breath as she turned her face into her husband's arm and struggled with the pain that now came in constant waves. It was time.