Page 33 of Serpents of the Night

“You are correct that this human’s status as an adult and her rights to breed should indeed be called into question,” Zathexa agreed serenely. “However, right now, we are speaking only of your daughter’s claim for which she has brought charges against Slengral and nothing more. Once this matter is resolved I will be addressing the human Lori’s mating personally. Do you disagree with this Shalyia?”

The note of challenge in the queen’s voice was clear. For a moment it appeared that Shalyia was still prepared to object but seemed to think better of it in the next moment as she lowered her head submissively, her gavo flattening in response.

“As you deem best, queen matriarch.”

Zathexa nodded and reclined back on her throne. “Very good. Vekatha may now present her evidence.”

Lori’s gaze shot to the female in question. Vekatha fidgeted, her wings fluttering anxiously upon losing the higher ground.

“I do not have evidence. The breeding did not take and so I have no nestlings to offer.”

Zathexa made an impatient sound in her throat as a flutter of speculation rose among those attending. “Nestlings are not the sole product of mating. Can you not do something so simple as to call your mate to you? Sing to him and he will respond as he should if he is yours and not mated to this human.”

Vekatha’s gavo quivered, her wings parting slightly with alarm. “I...”

“Are unable,” the queen matriarch finished, her wings puffing up with her annoyance. “There is certainly no acceptable excuse that you can offer. Either you can or you cannot.”

“What of the human?” the other female shrilly demanded. “She cannot sing to him and prove her true mated status.”

“Once again, these proceedings are currently not in regard to her mating,” Zathexa replied drily. “Are you able to present any evidence at all for your case or not?”

Vekatha’s mouth silently worked as she noticeably grappled with some sort of explanation. Lori’s lips thinned as she resisted the urge to smile. The female had pinned everything on the hope of deflecting away from her own questionable mating by trying to invalidate the one Lori had with her mates. Now that her main objective failed, she had nothing to support her case at all.

“If she has nothing... I have evidence,” Slengral rumbled. He glided forward, holding a carefully wrapped package in his hand that he lifted high as he turned slowly to show to the court of noble matriarchs. “This contains material heavily coated with Vekatha’s scent pheromone that was brought to my nest by her sister’s mate Mareesh, whom my nest brother, Daskh, caught attempting to trap me. If I had the misfortune of leaving my nest at all without the trap noticed, they would have used the coincidence to claim a mating reaction in response to it.”

“Daskh is not even present to testify,” Vekatha loudly objected. “This male could claim anything to escape justice.”

“But those of your maternal nest are present, including your sisters,” Slengral countered, his head tipping toward a female reclined a short distance behind Shalyia. “I am certain that Mareesh, who is seldom far from his mate so that he can best serve her, is here as well.”

Zathexa frowned but nodded. “Mareesh.”

There was a quick frenzy of movement before a small male emerged from among the pillows and his mate’s coils. He was exactly as Daskh described him, pale blue coloring, stunted wings, oversized gavo, and a clearly nervous disposition. Mareesh’s gaze flicked in their direction only briefly as he hurried forward closer to the throne before collapsing in front of it in a quivering heap.

The queen matriarch’s face hardened further as she regarded the male. “Did Slengral speak truthfully? Was that what happened?”

The male shaking increased but his gavo flared widely and snapped in affirmation. “I dare not speak falsely.”

“You dare speak at all?” The reclining female bellowed as she rose angrily upon her coils.

The queen matriarch motioned with one hand and Jathella straightened at her side before moving with the speed of a striking viper as she arrived at the offending female’s side. Without a word, she lifted her velkat and scowled so fiercely at Mareesh’s mate that the female fell silent and dropped petulantly back to her cushion. Mareesh trembled as he watched but a warning rattling series of short clicks from Zathexa drew his attention promptly back to her as he shrank deferentially.

“Continue,” she commanded.

He jumped at the sharp note in her voice and rapidly bobbed his head, his gavo snapping repeatedly with his nerves. “I am not an intelligent male, queen matriarch, so my mate kept the instructions simple as to what Vekatha required of me. To speak plainly, I was to do whatever it took to make it appear as if he was drawn by her pheromones. It was my bad fortune that Daskh saw me before I located the nest and found a suitable place to hide it. Even the smallest action of investigating the source of the pheromones so close to his nest would have supported her claim.”

“Jathella, bring the evidence to me,” the queen instructed. “I wish to see if this is exactly what they claim it is.”

“Queen Matriarch, allow me to expl...” Vekatha shrieked as she whipped her tail out in attempt to block Jathella.

“Silence!” Zathexa hissed, cutting her off. “Jathella!”

The commander inclined her head and slid to Slengral’s side to retrieve the package. With the sealed pouch in hand, she hurried over to the queen matriarch. Zathexa flicked her claws at the pouch in a wordless gesture and Jathella’s gavo popped lightly as she unlaced the binding and pulled it open. The female’s blunted nose wrinkled, and she gagged faintly at the strong smell that had to be coming from it before holding it out. A look of disgust crossed Zathexa’s face and she waved it away, to which Jathella responded by handing it off to another with a distinct look of relief on her face.

Zathexa drummed her claws on her throne as she pinned Vekatha with an unforgiving stare. “I must marvel at a female nested by one of the noble matriarchs who would debase themselves to attempt such a desperate, if stupid, trick. It truly demonstrates your deceptive character. I have little doubt that Slengral would have fought off any attempt to entrap him before this incident as well. This casts significant enough doubt on your claims of harm if he was attempting to avoid a forced mating. The right of mating is a consolation to the hunters who protect and feed us that a willing female who ventures into the upper caverns may be received by them that they can prove themselves worthy of mating, not to be weaponized against them. Vekatha, I have little doubt that this was your intention and is not only against our laws regarding the males of the upper caverns but unworthy of your station.”

It didn’t escape Lori’s attention that while there were supposedly laws that protected the males of the upper caverns in exchange for their service, the males selected from the haga had fewer protections; otherwise, what happened to Kehtal would never have happened. It was no wonder that Daskh escaped with him into the upper caverns as soon as possible. He was safer there not only logistically but legally. It made her feel bad for Mareesh, and other males like him, who were unable to escape the selection. They had protections but nothing protected them from being chosen as mates within the shinara. She wanted to say something on all of their behalf, but Slengral’s tail tightened around her waist in warning.

Do not draw attention to yourself.

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