Page 41 of Serpents of the Night

Restlessly tapping a wing on the wall behind him, he waited and waited under the scrutiny of the guards, his patience growing increasingly thinner until the door finally cracked open and an attendant emerged. Her eyes dropped to him, and her wings drew in a brief flutter of surprise before she managed to control her reaction and fix him with a flat stare as she drew her wings tightly behind herself.

“You are still here,” she observed.

He inclined his head, the corners of his mouth drawing up in a mocking smile. “I am still here,” he confirmed. “Perhaps now you can show me in so that I may speak with the queen matriarch.”

He had little doubt that the delaying tactic was all his mother’s doing. Although she was determined to have him present within the shinara because it served her purposes, he understood that she had little time to waste on a male who was not of age to be dependent on her care. Looking back, he was certain that he and his brothers had spent more time with royal nest tenders than they did with their mother. Although he had many memories of her when he was young and the soft warmth of her embrace, they were cherished brief moments. A queen matriarch had little time for males of her line who would not be of any use to her—all of whom were destined by their pedigree to be driven out one by one from the maternal nest of the palace. That he was there now in the palace, he was nothing but an inconvenience to her. His presence at the last meal was nothing more than a show to validate his position among the court of noble matriarchs and secure his position within the shinara as the vessel of his mother’s heir.

He understood it but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. For that reason, his smile did not soften in the least when the attendant inclined her head stiffly and waved him inside.

Indeed, his mother had truly hoped that if she kept him waiting long enough, he would give up and return to his nest.

His mother’s chamber was lit slightly brighter than most of the common rooms of the palace, illuminating her golden profile as she reclined gracefully on opulent, oversized cushions next to a low table. Her green gaze lifted to him, the light of the crystal lantern at her side catching on those scales that were still golden enough to shimmer as she rolled slightly on her coils as she faced him.

“Slengral. Your presence here is an unexpected surprise,” she greeted him as she picked up a pot and poured the tea into a cup beside her. “I do hope that this is not another ill attempt to plead for your mate. My word is final.”

“I am not here to plead for Lori, mother,” he replied. “But my nest brother Daskh has awakened and has asked for an audience with you.”

His mother’s brow rose, but she set the teapot aside before settling back once more on her cushions to regard him. “I am pleased to hear that he has finally awakened. The accident has weighed heavily on your nest. On what matter does he wish to speak?”

“On a legal one but I lack the skill or knowledge to speak clearly for him on it,” he hurried to clarify.”

She exhaled loudly in an impatient sigh but her gavo snapped, though reluctantly. “If I recall, his mother was prominent among our scholars of law. I do not have time to meet with males for such things, but if it is a question pertaining the higher laws of the ruling court then I cannot do him the discourtesy of refusing to meet him. Word spreads quickly through the shinara of any slights from the palace court, and I besieged enough by public opinion regarding the perceived unfairness with which the shinara is saying that I treat your mate. As if they understand the seriousness of such matters.”

A small flicker of hope took life in Slengral. If the queen matriarch was receiving pushback from some of the females of the shinara, that could only help their case.

“I apologize if my nest is causing you difficulties,” Slengral rumbled. “I love my mate and the males within my nest are true nest brothers of my hearts, but I would have spared you this embarrassment and discomfort. It is bad fortune that it is me that you found rather than one of my brothers.”

Zathexa scoffed quietly but waved his words away with a flick of her wing. “Your brothers made certain to hide themselves far from me. Outside of drawing attention to yourself due to your alliance with the human colony, only Therxian was bold enough to reveal himself. And what am I to do with him when he betrayed the shinara and is far from my reach among the Vehal.”

Therxian was among the Vehal? That was interesting.

“It is no matter,” she said and sighed deeply before offering him a maternal smile. “We have you and we count ourselves lucky. The gossip regarding your mate will fade in time. I have sent our word among the populace that the palace holds no animosity towards the human, Lori. While I cannot say that I approve of your relationship with Lori and would still have preferred another to be your consort mate, I do admire her tenacity in this situation. The offspring she carries will undoubtedly be strong and worthy of the shinara. I look forward to greeting her upon her return.”

Slengral’s gavo rose in surprise. Truly? His mother was willing to accept Lori as the queen of his nest upon her return? If Daskh could convince his mother that the laws allowed them exception to the rules for the maiden trial to serve as nothing more than guards to their mate, then they would win his mother’s confidence that they would have the shinara’s wellbeing at heart when they returned. It would take only a little more effort from there to convince his mother to let them leave the shinara to look for his brothers should another prove a better choice for what Zathexa had in mind. If not, they would be trusted to return and uphold their responsibilities regardless of their own desires. Even though no one in his nest wished to remain in the shinara, it would just make them work all the harder to find his brothers. At least his mother would no longer be an obstacle if she came to peace with Lori as his ashlava.

He inclined his head respectfully, his hearts swelling with a happiness that he had seldom felt outside of that which was provided by his mate and nest brothers. “Thank you, mother,” he murmured. “It pleases me greatly that you feel this way.”

His mother smiled and inclined her head. “I may be constrained by our traditions and laws, but I only wish for the happiness of all of my offspring, regardless of where Higthar leads them. As for Daskh,” she continued as she picked up her cup and took a sip, “he may come to me tomorrow after the second mark.”

The second mark...just after the midnight hour. His mother would have had her mid meal by then.

Raising his gavo to a respectful height, he inclined his head. “I will be sure to tell him. Thank you again, mother.”

Her mouth curled. “Of course, my son.”

Chapter 35

Lori pushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes and squinted in one direction and then another. She didn’t know if she was imagining things, but somehow, it felt even hotter than it had the day before. Or she was more likely becoming more and more dehydrated as each day passed. She had only so many water capsules and so was forced to use them sparingly when she couldn’t endure the thirst any longer. It could also be the sunburn she suffered when she accidentally forgot to apply the ointment that Nashee had given her when she hurried out of her tent that first evening. That brief period in the sun had been enough to make her feel miserably sick so that she’d lost an entire day of traveling.

Payeri gave her an impatient look, her arms crossed over her chest. She was once again waiting on Lori to make a decision. Unfortunately, the further they got from the mountains, the more disorientating it became as the dunes rose, blocking everything else out in a confusing ocean of shimmering sand. Fanning herself with her hand, she turned slowly, lifting her lantern higher. The light wavered over the sand turning some areas indistinct as if something was moving threatening over it. She knew it was an optical illusion, but it had given her more than one start over the last couple of days.

If only her goggles hadn’t been left behind in her nest, but Jathella had only collected her bag and the contents stored inside of it. Lori hadn’t had a chance to prepare. It was unfortunate since the night vision goggles would have been a lot more reliable with their digital input, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“Have you decided yet?” Payeri demanded impatiently.

Lori didn’t answer but plodded forward. If there was something she had learned over the last three nights, no matter how friendly she tried to be with the female, and no matter Payeri’s desire to settle the debt between them, the female had a verbal barb for nearly every situation. Lori wasn’t fast enough or decisive enough, nor was she strong enough or possess enough endurance to keep Payeri from complaining. It was better to just keep moving than to open herself to more of the other female’s commentary on where she was lacking. She was quite certain that Payeri was regretting her offer now, but Lori tried to not take it personally. Not when she was intentionally cautiously weighing her every movement as she kept an eye on her escort and guardian.

Unfortunately, although Payeri offered her no more harm outside of general unpleasantness as the nights wore on, Lori struggled with trusting the female. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly made her so reluctant. She appeared to be there for every reason that she claimed. Just because she didn’t make a pleasant traveling companion wasn’t something that Lori could fairly hold against her. She even got why Payeri was getting increasingly more irritated. Lori had gotten turned around more than once after night fully descended. She also understood that insisting on repaying a debt didn’t mean anything. Still, although she had suspected that they wouldn’t be best friends, she had hoped for at least some casual pleasantness between them given their shared situation. Instead, Lori was a bit caught off guard by how callous and impatient the female had become since drawing near the dunes.

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