Page 5 of Scales of Time

“I should have checked your mother’s luggage. She’s sneaky.”

There was a lot of amused hissing, and Velueth rubbed her belly. “That she is. You know, she refused to have sons. Our family only has daughters. My father was very proud of having her as his wife, but she was a lot.”

Yorness called out, “I can hear you.”

Velueth hissed in amusement. “I meant you to.”

The room they walked into had low chairs next to low tables covered with food. Statues were everywhere on stands, plinths, and columns. They were in alcoves and niches.

“So, your family likes statues?”

Velueth nodded. “My mother gave us the obsession, and we all carry it with us. We love the idea of energy being frozen in the moment.”

“That does describe her interests.” Kris smiled.

She settled on one of the low chairs, and Velueth said, “The food at this table is safe for you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You are a guest, Auntie Kris. You should be free to eat without being poisoned.”

“That is the marking of an excellent hostess.” Kris settled and watched as Yorness was brought in by her family and settled across the room.

She was loved.

The sarcastic and grim-scaled merchant was the matriarch of a loving family. Kris wouldn’t have imagined it, but there was Yorness, hissing with her daughters and granddaughters. The husbands stood to one side and let the ladies have their moment. Kris cocked her head and considered, or perhaps, they were separate for a reason.

Yorness was venomous. Kris knew that. She had gotten nicked by teeth and claw tips while getting her boss out of a dangerous situation. The merchant travelled with antivenin, and Kris only ended up bruised and swollen. Getting control of her tongue again had taken days, but after a while, she had been able to match Yorness’s mocking.

Everyone took a seat, and servants began to pour beverages once the children settled. Kris followed what everyone else was doing but used her toxin alert to check the food with a sweep of her hand. The ring flickered faintly over the food but didn’t alert.

She waited until everyone started eating then carefully took a vegetable and put it in her mouth. It tasted fizzy but not bad. Kris moved through the meal on her small table and found a few things that didn’t set off an allergy or sensitivity. She was going to be a little itchy but otherwise fine. She had antihistamines in her bag. One would think that she could travel the universe just fine, but no, she sniffled and sneezed her way through every new world and stunning star. It sucked for her, but the beauty was still there.

Kris finished her food and sipped at her drink. To her amusement, music started, and the kids started dancing, energetic moves of children who were getting control of their own bodies. The littlest ones flailed, and the older ones mimicked some of the most serious ballet that Kris had ever seen.

When the song ended, there was soft and encouraging hissing. Kris was glad she hadn’t tried to clap.

The girls bowed, and the men started dancing. It seemed that this was a traditional thing. The music was stronger, the guys did a lot of acrobatics, and when the hissing started, Kris kept her mouth shut.

Yorness smiled. “Kris, your turn.”

“What?”

“Everybody dances to welcome the matriarch home.”

“I hauled your scaly ass across two star systems. That should be enough.”

Yorness hissed with laughter while her family looked shocked. “True, but you are here, and tradition is tradition. Just be lucky that I didn’t follow all protocols.”

“What protocols?” Kris narrowed her eyes. “Does it involve shaving me because you have threatened that a few times?”

Yorness cackled. “No. There are other matters of etiquette that I skipped over so that we could get you acclimated to the estate and my family.”

“Huh. Fine.” She stood up and stood in the centre of the dance space.

Yorness grinned, showing a lot of sharp teeth. “A Vrrska beat.”

Kris flipped her off, but the music began, and she went up on her toes to mix every dance style she had accumulated as the beat cycled from fast to slow to energetic to melancholy. She finished her dance with her head up and glaring at Yorness.

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