Page 13 of Flower of Seshana

They observed a formation of three hunters flying overhead. Therxian broke away from his position at the lead and dropped to the ground, his tail looping protectively as it slid against the ground. Quillen froze as the male peered at them. Had he seen something to condemn Alexandra? If he had, would Quillen and Kethan be able to carry their mate to safety in time? His tail coiled, the muscles tightening as he mentally prepared to take flight, and he gamely met the male’s gaze with a bored tip of his head.

“Therxian? To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?”

The lead hunter’s gaze scanned the cliffside but when he returned Quillen’s regard there was no accusation within the depths of the male’s red gaze, just mild curiosity.

“I was heading out to hunt and noted your presence at this cliff of all places with your Alexandra,” he rumbled. “Is something amiss?”

Quillen blinked in surprise. Therxian was… concerned. Did he believe that Quillen was planning to throw his ashlava over the cliffside to appease his mother’s gorshiga? It was absurd. Heknew what the entire nara believed, but he never imagined that Therxian would also believe that he was tainted and haunted by a female he tried to not even think about. But then the male cast a worried look in Alexandra’s direction and everything clicked into place. Quillen chuffed softly to himself, drawing the male’s attention back to him.

“There is nothing to worry about,” he assured the hunter. “I felt it was time to speak to Alexandra of certain events. And introduce her to Mother,” he added, tipping his head toward the tree into which his mother’s remains had been buried in a hollowed-out portion that had long since been resealed.

The outright lie sounded ludicrous to his own ears as Gamay was the only mother he recognized after being abandoned. That the act had resulted in his mother’s death had been unfortunate—even more so that he had been the one to discover her remains—but she chose to leave him and it was Gamay who had raised him with her own son as if there was no difference between them. And she had both met and quickly come to love Alexandra. So all that was necessary had already been accomplished as far as he was concerned. However, Therxian appeared to accept the excuse, and the male inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“That is right for you to do as a son,” the male said gruffly. “And a good step that you take with the female so that all things may proceed in the correct direction. No doubt it was difficult, but I congratulate you,” he added stiffly before withdrawing with a backward roll of his coils.

Quillen wanted to laugh but he tightened his lips, grateful that expressions of sorrow and restrained mirth could look so similar, and bowed his head. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kethan looking studiously away as if to take in the grim scenery of Terishal’s Lament. No doubt to keep his ownemotions under control as he wrapped one wing around their ashlava’s shoulders.

“Now get your nest in order with your ashlava,” Therxian grumbled in parting, but he suddenly hesitated to peer speculatively at them. “Is it both of you?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kethan stiffen. He knew that this question was one that his nest brother feared. “And if it is?” he queried.

To his surprise, Therxian merely snapped his gavo as if that were exactly what he expected. “Given your nesting habit, there has been much speculation around the nara whether she would choose one of you or bond with you both. All signs have pointed to the latter, but I was not certain which path you would choose.”

“We are both bonding,” he agreed, “and we both accept it.”

The male inclined his head in a short, respectful salute before giving him a tired look. “Good. Now finish this so that the nara can be at ease.” He gave one final glance toward the cliffs, his mouth tightening. “Do not linger here too long. This is a place of misfortune. It is not a good place for blessings.”

“Thank you, Therxian. That means more to me than I can say,” Quillen replied solemnly. “We will be leaving momentarily.”

The hunter inclined his head again. “Do not forget to notify the nara where you wish for the blessings to be held. I will be waiting for your word.”

He saw only the shadow of the male shift as he dipped his head once more. Therxian, fortunately, was not a male to waste words. Without farewell, the male sprung into the air with a powerful beat of his wings, another shriek vibrating through the air to communicate with the other hunters as he took to the skies, leaving them far behind.

“You are insane,” Kethan said, drawing up to his side. “What would you have done if he refused to believe your ridiculous story?”

“I was improvising,” Quillen hissed in turn, but the other male merely shrugged his wings, unconvinced.

“I think he did well,” Alexandra said, her eyes sparkling behind her glass lenses. “Especially considering that he had to think quickly to cover my mistake. I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen. I suppose that I thought that I could just consider what I was doing as merely some sort of adventure if I had failed. I didn’t think enough about the risks.”

“You ought to have notified us of your intent and we would have explained to you why you could not,” Kethan replied in a low voice. He fell silent for a long moment, and Quillen’s softhearted nest brother sighed at the unhappy look on her face. “We know that you wish to help your people. It is admirable. But we have to consider the safety of the Vahel dwelling on the Zir. Although we would protect you from Therxian to the best of our abilities, his actions are not without reason.”

Quillen snapped his gavo in agreement as he gave Alexandra a solemn look. “Think of it beyond your desire to help the people of your colony, ashlava, and see it from the perspective of the Vahel. If your people realized that there were these resources here, but they also learned that the Vahel dwelled here as well, would they treat us as respectfully as you and seek to live in harmony with us and learn from us?”

He watched her eyes go round as she suddenly grew frightfully pale. Worried, he considered reaching over to offer her comfort, but she bit her bottom lip and shook her head as she made a sound of frustration. “Fuck! No. Corp would see you as an obstacle to needed resources and order your removal. I… I thought it was enough that the return path wasn’t recordedinto the flyers. But you’re right. There hasn’t been any interest in exploring the mountains due to the dangerous conditions caused by the fog. Darvel considers unnecessary exploration of the planet a waste of resources. But if they knew what was in the Zir, they would eventually send teams into the mountains, and if you presented any kind of danger or obstacle to what they wish to acquire… it wouldn’t be good.”

“With the way they are invading the caverns, I am surprised that they have not yet encountered the Seshanamitesh,” Quillen observed with a dark chuckle.

That would be quite a meeting that would not pose well for this Corp. He promptly quieted his laughter, however, when Kethan glared over at him. Right. This was still their mate’s people.

“I assure you that this is something that Therxian has likely considered, and likely others on the council. And regardless of any sentimentality, he would have sought to prevent it. It is fortunate that Quillen discovered your absence and followed you,” Kethan replied in a low voice. “If we had not come in time… I do not wish to even think of what could have happened.”

A small frown marred her brow as she peered at them. “I didn’t realize that you felt so strongly. You speak as if you would have been devastated.”

“We would have been destroyed,” Kethan admitted, and Quillen nodded solemnly, his heart constricting painfully in his chest.

“Oh,” she whispered, and her hand rested in a fist against her heart. “I… I didn’t realize. I don’t know… I….”

Quillen smiled at the color rising to her cheeks. Ah, he understood. Straightening, he languidly stretched his wings. They had not been clear enough as to where their immediate intentions lay, and she was nervous about taking what she wanted. He had an idea of how to deal with it. “As you areadventurous enough to chance your life at Terishal’s Lament, how do you feel about another adventure?” He paused and thought his words over. “No, more of an experiment.”

---