Page 17 of The Weaver

Rekosh’s fine hairs rose, and his head snapped toward Ketahn’s distressed call. Ahmya withdrew her hand from his and turned to look as well.

Ketahn was racing across a rope bridge, moving toward the human platforms, with Ivy clutched in his arms. Rekosh had never seen anyone traverse Kaldarak with such speed; even the wild swaying of the bridge beneath Ketahn’s legs did not slow him.

“What’s wrong?” Ahmya asked. “Is it the baby?”

“I do not know,” Rekosh replied.

It had to be the broodling finally coming. Because if it was something else, if Ivy was ill or injured, or…

When Ketahn reached the solid platform beneath Rekosh and Ahmya, his legs carried him even faster. He called for Diego again before barging into the human healer’s den. Muffled voices rose from inside the den, but Rekosh could not understand their words.

“What’s going on?” Cole called from his deck above.

Callie ran across the platform, stopping beside Rekosh. “Was that Ketahn yelling?”

“I think it’s the baby,” Ahmya said. “Diego said it could be any day now.”

“Already?” Cole asked as he briskly moved down the steps from his platform.

Will rushed out of the den below. The dark-brown-skinned male was dressed only in pants, and his chest and shoulders heaved with his rapid breaths.

Cole leaned over the edge of the platform. “Will! What’s going on?”

Will looked up. “Baby’s coming. We need all the cloth you guys can spare.”

“On it!” Callie said, running toward her den.

Ahmya and Cole also hurried to their dens, leaving Rekosh alone.

At least until Lacey emerged from her den, brows drawn together. She looked at Rekosh. “Why’s everyone yelling?”

“Ivy’s broodling is coming.”

Her green eyes widened. “For real?Holeeshit!”

When the other humans returned, Rekosh accompanied them to the lower platform, where Will took the cloth they’d gathered before going back into his den. There were others arriving now—curious and concerned thornskulls who’d heard Ketahn’s shouts.

Rekosh bade one of them inform Telok and Urkot, while sending another to report to Kaldarak’sdaiya—their queen—Nalaki, and her mate Garahk.

The humans stood a few segments away from the entrance of Diego and Will’s den, from which muffled voices and cries could be heard.

“Isn’t this too soon?” Lacey asked.

“The vrix said their eggs take four months to hatch,” Callie replied. “And from what Ivy said, it’s been about that long since she thinks she got pregnant.”

“Yeah, but it’s nine months for humans,” said Cole. “Shouldn’t it be like…six and a half for this? Meet in the middle?”

“The days here are longer than on Earth,” Ahmya said. “So it’s technically been longer.”

Callie sighed and shook her head, her long, thick, curly black hair swaying. “And that’s not how any of this works anyway, Cole.”

Lacey crossed her arms over her chest. “All of this is unknown for us.”

Ahmya pressed her fists against her chin as she cast a worried look toward the den. “Do you think she’ll…she’ll be okay?”

“I don’t know,” Callie said solemnly. “But I guess we’ll find out if humans and vrix are truly compatible.”

Mandibles sagging, Rekosh studied Ahmya. There was a glimmer of fear in her eyes. The humans had explained that there were risks for them in birthing young without ahozpitul, that they faced inherent dangers. Would Ahmya be hesitant to mother a brood because of that?

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