Page 85 of Shifter King
Naatos shot him an annoyed look. "If these Bealorns do not have excellent answers—"
"I know. It doesn't matter what they say, we'll find a solution."
"We had better," Naatos said. "Or—"
The bunker door slammed open with a loud thud. QueQoa dropped in, two large scaled and boned fish slung over his shoulder. The strong fishy scent pervaded the entire bunker.
Choe's face scrunched up, and she let out a great wail. Almost loud enough to pierce metal. Naatos winced, standing with her. He walked back and forth, patting her back and shushing her.
The door at the end of the hall slammed open. Eskiatlo skidded out, her eyes wild and her mouth open. "Choe? Choe!"
QueQoa nearly dropped the fish as Naatos turned. WroOth stepped out of the bedroom, frowning.
Eskiatlo pulled Choe from Naatos's arms, sobbing. Her face had flushed bright as the tears poured down her cheeks, her words almost incomprehensible.
Naatos’s eyebrows lifted, but he let her take the child and then steadied her, hesitating before he put his hand on her shoulder.
AaQar guided her to the bench. "This is your daughter?"
"I thought she was dead." She sobbed, holding the baby close. "They took her from me. I thought she was dead!"
QueQoa draped the fish over the counter, his expression still confused. He picked up one of the soft brown blankets and placed it over her shoulders as she cradled the infant and sobbed. "She isn’t. She’s just small. And very hungry."
Eskiatlo cried even louder, her shoulders trembling. She rocked back and forth.
AaQar shook his head. Of all the things that might have happened…clearly the child was one that Zorna deemed unnecessary.
But mother and child reunited? Perhaps that could be taken as a good sign. That good things could still happen. Miracles perhaps.
Eskiatlo kissed Choe's head. "Thank you," she whispered hoarsely. She burst into tears again.
"Do you want to be alone?" AaQar asked. When she nodded, he ushered her back into her room for more privacy. Even with the door shut, her sobs continued.
More pieces were coming together. Eskiatlo had mentioned that she was locked, but she had refused to say with whom. There had to be something significant about the father. As most Bealorns did not practice monogamy, there was no issue with a Bealorn seducing and fathering children with a slave unless the father's seed was intended for some specific purpose. Or if someone felt exceptionally petty and cruel.
"Can you believe it?" QueQoa asked, glancing over his shoulder. "That momma found her baby again. How often does that happen? They'd left her out for centipede food."
Naatos's expression grew even more somber.
AaQar shook his head at QueQoa. Despite Eskiatlo's joy and the beauty of the reunion, the fact remained that Choe was the reason Amelia had been abducted. It would have likely happened some other way. But the uncomfortable truth remained that for whatever reason or ironic purpose, Amelia was the reason for both surviving and would pay a great price. He wasn't entirely certain if Naatos had put that together fully.
But with a Vawtrian woman and a Bealorn child now in the mix, he did not feel as comfortable asking the Bealorn leaders whether they would hold sanctuary. Perhaps those young ones they'd helped the other day. A single slave mother and her infant seemed like the sort they would help.
Breakfast passed in near silence. He checked on Eskiatlo once more before they left, reminding her to use whatever she needed.
They made their way back to the old camp. The mists of morning had only just started to fade, the dolmaths scurrying away to their cavernous home. Their old campsite reminded him more of a graveyard now. Not even WroOth attempted to joke.
But there was something in the air. If he didn't know better, it was hope. Even amidst the grief. It wasn't even a question whether these Bealorn leaders would come. Of course they would.
QueQoa stood beneath the chiron oak, his arms folded. WroOth alternated between pacing and breaking twigs between his fingers. And Naatos—Naatos stood stock still, staring out into the mist.
If he knew his brother at all, AaQar knew Naatos was close to snapping. He’d endured a great deal through Dry Deep and beyond. But this—it was almost too much. The fact that he was only standing and staring unnerved AaQAr. At least if Naatos was snapping rocks or breaking apart trees it meant there was an outlet for his rage. Right now, it only simmered and grew more potent.
By the time the mists cleared, two figures strode into sight, side by side.
AaQar knew better than to trust that they were alone. They had most likely done something similar to Zorna, hiding warriors back in the trees and at regular intervals. Not to help if one of their kin were attacked but to ensure the alarm would be set and justice had. A ruthless but efficient method.
These two though, they did not look like threats of any sort. One was a woman, stooped with age, her face lined with numerous wrinkles but her eyes lively and dark. Seven lines marked her chin, and a coiling serpent was tattooed to her neck, vivid with bright bands of red, yellow, and green. It looked as if the snake might come alive at any minute and slither away. A live serpent did slither around her shoulders, hiding beneath her large beaded shawl. The tattoos on her face further confirmed she was attuned to the humming vipers and the kestral blossoms, a carnivorous plant with long roving vines and an intoxicating scent. She carried herself with the dignity of many years and great wisdom. Her curly white-streaked hair had been coiled around her head, interspersed with bright seed beads and serpent teeth. She carried a lapis lazuli-topped staff and only set it against the ground once she stopped.
