“Hrack, you go tell Shemira that she and Took are in charge. If they absolutely need us, we’re here.” I tore my attention from my little ones to emphasize. “Ensure not a single living Misti Hawar is left in my city. I don’t care what path of blood and corpses is necessary to eradicate every one of them. Leave not a single beating heart or twitching claw in my land.”
“Yes, Zaaktif.” Hrack flared his frills and bowed low before turning on his heel and striding out. The rest of the Khatif and Kha that’d followed here followed his path outside, and then it was just , Sybil, and our babies. And Brutus and Vefir, who stood nearby while giving us space.
“Are you alright, Sybil?” I asked as I nuzzled her neck and leaned down towards the babies. “I can see you were hurt by her.”
“I was not thinking.” She mumbled as one hand cradled the bronze one’s head. “I created more shadows for her to exploit. I should have used my magic to fend off her presence. What a fool. We are lucky she decided not to kill ours too.”
I couldn’t muster a response over that. My rage boiled within , and I had to get myself to calm down. With a force of effort, I stopped drawing on [Spear of the Many] and felt myself sag in exhaustion. The tiredness was good, as I could hear that the sounds of combat receding. Roaring calls that we couldn’t understand echoed through the city, and my people’s screeches of challenge showed that they were pursuing to the walls but not beyond. I could finally turn the entirety of my attention to my lightly maid mate and my newly hatched children.
Different from every Khatif and Kha that’d ever hatched to my knowledge, they were truly infantile. Eyes struggled to open, and large heads on spindly necks flopped from one side to the other. One, a male, was the bronze one that Sybil had cradled. Sohow, a light shone from between his scales, as if he had a small fire inside of him. The other two, both female, were reflections of each other. Coloration I’d never seen in any of my people, this life or the previous, decorated them both. One’s body, head, and tail were black, where the inky darkness bled to a pearlescent white on the extremities of her hands and feet. The other was the opposite, a pure white body that faded to deep black on her hands and feet.
I went to gather my son into my hands, but Sybil growled at in knee-jerk protective instinct. There was no hesitation, and I couldn’t help but smile at the look on her face as she realized what she’d done. Even so, she didn’t relinquish her hold over the little one, so I instead leaned in and took both my daughters in both hands. She weakly protested, but I just stepped to the other side of her and held both against my chest. Then, although covered with the blood of my enemies and surrounded by the evidence of the Misti Hawar leader’s assassination of other innocent lives, I humd to [Cultivating Presence].
All three of my children perked up at that, and to Sybil’s chagrin, our son turned towards as I pushed the warm, soft energy through my throat and pushed the waves specifically through the air to nourish the newly hatched babies. The children on my chest nestled against the crook of my neck as I held them, and I felt a swell of pride and happiness that drove away the last vestiges of rage that’d threatened to tear away from this. Instead of drifting away in my anger, I instead enjoyed the short quiet mont with my children. As soon as my magic was depleted and my sonilphon fought to refill itself, I t Sybil’s eyes.
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She smiled softly, and spoke. “They are here. And they are perfect.”
I laughed, the movent shaking my daughters from their position. They fussed a little, seemingly unhappy with my treatnt of them. My mind imdiately ran to how to fix everything for them… and then I realized just how dood I was. When they could speak and they asked for sothing, could I ever tell them no? If anything ever threatened them, could I have any sense of security or peace until the threat was long dead?
Instead of contemplating that further, I answered my mate. “Yes. Yes, they are. And… I think we’ll need to relocate our bed.”
“They will not stay in here!” Sybil hissed. “This was once a place of security and it has now been sullied!”
“Yes.” I nodded placatingly. “But our rooms aren’t well suited for caring for three children. Who knows how long they’ll be helpless like this? What will they need to eat? How often? What will make them sick? There’s a dozen things I can think of off the top of my head, and I suspect that a nursery made for it will be the best option to raise them. Do you agree?”
Her eyes darted back and forth, seeing an enemy in every guttering shadow. In our defense, it had been re minutes since each shadow was an enemy. Despite herself, Sybil looked at and our daughters resting in my arms. Despite myself, I begrudgingly passed them over. Sybil grinned widely as she gathered her children into her arms, and I didn’t feel quite so frustrated about her selfishness any longer.
“You allowed them to free themselves from the eggs, right?” I asked, sohow understanding how important that could be.
“You believe that I would steal from my children their first conquest? That I would interpose myself and take from them the opportunity to show the world and the Goddess that they will be successful and victorious in all they set their claws to?”
I chuckled and settled myself beside her, with our exhausted children laying between us.
“I would never doubt you, my heart.” The term of endearnt was strange on my tongue, but not bad. “I rely worry over my children, just as you do.”
Sybil seed to have so asure of embarrassnt at that, and she settled down, looking at the children with a smile still on her face. At so point, Vefir stepped closer and healed her with a soft touch.
It set her off, snarling at the threat to her babies. Vefir only bowed his head and stepped back. Brutus learned the lesson vicariously.
“What shall we na them, Ashlani?” Sybil asked. “What na do you give to perfection given flesh?”
While I wondered how to respond, more seriously than how I had before, Nievtala’s voice echoed through , bringing a soul-deep satisfaction and joy.
Congratulations, little fang. Welco to the world the first true-born Keel in 800 years.
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