Serpents of the Night (The Darvel Exploratory Systems #5)

Chapter 23

Lori was surprised how much of the festivities took place at ground level considering how active the night market had been among those flying. It seemed that everyone had come down to the ground to celebrate. There were few of the recognizable smaller males in the crowd not only for their size but for their distinctive two-horned gavo in contrast to the multiple crests of the females. Those that she spotted clung to sides of their mates as the females socialized. They reclined on balconies and filled what appeared to be restaurants where they enjoyed long boards set out in front of them laden with food and cups of golden agar.

She stared longingly into the restaurants as they passed, both wishing she could join and incredibly intimidated by the idea given how crowded it was. Daskh glanced over at her questioningly, his gavo rising slightly as he tipped his head toward the entrance. Of course, he would notice. She gave him a small smile but shook her head, content to observe everything from the street as they passed. It was crowded enough outside, but at least she wasn’t stuck in close confines with much larger Seshanamitesh. She didn’t even dare to go into the shops. Instead, she settled into people-watching, her fascination captivated by the revelry going on around her.

There was so much joy all around her she could hardly believe that she was still in the shinara. Females chatted and laughed together as they glided down the street, several of them carrying some sort of large, woven fans with which they cooled themselves, many of them pausing to inspect bundles of fragrances in decorative bags. Seeing her interest, Kehtal drew her to one of the vendors.

“Pick something, hithana,” he murmured.

The female tending it was a rosy shade of pink and her yellow eyes blinked rapidly in surprise, her gaze darting between them as if shocked to suddenly be presented with a human, and then widening as Slengral and Daskh joined them. It seemed that some things were universal, however, because she suddenly broke into a wide smile, her wings fanning in a small, graceful sweep.

“Welcome. I am pleased to provide you with my best work. Take your time and if you have any questions, I am here to answer.”

Lori inclined her head. “I really am not sure what I would want,” she admitted.

The female’s smile widened as she plucked a small sachet embroidered with numerous golden flowers. “It depends on what you desire. I made many of this blend for The Blooming. The scent promotes health, joy, and serenity. I have others for love and felicity. Strength against hardships and overcoming obstacles, rest and recuperation, and many more.”

Lori bit her lip as she studied the bag in the vendor’s hands before turning her gaze toward the other ones. In terms of practicality, she was pretty sure that she should be begging for one to give her additional strength and confidence if she truly believed aromatherapy worked in that exacting of a way, but her gaze returned to the small sachet in the female’s hand, and she caught herself smiling.

“I think that one would be perfect, actually. A little extra joy couldn’t hurt.”

Kehtal trilled in agreement as the female handed it over. Placing it on a cord, he hooked it around her neck, allowing the scented sachet to drift somewhere below her breasts, the threads glimmering as they caught the light from above.

“It is perfect,” the vendor trilled, her hands clasping in front of her, her eyes brightening happily. “And it looks beautiful with your remarkable coloring. Who knew offworlders could rival Seshanamitesh in such hues.”

Lori blushed at the compliment but gave the female a wry smile. “I’m afraid my remarkable coloring is due solely to a lapet accident.”

A startled look crossed the female’s face, her gavo rising slightly, but she slapped a hand over her mouth just in time to muffle her burst of laughter. She recovered quickly, however, and gave Lori an apologetic smile, her fanned ears flattening back.

“I should not laugh, but perhaps it was Shangla’s blessing. The color suits you... and now you have one of my tokens to take with you, which makes it lovelier still.”

Embarrassed at the unexpected compliment, Lori murmured her thanks as Slengral pressed a bit of metal into the vendor’s hand before curling a wing around Lori and ushering her forward. Leaning into his side, she smiled as she lifted the sachet to her nose and sniffed. A light floral scent washed over her with a honeyed warmth. It reminded her of sunflowers a little but with a hint of something dewy and melon-like. Kehtal beamed at her, ducking in close to Slengral’s side.

“Is it good?”

Her smile widened and she nodded. “Mmm. It’s perfect. I wonder what strength would have smelled like. That’s probably what I needed, but I can’t imagine it would have been quite this nice.”

He shook his head as Slengral grunted, his wing tightening around her. “I would rather you be happy than be strong,” he grumbled. “You have us where strength is needed.”

Daskh hummed in agreement. “I am not useful for much, but strength I exceed at.”

Lori frowned as she turned to peer over at her larger mate. “Don’t say that. There are many wonderful qualities about you, and your strength—while impressive—doesn’t even come close to what I would consider my favorite things about you.”

Ears tipping back in embarrassment, he smiled and hugged a squirming Hashal to him, the little male playing with his own sachet sewn into the shape of a kind of reptile that she had never seen before.

“We can lean on each other,” Kehtal amended cheerfully as he gently wing-bumped her. “You are our happiness, so we are pleased to be your strength or anything else that you need. You are everything.”

“You are everything, indeed,” Slengral murmured, his red eyes warming with love as he looked down at her. “Kehtal is right.”

She nodded in agreement as warmth filled and settled deep within her. Pressing the sachet to her body, she smiled as she continued down the road but startled when a loud shout of laughter rose suddenly from her left. Side-stepping in surprise, Lori spun around to find her mate’s wings fanning protectively around her for a moment before dropping away with relieved grunts from the males as a group of smaller females lunged past, their shrieks of merriment proceeding them as they through globs of powder at each other.

“Is that...?”

Daskh chuffed and inclined his head, his gavo snapping. “Dishana dust. From the last harvest. The value of the dishana is in the stamen, so the vendors will grind up the petals for its dust. Our people enjoy the good fortune it brings to be painted with it during The Blooming, so it is sold in small bags for celebrating.”

Lori laughed in delight, her eyes eagerly following the females who, judging by their size, couldn’t be older than juveniles themselves. They darted around each other, slinging handfuls of the glittery powder as they raced down the street. Lori’s smile faded as she watched them depart as another group of young males soared overhead, drawing her gaze momentarily upward at their passage. As much as she enjoyed seeing them so carefree, the contrast between their merriment and the work demanded of the juvenile males was stark. Her mates didn’t say anything, as they too craned their heads to watch, but she could feel the weight of their emotions in the air between them.

Slengral finally shook his head and sighed before turning an indulgent look on her. “Shall we continue?”

Not wanting the night to end yet, she nodded and continued down the street, her happiness slipping away a little more as a small group of females stared at them with hard, angry expressions on their faces as they passed.

“Ignore them,” Daskh rumbled, and she wasn’t entirely sure if that was for her benefit or for her other two mates.

Slengral merely grunted, but he pulled her over to a stall with some sort of round fruit candied with golden syrup on a stick and offerings of skewered meat. Once their hands were laden with food, they headed toward a raised platform set up along the broader edge of the street that seemed to be designed for it. It wasn’t the only such performance that seemed to be going on, though many were done in the midst of the crowds.

Surprisingly, many of the performance types were similar to ones that she was familiar with from the designated parts of the cities on Earth that were districts devoted to pleasures. There were gracefully undulating bodies of dancers that wove complicated moves upon their tails, their wings moving in fluid positions, fanning around them artfully. There were those that played with fire, jugglers, musicians. Outside of the musicians, which drew sizeable crowds, most of the performers were surprisingly comprised largely of male members. She spotted a few females among them working with their mates, but the largest number of them appeared to be juvenile males just like the dishana gatherers. It was a stark difference from the shops filled with female staff, and female operated stalls which had the occasional male attendant to help distribute wares.

A stall filled with small luminous stones carved into intricate designs caught her eye, and her steps slowed with interest. They glowed softly in a rainbow of hues, but one in particular drew Lori in closer, the purple glow of the stone accentuating the detailed lines of the stylized teardrop flower pendant into which it was carved. It was no bigger than the length between the tip of her pink to her first knuckle and nearly translucent with the delicate workmanship. Slengral reached past her, his powerful arm blocking her view of the rest of the stall. She immediately protested when his fingers closed around it.

“That’s okay, you guys already got me something I don’t need...” she began, but her mate chuffed in amusement, his red eyes sliding over to her.

“You do not like the dark. I can sing to charge it and you will never be left in the dark no matter where you are,” he rasped.

“I suppose that makes sense. Though I’m not going to argue too hard about you wanting to buy me something so pretty,” she added with a laugh. “But after this, no more.”

Daskh snorted softly. “Do I not get to give you a gift?”

Lori peered over at her mate, suddenly disconcerted. “I didn’t realize that we were gift-giving. I don’t have any way to get something for you guys.”

Her mates chuckled and Daskh shook his head in amusement. “Let us spoil our mate as good males do. You have given us everything that we have always wanted. But my gift next.”

“What do you have in mind?” she asked, suddenly curious.

A secretive smile crossed his face. “Wait and see.”