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

Chapter 29

Lori followed Jathella into a small room, one of many off a long, narrow tunnel that served a lower palace corridor. She might have been tempted to think it was a dungeon if not for the beautiful stonework and carvings along the hall and the quality of cushions and fabrics in the room she stepped into.

The room itself was darker than she was accustomed to, however, and not even the crystal lantern brought in could quite compensate for the noticeable lack of galthie flowers. There were several interspaced along the wall in an artistic manner, but they didn’t shed anywhere enough light to make the room cozy and inviting even with the help of the lantern. She wrapped her arms around her middle as she studied her surroundings.

It was clearly all designed for the maximum comfort of a Seshanamitesh who liked a lower-than-normal lighting that dramatically offset the ornate carvings along the walls. She had to get up close and personal with them to appreciate them with a bit of tactile experimentation thrown in, but they were impressive. There was even a proper hearth in the room compared to the small one located in a small corner of their nest. This hearth was not only bigger but far more ornate with a number of detailed carvings framing it and a glowing fire to chase the worst of the chill from the room.

Slengral wasn’t kidding when he told me that females had a sonic range far broader than males that could accomplish more intricate work—even in stone. Even the nest we were provided was better than the cavern he modified—but this is something else entirely.

Marveling at it, she shook her head and continued to follow Jathella to the far end of the room where the mound of cushions was set up for her bed. At least there appeared to be several woven blankets folded and stacked neatly on top to combat the cooler temperatures. The commander’s eyes skimmed over them briefly as if mentally noting that they were there. Apparently satisfied, she lowered her body and bent, setting the lantern on the table before straightening again and turning to Lori with a respectful inclination of her head.

“Queen Zathexa wishes that you will be comfortable in here.”

“It is fine, thank you,” Lori replied.

It was only for one day cycle after all. She could manage that. She would just crawl into the pillows and sleep as much of it away as possible. There was a clay pot sitting on the table, kept warm by some embers glowing with a short round tube the pot was set on. Just to the left of it was a short cup for tea but she ignored both of them as she sat and sank into the pile of cushions. Jathella’s smile widened with approval, and she stretched over Lori to grab two of the blankets and drop them over her. The female chuckled as the blankets settled around her with quiet “whomps.”

“You will be warm enough. I know that the lighting is not what you are accustomed to, but I was more concerned about you freezing without your males coiled around you,” Jathella remarked as she pushed the edge of one blanket back so that it didn’t completely cover Lori’s face. Her blunt nose wrinkled. “As fragile as you are, I do not know how you will survive on the surface.”

Well, at least that is honest.

Lori smiled humorlessly and shrugged. “It’s better than being lost wandering through caverns that could suddenly drop off given my comparatively poor vision in the dark and lack of wings.”

“This is true. You would certainly not survive then,” Jathella agreed easily as she took a long, curved piece of thin wood and fanned the ember. “At least you will have a small chance on the surface. The night air at least is warmer there even if the predators are more numerous. For now—rest.” She waved a hand toward the pot. “Do you want tea?”

Lori tucked the blanket under her chin and shook her head. She didn’t have the energy to mime the gestures and had a feeling that Jathella would get the gist of it anyway. “Not right now. I am tired and just feeling drained mentally and emotionally. I didn’t expect for something like this to happen, and now that it is, I just want to lay here and not move.”

Jathella’s head cocked as she peered over at Lori. “Do you wish for me to summon Payeri? She could speak to you and perhaps offer you some comfort so that you can bond before going to the surface at nightfall.”

Did she want to be stuck in the room with Payeri—a complete stranger—while she was feeling at her lowest? Lori battled down a shudder. While Jathella’s offer was sensible, it was the last thing she wanted. She would have plenty of time out there with the Seshanamitesh female when she was mentally prepared for it. She certainly didn’t want to waste valuable down time while in a place of relative safety while being cautiously alert in Payeri’s company. Not when she still was so uncertain about the female’s intentions toward her. There would be plenty of time where she would be forced to depend on Payeri, but first, she would rest so that she could be on her guard and ready for anything.

“No. I honestly just want to sleep.”

Jathella gave her skeptical look but inclined her head, her gavo flaring only slightly so that its snap in agreement was more of a soft whisper. “Very well. I will see to it that no one disturbs you. If you need anything there is a metal tube near your door and a striker. Just ring and an attendant for this tunnel will come. Three strikes for service. Repeated rapid strikes if it’s an emergency.”

“Thanks, I will remember that,” Lori whispered and promptly covered her mouth as a yawn cracked her jaw.

“One last thing, I must take your communication device,” Jathella said, a regretful note in her voice as she tipped her head toward Lori’s comm. “It is not permitted for the maiden to have any outside aid and the queen matriarch is aware that device allows you to speak to your mates and fellow humans.”

Lori’s hand went to her comm, her stomach plummeting sickly. They were taking it? She wouldn’t be able to comm her mates to hear their voices to help her sleep or tell Hashal goodnight before he was tucked into bed at night. Nor would she be able to get in contact with Vi or Eddie at the colony to call for help if she needed it. Although she habitually took it off at night, she had long become accustomed to wearing it every day. Jathella’s eyes softened with sympathy, but the female held her hand out and Lori was left with no choice but to remove it from her wrist and hand it over, however reluctantly.

The commander smiled as her hand closed around it, but she nodded toward a covered dish sitting at the other end of the table. “I would recommend that you at least eat first before you sleep. You are missing mealtime and will be hungry if you awake later while everyone is resting.”

Lori nodded in acknowledgment. Leaning forward, she dragged the tray toward her, earning her a satisfied smile from Jathella. The female inclined her head once more, her wings flicking only slightly as she shifted around on her coils and left. Lori’s eyes followed her out the door before dropping to the tray. The covering was similar to dome-like lids. Obviously, this was a common case of some designs being universal in the sense that there were only so many ways for basic technology to evolve to do a thing. That it was recognizable was actually pretty comforting, so she didn’t hesitate to pull off the lid.

The steam of cooked meat, roots, and various vegetation wafted up, and her stomach growled. How nice it was to eat palace food without having the queen matriarch and the entire court watching her. Licking her lips, she grabbed the two-pronged eating utensil and stuck a bite of meat into her mouth. She wasn’t sure what sort of creature it came from but living on Seshana, she’d long decided that she was a lot happier not knowing what things looked like when they were alive.

Thankfully, her mates were happy to oblige her.

Her stomach sank as she realized that she would likely not have that luxury while on the surface with Payeri. Maybe they would give her some kind of alien rations to take if they did not let her retrieve her pack from the nest, and she could find enough root vegetables to eat to supplement it. She rubbed her bare wrist absently. She could hope.