Chapter 34
Slengral’s wing twitched impatiently as he waited outside his mother’s chambers. He had been waiting for an insulting amount of time already, but he did not dare to demonstrate anything more of his irritation than that subtle, uncontrollable twitch. The guards were watching him, their eyes boring into him from where they were stationed at either side of the door. They were not Jathella, but both females were obviously hand-selected by the queen matriarch for being more than a match for anyone who might intrude upon her privacy. They certainly appeared to be powerful and more than capable as he covertly observed him from beneath his lowered eyelids.
He should have known that getting an audience with his mother would not be so easy. He had miscalculated. Since he had never bothered to visit her unless she commanded his presence, he had not been prepared for how she might treat his unexpected arrival. It seemed that waiting for an undeterminable time while she finished her own affairs was to be expected. The guards certainly did not appear to see any problem with it.
Despite being the sole present offspring of the queen matriarch, he was still a male, and one who had been long consigned to the upper caverns as far as anyone in the shinara saw it. His close relationship with his mate and nest brothers made him forget just how inconsequential his life was regarded. As it was, his sole importance in the shinara was his ability to breed the next queen matriarch and more daughters of his mother’s line. His jaw tightened at the insult. It also gave him an unfortunate insight into what other males who did not escape the selection process like Kehtal did, went through.
He would now thank Higthar yearly on that ill-fated date that he was thrown to the upper caverns. He had not been able to see it as a blessing then, but he understood it now and, in reflection, would have still chosen it compared to what males within the shinara endured. While forced to survive in the upper caverns he had ceased to care many revolutions ago how the females of the shinara saw him, his pride destroyed and replaced with savage and merciless territoriality. Perhaps if he had not met his mate and had remained alone, he would have been less bothered by the situation. His family had returned his pride to him, however, which made even breathing in the shinara intolerable for the duration they were forced to dwell there.
Restlessly tapping a wing on the wall behind him, he waited and waited under the scrutiny of the guards, his patience growing increasingly thinner until the door finally cracked open and an attendant emerged. Her eyes dropped to him, and her wings drew in a brief flutter of surprise before she managed to control her reaction and fix him with a flat stare as she drew her wings tightly behind herself.
“You are still here,” she observed.
He inclined his head, the corners of his mouth drawing up in a mocking smile. “I am still here,” he confirmed. “Perhaps now you can show me in so that I may speak with the queen matriarch.”
He had little doubt that the delaying tactic was all his mother’s doing. Although she was determined to have him present within the shinara because it served her purposes, he understood that she had little time to waste on a male who was not of age to be dependent on her care. Looking back, he was certain that he and his brothers had spent more time with royal nest tenders than they did with their mother. Although he had many memories of her when he was young and the soft warmth of her embrace, they were cherished brief moments. A queen matriarch had little time for males of her line who would not be of any use to her—all of whom were destined by their pedigree to be driven out one by one from the maternal nest of the palace. That he was there now in the palace, he was nothing but an inconvenience to her. His presence at the last meal was nothing more than a show to validate his position among the court of noble matriarchs and secure his position within the shinara as the vessel of his mother’s heir.
He understood it but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. For that reason, his smile did not soften in the least when the attendant inclined her head stiffly and waved him inside.
Indeed, his mother had truly hoped that if she kept him waiting long enough, he would give up and return to his nest.
His mother’s chamber was lit slightly brighter than most of the common rooms of the palace, illuminating her golden profile as she reclined gracefully on opulent, oversized cushions next to a low table. Her green gaze lifted to him, the light of the crystal lantern at her side catching on those scales that were still golden enough to shimmer as she rolled slightly on her coils as she faced him.
“Slengral. Your presence here is an unexpected surprise,” she greeted him as she picked up a pot and poured the tea into a cup beside her. “I do hope that this is not another ill attempt to plead for your mate. My word is final.”
“I am not here to plead for Lori, mother,” he replied. “But my nest brother Daskh has awakened and has asked for an audience with you.”
His mother’s brow rose, but she set the teapot aside before settling back once more on her cushions to regard him. “I am pleased to hear that he has finally awakened. The accident has weighed heavily on your nest. On what matter does he wish to speak?”
“On a legal one but I lack the skill or knowledge to speak clearly for him on it,” he hurried to clarify.”
She exhaled loudly in an impatient sigh but her gavo snapped, though reluctantly. “If I recall, his mother was prominent among our scholars of law. I do not have time to meet with males for such things, but if it is a question pertaining the higher laws of the ruling court then I cannot do him the discourtesy of refusing to meet him. Word spreads quickly through the shinara of any slights from the palace court, and I besieged enough by public opinion regarding the perceived unfairness with which the shinara is saying that I treat your mate. As if they understand the seriousness of such matters.”
A small flicker of hope took life in Slengral. If the queen matriarch was receiving pushback from some of the females of the shinara, that could only help their case.
“I apologize if my nest is causing you difficulties,” Slengral rumbled. “I love my mate and the males within my nest are true nest brothers of my hearts, but I would have spared you this embarrassment and discomfort. It is bad fortune that it is me that you found rather than one of my brothers.”
Zathexa scoffed quietly but waved his words away with a flick of her wing. “Your brothers made certain to hide themselves far from me. Outside of drawing attention to yourself due to your alliance with the human colony, only Therxian was bold enough to reveal himself. And what am I to do with him when he betrayed the shinara and is far from my reach among the Vehal.”
Therxian was among the Vehal? That was interesting.
“It is no matter,” she said and sighed deeply before offering him a maternal smile. “We have you and we count ourselves lucky. The gossip regarding your mate will fade in time. I have sent our word among the populace that the palace holds no animosity towards the human, Lori. While I cannot say that I approve of your relationship with Lori and would still have preferred another to be your consort mate, I do admire her tenacity in this situation. The offspring she carries will undoubtedly be strong and worthy of the shinara. I look forward to greeting her upon her return.”
Slengral’s gavo rose in surprise. Truly? His mother was willing to accept Lori as the queen of his nest upon her return? If Daskh could convince his mother that the laws allowed them exception to the rules for the maiden trial to serve as nothing more than guards to their mate, then they would win his mother’s confidence that they would have the shinara’s wellbeing at heart when they returned. It would take only a little more effort from there to convince his mother to let them leave the shinara to look for his brothers should another prove a better choice for what Zathexa had in mind. If not, they would be trusted to return and uphold their responsibilities regardless of their own desires. Even though no one in his nest wished to remain in the shinara, it would just make them work all the harder to find his brothers. At least his mother would no longer be an obstacle if she came to peace with Lori as his ashlava.
He inclined his head respectfully, his hearts swelling with a happiness that he had seldom felt outside of that which was provided by his mate and nest brothers. “Thank you, mother,” he murmured. “It pleases me greatly that you feel this way.”
His mother smiled and inclined her head. “I may be constrained by our traditions and laws, but I only wish for the happiness of all of my offspring, regardless of where Higthar leads them. As for Daskh,” she continued as she picked up her cup and took a sip, “he may come to me tomorrow after the second mark.”
The second mark...just after the midnight hour. His mother would have had her mid meal by then.
Raising his gavo to a respectful height, he inclined his head. “I will be sure to tell him. Thank you again, mother.”
Her mouth curled. “Of course, my son.”