Chapter 13
Therxian coiled his tail defensively around himself as he tried not to glower too directly at the females surrounding him.
He could feel his mother’s gaze on him, watching him far too closely for his comfort.
She would not miss it if he did anything that could be perceived as being intentionally rude to the daughters of the noble families.
Daughters who were eyeing him hungrily like he was their next meal.
His gavo flicked impatiently as he scrutinized them in turn.
These were the females that his mother had selected to breed with him?
There were seven total, each one from a recognizable and highly respected family among the noble matriarchs.
Each one vying for a chance to become the mother of the next royal heir of the Aglatha shinara.
Although they would have no true power within the shinara, it would mean royal titles, distinction to their matrilineal line, and a life of considerable comfort and prestige.
And if the queen died before their offspring was of age—it could potentially mean limitless power that would follow them when they took their place as the queen mother.
Of course they were hungry.
His gavo twitched, vibrating slightly with disgust as one female drew closer to him, her eyes narrowing on him speculatively.
Her color was a milky sort of dull green that made him slightly nauseous to look at as she swayed in place in front of him.
Did she think that her display was seductive?
She hummed softly, enticingly, as she drew nearer, close enough that the pheromones that she was intentionally exuding struck him.
They seeped into his senses like a dense cloud, placing a haze over him.
She hummed again, and it danced over his nerves, forcing him to grit his teeth.
He shivered violently at the onslaught to his senses, his gaze snapping helplessly to his mother—angrily.
That she had agreed to this made his anger burn deep within his gut.
He caught a hint of concern on her face before it was quickly masked by matriarchal indifference to his plight, though the massive coil of her long tail dragged along the wide black base of her throne in a small movement of unease.
The female in front of him expanded her wings and dragged the air forward in a sweeping motion, sending more of her potent pheromones over him as her tail crept forward and slid along his tail with clear intention.
His gavo snapped up in shock. He was no stranger to the flirtation of females among the Vehal, but no one had ever dared to be so bold as to practically attempt the intimacy of a tail lock with others present.
To his memory, such behavior was likewise unheard of in the shinara.
Even those females who came to the haga did not engage in an intimate lock where they thought they may be seen by anyone.
Not that their activities went unnoticed, but proper decorum was always followed.
The female never initiated in public and males did not intrude when a female was... engaged.
Had things changed so much during his absence?
Therxian recoiled, his tail snapping away from her.
The female’s eyes narrowed on him, the fans of her gavo rising slowly in a display of dominance.
Although he was large compared to an average Seshanamitesh male, and she was on the smaller end of average for their females, he could not help but feel a wave of unease at her displeasure.
He glanced toward his mother, curious if she was going to stop the female’s outrageous behavior.
Queen Zathexa leaned forward on her throne, her hand bracing her weight on one carved armrest. She gave the female a hard stare before sweeping her gaze through the room, her the fans of her gavo vibrating loudly.
The room fell silent as every eye turned toward her.
She gave the gathered females a cool smile.
“It is a true pleasure to see the noble families represented here today by their most promising females, some of whom are already powerful in their own right,” she added, dipping her head in acknowledgement to the female he had previously encountered in the corridor.
Ferinia. His mother’s smile widened slightly as her eyes fell on a small group of females who, by all appearances, had only just recently come of age.
“You have all been specially selected by your families to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you will all get your chance to prove your lineage’s strength by producing the next queen.
And while I have agreed with this breeding selection to preserve the royal line of Shangla within the Aglatha, I will remind you all that Therxian is my son.
As such, he will be treated respectfully in accordance with our laws. ”
She chuckled humorlessly, the tip of her tail dragging against the stone in a long scrape that echoed in the silent room.
“But,” she murmured, “it appears that some of you have forgotten that this invitation—this entire selection—is by my say alone.” Her gaze hardened as she stared at them, her smile falling away.
“For that, there are consequences. Anyone who behaves disrespectfully will not be permitted to participate in the night’s lottery.
” Her eyes fell on the female beside him, pointedly. “Gareiia, you are dismissed.”
“What?” The female at his side straightened indignantly before whipping around to look beseechingly at a vibrant green elder female among the other noble matriarchs in attendance. “Mother!”
The female frowned and rose heavily under the weight of her numerous chains of gemstones that demonstrated her considerable wealth and status among the noble families.
The chains swayed and clattered loudly, drawing attention to her long before she undulated forward, her tail gliding along the floor to her daughter’s side as she gave the queen an ingratiating smile.
“Queen Zathexa, I apologize for Gareiia, but my daughter is merely overly enthusiastic about breeding your heir. She meant no harm. You cannot possibly truly intend to dismiss the daughter of the first family. We are cousins after all.”
Zathexa gave the female a tight smile. “I do intend to do exactly that, Zara. As we are cousins, you know me well enough to know that I am not to jest about such serious matters. Your daughter’s intentions are irrelevant. This is my son. Gareiia may return for the lottery tomorrow.”
A dark scowl replaced Zara’s smile and she turned, her tail sweeping behind her in an angry snap. “Come, Gareiia,” she hissed as she glided away, her wings pinned tightly behind her with her anger.
Gareiia stared at her mother in surprise before her gaze shifted to the queen and then to Therxian.
Her eyes lingered on him briefly in anger for a moment before she finally scoffed furiously and turned away to follow her mother from the palace.
A small amount of tension eased from within him, but the anxiety tightening within his chest did not go away as a large bowl filled with tokens representing the noble families was brought out to the queen.
His mother turned her head toward the bowl and looked at it, but made no move to retrieve a token.
Instead, she looked over at him and entreated him to approach with a wave of her hand.
“Join me, Therxian.”
He inclined his head and complied, drawing to a stop just to the right of the throne.
He could feel the eyes of every female in the room on him as he lowered himself so that he was seated on his coiled tail.
From his new position, his gaze trailed over the room unhampered as he looked over the gathered females.
The silence in the room thickened until Zathexa reached into the bowl and slowly withdrew an engraved bit of metal.
“Sixth house,” his mother called, her voice flat as her gaze swept the room.
At the far side, one of the younger females blanched and glanced timidly at her companions on either side of her.
Therxian felt of twinge of sympathy for her.
She was young—as were her companions—and had not yet developed some of the worst domineering behaviors characteristic of so many of the females of the shinara.
Her wings trembled, and she nearly recoiled when the matriarch of her family impatiently grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, her tail twisting helplessly in an effort to keep her balance as she was dragged toward the throne.
“She is here, high queen,” the matriarch called, nearly shaking the younger female as she jerked her forward to her side. “Nerisha is ready to serve.”
She did not look “ready to serve.” The poor female was trembling in place, the tip of her tail twitching and clenching anxiously. The queen frowned at her in concern, drawing the matriarch’s attention to the younger female. The matriarch nudged Nerisha with her wing.
“Speak up. Do not keep the high queen waiting.”
“Yes, mother,” Nerisha replied in a whisper of a voice. Her green eyes, an impossibly lighter shade than her dull, faded hue, lifted to the queen apprehensively. “I am ready to serve.”
Zathexa frowned. “Are you certain? You appear to be barely of age. Most females do not even approach the haga for their choosing at such a tender age.”
“She reached maturity two revolutions ago,” the matriarch interrupted. “She is within her window of fertility.”
Therxian wanted to throw up. The female was still very much a nestling mentally. The idea of copulating with her made him ill. He looked over at his mother pleadingly, but she did not glance his way. Her entire focus was on Nerisha.