Chapter 356: 356: The Mountain While They Mate part 3
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It grew very late. The kitchen fire fell to low coals. The forge slept. The egg chamber kept its soft hum. The watch passed from one set of hands to another with no fuss and no sound except the tap of knuckles on a parapet to say your turn. The mountain did not feel empty. It felt full and at ease.
Near the private hall Azhara returned with a folded blanket and set it across the bench in case someone wanted a nap before dawn. She stopped and blinked at the light that had appeared again under a door.
"Still safe," she said to the air. "Still warm."
She started to turn away, then paused and reached for the tray she had left earlier. Both cups were still warm. She frowned at them like a teacher who has found two students who skipped their drink.
"Fine," she whispered. "I will drink one for you."
She took a sip and made a face. "Too much mint," she said, then drank again.
Silvershadow came up behind her and lifted the other cup. He did not smile, but the line of his shoulders seemed less tight than it had been at dusk.
"Thank you for the extra quiet," he said.
"You are welcome," Azhara said. "Do not tell anyone I can do it."
"Your secret is safe," he said.
They stood in companionable silence and finished the tea. Then Azhara set the tray back on the ledge and lifted the blanket off the bench. She carried it with her toward the common room and tossed it over Vel and Sha without slowing. The blanket landed perfectly. She raised her hands in triumph at no one.
"Genius," she whispered to herself.
When the hour before dawn arrived, the night thinned. The stars stepped back a pace. The sky did not brighten yet. It only stopped being so dark. Alka lifted her head and tasted the air. She shook her feathers once. Skyweaver woke and stretched her arms above her head and rolled her neck. She leaned down and brushed the hair from Miryam’s eyes.
"Sleep, little princess," she said. "We will fly again when the sun warms your back."
Miryam mumbled and curled tighter into the cloak. Skyweaver smiled and stayed near.
Shadeclaw tapped his chalk mark with the side of his knuckle and left it there for the morning council. Silvershadow turned his last corner in the inner hall and paused. The coin of light under the door had gone out. The quiet there felt different now. It felt like a room that had exhaled and then settled.
He stood for one more breath to honor the work of the night, then walked on.
At the egg chamber Naaro woke with a small start and sat up. The hum inside the room met her like a friend. She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand and laughed at herself for sleeping on the floor like a child after a long day.
Lirien returned with two cups and a new bowl of broth.
"You slept well," Lirien said.
"I did," Naaro said. "It was the right choice."
Lirien handed her a cup. "You can sit the morning shift with me," she said. "We will count the small breaths together."
Naaro looked into the chamber. The cradles glowed the same as before. She could have sworn the light was brighter by one grain of rice. She did not say it out loud. Some signs are better kept in the pocket until they are too bright to ignore.
In the kitchen Azhara lifted the lid on the stew and nodded at its good behavior. She looked over the bread and made a face at one crooked loaf, then ate the crooked end and decided it was perfect. She set out bowls and stacked wooden spoons. She placed a leaf of mint by each bowl in case someone wanted to pretend they liked it.
Vel and Sha sat up together and pushed the blanket down to their waists. Vel yawned in a way that made her eyes water. Sha glanced at her and flicked a bit of lint off her hair.
"Do not cry over bread," Sha said.
"I am not," Vel said, and wiped her eyes anyway.
Footsteps gathered. The night watch traded places with the first hands of morning. Alka glided down from the roost and landed on the upper lip of the terrace. She shook once and settled, pleased with the day before it began.
Inside the private room behind the quiet door, the lamp glow was a small blur on stone. No one disturbed it. No one asked questions. The mountain held its peace around that room like a circle drawn in warm sand.
By the time the light at the window slit turned from dark blue to blue with a thin idea of gold, Monarch Mountain was awake. It had done what a home must do while its king and first wife and the second wife did their own private mating. It was the first time both wives had tasted Kai’s Anaconda together. It was guarded. It had fed their hunger and lust for Kai’s body. It had listened to far drums and chosen not to answer them yet. It had warmed the eggs inside Akayoroi’s belly and the twins that were inside Luna’s belly. It had taught a small village girl (Luna) to turn in the air like a leaf that does not fall. The mating had shown her that sharing her husband with other wives is fun in a different way. It is very cool and satisfying to watch Kai anaconda destroying other girls’ lower lips. It gave a different kind of satisfaction. A different kind of hunger to wait for her. It had taught her how to be full for a while without getting penetration from that big thick anaconda.
When the door finally opened somewhere after dawn, the house did not cheer and it did not stare. It did the kinder thing. It brought bowls to the table. It kept the tea hot. It saved the questions for later and made space for the answers to arrive in their own time.
(A few hours ago....)
Kai begins to love Luna, the promise of more hanging warm in the air.