Pact Day: Fun Constant Excerpt #ValespianPact #Constant

Today's topic is a continuation of the excerpt posted last Thursday. If you haven't read it, I suggest you you here before starting here. :)

Copyright Lexi Ander

Canry scales, with the exception of his neck and belly, were black as night. The larger, thicker scales along his spinal ridge, where his retractable barbs would grow, would eventually turn the signature red of the Vondorian bloodline, signifying their barbs were poisonous. Mestor gently ran his claws along the edge, marveling at how the dark scales were already lightening to a black-red. Azaes on the other hand seem to be stuck on nasty foods, he made a gagging noise and reflexively Mestor clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles. They quickly moved away from Canry when the youngling whimpered and moved. If the monitors thought he was waking up, they would send an attendant if Meme was unavailable.

::What do we do now?:: Azaes walked to the pen that took up one quarter of the room.

Mestor shrugged. He had not thought past getting to the nursery. He and Azaes did not want to be left out when Canry was introduced to the Waters of Poseidon. He joined Azaes at the pen's fencing. The sunken area was filled with sand and in the corner was a pool of salt water. This was where younglings learned to control their bowels. The sand was easy to clean and sanitize. It also helped when younglings molted. They rolled around in the sand sloughing off dead scales as newer, bigger ones came in. Mestor thought the area looked smaller than the last time he was there.

Azaes glanced around the room and Mestor followed suit, knowing that his brother was looking for places to hide.

::Everything seems—::

::Smaller,:: Azaes finished.

Mestor pointed to a cabinet. ::We used to fit into those cubbies.::

::And now it looks like only my leg will fit.::

::We could climb to the top.:: Mestor pointed to the carved crown of the sturdy armoire next to the window.

::We would have to climb the curtains.::

Mestor's shoulders slumped. ::Last time the curtain rods tore from the wall.::

::And the window broke.::

::We were lucky a balcony was directly below.::

::Father yell really loud.::

::Meme cried when she thought she was alone.:: Mestor and Azaes had rushed from their hiding spots to console her, promising they would never climb curtains again.

::If not there, then…::

A noise in the hallway caused Mestor to turn toward the door. The crack spanned only two or three fingers but activity in the corridor still echoed. Mestor had not heard approaching footsteps before the familiar voice spoke on the other side.

"I believe I have found them, Valdor. It was not too hard. I only needed to follow the dirt trail." Sohm'lan said.

Azaes's red-yellow eyes were huge when Mestor glanced at him and then down to Azaes's dirt stained pants and tunic. The cuff of the pants had filled with dirt. Azaes made an angry noise and jabbed a clawed-tipped finger at Mestor's matching dirt speckled trousers. One of his hems was torn and a small scattering of dirt sat on the floor at his feet.

"I will keep them here until it is time," Sohm'lan said after a long pause.

Frantically, Mestor searched for place to hide. Azaes grabbed his hand and pulled him to Shaneva's bed. She had grown out of her birth bed and now used a small sleeping platform more suited to her size. As the door rattled, he and Azaes dropped to the floor and quickly crawled behind it.

The clearance under the bed was not large enough to allow them to hide underneath, but Mestor could see the doorway and where Canry's bed was suspended from the ceiling. The door slid all the way open and the decorative boots of a high-ranking warlord entered the room. Mestor had the insane urge to giggle.

The boots stopped at Canry's birth bed, the delicate chains holding it aloft rattling. Mestor startled, almost giving away his hiding spot when something grabbed the end of his tail. Rolling to the side, he spied his sister, Shaneva, looking over the edge of her sleeping platform. He had not realized that both his and Azaes's tails were sticking straight up in the air as they lay on their bellies. Shaneva not only held his tail but would not give it back. Azaes gestured for her to release her prizes but Shaneva giggled and pulled harder.

When Sohm'lan's head appeared over Shaneva's, Mestor froze, suddenly feeling like prey as those of luminous blue eyes pinned him in place. "Do you know how many people are looking for you two?" Sohm'lan's rumbling voice held displeasure.

Tears pricked at Mestor's eyes. He had not meant to let his waterfather down.

Azaes was not affected with the same emotion. He glared up at Sohm'lan in defiance. "We will not be left behind. We want to be with Canry when he takes his first swim."

Mestor was impressed by his twin's fierce scowl.

"Who said you could not come?" Sohm'lan's frown was worse than Azaes's.

"Nanny Kalika said we would be too much of a destruction on Canry's big day."

"Distraction," Mestor corrected.

"She probably meant both," Sohm'lan replied.

"Maybe," Mestor and Azaes said in unison.

Sohm'lan sighed, but Mestor noticed the corners of his mouth twitched as if he hid a smile. "Get off the floor and give me your dirty clothes. You are leaving a trail of dirt everywhere."

Mestor did not need to be told twice. He finally got Shaneva to let his tail go and he stripped, sending the garments down the laundry chute. Then they were instructed to clean up their mess.

"How long before we can work in the kitchens," Azaes asked Sohm'lan as he dumped his small pale of dirt into the recycle bin.

"You must be seven summers," Sohm'lan replied. He hoisted Canry into his arms and sat on a corner swing.

Azaes made a disgruntled hiss. "Why so long? I want to help."

"You want to eat sweets and learn how to make your own," Mestor countered, knowing his twin all too well.

"By seven, you will have better control of your tails." Sohm'lan's eyes narrowed when it seemed Azaes would argue.

All Mar'Sani earned merits through their own endeavors. Mestor was just as eager as Azaes to earn status. It was how the people rose in station, everyone started at the bottom and worked their way up. As heirs to the throne they were not allowed to participate with the youths living outside the palace. Sohm'lan told them about collecting trash in the streets when he was a summer younger than they were. Sometimes Mestor and his twin would beg him for stories about the street ruffians who tried to take his trash bags and claim his work as their own. At five summers, their waterfather had been no stranger to battle.

"Look!" Azaes exclaimed, running to Sohm'lan's swing. He turned around showing his red ridge to his waterfather. "My spines are coming in."

Mestor grimaced but moved in close. This was not the first time Azaes claimed his spines were growing. Sohm'lan ran his fingers over this thick-scaled ridge that went from the crown of Azaes's head and followed along his backbone, down to the tip of his tail. Holes were set in the center of the bigger scales where the retractable spines would eventually come through. The barbs were hard as bone and grew to different lengths. Sohm'lan's retractable spines are big, but Mestor's father's were longer. Father said it was not the size of the barbs that mattered. All the Vondorians were poisonous and as such were able to hide their spines. There were some Mar'Sani who could not retract their barbs but could make them relax enough to lay flat against the body.

"Wait. Wait. Wait," Azaes said, then hissed as he flexed. True enough, the heads of three spines on his neck barely protruded from the holes.

Shaneva crawled off her sleeping platform and waddled over to where Azaes stood showing off. She would one day join the People of the Longing, Mar'Sani who could not leave the Atlaintician oceans. Meme schooled Mestor and Azaes on what signs to look for in other children. Webbing between their fingers and toes, and the tail merging with the youngling's legs. The three appendages would eventually grow into one powerful limb, making them unable to walk on land but perfect for in the Waters of Poseidon. Those were the easiest indicators. Another was a loss of scales that were replaced by thick, sharklike hide when the youngling was close to leaving dry land permanently. Shaneva's legs were fused to her short but still growing tail. She walked well but with a slight waddle when she hurried. Shaneva moved to climb onto Sohm'lan's lap and Mestor helped her up.

Younglings in the nursery did not wear clothes, even if they were taken out of the royal wing… Well, that was the rule until recently. A visiting dignitary from a nearby coalition made loud, snide remarks claiming they could not tell the males from the females. Then mimicked Shaneva's particular waddle in such a way that implied Shaneva was addled-minded.

Dignitary or not, Meme grabbed spears from the nearby Basilisc guards and threw them to the vile male and his two attendants, challenging the three of them for their breach of etiquette and rudeness. The dignitary attempted to laugh off the challenge, unwilling to sully his reputation by fighting a mere servant… until one of the guards called Meme by her title. Their father had explained the visitors did not expect to be greeted right away and thought they were surrounded by servants who could not understand their language. Mestor had watched his meme with pride as he hovered protectively over Shaneva. Meme beat the three in only five devastating moves, leaving the dignitary unconscious on the floor. They were escorted back to their ship and out of Atlaintician space. The vid of the dignitary's arrival, his comments as well as the resulting challenge was sent back to the coalition's counsel with a note that the trio were not allowed to return.

"You will need to be careful as your spines mature," Sohm'lan counsel Azaes, patting him on the shoulder. "You will not be poisonous until the barbs are fully grown, but you could accidentally stab someone if you do not control them."

"Yes," Mestor added, looking for a spot on Sohm'lan's lap where he too could sit. "Hitting people with our tails is nothing. Draw blood and suddenly no one is laughing."

Canry was quiet. His eye color was different than the rest of the family, more green than yellow. He always watched everything as if he understood what was going on. Mestor had asked his Meme about it once. He remembered some things from when he was younger, such as his first time in the Waters, but most of his memories were murky and unclear until he started walking on his own. His meme said Canry did seem to focus more than other younglings his age, but then she said that if he was more aware then he and Azaes would have to be on their best behavior, eat what was given to them, and watch what they said. Canry could mimic them and get into trouble. Mestor thought Mimi was sneaky, his twin on the other hand, took her words to heart. Now they had to eat nasty greens so Canry would eat them too.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!