Do nobles ever throw parties just to have fun?

—Uru Farlight

Sire was announced first, and she slithered out of the quiet hall and into the massive room beyond. I could feel the immense space’s shadows, huddling timidly in corners away from the mass of people. Within them, however, was a worrying sense of anticipation.

In this, I sensed I wasn’t alone in my observations of them. They reached as well toward another, and I withdrew, lest I be caught. I should tell Sire.

Ahead of me, however, the doors had just closed behind Ssiina.

I turned to my elf sister, hissing quietly. “Kyrae, the shadows—”

“Hssen Issa,” Utaan Lyantii said urgently. “Go, now.”

Kyrae’s eyes flicked up and I knew she’d heard me. Moreover, this was my debut, and I had to assume Sire had contingencies. So with a deep breath, I slithered out into the room beyond, pulling my lower body inside quickly.

Light like the warm sun washed over me, almost blinding. I blinked as my name was announced.

“Hssen Ssyri’jiilits Issa, tuoan Hssen Ssyri’jiilits Tyaniis.”

She didn’t introduce me as ra’zhii. That would be obvious from my size, shape, and dress, tailored to accentuate and in the style of Sire.

A moment later, the room came into focus. Down the ramp in front of me, the largest room I had ever been in was packed with lavishly dressed nobility, all of whom were staring at up me. Parchment banners hung between immense columns filigreed in gold and studded with emeralds. The walls too were golden, and great ivory and jade symbols of Jaezotl and of the royal crest adorned them, sized as equals. All this—and the people—glittered under the light of braziers full of golden fire, the sigils ringing them aglow.

Conversation in the room had ceased, and the proclamation hadn’t echoed. In the silence, I remembered—somehow—what to say.

“Eni Ssyri’jiilits Issa,” I started, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all, and an honor to be hssen.”

I lowered my upper body appropriately, slightly. Just a touch more than needed, to convey to some that I was approachable, and to others that I recognized my status as lower due to my time amongst the ssen’iir.

Really, I wanted to be neither, and I was not the latter.

At my words, a whisper rolled through the crowd. They did not cheer, but when I reached the bottom of the ramp, a half- circle of girls around my age had gathered. Immediately, I recognized Deziiya, but she was the only one. Dressed equally lavishly to me, all in royal green, it’d be easy to think this ceremony was for her. Probably the point—jerk. The assembled girls each bowed, out of sync with each other, and I noticed one other girl matched Deziiya’s shallow motion. Her dress and posture indicated hssen, and ra’zhii, although significantly less ornate. In fact, this girl was bigger than I was, something I’d grown unused to the past year.

This other hssen girl wore her ashen hair in braids, seemed to have skipped out on half the makeup Deziiya and I wore, and her scales had a bluish tint to their deep green. Before she spoke, I already knew her, and from the annoyed air about her, I decided I already liked her. Sysiss Ssyri’jiilits, my delinquent ra’zhii cousin and someone I was actually excited to meet.

“Raeni Sysiss,” she introduced quickly, omitting our shared family name. Her silver-blue eyes seemed to bore into me. “You really do look like one of us.”

A few of the ussen girls’ eyes widened, but they kept quiet.

Deziiya slid forward with a smile so bad even I could tell it was fake. “It is good to have you in the family again, Issa.”

“Bite down? Again?” Sysiss leaned forward and studied me.

Deziiya smiled and opened her mouth, but I cut her off, moving right up to Sysiss with an excited smile. “She’s right! I was taken by the assassin that killed my mother, then dumped in Ess’Siijiil where I grew up in a rat-infested orphanage and then homeless on the streets. Really, it’s quite the tale!”

To the side of my Deziiya hissed.

Sysiss, instead of replying, studied me, brows furrowed and fangs showing just slightly. After a moment, I got the feeling that she was staring through me, rather than at me as her eyes misted over.

“That must have been terrible, Hssen Issa!” an ussen girl exclaimed. “I can’t even imagine!”

I glanced over at her. Lania’el, petite, and dark-scaled, she had an elegant air that’d been pushed aside by the frank expression of horror on her face, complete with a gloved hand over an open mouth and button nose. In short, she was cute.

She stirred feelings I’d felt sparingly of late, but I couldn’t put them into words. “Well, I was too young to really remember life in the Palace, so without perspective I suppose it was normal.”

The lania’el ussen bowed formally. “Raeni Gyontael Nistala—"

“Sseti.”

I whipped my head back toward Sysiss, who’d spoken. She was glaring at me, and something flashed in her eyes.

“I’m Issa now,” I replied sternly.

Sysiss’s nostrils flared and she hissed the air out slowly amidst a babble of chatter. “So you are. I… Excuse me.” Abruptly, she turned and slithered away, just as another proclamation rose about the crowd’s chatter.

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I wanted to call after her, but I didn’t know what to say. Why would she—

“Hssen Ssyri’jiilits Kyrae, eatuoan Hssen Ssyri’jiilits Tyaniis!”

She followed the announcement, voice clear and bright. “Eni Ssyri’jiilits Kyrae. It is a great honor to be the first ean hssen; I look forward to meeting you all.”

Kyrae appeared at the top of the ramp, resplendent and proud. Imperious eyes and confident steps carried her down the ramp toward me, and the crowd burst into an uproar. Around us, the shadows shivered.

I was nearly swept along in the rush toward her, and I caught not-so-quiet exclamations amongst some of those present. Pushing myself up on my lower body, I looked with eyes and shadows for Sire and Ssiina. My sister seemed equally swamped as I was, but Sire was moving purposefully through the flow, hissing orders and trailing a group of nobility.

“Hssen Issa?”

Someone hadn’t left me, and I turned toward the voice. Gyontael: her family controls Kii’Ssiil—or was it Kii’Hssiil? She might be safe to speak with, but Aunt Zaiia’s partner is from that family.

“Yes?”

Ussen Nistala fidgeted. “I… well I’m not certain how to ask this without causing offense.”

Lowering myself, I took another good look at her. She seemed like a doll more than a person, and her eyes darted between me and Kyrae. “For a long while, Kyrae was all I had, and I was all she had. We’re sisters in every way except species.”

Even if this was giving information away, I couldn’t not defend my sister.

Ussen Nistala nodded. “I… thank you. I shouldn’t have asked—please forgive me.”

“Sure.” I glanced at Kyrae.

“Go to her.”

I shook my head, recalling the entrance my elf sister had made. “Not yet. This is her moment.”

“Isn’t it also yours”

Despite decorum, I snorted. “Yes, but I’m nervous I’ll put my tail in my mouth.” Like I’m doing for being so cordial with someone I just met whose motives I don’t know—Issa you idiot!

Ussen Nistala giggled, and something stirred in my hearts again. Potential danger. Cute but dangerous.

I wasn’t too oblivious to figure out—and by that I mean be told—about… things. Lamia aged differently than elves and very differently from humans. Knowledge of my preferences was definitely turning into something more, and I just couldn’t deal with that right now.

So, like Sysiss before me, I made an excuse.

“Hey, there’s food, right?”

My maybe-opponent giggled, and I followed her upstream against the flow of people. Why am I following her?

Suddenly paranoid, I tried checking myself for any sort of magical influence. As damned as the shadows were, they were also possessive—I found nothing.

We passed Sire, and Tyaniis somehow managed both a smile at me and a glare at Nistala at the same time. But, not the kind of death glare she’d give to someone actively harming me. Despite this, when I turned back, the small lania’el was noticeably paler under her makeup.

“Sire’s nice when you get to know her.” Why am I telling her this?

“R-really?”

I shrugged. “She’s nice to me.”

“O-oh.” Putting her head down and letting her curls bounce in front of her eyes, she pointed toward the wall.

Only a scant few people were coiled there, including Sysiss. My cousin had taken a finely-glazed plate and piled it high with meat. While no one was looking, she was shoveling it down.

Our eyes met, and she didn’t slow down. Next to me Nistala squeaked, and I had a guess she wasn’t spared Sysiss’s gaze.

Purposefully, I slithered next to her and took a plate. “What’s good?”

Sysiss swallowed. “Meat.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Do you remember… Well, what do you remember?” Sysiss’s face twisted, and she looked from me down to her plate of food.

“Not much. Mother a little bit,” I answered honestly.

“Oh.” Sysiss’s voice was quiet, and she started eating again, slower now.

Meanwhile, I actually was hungry, so I started looking around for familiar animals, found none, and just took some dish that looked like it had a lot of meat and a lot left. It tasted nearly like liver and I smiled at the nostalgia of the flavor. Sysiss side-eyed me, but went back to eating. I felt out toward the shadows again; they were… simmering. Burning almost with anticipation, and I lost my appetite immediately.

A glance back at Sire confirmed I couldn’t get to her. Probably couldn’t even shout. I’d need to excuse myself—and soon—to make the attempt, but I didn’t want to risk a bad impression.

Next to us, Nistala quietly took a plate.

“Sister!” a high-pitched voice hissed. “That’s unbecoming!”

I half-turned at the word, and locked eyes with an unfamiliar face. Above a strikingly familiar facial structure, ashen hair similar to Sysiss was done in a single long braid, and the rail-thin kelaniel seemed to be wearing all the makeup her sister hadn’t. Behind her, another kelaniel girl, probably the age I was when I was cursed, trailed. Like her doubtlessly older siblings, she had a bluish tint to her complexion, though she had her eyes almost hidden under bangs I doubted were supposed to be that long. Clearly Sysiss’s sisters, but their names escaped me.

“Shouldn’t you be with Mother?” Sysiss said, mouth half full.

The older of the pair shook her head, while the younger stared at me with wide eyes. “Mother said she needed to speak with Aunt Tyaniis.”

“Yeah I’d bet. Adopting an ea? That’s wild.”

“Do you have a problem with it?” I spoke without thinking, fangs showing a little.

“Hey, don’t get your tail in a knot, Cousin!” Sysiss gestured with a leg of some sort, then bit down, through bone. Her tone was back to playful, but the lines around her eyes hadn’t eased. She looked tired. “I’m all for it, even if it’s just to see the look on Aunt Zaiia’s face!”

“Why did you run off earlier then?”

Sysiss’s probably-fake smile disappeared. “I was hungry. That’s all.”

“My apologies for our sister’s behavior. I’m Nozyn, and this is Jaina.” She gave a bow.

“Issa. I’m one of Ssiina’s sisters, but I’m sure you heard as much.”

Nistala bowed and spoke as quietly as she could given the noise in the massive room. “Ussen Nistala Gyontael.”

Nozyn nodded, glancing at Sysiss who had gone back to eating. “Welcome, and Cousin Issa, congratulations to you and Kyrae.”

I smiled honestly. “Thank you, Cousin Nozyn, and Cousin Jaina.”

Behind her sister, Jaina smiled.

“I should take some food to Kyrae, and maybe lend a hand with all the people swamping her.” Swiftly taking a second plate, I made to leave.

Sysiss didn’t acknowledge me, but Nozyn nodded. As I entered the crowd, the lights seemed warmer, almost stifling in the mass of people. Behind my tail, Nistala trailed wordlessly.

“Why are you following me?” I asked, tone harsher than I intended.

“Oh… I wanted to meet your sister Kyrae. A-and I’ll admit you’re making an easy path to follow.”

I felt around in the shadows, especially those near her as we followed the wall. They didn’t reach for her—didn’t acknowledge her passing. She’s not the biggest problem here, at least. Moreover, we didn’t get approached. It seemed Kyrae’s presence had taken all the attention.

“Fine.” I tried not to glare at her. Why is she being so nice? I’d bet she wants something—information maybe.

“T-thank you, Hssen Issa.”

I kept moving forward, others parting around us when they saw me. Closer up, amid the chaos of noise gossiping ussen, I saw Sire and Ssiina.

Next to Ssiina, practically leaning into her, was an ussent I didn’t recognize. Across from Sire, Aunt Zaiia was coiled, arms crossed and expression cold.

Behind them, Kyrae stood, head tall but eyes worried. Next to her, a tall elven man wearing tight-fitting, green-and-orange clothes I only vaguely knew from Phaeliisthia’s lessons eyed the two opposed Hssen warily.

I slithered up to the edge of the ring of spectators, close enough to Ssiina that she noticed me. Before I could try to sneak a whisper in, Aunt Zaiia’s eyes caught mine and she began to speak.