With the raptorcats sorted, we take a moment to discuss tomorrow’s plans. In the end, Trouble decided to travel with us for some of the journey since whatever calls him is also further into the valley. He promised me that he would do his best to not get in the way of any more of the preparations – I think that his sisters plan to keep him out of trouble by taking him hunting for most of the time.
That sorted satisfactorily, I walk with Bastet back into the den. There are some others I need to check up on. The first is Lathani. I greet her with the rub under the chin that she loves and then sit next to her, dipping into her Core space to see how things are going.
What meets my eyes is significantly different from what it used to be like. There are still the thick Energy channels which lead from where her Core will be to her extremities, but there is now a filigree of thinner golden lines which fills the space around. It’s a more intricate design than almost any I’ve seen – only my own beats it for intricacy. It’s very different, though: where my lines almost all return to the centre eventually, looking almost like an extremely complicated 3D celtic knot, Lathani’s Energy channels start either from the centre or one of the thick channels and interweave but remain separate from each other and end at the edges of her Core space.
It does change the way her Energy flows: it’s a lot easier to unbalance the weave since Energy flowing into one area doesn’t necessarily have a connection to Energy in another area. On the other hand, I have to wonder whether it might be possible for Lathani to empower certain sections of her body later. Also, I suspect that damage to one section might not be as detrimental to the whole as it was for me. On the other, other hand, when my internal matrix was damaged by the Pure Energy or Raven’s acidic mana, it was relatively easy to regrow the different sections and heal myself because I could approach the damage from all sides; that wouldn’t be the case for Lathani.
There are probably reasons for why different beings have different designs, but I don’t know enough about it all to be able to identify what those reasons might be. Either way, the mess of spaghetti which makes up Lathani’s internal matrix seems to work for her.
The first thing we did together was to help strengthen her existing channels so that she could come into the den without getting poisoned. After that, though, we’ve been working on retracing the blueprint Kalanthia lent her. At first I had to do a lot of the work, but with practice, Lathani has got pretty good at doing it for herself; now I just have to check in every so often. Once she’s finished retracing the blueprint, she’ll have to go back and strengthen her main channels more as they’re still a bit weak.
As for why we didn’t just fully strengthen her main channels at the beginning, it was because we didn’t want her to accidentally Evolve too soon. If the main channels were strong enough, she would be able to Evolve and probably condense a Core at their intersection. However, without all the other channels in place, this would lead to a poor foundation. Instead, we’re taking time to lay the foundation properly before letting her trigger her Evolution.
Of course, Lathani didn’t really like the idea, impatient to Evolve and gain some magic finally; watching others Evolve hasn’t helped her impatience. But both Kalanthia and I were firm on this point and she’s mature enough by now to understand our reasons. At least, she’s managed to hold off so far.
Looking good, I tell her, pulling out of her Core space. Keep going like this and maybe you’ll be able to Evolve before we return here in a month’s time.
Pleasure spills over the link between us, though tinged with that same impatience. I think that the latter will be there until I tell her that she’s ready to Evolve. I don’t blame her – I found not being able to level up while I was fixing the damage to my Core space to be pretty frustrating too.
I can’t wait! she tells me fervently.
Well, keep working as you have been and soon you won’t have to, I encourage her. She seems to take my words to heart as she immediately closes her eyes, getting back to the task.
Carefully stepping around the various beings meditating, I go to a tunnel which leads off the side of the main room, something I developed at the request of a certain kiina. As I go around a corner, the chirps and growls I’d been hearing increase in volume. A third twist leads me to a much more open space, one that even has something of a sky light, though not one that lets in much light because of the stone roof that extends above it.
“Persephone, how are things going?” I ask. She’s lying at the front of the room, her body creating a barrier to stop the creatures inside from escaping.
Her eggs hatched a month ago and already the little kiinas are more than three times the size they started. Most of the raptorcats’ hunts have gone towards feeding these little hungry mouths, as have Hades’. Now I understand why there had been two males in the pack – if anything, I question why there weren’t more. The hatchlings really have a ravenous appetite, and there are a lot of them – twenty-six. I can’t tell which are male and which are female, but there’s apparently only about seven females and therefore nineteen males.
Well, she answers, her tone still a bit tired, but far better than it was before we moved here and I gave her this space. This environment is good for them. They will be ready to leave the nest in the next few days.
While that’s good – great, even, considering how I’ll be taking quite a few of their usual food-suppliers with me – it’s not as well-timed as it could be. I’d like to take both Persephone and Hades down to the festival, but with the hatchlings not being quite ready to go, that won’t be possible. I also have to admit that, having missed the actual hatching, I’d have liked to see them be released to live their own lives.
I’ve had some fun playing with the hatchlings in the times Persephone and Hades have herded them outside for some experience beyond their nest, but I can’t say I’ve built any strong bonds with any of them. Not like with the raptorcats. In the end, I just have to shrug. The timing of the samuran Festival can’t be changed so there’s not much I can do about it.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“And how are the danaris hatchlings doing?”
The kiina sends across a feeling of nonchalance.
No change since the last time you checked. See for yourself.
With that permission, I carefully step over her and make my way slowly through the moving carpet of kiina hatchlings. They don’t take any notice of me, tussling with each other over a bone, or trying to climb over each other, or just sleeping in little piles on the floor.
Set into the wall is a large trough. Previously, the danaris hatchlings had crawled around the relatively small area, finding and eating whatever meat was inside. And growing. Lots of that.
By the end, they had multiplied in size from something that had originally fit in the palm of my hand to something which was longer than my arm. Their legs had become longer and sharper, and their exteriors had hardened. I’d also been worried that they might start crawling up the walls of the trough, but their legs had proven poor at climbing sheer walls.
Then, a few days ago, I found that they’d decided it was time to move onto the next stage. Like a silkworm might, they had produced thread and built it around themselves in a cocoon. They didn’t hang themselves anywhere, so there are three large, long parcels lying at the bottom of the trough, but I’m interested to see what might emerge – mini adult danarises? Or an in-between stage?.
How long it will take, however, is another question.
“You’ll keep an eye on the cocoons, right? Even after your hatchlings have gone?” I check with Persephone.
If you wish, she answers indifferently.
“I do,” I confirm.
Then I will.
Suddenly thinking about what might happen if the danaris hatchlings come out of their cocoons and are abruptly more mobile than before, I assign Persephone as the leader of their party. That way, she’ll be able to control them in my absence.
With parting words of luck, I leave Persephone there and go to my last important stop of the day.
As soon as I emerge through the earth cap covering the Pure Energy stream on Raven’s side of things, I’m dog-piled. Or perhaps I should say dragon-piled.
“Hey,” I laugh, “Let me up, guys. Daphne, I’ve told you before – I need to breathe and sitting on my ribs makes that hard. Ivor, my armour isn’t a chew toy.” Despite my chiding, I still give them each a good scratch on the necks behind their heads, just as they like it.
When they finally give me some space, I sit up, then grin at the third hatchling.
“Come on Noir, give me a hug.” He steps forwards carefully and with dignity, extending his head over my shoulder to give his version of a hug. I wrap my arms around him just as carefully, aware of his brittle bones. He steps back quickly as always, not wanting to extend the contact. But I can feel the pleasure at my greeting spill through the Bond nonetheless.
When he steps back, the other two crowd in again, begging wordlessly for scratches. I immediately comply, automatically using the contact and part of my conscious mind to direct mana to correct the deformation of their bodies – an ongoing endeavour.
I have Dominate Bonds with all three hatchlings – there was no other way of me being able to work on their internal issues without it. And boy have there been a lot of issues. Despite Raven’s good intentions, by putting his eggs directly in the Pure Energy, he’s caused so many problems for them.
Noir is the one worst affected, named for the darkness of his scales. Due to the lack of Energy within his body, I’ve been able to correct most of his deformation, but that’s been my limit so far. He has no internal matrix to speak of. None. I was barely able to access his Core space, only succeeding because I’d had enough practice with my other Bound to know where to look. It was there, but it was completely empty. Not even traces were left to show where an internal matrix used to be. Zilch.
He has no mana, and his health is permanently low. He doesn’t heal as fast as his siblings either, though this actually worked in his favour when I was reforming his body as there was no fight to return it to the way it should have been. Now, he’s a healthy-looking alcaoris hatchling on the outside, only probably permanently stuck as a sun-Tier one and far more fragile than either of his siblings.
The other two, Daphne – named for a flower and because of the faint pink blush to her scales – and Ivor – also named for the ivory colour of his scales – are better off in the sense that they have the beginnings of an internal matrix. Their first issue was that they were completely full of Energy and before I could do anything to them, I had to drain all the excess out of them – which did help me level up once.
After that, it was just a long and difficult process of healing the deformation which still isn’t finished, partly because of how often I have to do the same process several times before it stays healed the right way.
Needless to say, I’m still working on all three of them, though I'm not sure how much more I can do for Noir.
Looking up, I see their father behind them, an ever-watchful presence, though by this point he’s seen me help his hatchlings for long enough that he doesn’t feel then need to hover over my shoulder all the time now.
“Hello Raven, are you well?”
Well enough. You are leaving tomorrow?
“I am. I need to find out your final answer now. I have made some preparations but there are more to make if you agree.”
The large dragon-like alcaoris shifts uneasily.
I do not like letting them leave my sight.
“They will be protected,” I assure him for the umpteenth time. “If they don’t come, I won’t be able to help them any more until I’m back,” I point out again. I’ve been trying to get him to agree to letting them come with me down into the valley. They should be safe enough considering how many Warriors and other fighters we’re going to travel with, and I’m concerned about how much they might backtrack if they have more than a month without my work. I still sometimes come back to find that their bodies have reversed a healing overnight, even when it had been stable for a time.
He hesitates for a long moment. Then, he appears to have made up his mind.
I will come with you, he announces.
“Kalanthia’s already coming,” I tell him, and watch him stiffen. He snorts, a faint cloud of green emerging from his nostrils and then being sucked back in a moment later.
Then I shall certainly come. It is decided, he finishes imperiously, his tone not brooking any rebuttal.
I groan as I draw a hand across my face. Daphne nudges it a moment later when I don’t immediately go back to scratching her neck. Then I find a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. I wonder what Shrieks’ face will look like when I tell him that not only is Kalanthia coming, but so is Raven….