A feather for Kitty

For a moment, I'm a deer in torch light. Chuckling awkwardly, I squeeze your hand tightly. "Yes, I do believe in tiloni mates and yes, we did meet here in Maztica on the ship we captain together."

I'm trying my best to remain calm on the outside, but mentally, I'm calling out to you. "They don't know?! What do I say?! Help please?!"

Smiling, I wince at the squeeze. Is this how hard you are going to squeeze when Ana is born? Shit! "How the fuck do I know? Shall we play it like we never met in Aum? Could anyone even know? I mean, it would never happen that they find out... I'm just glad you don't mind the unusual relationship between Tor and Lunni. I didn't think we would see them on this trip, so didn't warn you. I tried hard to avoid South Camp after all."

"Oh I'm not sure how much I can't say I 'don't mind' the fact that two siblings married and had children... That's just not something that would happen in Faerun. I guess let's just go with dinner I guess and see what happens, I apologize! He said food love!"

Trying to change the topic, I ask Lunni, "I hope it's not terribly rude of me, but is it alright if we go ahead and eat? I'm terribly famished!"

I smile sweetly and with as much innocence I can muster, all the while I try to figure out if you are so dim to think only of food, or too smart to answer a leading question without thinking about it or misdirecting. This could be a dragon ante face of yours. Leave it to Kalu to pick someone without regard to their smarts, but you could be playing him for the romantic fool that he is. I have to protect the royal line. If they have a child, all my hopes could be dashed. "Yes of course Kit. Let's eat. The hunters have been very successful of late. The plague has not affected the deep jungle as much as the plains of Payit. It came on so suddenly. Where were you when the sky changed and the sundering took our gods? Oh no, My apologies. You asked to eat and not talk. I have so many questions for you, my sister, if we are to be family. Let's talk about something less demanding. Tell me of your Kalu? Do you use that nickname?" Now to see how much she talks of silly or of serious things...

I giggle at Lunni's more lighthearted question, a bit relieved to not have to be probed about how she'd been at the sundering and how hard it had been. "It's more than alright, I would have many questions for anyone entering my family too." I take a bite before continuing. "I'm very aware of his Kalu nickname, however I don't use it, no. If I'm not calling him my love, I'm usually calling him Duke. This is delicious by the way, did you make it yourself?"

"Duke? How marvelous and unique! Yes, Kit, it is delicious, I agree." I need to throw something in to test her position on the war. This will do nicely. "My oldest daughter used to make it all the time, but now she has gone the way of the one church of Uhti and no longer remembers how. I wrote down the recipe on a scroll and still cook it in memory of her. Do you know the loss of someone as dear to you as a child? She is a priestess in Ulatos. Perhaps you will see her when you go."

"Yes my lovliness and favorite cook. You feed my stomach as you do my heart, but such talk about Elena upsets my stomach more than I can handle."

My hand instinctively goes to my bump at the mention of the loss of a child. "I know lost love, but fortunately, not the loss of a child or anyone like it, I'm very sorry for you." Upon the mention of Elena's name, I freeze for a second, but recompose myself quickly and looking at the pair. "I apologize, who is this Elena person?"

Inside, I'm freaking out. "Love, is there something important about your cousins here that you forgot to tell me?!"

I am enjoying the lunch. So great to reconnect with an old side of the family. They have been in the jungle edge of Payit for as long as I can remember and still I remember the South Camp being the exact same as it has always been. "This is some of best food we have have had in an age! Thank you Lunni." I stare at your telepathy. I wonder what you mean? I give you an unknowing glance. Is that a thing now? "Torr, I thought your first born was named Atzi? You must be confused with another daughter. You have dozens and you still look so young. However do you manage it? Elena is a funny name for a Maztican family. We knew a person ..." You stamp your heeled boot into my toe. "Oww!" As I look at you with pain, I continue, "A funny name indeed."

Really? You must not be that bright after all. Didn't I say she was my oldest child. I should be more gentle with you and speak slower. "Yes, Lulu, you have it right. Elena was my daughter before I married my brother. Had the father not been divine, she surely would have perished during the rites. Kit, this family has survived many an age such as this one we are in. Our traditions will protect us. The gods were our strength and our magic. Is that not the way of gods? But we are stronger without them. Our bond with each other is great as well. Do you not respect the idea of gods even as the old ones are banished. I believe that the gods will yet come back. Maybe in a new tiloni. A new form. Divinity will never cease to express itself in Maztica." I reach for my husband's hand and put it on my belly. I smile to see his pleasure and pride. Our new life stirs to its father's touch. "Even a life such as the one that thrives in my belly as we speak could rise to be a god. Our children could succeed where the First Man did not. Since we lost Camazotz, the way is clear for a new generation."

Years of practice helps me hide my true feelings as I smile at them. Turning to you, I see the shock that I feel. I say, "Wow love, can you believe that? I wonder if our child can rise to become a God!" Looking at Lunni, I add, "We’re hoping to start a family soon!"

Mentally, I tell you, "Play along, but we have to get out of here!"

"But we just got here! Ok. If you know something I don't, let's go. Shall we ask Torroch to escort us?" I reach to touch your belly and smile widely at Lunni.

I grab your hand and hold it in mine, remembering that if you touch my bump, it might draw attention to the illusion. I smile widely as I think to you, No! Just make up a reason to leave and get us out of here!"

What!?! "This food! Oh my gods, this is so delicious! I haven't had this since...This is ...What grain is this? Faerunian wheat? No, Kitty! We need to get you back to the sled. Pardon cousins, I need to get Kitty back before she explodes. Kitty? " I grab your hand and pull you into my arms and run!

I yell over your shoulder at them, "So sorry, I'm allergic! Thank you for dinner!" Once we're back in the shed and you put me down, I lose all composure and freak out to the point I'm no longer concentrating on my spell and my bump is showing. "What in the gods was that?! Why didn't you stop me when I accepted Torr's dinner invitation?! Did you know all this time that you and Elena were related?! Oh by the gods, I killed your cousin... this is going to go over splendidly with the rest of the family!" I'm pacing erratically as I try to get all of these thoughts that have just now hit me into some sense of a logical order when they don't seem logical to me.

"I don't know. I never liked her anyway. She gave me a job as First Mate when I couldn't do anything else, but really, that was about it. She really was the bitch I called her. Good thing the rest of my family are more normal, though I am setting a low threshold right now." I look at my frantic and panicked wife, and stop. I reach for you to kiss you and don't quite get the reaction I was expecting. "What?"

I see you reaching for me and I immediately dodge you. "Don't touch me. I can't believe you didn't tell me! Lunni was one of Camazotz's wives?! She was the mother of the same fucking thing that tried to kill both of us! That almost killed me! Or is it just me who remembers you having to lay your hands on me to save your WIFE AND CHILD?! And we just sat down to dinner with her mother?! YOUR COUSIN! No warning! Not even a mental message to say, 'Oh love, by the way, his wife is a vampire and we're the ones who killed her daughter, you remember her, the captain we overthrew that wanted to kill you. Just thought I'd let you know.' Are you even sure the rest of your family is even close to normal?! How many other vampires share your blood that I don't know about?!

And she wants one of her children to be the next generation of vampire creators! Great idea, let's just sit down with her family of vampires and my expectant wife! That'll go over well!" I finally take a breath and realize that I'm crying with both hands over my bump as if to protect it. I see you move towards me again and I snarl, "Don't. Fucking. Touch me."

"You mean lil ole me?" My image comes to your mind as you berate Duke. He looks very small now and lost, but my image triggers every pent up emotion and anxiety surrounding meeting his family and then making the marriage and perhaps even your pregnancy publicly known. This motherly protective instinct against even Duke are perfectly justified beng expressed right now.

I get the pluma sled moving as fast as I can back onto the path. Luckily my blood still triggers the Jade totems as we pass. Being family to vampires has its perks I guess, though I would trade that fact for anything and obviously buried it even from myself.You are absolutely right love. I am sorry. I should have told you. I just didn’t think it mattered. I was wrong. So wrong. The vampires are such a part of Maztica and the struggle against the gods that I thought you appreciated what they do. Death and undeath are natural Parts of .

I stop babbling these views while seeing that you don’t approve of them. I don’t understand why, but nevertheless I know to stop. Frantically. Find something else to address you fool.

"I swear to you that I don’t have any vampire blood in me. The South Camp has all the vampires that I know in my family. Does that help? Of course I can’t say I like the other factions either..," I say with the hopes I can at least sleep in the same sled as you. I look around to see if there is enough floor space.

"No, that doesn't help much! That's it! No one can know we're expecting no matter which faction they're in! Nor can they come to the wedding! IF we even still have it!" I paced for another second before I just couldn't anymore. "I'm going to sleep. I am livid, I'm aching, I'm hurt, and I'm still hungry! Goodnight." With that, I grab the blanket off the bed and a pillow and curl up on the floor to try to sleep.