Miriam tried to listen attentively as Emily recited the Fellowship rules. The first she'd heard from Patric the chameleon seminarian and so nodded. But the second caught her by surprise again.
"Second, the Fellowship takes care of its own. I won't deny that there are many arguments, but at the end of the day we look out for each other." Emily's head seemed to turn in their direction and the crocodile flinched a bit. "Those of you who are new will quickly discover that there is no such thing as a member of the Fellowship who will not come to your aid when you need it. And to make sure that we keep it this way, we have a very strict rule about our arguments. Fighting with tongue and pen are accepted, but using tooth and claw against Fellowship siblings is forbidden. It is a vile breach of faith and should never be contemplated let alone done."
Miriam turned her long snout slightly toward Thalberg and asked, "Has it ever happened?"
"Aye, but only very rarely. And it never ends well for any when it does. Our claws and our jaws are very, very strong." He tapped her hand once and his eyes seemed to warm. "I will show you what you can do. You may one day need it, but never raise a claw against another of the Fellowship, nor any other Keeper."
Miriam took a deep breath, her scaled chest expanding within her white robe, and turned back to the Perch. Emily had paused after stating the rule as several smaller conversations like her own had commenced. She could see several of her friends from Bradanes who'd also grown scales or feathers receiving similar elaboration.
But eventually Emily waved one paw to silence the peaceful dialogue and lifted her beastly head to speak anew. "Third, we must all respect the Perch. Whoever has been elected to sit on the Perch is to be accorded the respect and the loyalty due to his or her office. I am the one who sits upon it now because I have been elected. One day that will be another, perhaps even one already with us in this hall. Whoever sits here must be given respect, their decisions and orders followed, and no foul word or thought should you ever direct toward it. To do otherwise will tear the Fellowship apart."
Again, Emily paused and Miriam whispered to the Steward. "How did Emily get elected?"
Thalberg shook his head. "That is a long story and I promise I will tell you later. Suffice it to say, Emily and her husband Raymond have been here since the Battle of Three Gates as have I. We found this place together."
"Together?" Miriam's long tail dragged through the warm sand in surprise.
"As I said, it is a long story. But of those of us scaled, I hold the highest rank and she kept her wits about her better than most." Thalberg almost looked embarrassed as he spoke. He gestured at the Perch with one claw and turned his snout resolutely toward it. Miriam sighed, her thoughts and feelings a jumbled mess.
"And lastly, the Perch does not honour blood over wisdom. Raymond and I have been blessed with a clutch of eggs which will hatch soon. I will love my children dearly and raise them to be good and wise siblings to us all. But the Perch will not be passed to my children because they are my children. If any of my children would sit upon the Perch it will be because they have demonstrated the strength of body, mind, and soul required to be accepted by the Perch. That wisdom is what we need. And that wisdom will always take precedence."
Miriam blinked in surprise, jaw opening an inch but she checked her startled gasp. The office would not pass to her children? That was how it was done with priests, but nobility? What chaos would come from that?
"It's just the nature of the Perch," Thalberg explained in a soft, guttural baritone. "Those who built the Perch long before humans ever set foot in the Valley ruled themselves very differently from our people."
Miriam turned her head toward her companion alligator. "How old is the Perch?"
But the Steward shrugged and spread his scaled hands wide. "Who can say? Jon may have some ideas about the Tened, but even he doesn't know how long ago they lived and died. I'm not sure even Emily knows, but I think she knows more than she lets on." He sighed with the weight of remembered work. "I do not begrudge her that!"
The crocodile who'd frightened Miriam earlier turned to her and snorted. "The Perch is the only way to run things. There's no question who is leader and it will never be a milk-sucker. You can always trust the Perch!"
"Yousef, never use such words around me again," Thalberg replied darkly, one hand reaching protectively for the Ducal insignia on his red sash.
The crocodile sat a little taller, his long tail sticking out straight behind him. "Don't wave that around at me!" Still, he turned away and grumbled inaudibly to himself rather than rise to Thalberg's challenge.
A gecko moved close to Miriam and Thalberg, "You'll have to forgive Yousef. He has cause to feel the way he does. Has the good Steward told you anything of the history of Metamor or our Fellowship? Of the ducal vassal whose name will never be spoken in this Hall except as a curse?"
Miriam shook her large head, one yellow eye fixed on Thalberg and the other on the gecko. The latter tilted his head to one side and rubbed a oddly-shaped hand along the back of his neck. "She... he did terrible things to Yousef's wife. And to many, many others. For years and the Duke did nothing."
Thalberg grunted and shifted, long tail digging into the warm sand. "Had he but known what was truly happening there, he would have put a stop to it sooner. It was a blind eye that he is still ashamed of."
The gecko nodded energetically, then began shaking his head. "I believe you, Thalberg. But Yousef..." He glanced at the crocodile who'd moved away as if the very mention of those times was too painful to hear. "Yousef has never been able to look at any mammal the same again."
"It is wrong to blame them for crimes they did not commit." Thalberg's yellow eyes narrowed atop his large head. "Yousef should know better." The gecko shrugged but said nothing more. Miriam wished the Steward would stay closer. She was feeling rather small despite the large size the Curse had given her.
All eyes returned to the Perch and Emily who looked distinctly unhappy. "Now before we can enjoy our festivities together, there is one item of business and it concerns the heating potions that Pascal the alchemist has been making for us. What we have now will wear out in a couple weeks, and there is a problem in getting a fresh supply. Verne has informed me that Pascal has doubled her price." Emily's words were greeted with squawks and roars of consternation as the assembly broke up into knots of worried conversation. Miriam, not understanding the importance of what was said, listened.
A boa called out over the din, "How are we supposed to keep our eggs warm now? The birds can't incubate both their eggs, and the eggs of reptiles. And I'm certainly not going to trust my children to a stranger!"
"She's right! If we were to pay Pascal's new price, how would the Fellowship be able to feed our poorer kin, or purchase other supplies? Even if those of us with means were to pay more in taxes, I don't doubt that the Fellowship would be ruined," a rooster said, waving a wing at the snake.
"The problem's Verne," Kelly said with a nod exaggerated by his long neck. "Sure, he's quite good at auditing our finances, but he's a very poor bargainer. Ms. Prickly Back is taking advantage of Verne's timidity. We should send someone back to her and re-negotiate the deal." The ostrich stamped a foot on the sand. "Someone strong, someone firm-minded, someone who's not Verne."
And that caused an even greater eruption as a third of the Fellowship shouted in favour of Verne, another third sided with Kelly, the last third kept quiet, and poor Verne, a turtle that Thalberg pointed out, slunk his head backward into his shell to hide. "Verne couldn't negotiate his way out of his shell!""It's not Verne's fault! We should just pay the prices and trust in Eli!" "Why can't some of you with money buy us more pyrocks?" "It's Verne's fault! He's going to let our children freeze!" "He'd never do that, he's been good for us!" And so forth.
After nearly a minute of imprecations Emily hooted for silence. It was granted only begrudgingly because everyone wanted to say something. But the komodo was firm and swung her head back and forth to glare at the worst offenders. "This is not helping! Verne informed me of this a week ago, and he came to Thalberg at the beginning of the year. I have not had a chance to speak with the alchemist to learn why she has raised her rates. Thalberg, did you learn anything?"
The alligator grunted when all eyes turned his way. Miriam felt a little clearer on what was at stake, and she found herself hoping that the Steward's answer would set all minds at ease. He stood up so that some of the smaller Fellowship members might see him better. "I have not had the time to speak with her at length as I would like to do. She was able to explain to me very briefly that this was not personal but a matter of logistics. There is some ingredient she needs that she has not been able to procure in sufficient quantities. That is all I know. I do not believe Verne is to blame for this." Finished, Thalberg returned to his seat on the log next to Miriam.
"It's not fair," Verne squeaked from the edge of his shell. "She shouldn't do this to us."
"I don't believe she has a choice."
Emily put one paw up to forestall any more objections. "If what Thalberg says is true, then we may have no choice but to pay."
"He barely talked to her!" Yousef snapped.
"I will talk with her," Emily assured him in a strong voice. "I believe what Thalberg says is true, but I will go and speak with her and learn as much as there is to know. Perhaps there might even be some way we can help her obtain what she needs. We may have the necessary ingredient and not even know it. We should not be afraid."
She glanced briefly at Kelly and Yousef, beastly eyes hard, and then down at Verne who had started to emerge from his shell. "When I speak to Pascal, I will see if she can lower her prices. If not, then I will continue to trust Verne in these matters. We will just try find a way to pay for them and hope for the best. I will discuss ways we can do this with a few others later. And we will also discuss ways to afford more pyrocks. I assure you nobody's eggs will suffer the cold. Not mine, not yours. We are the Fellowship of the Egg and we will persevere together."
The last bit caused many hoots and bellows of delight from the assembled avian and reptilian Keepers. Miriam could not help but feel some relief in their delight. She and they may appear strange, but they were united in a way that made her feel welcome. She leaned in closer to the alligator.
Emily's long tail lashed back and forth as she lifted herself a little higher on the Perch. The exquisite granite slab seemed almost to glow beneath her weight. "And now that you know, I do not wish any to let this news dampen their spirits. We are here to celebrate another Yuletide. This means different things to Follower and Lothanasi and we do not ask any to celebrate in any way opposed to their beliefs. But for those who wish, celebrate! And celebrate with joy! For we are here another year, awaiting the coming Spring and the Summer beyond. And most especially, we are awaiting the hatching of many more young who will bring us a true Summer; a Summer of joys and hardships but mostly of joys. So now celebrate as you wish as a member of the Fellowship!"
Emily almost launched herself from the Perch amidst the hootings and shouts of delight. She was met first by a reddish-brown mottled snake who hugged her with his coils. This moment lasted only a few seconds before several others mobbed her with questions and concerns. Miriam lost sight of her seconds later.
Thalberg stood up, and Miriam was quick to follow him. He inclined his snout toward her and sighed. "I'm afraid I'm one of the ones that Emily will want to talk to about this situation with Pascal and Verne. Will it upset you if I leave you with another for a time?"
Miriam wondered why he asked and she also wondered what he'd do if she said it would bother her. But she knew how unfair it would be to ask such a thing and so merely shook her snout back and forth. "I don't want to be left alone though."
"I will introduce you to someone I trust." Softer, he added, "Someone who doesn't hate mammals." He gestured for her to follow him and she did, clawed feet enjoying the warmth of the sand though being careful of Thalberg's wide tail that swept out little dunes as he passed. These she stepped through, before sweeping out some of her own in her wake.
Thalberg took her toward the egg alcoves where several couples had gone to see their young still in their eggs again. But this time he brought her first to a small lizard draped in a similar white robe to Miriam's. Her scales were a dark green like forest moss, but around her neck were large flaps of skin that stretched as she breathed, and extended like a lady's fan when she saw them approaching.
"Oh, good Steward!" she said with a crooning and chirping laugh. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on an old woman?"
Thalberg chuckled and bowed his head, jaws open in a saurian smile. "Forgive me, Tabitha. I didn't know I could still sneak at all."
The lizard laughed, her frills bouncing up and down against her robes. Her round, green and black eyes found Miriam and she stood a little taller, long tail digging a hole into the sand at her splay-toed feet. "And who might you be, dear one? Thalberg didn't tell old Tabitha that he was bringing a friend."
Miriam felt at once immensely relieved but at the same time oddly uncertain. This Tabitha reminded her of her grandmother who'd mercifully died a few years before the poison had disfigured all of Bradanes. But she'd never seen Thalberg so casual before either. Were they related?
"This is Miriam, Tabitha. She's newly arrived from Bradanes and I have taken her on my staff. She served the Lord of Bradanes in the kitchens, and now she serves Duke Thomas in his. Miriam, this is Tabitha. She is one of the Nursery Mothers who keep watch on our eggs."
Tabitha opened her arms and before Miriam could object hugged her completely round the back with a lizard's long limbs and fingers. The alligator stared down at the top of her head but after a few second's awkward uncertainly managed to hug her in return. She had to be a grandmother.
"Welcome to Metamor, dear one," Tabitha said as she let go, resting her fingertips on Miriam's scaled hands. "Don't let any of the younger folk scare you now. You are in good company here."
Thalberg stepped back and bowed his head. "Is it all right if I leave Miriam in your company? I will need to speak with Emily for a little while."
The frilled lizard opened her jaw wide which made her frills stick out from her neck, revealing a startling crimson design amidst the usual green on the interior of her frills. "Oh, it will be just fine. You go and help poor Emily and Verne and I'll keep Miriam company."
Thalberg glanced once more to Miriam, but the lady alligator did her best to smile and so he moved on. After he disappeared through the crowd of feathers and scales, Miriam returned her yellow eyes to Tabitha and asked, "Are you both family? I've never seen him so comfortable before. He's always stiff and focussed on his duties."
"Oh, that's Thalberg," Tabitha chided with a click of her tongue as she shut her jaws. Her teeth, while not as imposing as Miriam's own, were short and looked wickedly sharp. Still, Miriam felt perfectly at ease seeing them. "His first loyalty and his true family has always been Duke Thomas. But aye, dear one, he is family. His aunt was married to my brother many years gone. Both died before Three Gates, and all their children with them. And the rest of Thalberg's family died during Three Gates. Very sad."
"But you have family too? Are you a grandmother?"
Tabitha trilled a laugh, long tail lashing through the sand as she stood a little higher on her toes. "Oh yes! I live with my daughter and her husband and their three children at Twin Hearth's. Nyman's a good soul, for a dog. He doesn't mind having a crazy old lizard for a mother-in-law!"
Miriam felt immediately at ease with this woman. "And your husband?"
"Oh, Duncan lost his life at the Three Gates too. But now I have a family here with the Fellowship. And I get to be a grandmother all over again with our hatchlings!" She chirped in her delight and took Miriam by the arm, leading her to the curtained alcoves. "I come here every other day to keep watch on them. I love telling them stories about my own grandchildren and the mischief they've gotten into. Come, you need to see them. They are so tender and precious."
Miriam allowed the frilled lizard to lead her and soon they ducked beneath the heavy tapestries into the deeper warmth of the nursery. The nursery alcoves were divided into sections allowing for half-a-dozen couples to incubate their eggs. Only four of the slots were occupied, and around two of them parents were gathered. Nearest were two birds, one of them a cardinal with bright red plumage and crown, while the other was a thrush of some sort with short beak and light brown underbelly. These two crouched over a small nest with only two eggs half buried in the sand. With the claw on one wing tip the father nudged the eggs gently, tail feathers low and crooned a little song that seemed both hopeful and melancholy.
Beyond them was the gecko that had spoken with her earlier and a slender lizard with very smooth, small scales. These two gazed in rapturous wonder at the small clutch of leathery eggs buried in the sand.
Tabitha knelt down next to a nest with three eggs and Miriam followed her, finding the sand very warm against her knees. The white robes they bore were already covered in sand, but strangely it did not irritate her the way sand once had. The eggs were large and oblong, with the harder appearance of bird's eggs. But they were larger than any bird's eggs she'd ever seen!
"Aren't they precious!" Tabitha crooned and gently stroked her long fingers along the top of one of them. Miriam felt slightly nervous as she looked at the eggs. These were laid by a husband and wife in the Fellowship. These would one day hatch and be their children. And if she ever had children, they would hatch from eggs too! The chain of logic unsettled her, but still there was something in her that knew there couldn't be anything wrong with it. Children were children. And these would have fathers and mothers who loved them dearly and would teach them how to live as birds or reptiles at Metamor.
And the Fellowship would be there to help them.
Tabitha looked up form her cooing at the eggs and gently put a hand on Miriam's shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Just be gentle. These little ones won't hatch for another month yet. Our eggs take longer to hatch you know."
Miriam started to reach forward but paused. "Where are their parents?"
"Oh, celebrating with the Lothanasi. They came by earlier. I can introduce you if you like."
The alligator shook her head. Despite seeking help from Sathmore for the horrible disease they of Bradanes had suffered, she still felt uncomfortable thinking about the pagans. Even if Thalberg was one too. Instead, she followed Tabitha's prompting and gently put the tip of her fingers against the nearest egg.
The first thing she noticed was the warmth. Not as warm as the sand, but ever so gentle and vibrant. That vivifying spark, the essence within, rode up through her finger and into her heart. Her chest swelled. Her saurian jaws cracked open and the stiff corners lifted up into a broad and expansive, and utterly entranced smile.
A small part of her wondered how she could be transported by this egg when a month before while still human she would have had no greater response to any egg except to wonder if when cooked it would satisfy her hunger. And in fact she'd handled many such eggs working in the kitchens for Thalberg and had never felt the slightest difference. But now....
No wonder Tabitha served here as a Nursery mother to these little ones still trapped within their eggs. They were precious beyond words.
Miriam's thoughts were interrupted by the ostrich, Kelly, walking past her. He reached into a satchel slung over his back and took out a single large yellowish-white egg. Kelly set the egg down on an empty patch of sand near Miriam, and then carefully squatted down on it.
"Two, maybe three months, and he'll be cracking the shell of his egg. I wish his mother could be here on that day."
Miriam glanced at the ostrich and felt her heart tighten in her chest. "What happened?"
Kelly hung his head and sighed, "Jolene died suddenly a day after laying Little Kelly here. She stumbled, and then fell. It was so quick. We were walking through the trees at Glen Avery to visit some friends, and then she just. . ."
Miriam wanted to reach out and console him, but Tabitha was there at the ostrich's side first. The lizard draped one arm over his back and shuddered with him. "She's looking down on you from Heaven, Kelly. She's praying for you and the little one. Don't you forget it!"
Kelly shook his head, "But that still leaves me alone here with Anna, and what of our son when he hatches? His mother won't be there to greet him, or to feed him. We'll get by, I know we will, but it will be hard, and I miss her so."
Miriam felt awful and wished she could think of something to say. She'd seen so many die because of the sickness of Bradanes, but still there were no words of comfort. She moved next to the ostrich, opposite of Tabitha, and put a scaled paw against his feathered flank.
Kelly honked with humour tinged with bitterness, "But enough of my troubles. Let's talk about you. I never really did get properly introduced to you when you came here with Thalberg. What do you do? Do you have a craft?"
Miriam looked startled at the sudden change of mood and took a step back. "Well, I came from Bradanes... I help Thalberg in the Kitchens now."
"I've had a change of path myself. I was once a skilled tailor. Nobles and landed knights across the Midlands would hire my needle and scissors. That all came to an end eight years ago when I came to this valley to make Court wear for a newly landed knight under Duke Hassan.
"I had the misfortune to arrive shortly before a siege. Next thing I know, I'm like this," Kelly said, waving his feathered arms as if they were proper wings. "And I found my knowledge of the ways of thread and needle useless."
Miriam glanced out of the corner of one eye at the many who wore nothing at all. "But most at Metamor still wear clothes."
"I, well, my heart just wasn't in it any more. Those of us in the Fellowship who wear feathers have found that wearing anything else over our own plumage to be most unpleasant. Have you ever worn truly inferior wool? The kind that scratches at your skin with every subtle movement that you make?"
Kelly nodded his beak as if there could be no argument. "And a tailor who can not bear to wear his own work is like a cook who can not stomach his own cooking."
Miriam's crocodilian jaws frowned a little. "I've seen some birds wearing vests."
"Because they must. You'll find that those vests are worn because their duties demand the discomfort. The Fellowship has found that clothing is needed only for the purposes of status, and protection from harm and the elements. Those vests are the uniforms of servants and soldiers."
Tabitha shook her head and rolled her eyes as the familiar diatribe started once again. Miriam looked down at the white smock she wore. "I need to dress against the cold. I don't have any discomfort from the fabrics. Couldn't you make clothes for us?"
"Who do you think made the clothes that dress you at this moment? I made these," he fingered Miriam's smock, "to help those, like you, who are new to the Fellowship. I also have worked with other tailors here at Metamor to make warm clothing against the chill of winter. While I will never again be Tailor to the Nobility, I could hardly deny my skills to the Fellowship."
Miriam nodded, backing a step away from him. "That is good of you, even if Thalberg says you do not approve of wearing clothing here."
"I approve of clothing when it is truly needed. I just don't see the point of any in the Fellowship needing to ‘cover their nakedness'."
Tabitha gives him a swat on the side with one long-fingered paw. "I'm an old woman! I will dress proper whether you think I need it or not!"
"Madam, that was entirely uncalled for!" he said, rubbing the ‘injured' area with his beak.
Tabitha's neck flaps extended, "I barely touched you, you big baby!"
"Hmmph!" He stretched his wings back as if hunching his shoulders. "No more linen for you and yours, and you can forget any of the silks or cotton that Norbert and Richard sell."
Tabitha snorted and her neck flaps bounced against her shoulder. "I can always go to the Urseils. Besides, I look best in wool anyway!"
"You're impossible, you know that, right?" Kelly raised up on his crouch and lowered his head under his body to turn his son's egg.
Tabitha crossed her arms in triumph. "I've raised six children and have three grandchildren of my own. I have a right to be impossible!"
Miriam had at first been staring aghast at the two, but it finally occurred to her that these two were friends enjoying some playful repartee. She chuckled under her breath, a deep throaty sound that made her chest rumble.
"I concede to you, madame," Kelly said as he lifted his head from the egg and his feathered body concealed it again. "You are impossible!"
Tabitha croaked a laugh and shook her head. "Thank you, Kelly." She then rested her long fingered hand on the ostrich's back. "You won't be a father alone, you know that, right?"
Kelly nodded, his eyes gazing down at the warmed sand. "There's the Fellowship."
"There's always the Fellowship," Tabitha agreed. The old frilled lizard grandmother stood and took Miriam by the arm and gestured back into the main hall. "Now come with me dearie, and leave Kelly to his child. I'll introduce you to some others who'll know all sorts of things you'll want to know about having scales!"
Miriam took one last look at the ostrich nesting in an almost brood and then followed her new friend. Her heart wished to beat with joy, misery and fear.
Around the perch a dozen figures, half of feather and half of scale, clustered. Emily, her sandy yellow scales rippling with each breath, hunched on the perch and cast her eyes across them as they gathered near. Her whole body twisted on the perch to look directly at Verne the box-turtle, "As the Fellowship's Exchequer you have a better grasp on our finances than anyone else among us. So tell us, how will Pascal's new prices affect the budget?"
The box turtle stretched out his neck, "If we were to divert the nearly 300 gold suns we have saved to purchase the land in Glen Avery, we'd just be able to afford new sand warmers while holding our budget steady until the Summer Gathering. After that? We'd have to decide between warm sand for the eggs or buying meat and vegetables for our indigent."
"So, in short, you're telling us that by spending nearly every mite that we've saved up for our new Hall, we'd buy ourselves six months, but after that, our poor have a choice between starving or watching their children die in the egg?" Richard squawked. The rooster's comb thrummed with indignation.
Verne rubbed his stubby fingered hands together and nodded, goggle-eyed and timorous. "I'm afraid that is true. It's not fair. We've been so frugal for so long and now this."
"We aren't destitute yet," Patrick the chameleon said with a soft hissing whisper. The seminarian was the representative of the Ecclesia in the Fellowship's council. He often appeared overwhelmed at the thought of standing in for all Followers, but his judgements were usually reasoned and calm, something Emily prized.
"No, we aren't," Emily agreed quickly. "Thalberg tells us that Pascal is in need of some ingredient that she has not been able to obtain. If this is true, Richard, what are the chances you and the other merchants might be able to procure a new source?"
The rooster narrowed yellow eyes and spread red-feathers around his neck. "It depends on what the ingredient is. But if Pascal is having trouble finding it then we aren't likely to have any better luck."
"I bet she has enough," the crocodile Yousef, who was sitting on the opposite end from Thalberg and pointedly not looking at the Steward. "She just wants to see how much more she can squeeze from us. Verne isn't strong enough to convince her."
"Do you doubt my word?" Thalberg murmured in a half-growl.
Yousef sat a little taller on his log and crossed his arms, snout tilting up into the air. "Verne asked you to look into this a month ago and you've barely had the time. You know how important this is to us. You should have made the time."
Copernicus, who sat next to Thalberg, put one hand on the alligator's arm. "I can attest that things have been very busy for our dear Steward. His grace's marriage has added many burdens to his shoulders."
Thalberg grunted and nodded to the chief representative for Metamor's military. "It is true. I do take this issue very seriously and apologize that I was unable to investigate deeper."
"Now it jeopardizes our plans to build a new Hall in Glen Avery," Yousef complained in a superior tone. "What are we going to do when the next Yule comes around and we no longer fit within this hall? I've talked with the refugees form Bradanes, and there are many, many more coming. And many of them will be gifted with scales or feathers. We cannot house them all who must flee the milk-suckers."
"Yousef!" Thalberg simmered, "I warned you never to use that term around me again!"
"Thalberg," Emily said with a firm hiss. "Enough." She then swung her whole body over to the crocodile and glowered from the perch. "And Yousef, you will never use that term around me either. You insult the Perch by using words of such hateful foulness in this Council. We will maintain proper decorum at these meetings. If you can't find it in yourself to be civil while seated before the Perch, I can and will cast you out of this Council." Emily stood on the Perch, head held high on her long neck, as she stared with reptilian intensity down the crocodile.
Yousef tensed but lowered his head. "Forgive me. Just the thought of it..." he struggled to find the right word, his whole body and tail contorting as if squeezing through a particularly narrow and crooked passage. "It upsets me."
"We cannot settle that here," Patrick said gently. "What we should be thinking of is ways to avoid ruin."
"I see a few possibilities," Verne offered in a trembling voice.
"Go on," Emily coaxed.
"We could buy pyrocks with some of that money. They last much longer, and with the rise in prices for sand warmers, they won't cost us too much more."
Richard shook his head back and forth, red comb bouncing from side to side. "That will only drain our cache faster!"
Verne nodded his head, "But we'd not have to spend as much in the future. We would be able to build up a reserve again in the years that follow."
"That still delays us from affording a new Hall for many years," complained a blue jay.
"It's just one idea," Verne said meekly. "We could also have the wealthy give more to cover the expenses. I know there is some wealth amongst our membership." His eyes cast quickly at the rooster and then at Thalberg, but did not linger on either. "But I know that is not ideal either. Our third option is to try to bring more work into the Hall."
"How so?" Emily asked. There were perhaps two dozen who for one reason or another could not spend more than an hour or two beyond the heated walls of the Fellowship Hall. A few of them would slip into a catatonic stupor at the mere scent of a mammal and stayed here always. They busied themselves with tending the eggs and keeping the hall clean and a few sundry tasks that were brought from time to time.
"The Writer's Guild always has need of scribes to copy their manuscripts. Very few of us here have lost complete use of our hands. The Hall could serve as a Scriptorium some of the time to help offset our expenses."
"Many cannot read," Patrick pointed out gently.
"But they could still learn to write, even if they do not know what they are writing."
Emily nodded. "Go on."
"We could also teach some to help sew. Kelly could use the aid in his garments. Perhaps he could be persuaded to sell what we make here to those not of the Fellowship."
Yousef rumbled and shook his head. "We don't need mammal money."
"Yes we do," Verne replied, sticking his head out as far as it would go from his shell. "If we didn't, we wouldn't be discussing this!"
But Yousef would not be so easily dismissed. "And what happens when you bring fabrics or vellum that smell of mammals? You'll upset everyone!"
Verne shrank back a handspan and lowered his eyes. "Perhaps. That is a risk."
Emily leaned forward and began to nod her heavy snout up and down. "I think it is worth exploring some more. And it's the best idea I've heard so far. But how do we rid them of other scents? Cloth or vellum? Or anything else we wish to bring in here?"
Thalberg lifted his hand and gestured at the sash across his yellow chest. "Apart from cleansing this, I do leave it to air with certain incense that helps mask any lingering odours. They are not expensive and I can provide a small supply to begin."
"Good," Emily glanced at the rest. "Are there any other ideas for work that can be done in the Hall? We cannot have them writing all the time."
While the others began mulling ideas and discussing them, almost level-headed for once, Emily leaned back on the perch and felt her muscles begin to relax in the sultry warmth. Beside her, the spectral Tened chirped a laugh. Her voice slithered through the air and against the membranes that had become Emily's ears. "They are learning to work together better. I am impressed. They have never come to agreement so quickly."
Emily didn't reply but flicked her tail toward the ghostly spirit bound to the phylactery on which she reclined. The ancient stone divan, the perch, stood her in good stead in more ways than one.
Shirazz continued, "They see the danger ahead and are working together like a hunting pack. I am delighted to see it."
"As am I," Emily whispered with long tongue. Perhaps, as Father Hough was oft to suggest, this was a blessing in disguise.
The Fellowship meeting ran well into the afternoon, but with the winter dusk nearing, and with it a bone cold chill that threatened torpor even for the most bundled of reptile, Emily, with only a little ceremony and a blessing from both Follower and Lothanasi representatives, brought the gathering to a close.
Miriam had spent much of the afternoon listening to stories from a trio of sea birds who'd flown in from the southern coasts and had barely noticed the passage of time. Their adventures were amusing and their manner infectious. They had heard of the people of Bradanes and she asked them many questions about how many more were still coming to Metamor. But she was not surprised when she learned that the rest were waiting for the Spring. Kozaithy had assured her as much only a few days past.
She was unable to interrogate the trio further before Copernicus absconded with them in a very official manner. Next thing the alligator knew, Emily began the closing ceremonies and she found herself at Thalberg's side again.
And then, before Miriam quite realized what was happening, she was doffing the white robe and donning her own heavier clothes. The cool air in the hallway outside the Fellowship hall made her tremble as if she wanted to fall back, but Thalberg's strong, scaled hands ushered her out; and gave her confidence.
The various birds and reptiles dispersed with riotous laughter and merriment, the singing of songs and the promises of seeing each other again soon. Thalberg gestured for Miriam to wait a short distance from the entrance but he didn't say what for. She waved to a few friends, some from Bradanes, but many those she'd just made. Tabitha gave her a firm hug before heading on her way.
When the dusty komodo emerged wearing a bright scarf around her neck and a harness pulling a small wheeled wagon in which was coiled a mottled viper covered in a thick blanket, she knew that this was what Thalberg had been waiting for. Thalberg nodded to the komodo and gestured for them to walk together.
"Ah, Miriam," Emily said with a croaking hiss. "You never had a chance to meet my husband."
The snake waved a small arm at her from just above the billowing blankets. His long forked tongue flicked out and he hissed in a friendly manner. "Raymond. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miriam."
Miriam cracked her jaws in a saurian smile. "And you, Raymond." She fell into step with Thalberg and just a little behind Emily whose back and forth gait made her tail swing a few feet from side to side. She felt a bit awkward but managed to ask, "Why are you in a wagon?"
"The ground is a bit too cold to slither on," Raymond said with a sibilant laugh. "My body does not like snow. Now a good hot stone basking in the sun, that my body can never get enough of."
Miriam had to admit that sounded rather appealing. "Where do you live?"
"Euper," he replied. "Although," the viper looked askance and seemed to narrow his slitted eyes, "I don't think we'll be making it back tonight."
Emily turned her head back and asked, "Would it be too much to ask if we might stay with you this night, Miriam? At least until the storm passes."
"The storm?" Miriam blinked.
"Yes, the one the birds mentioned. It should be passed by morning."
Miriam recalled it now. The trio had been complaining of snow when they'd arrived late. She'd just been so excited to hear their stories that she'd forget their entrance. "Of course you can stay. I don't have much, but I can keep it very warm and humid."
"Oh thank you," Emily hooted as she tugged the wagon. The wheels kept trying to run over her tail tip, but she swung it back and forth quickly enough to keep it safe. Raymond's slitted eyes watched his wife's thick tail sway with rigid intensity. "That is very kind of you."
Miriam wanted to lean closer to Thalberg, but the Steward was being his usual cagey self. Every time she stepped nearer, his gait would draw him a little bit away. She just couldn't quite reach him. Still, there was a warm regard in his yellow eyes as they walked.
"So are you, Emily." The new alligator held her heavy robes close to her chest, scaled hands and claws digging into the fabric. "I'm just so glad there is a Fellowship. Thank you."
Emily's jaws opened in a lizard-grin but she didn't say anything more. A few minutes later they reached Miriam's unremarkable door. The wood was warm to the touch and Emily's head picked up when she approached. Miriam opened the door wide, letting light from the hallway spill inside. Emily gestured with a wave of a forepaw and Miriam walked in ahead of her. She was careful not to smack the komodo in the head with her hefty tail.
After she lit all the lamps in her small quarters, Emily dragged Raymond in after her. Thalberg followed in last, but lingered near the door. Emily stopped in front of the hearth and grabbed a fistful of kindling and began arranging it in the centre. Raymond leaned over the edge of the wagon and patted his slight hands on the stony floor. In delight he exclaimed, "It's warm!"
Miriam nodded as she bent down to help the komodo build a fire. "I live over the kitchens. My floor is always warm at the end of the day. Don't sleep on it though. It will be cold by morning."
Raymond slithered out from underneath his blankets and deposited his long body on the stone floor. He then grabbed his blankets and hissed in serpentine contentment. "This is so nice for now."
Emily chuckled a throaty laugh, while Thalberg rumbled in his belly. The massive alligator then grunted and put a hearty paw on Miriam's shoulder. "I fear I will need to return to my duties. Is there anything I can have sent for you?"
Miriam straightened and felt her heart sink. "You have to go? I thought his grace gave you the day!"
He nodded. "He did, but a great deal will have piled up already. I ought to see to it before it becomes unbearable tomorrow. I will send you three something piping hot from the kitchens." He glanced down at Miriam's meagre wood pile. "And some more wood so you can keep your fire burning through the night."
Miriam felt a barrenness of disappointment for a moment, and then, not quite realizing it, she flung herself at the larger alligator and wrapped her arms about him. "Thank you, Thalberg. Thank you!"
Thalberg grunted in surprise, but very gently put his arms on her back and patted as if unsure what more he should do. "You're quite welcome. Now I need to go. I will see you again tomorrow."
She let go of him just as suddenly, feeling embarrassed but grateful that as a reptile she couldn't blush. Still, her eyes never left the Steward until his massive bulk disappeared down the corridor. Finally, she let her door shut, trapping the warmth inside, and turned back to her guests. Raymond was trying not to look like he'd been watching. Emily nodded her large head in approval, dark eyes beaming with delight. Miriam lowered her head and bent down next to the hearth, trying not to look at either of her guests. "Let's get that fire started, shall we? I can boil some water to make the air nice and humid too."
So saying, she threw herself into the task while Emily and Raymond watched, smiling as only reptiles can to one another.
Dinner proved to be chicken in a warm broth coupled with fresh noodles. Miriam recognized the little mouse who brought it for them as Bernadette. Despite being a mouse bringing food for three creatures who in the wild would have gobbled down a mouse without the slightest prodding, she showed no fear but gushed in delight at the chance to serve them. Both Raymond and Emily were courteous and thanked her profusely after she set their bowls on the floor before them with complete solicitousness. No hint of disdain at the reptiles who couldn't eat at a table anymore. Miriam felt some relief that one of her new friends from the Keep Kitchens would have so effectively proved Yousef wrong.
She stayed only long enough to make sure that they were not in want, and then bustled back to the Kitchens to finish cleaning for the day. The three of them shared a prayer before sedately enjoying their meal. Neither Emily nor Raymond could easily use utensils, but they did try for Miriam's sake. At seeing their discomfiture, Miriam set her bowl on the ground too and stuffed her snout in and slurped up the chicken, noodles, and broth. That set all of them at ease and they even laughed at the silly ways their bodies forced them to eat. Raymond took particular delight in slithering his noodles down his throat one at a time.
By the time their bowls were empty and their bellies satisfied, they'd given their lungs plenty of good exercise. Instead, they gave their tongues exercising, talking of the Valley before the days of the curses, how so much more than just appearances had changed since then, and of course, how Miriam was settling into her new life. What was never asked was anything about her old life at Bradanes, and for that she was very grateful.
The candles she'd lit to mark time were beginning to burn low by the time Miriam finally gave into the increasing exasperation and impatience she felt. "Doesn't he ever go to sleep?" Miriam asked of the komodo, waving an arm at the snaked coiled up near them.
Emily glanced at her husband and her tongue flicked out from between her scaled lips. "Raymond? He's fast asleep right now."
"He can't be, his eyes are wide open!"
Emily seemed to smile at her husband, "Oh yes, he's asleep. Like most snakes in the Fellowship, he can't close his eyes, ever. His eyelids have become transparent and sealed over his eyes."
Two months ago, she would have found this less than comforting. But now, it felt right and natural, even if a little unusual. And the news was a great relief. Miriam looked down at the floor in silence for a long moment before she lifted her eyes to meet Emily's gaze, "Now that your husband is fast asleep, affording us some privacy, I have to ask you something. Thalberg has been a great help to me in this last month, but there is an aspect of my new form of which I have not been able to bring myself to seek advice from him."
The komodo tilted her head to one side in thought. "Oh. Oh! Yes, that would be something that a lady could hardly ask in polite company, especially of such a fine gentleman as the good Steward. Well, I'd be happy to answer the questions I know that you want answered, but propriety barred you from asking. The Blood of the Moon is a thing of the past. Every couple months or so, you might instead find yourself dropping an empty egg or two."
"An egg?" Miriam blinked her own strange eye lids and her scaled hands as if bidden by some unheard command lowered to the robes covering her waist and tail. "You mean I don't have to... to... to lay eggs?"
Emily nodded, her long tail dragging about the floor as if it were laughing for her. "You have been an alligator for almost a month now, you should drop your first very soon. Do not fear. It will be a little uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. And you'll know when your eggs are empty or not. I didn't believe it at first either, but it is true. And," her eyes glimmered as if with mischief, "you do not need to be with any for this to come. It is just part of who we are now."
Miriam lowered her long snout again and her claws tightened, catching against the fabric. "And through the same... same..."
Emily nodded sagely, and then, pushing herself closer, the warm fire crackling and reflecting brilliantly off her scales, she whispered her next words as if they were a vast secret. Miriam listened, believing, even if there was still a small part of her that wanted to be revolted by the idea but couldn't quite bring itself to do so. There was no denying it; she was a reptile now, and that's just how things were with reptiles.
The komodo chuckled with a hiss and in a slightly louder voice added, "It's really not that different from before, really. There is only one place to cleanse now, instead of two. In fact, some of us are grateful for the increased ease in caring for ourselves." Her voice lowered again with a quick glance at her husband still staring empty-eyed into the distance. "It is all around better for us women. We lose the discomfort. Men lose... well, we don't talk about it so we don't embarrass them."
It took Miriam a few seconds to understand just what the komodo was suggesting. And then her jaws opened in a great crocodilian smile and she laughed heartily. When she finally managed to catch her breath, she gestured with one hand to the viper, "How was it with Raymond... the first time... you know."
Emily took in a deep breath, sighed and shook her head. "Oh the poor dear." And they laughed again, croaking and hissing in reptilian mirth. As the evening wore on and night claimed Metamor, the leader of the Fellowship and one of its newest members gossiped like sisters until all the candles had gone out.