Page 27

CHAPTER TEN

T he soft sound of footsteps against stone once again stirred Naya from uneasy sleep.

She pushed herself upright on the sleeping furs, hair tangled around her head, and she found Oshrun standing at the entrance to her chamber.

Morning light filtered down through the canyon's natural openings, casting gentle shadows across the Khesh's face.

Something was different about Oshrun's demeanor. Her usual composed authority seemed frayed at the edges, uncertainty flickering in her amber eyes. She held her crystal staff loosely in one hand, but her grip lacked its typical confidence.

"Good morning," Naya said, automatically reaching for her clothes. Since her first night there, a pile of clothing had appeared in her room. "Is everything all right?"

Oshrun smiled. "I have something I need to tell you. Will you walk with me?"

Naya rose, slipping her feet into the simple sandals beside her sleeping platform. She followed Oshrun from the chamber, curiosity and apprehension warring in her chest. Had her harsh words last night caused irreparable damage? What had the assembly decided?

They walked in silence through the winding passages, past chambers where the sounds of morning routines drifted through carved doorways—the soft murmur of voices, the rustling sheets and clothes, children's sleepy laughter.

The familiar sounds of a community awakening should have been comforting, but tension radiated from Oshrun's rigid shoulders.

As they climbed a gentle slope toward the upper levels of the canyon, Oshrun finally spoke. "I want to thank you for your candor last night."

Naya stumbled slightly, catching herself against the stone wall. "Thank me?" She studied Oshrun's profile, searching for any hint of sarcasm or hidden meaning. "I thought I might have offended everyone."

"You did offend some.” Oshrun’s braids clicking softly as she turned her head and shot Naya a wry smile. "But someone needed to say those things. We've become too comfortable, too insular. Your words forced conversations that have been avoided for too long."

They turned down a narrower passage, this one carved with more intricate patterns than the common areas. The walls here held a different quality of light, warmer somehow, more personal.

"Change is never easy," Oshrun continued, her voice measured and thoughtful. "Especially when it challenges beliefs that have kept us safe for generations. But safety without purpose becomes its own kind of prison."

Naya remained quiet. While she stood behind everything she said last night, she shouldn’t have lost her temper. She’d never seen Mama snap like that under any circumstances. Doubt about her ability to rule resurfaced throughout the night in the form of unsettling dreams she couldn’t remember.

“You didn’t say anything when I was upset yesterday,” she said to Oshrun. “Did you guess? About me and Akoro?”

Oshrun lifted a shoulder. “When he came after you and wouldn’t leave, I suspected. But when he didn’t storm the canyon coming after you, I wasn’t sure.”

Naya nodded, thankful she hadn’t said anything to the other Omegas before she did.

The passage opened into chambers clearly designated for living quarters, a home that was both practical and beautiful.

Smooth stone floors covered in woven rugs in rich, earthy tones, low cushioned benches piled with pillows in warm shades of amber and deep blue, and shelves carved directly into the rock holding books, scrolls, carved wooden figures, and children's drawings carefully preserved and displayed.

One corner held a meditation space with a circular woven mat before a low altar, while the opposite side featured a low table covered with maps and detailed drawings of various districts.

A soft rustling came from the child's alcove. Oshrun's entire demeanor shifted at the sound. "Mima?" A sleepy voice drifted from behind the colorful hanging fabrics.

"I'm here, little one," Oshrun called, moving toward the alcove. "We have a visitor."

Small feet pattered, then Nnimi appeared at the entrance to her sleeping area.

She wore a simple sleep tunic and wide-eyed, sleepy expression.

When she spotted Naya, the little girl froze.

The shy uncertainty that had marked their first meeting returned, transforming the confident child from yesterday's games into a shy and hesitant little shadow.

"Good morning, Nnimi," Naya said gently, crouching down to the child's eye level. "Did you sleep well?"

Nnimi nodded but pressed closer to her mother's side, one small hand gripping the fabric of Oshrun's robes. The vulnerability in her posture sent a pang through Naya's chest—a reminder of Lili's similar morning shyness when she’d been this age.

Oshrun settled onto the low cushioned seating area, lifting Nnimi onto her lap with practiced ease. The child curled against her mother's chest, still watching Naya with curious but cautious eyes.

"Nnimi," Oshrun said, stroking her daughter's wild hair with gentle fingers, "Princess Naya is going to be leaving us soon. But before she goes, I think there's something you should share with her."

The little girl's eyes widened, and she looked up at her mother with confusion. "What should I share?"

"Tell her your full name, sweetheart," Oshrun prompted, her voice carrying a weight that made Naya's pulse quicken. "Your whole, complete name."

Nnimi straightened slightly in her mother's arms, a hint of the pride Naya had seen yesterday flickering across her features. She turned to face Naya directly, her small voice clear and deliberate, working her small mouth around the big words.

"My name is Nnimiarah Oshrunetti Shoma Vos Sy."

The last name hit Naya like a crashing wave. Her breath caught in her throat, shock rippling through her as the implications crashed over her in waves. Sy. The child carried Akoro's family name, which could only mean?—

Naya's mind raced, connecting fragments of information, searching for any explanation that didn't lead to the devastating conclusion forming in her thoughts.

"Does that mean..." Naya's voice trailed off, her throat closing around words she wasn't sure she was ready to speak.

Oshrun watched her closely, amber eyes intense and evaluating, as though Naya's reaction to this revelation was a test she needed to pass, measuring her worthiness to know this most carefully guarded secret.

"It means," Oshrun said quietly, "that if you are truly King Sy's true mate, then Nnimi would be your niece."

Shock hit Naya at the unexpected revelation. She stared at the child—at her would-be niece—and Nnimi gazed back with curious innocence, unaware of the earthquake her simple recitation had just triggered.

"Oppo?" The name escaped Naya's lips in a shocked whisper.

Oshrun nodded, her expression both guarded and somehow vulnerable, a combination Naya wouldn't have thought possible on the face of such a formidable woman. "Yes. Oppo is Nnimi's father."

Naya stared at her. "How?" she managed, her voice barely audible.

Oshrun's hand continued its gentle stroking through Nnimi's braids and began to speak.

"I met him in the Hha?rvelin district during a festival five years ago.

He was..." A softness crept into her voice, smoothing the usual sharp edges.

"He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.

Tall, strong, with kind eyes that seemed to see straight through to who I really was. "

Her mouth quirked in a secretive smile, lost in memory. "I didn't realize who he was at first. I was there collecting information, observing trade patterns in the region. I didn't even notice he was watching me until the third night of the festival."

Oshrun's voice took on a wistful quality. "When he approached me, something inside me just... recognized him. I'd never even considered being with anyone before. It seemed impossible, given our circumstances. Yet there he was, exceeding every dream I'd never allowed myself to have."

Nnimi shifted in her mother's arms, settling more comfortably against Oshrun's chest, and Oshrun gazed down at her daughter.

"When I realized I was pregnant, he insisted on being with me throughout. He wouldn't accept any other arrangement."

Naya nodded. "For the baby's safety." She frowned, her mind catching on a crucial detail. "How have Omegas been having children here without their Alphas present during pregnancy?"

Oshrun tiled her head. "We've learned to use magic to suppress the symptoms, to reinforce the pregnancy in other ways." Her voice was matter-of-fact, but there was a defensiveness in her posture. "It causes no harm to the babies or the mothers."

Naya couldn't hide her skepticism. "Are you certain? In my land, it's well-documented that separating an Omega from her Alpha during pregnancy can lead to complications."

"We have been having children in this community for years," Oshrun replied firmly. "Without adverse effects. Our ways are different, but they work for us."

Naya inclined her head in deference. They’d had healthy, happy children, so clearly something was working. "What did Oppo say about using magic for his child instead of him?"

Oshrun was silent for a long moment. Nnimi whimpered and pressed herself into her mother, still tired.

"We didn't use magic," she said finally.

"He was absolutely insistent, even threatened to grab me and never let me leave his sight.” Oshrun fought the smile threatening to widen on her face.

“He said he needed to be with me during the pregnancy, and honestly… I wanted to be with him.” She sobered.

“Thankfully, Oppo and I... we were the first true mate pairing discovered since the community was established.

There were heated debates about how to proceed, but ultimately it was decided that this opportunity was too significant to ignore. "

"What do you mean?"