55. Moon Arrives at Opal Night

Sorry again this is so late!  I'll try to get at least one more in before the end of the year to make up for the gap.

Moth bounced off a wall and careened into the antechamber to the queens' hall. Lithe almost dropped the kettle into the hearth as he landed and said, "They're here!" 

"Keep your voice down," Rise snapped. Malachite and Onyx were in the hall behind this room, and it wasn't a conversation that either would take kindly to having interrupted. "Who's here?"

"Emerald Twilight," Moth said, breathless with excitement but much quieter. "They're here!"

Lithe's breath caught in her throat and she hastily set the kettle aside. They had been waiting for months for this; it was hard to believe it was finally happening.  "There's a young consort with them?"

Moth's spines flicked in excited assent. "Yes!"

Rise pushed to her feet, her expression a study in consternation. "Not a word to anyone, not yet. Go back and tell the soldiers at the door that I'm coming."

Moth's spines signaled assent and he slammed back out of the chamber. Lithe hissed in exasperation, since a warrior bounding madly back and forth from here to the colony's main entrance was bound to draw attention. Fortunately, the bad weather meant most of the court would have retreated to their bowers. If they could just keep the news from being carried to the teachers' hall before morning, they might be able to keep the pandemonium to a minimum.

Rise shook out her spines and looked toward the doorway into the queens hall. "I need to tell her."

Yes, for this, Malachite wouldn't mind being interrupted. Onyx would, but that would hardly matter under the circumstances. And those circumstances were going to be fraught. Lithe said, "I just wish Celadon was here."

Rise hesitated. "Oh, she's still away, I'd forgotten."

"It can't be helped." Lithe pushed to her feet. Ever since they had found out that Moon was alive, they had all known this would be a delicate time. Emerald Twilight's account of how this other court had found him in the east had been unsatisfactory at best. All of Opal Night had been on edge since then, waiting for more news, and Malachite... Malachite had been Malachite. "Do you want me to tell her?" Lithe asked. "You need to get out there."

Rise flicked her spines in gratitude. As she left, Lithe took a deep breath and walked into the queens' hall.

***

Malachite took the passage through to Opal Night's greeting room as if this was any other delegation from a foreign court. To look at her, no one would have thought anything was wrong. 

Celadon had convinced her not to fly across the Reaches in a rage and confront Indigo Cloud herself. It was the right decision, but the waiting while Emerald Twilight negotiated for Moon's return had been excruciating. But Malachite had listened to Celadon's counsel since it had become obvious that the young queen had inherited all of her bloodline's intelligence and little of its temper. And Celadon had been right; Emerald Twilight had delivered on their promise.

Malachite had been waiting for this moment for so long but her spines felt stiff with something that wasn't anticipation. She wasn't certain exactly what it was. 

She stepped into the doorway of the greeting hall. There was the Emerald Twilight sister queen, a collection of nondescript warriors, and--

For a frozen heartbeat she thought this was a waking dream. It was Dusk.

Dusk as he had looked the day the court had been attacked, as if none of the long turns since had happened. 

Not Dusk. This was Moon.

She didn't realize she had bounded back from the doorway until she found herself standing far back in the passage. Her lungs felt tight, her heart pounded. 

It shouldn't have been a such a profound shock. Strong bloodline resemblances weren't uncommon. Some of the other consorts in the sister bloodlines resembled Dusk, but not like this. She wanted to look again, but shock kept her frozen.

Lithe stared at her in consternation. "What's wrong?"

The words came out without conscious volition. "He looks like Dusk."  Malachite's jaw clenched. The loss of control was disorienting. 

"That's wonderful," Lithe said. Then peered at her uncertainly. "Isn't it?"

Malachite put her hand on Lithe's shoulder, to ground herself. She realized abruptly that she hadn't believed this consort was really Moon, not until this moment. She had pretended to believe it, even to herself, but some deep part of her heart had been certain it was a mistake. She had gone so far and done so much to claw back every surviving remnant of the court that the Fell had stolen, it was impossible that she had missed one of her own fledglings.

But it was true. There was no mistake. That was Moon. Something felt like it was trying to unfold in her heart. 

This was weakness and Malachite couldn't afford it. Not even here, in the center of her own court. But she couldn't make herself take another step forward. And Moon would be upset, frightened. She couldn't face him like this. She needed time to regain control. She gritted out, "I can't."

"Can't...greet them?" Lithe's eyes widened. She threw a glance toward the doorway. "But--"

"Tell Rise to send them to the guest quarters," Malachite said, and strode away before she lost her control entirely.