14. Malachite and the Sky Copper Clutch at Indigo Cloud

Frost didn't understand why the teachers were all so agitated. Queens had visited the Indigo Cloud nurseries before. Jade and Pearl, of course, but once Zephyr from Sunset Water. It was nothing new. And Frost was a queen, and so were Solace, Sapphire, and Fern, though they were still too small to do anything but play and bite.

"This is a very important queen," Blossom told Frost, while she was making the younger Arbora babies wash under their claws. "She's Moon's birthqueen."

That made Frost flare her spines and take interest. Bitter fluttered a little with

excitement, but Thorn said, "But she's not here to see us, she's here to see the new clutch."

"We're Moon's clutch, too," Frost said, talking over Blossom's attempt to respond.

  "She's here to see all of us."

"But we're not Indigo Cloud's bloodline," Thorn countered.

Frost flicked her spines at him. "I know that, but--"

"But if you're calm and well-mannered, you can meet her too," Blossom said firmly.

***

When Frost saw Malachite, she suddenly understood why all the teachers were scurrying like startled lizards. She was big, bigger than Pearl, and her scales were dark green and so battle-scarred that the secondary web of color was obscured. It wasn't just her size that was intimidating. There was a weight to her presence, as if there was something much bigger here than Malachite's physical form. Frost knew queens were different than other Raksura, but this was the first time she had realized how different, and it made her want to curl up in a corner and think. She didn't do that, though.  She didn't want to look like a baby.

Malachite sat in the center of the nurseries common room while Bell and Blossom showed off the new royal clutch. The rest of the teachers sat around watching nervously, the other babies and fledglings all staring wide-eyed. Frost found herself trying to sit very gracefully, desperate to call attention to herself as an almost adult

queen. Thorn and Bitter sat on either side of her, quivering with nerves and excitement. The other babies, Arbora and Aeriat, had all gathered around to watch, all of them trying not to bounce with excitement, the youngest ones trying to creep closer. A queen this size meant safety and protection, and babies and fledglings felt that even more keenly than adult Raksura did.

"Is that really Moon's birthqueen?" Thorn asked her in a bare whisper.

Frost twitched her spines in assent. Queens could see bloodline resemblances that others couldn't, and Frost could see that this queen and Moon were related, just like she could see it between Pearl and Jade and Stone.

Floret and some other warriors had come with her, along with some foreign warriors, but they all stood back by the doorway. With them was Ember, and another person with them who must be a consort, just from the way he was dressed and how he was sitting with Ember. Squinting, Frost thought she could see a resemblance to Moon, though not to Malachite. But his skin was very pale, much lighter even than Ember's.

Then Cloud pounced on Rain and rolled him across the floor toward the pool. Blossom and Rill hurried to retrieve them, and Frost saw her moment. She stepped

forward, dragging Bitter and Thorn with her, and said to Malachite, "We're Moon's clutch too." It was easier to look at Fern, curled in Malachite's hand, and Sapphire and Solace, who were playing with the tip of her tail.

Malachite tilted her head, and Bell said, "The Sky Copper clutch. Frost, Thorn, and Bitter Starflower."

Malachite held out her hand to Bitter.  He sniffed cautiously, then eased forward. Solace leapt over to Thorn, and he picked her up, shyly burying his face in her frills. Bitter curled up against Malachite's side, tucking himself under her wing join. Malachite said, gravely, "Frost. You consider yourself of Indigo Cloud now?"

"Yes." Malachite's steady regard made Frost nervous, so she said the first thing that occurred to her. "Everyone said that Moon didn't have a birthqueen."

Bell winced and Blossom squeezed her eyes shut in dismay. Frost amended truthfully, "Blossom and Bell never said that."

Malachite tilted her head down and gave Frost her full attention. An involuntary ripple shot through Frost's spines. She hadn't been aware that she hadn't had Malachite's full attention before, but now that she had it, the difference was obvious. It made her want to hold onto her own tail like a baby. Malachite said, "Moon's life has been hard."

Thorn, his face still buried in Solace's frills, said softly, "He said he had a clutchmate."

Malachite's head tilted toward him. "Celadon.  She will visit you when she arrives."

Now that Malachite's attention was off of her, Frost suddenly wanted it back. She looked at the strange consort again, who was talking to Ember and one of the Opal Night warriors. "Who is that?"

Malachite didn't need to look to know who Frost meant. "That's Shade. He's Moon's half-clutch brother."

Frost flicked her spines in acknowledgement. Moon had told them all about Shade. "He's half Fell."

Malachite gently untangled Sapphire's tail from around her wrist, and handed her to Bitter. "Do you understand what that means?"

"It's what would have happened to us if Moon hadn't rescued us." Frost had stumbled over the words. She amended, "Our clutches, I mean. There were Raksura who didn't get rescued."

Malachite said, "Did Moon explain that to you?"

Frost signaled assent.  "Good," Malachite said.

Thorn, who had been steadily easing closer, sat down next to Bitter. Cloud bounded back and hit Frost in the chest, so she sat down with a thump, and Malachite turned back to Bell. Frost took a deep breath, relieved but glad she had spoken. It felt like she had taken some important step toward becoming an adult queen. Wrestling Rain out of the bathing pool, Blossom gave her a little smile of approval.