Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden

Author:Nicky Drayden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: 2021-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

I cradle my son in my arms, Kallum’s chin resting on my shoulder, as proud a father as there ever was. We’ve made a handsome little child with impressively strong lungs. I wonder which of Charrelle’s favor lures had drawn that blessing. I flinch as his wailing raises an octave, tearing at my eardrums. Maybe it doesn’t matter much if the ancestors don’t sit with him, because I’m sure they’ll hear his screams either way.

Seske watches us from the far corner of our sitting room, a smile on her face that might be more of a grimace. She’s so close to the window that her shoulder is draped by the thick curtains meant to keep out the cold. Their embroidered leaf pattern nearly matches her dress as well. It’s as if she’s trying to blend in with her surroundings.

“Come closer,” I tell Seske, patting the open spot on the sofa next to me. “Kenzah needs his will-mother.”

Seske looks doubtful. I think something about the child scares her. It took her three weeks to even hold him.

“Please,” I say. “You’re the reason he’s here. I want you to know this happiness.” Having my family surrounding me is a balm that helps smooth over all my other worries. And despite the tension that’s always stretched between us, Seske is a part of that. That tension is thicker now, since the incident on the boat. I’m not even sure a knife could cut through it.

Seske sighs, then scoots next to me. I hand the baby to her, orchestrating a careful maneuver that keeps his bobbling head supported. Her braids graze my shoulder, and our cheeks nearly touch, but Seske pulls back just in time. Kenzah fusses some, but Seske sticks a knuckle in his mouth, and he settles, sucking contently.

“He’s so beautiful,” she says, then sniffs the top of his head, full of black curls. Her eyes go soft, and her body slackens ever so slightly. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed before, but my mind has been constantly reminding me to be on alert, even in intimate moments such as this one. It’s like the confident and carefree Seske I knew from before is back for a fleeting moment.

“I think he’s got Seske’s smile,” Kallum says, both his arms wrapped around me now.

Seske looks up, confusion on her face, but then Kallum winks at her. I know it’s hard at first, getting used to the idea that he is all of ours, and that Line is thicker than blood.

“Perhaps,” she says with a grin. “And if he’s as smart and headstrong as his head-fathers, and as passionate and free-spirited as his head-mother . . . maybe we could find a way to extend our Line to him. Maybe he could be next in line to be the matriarch.”

“Seske,” I say, remembering the fear Baradonna had in her eyes after the wedding. I want none of that for my son. “We’re all hoping for the kind of change that would make that even a remote possibility, but we need to be realistic.

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