Night

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/687634275851567104/750460575418548354/night.png]

Sigmundurr carefully lifted her from the blankets and carried her back to her room while Kallid gathered up the eggs and followed her even more carefully.

Once she was laid back atop her blankets and the eggs set beside her, she fell into a peaceful sleep. Kallid lay on the bed beside her, watching over her until the morning came.

She awoke once and had a brief moment of panic till she felt the three eggs beside her, and she pulled them to her chest before falling back to sleep.

“Good morning Kally,” she said as she pried one eye open. Given the angle of the light, she realized she was probably wrong about that though.

“Afternoon, Mother,” her mate said, sticking his head over the edge of the bed and looking down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. And thirsty. I know now why that story said she stayed with her eggs for two days. She probably couldn’t stand up!”

Kallid brought her a cup of water.

“Marge made some broth for you. If you feel like it.”

“In a while,” she said. “We’re going to have to name them you know.”

“I know. Of course we don’t know what sex they are yet, but I’ve been thinking about that. How is it we never thought about names before?”

Kreet smiled. “I don’t think either of us realized they were really real till now. Three new lives, right here with us. Suddenly we’re not just Kallid and Kreet. Now we’re five!”

“Five,” Kallid repeated. “I wish I knew how long before they hatch though.”

Kreet looked up at Kallid. “My boobs hurt,” she said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think it will be very long, if my body knows what it’s doing. We grow fast, you know. Compared to the humans I mean. Also… I know what sex they are.”

Kallid frowned. “Now don’t be silly. How can you possibly know that? Eilistraee?”

“I don’t think so. Instinct maybe. But I know. This one is little Kreet. This one is little Kallid, but she’s a girl too. But this one. I don’t know what he’ll be, but he’s definitely a he. Last one out. I think we made him that last night.”

“Probably! Well we can’t just give the girls our names anyway. Also the humans use surnames. Since we’re living here, they’ll be expecting last names too.”

“Kallidson. I’ve already thought about it. It flows.”

“Doesn’t that imply a boy though? Son?”

Kreet shrugged. “Probably. I don’t care. We’re the Family Kallidson. I like it, and you have to like it.”

Kallid rolled back over, looking at the ceiling. “I like it. I’m glad you do too. It might make us seem a little bit more a part of the community. The Kallidson family. Oh, they’re kobolds too.”

“Well, I thought about Kreetson, but it just doesn’t flow as well.”

“I’d have been okay with it though. Let’s face it, you’ve always been the leader of this family.”

“Because I didn’t let you be,” Kreet said, but she was watching the patterns swirl as she turned the dark egg slowly. “I dragged you here.”

“Not exactly kicking and screaming, mind you!”

“No. You were in love though. I could have told you to jump in a lake of fire and you’d have done it.”

“Still would,” Kallid said, smiling at her and she smiled back.

He went on, “But as to names... Names are important things,” Kallid said, turning back to the ceiling. “You don’t think about it, but they are. Each of these children will grow up with the names we choose. They’ll probably hate their names.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“I liked ‘Kreet’. Short and to the point. Like me. It sounds harsh next to human names, but it’s me. And I like Kallid.”

“It flows,” he said. “Just like me pouring drinks.”

“You’re not a bartender anymore, Kally. Now you’re a father. Who happens to work as a bartender.”

“I know. It’s some serious pressure. I’ve no idea how to be a father. I need to get back to practicing again. At very least a father should be strong enough to defend his family. They might need defending, being brought up in a human city. Human kids can be hurtful.”

Kreet thought about her brothers and sisters. They hadn’t been hurtful, she didn’t think. But they were barely more than vague images to her memory now. Maybe they would have been, if she’d grown up with them.

“Well, both our names start with the same sound. We could roll on with that,” Kreet said. “I had a sister named Kalindra. That’s a nice name. And it starts with ‘Kal’. What do you think? Kalindra for your brown daughter?”

“Then we’d never know who you were talking to when you call one of us ‘Kally’!”

“Well I like it, anyway,” she said, putting a fake pout in her words.

“Kalindra. Yeah, I guess that can work. And the other daughter? Kreetindra doesn’t exactly flow.”

“‘Kr’ just sounds harsh in Common,” Kreet pointed out, now turning her green daughter’s egg around slowly.

Suddenly Kreet noticed a movement within the egg under her finger. Very slight. It would never have been noticeable had she not touching it.

“She moved! Kally, I felt her move in there! Just a little.”

“Active little girl!”

“She’s dancing, I think. My little girl’s going to be a great dancer.”

Suddenly she knew what she wanted to name her other daughter.

“Kally, her name will be Grace.”

“Grace? That’s a completely human name I think.”

“It is. But she’ll be Grace. Grace Kallidson.”

“You’re not exactly letting me pick these names, are you?”

“Don’t care. Her name is Grace. Deal with it. You can name the boy.”

Both turned their eyes to the dark egg. The elephant in the room. Kreet knew she loved this one just as much as her daughters, but he was going to be special. He needed a good name. A special name.

“Night,” Kallid said. “His egg looks like night. Just after the sun has set and there’s a hint of blue still in the sky, with a fringe of the red clouds left barely where the blue meets the black of night.

“Night,” Kreet said, mouthing the word to try and hear the word without it’s meaning. “Night. It could be thought of as a bad name by the humans. You know they think of night as the time when evil things and evil deeds are done.”

“We’re not humans, Kreet. We are kobolds, and Pelor or no, we are of the night. I’ve gotten used to the daylight. So will they, but our native place is in the night.”

“No. You’re right. We’re not human. He is Night. Night Kallidson. Now there’s a name as memorable as his color. I hope he has a good life. I really do.”

**********************

Three days later Kreet was able to get up and around, though she spent most of the day with the eggs anyway. One night, however, she had a mysterious visitor. She was laying on her blanket pile with her eggs when Kallid escorted her into Kreet’s room.

“Hi Kreet. She asked to speak with you.”

The tall woman removed her hood.

“Bishop Wynda! You came all the way down here?”

The Bishop shrugged. “I heard you’d laid your eggs, and I knew you couldn’t come to see me. I’d made a promise to you though.”

“I’ll leave you two be,” Kallid began, turning for the door, but Kreet stopped him.

“Wait. Bishop Wynda, I made a promise to you too... that I’d keep anything we discussed a secret. I need to tell you now, I’ll not make it a secret between me and Kallid. I’ll not tell another soul, and Kallid can do the same - but I can’t keep any secrets from my husband. The Lord Pelor sees a married couple as a single body, and I just can’t do that to my other half. If you require that of me, best you don’t tell me anything. I trust you to do whatever you think is right. But I would ask you to tell me this one thing… will the wall in the sewer be rebuilt? Because if it is, I can’t stay here.”

“Oh! You’re right of course. It’s okay, Kallid can stay. On condition that what I tell you doesn’t leave this room. The specifics at least. Can you promise that, Kallid?”

Kallid closed the door and turned back. “I give you my solemn word, Bishop. You know I’m not a devotee of Pelor, but I certainly believe in him. I’d not lie to you.”

“I trust you, Kallid. May I?” the Bishop said, indicating the edge of the bed.

“Certainly, Bishop Wynda!” Kreet said. “Please forgive if I stay with my children.”

“I’d have it no other way. Come, Kallid. Sit here beside me. I have a story to tell you both, so that you will understand why the wall was built. I have spoken to Bishop Harlie. She didn’t want to talk about it for quite some time, but she is still a servant of Pelor who brings light to all things. I wore her down eventually.”

“I see,” Kreet said, shifting the blankets to get comfortable. It appeared it was going to be a long story.

“It began long ago, well before the wall was built. The kings of the Royal City have long been worshippers of Pelor, and he has rewarded them well. The city prospered and grew rapidly. Of course, with any great city, walls had to be built… sewers and water brought in… a trade system maintained to keep the food flowing in and goods going out. It’s the basis for all large cities. We don’t grow enough food here, but we do produce things that can’t be bought anywhere else…”