Page 70 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

Mirumah squinted at her. "That sounded much longer in English."

"I summarized."

"What are they saying?" Hildegard asked.

"They are complaining that I didn't tell them everything because what you said sounded much longer. The truth is that some of it I didn't understand, some I didn't know how to translate, and some I was just uncomfortable repeating. You were very clinical in your explanation." Blunt was the better word to describe it, but Sullha was trying to be diplomatic with everyone.

"I see." The nurse nodded. "So, here is the simplified version you can tell them. The venom and the semen must arrive together, and the venom is only made in response to arousal. They don't have to come from the same male, but they need to come at the same time." She snorted. "I guess that would be even more scandalous for you to repeat, so you can skip that part. It happened only under very specific circumstances: when the female Dormant was mated to a male who had recently transitioned and didn't have active venom glands yet. Another male supplied the venom at the critical moment."

If Sullha skipped that part, the women would complain again that her translation sounded much shorter than what the nurse had said. So, she just repeated all of it.

A stunned silence followed.

Saphira, who had been writing in her notebook the whole time, looked up.

"I don't understand. You said that in the old times the bite was enough, and that no sex was required. Did the venom lose its potency over the generations?"

Sullha translated.

"It still works like that for pubescent girls," Hildegard said. "Their bodies are still changing, still malleable, so the venom is enough. Adult women need both vectors to activate their dormant genes."

Saphira nodded. "That's what I thought I understood, but it didn't sound right," she said in heavily accented English this time. "Thank you for explaining."

Hildegard arched a brow. "I thought that Sullha was the only one who spoke English."

"Asira and I speak a little," Saphira said. "Not good enough." She smiled apologetically, then sighed. "It breaks my heart," she switched to the island tongue, "All these girls we left behind could become immortal, but will not unless the clan gets all of them out. Is that ever going to happen?"

"Yes," Sullha said. "Fates willing."

Rohilah arched a brow. "Fates willing? Where did that come from?"

"What do you want me to say, Mortdh willing? The same god who declared females unworthy of immortality?"

"No, of course not," Rohilah murmured. "But the Fates?"

"Why not?" Sullha spread her arms. "The clan believes that the Fates are in charge of people's destinies, and since the Fates were kind to us and brought us out of slavery, I have no problem accepting them as my higher power and thanking them for what they have done for us."

Rohilah nodded. "I'm thankful Bianca will never see the inside of the breeding building. Praised be the Fates?"

"Sounds good to me," Zohara said. "Praised be the Fates."

As the others repeated the phrase, some with less enthusiasm and some with more, the door to Leehy's room opened. Everyone fell silent at the sound of little feet padding toward the living room.

Tomek emerged with an empty glass in his hand. "The chocolate milk is all gone."

"What do we say?" Sullha said in English.

"More, please," Tomek said, to a chorus of approval from women who had been discussing sex and venom moments ago.

After he collected his refill and a cookie, he padded back to Leehy's room and closed the door behind him.

"Now the part you won't like," Hildegard said.

Sullha's stomach dipped. She'd thought they had covered all the uncomfortable parts.

"Some of you may be too old to attempt transition," the nurse continued. "The transition is not easy on the body. It takes a tremendous toll. A young, healthy body manages. An older body, or a sick one, may not. The clan hasn't lost a transitioning Dormant yet, but that doesn't mean it can't happen."

Sullha's eyes found her mother's as she translated, and there was nothing she could say to soften it. The words were a verdict no matter in which language they were delivered.