“Oh yes, that must be it,” Aunt Zeelah exclaimed. “After all, the Snowdrop Festival is tomorrow. You must sit at our table during the feast, my dear. We’ll get you some…suitable clothing.” She looked at the vranna skin coat—which really was rather old and worn—with a highly skeptical eye.
“That sounds beautiful and I would love to sit with you during the feast,” Kara said. “But…well…that’s not exactly why I came.”
“Why then have you come, wife’s sister’s son’s daughter?” Uncle Grennly asked, frowning.
“Well…” Kara hesitated but there didn’t seem to be any easy way to say it. “I came because of these,” she said. Parting her mouth, she pointed to the sharp, double set of fangs on either side of her mouth, exactly where a human had their canine teeth.
“Oh my goodness gracious!” Aunt Zeelah actually went pale.
“Are those real?” Uncle Grennly demanded.
“I’m afraid so,” Kara said apologetically.
“Close your mouth at once!” Aunt Zeelah was looking around, as though wondering if anyone had seen the shameful sight. “Blood Kindred males are bad enough but a female with fangs? Who ever heard of such a thing?”
“No one,” Kara admitted. “I’m the only one that I know of.”
“Well that is just completely unacceptable!” Uncle Grennly blustered, as though she’d grown the fangs on purpose.
“Really most shocking,” Aunt Zeelah agreed, fanning herself with one hand. “Kara, dear, I’m afraid we can’t be seen with a fanged Kindred female. In fact, I think we’d better go now. Come, Grennly.” She tugged on her husband’s skinny arm.
“But…but I came here because I heard you had a treatment for Blood Kindred—for their fangs, I mean,” Kara pleaded.
“A treatment?” Aunt Zeelah frowned for a moment…then her expression cleared and she lifted an eyebrow, studying Kara intently. “Ah yes…the treatment.”
Now we’re getting somewhere, Kara thought.
“Yes, exactly!” she said anxiously. “Please, can you just tell me where I can get it done? I’m so tired of living with these.” She pointed at her mouth, though she was careful not to bare her fangs since her relatives had been so shocked and horrified by the sight of them earlier.
“Well, of course you are.” Aunt Zeelah was beginning to sound kind rather than offended again, which seemed like a good sign. “After all, nobody wants to go through life disfigured if they can help it.”
Kara didn’t like to think of herself as “disfigured.” That sounded like someone had splashed acid in her face or she had been horribly burned in a fire. But she supposed she would have to keep her mouth shut—both literally and figuratively—if she wanted her relatives’ help.
So she simply nodded her head humbly.
“Can you help me find the right doctor to help me? I have credit so I can pay. And I can stay in the public hostel while I wait to have the treatment done.”
“Stay in the public hostel?” Aunt Zeelah looked shocked. “Where anyone might see those…” She dropped her voice to a whisper, as though she was saying a dirty word. “Those fangs of yours and then find out you’re related to us? Certainly not!” She shook her head decisively. “No, you’ll just have to stay in our domicile and I’ll ask the doctor to make a house call.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” This was exactly what Kara had been hoping for but she didn’t want to push things too far. “I don’t want to impose.”
“No imposition at all,” Uncle Grennly said, a bit too heartily.
“That’s exactly right, my dear,” Aunt Zeelah agreed. “The doctor can treat you in private and then, when you’re ready to come out in public for the Snowdrop Festival, no one will be the wiser.”
“Oh, is the treatment really that fast?” Kara exclaimed. “I mean, it can be done in only a day?”
“It’s pretty much instantaneous,” Uncle Grennly assured her. “I’ve seen it done before—it makes an immediate difference.”
“That’s wonderful! What is it?” Kara asked. “I mean, what’s the treatment? Is it some kind of gel or paste you rub on the fangs that makes them shrink to normal size?”
“Something like that, dear,” Aunt Zeelah said evasively. “Doctor ThrobGood can tell you about it in detail.”
“Dr. ThrobGood?” Kara frowned. It seemed like an odd name for a doctor but then, she did remember from her mother’s stories of Tranq Prime that the people had weird names here.
“Oh yes, he’s the preeminent extract—I mean doctor—here in the main grotto.” Aunt Zeelah looked over Kara’s shoulder and frowned at the bunch of merchants who were just now arriving in the main grotto. “But come—we can’t just stand around here in public talking about such a delicate subject. Let’s get you back to our domicile.”
“Of course,” Kara agreed. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder as she followed her great aunt and uncle out of the grotto. Raak was standing there, among the other merchants, already haggling over the price of goods with one of the Tranq Prime natives. Kara thought his nose wrinkled but he didn’t look up at her. Which was good, she told herself—he must have no idea she was there.
But as they skirted the pale blue lake and made their way out of the main grotto, she couldn’t help remembering the big warrior’s words to her when he’d first seen her fangs.
“They’re beautiful—fuckin’ gorgeous. And anybody who can’t see that isn’t worth your time. If they don’t like you just the way you are, fuck ‘em, baby girl.”
But I’m the one who doesn’t like my fangs, Kara argued with herself, feeling uncomfortable. I’m going to have this treatment done for me—so I can be happy and live a normal life. Right?
Holding on to that thought, she followed her great uncle and aunt into another hallway—this one vast and richly carved—and lost sight of Raak completely.
Eight
Aunt Zeelah and Uncle Greenly lived right off the main grotto in the wide tunnel which was called
