The Skeksis had two more additions to their numbers. Perhaps it would be wise to add to those numbers as well.
From the side, Ung was viewing the Emperor on his throne. He was having a hard time breathing. He was stressed. Ung could see the Chamberlain as a threat to the throne, to be a leader called so forth by the emperor if he saw fit, just because he had given birth to a couple of heirs. Ung told himself that if So died, he would have that whimpering worm banished. He didn't want him here. He never had. As for the babies, they could go with Sil, or they would stay and be raised by the rest of them. But, blood was blood. Sil would take them too. He knew he was too much of a weakling not to.
So then stomped his scepter to get the others' attention.
"As of this moment, now that we have two more of our number, we need more of our number to grow. We need to get more offspring among us. But my offspring will always be the highest ranking among them." So decreed.
"What you mean is, you want us to have babies too?" Ekt asked.
"Yes. With it being so short of time until the Great Conjunction, we must have more younger Skeksis before then. The rest of you are to pair off and do what needs to be done for it. It's an order." So decreed.
The rest were appalled that their leader would give such an order, but saw his point. Over the trines, there had been plenty of mating, but no pregnancy up until now.
Tek spoke up. "Sire, if I may say so, it might have been the essence that opened the door to the possibility of SkekSil getting pregnant in the first place. Ones who are deemed to get pregnant and bring forth more Skeksis might need the essence too, just to be sure. I know what you said, but it just might be the key."
"Very well, but use it from the Podlings. I can't let Gelfling essence be used in that manner. That is my final order. SkekUng, order your Garthim to go out and round up some Podlings." So ordered.
"As you command, Emperor." Ung obeyed. He left to go to the Crystal chamber and order his Garthim to go get Podlings. Some could be used for essence, and others as servants.
Tek began to ponder about using drained Podlings as servants, to see what would happen. He would experiment with it when fresh Podlings were brought back.
The rest of the Skeksis weren't sure of who to pair off with. It just seemed so… disgusting. But if it was an order, it would need to be done. But, who would dare to actually want to be pregnant? After what they had witnessed with SkekSil, some of it worried them.
Ekt and Ayuk already had a special bond with each other, though Ekt also got along well with Ok as well. The two of them went off on their own to just start enjoying themselves.
Some others weren't sure of who would be with who. Most were willing to wait a little longer.
Ung and Na got along pretty well. They would give strong offspring for sure.
The Treasurer had no business wanting to do anything of the sort. The Scientist didn't either. They would need Tek to be their doctor.
And then, that left Ok and Zok to each other.
None of them were romantic types, but if this was to be carried out, it had to get started somehow. It was just reproduction. They didn't need love to just do the deed, they felt anyway. But essence would be provided to assist, even if it had to be lowly Podling essence. Surely, even Podling essence could help in some ways, couldn't it?
Tek went back to his lab, and Shod went back to the treasury. So was left alone in the throne room for now. He ordered the musicians to play some music for him. Especially since it was a joyous occasion for new life brought forth this very day: his heirs! But of course, So wasn't planning on giving up his throne anytime soon, not willingly.
…..
Podlings were soon brought back and some of them had their essence drained to help start the process of possible pregnancies to get started.
Ayuk convinced Ekt to carry his offspring so he could really pamper him throughout the whole ordeal, but giving him special attention no matter what. Ekt could seem like a mother type too. He was a bit skeptical about it at first, but agreed. Their part started first.
It took a little while longer for others to get started.
It was now a few days later since Rel and Anax had been born. Sil was starting to get back on his feet again. By this time, he had to feed the twins about eight times a day, even at night. They would start out moaning and squirming, and if their mom didn't figure it out, they started crying.
Sil knew this was going to be a dilemma when he would be in the middle of something, some task or whatever if they started crying. It might even annoy the others when it happened. He would see about it, but he was glad to be up on his feet again.
He also found out how messy they could be too. That was when Ekt made some special 'diapers' for them, so they wouldn't make messes all over the place.
Tek had also finished making a baby carrier device for Sil. A soft sling that he could lay them in, though there were two, one for each. One time, even So took one for a little while, but when the baby fussed, So instantly gave him back to Sil. So didn't like it when the twins got fussy just for being hungry, or when they needed changing. Ekt constructed quite a few diapers for them. They were washable, done by non-drained Podlings.
The Podlings themselves were fascinated by such small Skeksis, having never seen them before. But the parents were all too protective of them, not letting them out of their sight, especially the Chamberlain.
Sil still noticed that his mate's breathing was heavier, and raspier. He had to ask, "Are you still dealing with Darkening, sire?"
"No, Chamberlain. It just has affected my health to this point. I'm fine." So retorted.
Sil still suspected the Emperor was lying to him. Because he was the father to the twins, there might have been a part of Sil that cared about him, at least right now. But he was still worried for the sake of the babies if they would have a father or not on down the line.
Sil was glad to have his job back, but he would keep an eye on the emperor, even if he had to do so secretly. He was good at things like that. Sure, he liked to let his voice be known he was around, but he knew that when he was being super secretive, he had to be quiet. Super quiet.
….
Podling essence was given to the ones that would be deemed pregnant later, hopefully. It wasn't quite like Gelfling essence though.
Sil had let the two of his best allies babysit, Ekt and Ok. They were both volunteers of planning future babies, but it was still too early to know for sure. And the to-be fathers were Ayuk and Zok, who were also members of the same team, of a different team.
When So was wandering around by himself one day, the Chamberlain got suspicious. He didn't want the twins giving his position away. He had Ok watch the twins for just a small while, while he tracked his mate down to see what he was up to.
Sil tracked him down in the catacombs. 'What could Emperor be doing down here?' Sil wondered as he quietly went down, making sure to stay absolutely hidden.
SkekSo looked behind himself when he thought he heard footsteps behind him. He saw no one there. It could have been just one of those crawlies around somewhere too. He continued on.
Sil peeked around the corner and glared. He knew his way around the catacombs too, but he was going to find out what the emperor was up to down here. But there was obviously a place he didn't know existed.
So found his way into the area of where the Darkening portal was. "Such incredible power you are, Great Darkening. Such strength." he said. So knew his health couldn't take this anymore, but he wanted some more power.
He began to draw up the evil energy into himself again. It came to reside in the crystal on his scepter.
From a distance, SkekSil watched. So, this was where the Darkening cavern was. "Hmm." Sil hummed lowly in curiosity, but at the same time, he felt betrayed. The Emperor had lied to him. He was still experimenting with it! He had to do something about this.
Sil stayed hidden and made sure the Emperor didn't see him on his way back out. He would confront him later, but this couldn't go on anymore. Sure, Sil loved power as much as any other Skeksis did, but when he saw how it was impacting the emperor, he was going to see to it that it didn't harm any other Skeksis. This was one type of power NOT to be messed with.
After So was long gone from the cavern, Sil went over to the spot to look at it first. He saw the purple energy down in it. "As much as can give great power, it also cause great pain too. Chamberlain make sure never happen again." he glared at the portal. He still thought that the Darkening had killed his firstborn too, so it had to be taken out of the picture.
Then, Sil walked back to the entrance of it, and looked at one of the pillars keeping the roof up. It gave him an idea. With all the strength he had in him, he gave it one pig push and the pillar came down, making the roof of the room come crashing down.
Sil immediately ran from the area to make sure he wouldn't get crushed under the debris falling from the ceiling. When the ceiling came crashing down, it covered up the portal. It was no good to anyone anymore. Some of the debris would have been too heavy to lift, even for SkekUng.
When Sil exited the catacombs, he felt so proud of himself. He would bide his time to talk to the Emperor.
Sil went back to Ok's library where Anax and Rel were. He got his slings back on himself. They were quiet for the time being.
"They were good for me, Chamberlain, but I guess they will need feeding soon." Ok said.
"And I give them food, when time is right." Sil stated. And it was right on time. Rel began to get fussy then. "Alright. Chamberlain feed you, little one."
He took them away from the library to his room, where he did the feeding the majority of the time. He would also make sure he fed them before he fed himself. He usually let them sleep in their own beds for his dinnertime, and for the morning Crystal ceremony, but those were the only times he let them out of his sight without someone else watching them.
Sil was the last one to the table most times anymore. He just always wanted Rel and Anax asleep before he joined them. He found his ways of helping them find sleep. His voice was always a comfort to them. As a former musician himself, he would turn his humming into music. It seemed to be the biggest key to get his precious babies to sleep, and with bellies full of milk.
When he would finally join his clan for dinner, some looked at him with such distain.
Sil ignored them, or gave them a sly grin. He wasn't going to let his peers get to him. Right now, he had every right to feel proud of himself. Especially for what he had done for the emperor. He wasn't going to be using the portal again. For the sake of his offspring, it had to stop! Sil knew he needed to think of a plan to brace himself for when he confronted the emperor, or likewise.