Knocking on his mother's door to alert her of his presence, Draconis entered the room- "You called, mama?"
The first thing that stood out was that she'd somehow managed to convert the usual palace guest room to a dimly lit spider hatchery within a week of being here again. Ashoka wouldn't be happy dealing with this when she left. Maybe he'd learn to leave it be this time. Cleaning it probably took more effort than it was worth. The second thing was the orange-blond hair of his baby brother's personal valet.
"Frankenstein? Oh." He knew what was happening now and approved greatly. This was good thinking on his mother's part for once though he wondered who was dealing with Suldala's matters with even Frankenstein away. Nadine? No... He loved his baby sister but there's no way anyone would let her near the office. Caelia had likely crawled out of the attic to help out. His mother's familiar hibernated mostly if they were apart but would wake when necessary.
Taking a sip of the tea that Frankenstein had brewed for her immediately on his arrival, Xuvunue squinted her one good eye at her son- "Coney, sit down. We all need to have a proper talk about what we're going to do next."
Frankenstein merely bowed upon Draconis' entrance and remained standing by Xuvunue's side. While he was Lord Raizel's servant, that was only because his family's grace allowed him to do so and he served them with similar devotion.
"Yes, mama," he said, picking a relatively spider free couch to sprawl over. After so many years he'd stopped questioning why spiders were so attracted to his mother but that didn't mean he'd actively let them crawl all over him. "Why did it take an entire week for you to get here, Frankenstein?"
"The missive was spliced within the desk my lord. It took the young mistress two days to magick it out in a proper state before it could be read." Frankenstein grimaced as he remembered all the trouble caused by the letter. "My apologies for not arriving sooner."
"It was spliced?!" Draconis exclaimed, laughter bubbling out from him. "Oh, I told them to check on the message port daily, but that's too much work I suppose." Spliced into the table... oh Aentrah, why couldn't he have been there to see it. And to see his baby sister struggle to get it out... Look at the fun he missed out on.
Xuvunue smiled too. It was something that rarely happened because of what a juvenile mistake it was. "Don't worry about it, it's not too important that you're a few days late.
"Thank you, mistress." Being told he was late only made it worse but Frankenstein could only work to do better.
"Oh? You're not worried that the big bad monster will eat our Raizel up if Frankenstein doesn't get there in time?" Of course they both knew his baby brother was still alive and well since Frankenstein was too. If he'd died, his bonded valet would have shrivelled into ash as well. Thus was the fate of non-magicians that lived beyond their natural life.
Eyes widening with horror, Frankenstein realised why he had been called and why his master was missing- "The king chose the young master?"
"Ashoka said he volunteered," Xuvunue said with a frown. Her younger son was so naive. How could he do something so dangerous without consulting her! "Only six of the sacrifices never returned so he'll probably be fine but... Miya-Miya Lydia was one of them and she was a perfectly good woman unlike the other five."
That woman... if Draconis remembered right she was the twenty-third sacrifice sent. That was centuries before he was born, and even before his mother. Actually, thinking about it- "Raizel's the ninety-ninth, isn't he? That's even more unlucky."
"Double nines..." Troubled, Xuvunue took a spider the size of an apple into her hand and stroked it. Nine was an unlucky number all by itself and here there were two! Maybe she should change the plans a bit, go deal with the monster herself.
Unlike his masters, Frankenstein showed no reaction to the numbers. He had no belief in a higher power or superstitions. "Why was I called? If his majesty truly appointed the young master then is there anything we can do except wait?"
"Oh Ashoka can fuck off if he tries to interfere with us. He's probably the one who put the ridiculous idea about volunteering in Raizel's head in the first place," Draconis complained. He couldn't quite tell if his annoyance was directed at his cousin, his brother, or the spiders that had decided to start make webs in his hair.
"Coney! Don't badmouth him." She wasn't happy with him either but she understood why he'd gone this far. Even if she didn't approve. "I spoke with him and he's hoping Raizel can get rid of the monster to end this whole thing."
"That's why?" The whole affair had had Draconis scratching at his head, much like he was doing now to gently shoo away the spiders, on why his baby brother had been chosen. Sure he'd realised he was the sacrifice immediately but that was all. "It makes sense then. Raizel's the strongest magician born in the family after... well he's just the strongest we've ever had."
...Yes, her younger son was the most powerful after her eldest daughter. He still couldn't compare to Hulda though. She had been special. Xuvunue took a deep gulp of the tea to clear her thoughts.
Sometimes Frankenstein wondered if the late lady of the house truly was as magnificent as she was made out to be. He had more important matters to think on though, like- "The young master may be skilled in magick, but I am afraid that is all. Ignoring the situation with the monster, how will he possibly fend for himself in regards to his meals or wardrobe or anything else that may inconvenience him?"
Draconis snorted, "That was my first thought too. Raizel can't even make a cup of tea without you. We should be worrying over whether he's going to die of starvation."
"He's not that bad," Xuvunue protested. Sure, she had to be the one who forced him out of his tower and had to assign him Frankenstein all those years ago so she didn't have to watch over him always but... Oh what was she saying? Her son was a disaster.
Even Frankenstein smiled at her defeated sigh. Though they all tried hard to get the young master to live a proper life, he barely budged from his books and spells. In the end they had all resigned themselves to spoiling him.
"What else did you talk about, mama? Ashoka's been terrified and jumpy even hearing about you."
"Oh." She hadn't meant to terrify that child; she'd need to make up for it somehow. Placing the spider in her hand down onto the table, Xuvunue spoke, "We aren't meant to send several people since we have no clue of what the monster may do but he said that even the villagers near the castle think a servant would do him well."
"Thus I will be sent to accompany the young master," Frankenstein summed up.
It had been pretty obvious that was the objective since he'd been summoned here, Draconis thought. Instead of saying that out loud though, he grinned and clapped his hands in the grandest applause he could muster- "Bravo! And of course you'll agree to it?"
"Where the young master goes, I will follow if allowed." The lord was an embarrassment. Had he really cast a multiplying and amplification spell to the sound?
Chuckling at her son's actions, Xuvunue waved a hand, drawing all the spiders away from Frankenstein. "Make your way right away. I had Ashoka prepare for you so there's nothing else you need to do."
Ugh, Draconis was always envious of everyone else in the world. Why couldn't his mother keep the spiders off of him too? Why did she let them have free reign over him and his siblings? He looked forward to the day he mastered his command over them.
Frankenstein bowed deeply to both of them- "Yes, mistress. Farewell-" and left, though not before pouring Draconis a cup of tea.
"About time," he muttered, sitting up and taking his teacup. "So we'll be going home now?"
"I will," Xuvunue said, smiling as she watched her son, "but you'll be staying here."
"Oh?" Lowering his teacup in surprise, he stared at his mother.
"You haven't had a proper break from your work since the last sacrifice was chosen. Relax." Though she knew well that for her son that meant running around stirring up trouble. Better to let the king or prime minister or general court deal with that than her.
A break... Draconis wanted to refuse but that would make him just like Raizel. His mother wanted what was best for him, and only that. Sighing, he smiled, resigned- "I'll do that, mama."
"It'll be good for you. Edian's here, and so's Ashoka's side of the family. I'll be seeing Gentilus before I go too. There's also tha-"
"You don't need to worry about me, mama. Just focus that energy on Raizel and Nadine. They're the babies." He meant what he said. His mother had so much to deal with already, what with being the main peacekeeper between their nation and Curatadia Forest, his siblings, and running their territory. Draconis had no intention of being another problem on her list.
Xuvunue studied her son's face, stopping when she was satisfied that there wasn't anything wrong. "Write to me, okay? A letter a week, and you aren't allowed to return until a month goes by."
"Yes, mama," he said, getting up to sit with her instead. The spiders were annoying but they didn't matter as much as curling up beside her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he buried his face there, his words muffled, "I'll write loads, mama. Everything will be fine; I'll even get details about Duke Tradio out of Ashoka somehow."
Stroking his hair, Xuvunue shooed the spiders away from her son's hair. Nearly three centuries old and he still loved her enough to be by her side... It made her heart swell. "Those rumours are true then? He's with Duke Tradio?"
"Considering they spread from me?" Draconis did still wonder what his cousin saw in the slick fae. Sure he was pretty in that unnatural, though spirits would argue it was natural, plant way with his pink-purple hair braided messily and his bark-like skin, and he was a skilled doctor and healer, capable of imbuing powerful magick in food and drink. But he was older than either of their mothers and every time they had their meetings of diplomacy on Suldala and Curatadia's border he felt as if dangerous secrets lurked behind the man's smile and words.
"I didn't get a look at the lineage book but I will soon. I'm sure I'm right though, mama. You should have seen him blush."
"Oh my. What does he see in him? Is it the vines? He's always been fond of snakes after that crush when he was a child and those are similar enough," Xuvunue mused.
That made Draconis laugh wildly, making his mother shake with how he clung to her- "That's what I asked him! He really had it for that naga, huh?"
"Do you think he acts the same way with the duke, Coney darling?"
"Oh Aentrah-" Ashoka cooking for the duke? Bringing him flowers and hanging off of his every word like a dog? "I don't know, mama. Seeing it would be funny, but torture too."
Amused, Xuvunue put her teacup down. "Why don't you tell me about how Edian's been instead? She visited me the other day, complaining about all her marriage offers."
Draconis let go of his mother, leaning on her instead with a dramatic gasp- "No! How could this be? When Raskreia's pining after her-" and regaled her with all the news he'd gathered in the past week.