22. Twice

"Goodnight, sweet boy," cooed Amaranth, drawing the wool blanket up to Silver's chin.

The albino hedgehog wrinkled his nose. "Ma, you said you wouldn't call me that anymore."

"Your mother can call you what she likes," said Shadow, kneeling on the other side of Silver's futon, "Don't try telling her otherwise. She won't listen."

Amaranth smirked. "I might."

"What if I'm good?" asked Silver hopefully, "Would that help?"

The cerise hedgehog leaned in to kiss the ten-year-old's forehead, freshly cleaned of soot.

"You're already a good boy," she said, stroking his cheek.

"Then I'll be gooder," said Silver.

"How do you propose to do that?" asked Shadow smilingly.

"I'll ask Master," said Silver brightly.

The black hedgehog's smile faltered at the mention of Rufus. After the evening they'd spent together, it'd been easy to forget their changed circumstances.

"We'll see," said Amaranth, kissing Silver on the nose, "Sleep tight, sweet boy."

"Ma," whined Silver, hiding his face under his blanket in protest.

"Goodnight, son," said Shadow, ruffling the white quills that'd been left uncovered.

Silver lowered the blanket to reveal his eyes. "G'night, Pa."

Shadow was slow in getting to his feet. Amaranth stood waiting by the curtain that separated this poky side-room from the roundhouse's communal area. The hedgehogs exited together.

Out in the communal area, the matronly skunk Tumbola was sat by the fire, sewing what appeared to be a leather apron, much like what Rufus wore while at work in the forge. It looked much too small to fit the blacksmith, though.

"Are you making that for Silver, my lady?" asked Amaranth.

"Why should it concern you?" snapped Tumbola without looking up.

The cerise hedgehog bowed apologetically. "I was only asking, my lady."

"Next time, don't. You two have had your fun. Now, get out."

"Our fun?" growled Shadow.

The skunk looked up. Her venomous glare was enough to remind the black hedgehog of his reduced status.

He bowed. "F-forgive me—"

"Save your apologies, Erinian," the skunk spat, "Just get out, both of you."

Keeping their heads bowed, the hedgehogs hastily shuffled out of the roundhouse.

Outside in the smithy's yard, it was almost twilight. Even so, the tink-tink-tink of Rufus's hammer still emanated from the forge. Knuxahuatl and Xhade were in there with him, not that their slaves knew why. They'd been brought along as a kindness, permitted to bathe the sooty Silver and tuck him in.

"How could she say such a thing?" said Amaranth, sitting down next to a spare anvil by the yard's gate.

"She's always said such things," muttered Shadow, sitting down beside her.

"Never like that."

"Never to our faces, you mean."

"Even then, it sounded like we'd done something to upset her."

"Maybe she didn't want to be distracted."

"You saw how she looked at you," said Amaranth, "She didn't want us anywhere there."

"Have you seen her speak to other slaves?" asked Shadow.

"Only Canus," his wife admitted, "But she's always treated him fairly."

"Canus is her property."

Amaranth frowned. In her experience, the skunks had always treated the big blue wolf as more of a guest than slave. Almost like family, even.

"Geoffrey," she mumbled.

"Geoffrey?" echoed Shadow.

"Their poor boy who got ill," said Amaranth.

"What of him?"

"She…I'm sure Rufus never meant to…maybe she got the wrong idea—"

"Amie?" Shadow cut in, "What're you talking about?"

Amaranth hugged her bare torso, as if chilled by a thought.

"I think Tumbola thought she would be fostering Silver," she said, "Between me serving the queen and you going south…"

"She thought she'd get to be a mother again?"

The cerise hedgehog nodded. "Shadow…I think she'd like nothing more than to take our boy from us."

The black hedgehog grunted. "I wish you'd thought this hard about things before you gave her the opportunity."

Amaranth winced. "I…I said I was sorry—"

"What good is that to Silver?" snapped Shadow, "This didn't have to happen, Amie. You let it happen."

Tears slipped down both hedgehogs' cheeks as they stared each other out. Shadow looked away first.

"While we were in Arkadia, staying with Knuxahuatl's aunt, I practically adopted someone else's child because I couldn't hold my own. I threatened to take the chariot and go without them if we didn't leave there as soon as possible…"

He scoffed.

"After all that, I only got to hold him twice…"

Wiping away tears, he eyed Amaranth's gravid belly.

"Carrying that child inside you, you can hug them whenever you please. I don't have that luxury—"

"Shadow—"

"Twice, Amie!" he hissed, brandishing two fingers, "Only twice."

Again, they stared tearfully at each other. Amaranth's lip quivered as she struggled not to break down completely.

"What do you want me to do, Shadow?" she asked shakily, "Should I go in that forge and tell them the truth?"

"What possible reason would they have to believe you, Amie?"

"Th-they might—"

The anvil rang as Shadow punched it.

"You chose your own truth, Amie," he growled, "The rest of us are just going to have to live with it."

He eyed her belly again.

"All four of us."

A hush descended over the yard, broken only by the tink-tink-tink from the forge. Soon enough, it stopped.

"M-mistress?" said Amaranth as Xhade emerged from the forge.

The hedgehogs clambered to their feet, wiping their tear-stung eyes as the vermilion echidna crossed the yard.

"Shadow?"

"Yes, mistress?"

"Go see Knuxahuatl inside. He has something for you."

"Right away, mistress."

Shadow set off with his head bowed, less to show deference than to hide his frown. He couldn't understand how Lobo had managed to maintain that air of affable amiability at all hours of the day.

"Master?" he said, entering the forge.

It was lighter inside than out, thanks to the fire blazing away in the corner. The figures of Knuxahuatl, Rufus and Canus stood around an anvil, lit by the fire's orange glow. The links of a chain clinked as the echidna picked something up off the anvil and turned to Shadow.

"Come closer, Shadow," he said, beckoning to his slave.

The hedgehog obeyed.

"I'm sorry to have to put this on you," sighed Knuxahuatl, "But, well, it's the queen's command."

He lifted a chain-link necklace over Shadow's head. Looking down, the hedgehog recognized the hilt of his destroyed broadsword hanging amid his white chest fur.

"Master, please," he sniffled, head still bowed, "Must I—"

"He said he was sorry," Canus cut in, "What more can you ask?"

Clutching the hilt with both hands, Shadow glanced up at the big blue wolf. He was right, of course — most slaves in Dalriada could only dream of hearing their owners say 'sorry' — but that knowledge couldn't stop fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.

Knuxahuatl caught him as he slumped forward.

"This won't be forever, Shadow," the echidna whispered, patting his quaking quills, "The day I ride away from this place, you'll come with me."

"It already feels like forever, master."