Keshnarmeynee Adumbra's Story

The great, powerful, incredibly clever Keshnarmeynee Adumbra, hated and misunderstood pinnacle of her family's breeding and fortunes, had been demoted to sibling-spy. Or perhaps promoted. In either case, Keshnarmeynee wasn't sure it was a position she liked.

Of course, the snivelling, cringing, timid Keshnarmeynee Adumbra, protected servant and yes-demon to the powerful and respected demoness Lord Guard Pynliefde, was utterly miserable. She was alternately laughed at, hit, or hit on by the demons she was supposed to watch for her mistress, adrift in a technological world she didn't understand, and far from the familiar safety, or lack thereof, of the demon capitol city Vuil. She certainly wasn't taken seriously, looked down upon by all six of her world-walking companions.

Rhiupkhu, Creih, Ilserv, Kejenah, Ghorikoss, Keerbene.... Each of them worse than the last, and worse than their follower. Rhiupkhu, complaining Air demon: solemn, sulky, and so thoroughly pack-minded that she could hardly think for herself-- and yet so good with words that she thought herself above the others for that reason alone. Creih, the Water: spoiled, finicky, and childish, with her stupid human pets and whining, squeamish ways. Bulky, Earthen Ilserv: crass, crude, and cruel, with a charisma that would make any intelligent demon wary around her. Fiery Kejenah: strange and creative and with very strange ideas-- and a tendency to talk people in circles. Ghorikoss: not even a demon, and with the inclination to eat her if he could get the chance and constant intimidation tactics. And, last but certainly not least, Keerbene: utterly insane.

Horrible, all of them. Even if Keshna really had been who she pretended to be, the timid and subservient weakling that she acted like, she still would have hated them. Her true self, her hidden self, the real Keshnarmeynee Adumbra, certainly did.

At least the reason for their coming was at last at hand. Or at paw, in the case of the demons.

"Last call: will the bonders for the clutches of... Mayonaka... Sanodie... Jiora... Shotgun... and Gatica, please proceed to the hatching bays immediately."

"We're proceeding, we're proceeding!" Ilserv grumbled as the group of demons-- all full-sized and four-footed-- made their hasty way to Hatching Bay 05. The bulk of the candidates were probably there already, since this was a "last call" coming over the station intercom. Keerbene bounded along ahead of them, grinning like an idiot and with Ghorikoss easily keeping pace with her, and Keshna, as usual, lagged along behind, panting a bit more breathlessly than she needed to. But only a bit. Physical exertion was not what she specialized in, and running the whole way down the length of the hatching deck was not something she was in any shape to be doing. Thankfully, her companions expected her to be weak and out of shape, so she was ignored.

Coming up at Creih's finned tail, Keshna skidded to a stop, gasping. The Water demon wasn't in much better shape: Creih was a mage, not a fighter, or a sprinter. Just like Keshna-- though none of them knew that, nor would they, not until Keshna was ready.

The security recognized the lot of them and admitted them. Only candidates and sponsor-hopefuls would be admitted to this clutch, they'd learned-- but that was enough. There were at least seventy candidates and sponsors, if not more, all told and of various shapes and sizes, the demons not even the largest among them. Add to that at least thirty security officers and the massive clutch of sixty or seventy, and the floor of Hatching Bay 05, covered with translucent black resin in alien loops and coils, was very crowded. True to her outward personality, Keshna shrank in on herself and slunk nervously after her fellow demons.

Inside, though, protected by a veneer of anxious surface thoughts, Keshna's real thoughts were whirling between possibilities. Surely, surely with a mind like hers, with power like hers, so cleverly hidden from all who would not see it... surely she would attract a loyal, intelligent, powerful bond! She'd have to drop her mental disguise during the actual hatching, of course, but none of the other demons would be paying her mind a whit of attention, she knew that. Her personality was too well implanted in their minds, and they would all be focused on the hatching, not one annoying, tagalong weakling Dark demon. Besides, if all went well, after today she might not need to.

The hatching itself began on a bloody note. One of the hatchlings-- two-headed, half xenodragon, half... whatever that multiheaded dragon was-- approached the candidates, only to maul the first one that approached it. Keshna automatically cringed back, shrinking even further behind her companions, while inwardly rejoicing; these were vicious, powerful creatures! Surely things would work out as she planned, with hatchlings like these!

All chaos erupted after that. Snake-like burstlings exploded from the meaty sides of cattle-like creatures resined into the wall, faintly translucent eggs split to reveal their various gooey occupants, candidates avoided or accepted bonds, hatchlings avoided or accepted bonds-- or got into fights that the security contingent had to break up. Keshna crept farther back, even behind Ghorikoss, who was sulking near the back of the pack for whatever reason. Probably rebuffed by the men-hating females, Keshna guessed. She, herself, blended into the dark floor and walls perfectly, and from her half-hidden position, she dropped the veil around her mind, baring her true self for any hatchling to see.

Even with the tempting bait of her open mind, Keshna was not the first to bond. Not by a long shot. That whiney, obnoxious Creih was actually the first to bond. She and her human pet both bonded: Creih to a furry, shadowy mixed breed and the human to a burstling. At least that removed them from Keshna's sight, but it didn't do anything to make Keshna feel any more positive about the Water demon.

Full minutes later, well into the jumbled mess of the hatching, a whole pack of the little monsters finally seemed to notice the demons and made their way over, presumably to attack, given the number of teeth and claws Keshna saw. She tensed, ready for fight or flight, depending on what was necessary and how much attention was being paid her by the other demons and Ghorikoss.

Neither were necessary. Rhiupkhu had stepped up to meet the group and was, from the looks of things, about to launch into one of her oh-so-famous speeches. Keshna growled inside at the theft of the moment, though her expression never changed, except maybe to look a little hopeful. After all, the slinking servant would be glad for Rhiupkhu's word-magic for protection, even though the ambitious mage within the servant was seething restlessly for something to do, some way to win dragons over to her cause, not the cause of the demons in general. Keshna couldn't care less about the cause of the demon race as a whole, their goddess Zenite, or her employer: she wanted something for herself, this time.

"Now I know that your first urge has been to attack," the Air demoness was saying, her tone somehow sisterly, disappointed, and even respectfully reproachful. "But do you really want to take on demons so much larger then you? Indeed, wouldn't you rather join our side, and fight alongside us? Certainly we can keep you fed, can train you towards your true purpose... you will become strong while at our sides, and the respect you show us will be returned in abundance-- nothing that these other worthless candidates can provide, I assure you!" A few other dragonets had wandered over in the midst of her speech, curious, and the original group looked just plain entranced. "The choice is yours, of course," Rhiupkhu finished smugly, to Keshna's mild disgust.

The pretty speech won over three-- three!-- of the small crowd! Creih got two-- sort of-- and now Rhiukphu had three! Keerbene had already attached a little green monster of her own, as had Ilserv, and Kejenah was being approached by two. Only life-long control kept Keshna from snarling aloud-- or laughing aloud. Part of her was furious that the other demons were coming away with such numbers; she'd imagined it would be one xenodragon per demon, not two or even three! Another part of her, though, was utterly gleeful. If these lesser demons-- finicky, whiney, crass, and utterly insane-- could bond just two and three creatures, what would a mind like Keshnarmeynee's attract? Surely more than one... at least. Even Ghorikoss had bonded himself a three-headed little monster.

Keshna waited, somewhat patient, her mind wide open and a beacon for the xenodragons, chaos-mutts, multiheaders, burstlings, anything seeking a bond, while the others found their own partners. Where was hers? With her intelligence and her ambition, there should be a perfect hatchling, or pair or trio of hatchlings!

::Keshna! My bond!::

And there was the first. Red and black, obviously strong, and already pleased, even excited, by the prospect of bonding. Keshnarmeynee smiled.