The Mantis Continuum - Book Four - 16. Chapter 16 - The Kids & the Queens, Part One

When Ilya brought Lahari’s unconscious body home, Theolan rushed off to see if any of their friends were available to watch over the three children during the night while the mystic treated his daughter. Bivon had left the group a little while earlier, and Theolan and the mystic did not know where he was, but his cart was still parked in front of their house.

Theolan found Dotty Marbles, and she was happy to oblige. She now led Thech, Jzuna, and the ex-princess Fennah through the darkening Shifton streets.

“Alrighty there, kids! We’re almost to Peggy’s clinic.” Dotty Marbles may have initially been surprised by the two unusual Biological Shift children, but she also fancied herself as unusual; she had been happy to take them. She turned the trio of youngsters down a side street, and a moment later they stopped in front of a drab building. “Let’s try not to make too much noise,” she said, pulling open the door. “There are patients resting.”

Ninyani stuck his head out into the hallway at the sound of Dotty Marbles’ voice, and he was surprised to see the children with her. “Hi, Dot!” he said with a wave. He added, “Hi, Fennah,” and his eyes moved to the two very unique Biological Shifts. “Hi!” Ninyani repeated to them in an excited voice.

“Jzuna, Thech, this is Ninyani,” Dotty Marbles said quietly. “Honey, where’s Peggy?”

“She’s making tea,” Ninyani replied.

“Thank you, dear. Kids, why don’t you come with me into the kitchen.” Dotty Marbles led them down the hall and into a small cafeteria. “Peggy!” she called out.

“Dot?” came Auntie Peg’s voice from an alcove. She stepped out and was startled by Thech and Jzuna. “My goodness! Why, hello there. I’m Auntie Peg,” she informed them, “but you can call me Peggy. What interesting individuals you are!”

Thech let out a little huffing breath, and Jzuna sheepishly said, “Hello.”

Auntie Peg looked around at the sound of her voice, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere.

“Isn’t that neat?” Fennah chirped. “It’s like Jzuna’s talking right into your ears!”

“Can we make a cup of tea for each of you?” Dottie Marbles asked the children, and she nodded Auntie Peg back into the alcove.

“What’s going on, Dot? What is it? You seem… excited.”

“Yes, and I know I shouldn’t be,” Dotty Marbles said apologetically. “Those two kids’ mother was just killed, and something has happened to Lahari; she’s in a bad state.” Dotty Marbles took Auntie Peg’s hands, looked her in the eyes, and said, “I think it’s time!”

The people on the night shift started arriving at the clinic, and Auntie Peg greeted them one by one, filling each of them in on the condition of the current patients. A few minutes later, Auntie Peg, Dotty Marbles, and Ninyani were ready to head home with the three other children.

“Aren’t we having tea?” Fennah asked.

“Oh, right, sorry, dear,” Dotty Marbles replied. “Let’s make some when we get to our house.”

The six of them headed outside, and a couple of blocks from the clinic, the queens stopped at a food cart. They ordered each of them a basket of fried shrimp.

“Thech doesn’t need help with these,” Jzuna informed Fennah, as the vendor placed the food onto a little table beside the cart.

Dotty Marbles looked curious and asked, “Jzuna, do you need help?”

“No, thank you,” Jzuna answered, and Thech’s arm shot out like a viper. “He’s good,” she reiterated to herself as her brother struggled to get his hand where he wanted it to go, but as soon as he had one of the crispy plump shrimp in his fingers, he shoved it right into his wide mouth. Jzuna focused on the food in her basket, and it began to disappear.

“Peggy and Dot, watch this!” Fennah squealed, pointing at Jzuna’s shrinking food. The others could not help but to stare.

Jzuna stopped focusing on her food, and her enormous eye looked up at the other four. Auntie Peg, Dotty Marbles, and Ninayni quickly shifted their gaze to their own meals, but Fennah just smiled at Jzuna.

It was very dark by the time the group arrived at the queens’ home.

“In we go,” Auntie Peg said in a singsong voice.

The house was a small space they had made their own with Ninyani, and once several candles were burning, their home was very cozy indeed.

“Why don’t we figure out beds for you three?” Dotty Marbles suggested. “Ninyani, can you please get a blanket out of the closet?”

“I’ll grab one of the pillows off of our bed,” Auntie Peg added.

“Thanks, doll!” Dotty Marbles patted the couch. “Fennah, we’ll set you up on the sofa here by the window so you can watch the stars as you fall asleep.” Ninyani spread a blanket out for the girl, and Dotty Marbles turned to Thech and Jzuna. “Now, what are we going to do with you two?”

“We normally sleep in a little tub,” Jzuna told her.

Auntie Peg recommended, “How about the bathtub? Do you kids want to come see if this will work?” They followed her into the privy chamber, and Thech and Jzuna approached the large basin.

“It’s a lot bigger than our bed,” Jzuna replied. Thech swayed side to side, and his sister rotated in the air toward the queens. “Thech likes it, but is it really okay if we sleep in it? And what if you need to use the potty during the night?”

Auntie Peg smiled, and behind her, Dotty Marbles smothered a laugh; she knew what Auntie Peg was about to say. “Thech, Jzuna, you don’t need to worry about Ninyani or Dot or me, but would it make you uncomfortable if Fennah needed to use the potty during the night? Because she’s the only one who might need to come in here to use the potty.”

Thech let out a little grunt and Jzuna said, “No, it wouldn’t bother us if Fennah needed the potty.”

“Ninyani and Dot and I can all use a different potty if we need to, even outside on a bush,” Auntie Peg explained, and Dotty Marbles snickered. Auntie Peg added, “I’m sorry you have to sleep in the bathroom.”

“We don’t mind,” Jzuna replied.

Dotty Marbles asked, “Do you two want a pillow or blanket?”

“Our mama used to give Thech a pillow and a blanket, but we haven’t been sleeping with them since we left home.”

“Would you like one now? We can give you either if you’d like.

“I think we’re okay without,” Jzuna said, “and we are pretty sleepy.”

“Alright, let one of us know if either of you change your mind. We’ll let you sleep, and we’ll keep the door cracked. Good night, children.”

Auntie Peg opened a bottle of wine and poured glasses for herself and Dotty Marbles. Ninyani gave each of them a peck on the cheek and headed into his own room. The queens could hear quiet sounds coming from their bathroom until the two unique children were asleep, and soon Auntie Peg and Dotty Marbles also retired to their boudoir.

The next morning, everyone rose early.

Before Ninyani changed out of his nighty, he collected the blanket and pillow Fennah had used.

“Good morning, Ninyani,” the girl said with a yawn and a stretch. She added, “Good morning, Thech and Jzuna and Peggy and Dot.”

“Good morning to you, princess,” Dotty Marbles replied.

Auntie Peg stepped up to the four children and said, “We forgot to make tea last night, and therefore, I think we should get ourselves a little something fun today.”

“And we shan’t be staying in,” Dotty Marbles added. “It is time for adventures!”

Thech lumbered over and stood next to the queen.

“Good morning, Thech,” she said down to him, “are you excited to come with us?”

“Yes,” Jzuna’s voice squeaked from the air all around them, “Thech is looking forward to being with you and Peggy.”

Auntie Peg asked, “Jzuna, how’s your hurt arm?”

She held out her tentacle. “It’s a little better.”

“That is wonderful news!” Dotty Marbles declared. “I think you should have an iced mistcream.”

Jzuna’s one huge eye opened even wider, and she squealed, “We love Bivon’s mistcream lattes!”

“Marvelous!” Auntie Peg replied with a cackle that made Fennah and Jzuna giggle. “He does make good coffee, and we should get some to start the day. However, we are going to give you something a little different; iced mistcreams for the four of you!”

“I can have one, too?!” Fennah asked in her chirping voice.

Dotty Marbles leaned down in a playfully conspiratorial way and said, “Let’s go see what we can find. Follow me, children. It’s time for fun!”

“Where are we going?” Fennah asked as they all headed out the front door.

“Are we going to Perrikleg’s Icies?” Ninyani guessed.

Dotty Marbles replied in a dramatic and mysterious voice. “Is that where we should go? There are quite a few options in the neighborhood. We need to pick the perfect place for our first time enjoying iced mistcreams with Thech and Jzuna. Fennah, do you have a recommendation?”

“I’ve only gotten one from Chilly Squilly’s once,” she squeaked.

“Theirs are pretty good,” Auntie Peg said. “But what do you think, Dot, about taking them to Frozone the Frozen Zone?”

“I’ve been wanting to go there!” Ninyani replied. “That’s the place, Fennah, the one I’ve been telling you about, the one with the pool out front!”

Dotty Marbles grinned. “We know you’ve been interested in visiting.”

“Let’s see where the road takes us,” Auntie Peg recommended.

They turned a corner and Dottie Marbles recognized where her beloved was leading them. “Ahh, so you’re thinking Tolfer’s Bistro for breakfast before iced mistcream, Peggy?”

“I am, indeed.”

Ninyani let out a little squeal. “I’ve only been there once!”

Dotty Marbles laughed. “That’s true. You kids are in for a real treat! There’s a whole children’s area out in the back with a jungle gym and slides and tunnels, and there are usually other children to play with. Peggy and I have only been there the one time with Ninyani, but I think you three are going to love it! Jzuna and Thech, there was even a Bio-Shift boy working behind the counter.”

“It’s owned by a few of the UBHS leaders,” Auntie Peg informed them. “And in fact, we are almost there Fennah, what do you think you’ll order?”

The girl answered without thinking twice. “I’m getting whatever Jzuna and Thech get!”

“There’s the sign,” Dotty Marbles said, pointing at the brightly-colored letters that spelled out Tolfer’s Bistro on an old piece of driftwood hanging above the entrance.

They headed inside and the four children approached the counter with the queens behind them.

“We’d like three mistcream lattes, please,” Jzuna requested for herself, her brother, and Fennah.

A jittery man behind the counter replied, “Comin’ right up,” and he zipped over to the coffee grinder. “And for you?” he asked, looking at Ninyani.

“I think I would like the same, please.”

“I’d actually be happy with one of those as well,” Dotty Marbles requested. She waved toward Auntie Peg. “This one will probably need a double shot of your double-black.”

Auntie Peg made an innocent face at the man, and he set her separate drink to steep as he continued working on the five mistcream lattes. When a timer went off, he strained the double double-black.

“Here you are, milady,” he said quickly, handing Auntie Peg her dark thick drink.

A moment later, the five matching beverages were also ready, and the group headed out onto the patio to play. It was already a little crowded with children and several sleepy-looking adults.

Fennah and Ninyani were each holding their own drinks, and Auntie Peg and Dottie Marbles carried Thech and Jzuna’s beverages outside for them. The two queens selected a large table in the shade and sat down to let the children enjoy the play area. Ninyani left his drink on the tabletop, and he headed right for the line of children waiting below the slides. Fennah took a seat with her feet swinging beneath the chair and Auntie Peg sat beside her.

However, Thech and Jzuna were standing off to the side of the patio doors.

Auntie Peg turned to them. “Is it a little overwhelming? There’s a lot of things to play with.”

There were two slides, and one was a corkscrew. There was a jungle gym of tubes large enough for the children to climb through, and next to it was a set of monkey bars.

Up against the exterior wall of the café was a large wooden board with a lion’s head painted on it. A hole had been cut from the wood at the lion’s mouth, and a tube led from the back of the panel to a basket full of small brightly-colored balls. A little girl was attempting to throw them into the lion’s mouth.

Jzuna then spoke, and her voice sounded sad. “Our mama died in a spot like this.”

“Hunnies!” Dotty Marbles cried out, rushing over to them. “We didn’t mean to bring you somewhere that would make you think about those things.”

“It’s okay,” Jzuna responded before the queen could say anything else. “We just got sad for a minute, but Thech likes you and Peggy, and we’re sorry we’re a burden.”

“Oh, my stars and moon and planets!” Auntie Peg squawked, jumping up from her seat and joining Dotty Marbles with them. “You two are not a burden. You both are absolute delights!”

“We are so sorry that your mother is gone, children,” Dotty Marbles added. “Nothing can replace her. It’s going to be hard for a while, but you two are so strong, so strong.”

The four of them joined Fennah at the table where she was still seated. Half of her beverage was already gone.

Auntie Peg called out, “Ninyani, your latte’s getting cold!”

“I’ll drink it in a minute!”

Dotty Marbles sat down and asked, “Thech and Jzuna, do either of you need help?”

“Yes, please. Our mama always helped Thech drink his drinks. I can help him with food sometimes,” Jzuna added, “but I’d probably spill his mistcream latte, and he really likes it.”

“I’ve got this little one,” Dotty Marbles declared, putting her very large arm around Thech’s tiny and slimy shoulders. “You don’t mind if I give you a hug, do you?”

Thech let out a quiet hum noise and leaned his head back.

“He’s ready for you to give him his drink now,” Jzuna said.

“Oh, thank you for letting me know, Jzuna,” Dotty Marbles replied with a smile. She picked up the steaming beverage and poured a tiny bit into the boy’s gaping maw.

“He can drink more than that at once, and the heat won’t hurt him,” Jzuna added.

“Sounds good,” Dotty Marbles said, and she poured in a little more.

“And what about you?” Auntie Peg asked.

“If it’s just sitting on the table, I can drink it,” Jzuna answered. “But I think I only want to drink half of it, and then go play for a little bit, and then have the rest after.”

“I think that’s a splendid idea!” Dotty Marbles declared, pouring more of Thech’s drink into his mouth.

Jzuna focused her enormous single eye on the beverage, and the surface began to lower as she drained it a little more than halfway down. “Mmm,” she hummed in delight. “That’s so yummy! And Thech really likes his, too. Thank you, Peggy and Dot.”

The queens chuckled at Jzuna’s enthusiasm, and they watched her float over to the basket full of bright balls. The other child who had been playing was now waiting in line for the slide with Ninyani, and Jzuna was by herself. She focused on the painted lion face.

Auntie Peg and Dottie Marbles watched her, and they were confused and astonished to see several of the balls float up into the air seemingly on their own. They drifted toward the mouth of the lion, entered the hole cut in the wood, and they rolled down the tube back into the basket again. Jzuna’s voice burst out with giggles of joy, and Auntie Peg took her beloved’s free hand and squeezed her fingers. Then she saw Ninyani. “Dot, look,” and she subtly nodded toward the slide.

The girl who had been throwing the balls at the lion’s mouth was now behind Ninyani. She noticed Jzuna and was gawking at her, but Ninyani turned and whispered something to the girl, and she looked at him with a surprised smile. The queens did not know what Ninyani said, but the little girl let out a loud aaawww! Then she and Ninyani hugged, and they both climbed the ladder up to the top of the slide.

Dotty Marbles smiled at Auntie Peg, and she turned back to Jzuna’s brother. Her arm was still around him. “Thech, would you like to save half of your drink, like your sister did?”

He stayed leaning against her arm and kept his head tilted back.

“No? You want to drink it all now?”

He remained in the same position, and she poured the rest of his mistcream latte into his wide mouth. When it was gone, Thech brought his head upright again with his eyes still rolled back and his mouth still hanging strangely. He let out two quiet grunts.

“Are you happy, Thech?” Dotty Marbles asked him. “Would you like to go over and play with your sister?”

He did not move. Thech just continued to stand where he was with her forearm over his back, and although his eyes were blank, he was facing directly at her.

“Don’t you worry, honey,” Dotty Marbles said to him with a smirk, “you go right ahead and stare; I live for people staring at me! You’re not gonna make me uncomfortable.” She let out a cackle and Thech huffed a little breath of amusement.

“Dot,” Auntie Peg whispered, “I think he likes you.”

Jzuna’s laughter rang out again, as another group of balls floated up to the lion’s mouth and rolled back down the tube to her.

Ninyani walked over to the table and took a large drink from his latte.

“Is it even hot anymore?” Auntie Peg asked.

“I don’t like it to be too hot,” he replied.

Six matching bowls were delivered to their table a moment later, and Dotty Marbles said, “We ordered each of us the same thing, nothing special, just steamed fish on rice. There are a few different sauces you can add.”

Dotty Marbles fed Thech his food, and when he was done eating, he pulled away and she lifted her arm from his shoulders. He lumbered over to the basket of brightly-colored balls, where his sister was still playing, and Dotty Marbles gave herself a quick wipe with a towel she had hidden in her purse.

Auntie Peg looked impressed and whispered, “You planned ahead?”

Dotty Marbles gave her a cocky little smirk. “Thought we might need it, and I don’t mind what they leave behind, not one bit.” She stuffed the rag into a separate smaller bag that was also hidden inside her purse.

“Seriously, who are you?” Auntie Peg teased quietly. “I love the way you’re so into these kids.”

The group stayed and played at the bistro until almost noon, at which point Dotty Marbles declared, “I think it’s time for lunch.”

Out on the street again, Auntie Peg said to the four children, “I wonder what’s at the end of this lovely boulevard,” and she pointed. “Lead the way, Ninyani.”

“But I don’t know where we’re going,” he replied.

She winked and said, “We’re going that way.”

Ninyani smiled and began to lead the small group down the street. A moment later, he could see a sparkling ahead of him, and he exclaimed, “The water, you’re taking us to the water, but why? I thought we were getting lunch.”

“We most certainly are,” Dotty Marbles replied. “Head for that boat straight in front of you.”

“We’re getting lunch on a boat?” Fennah asked.

Dotty Marbles burst out, “We’re getting lunch on a boat!” and the other five laughed.

There was a very small sign that Ninyani did not notice until he was about to step off solid ground. “Café Zular? As in, the Zular who I know?”

“One and the same!” Auntie Peg replied. “At night, she’s a fabulous performing queen, but during the day, Zular runs this lovely little restaurant.”

The boat was a wide flat barge, permanently anchored in its position on a short canal the Oselians had built over 200 years earlier that led into the Grey Shallows. Zular’s restaurant was a tiny hut at one end of the boat, and tables were positioned across the rest of it. Several people were already eating.

Ninyani saw Zular through the window of the little food shack. She was taking someone’s order, and he scampered over to be next in line.

Auntie Peg waved for the others to follow him, and she and Dotty Marbles stepped up behind the four children.

“Hi!” Ninyani said exuberantly.

“What can I getcha?” Zular asked.

“I know you!” Ninyani declared.

Zular smiled. “Have you been here before?”

Ninyani’s expression fell; she apparently did not know him. “No, I saw you at the Gate Town fundraiser.”

“Oh, you’ve been to my performances,” Zular stated.

“Yes, and you’re so pretty!” Ninyani was gazing at her with wide eyes.

“Well, thank you very much,” she replied with an elegant smile. “Now, what would you like to eat?”

Dottie Marbles stepped up and said, “Four large should do it for all of us,” and she wiggled the corresponding amount of fingers.

“Right you are, Dot,” Zular replied.

“Come on, kids, let’s go grab a table,” Auntie Peg said.

A few minutes later, four large identical plates of food were brought to them.

“Zular makes small or large platters; those are the only two options,” Auntie Peg informed the children.

Each plate held two very large fried oysters, two fried shrimp, and a pile of fried clam strips on a bed of sweet potato fries. Wedged in on the plates among the crispy food were little steaming dishes with buttery baked whitefish.

Auntie Peg jumped up, grabbed two extra plates, and the queens began distributing the food.

After lunch, it was time for…

“Six iced mistcreams, if you please!” Dotty Marbles said to a girl behind the counter inside the little parlor called Frozone the Frozen Zone. The queens and four children were shivering.

The storefront was set up in an Oselian cooler that was perpetually kept below freezing, and the space had remained so for over two centuries. No one in Teshon City knew how the Oselians managed to chill the space, nor why it remained cold for so long after they were gone, but Frozone the Frozen Zone utilized the low temperatures.

The employees were each bundled up in winter clothing meant to protect against the most brutal cold, and the girl’s voice was muffled behind a scarf as she asked, “Sparkles or infusions for any of them?”

“I’ll take mine with phong petal drops,” Auntie Peg requested.

“And please, top mine with a little fizzing dust,” Dotty Marbles added. “Make the other four regular.”

The queens were given a tray holding the six chilled treats, and the group quickly headed back out into the sun.

“What is that?” Jzuna asked in wonder. Her huge eye was focued on the iced mistcreams.

“You’re gonna love it!” Ninyani declared.

“To the pool!” Auntie Peg said with a laugh.

Condensation from the interior of Frozone the Frozen Zone was collected and funneled out through a series of tubes that dripped their chilly waters into a shallow pool. Quite a few people were already enjoying the water, which only came up to their ankles.

The queens kicked off their heels, and Ninyani and Fennah removed their shoes. They all stepped into the water, and Thech joined them beside Dotty Marbles.

Auntie Peg pointed at the boy’s feet. “Dot, what are we looking at?”

Although Thech was standing up to his ankles, the liquid seemed to not want to touch him. It was as if the water was Thech-phobic, or like some sort of thin invisible shield was blocking his slime from the water.

Dotty Marbles shrugged at her beloved with a smile. She scooped a bit of the iced mistcream and said to Thech, “It’s cold,” as she fed it to him.

He began to chomp, but he paused and let out a little steaming breath of surprise.

Jzuna’s giggles suddenly filled the air all around them. “He loves it! He loves it!”

Auntie Peg laughed. “We thought you might.”

“Don’t eat it too fast,” Fennah warned, “or it’ll make your head cold on the inside!”

“But don’t eat it too slow,” Ninyani countered, “because it’s already starting to melt.”

A few hours later, the group had visited a flower garden, a teahouse, and a petting zoo with a few goats and a pigmy pig, then the six of them ate a lovely dinner of breakfast foods. It was already early night when the group arrived back at the queens’ house, and faster than either of the ladies expected, the four children were asleep.

Dotty Marbles poured two glasses of wine, smiled at Auntie Peg, and said, “This is going to work, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Dot, I think it is.”✪