One of the Shield looked like he would speak, but Nuuma lifted a hand to stop him, her expression curious.
Iktan slid onto the bench beside Xiala, and she caught the edge of xir smile. “I think I’d like some soup, too,” xe said, voice mild.
Xiala grinned.
“Get up, Ziha.” Xiala kept her voice casual. “We’re ordering soup for you, too.”
Nuuma glanced to her side, and Xiala spotted a door there. Someone must have been waiting just outside, watching for the matron’s signal, because a server came forward immediately, bearing a pot that leaked a fragrant steam. Another followed with bowls and yet another with flatbread. Xiala helped herself, and Iktan after her, and finally, Mother waters! Ziha pushed herself up and came to sit across from them. She was as shaky as a kitten, but at least she was off the damned floor.
Nuuma clapped. A long, slow strike of palm against palm that echoed through the room. Three times, four, five, until she had all eyes on her. Ziha was trembling. Skies, Xiala thought. What has the woman done to make her daughter fear her so?
“Charming,” the matron said, voice thick with scorn. “Is that what you’ve been doing in my absence, Ziha? Imagining silly little ways to defy your mother?”
Xiala cleared her throat loudly. She grabbed her bowl and drank, the sound of her slurping loud and rude. She slammed the empty bowl down and forced herself to belch before grinning at the matron.
“And who are you?” the woman asked.
“Someone who hates a bully.”
Nuuma stared a moment longer. “Get her out.”
“A moment, Nuuma.” Iktan rose to hold off the Shield who were already moving. “She is of value. A friend of the Odo Sedoh.”
“I don’t care who she is. She’s disrespectful to her betters. I should have her beaten. Perhaps that would teach her manners.”
“Doubtful.” Iktan cleared xir throat. “The fact remains she is beneficial to our plans. I suggest you hear me out before you make any rash decisions. If you still find her of no use, you can have her beaten afterward.”
“Iktan,” Xiala growled under her breath.
“No, you’ve made your point, Xiala. Unsubtly, I might add, but I understand. Your heart means well. But that’s enough.” Xe looked toward Nuuma. “Tell us why you’ve come and what you know.”
Nuuma motioned for the Shield to stand down and then for the servants to remove the soup and bowls. Once everything was cleared, the matron commanded her Shield to guard the doors from the outside. Satisfied that they were safe from prying ears, she spoke.
“Something’s happened in Tova. Something that forces us to accelerate our plans and makes the city unsafe for Golden Eagle.”
“They know of your treachery?” Iktan asked.
Irritation pulsed across her face. “The other matrons know that Golden Eagle sought to influence the Watchers, but to what extent I cannot say. And whether it matters with the Watchers dead is unclear, too. What is clear is that they side with Carrion Crow to decide the fate of the city.”
“So it is war.” Iktan’s voice was soft with emotion. Regret? Excitement? Xiala could not be sure what.
“War, yes, and quickly, before they can raise an army to control the Eastern districts.”
“The Eastern districts?”
“Coyote’s Maw have declared themselves a clan again.”
Ziha raised her head. “Again?”
“They were a clan before the War of the Spear, but when the Watchers were established in Tova, they were stripped of their status and named clanless as punishment for their cowardice.”
Xe tapped a finger against the table. “Does that mean…？”
“They’ve named a matron,” Nuuma confirmed.
“Who?”
Nuuma hesitated, only a hiccup, but Xiala noticed, and she was sure Iktan noticed, too.
“Does it matter who she is?” Nuuma glanced down at the table. “What concerns me is that the other clans appear willing to acknowledge her, and a Coyote clan adds thousands more to any fighting force meant to defend the city. If they have any brains, they will start building a perimeter at the far eastern edge of the city and raze the farmland between. It’s what I would do. If our army breaks through, there will be no stores to feed them, and the damnable Maw will stand between the Sky Made and the rest of the world.”
“Six months for the clans to fortify and store food,” Iktan murmured. “Destroy the bridges, and the cliff districts could last for months, perhaps years. And with giant crows and winged serpents in the air, any eagle assault against the city would be costly.”