Sun Mote Copse pearldust

eshamun glanced between the two of them as her words settled into the air, the gravity of them weighted by her own lingering grief. she was not unaware of the rapture upon giana's face, nor the hesitance that suddenly entered the other's features, mingled with a seeming sympathy. the ekar-aji held herself fast and answered with a quiet calm she did not feel.

"at birth the child will be taken. i did not even place mine to suck once," she murmured, and felt the barely scarred wound of stolen motherhood rip open again, scored by grief's claws. "it will be painless, swift. if a pup is chosen from your litter, it shall not suffer, but go back to molech as soon as it enters this world. fear not, giana," eshamun whispered, leaning close to nudge the other's shoulder.