"Did... did she just talk?"
Roxy froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. She stared down at Tanith curled on her lap. Tanith stared back, her vertical pupils wide and innocent, her small hand resting on the ruined silk of Roxy's dress.
"Tanith?" Roxy whispered, her heart hammering. "Baby, say it again. Can you say it again?"
Tanith blinked slowly. Her bottom lip began to tremble. Her eyes filled with big, fat tears that spilled over her pale cheeks like diamonds.
"Mama!" she wailed, burying her face directly into Roxy's chest. "Mama... bwuful!"
"Oh, my heart!" Roxy gasped, dropping her fork and wrapping her arms around the child. "Oh, sweetie, don't cry! Mama is here! You are beautiful too! You are the smartest little snake in the world!"
She rocked back and forth, cooing softly, completely ignoring the five grown men staring at her.
Zarek let out a long, suffering exhale through his nose.
