Athalia stood before me like a piece of art, her features frozen, preserved in stone for eternity. I felt sad that she'd been so desperate to be the best, to beat my mother. Although she wanted to be beautiful, desired, chosen...
With her face twisted in that expression of rage... the only thing preserved was ugliness.
"This is all your fault! Yours!" Regina cried, reaching to try to harm me.
"Had your mother's command been granted, our world would remain covered by ice," Luke growled at Regina as he took my arm and put himself in front of me.
Aisa sighed over the commotion and addressed the people. "Enough Regina. Your mother still lives beneath that stone. I shall find a way to release her."
"Really, Mother Oak?" Regina sounded so relieved.
But, how could you reverse something like that? I knew that no matter how powerful the Trees were, they weren't the Creator.
She didn't have the power to reverse fate.
Aisa addressed the crowd, looking like a benevolent lady. "Although purity is everything in our world, I have been magnanimous. Even if Madeline fails, which she will, her magic will still be a key to save us â I have no doubt." she beamed at them like Glinda the Good Witch. "I realize I must never forget Aleria. I am doing my best to bring back our beautiful land."
"So, if you're so sure that I'm going to fail, then why am I taking the trials, Duir?"
"Priana foresaw you needed to take part," said a melodious voice.
I looked up as four figures came on the stage - three men and one woman. The oldest man had features similar to my mother and aunt, so that must have been Grandpa. Parson stood next to grandpa, and next to him, I saw a man with ram horns on his head and a sheep's lower body. The woman was an albino, with pinkish-blue eyes and angelic wings. She must have been the Seraph that Luke mentioned.
"I accept this child's place in them as a part of the Winter Court," Priana said.
"As part of the Spring Court, I agree with Priana." The sheep-man said. It was his voice I had heard.
"I as well...as part of the Autumn Court and the underworld," Parson said with a nod towards me. I wouldn't say I liked the way his gaze devoured me, and I stepped closer to Ciaran. Parson gave me a look of contrition. "If my son was here, I'm sure all this could have been avoided. Sadly Ios wasn't able to attend after all."
I wasn't sad at all. I felt relieved by the news.
My grandfather humphed and said nothing at all. They had outvoted him, but the censure hurt. He refused to look at me.
A soft murmur ran through the crowd, the tension thick as the high priestess, Valenia, called the hall to attention. Her eyes glittered with something sharp, something dangerous, as she regarded me. It was clear that the Consul accepting me wasn't part of their plan.
"The trials begin now," she announced, her voice echoing through the chamber. "The Becoming awaits each Elect. The Creator will decide who is worthy."
She looked like she was struggling with something as she eyed the Consul. "And, the Consul has agreed that Elect Madeline shouldn't have to take the test of purity. We'll leave that out."
I felt my shoulders sag in relief, but then Aisa flashed in front of me faster than my eyes could track and slashed the ceremonial blade against my hand. Ciaran pushed her back, but she'd already done the deed. I held my hand against me and covered it with my other.
"Eternal Mother! Why?" Valenia was aghast.
"Come now, it was barely a scratch," Aisa said as she dusted off the spot where Ciaran had touched her. "Let's see it. I'm not going to let you even put a pinky on the stone if you're not pure. I'd hate to see you die from a bolt of lightning or something. Who knows what you've been up to. "
Up to that point, I'd been hoping that this was all one of Aisa's jokes.
But there it was. She'd cared nothing about me, only about what she could get from me. There was a question of what purity meant in this land.
If it was defined as being physical with someone... then... I likely would fail.
I trembled, and I felt my power trying to seek dead souls. But this entire world was soulless.
With a sigh of release, I decided I didn't care what they thought. Luis thought no less of me, and neither did Adrian or Dominic. I hoped the rest of my court thought the same, but it didn't matter. I dropped my uninjured hand and put my injured one up high. Then I opened the fist I held up to let the crowd see my palm.
The assembly gasped and murmured amongst themselves. I looked down at my hand and shoved it triumphantly towards Aisa. It was unmarked. Perhaps Ciaran had healed it as quick as she cut it, or maybe I was an exception. Whichever the reason, she now had no reason to deny me.
She was fuming, and I was glad.
"Very well!" she shouted. "Anoint your court with the oil and speak the vows. If the stone burns you up when you pour the water on it, don't say I didn't warn you!"
With the chalice in my hands, the sacred oil was cool, shimmering against my fingers. It smelled of jasmine and sandalwood, heady and rich. One by one, I moved toward my court, the people I trusted most, the ones I was bound to, and would be bound to even deeper after tonight.
I stood before Luis first, my heart stuttering at the sight of him. His brown eyes held mine with a steady warmth. He always was handsome, but with his hair slicked back, and in his fancy clothes, he looked devastating.
Luis had always been the constant in my life, the first one to take my side. To protect me.
He looked so fierce, so handsome. His unruly mop of hair had been gelled back for a while, but some of his curls had sprung free. It made him appear dangerous and sexy. His eyes flashed red as he lowered his gaze to my lips. Then he nodded once in consent and clenched his jaw.
I touched his forehead with the oil then said the oath. "Body to my Body, Soul to my Soul, Forever Joined in Purity."
As I pressed the oil to his forehead, my fingers trembling slightly, a soft glow appeared, the outline of a petal blooming on his brow. My breath caught in my throat. What was he thinking?
I wondered if he resented me for what this ceremony represented. I could feel his hesitation even before he spoke.
He clasped my hand, his voice low and filled with a mix of emotions. "I have always been the first in your heart." His grip tightened, and for a moment, I felt both angry and embarrassed that he'd known, but never said anything.
I started to pull my hands away, but he held fast. "I want that to stay the same. I hate the thought of sharing you." His eyes flickered, clouded by frustration. "But... I also can't let you do this alone. I just hope that this doesn't ruin us."
His words hit hard. He had always been the one I counted on, but his vow was laced with the possibilities neither of us could escape.
I didn't want to lose him.
I had a feeling I might.
I kissed Luis's forehead to confirm the seal, and he lifted his head and touched my cheek, the passion blazed hotter, and the silken ties multiplied. My heart stuttered in my chest.
Adrian was next. His hazel eyes watched me, filled with questions he didn't know how to ask. The oil on my fingertips felt heavier as I touched it to his dark brown skin.The petal appeared slowly, as if unsure of its place. I could feel his uncertainty, the hesitation in the air between us.
Adrian's voice was quiet. "You're my Ace, Matt. You've always been in my thoughts. I've searched for you for so long... But..." He looked down, his brow furrowing. "I don't know if this is the best thing for us to do. "
My chest tightened at his words. How could I reassure him when I didn't even understand my own heart? His vow was tentative, like a thread stretching too thin. "I promise... I'll try to make this work. I'll stand by you. I'll do my best."
The petal solidified, but there was a fragility to it that mirrored the uncertainty hanging between us. He was afraid of failing me. And part of me was afraid of failing him too.
Dominic's presence gave me a sense of comfort that I needed after dealing with Adrian and Luis. As I approached him, my heart gave a small, traitorous flutter.
When had I fallen for him?
The oil shimmered on my fingers as I touched his brow, and a soft golden glow bloomed, the petal forming quickly, naturally.
Dominic smiled, a quiet tenderness in his gaze as he spoke. "You're my home. Wherever you are, I will be." His voice was steady, but there was an emotion beneath it, something that pulled at me. "I've loved you from the moment I met you, and I'll love you until my last breath. I swear, I will always be there for you, to protect you, to cherish you. You are everything to me."
His words washed over me like a balm, his love so simple, so sure. Why hadn't I seen it sooner?
I turned to Erick next. His aquamarine eyes were hazy, filled with regret.
The oil on my fingers felt heavy as I struggled with my feelings. Of anyone in my court, deciding to marry Erick felt like the worst mistake.
Erick's voice was thick with emotion, his words stumbling. "I've messed up more than I can say, Matt. But I swear, I'll make things right. I'll stand by you, even when I don't deserve to." His hand found mine, his grip strong, determined. "I'll protect you, always, even if it's from myself."
I touched my finger to his forehead, once again uncertain if I was making a mistake.
Luke was next, his hand already extended toward mine. I should have been angry with this man. He'd brought me here without consent. I almost died because of Emerlee.
I looked up at him, and he bent lower so that I could reach his forehead. After a few moments of struggling within myself, I relented and touched his forehead.
His pale green eyes held mine as I anointed him. As the petal bloomed on his forehead, his vow was as certain as his presence.
"Although you came to me through the worst sort of circumstance, you are my queen," Luke said, his voice unwavering. "I swear to serve you with everything I am, to protect you from anyone who seeks to harm you. No one will stand against you while I breathe."
Seeing his earnest face, a little piece of the ice around my heart towards him melted. Although Emerlee had gotten close, Luke had come to help, even if it was a little late.
Finally, I stood before Ciaran. His eyes swirled with those opalescent colors as he smirked. He reminded me of the fae in books. He was the very essence of "The Wilds", and I once again felt like I was taking up a livewire into my hands by joining with him. As I pressed the oil to his skin, the glow that appeared was warm, golden, like sunlight breaking through the trees.
Ciaran's voice was a murmur, just for me. "I am delighted to learn just what you are," he whispered, his breath brushing my cheek. "I know that you'll be the one to save us. To save me. I will follow you wherever you go, be whatever you need, and give you all that I am."
I felt... like nature itself had come to rest in my lap. It took me a moment for me to get over my shock and worry that such a man thought I could save him.
Save him from what?
With my banmuinen, I had to anoint their hands with oil, and a mark appeared on their right hand. They renewed their vow to be my faithful ladies, and I kissed their palms that would be working in service for me.
I felt pretty satisfied after I finished all that. But, of course, Aisa had to ruin it.
"With only six, you are incomplete. You will lose if you do not find your seventh and bring that person to the temple before the third trial. For, you must have all the stones to place in the crown. All your consorts must give them to you." Aisa said.
"I know. Can I finish this, please?" My eyeroll was epic.
She humphed before pointing at the stone. I was supposed to pour holy water out on it, then sing out a single note. The stone was supposed to resonate with the note if I was accepted.
I approached the stone and stood before it. It didn't seem particularly menacing - just an average square stone, even though it was enormous. I poured the water over it and flinched back, expecting some wild reaction. Nothing happened except the water soaked into the stone, making it look dry again.
I drew in my breath and closed my eyes. My consorts formed a circle with me, and we all held hands. Then I sang the single note.
Nothing happened, and I could hear chuckling. Of course, it wouldn't work. How could a half-breed make the rock sing?