The tall, black-haired giant beside her spoke
next. “I am Uriel, eldest of the Waresti.” His burnt orange eyes
moved from one girl to the next, his muscular arms crossed over his
broad chest. “We will guide you with a focus on strength and
confidence.”
When it was her turn to speak, the
mocha-skinned female beside Uriel nodded. Her warm brown eyes and
beautiful brown wings seemed quite natural in combination with her
complexion. Her blue gown was all the more stunning against such a
monochromatic backdrop. “I am Zayna, eldest of the Scultresti. We
will guide you with a focus on creativity and attention to
detail.”
Beside her, the much shorter and paler male
with lavender eyes and wings seemed luminescent. He had a
surprisingly deep voice when he spoke. “I am Sebastian, eldest of
the Lekwuesti. We will guide you with a focus on hospitality and
custom.”
Then it was Knorbis’ turn. “I am Knorbis,
eldest of the Wymzesti. We will guide you with a focus on intuition
and instinct.”
Gabriel watched as all of the sisters looked
at him. He smiled. “I am Gabriel, eldest of the Gloresti. We will
guide you with a focus on loyalty and defense.”
There was a moment of silence as the energy
circled the girls. Then Amber spoke. “As we will learn, so will we
teach. My sisters and I will guide you with a focus on love…”
“…hope…” Olivia intoned.
“…and joy,” Skye finished.
And then the energy centered itself over the
stone table between the sisters. It began to take on physical
shape, glowing…a bright, white light that became too intense to
watch. When Gabriel again opened his eyes, he saw several objects
on the table.
“These have been created specifically for
each of you,” Jabari intoned. “As your training commences, these
will be among the items you keep closest to you.”
Gabriel took a closer look at the table as
the sisters released each others’ hands and leaned over their
gifts. He realized there was nothing in front of Skye, but he
quickly understood why when she cupped her hands together over the
table and a ball of soft blue light appeared. She laughed in
delight and promptly started making the light appear and disappear.
Olivia reached down and picked up the bow and quiver that lay
before her. She looked rather disheartened. He guessed she had
never imagined using a weapon of any kind, never mind something as
archaic as a bow and arrow. Somehow, though, he figured with her
intense ability to concentrate that she would have quite the skill
with it.
His gaze shifted to Amber as she reached down
and took the hilt of the sword that had appeared in front of her.
She lifted it with confidence and appreciation for its weight and
form. The metal was unlike anything on the human plane. It shone
white with its luminosity, making the markings inscribed on the
blade gleam. The hilt had been wrapped in light brown leather and
thin black strips of leather for gripping. The pommel at the base
of the hilt was an orb of clear, honey brown amber. With an obvious
nod to her competitive karate training, the blade was gently curved
and shaped similarly to a katana. It wasn’t quite standard, though,
and he guessed it had been adjusted to better suit her.
Taking a step back, she engaged in a few dips
and swings to test the sword’s feel. A smile lit her face. Then she
switched her hold on the grip and suddenly broke into a flurry of
movement that left Gabriel breathless with awe. Her blade caught
the light, winking as she moved. Finally, she came to rest, one leg
extended slightly behind her while the other was bent a bit at the
knee in front of her. She held her sword above her head with her
right hand, the blade pointing forward. Her left hand was extended
as if she held an opponent at bay.
She stood up. “Thanks,” she said easily as
she studied the sword, obviously unaware of the fact that all eyes
in the stadium were transfixed on her. “This is great. Do I get to
keep it?”
“Okay, you two,” Amber said a short time
after the ceremony as she stood with Olivia and Skye in one of the
coliseum’s tunnels. “Why are you both staring at me like I have two
heads?”
Gabriel had taken James and Caleb aside so
that he could discuss the protection of the girls with them. Then
he was going to have to enter into a meeting with the other elders
to discuss what needed to be done now that the Becoming ceremony
had concluded and nearly everyone had departed. Because he wanted
to speak to the Gloresti privately, the sisters were stuck in the
lit tunnel until the males returned. Aurora sat at the end of the
tunnel to ensure no one entered who sought to harm them.
“Um…” Skye glanced at Olivia, who wore her
bow and quiver across her body as she had been instructed. The
middle sister looked highly uncomfortable and kept adjusting the
leather strap and bow string crossing her chest. “Well, we were
just wondering where you learned to use a sword like that.”
“Oh.” Amber blinked and instinctively brought
a hand to the hilt of her sword where it now rested in its sheath
against her left hip. “I practiced karate back in Georgia.”
Skye’s eyebrows lifted. “So you, like, fought
with swords and stuff? Like a ninja?”
Snorting, Amber shook her head. “Not like a
ninja. We didn’t use real ones. The only swords I ever used were
wooden or plastic. I’ve tried my hand with a bo, tonfa, nunchucks,
some sai. But usually we just used our hands and feet.” She looked
consideringly down at her sword. “In truth, I can’t explain how I
knew exactly what to do with the sword. It just kind of happened.
It felt right, I guess.”
Olivia smiled. “Well, you sure looked like
you could kick everyone’s ass.”
They all shared a laugh.
After a brief flash of her green eyes, Olivia
said, “The Orculesti who traveled with you is approaching, Amber.”
Aurora must have sent the information.
“Kanika? That’s weird. I figured she’d be
gone by now,” Amber mused, glancing up the tunnel toward the
entrance where Aurora sat.
Sure enough, the exotic Orculesti soon
appeared. She gave them all a cordial nod. “Hello, Olivia and Skye.
I do not know whether Amber mentioned me. I am Kanika, the
Orculesti who prepared her for the Becoming ceremony. It is a
pleasure to meet you both.”
“Thanks,” Olivia and Skye answered at the
same time.
Kanika turned to Amber. “Amber,
archigos
Gabriel asked me to come back when I mentioned to
him that we must prepare you.”
“Prepare me?” Amber echoed in confusion.
“Of course. For the…” she trailed off in
apparent thought. “Well, I believe humans call it the ‘wedding
night.’”
All of the color drained from Amber’s face,
only to then return in a hot flush. “Uh…”
“Oh my gosh,” Skye breathed, and then she
clapped her hands together, her eyes bright with excitement.
“Amber, you’re married!”
“Actually,” Kanika qualified as she took
Amber by the arm and began leading her further into the tunnel,
“Amber and Gabriel are
avowed
. That is a much stronger bond
than any sort of pairing found on the human plane. Once an avowed
pairing is made, it is never undone. Or so I understand, as we have
not experienced such a pairing in more centuries than many of us
have been in existence.”
“Can we come with you?” Olivia asked,
seemingly as excited as Skye. They were already following, so the
question was almost rhetorical.
“Of course,” Kanika responded to Olivia’s
question, not breaking stride. They turned a corner, the floating
lights above them spotlighting their progress. “You are Amber’s
sisters, after all. I am sure she would enjoy having you both
involved in this very ceremonious occasion.”
Amber’s knees felt like they were made of
Silly Putty, her mind frozen in shock as she absorbed this new
understanding of her connection with Gabriel. She didn’t know what
to say. For some reason, she hadn’t even considered the fact that
their vow exchange had been the Estilorian equivalent to a wedding.
It sure hadn’t resembled any wedding she had ever pictured. But she
had to acknowledge that the ceremony had been blatantly
powerful—and, of course, heartfelt.
So, what did this mean? That Gabriel was her
husband?
She struggled to contain her whirling
thoughts, not wanting him to be indirectly hurt by picking up on
her stunned disbelief as she settled her thoughts into alignment
with this unexpected information. Okay…so what? Sure, she had only
turned eighteen human years old. But she was apparently as
physically grown on this plane as she was ever going to get. And
she knew she loved Gabriel more than anything in the entire world.
They would have eventually gotten married on the human plane,
anyway. Was it really so crazy that she was now his wife?
Wife. Oh, boy.
They rounded another corner, and the haze
around her brain began to clear. She was completely unsure how long
they had been walking. A tingle at the back of her neck suddenly
put her on alert. She slowly removed her arm from Kanika’s grip,
trying not to draw attention to the action.
“I appreciate you doing this, Kanika,” she
said, glancing surreptitiously at Olivia and Skye. “But Gabriel
told us to wait for him in the tunnels until he came to get
us.”
“Oh, you know how males can be,” Kanika
returned with a dismissive wave. “He gave no thought to the need
for female preparation for the joining to come.”
Amber winced at the term “joining” and felt
her face flush again. They had reached some kind of inner chamber
at the end of the tunnel. The strange lights that had followed them
throughout the twisting tunnels didn’t progress ahead, however.
They remained outside the door leading to the black chamber.
“I think Amber’s right,” Skye said
uncertainly as she gazed into the darkness.
Belatedly, Amber remembered she had an easy
way to check out Kanika’s story. Before she could send out a
thought to Gabriel, however, Kanika gave her a strong shove from
behind, propelling her into the room.
Skye watched the Orculesti shove Amber into
the pitch-black chamber. She stood immobile with bewilderment that
rapidly changed to shock and alarm. From within the darkness of the
chamber, she heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and numbly
guessed it was Amber’s. Even as she registered that sound, she
watched Kanika’s green eyes flash into a violent red.
What the—?
The unmistakable sound of swords clashing
together came from inside the chamber, followed by a stunned gasp
of pain. It sounded like Amber. Kanika laughed, an unhinged sound.
All of this took place in only a couple of seconds.
“Skye,” Amber shouted urgently, and Skye’s
head whipped around, her eyes wide. “I need light!”
There were several more clinks of metal and
another intake of breath indicating pain. With less than a second’s
hesitation to gather her thoughts and courage, Skye took a deep
breath and then ran into the chamber.
And sent her energy flying.
Aurora!
Olivia sent out the frantic thought the
second she saw Kanika’s eyes turn red. The call seemed to echo
oddly in her head. She knew, of course, the moment that Amber had
been so forcefully shoved into the dark room that something wasn’t
right. But her trusting, human mind had tried to somehow
rationalize it. Maybe this was some strange part of the Estilorian
preparation process, she thought in confusion. But when the sounds
of Amber’s distress bounced to them, prompting the unnatural laugh
from the Orculesti, she knew her initial instinct had been
right.
“Skye, I need light!”
Amber’s command had Olivia feeling inadequate
and unprepared. But she was so very proud of her youngest sister
when she turned toward the pitch black chamber and ran in, her
entire body somehow radiating light.
As Skye ran, Olivia shouted, “Aurora!” And
prayed the cat heard her.
Kanika issued a scream when the bright light
touched her. Olivia realized that whatever Skye was doing was
physically injuring the other female.
Then Aurora’s hair-raising cry cut through
the tunnel, making Kanika scream for another reason altogether.
Olivia stood, all but forgotten, as the Orculesti tossed a
terrified glance over her shoulder toward where she knew the white
panther approached and then turned to run into the chamber.
Olivia ran after her.
Amber finally got to see her opponent when
Skye made her magnificent appearance. Of course, by then she was
unarmed and as vulnerable as a newborn babe.
When Kanika shoved her into the chamber, she
instinctively turned the forward momentum into a somersault that
returned her to her feet. And, because she sensed at least one
other presence in the room, she unsheathed her sword even as she
found her balance.
Of course, she had trained in lit rooms,
facing opponents on equal footing. She was entirely out of her
element. Still, when she felt the slash of a blade coming toward
her, she allowed instinct to guide her and deflected it. She
deflected two more slashes before she missed and a blaze of pain
blossomed along her right hip and waistline.
Knowing she was in trouble, she frantically
tried to send out a thought to Gabriel and felt it circle back to
her mind. What was going on? Was she too far away from him or
something?
As she called out to Skye for help, she
sensed the blade coming at her again. She managed to parry that
slash and get in a slash of her own, then felt the opposing blade
slice her again, this time along the inside of her right forearm.
Her nerve endings damaged by the deep cut, she dropped her
weapon.
About that time, the room flooded with light.
She saw her opponent in full relief: Black tank, pants and boots,
bald head, red eyes, savagely scarred features and muscles enough
to do any bodybuilder proud. His sword was as black as onyx and
wickedly curved. Just like Kanika, he was physically affected when
Skye’s light touched him. He was forced to shield his eyes and he
gave a quick grunt of pain. She could only assume because his eyes
were red and none of the eight classes that they had met thus far
had been represented by that color that she was facing a
Mercesti.