Secret Worlds (306 page)

“Athair,” he said. His lips stretched into another smile, fading as quickly as it appeared. “You never called Tarn father.”

“No, I didn’t. That’s because he forbid it, and to be honest, he was a sorry excuse for a father.”

“Well, I’d be honored if you were to call me Athair.” He smiled again.

“Then it’s settled. Athair it is!”

Marren walked in with a rush. His eyes wide with worry, which increased when he saw me on my knees on the balcony floor. He ran up to me. “Are you alright, Relena?”

“I’m fine, just another cramp.”

His arms wrapped underneath mine and lifted me to my feet. He placed several quick kisses all over my face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’ll try not to leave your side for long until the change happens.”

“Do you think it’s going to happen so soon?” I asked, a little anxious.

“The moon will be at its fullest tonight. It’s quite possible with what you’ve been experiencing, you will change.”

My heart flipped fitfully with the idea. I tried to hide it from Marren, but it was too late. He tightened his arms around me.

I said, “Better to get it done and over with, right?”

He let out a nervous chuckle. “Right. First, we need to prepare you so you can be presented to the Ancients.”

“What will it be like?” Returning to this subject filled me with renewed apprehension. “Won’t they just kill me if they want me dead?”

“They’ll go through me first.” He spoke with a seriousness that was both a challenge and a threat.

“What happens if you die? What then?”

“You’ll soon follow.”

I narrowed my eyes at him more confused than before. “What is to stop them from just killing you and going straight for me? I don’t understand.”

“They don’t contain the courage to kill me, and because you and I share a heart song—which is exceptionally rare in my world—whenever you die, I will follow. My spirit has found you and thusly, can’t live without you.”

“You’ve survived hundreds of years without me just fine,” I said.

“Until I found you. As soon as you were born, I was overcome with a desire to find you. Once I did, it was only a matter of waiting it out.” He released me and turned to Enid. “How much did you tell her?”

“I didn’t go over the presentation to the Ancients yet.”

Marren nodded. “You will face each of the Ancients. They’ll search for anything to disprove you. They’ll do this by peering into your soul and your mind, searching for anything accusing you of casting enchantments on me, or I on you. They’ll also glimpse into your past and your future.”

“Each one is going to intrude into my mind?” I asked.

“You must let them,” Marren said. “Not everyone will do the same thing. Only Joe’n has the ability to read minds. She’s the Ancient of the elves, but she also governs the races of fae, sprites, and gnomes. Jiren is a Denai. He’ll be trying to find fault in your energy. Ildir, who is not here, is the Ancient of dwarves. The only skill he has is wielding an axe and manipulating stone and metal. Blyl is a serpentine who governs the drakes as well as other serpentines. He’ll be the one poking into your past and future. Lastly, Gurth, governs the goblins. He’s also not here.”

“Aren’t the Denai blood drinking vampires?”

He chuckled. “No. Only some Denai turn into vampires. Jiren transcended into energy, allowing him to take any form he wishes, though he has to consume the energy of what he intends to become.”

I nodded. “Are there any more Ancients I need to be aware of?”

“There’s me. All therianthropes and the races who chose to follow me, like the centaurs and tree spirits. You don’t need to worry about me though. I’ve already found what I was looking for.” He pulled me back into his arms and held me.

“We better get started. We only possess but a handful of hours before sundown,” Enid said, the warning within his words were clear.

I tried to pull away, but Marren wouldn’t allow it.

“Marry me,” he whispered into my ear.

“I told you last night I already had.”

“Not in my terms.”

“Don’t you think we should wait and discuss this after I get presented to the Ancients and after I’ve made the first change? You never know, the whole process could kill me.”

“The change won’t kill you. It’ll only seem like it. You won’t die while being presented to the Ancients either. I promise you’ll survive.”

I smiled and tried to gaze past my own reflection in his eyes.

“Marry me?” he whispered again.

“I will…someday.”

He picked me up and spun me in a circle. “
Gvgeyu waya uwoduhi
.”

I relished the way those words buzzed around me.

He kissed me deeply but nowhere near long enough. “I need to get the ballroom ready. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

He stepped out the door as I joined Enid at the table to be prepared for my presentation to the Ancients.

My heart lurched forward with each step down the stairs. I only had an idea of what to expect and didn’t feel prepared. Luckily, not a whole lot was involved. Yet, after a few times going over what would happen and the symbolism of it, I still wasn’t ready. I had to remain open to the Ancients, and I had to remain polite, which I understood the reasoning behind. They had the power to say yes or no to my crossing over into the immortal realm, and they also had the power to destroy me…and Marren.

Halfway down the stairs, I started to feel faint. It’s out of character for me to get this worked up over anything. I had to assume my body was under so much stress, going through the difficult process of changing, it couldn’t handle the added stress of meeting creatures thought to no longer exist. Of course, I suppose that would be nerve-wracking to begin with. I also fought off nausea from the last strike of cramps that happened before leaving the room. I’d be lucky to make it out without retching, not to mention the possibility of losing my life.

“Are you okay?” Marren spoke under his breath.

I nodded. It was all I could do while clinging desperately to his arm and the railing on the way down the stairs. Besides, he knew my feelings because he could sense them as well.

“Don’t worry, they will believe us. Remember, we have nothing to hide.” I nodded again, letting out a deep breath of air through pursed lips.

We reached the landing and turned toward the sealed doors of the ballroom without as much as a slight cramp or slip of my feet. Two servants stood guard, dressed in white shirts with dark green long vests, black sashes with strands of silver woven throughout and tied around their waists, tan pants, and black boots. Their faces were shadowed by huge purple hats with white, gold and blue feathers bound to the brims. The sight made me falter slightly as my anxieties rose much higher.

“Marren, this seems like a much bigger ordeal than you led me to believe. This seems much more like a ceremony,” I said.

“Ceremonies frighten you?” he asked, sensing my nerves within his own. “It’s only a formality. It doesn’t change the meaning any. And it doesn’t make it any more or less than it is. We just need to pass their first impressions. The bigger threat comes when we cross over.”

“Great,” I muttered.
That did not assure me, Marren.

From the corner of my eye, Marren’s head nodded once. The two servants on each side of the doors opened their side, stepping in to allow us through. Marren walked us to the middle of the room then turned us to face the line of Ancients sitting in a row of three chairs, centered on a dais. My heart nearly stilled as my eyes set on the company scrutinizing me.

Marren’s hand lifted, with mine on top, as he escorted me to stand in front of them with no more than a few breadths of space in between. Each one was terrifying to gaze upon and, at the same time, captured me in awe with their beauty and magnificence. Perhaps those things were requirements of being an Ancient. Marren lowered our hands, letting them touch slightly at the tips—giving me a direct line to his calming emotions. I closed my eyes, letting my body drink in as much as I could—and just as quickly, opened my eyes with a sigh.

“Welcome, Marren and Relena.” The woman spoke first, voice as soft as a flower, even though I recognized she would show her thorns if provoked. From my conversation with Enid, she was Joe’n, Ancient of the elves, gnomes, sprites, and fae. She sat between the two other Ancients.

Her long snow white hair glittered in the light of the room. It was pulled back and bound by a golden circlet. Her eyes were as grey as the Peaks of Domar but beautiful against high cheekbones and smooth creamy skin that held a faint bluish glow. A cuff in the shape of a golden maple leaf adorned her straight, pointed ears. The tips of the leaves appeared connected to the circlet.

Her thin lips were pale, giving hints to her ferocity—the force of her power. Most of her clothing remained hidden underneath a shimmering silver robe, with billowing bell sleeves. I wagered it was soft as rose petals. I could easily see Danst in her features. It made me wonder why I hadn’t spotted the difference in him before.

“Thank you, Joe’n.” Marren bowed slightly at the waist. “I present to you Relena, my heart song.”

No one could mistake the pride held in his voice when he spoke of me. A smile tugged my lips and almost made myself forget to bow as well. I did so, hoping my delay didn’t offend her.

Joe’n stood from her seat, allowing the fall of soft white cloth to pour around her like milk. I realized her robes were a part of her dress, joined under her breast by a golden clasp appearing like an ivy twisted together and stretched around her torso. The end of her robes curved up slightly, resting on the surface of the flowing white. She moved smooth and graceful as she glided toward me. She stood taller than me, extremely slender and smelled of honeysuckle.

She brought her hands in front of herself. “Give me your hands, child.”

I slid my shaking hands into hers. Even her skin was as smooth as silk. Everything about her spoke of a balance between grace and beauty and terrifying and compelling. She closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side as if she listened to something outside my ability to hear. Slowly, she opened her eyes and removed her hands from mine.

“Look into my eyes,” her voice softly commanded. I peered into the stone greys, getting swept into the raging sea. The rushing currents of grey swirled together in a maelstrom of chaos.

Do not fear, child. Your heart and soul are pure.

Shock filled me with the sound of her voice, soft as a whisper, inside my head, speaking as a mother whispering to her child while she slept. I smiled and bowed again. She lowered her head toward me with a faint stretch in her lips, making her even more beautiful, and returned to her seat.

“Welcome, Marren and Relena.” The next one spoke in a raspy voice, sounding as though a whisper echoed beneath his words and more than one voice speaking at once. From what I could recall, Blyl, the Serpentine Ancient, stood before me. He kept his head hidden under the hood of his light brown robes. They were sleeveless, making me grateful for his hidden identity. The serpentine’s arms seemed human but were green and scaled from the wrist up and thick with muscle. I wondered if his features were as horrifying.

“Thank you, Blyl,” Marren said and bowed at the waist again. “I present to you Relena, my heart song.”

Again, I smiled as the level of adoration shone clear in his voice. This time, I bowed while smiling.

He removed himself from his chair, bringing my previous assumption to rest in a horrifying way. Instead of legs, he had a tail—like a snake. He slithered, swaying left to right, then stood right in front of me, no taller than Marren. His eyes caught the light of the room from beyond his hood. Shining like bright golden-green orbs with a diamond shaped pupil, he considered me closely. I forced back the shudder from the chill creeping up my spine and tickled my nape. He moved his hood back enough for me to get a glimpse of his human-like face and green scales for skin with all the shapes that resembled human and raised bumps over his eyes in place of eyebrows.

“Let me see your hands,” he spoke.

I obliged and sucked in a breath of shock at the contrast between Joe’n’s skin and his. His were incredibly cold. He flipped my palms up, studying them closely then removed his hands from mine and said, “Look into my eyes.”

I did, as difficult as it was. His uncomfortable touch caused the sensation of my skin crawling away from me. He intruded into my head, poking around and reaching into the deepest darkest recesses of my mind, opening and closing doors. He seemed desperate to find something and yet became agitated as he went on not finding it. A small panic sent my heart racing faster. I worried we forgot to go over or something was supposed to be there and wasn’t. Finally, he blinked, ending the trance on me.

“So be it,” he said.

I bowed again, uneasy on my wobbling legs, and I had one more Ancient left to pass. Blyl bowed his head toward me, replaced his hood, and returned to his seat.

“Welcome, Marren and Relena.” The final one spoke. His tone set me immediately on edge. It came off as cocky, unnecessarily loud, and crude. He was the Ancient Marren warned me about the most.

“Thank you, Jiren.” Marren bowed. “I present to you Relena, my heart song.”

A tone in Marren’s words laid hidden beneath the same level of pride he spoke with the first two times. It came off threatening, like a challenge.

I bowed respectfully and waited for him to approach.

I couldn’t make out anything noteworthy or spectacular about the appearance of Jiren. He seemed as regular as any human, cloaked in robes with only his round face remaining exposed. His reddish blond eyebrows loomed over bright green eyes, arched with a sort of superiority that made him seem as though he held himself above everyone in the room. His lips were uneven in the way of what should have been stout peaks above the bottom lip were two mere hills resting on top of a thick mound of flesh. His firm jaw jutted toward me. I hardened my resolve as a blaze lit inside my gut. He may hold my life in his hands and the decision to allow me inside the immortal realm, but that in no way made him better than me.