“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.
Chapter 9
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.”