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.