by Kenna Bardot
And that's when I found my answer. Yes, I would have waited for them for a century. If I'd had to, I'd have found a way to get to them in the Unwanted Lands. Because they'd shown me that. They'd shown me they would have been willing to go anywhere for me. And I knew I had to know because I had to hear from their lips I'd been wrong, that they had really waited for me.
Even though my heart already knew the answer, I needed to talk to them so my head could catch up with it.
"This is great! She’s my friend so I can help convince her that the two of you deserve to be together.”
He laughed. "Thanks, Mireyah. Let's hope she sees that soon enough."
And much as I didn't believe in meddling, I was willing to make an exception.
✽✽✽
We spent a pleasant hour in each other’s company, just reading in silence before Oryn had to go. When he had left me alone, I tried to keep on reading my book but I couldn't find the energy to keep at it as it wasn't holding my interest as much as I hoped it would.
I stood from my nook and realized that they'd be bringing out the tea soon. If there was anything I loved in Sylfeshire more than anything, it was that we had constant access to tea. It was also a good time to look for Lysandra and Astraea. Perhaps I could tempt them with pastries, which was the least they could do for the cookies they brought me the other night.
I walked towards the middle of the outside lounging area, ignoring the way the Sylfes wrapped themselves around the various Gods and Goddesses who were loitering around or of the way hands crept under skirts or sheer tops. It wasn't a world I wanted to be part of and, luckily, was one I'd been able to avoid.
I stopped just under the overhang and just as I'd hoped, the tray of tea and snacks had been brought out but largely ignored given the fact that the Gods were busy feasting on the Sylfes, lavishing in the attention. I took a plate of delicious looking iced cakes and a cup of tea before wandering towards the entrance to go back in. I wonder where my two friends were hiding this time?
Useful for escaping Sylfic duties, but it led to not having access to the glorious daily snacks.
I stood in the middle of a deserted hallway that I'd heard them talk about at some point. I looked at the ceiling, listened for a bit before smiling. "I have cake."
A head popped out of an abandoned room, eyes glaring at me as it did so. "Well, bitch, hand it over or suffer the consequences."
I walked over and pulled the door open, walking into the room only to be met by the sight of Astraea and Lysandra with books and paper. Lysandra looked to be busily reading thick books, while Astraea was making rather beautiful drawings.
I sat down at the table, dropping the plate of cakes on the table as I did so. "What I don't understand is how the two of you can escape your Sylfic duties so effectively. What is it? No one looks for you anymore?"
Lysandra dove for the plate of tiny cakes and plucked one out before eating the entire thing in one bite. She chewed quickly before swallowing with a satisfied look in her eyes. "Well, they've basically given up. I'm nearly out of here and with no sign that things with me will change. And Astraea there is just a little coward. Besides, she’s Descendant-born." Her head swiveled around and she glared at the cup I held in my hand. "Where's our tea?"
I took a sip of mine but held it out of her reach the moment I finished sipping. "I only have two hands, Lysandra. Be glad I brought you cake, you unerring sweet tooth."
"Anyway, speaking of cowards," I trailed off and looked towards Astraea, who had gone quiet, her fingers slack on the pencil she held in her hand. "I met him today."
"Did you?" Lysandra's voice had gone soft, and she'd stopped in her act of eating the cake she had in her hand. She used it to point towards Astraea but reached out with her other hand to grasp our friend's limp drawing hand. "He's disgustingly devoted to her."
"Lysandra," I admonished her, shaking my head at the words she used. She shrugged and popped the cake in her mouth.
"It's fine, Mireyah. What Lysandra says isn't exactly untrue. I have called his devotion to me disgusting. Not because of him, but because of me. I don't understand what he sees in me. It's not like I'm a catch." She propped her elbow on the table and buried her face in her hand.
"Astraea -" Lysandra started but Astraea held out a hand to stop her, looking back up with eyes ravaged with despair. "It's not exactly an honour to fight for and attach yourself to a fallen Descendant, the very personification of a failure."
"You're not a failure, Astraea," Lysandra shot up and stomped a foot on the ground, "and no, I won't stop. You underestimate yourself far too much. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you didn't want to be a Tovenaar, but that doesn't mean you call yourself garbage. Because you aren't."
"Lysandra's right. What he feels for you is so obvious, it's a wonder that you don't feel it even from here. But it's something you deserve. I'm not saying all Tovenaars are bad, but if you weren't comfortable being a part of that house, how does that lead to you having to become nothing? Lysandra is different because it's what she wants. Are you going to sit there and tell me that's what you want most out of anything?" My voice broke, emotions trying hard to break free.
"I'm not ready."
"Will you ever be? Mother Caprice is coming back this week, I’ve heard, and she will want to talk to you. Allow yourself to be ready. You keep telling me about being open but perhaps you should give yourself the same advice," I shot back but Astraea just picked her pencil back up and started drawing.
Lysandra patted the back of her hand a soft pat before throwing me a sad smile. "So did Oryn Kald help you get in your proper headspace, Mireyah?" Lysandra, shoulders still a little tense, tripped over the words.
"I suppose. He made me see some truths I was too afraid to see." Lysandra raised an eyebrow but didn't ask me. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
I didn't want to think about what was coming the next day. Because I was in denial that it would happen. "As I ever will be."
"So not much?"
I laughed and pushed the plate towards her along with my cup of tea that had now gone cold. "Just eat your cake."
Chapter 13
Mireyah
As I took in a trembling, deep breath, I had to wonder how Lysandra knew me so well, because she hadn't been wrong the day before. I was not ready for what the day had in store for me.
"Ready, Mireyah?" Colm peered down at me as we waited by the door that led to the outside. Through the windows, I could hear the chirping of birds. The sun speared through the same hallway and made sunspots dance on the hallway.
"I wish everyone would stop asking me that." I threw him a big smile that showed plenty of teeth. "Because, I'm not ready. I don't understand how anyone could ever be ready for this."
"Well, some Sylfes are excited for this day. You look like you’re being sent to the Unwanted Lands," he observed.
"Well, really," I hissed as I narrowed my eyes at him, "how can that be helped? I have to deal with fucking Ashric Tovenaar during this entire ordeal. As if it wasn't enough of a fucking ordeal, already!"
'You're not wrong." Colm quieted down when Caprice appeared and gestured all of us to follow her out by the fountain. My knees knocked together even as I walked behind her, succeeded by all the other staff of Sylfeshire.
In front of the fountain were Ashric, Lathyn and my guys. The joy surged inside me to be trampled by the trepidation.
"Lathyn Majele, Charolais Vide, Shephard Tempestas, Ryle Karfi, Tate Nastroj, Hollis Svadeni and Ashric Tovenaar, I thank all of you for your presence. You were given five days to think about your decisions. Think about what you entered when you decided that you would undergo the Sire Trials for the Sylfe, Mireyah. By your presence today, you are cementing your commitment to this endeavor.”
She raised her hands. “For tonight, we formalize the start of your Judgment - the Sire Trials. This journey will test all aspects of you to see if you are worthy of Siring a Sylfe and a wife in Mireyah Sylfe.”
<
br /> I heard Caprice walk towards me, feeling her stop just beside me and grasp my hand. "And you, Mireyah, they have given themselves to you." She held out a hand palm up and on it sat seven shiny gems of varying shapes. One blue teardrop, a white swirl, purple diamond, a golden square, silver circle, red sun and black shard. She waved her hand, and they flew out of her hand. They glimmered and glowed, encircling me before winking out. I felt a warmth on my left ear and reached up to touch - it felt hot against my hand.
"Majele," Caprice said and in my reflection in the fountain's water, I could see the blue gem shimmering on the flourish at the end of the intricate wiring that made up my ear cuff. "Vide," as the white gem wrapped around the wire above the blue.
And thus it continued until a shard of black topped the wire, shining like an upside down obsidian tear. With every addition, it had felt like a burden, a challenging burden. "As much as they need to earn the right to become your Sire, you must prove that you are worthy to be Sired. Remember that there is nothing you can hide from me."
She turned towards the men. "Ready yourselves, dear children. For the right to Sire is a right that is never given lightly."
"Mireyah Sylfe, I will see you in six weeks. Take this time to prepare yourself before we formally start the Sire Trials. Honor the seven gems that adorn your ear. To you all, farewell and be well." And just like that, she was gone.
✽✽✽
Charolais
I tried to sneak glances of Mireyah as I approached Colm at his place at the front of the room, where he waited to see if any Gods would declare for any of the Sylfes waiting for Declarations. It was a duty he took up as much as possible, which is why it galled me that Ashric had declared for Mireyah.
I looked forward to the day that I could annihilate him for trying to scare her. For touching what was not his to touch.
In the meantime, Colm Svadeni's lack of interference did not sit right with me. I meant to argue with him about the fact that Ashric might be allowed to compete for her, but we also needed to speak with him regarding our time with Mireyah. As potential Sires, it entitled us to spending private time with her before the events the Sire trials unfolded. Because of the unusual nature of our group Declaration, Colm and Caprice had declared that we would need to choose a representative from the five of us that would get to spend the time with her.
I had determined that it would not happen that way.
We hadn't waited years to all be together again, only to be kept apart during the limited time we had together.
I approached him, feeling the other four at my back like silent, supportive sentries. He sighed as we stepped in front of him, turning to one of the guards nearby. "Fetch me if anyone seeks to make a Declaration. If I’m unreachable, you can call Edlynne or Fintan." The guard nodded, and Colm turned back to us. "Let's take this to my office."
We followed him. Somewhere, somehow, Caprice materialized from the crowd like she’d known that it was to be an important conversation. Colm shoved open his office door, and we all filed in. When he entered and closed it behind him, the large room suddenly felt too small with all seven of us crammed inside it. Shep and Ryle seemed even more massive with the limited space.
I wanted nothing more than to jump in and start the conversation, but I forced myself to wait until Colm sat and felt situated in his space. Like it gave him any power in the circumstances.
We would not leave without his consent for us to visit with Mireyah as a group.
"What can I do for the five of you?" he asked, steepling his hands in front of him.
The others remained silent, knowing that I would be the one to speak in this situation. Hollis twitched like he might want to take the lead, given the fact that the Svadeni on the other side of the desk was likely a very distant relative, but even he knew to keep his mouth shut.
"Ashric Tovenaar," I said calmly. "He cannot be allowed to touch Mireyah. It is your duty to protect her from harm. Do you not take that duty seriously enough? Or do you not see the threat he poses to her?" The words weren't as indifferent as I'd wanted them to be, but the tone with which I delivered them remained as empty as ever. Only Mireyah could bring me to life, make the numbness that constantly encased me fade.
Colm nodded, seemingly not interested in reacting to my attempt to anger him. "I see the threat he poses, and I too am dissatisfied that he makes her feel unsafe. However, there is nothing I can do. I am bound by the laws of Sylfeshire. I cannot interfere, but you can rest assured that Lathyn Majele will never allow him to win. Nothing will keep him from winning Mireyah, especially not a single, new God who does not understand the power he wields. Mireyah will have a Sire who cares for her, and will treat her well."
"Mireyah will not be Sired by Lathyn Majele," Shephard spat, going against our agreement that I would be the only one to talk. "She has been ours since Godsvail, and no one will stand in our way of claiming her."
I held up a hand, silencing my tumultuous friend. "Whether it is us or Lathyn Majele who Sires her should be irrelevant at this point. Part of the same duty that you so explicitly indicate prevents you from interfering where Ashric is concerned also requires you to remain impartial and not show favoritism. So which is it, Colm? Are you bound by the laws of Sylfeshire, or are you free to do as you please?" From the corner of my eye, I watched Tate cross his arms over his chest, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. It indicated Colm's increasing displeasure at having to deal with me.
"I am impartial." Colm grimaced, casting his eyes to Caprice momentarily. Her own lips tipped up in what seemed like the beginning of a smile, though it appeared she might have been out of practice.
"Good," I returned. "We Declared for Mireyah as a unit, and we intend to Sire her as a unit. I expect that we may visit with her as a unit."
Colm hung his head briefly. "That's very unorthodox."
"I grant that it is, but I've read the bylaws of Sylfeshire, focusing especially on the section that defines everything to do with the Declarations and the Sire Trials. I'm positive I saw nothing in them to show that it was not allowed. And as you said, you are impartial. Restricting our visitation in such a way wouldn't lend me to believe that." Colm gripped the edges of his desk, the first outward sign of his growing anger. Shephard straightened at my side, as if it may come to blows.
But Colm wasn't a man who fought. Like Hollis, he was a lover. "Do you have feelings for her?" Hollis asked, and Colm's anger faded from his face at the question.
"No," he answered, and Tate nodded at my side, sensing the truth in the words. He pursed his lips as he sat back in his face. "While I resent the question, I will answer it. I care very much for Mireyah, but the feelings are not romantic. She's special. I expect she can enact great change in Demiorgo by how passionate she is about human and Sylfe rights. I am keen to see that come to fruition," he answered, casting eyes to Caprice again. She nodded, as if she agreed with his assessment of our fiery woman.
"So you want to use her?" I asked him because I would not tolerate Mireyah being unknowingly used in someone else's game.
"No. I would not push an agenda on her that was not her own. The fact is that she wants those things, and I am eager to watch her strive for them. That's all."
Tate nodded to him and shot me a look. I nodded, and he turned to address Caprice, "If you think she is special too, you'll let us visit with her as a group. She's bonded to us, and us to her, in a way that I expect most can't understand. It has to be all of us."
"You will not give up until we say yes, will you?" Colm groaned, no doubt because he knew that he could not keep us from doing so, anyway. I'd expected he wouldn't relent where Ashric was concerned, though I hadn't expected the God's staunch support of Lathyn Majele. Mireyah hated him the last I'd known and had even feared the implications of him wanting to take her as a wife.
Caprice smiled outright, finally. "I very much look forward to Mireyah's judgement. Being inside that head of hers, it's such an interesting place to be. But I tr
uly expect watching the seven of you battle for her to be thoroughly entertaining. I don't know that any of you will prove worthy of her, not with how you come in here and posture about like peacocks. We will see what she has to say about it when the time comes, I suppose. So, yes, have your private time with her as a group. It makes no different in the grand scheme of things."
"We will," I returned. "When will we have our time with her?"
"Lathyn Declared first so he gets first rights. You'll be a few days after that, so I’ll send word of that." Colm stood from his desk, brushing past us as he made for the door. "I hope these meetings won't become a regular occurrence, Charolais." He stood and opened the door to gesture us out.
We moved, but I stopped right in front of him. "Then don't stand in my way."
Chapter 14
Mireyah
When they’d told me I would spend time with those who wanted to Sire me, I’d initially been excited because I knew it would be the time I could finally have with my guys. To ask them the question. What I hadn’t remembered was the fact that I had to spend time with Lathyn and Ashric too.
My eyes darted around as I made my way to the fountain outside. My nerves felt frayed, as I didn't know what to expect. I’d been told that talking was all they required me to do with them and nothing more. I’d gained my strength from that. That Lathyn had chosen for our private time to occur in a public space, even if it had been emptied and declared off limits for the time being, felt reassuring.
He unfolded from his place sitting on the edge of the fountain, standing to his full height and hitting me with the force of his undiluted smile. "You're a vision," he announced when I stepped up to him fully, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek.
"Thank you," I returned. Patting the fountain next to him, he sat back down.
"Colm told me you were fond of the sunshine, so I thought we might talk somewhere you're comfortable." I took the seat next to him, keeping just enough distance between us to communicate my boundaries without being insulting.