15 RITE OF PRAYER

It took me a week to convince Ryne to let me meet his mother. The celestial one. He was being adamant about it. Apparently, Hecate had a cycle and throughout the year, she went through three phases, each changing her disposition drastically. At present, she was going through the phase of the scorpion, which meant she would be vicious, moody, angry and poisonous in her words and actions. Ryne was worried that if she found out a Dragomir had invoked her, she might end up doing something terrible to me. He requested that I wait for at least three months when she would move into the phase of the lion. But I didn't exactly have the privilege of time.

Since I was being stubborn, he said he would try to find a way to summon her without it ending in the destruction of the realm. Three days later, when we met for dinner, he said that he would have to hold a Rite of Prayer. It would keep her temperament on the lighter side and I could meet her during the ceremony. I was really grateful to him. He used my gratitude as an excuse to find out my motive behind wanting to meet her. Fortunately, I was made of tougher stuff and shut him up with a kiss.

Presently, I waited amidst the trees near the same clearing where the Moon Festival had taken place. It was large enough for hundreds of people and the moon shone directly over it. Ryne had decided to repair the damages that I had previously done and hold this ceremony here as well. Since I had completely destroyed the stone platform, a new one was laid. It was much larger and stood taller in the middle of the clearing. The platform was decorated with flowers and offerings of wine, cheese, bread and meat were placed on it for the goddess. Ryne's family stood on the platform while a few hundred magic-kind, werewolves, fae and humans surrounded it in hopes of being blessed by her presence.

While Hecate was primarily the goddess of the magic-kind, her association with goddess Ainé had her revered by the fae too. The humans looked up to her for protection while the wolves considered an aspect of her to be their moon goddess. She held a lot of honour and was the most respected celestial being in the entire world. Her might and prowess was often hailed in the form of poems, stories and songs. All in all, I was about to meet the top dog of Liremia in her most frightening form.

After informing me, Ryne had told his family all about me before bringing them over. His father was apparently not very pleased to know that I had requested this ceremony to be held. But since it was in the celebration of their goddess, and as he was already on his way, he agreed to participate. His mother had apparently been more welcoming of me. Especially when she found out that I was her son's girlfriend. She had wanted to invite me over for dinner, but the eglor had shut her ideas down with a glare. Ryne told me that eventually his mother would win. She always did.

I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm my nerves. My legs were shaking, my heart was pounding and I felt feverish. When fear began crippling my will, I remembered my father's shrivelling face and the bodies of my people in the town square. I had to do this. Thousands of lives depended on me. The only question was whether I accepted my fate graciously or if I chose myself over my people like I had always done. As I walked towards the platform, I saw Ryne's face.

He waited for me with a smile, ignorant of what was about to go down soon. He would miss me. He would even resent me for some time. But soon, he would understand my actions. After a few days, or weeks maybe, when he would think like the ti-eglor that he was instead of my boyfriend that he'd been, he would understand me.

I climbed up the platform as hundreds of people looked my way. I greeted the ageing eglor with a dignified bow. He glanced down at me, his dark eyes markedly disapproving. His olive complexion, dark features and towering form made him look like an older version of Ryne. Despite his gruff expression, he was handsome. I responded to his disdain with a smile before turning to look at Ryne's mother. She had lighter features and was stockier compared to the rest of the family. Her crown was slightly tipped on her head removing the appearance of elegant perfection that she otherwise seemed to have. Her smile was mischievous and she made a huge show of alternating glances between Ryne and me.

"I heard you wanted to meet our goddess," the eglor said, his chin up with his hands behind his back.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I said, my heart beating steadily.

"And why must I allow you, a descendant of that defiler to be a part of such an auspicious ceremony?" he spat.

"I realised that an apology to the goddess is overdue from my clan. Besides, I have something to negotiate with her," I said slowly, trying to keep my racing heart in check.

"A negotiation!" he scoffed and walked past me, facing the people. "You think a lowly dragon such as yourself-" he laughed as if the thought was too preposterous.

"A lowly dragon?" I couldn't help but feel angered. I hadn't done anything to him. What gave him the right to treat me this way?

"Oh, did you think that being my son's lover would boost your status?" he looked at me and smirked.

"Father, this is not the place to discuss my love life," Ryne gritted out.

"YOU ARE THE FUTURE EMPEROR!" the eglor bellowed and I couldn't help but flinch. "Everything about you is subject to scrutiny by your people. How dare you dally around with a Dragomir!"

"That seems harsh even for you, Your Majesty. My ancestor did commit a grave crime, but in return the magic-kind almost wiped out our species. Pointing fingers, a thousand years after the event, is hardly the way to move forward," I said, baffled at how unreasonable he was being.

I perhaps should have remembered that I was talking to the eglor. Not expecting my biting remark, the place went silent. Even the birds and crickets seemed to have become mute. Everyone watched with bated breath as he became red in the face. After a moment, he regained his composure.

"Harsh?" he scoffed. "Seon Uchigi was murdered by his own lover. And you are the blood of that traitor. To see my son, go ahead and fall for-" he scoffed again, glancing at with disdain.

"Father, you cannot judge her by her ancestor's actions," Ryne spoke up as he stepped forward while I tried to recover from my shock. Uchigi was Fendal Dragomir's lover? It was common knowledge that betrayal was a worse crime than murder. No wonder he was so mad.

"If what you say is true, I understand why you feel angered by my presence. But I assure you, my intentions for coming here are honest. I don't mean anyone harm," I said sincerely.

Although I wore a dress with long sleeves, it wasn't enough to cover the marks on my hand. When the eglor caught sight of them, he said, "I heard you wouldn't even consummate your marks. And you assure me of honesty?" Turning towards the people he declared, "Fine then. If you want to meet the goddess, prove your innocence by completing the marks. If you don't want to, feel free to leave."

"Father, I told you. That was a mistake on my part. She did not deserve the punishment," Ryne tried to intervene.

"This has nothing to do with you. Mark collection is a condition that I have placed. You may be powerful, but do not forget that I am still the eglor, Ryne."

Ryne swallowed. His expression was full of guilt as he took a step back. I knew he didn't have a choice. Disrespecting the eglor was treason. Even the ti-eglor wasn't above punishment.

The eglor then looked at me mockingly almost completely sure of my imminent refusal.

"I accept, Your Majesty," I said, my words submissive but my posture defiant.

He paused, slightly taken aback.

"After all," I continued, "According to the Global Penal Code, anyone below the age of twenty is awarded the marks by the heads of echelons at Adelmiro Circle. So, even if it is your condition, it would be your son's mark that I would bear. And if there's anyone I trust my life with, it's him."

***

It took mere minutes to summon Keelin and Gyrod onto the platform. When they were up, Ryne simply waved and the wooden seals were in their hands. I gulped, remembering the pain that those marks brought. Besides, it only seemed to worsen with every additional one on my body. I didn't know if I could recover before meeting the goddess. I had even fainted after the third one. I couldn't afford to show weakness here. Fortunately, my energy wasn't sealed anymore, so my endurance would be greater than it was before.

Ryne walked up to me and gently held my waist with one hand as he kissed my forehead, "I do not want you to go through this, dragon. You'll have to bow down to me. Are you okay with that?"

I closed my eyes and breathed in his comforting scent. Nodding, I said, "I am not in a position to hold on to my pride."

"I don't understand why you have to do this. I don't get it," he frowned.

"My people are dying," I replied to him in my head, "My father is dying."

When I didn't respond, he kissed me again. Sighing, he stroked my shoulder with his fingers and my crimson turtle-neck dress was replaced by a wispy, azure one with spaghetti straps. Although I knew the extent of his powers, it still never failed to amaze me when he did something like that suddenly. The people below seemed to have similar thoughts as I did. Some of them gasped while others muttered amongst themselves. I was sure the evening was very entertaining for them.

Once Ryne moved back, Keelin held me steadily with her hand and let the mark hover in front of my right shoulder.

She looked me in the eye as she said, "This is going to hurt."

"I know," I said softly.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said, her eyes watery.

"I know," I replied with a smile.

"I love Ryne," she said, matter-of-factly.

I nodded, "I would have considered your feelings if you were my friend."

"I'm not your friend. I never was," she said with gritted teeth.

"I know," I said, looking down.

She pressed the seal on my shoulder and the familiar pain overtook my senses. The heat increased gradually until it became as intense as the white-hot liquid I had encountered in Liremia. My knees buckled and I felt nauseous. I bit my tongue as tears pooled in my eyes. Just as I was about to give up and scream, she removed the seal. I breathed heavily and looked up. As my vision cleared, I saw the tall figure of Gyrod in front of me.

"Do you want some time?" he asked.

"No, do it," I said wincing through the pain.

Not one to ask twice, he immediately brought his seal down on my left shoulder. I didn't expect him to respond so quickly and when the same pain attacked me again, I yelped. As the temperature of my entire body increased, I took deep breaths. When it became unbearable however, I couldn't help the tears from streaming down my face. I bit my lip until I drew blood, refusing to scream. After what seemed like an eternity, he removed the seal. As soon as he pulled away, I collapsed onto my knees, unable to find any strength.

Ryne bent down in front of me. Looking at his concerned expression only made me feel weaker. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and forget everything. I wanted to remain in the comfort of his arms and not think about my responsibilities, my people and my crown. Just him and me would make a great world.

"How are you holding up, dragon?" he asked softly.

I nodded, knowing full well that if I opened my mouth, I would begin sobbing. My heart had already begun melting under his gaze.

"I'll wait until you recover some more," he said.

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Do it."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, warlock," I said, smiling weakly.

He kissed my forehead, sighed deeply and brought the seal to the skin below my collar bone. It was the most sensitive area until now and the pain quadrupled. I doubled over and he caught me in his arms while still keeping the seal pressed onto my skin. I sobbed softly and clutched his shoulders.

"Shh, it's okay," he cooed. Through his touch, he sent me some of his energy. I didn't know if it was intentional or not, but it helped numb the pain. I was so glad to have him in my life. It ended as soon as it started and he removed the seal. But he kept his arms around me and brushed my hair.

"It's time to take the oath, dragon," he whispered in my ear and I nodded. Reluctantly, he removed himself from me and stood up.

"Meredith Dragomir, do you pledge loyalty to the Council, the Circle and to your eglor in the name of your clan, your blood and yourself?" he asked aloud.

I heaved as I pushed myself off the ground and onto my knees. Breathing heavily, I whispered, "I, Meredith Dragomir-" Pain shot from my gut and I coughed blood. Covering my mouth, I wheezed. When Ryne moved to help me, I glanced up at him and shook my head. I had to do this myself. Wiping my mouth, I continued, "pledge my loyalty," I looked up at him. In those eyes, a million emotions fluttered by and I saw how much love and respect he had for me. "To you."

His eyes widened in surprise first, before a small smile broke out. His cheeks coloured slightly and I realized that I was seeing Ryne blush for the first time. If only my vision wasn't clouded, I could drink it all in. He gave me his hand and I realized that he didn't necessarily have to make me weaker. He was also my strength. I placed my hand in his and stood up. Slightly leaning against him, I turned to face the eglor. I was pretty sure my face was still stained by blood, but I didn't care.

When my eyes caught his, I found something that hadn't been there before. Respect. Even if it wasn't much, it was enough for me.

"Begin the Rite of Prayer," he said with a nod.