by Raine Thomas
At long last, their destination came into sight. His heart rate accelerated in anticipation. As he grew closer, he noted the numerous balls of energy in the sky above the coliseum, bathing everything in soft light. The seats surrounding the center of the stadium were nearly half-filled with those Estilorians who had been honored with an invitation to attend the exclusive ceremony.
His gaze moved to the six figures slowly growing larger in his sight standing in the middle of the coliseum. Even from this distance, he recognized Amber. She stood with her arms crossed and her legs braced apart as if preparing for battle. Her head turned in his direction the moment he identified her. He wondered if she could see the glow of his wings and the many pairs of wings behind him. When she uncrossed her arms and kept her attention focused on him, he knew she could.
As he got closer, he was able to make out more details about her new form. He was glad that there wasn’t anybody near enough to see his reaction. He was simply staggered. Words completely escaped him. Emotion rushed through him.
Ini-herit and Knorbis had warned him that he wasn’t allowed to enter the center of the coliseum. They had told him that he would have a space reserved at the forefront of the Gloresti section in the seats, as the eldest representative of his class. Suddenly, that didn’t seem acceptable. As if they sensed this change in his complacency, Ini-herit and Knorbis soared ahead, serving to block him from maneuvering wherever he wanted to within the venue.
Frustrated, he allowed himself to be led to the section reserved for the Gloresti. He landed lightly as the Estilorians who had traveled with him did the same in their assigned locations. The Gloresti sitting behind him greeted him by rising and bowing as a group with their right arms crossed over their chests. He bowed in return. Wings winked out of existence around the stadium and a hush fell as everyone realized the ceremony was about to begin. He remained standing, as did the other elders of each class.
He focused on Amber. She stared back at him, her magnificent eyes filled with hope, worry and undeniable love. He tried to reach out to her with his mind to reassure her, only to have his thoughts echo back to him. How could he communicate what he wanted to share with her without shouting to her across the stadium?
Then his lips curved into a grin. He held his hands up in the shape of a letter A.
The smile that lit her face made his chest ache with its joy. She laughed, the delighted sound bouncing through the silence. Then she started to move toward him. The Gloresti behind her reached out to stop her, his hands gripping her upper arms.
A sharp and unexpected burst of energy rushed through Gabriel as his eyes shifted to the male who touched Amber. Had Gabriel been human, he might have mistaken the sensation for some kind of overriding jealousy. But his Estilorian self recognized the energy surge for what it really was. It was the urge to protect an Estilorian to whom he had been paired.
But that was impossible. Only one Gloresti could ever pair with a transitioned soul. The bond was meant to be personal and binding to ensure the Gloresti never lost the desire to serve the role of guardian. The Gloresti now holding Amber in place should be the one experiencing this, not Gabriel.
Even as he blinked slowly in confusion over the powerful sensation, Amber jerked away from her Gloresti. She turned to give him an irritated glare until he released her. The sight brought a smile to Gabriel’s face. He realized then with tremendous relief that nothing about her personality had changed during the transition. He was still smiling when she turned again to look at him and shrugged apologetically. Then she surprised him by doing a little pose, waving her hands along her body as if to say, “Look at me!” She tilted her head expectantly.
Unable to stop himself from laughing, he gave her a thumb’s up. She bit her bottom lip and blushed, her eyes alight with humor.
They both seemed to realize at the same time that they were the objects of everyone’s attention. The Gloresti behind Amber—Gabriel couldn’t remember his name—was frowning. Olivia and Skye stood in their respective locations, both wearing happy smiles. When he turned his gaze to them, they waved enthusiastically. He returned the gesture.
He noted that outside of the way they were dressed and their eye color, the girls were now nearly identical in appearance. Still, he easily spotted the differences between them simply through their body language. While Amber stood braced as if prepared for anything, Olivia’s pose was rigid and uncertain. She alternated between clutching her hands and touching the top of Aurora’s head, seemingly seeking reassurance. On the other side of the stadium, Skye stood with energetic poise, her hip thrust to the side in a sassy stance. She kept her hands on her hips in a manner that said she was quite fine being an object of everyone’s focus.
They were all simply stunning. Olivia had been garbed in a flowing gown the palest shade of green imaginable. It covered only her left shoulder in a thin strap of material caught by a jeweled clasp, leaving the other shoulder bare. The gown covered her all the way to the tops of her feet, but curved flatteringly along her softly rounded figure before flaring out slightly below her thighs. Her hair had been braided and coiled against the base of her head. Dainty white and pink flowers peeked out of strategic places along the braid, making her look very sweet and innocent. Her eyes were the color of a canopy of spring trees, the exact shade the leaves turned when the sunlight hit them. Light green markings lined her eyes, but she was too far for Gabriel to see what they were.
Skye, on the other hand, wore a bold, turquoise, midriff-baring blouse and some exotic-looking trousers that were sheer enough through the legs to see how much dancing as a human had benefitted her Estilorian musculature. A silver chain with solid silver circles dangling from it hung around her waist, just below her exposed navel. She wore large silver earrings in her ears and a series of jingling silver bracelets from her wrists to the middle of her forearms. Small turquoise slippers covered her feet. Her hair had been braided and left to hang down her back. Something that looked like diamonds sparkled in the light when she moved her head. Decorative hair pins of some kind, he guessed. The coordinating markings by her light blue eyes were also indistinguishable from this distance.
He noted all of this in a quick sweep of his eyes, just as he noticed the two young Gloresti standing within a foot of each of Amber’s sisters. The Estilorian part of his mind registered things he would have changed about their posture to be more protective and aware, even as the human part thought how relieved he was that the girls were safe and guarded now.
Only a span of about two minutes had actually passed since he landed, but he sensed the crowd stirring with an interest in moving things along. Just as that thought entered his mind, a loud, deep voice echoed across the coliseum.
“My fellow Estilorians, thank you for attending this most unprecedented gathering.”
The welcome had come from Jabari, the Elphresti elder. Gabriel met Jabari’s gaze across the stadium. Everything about the Elphresti was dark: his fathomless black eyes, his ebony skin…even his wings would be black once summoned forth. Almost as if to offset this, he had painted his face in a collage of color. Each color and design would have significance, Gabriel knew. He also wore an elaborate ceremonial headdress of feathers and beads, and was dressed in yards of vividly patterned fabric in a floor-length, toga-style garment over a bright yellow undershirt.
Quite the dramatic difference from Gabriel’s simple navy blue tank top and matching pants.
“As you all know, we are here tonight to meet three new and unique members of our plane. We are all pleased that they made successful transitions, despite the doubts of many. Those of you who are here tonight came because you believe, at least in part, that these three represent a positive change for our people. An evolution.”
The orbs of light dimmed as Jabari said, “We will henceforth join together to teach these three newcomers the ways of our kind. And welcome them.”
Now, only the orbs above Amber lit up. She looked up at them with interest as Jabari said
, “Welcome, Ambryl. I am Jabari, eldest of the Elphresti.”
She realized that she had been singled out, and gave a brief, acknowledging nod to Jabari. Gabriel knew her enough to read her anxiety, but he was positive no one else would recognize it. She looked bored. His lips curved as the orbs above her once again dimmed and the orbs above Olivia lit instead.
“Welcome, Olaya.”
Olivia gave a slight bow with a tentative smile. The lights went through the same routine and ended up highlighting Skye.
“Welcome, Skylar.”
Skye issued an elaborate, graceful curtsy and beamed from ear to ear.
The lights once again returned to their full strength. Jabari said, “With the help of our Orculesti and Corgloresti, we have watched you three grow on the human plane. You each experienced different upbringings, and as a result, you each bring with you very different strengths and weaknesses. Although it was not our design for this to happen, we believe that you complement each other in unique and essential ways.
“Ambryl.” Again, the lights shifted to focus on her, glittering on the gold accents in her hair and across her midriff. Because she now faced mostly away from him, Gabriel allowed his gaze to rove over the remarkable strength and beauty displayed in her ceremonial outfit. He had to force himself to focus on what Jabari was saying. “Your path has been the most challenging. We have deduced that you draw your energy from within the earth itself. It is a raw and volatile force that can be very difficult to manipulate. As a result, it is also incredibly powerful when placed in the hands of one strong enough to wield it.
“The rather explosive nature of this energy exhibited itself in unpredictable ways throughout your life on the human plane, often resulting in negative consequences for you. You learned to develop emotional shields to protect yourself against those consequences. Over time, you have begun to learn that those shields can be lowered, but still, you weigh the decision to do so with great care.
“You approach new experiences with doubt and cynicism. You lack faith, most often believing the worst is always the inevitable result. The disruptions of your placements with human guardians contributed to this side of yourself. They led you to believe you were unworthy of affection. You questioned what was wrong with you and grew to think of the world as a harsh and unforgiving place, rather than realizing that the fault lay with the inadequate caregivers.”
Gabriel watched Amber’s hands curl into fists at these painful and public revelations. Another wave of protective Gloresti energy surged through him, along with stark human protectiveness. Jabari’s eyes shifted briefly to him, then returned to Amber.
“In time, you will master your skepticism. And we will all rely on your admirable strength.”
The lights dimmed over Amber, and Gabriel saw her relax a fraction. His posture also relaxed and he watched the lights brighten over Olivia.
“Olaya,” Jabari continued, and now Olivia tensed. “Where your elder sister draws on the power within the earth, you rely on nature and its many forms. Nature can be gentle and unassuming,” and here, his gaze shifted to Aurora, “and it can also be vicious and without mercy. This is a delicate balance that requires incredible control to maintain. You have developed that control.
“You approach every experience with a measuring and assessing mind. Your human guardian helped foster your faith in the unknown, though you still harbor what you see as practical doubt. You have worked hard to open your mind and expand your spiritual education, even if only to please your guardian. You will draw on this in time to overcome your still-existing doubts.
“You are the physically weakest of your sisters, having dedicated your time to learning and social interaction on the human plane. But your absolute determination to prove yourself will prompt you to do whatever it takes to make yourself stronger. We will all rely on your sharp intellect and unquestionably sound judgment.”
Again, the lights faded, rising over Skye. Gabriel thought she looked unusually somber. Getting analyzed so thoroughly in front of a group of strangers had to be terribly difficult. “Skylar. Where your sisters rely on earth and nature for their energy, you draw it from the air around you. For you, something does not have to be tangible to exist. You have always maintained absolute faith in what you are, your confidence in your own abilities never flagging. This spiritual inner strength made your transition notably easier than it was for your sisters, and it will aid you considerably in your new form.
“You have developed grace and poise and a respectable amount of physical strength through your dedication to dance. That precision of movement and the ability to convey thought and feeling through action will also be something upon which you can draw as you learn in your Estilorian form.
“Where Ambryl and Olaya use caution or innate control regarding emotion, however, you do not have this ability. Your emotions fly wide and free, prohibiting you from achieving the focus you will most definitely need to manage your power. As with your sisters, however, you can learn to develop this necessary focus if you are willing. We will rely on your unfailing faith through the challenging times ahead.”
The lights rose. Gabriel was rather surprised at the absolute silence. There was hardly a hint of movement in the entire coliseum. Everyone, including the three central objects of their attention, stood as if transfixed. Jabari managed a small smile, easing some of the tension.
“When you were born,” he said, looking at each of the girls in turn, “you were each given a mark to identify you on this plane as the progeny of Saraqael. This mark will now be revealed by your assigned Gloresti, the guardian who has watched over you on this plane since you were first sent across to live as humans. The Elphresti will witness this revelation as the governing Estilorian class. Simon, please turn Ambryl around.”
Gabriel couldn’t prevent himself from tensing as he watched Amber’s Gloresti reach for her. She hurriedly turned herself before Simon could actually touch her.
Jabari nodded. “And now, the Gloresti’s kiss to reveal the mark.”
At that announcement, Gabriel’s eyes closed in response to the intensity of the energy surge that rushed through him. His human awareness wanted to vehemently protest such an act. It took all of his focus to calm himself down and remind himself that this was simply a ceremony and that Amber needed this to fully Become. When he again opened his eyes, it was to find Amber staring at him with mild panic in her eyes as Simon leaned toward her. Then the Gloresti touched his lips gently to her right shoulder.
And nothing happened.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Amber held Gabriel’s gaze as she felt Simon’s lips touch her shoulder. She was so intensely relieved that Simon wasn’t kissing her on the lips that she could barely breathe. She might just have had to punch him and tell them all that they could take their ceremony and—well, she supposed that was irrelevant now. As she had at one time earlier in the ceremony, she watched Gabriel’s eyes flash to a dark blue. Once Simon kissed her and stepped back, Gabriel’s eyes eased back to their human blue-gray. It was quite fascinating.
Then she became aware of the murmurs. When she saw Gabriel’s brow wrinkle in puzzlement, she glanced over her right shoulder and caught Simon’s eye. He was obviously confused. She tried to look at her own shoulder to figure out what was going on, but couldn’t see a thing. When Simon turned to look at the colorfully-dressed ceremony leader, she lifted her gaze to him, as well.
Jabari raised an eyebrow as he studied her bare shoulder. Then he looked over her head, across the stadium.
“Gabriel. Please approach the Elphresti.”
Amber’s head whipped around in alarm. Would Jabari blame Gabriel because something had gone wrong with this reveal? If so, what did that mean? Was there something she had done to cause this? Her heart pounded fiercely.
She watched Gabriel leap easily over the low stone wall that divided the seats from the center of the stadium. He didn’t use his wings, and she suspected it was a deliberate choice on his part
. As he got closer, she was able to more clearly see the physical changes he had undergone. If she had thought he was “yum yum” before, he was a delectable delicacy now. She could sense the power in his every movement. It was a heady thing.
He quickly reached the outer edge of the ring that had been etched into the dirt floor to delineate her boundary. His gaze remained on her with every step. Unable to resist, she started moving toward him. She just wanted to touch him. Just one touch.
Suddenly, he raised one hand, his eyes flashing dark blue. She came to an abrupt halt as she heard a sound of surprised pain behind her. When she glanced around, she saw Simon stumbling back awkwardly and clutching his chest, as if Gabriel had physically shoved him. Simon had obviously been reaching out to stop her.
“She doesn’t like to be touched,” Gabriel said in a hard voice.
She realized he still had his southern accent. For some reason, even in light of the stressful situation, that made her smile. While she was considering all this, Simon bowed his head in response to Gabriel’s comment. She turned back to Gabriel and watched his eyes fade back to blue-gray. He caught her gaze.
“I’ll be right back,” he said softly. She nodded.
Then she watched him walk over to Jabari and fought the urge to join him as a show of support. When Jabari indicated as much, Gabriel came to a halt. She guessed this wasn’t meant to be a private conversation, as Gabriel was somewhere between the ring in which she stood and the position of the Elphresti elder.
After a moment of heavy silence, Jabari spoke. “Gabriel, are you avowed to Ambryl?”
Avowed?
Her brows drew together in thought as she heard gasps and murmurs around the stadium. She ran her thumb over the ring on her left hand. The phrase was obviously foreign to her, but she sensed its import. This had to be the reason that Simon hadn’t been able to make the mark appear on her shoulder. The ineffective kiss and the fact that their rings—for she had seen Gabriel’s on his finger—had survived the transition between the planes must be of great significance.
