She nodded and named a couple of Mageia that had been at Heraklion with us. I didn’t know any of them well except Deliah.
“So how does the Bonding ceremony work?” I asked Hel.
“Generally, the pair who want to Bond join with their friends and family. There is the recitation of an invocation to Hecate. The Mageia creates a shield around the pair using whatever their Primary power is. This raises the magic between the pair. They repeat the recitation a total of three times. At the end of the third recitation, the pair emerge as Bonded.”
“I would very much like you three to be at the ceremony this afternoon as my—as my family,” she said shyly.
Our gazes locked in shock.
“Really?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“We’d be honored,” Elex said, and I nodded in agreement, a knot forming in my throat.
We’d formed a kind of found family with the other Mageia in Heraklion. Having that relationship be acknowledged in such ajoyous occasion made my eyes sting with happy tears. Elex and I weren’t alone anymore.
The day flew by, and we met at the appointed hour in the auditorium. Hel, Elex, Allard and I arrived together. Deliah was obviously not the only one who was intent on Bonding quickly. A dozen other Mageia had decided to Bond with a Soma they had matched with, which surprised the hell out of me.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly hadn’t anticipated so many of our fellow Mageia to feel the same certainty that Deliah had experienced. Maybe I would feel differently once I met my own Soma. My thoughts flashed to Rhuyin and I ruthlessly shoved them down. Part of me was hoping to see him here.
I ducked behind Helios as I saw the captain who had been at the hospital. His name was Kopanos, and he kept calling me because he wanted me to meet with them “at my earliest convenience” to get to know the Somas he said I matched with. Each of his messages sounded more and more annoyed, and I really didn’t want to have this conversation yet.
Glancing around the crowded auditorium floor, the breath caught in my throat as I spotted Rhuyin standing with Deliah and Dagan. His tall frame stood out next to Dagan’s, his dark hair an unusually rumpled mess, a tall blonde girl standing next to him.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to remember the words Deliah had said about him finding his match. He had apparently made his choice, and I needed to focus on my family.
“Ladies and gentlemen! If I could have your attention, please!”
I turned and saw Lottie Galanis on the stage.
“If we could please have our Soma and Mageia pairs join us in front of the stage with their families, we can go ahead and get started.”
I waved at Deliah from our spot near the front. Elex and I had tried to hang out in the back of the crowd, but the other had Mageia pushed us forward.
Lottie directed the pairs to clasp hands. An officiant walked up and down the line of pairs, stopping at each to tie a symbolic piece of silk around the clasped wrists.
“Mageia, please raise your shields.”
Across the auditorium shields popped up around the pairs. To my Mageian eyes they were a wild cacophony of color. Gold, silver, green and scarlet for earth. Blue, white and black for air. Scarlet, orange and gold for fire. Blue in a multitude of shades with white and gray for water. Mageia could make their magic invisible, which is how we had survived in the Legion, but it was visible in its natural state. It was proof of the ease these Mageia felt in their new homes that they felt comfortable making their shields visible.
Hel had told Elex, who told me, that the shields used in the Bonding ceremonies were just that: ceremonial. They didn’t actually protect against anything, they were more like an artistic design, which was why his friend, Orion, had been killed when they had been undergoing the Bonding ceremony. Orion had lost control of his shield and the fire had burned Helios severely.
They began speaking in unison, and I listened intently to the words.
Hecate
Goddess of the Moon
Goddess of Justice
Maiden, Mother, and Crone
Queen of Shadows
Hear our prayer.
Grant us your blessing
Goddess of that which is,
