Lily turned to me, gestured for me to come to her side. She clasped my hand in hers. When she next spoke, her voice cracked with emotion.
“I, for one, am so grateful and proud to be standing here next to her. This has all been so sudden, trust me—I know. For centuries, it was assumed the Fae Queen bloodlines were extinct, but Alessia has single-handedly proven to us that she is the true heir to the Court of Isles throne.”
Lily nodded, glanced my way, her eyes locking on the crown before meeting my gaze and giving me a reassuring wink.
“Not only has she visited The Glade where she’s communicated with her ancestors, but she’s passed the three trials laid out by them to unlock her powers. Alessia is not only a Fae Queen, but the next Triune Queen, which means she can command all three of the natural elements typical of Fae Queens, instead of only one.” Lily’s hand squeezed mine tighter. “She’s held the Procession of Spirits. She banished the Furies. And she will be the one to carry us out of the Darkest Lord’s evil clasp before it’s too late. All it requires is trust from you. A Fae Queen’s strength comes from the trust and loyalty from her court. So please join me in welcoming Alessia officially to the throne.”
A roar of applause went up from Lily’s speech. Even though I was pretty sure the applause was mostly for Lily and herrousing words and excellent delivery, when I stepped forward into the lights shining down before the throne, there was an unmistakable increase in the volume of the cheer.
Elle stepped forward then. She’d been selected to moderate the giving of heartbeats portion of the coronation. Not only was she part Fae, but she was part of the Ranger program as well, and often hosted their large events.
She made a show of silencing the crowd, reading from the notes that I’d put together from my Fae manuscripts along with the research she’d done from the Ranger archives. Together, we’d created what we thought was a fairly accurate representation of the way this ceremony had run in the past. All we needed it to do was work. It didn’t need to be fancy; it just needed to be effective.
Elle explained how it would work in her lilting voice, and it seemed like she practically had the crowd mesmerized. She was the perfect choice for this segment of the evening.
“As you all know, this is voluntary,” Elle said. “By effectively giving one of your heartbeats to the queen, she will carry a piece of you with her until the end of her days. It is the start of a beautiful bond that will last a lifetime. Personally, I am honored to be a part of it.”
Something skittered through the crowd, a sense of uncertainty. Elle picked up on this and gave a soft smile.
“We don’t believe this to be dangerous. However, it’s been centuries since it’s been done, and all we have to go on is our research. We wouldn’t ask this of you if we didn’t think it was of the utmost importance. And remember, above all, it is voluntary. There is no punishment or judgment if you should choose not to participate.”
The crowd fell silent. An uneasiness slid over the mass of people like a cloud. This was the part where it became real, irreversible, irrefutable. I stood in front of the throne, withRangers on either side of me. Millie stood in the background but nearby. Lily and Elle stood to the other side, clearly visible. Silas was a shadow a few paces behind me.
Without further preface, Elle opened the book before her and started reading the introduction to the giving of heartbeats piece of the ceremony. When she got to the incantation, she gave a reassuring glance my way, then raised a hand to silence the crowd once more. She began to read:
“With breath of dawn and blood of flame,
I offer heartbeat, soul, and name.
In trust, in truth, in shadowed light,
I bind my soul to yours this night.
One beat to keep, one beat to give,
So you may lead, and we may live.”
Elle paused for a long moment. Then she gestured for me to step forward. I did, feeling the moonlight shining against my hair. The flicker of hundreds of candles that had been lit on the second floor of the balcony moved around me like an entity. The wind whipped at my dress, and it moved ever so slightly, fluid against my body.
As Elle nodded, I looked out over the crowd. She began to speak, but this time it wasn’t her alone. It was hundreds, maybe thousands of voices. One by one, they raised their hands as the incantation began.
The words repeated themselves, growing in strength and volume and power as they repeated the incantation three times. On the third time, as the words finished, there was a collective gasp. I watched as several members of the crowd lurched forward as if they’d lost a breath. A look of surprise spread across the crowd. More than one person clapped a hand over their heart, as if they could viscerally feel this bonding experience.
They must be able to feel it because I could feel it. I could feel the collective heartbeat as it rushed toward me, nearly bowling me over, not through physical force but by the sheer magnitude of the emotion that came with it. Gratitude. Love. Protectiveness.
I could feel the fear and terror as it slid into my veins like my own blood. I breathed in the uncertainty and exhaled the worry. I blinked, and I could see hope glittering in the eyes of every person in my court.
Then I said my part. My voice was clear, clearer than expected, considering I felt shaky and overwhelmed.
“I take this beat, this vow, this flame,
And hold it fast in heart and name.
Bound are we, by thread unseen—
I to my kin, and you to your Queen.”
The second I completed my part of the ceremony, I caught a glimpse of my crown in the water below. A small bead of light zipped around it, and then the entire thing illuminated, turning into a white-hot glow that warmed against my skull.
