The only question I still had was… why?
Chapter Eighteen
Emma
“Do you have the offering?” Delmare asked.
She smeared black paint over my eyes as Kiara gave the finishing touches on the runes written across my cheeks. Odette draped a white fur shawl over my shoulders, to keep out the cold. My quarters were dimly lit as I slipped into a pair of fur boots and fixed my white cotton dress.
I nodded at Delmare’s question, though I wasn’t sure if what I was about to offer was adequate. It was the night before my wedding, and I was to go to the Sacred Gathering, to give an offering to Ethan’s ancestors in the hope that they’d accept me into their family. It was a tradition every sorceress followed before her wedding, though as Kiara explained to me, it could have terrible consequences if Ethan’s ancestors didn’t find me worthy. If they liked me, they’d accept our union, and send good things along the way to bless our marriage.
If not… well, they’d sure do whatever they could to make things difficult along the way. I really hoped I impressed them. I didn’t need bad luck sent by Ethan’s ancestors along with everything else.
I was nervous enough about the wedding tomorrow. My stomach was in knots.
“It’s midnight,” Kiara said. “Let’s go.”
We left the palace and entered the woods. It was a pitch-black night, full of stars and the sight of the waning crescent moon. All I could see ahead of me was the gently falling snow, and the illusion I’d cast in my hand for light.
Guards trailed our movements, but they kept a respectable distance— tonight was a sacred night in our religion, and they didn’t wish to compromise things for me. They were only there for protection, in the event that Gabby sent anyone to try and stop me.
And she’d already tried. Two assassins had been caught waiting in the woods outside the Sacred Gathering, lying in wait for me to walk by. We couldn’t marry without me performing the ritual, and Gabby knew that.
I was certain the woods had been cleared by soldiers, but I still kept my wits about me as we walked through the trees. As I came to the edge of the Gathering, I looked back. My friends did not follow.
“This is something you must do alone,” Kiara said. “But we will be in the woods behind you.”
I nodded again. I didn’t seem to have words. I left my friends behind as I made my way through the rest of the trees, until I came to the sight of the circular clearing I’d grown so familiar with. A lantern had been hung from a tree branch. I placed my illusion inside for light as I proceeded toward the center of the Sacred Gathering.
The cauldron still hung in the middle, but before it was an altar that I’d set up that morning. The wooden table was coated with a soft layer of snow, and contained two candles— a white and a black. I placed my offering on the ground as I took a match and lit the two candles, speaking the beginning of the ceremony.
“Ancestors of one I hold so dear,
Draw me close and bring me near.”
I stepped away from the table and shivered. Maybe it was a good thing Queen Antonia wasn’t dead yet. She wouldn’t be able to curse me from the beyond for being with her son.
I took a few gold coins from my pocket and put them beside the candles. “I call upon the ancestors of Ethan Nowak, King of the Arcanea and my true mate,” I said. “Come into the Sacred Gathering, and I shall bring you gifts of good will.”
It felt like I was talking to no one, and that wasn’t a good sign. It was as if the area surrounding the Sacred Gathering grew even colder as I said, “I bring you this offering. Bless our union, and our marriage. Protect us from evil, shield us from misfortune, and surround us with love as we continue onward in life. Bless our children, our home, and the life we will create together.”
I nearly stumbled over the part about children. I wasn’t sure if Ethan and I would ever be parents, and I didn’t know if his ancestors would be mad at me for failing to provide any heirs. But I was his true mate, and they knew that. I just hoped they accepted it.
I began placing items on the table. I’d brought a jar of mead, which was a favorite of King Lycus’, and a plate full of food that I’d made by hand, including pierogies and kielbasa. I’d done my best to research his ancestors as far back as I could, so I could bring things I’d know they like. Most ancestors on his father’s side had been peasants, but as I’d expected on his mother’s side, there were a host of snooty nobles I had to impress. I placed a necklace of pearls on the table for one of his great aunts, as well as a diamond brooch for his maternal grandmother, who’d died before Ethan ever had the chance to meet her.
I’d saved no expense in trying to impress these people, but as I laid the offerings on the altar, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Would they think I was trying to buy them off?
Once I was done placing the offering, I got to my knees before the altar. “I give you this offering as a humble gesture. Accept me into your family, and I will use my magic to protect my shifter, my descendents and my home.”
Now I had to wait for a sign. I really hoped these people didn’t take all night. It was freezing out here. My knees grew wet from the snow and I began to shiver as the night pressed in. The candles began to burn low, running out of wax.
Nothing happened, until I heard a howl on the wind, and all went still. The candles suddenly blazed to life. It was as if I could feel the presence of King Lycus as I knelt in the glade. I could tell it was him, because he had this fatherly presence about him that was warm and comforting. His spirit reminded me of Ethan, brave and gentle. Although I couldn’t see him, I was certain that he was there. I felt a firm weight on my shoulder, as if someone’s hand was resting there. I’d felt something similar over a year ago, when I’d sat vigil at King Lycus’ grave duringHeimskanun, and was instantly put at ease.
I heard whispers. The presence of other spirits, although I didn’t feel them as strongly as King Lycus’ soul. Where I’d felt alone before, I was certain there were dozens of spirits around me now, swarming around the altar and muttering profusely.
Abruptly, the candles went out. The weight from my shoulder was gone, and the only sound was the whispering of the wind. I immediately felt alone again. I stood, approaching the altar and looking for anything substantial, but nothing had changed.
I wouldn’treallyknow if they’d accepted my offering until good (or bad) things started showing up in my life. But nothing had been thrown off the table or broken, which I’d heard had happened to other sorceresses, so that was a good sign.
