Chapter 55
Reign
When we land in Zentria, Danielle is waiting to greet us. Although she and Damien have been writing back and forth, I know it must feel like a weight has been lifted when they reunite. Seeing the way he lights up when he hugs her makes me happy that they have each other.
I was lucky enough to find Amaya, but Ryder has no one. The sibling he was promised was taken from him, leaving him to navigate the world and wrath of his father alone. I can’t even begin to imagine that kind of loneliness.
“Reign, you look stunning as ever!” Danielle embraces me and the smell of her perfume entangles itself in me.
It’s sweet and sexy with just a hint of bite.
The perfect combination for her. “Leave your things,” she motions with the wave of her hand.
“Bex and Mason will make sure they find their way to your rooms.”
She leads us to the crystal dining table we ate at last time we were here and tells us the others will be joining shortly.
“Okay,” she says, clapping her hands together once she’s sat. “What have I missed?”
There’s an awkward silence as Amaya and I glance to one another.
“Well,” Ryder speaks up, gripping his crossed ankle. “We’re making headway with the creatures who agreed to join us from the Dread Woods.”
“Oh, yes! Damien had mentioned something about that. I can only imagine what it’s like having them in the Shadow Lands.”
“Honestly, it’s pretty civil. They mostly keep to their forest aside from training.”
“And you, girls? How are things with you?”
Amaya takes the lead and I’m thankful for it. She tells Danielle about her Entity training and formally introduces Zane, giving a short summary of their love story.
“Oh, wow! It was written in the stars for you two to make your way back to each other.” Danielle’s reaction is so pure and genuine. She truly makes everyone she meets feel special and seen. “Reign, what about you?”
“Umm, everything has been great. I—”
The three leaders suddenly appear in the room as the blue mist fades and I welcome the interruption.
They’re each donning black robes that are outlined with their signature colors: white, gold, and navy.
After we’ve all greeted one another, Danielle kindly orders us all to reconvene at the dining table.
“So, when do we get to meet the lucky guy?” Amaya asks Zaro.
“Tomorrow! He’s excited to meet you all.”
“Likewise,” Damien adds.
“We figured tonight we would just have a nice dinner and let you all get settled. It’s going to be quite the festive next couple of days,” Ion tells us as he motions for us to eat.
“I can’t wait to experience it all,” I chime in, trying to recover from before. “I’ve never been to a wedding, let alone an Infinite Sea one.”
“Well, I can promise you it won’t disappoint.” Nio tosses me a wink and I don’t have to look Ryder’s way to know he probably has his hand in a fist at his side.
“Tomorrow, we have the Armada Social during the day and at night…well that’s a surprise,” Zaro tells us with a cheeky grin that has me excited.
“What’s the Armada Social?” Zane asks.
“We position our fleet just outside of Zentria and guests gather on the ships dressed in the designated color. When Danielle and I married, everyone dressed in white. Zaro’s color is gold, so that is what everyone will be wearing.
We already have outfits for each of you,” Ion says before taking a gulp of red wine.
“How exciting!” Amaya squeals next to me.
“Oh, there’s also the tattoo ritual,” Danielle adds. “Zaro and Anthony will get the sacred tattoos of the moon and sea.”
“I’ll get the sea and he’ll get the moon. It’s custom when getting married here. The tattoos represent the eternal tie of our two souls. Like the moon’s pull of the tides, our souls will be forever connected, even beyond death.”
“That’s beautiful.” Amaya and I say it at the same time and the others laugh.
“You two really are like sisters!” Danielle chimes.
“We have our moments.” I nudge Amaya with my elbow. “Do you guys have the tattoos?”
Danielle nods. “Ion has the waves over his heart, and I have the full moon just above my hip.”
“How is it decided who gets what?” Damien asks his sister.
“Usually, the pursuer of the relationship gets the waves.”
“So, you were the pursuer, Zaro?” Ryder sits up a little.
“Sure was,” he says with a chuckle. “And boy did he make me work for it.”
“How did you guys meet?” I ask.
“He’s a very talented threader. We hired him years ago to design our robes.
For a long time, the two of us despised each other.
We would butt heads on what looked best or how the robes should fit.
I hated it, but he was always right. Not that I ever gave him the satisfaction of knowing it.
One night we were alone, and he was tailoring me.
We got into an argument, and he pricked me with a needle in retaliation.
I was going to yell at him for it, but his lips met mine and everything changed.
After that, I was lovesick. I couldn’t get enough of him.
When we weren’t together it was like the world was ending.
Anthony was hesitant, though. I was his leader and the dynamic of that scared him.
Eventually, I was able to win him over, though. ”
It's hard not to compare his story to mine and Ryder’s. Different for sure, but still, there are stark similarities. Ryder must be thinking the same thing because I can feel his eyes watching me.
The rest of the dinner conversation is lighter. We laugh and drink and joke as if we have all been friends for years. Our two worlds seem to blend effortlessly together. Last time we were here, our agenda was to become allies. Looking around the table now, I’ve realized we’ve become so much more.
Still, I’m hiding who I am from them, and I don’t want to do it anymore.
“Wait.” I stop them before they have a chance to disperse for the night. “There’s something I want to show you guys.”
“What is it?” Danielle asks softly, reading the seriousness written all over my face.
“Let’s go out on the balcony.”
As they follow me out, Ryder reaches for my hand. He gives it a little squeeze and then lets go. A simple reassuring gesture that instantly eases my nerves.
“Alright, what do you have to show us?” Nio is already beaming with anticipation.
I think about making some sort of speech before, but this is one of those things that is just better seen. I start to climb onto the balcony railing that would’ve sent my heart plummeting months ago. Nio reaches for me, but I wave him off as I stand.
“It’s okay,” Ryder tells the others. “Just wait.”
Even with his reassurance, they all look at me with worry as I carefully stand up.
I exhale one final breath and close my eyes before falling backwards off the ledge.
I hear the others gasp right before I shoot up into the sky in my full phoenix.
Yellow and orange flames lick me from head to toe as my wings flare open behind me.
“It’s not possible.”
“She can’t be…”
“Remarkable!”
“I thought they were a myth.”
Each of them gawk at me with disbelief and wonder.
Usually, I would hate having this much attention on me, but it feels good to be seen as I truly am.
A stream of flames trail behind me, creating a glowing streak against the night sky.
I take this opportunity to practice some of the moves Kane has taught me and they cheer in response.
After I make a couple of loops, I levitate in front of the balcony, allowing them to take in the details of my new appearance. I do one last spin, flexing my wings before shedding my phoenix form and falling back onto the balcony.
As I had expected, I’m bombarded with questions.
Ryder suggests for us all to go back to the table where we spend the next half hour filling them all in.
When Damien asks if they know anything about phoenixes, they’re just as lost as we are.
Still, Ion promises to search their archives and libraries for any information that might be useful.
“Thank you for sharing this part of yourself with us,” Danielle whispers into my ear as she hugs me goodnight. “I know it couldn’t have been easy to trust us with such a secret.”
“Trust is something I struggle with these days,” I admit as we pull away from each other. “But I’m tired of secrets.”
She nods in understanding. “They do weigh heavy on the heart.”
We all bid farewell and break away from the dining room. The brothers leave while Danielle stays to spend time with Damien. Amaya and Zane slip off to their room which only leaves me and Ryder.
“Do you want to go somewhere with me?”
“Yes,” I reply simply. It’s the only answer I have because I’m not ready to say goodnight to him.
A moment later, we appear in a room I’ve never been.
The ceilings are tall with six columns towering around the outer edge.
They’re mostly black marble but there are waves of shimmering, metallic-like blue and green slivers crawling up them.
It looks almost like what the inside of a shell looks like, at least from the ones I’ve seen used as decoration around the house.
As beautiful as the architecture is though, my attention is drawn to the hundreds of candles placed across the room. There are no windows or lights here, but the flicker of candlelight warms the room, casting shadows along the wall. The image of it makes me think of me and Ryder, actually.
“What is this place?”
“It’s their sanctuary.” He slithers in and out, careful not to touch any of the candles. “This is where their people come to pray to The Mother.”
“And the candles?”
“You’re supposed to light one when you visit.”
“Can I?”
He motions to one of the unlit candles on a nearby stand. “Go for it.”
Something about being able to light the candle with my power feels special.
I close my eyes and take my time with my prayer.
I mostly ask her for guidance. It’s what I need most right now.
I’ve accepted that the answers I seek about being a phoenix will come in their own time, but there are so many reasons I still feel lost. Of course, there’s the obvious Ryder/Damien debacle.
But on top of that I’m starting to lose hope that we’ll be able to find the lost island again.
I also fear that we won’t be ready when the king finally decides to attack.
I just need a sign. Any sign. Something that will lead me in some sort of direction.
Once I finish up, I look over and see that Ryder has lit his own candle. His head is bowed, and his hands are folded behind his back. I don’t know why but I didn’t take him as the type to seek The Mother’s counsel. Perhaps, he’s as desperate as I am for her help.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been staring at him for, but it’s long enough that once he moves, I jump. He turns around and looks tense. Not what I would expect after a peaceful prayer.
“Are you okay?” I ask, cautiously making my way to him. It’s not that I’m worried about catching on fire, but it seems disrespectful if I were to knock over someone’s lit candle.
“As long as I’m with you, I’m great.” He pulls me into him, and I begin fidgeting with the center lining of his jacket.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
“I do,” he says, resting his chin on the top of my head.
“I wish everything wasn’t so complicated right now.”
He leans back surprised. “Why do you say that?”
“I was just thinking about how I’ll have to say goodnight to you when really I just want to be in your bed tonight.” I look down. “But that wouldn’t be right.”
“You always do the right thing, Reign.” He runs his fingers through my hair, and it makes me realize just how tired I am. “For once, do the wrong thing.”
“I can’t. If it were the other way around, I wouldn’t do that to you either.”
“But it’s not the other way around,” he says in a low voice that makes me toss my head back.
“I’m already being selfish as it is. The least I can do is try to be respectful.”
He lets out a deep sigh. “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to dream of you instead.”