Chapter 36
M y entire body locked up. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth—the Bohiti’s words racing through my mind. “The Hekiti’s bondmate?”
The Bohiti nodded again with pure excitement, my barely-held panic flying over her head. “Yes, The Guardian of the Realms. It’s a vital part of the prophecy.” She flipped a few more pages, stopping when she found her next passage. “The Guardian of the Realms is a bondmate unlike any before it. On the day of the Hekiti’s birth, an inexplicable force will call the Guardian of the Realms to the Hekiti, a call to protect the faeling. When faeling becomes Fae, this call will evolve into a bond.”
I chanced a glance at Asherah. She kept her head down, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
“The Guardian of the Realms will serve as the Hekiti’s bondmate, protector, and mentor. Their bond is sacred and infinite, for the goddess will grant both the Hekiti and the Guardian of the Realms powers to overcome the challenges of the forthcoming ice age. He will lead her armies against the Maboya and help the Hekiti usher in a new era for humans and the Fae.
“Beware, the Guardian of the Realms cannot fully answer the call if he or she is not properly bonded to the Hekiti, leaving the prophecy unfulfilled.”
Asherah exhaled loudly, drawing my attention—her gaze fixed on the ceiling. I reached out and stroked her cheek. “What’s wrong, nanichi ?”
She looked at me then, and I froze when I saw tears welling in her eyes. “You didn’t ask for this.”
My hand dropped. “You didn’t either. We’re both called to this.”
She shook her head and went silent as she wiped away her tears.
“Could you please give us a moment, Priestess?” I asked the Bohiti.
She nodded and rose from the floor with her book. “I’ll gather the tomes to help us understand the objects.”
“Thank you.”
She gave me an empathetic smile before her strides carried her to the back of the room.
Asherah’s sniffling filled the silence, and my heart squeezed. I inched closer to her, my arm draping around her shoulder. “Please don’t cry, nanichi . You’re breaking my heart.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just…this isn’t what you asked for, Drae. You’ve already sacrificed so much as my Guardian. You should be given a choice.” She shook her head. “This is wrong.”
The tips of my fingers came to the bottom of her chin, tipping it up to meet my gaze. “Asherah, nothing changes. Nothing. I’ve already made my choice. This just gives a title to my rightful place by your side. What did I tell you? I’ll be there for you. Always. So what about my part in the prophecy changes anything between us?”
I watched as the understanding slowly dawned on her face. “But…you could choose not to attend the bonding ceremony with me.”
“There is no choice. We’re going.”
“But you could say no.
“And risk the fulfillment of the prophecy?” I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”
“And you’re sure?”
“I’m more sure in this moment than I was back in the treehouse.” I cupped her face. “This isn’t just about us anymore. This is about what both you and I are called to do together. The goddess has blessed us with the chance to achieve something great. I can feel it, Asherah. This ice age is different from the last. Something big calls us to embrace our greatest selves. Do you not feel that?”
Her hand rested on mine. “I do. I just…I…I love you so very much. I understand your calling to protect me. But then, who protects you?”
I let loose a sigh. “My brave, beautiful mate. You already know the answer to that question. Firstly, the armies, my Guardian brothers and sisters who are dear to me, will protect me.” My thumb swiped over her delectable bottom lip. “And you, my Queen, have the most important item to guard, more important than any of the goddess’ objects. You’ll protect my heart, for that is entirely yours and yours alone.” I leaned in, bringing my mouth to hers—the salty taste of her tears mixing with the sweet taste of her lips. It will take several lifetimes of gratitude to the goddess for gifting me such a magnificent mate. I planned on giving my thanks every day of my very long life.
The sound of The Bohiti clearing her throat broke us apart. She approached with several large books and a wide smile. “I think I may have found something.” The table groaned as she placed the heavy tomes before us. “I should have figured it out sooner. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.” She flipped through with one hand and waved the other around. “But no matter. The best place to start is with the obvious. The Cobo. This object will heighten the Hekiti’s Water Fae abilities and enhance new powers—the power to part the seas and the power to become water itself, the latter of which can be transferred to the Guardian of the Realms upon their union at Guake’te.” She glanced up from the book, wagging her eyebrows.
A sense of excitement rushed through my body. “We’ll be able to turn into the water?”
The Bohiti shrugged. “That’s what the book says.”
Asherah and I glanced at each other with our mouths practically on the ground.
“But how do we find it,” Asherah asked.
The Bohiti’s shoulders sagged. “That’s the issue, isn’t it? The object hasn’t been seen since the scribes first wrote of it. The text only tells us that the Hekiti will be called to the Cobo.”
Asherah’s disappointing sigh reached my ears. “And the other objects?”
“Right, let’s see.” She turned toward the end of the book. “We have the Jujo. Scary little thing. It states that it’s a serpent made of iron that rests somewhere in Corenathia. There’s no telling how you’ll get the Jujo out of that realm. But again, it states that the goddess will guide you.”
“Doesn’t seem very helpful,” I remarked.
She slowly blinked her obsidian eyes. “I don’t write the prophecies. I just read them.” The Bohiti continued reading. “The only one who can retrieve or handle the Jujo is the Hekiti. Not even the Queen herself knows where it is. Fascinating.”
“And what happens when I retrieve the Jujo?” Asherah asked.
“Like the Cobo, the Jujo will strengthen your Fire Fae abilities and introduce new powers. However, this power cannot transfer to the Guardian. The Guardian of the Realms can only take on qualities from the Hekiti’s original element. That would be water.”
“Just when I was beginning to feel special,” I teased. Asherah’s answering chuckle brought a smile to my face.
The Bohiti turned the page. “Next, we have the Guaraguao. This is the red-tail feather. I fear this one will be the hardest to identify. There are likely a gazillion feathers in Airelandia. How you’ll find a single solitary red one is beyond me.”
When I noticed Asherah’s immediate unease, I cleared my throat. “With the help of the goddess.”
“Very true, wise Guardian,” the Bohiti agreed. “And, of course, we have the last one: the Anacaona, otherwise known as the golden flower. The exact details are very limited given Earthos’ tightly guarded realm, but the text states that it’s more than likely a flower made of gold.” The Bohiti’s brow furrowed. “None of us really know what goes on in that realm. Even the Priestesses are tight-lipped.”
The Bohiti looked at Asherah, her gaze heavy with warning. “I don’t know how you’ll find all the objects, Princess. But it would be best if you started looking now. Once your other elements begin to emerge, your power will call to Maboya, alerting him to your presence.”
My eyebrow lifted to my hairline. “A part of the prophecy you failed to mention?”
The Bohiti blinked. “Did I not mention that? Goodness, I’m really scatterbrained today, aren’t I?” She shook her head. “No matter. I’ll keep looking through the texts for more clues. That should be enough to start your journey.” She reached forward, placing her hand upon Asherah’s. “You are magnificent, Princess—a true gift. Whatever may come, you have the entire support of all the priestesses here in the temple. We’ll scour every text for any information that may help you in your quest. In the meantime, it’s important to tell no one of this.”
An expression of unease crept across Asherah’s beautiful features. “Not even my father?”
The Bohiti shook her head. “Not even him. This information can have disastrous consequences despite someone’s good or bad intentions. Those with the best intentions will want to celebrate the coming of the Hekiti. And those with bad intentions—”
“Will want to end her life,” I finished.
The Bohiti winced. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
My hand clenched in a fist. “They’ll have to get through me first.”
“Of that, I have no doubt. Regardless, it’s crucial that you all keep this between yourselves and the priestesses. We are sworn to the goddess and to keep her secrets. You won’t need to worry about one of us divulging anything.” We rose from the floor when it was clear the Bohiti was through interpreting her tome. She gave us a reassuring smile. “I believe I’ll see you all at Guake'te in a few days?”
I glanced at Asherah as we turned for the door, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “Yes, we’ll be at the bonding ceremony,” she answered.
“Wonderful!” the Bohiti beamed.
As we strode down the hallway for the temple entrance in near silence, our steps echoed off the walls as I said, “We’ll need to bring Cathan to Sabana.”
Asherah froze. “Why?”
I tucked a strand of hair behind the tip of her ear. “Because I’d like my parents to meet your father before Guake’te. Might as well get the first meeting over with.”
Asherah let out the cutest little groan, bringing a smile to my face. “Don’t we have enough going on already?”
My laughter peeled through the empty temple as my arm coiled around her waist. “Relax, nanichi . It’s customary to announce the union to the family. We can also invite anyone you’d like. Dax, Reneah, Myles, and Aurelio. I’m sure they’d enjoy the outskirts,” I mused as we descended the temple steps. “Besides, it’ll be nice to have some time away before we begin your quest.”
The weariness grew in her gaze, and I couldn’t completely dismiss it. I felt it in every fiber of my being. After the bonding ceremony, my life would change forever.