27. Obsidian
The dual”moraan is scheduled to start in an hour. I head down to the scrying grotto alone, only to find ten women are already waiting for us.
I haven’t had a chance to visit the wise woman’s crystal cave, and I was hoping for a few minutes alone with Liana, but I change my disappointment for a smile. Melisa, Abi, and Paoli aren’t unwelcome sights.
With the exception of Melisa and her red dress, they all are wearing simple leather tunics, with well-fitted leggings that reach down to their ankles. I recognize a few of the other women whose infected cuts I had tended to—Carolina, Salma, and Isaraya.
“You look nice with your hair piled atop your head,” I say.
Melisa reaches up to pat the tightly wound style. “Arlet helped me,” she says simply. “That redhead could tame an ox’s locks.”
I smile, peering over Melisa’s shoulder and wondering where the redhead in question is. When she doesn’t appear, I frown. I’d hoped she would help me direct the women, especially since she had actually been through this ceremony before.
My attention turns back to Melisa.
“Arlet taught me everything I know.” Which, admittedly, isn’t a lot.
While we chat, more arrive, and I realize that almost every woman has decided to stay. The human man who was brought back, Kade, nods at me but stays silent at the back of the group.
“Today, you travel deep into our city to hunt for your Fuegorra,” I call to the group. “It will be placed in your chest, and once you put it in, it cannot be removed. You will be counted among the Enduar people.”
Many nod, but it’s the pregnant woman from yesterday who lets out a whoop.
“More than ready. I’ve eaten better during the last two days than in the last five years,” she calls.
Another agrees. “And the bed they’ve given me is so soft, I almost slept right through the morning.”
Laughter twinkles through the group.
“I saw one of the men playing with a child yesterday, and I swear, my legs were practically falling open.”
I sputter as more of them laugh.
Melisa claps a hand on my back. “Chin up. You know, I never knew either of my parents. Here’s to children knowing where they come from!”
Several of the women raise their water glasses into the air, as if they were fine goblets of mead and take a long drink.
Melisa looks like she’d like to say something else, but Liana’s head emerges from her sunken crystal cave. I cross over, trying to get a few glimpses of the scrying grotto where Liana and I spent weeks training my Fuegorra reading skills and learning the names of crystals. I can already hear some of the songs pouring out and see the sharp rods of pointed beryl and citrine formations.
Liana is clad in so many gems that I wonder how she walks. I hold out my hand to help her up, and she gladly accepts, squeezing it once before returning her grip to the solid gold bauble she holds under her other arm.
It looks like a portable lantern hanging on the end of a long rod.
“What’s all this?”
She smiles and jerks her head to the side. “We call this a thurible. Everyone not receiving their Fuegorra today carries crystals, but, as leader of the procession, I get to light a bit of mushroom incense and guide you all down to the cavern.”
I study its shape more closely, noting the geometric patterns present everywhere else in Enduvida. There is a lot that looks like gold down here, making up door frames and armor. They call it Enduar metal, but this...
“It’s beautiful. It looks like real gold.”
Liana nods. “It is.” She turns her gaze to the small container. “I don’t work with metal much as a wise woman, but there are a few ceremonial pieces I managed to keep from before the war. Here, hold this.”
She passes me the rod and pulls a handful of dried green mushrooms from her pocket. She places them in my other hand, and I marvel while they leave behind a faint, glowing residue.
I wait patiently while she opens the container and motions for me to place them inside. She follows my actions by striking a rough black flint.
Sparks rain over the mushrooms, and a small tendril of green smoke curls in the air. The wise woman looks up at me and smiles. A strange anxiousness blossoms in my belly.
“Is it time?” I ask.
Liana nods, then faces the humans.
“Human women,” her eyes land on Kade, the old elven spy that came back with Teo, “and man. Are you ready to hunt for your crystal?”
“Yes!” they call out.
It is then that the singers, Velen and Ulla, step forward, carefully cradling bubbling rods of iridescent black goethite. Their clothes look like something straight out of Liana’s closet.
They sing a song that feels like the first dawn of a new life—it is deep, haunting, and stirs my soul with inspiration. The music that pours out of them is not unlike the beauty of a stream flowing along or the crash of waves against the beach. They use deep breaths and the backs of their throats to make low guttural sounds, beats, and clicks. It sounds as if they were unleashing the spirits of a million Enduares, clawing their way through rock, silt, and ash just to join us in this moment.
They walk through the women who watch with unfettered awe and form a line.
Liana swings her golden thurible back and forth, creating decorative patterns with the cloyingly sweet smoke that leaks through the holes.
Only then, with the wise woman at the lead, do we start our walk to the caverns deeper in the mountain.
I flank the group, with Arlet and Melisa walking just a few paces ahead. Svanna, Iryth, and many other Enduar women come next.
It’s notable that none of the unmated men are in sight. I’m not surprised. A part of me is pleased when the elves come to join our procession. They have offered to help with combat training tomorrow, and I must admit that I’m eager to join them.
As we walk out from behind the palace, Teo joins us, and then Vann.
I look at my mate as he draws closer to my side. His braid is neater today, but there is so much to appreciate about his physical appearance. For one, he is devastating in dark colors. From the black earrings to the black circlet upon his head, he’s something entirely too beautiful to belong to this world.
He catches me staring up at him and shows me a mental image of me tangled up in his sheets. It causes me to stumble.
His warm hand wraps protectively around my waist, and the butterflies flutter frantically in my stomach.
He leans down the two foot difference between our heights and kisses me. “Wishing you agood morning and bringing you this.”
My eyes drop to the two quartz towers he holds in his free hand. He gives me one of the columns, and it starts to glow in my hand. My eyes are glued to the glowing stone as we begin to move through the city.
More join in behind us. Even the youngest children trail along to the ethereal chants that light up the entire cave. As we pass the Adorflame, it seems to pulse to the beat of the words.
When Thorne finds his way to my other side, I look up at his well-styled white-blond hair.
“Care to become an honorary Enduar, Thorne?” I ask playfully.
He smiles with ease. He’s watched every movement within Enduvida with careful precision and while I don’t trust him completely, I do like him.
His smile curves up partially. “It is a… primitive display. But I suppose it’s charming. Especially, I imagine, for humans whose rituals were stolen from them.”
I don’t know how to respond, but sadness chokes my throat.
I think of what my mother said to me about a goddess and look back around the vast cave. It’s a thing of dreams. A mystical land that should only belong to the gods, not mere mortals.
When we continue past the forges and toward one of the gates that leads deeper into the mountain, the stone and metal benders pause their work and track our movements with careful precision. Some of them have gathered near the tall, shining metal bars, uninvited but eager to join along. They hand out hammers and hold their fists to the unseen sky and shout once for each woman.
We descend, and the air changes. The temperature grows colder, and a pulse of magic penetrates under my skin. As we move, I become more sensation than person.
“What can I expect when we get to wherever it is we’re going, Your Highnesses?” Thorne asks, striking up a quiet conversation despite it really just not being the time.
My eyes continue to drink in every detail, trying to memorize and experience what I never got. “I was given a Fuegorra when I was half-dead. I never performed a ritual.”
He appears confused. “Aren’t there some vague instructions about each crystal choosing its owner? Who chose yours?”
My brows furrow. “I don’t actually know. I guess I had assumed it was Mother Liana. Is that right, Teo?”
Teo looks over at us. “I knew that Estela was my mate from the moment I saw her. Liana and I chose the stone.”
“And how did you feel about that?” Thorne asks me.
“Sad, honestly. But I would be dead if they hadn’t done it. Maybe I wish I could’ve come down here, but I spend lots of time with the crystals. I’m a Fuegorra reader—still mostly untrained, but one day, I will take Liana’s place.”
Thorne looks back at Liana who is still chanting and swinging the thurible. He almost smiles.
“I can see it.”
We walk a few more paces over a bridge when I lean toward Teo. “What happens first?”
He holds my hand and whispers. “Well, as you saw, everyone received their hammers from the crafters before we started down this path. When we reach the Fuegorra Cavern, Liana will explain to everyone how to look for their gems. From there, one by one, she’ll use her magic to place the stones in everyone’s chest.”
“And what does everyone else do?”
“We watch,” he says, clearly amused by my curiosity.
Whatever he says next is swallowed up by gasps and exclamations coming from the head of the line. I push away from the line, trying to see the front. I only take a few steps when a small set of hands reach around my thigh, and I nearly jump.
When I look down, I squint, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dim room. As soon as they do, I clearly see Rila.
I’m so shocked, but Teo laughs.
“It seems you have a fan.”
Siya, Rila’s mother, comes hurrying up. Her braid is a much darker grey than most Enduares, and she has a round face that radiates kindness. I’m told that she’s a weaver with Arlet.
“My Queen,” she says with a bow. “My deepest apologies—I took my eyes off her for one second.”
The little girl hugs me tighter, and I give the mother a wave.
“It is fine. Walk with your mate. Teo and I will keep her out of trouble.”
Rila grins at her mother who smiles and thanks us tenfold before walking up to the head of the line to find Velen. Rila’s small hand slips into mine, and it reminds me of the younger years with Mikal.
There’s something about children that can heal bits of the soul. Their trust isn’t to be taken lightly.
It doesn’t take much longer for us to reach the glowing chamber at the end of the tunnel. The walls are as black as the moonless night, and flaming orange and red chunks of crystal are scattered throughout. None are as big as the column inside of the Scrying Grotto. Each one calls out a few notes before falling silent.
Once every person has piled into the dark room, the singing stops.
The stones aren’t silent, but I have this itch under my skin as if they aren’t talking to me.
“Listen for your match,” Liana’s powerful voice fills the room. “It will sing a melody that you will recognize instantly, just as clearly as I speak to you now. Be mindful of your hammer strikes, though. The crystal you break out now will be sported on your chest till the day you die—no one wants a lopsided oval like the one Velen cut twenty years ago.”
I look up at Teo, who is grinning. He winks at me and makes a crude shape with his hand, confirming that Velen did indeed have a phallic-shaped stone embedded in his skin.
The stone-faced singer. How… delightfully funny.
When Liana stops speaking, the same silence returns, only now accompanied by the unsure steps of humans who lack any kind of night vision.
Teo once told me that the Fuegorra would heighten my senses, and I suppose a part of that is true, but most of the space around me is still a mystery.
I pull on Teo’s arm, bringing him down to my level. “How does the gem attach to the skin?”
His lips brush my ears, and I shiver. “There is a magic that binds it there. It is almost like a fire that melds the gem with flesh, but as mentioned, it is painless.”
Rila looks up at me. “Mama says I can get one when I’m older.”
I stroke her silky hair. “Yes, you will.”
She gives me a toothy grin, and I realize both her pointed canines are missing. It makes my heart squeeze.
Many more minutes pass before the first sound of a hammer against rock sounds, followed by a triumphant laugh.
Liana’s voice breaks through the clash of hammers.
“Queen Estela? Would you join me?”
I freeze, and Rila looks up at me. Handing her off to Teo, I move across the cavern and stand next to Liana. The expression on her face is hidden in shadow, but she leans over to explain.
“I know that you didn’t get to experience this before, but I thought it would be a good test of your magic.”
My chest fills with a surprised sort of gratitude. There are two powers within me—the one that attunes me to the crystals and the light that burns. I’ve used the heat often over the last few months, but I’m still warming up to the ways of the Enduares.
“Just tell me what to do.”
The reddish light gilds Liana’s hands as she moves them out to either side of her body. “Abi, daughter of the humans, approach.”
The woman walks forward, and a strange buzzing energy builds in the air. She holds out her stone, which Liana takes.
“Bare your chest, my child,” Liana says.
Abi reaches up and undoes the ties around the neck of her tunic. She pulls down the garment low enough so that the valley between her breasts is on clear display.
“Estela, take this and hold it in place,” Liana gently instructs.
I reach forward, placing the stone on her chest. Abi’s sharp breath vibrates through the stone, and it warms against her skin.
“Follow my lead,” Liana murmurs. Then she places her hand over mine and hums a monotone note. I match her pitch, and my Fuegorra lights up, as does Liana’s and Abi’s. For a second, I fear the heat that comes after the light, but it doesn’t come.
The glow isn’t bright white. It’s orange. The glimmer pulses in time with an ancient song, like the composition of a heartbeat, as the stone heats. For a second, I glimpse the world through different eyes. Instead of seeing Abi, I see myself standing next to Liana. We become two souls tangled up in energy and song.
Then our Fuegorras dim, and Abi steps back panting. Her hand flutters to her chest, probing at the stone before tightening her tunic neckline.
“It—it’s done?”
“Yes,” Liana replies.
While the wise woman calls to another, I look down at my hand in wonder. How can this palm have the ability to both burn and bless?
I ponder this question as the next twenty-seven humans approach. Liana seals the gems while I hold them in place, enjoying the out-of-body experience of seeing through another’s eyes. The faces and perspectives begin to blur together, and I swear that I can feel a tangible link between each person in the room.
Taking this stone wasn’t just a ceremony, nor was it solely about extending lives or hearing crystal songs. It was a joining of a people for a lifetime.
As we leave the chamber, I see the tear-streaked faces of each woman, most of them smiling widely. Melisa catches my eye.
I never saw her approach to receive her gem.
“What happened?” I demand.
She takes a deep breath and rolls her eyes. “I didn’t want to do the ritual. All right?”
“Why not?”
She pins me with a long, hard stare.
“Why don’t you ask your husband?” She increases her speed and pushes away from me, looking for someone else to talk to.
I stand there awkwardly at the side of the cave.
It stings.
When Arlet and I first made it to the caves, I was, admittedly, a poor friend. I felt like she left me behind. But Melisa and I had a connection—an understanding.
But now, seeing her clamber away wounds me.
When Teo appears at my side, he’s carrying a sleeping Rila. He looks uncomfortable at seeing my disappointment.
“Did she say something unkind?”
I shake my head. “No. She told me to ask you why she wasn’t getting a Fuegorra.”
He sucks in a sharp breath and looks at Rila’s tiny form against his shoulder.
“We should speak of this later.”
Most of the group was already halfway up the tunnel, but I pin him with a strict stare.
“Why? I think you should tell me now.”
Without thinking, I press into the bond that connects our minds, trying to find the answer he’s so reluctant to share.
He appears surprised, and I stumble back, my hands flying to my mouth.
“I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to push like that.”
He takes my hand.
It’s okay. It’s common with bonds. You just need to be careful, my love.
Melisa volunteered to go back to the giants to help us get information about Rholker’s plans. It will take time for us to launch a counterattack against him—we need to make sure we are prepared.
I feel anger rise deep in my belly. First, for my outburst.
Then because he didn’t tell me, and lastly, she finally escaped them and would be going back.
“No,” I say firmly.
He shakes his head. “Mi amor?1, it was her idea. You can’t tell her what she can and can’t do.”
“Like hell, I can’t,” I grumble and start walking up the tunnel alone.
It isn’t long before my mate catches up with me, but I don’t want to look at him just yet. I need to find a way to convince Melisa to stay.