I nod, admiring the intricate beading and embroidery on the bodice. "It's beautiful," I say. "And you look stunning in it."
A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips, and I can't help but lean in to kiss her. Her lips are like velvet against mine, and desire shoots through my body. I deepen the kiss, my hands cupping her face as I explore her mouth with my tongue. She moans softly, and I feel a sense of pride at eliciting such a response from her.
We pull away reluctantly, and I press my forehead against hers, taking deep breaths to calm myself. I can't lose control now, not when the festival is about to begin, and my people need me.
"Shall we?" I ask, offering her my arm.
She takes it, and we make our way out of the palace together.
The walk to the Ardorflame temple is so much shorter than I remember.
As we approach the temple, the sound of singing and chanting grows louder. The crowd parts for us, and we walk down the middle of a wide aisle lined with people on either side. Everyone is dressed in their finest attire, but all eyes are on us. I can feel their stares, some curious, some envious, and some filled with admiration.
We reach the front of the temple, where a marble altar has been placed with a crystal dagger on top.
"It's okay," I whisper, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "All the hard work is finished. All that is left for us is to enjoy."
She smiles weakly, but I can tell she's still nervous. I turn my attention back to the ceremony.
"Where's Liana?" she asks.
I draw near, smelling the sweet vanilla scent of her skin. "She'll come out soon. First, we shout. Then she will sing the Song of Life while we are wed, and then we will spend the rest of the night basking in the harmony of our gods."
My mate nods, and we stand there in silence, watching the priests light the Ardorflame. The flickering orange light illuminates the temple, casting shadows on the walls. Soon, the singers begin to chant, and the crowd joins in. I feel the energy pulsing through my body, the shared connection between all of my people like another limb.
Then all goes silent, and the lights in the cavern go dark, even the crystals in our chest. They do not cease to work; they simply recognize the power. Estela gasps, clutching my arm as I pull her close. My eyes are better than hers, so I can still see vague outlines.
"Are you ready to let go?" I murmur. She doesn't answer.
The same gong we use for telling time sounds three times before the cries begin. The sound makes my chest cave in. Our pain, our cries, our failures reverberate in the air. I keep my mouth shut for fear of startling my mate, but she relaxes at my side. She steps forward and opens her mouth.
The sound that rips out of her throat is like nothing I've ever heard before. It's a mixture of pain, longing, and a deep yearning for something more. It chills me to the very bone.
I watch her body shake with the force of her shout, and I can feel the energy pouring out of her. From the tilt of her head to the way she squeezes her hands in front of her, her pain is palpable.
Finally, I join in. Letting the sound pour from me, too. It is cathartic, a release of emotion that I have been holding in for so long.
The gong sounds once again, and the shouting stops. The ground beneath us trembles, and the lava veins in the temple light up like they've never done before. The gems surrounding it sparkle, particularly the focus crystals up above. The small slit in the top of the cavern that lines up perfectly once a year bleeds through the air.
Still faint. Then, atop the tunnel, Mother Liana appears. She stands with a white hooded cloak hiding part of her face. Gems glitter all over her, creating their own sound. Her sleeves are embroidered with silvered stars, and her time-graveled voice echoes throughout the space.
"Welcome, my children, to the Festival of Endu! We are pleased that both our humans and our elven guests have joined us this evening. Tonight, we embrace the power of the divine," she cries out. The two large crystals we spent all yesterday placing shatter into the finest dust, glittering in the light. The enchanted stone moves to the sound of the song, forming the moon’s shape just above the focusing crystal.
“Come forward, Lady Estela and King Ma’Teo,” Liana says.
We move forward through the shimmering air, hand in hand, and both kneel before the stone altar. The wise woman raises her hands in the air, all of the gems and crystals across her body shimmering. “Do you accept your matehood?”
I look at Estela. She takes a deep breath and squeezes my hand while she picks up the knife. “Yes,” her voice is strong. She takes my hand, and creates a shallow cut in my palm.
I follow after, barely slicing her own hand before I press our hands together, mixing our blood and adding, “I will protect you with my power, influence, and, if necessary, my own body. If we are blessed with a family, I will also protect them. My old self is dead—from this moment onward, I will live for you only.”
"Grutabela and Endu," Liana calls out. "One trapped in the sky, the other in the ground, but forever bound together in love. Bless our sovereigns.”
Estela’s eyes shine. The crowd erupts into cheers and applause, but the sound from above is louder. The air begins to glitter with light as Liana starts her song. The melody is hauntingly beautiful, etching its way into my soul. As she sings, my mate takes my hand, her fingers interlacing with mine. The pure, crystalline tones of Ulla’s voice blend with the deeper, richer tones of Velen, and then we all join in, our voices joining together in harmony.
Tears burn in my eyes when I realize Estela is singing along. The gems in our chests glow as the air around us glitters, and the temple pulses with life.
I wish I could trap the joy and bottle it up into my soul, but the song ends. The harmony does not.