A Siren's Crown (Book Two in the APK Trilogy)

(23) Secrets

(Circe’s P.OV)

I watched him as my Mother, Airocei and Darius prepared to begin the ritual. I had no idea that he would be here as I hadn’t been properly informed of exactly what the ceremony entailed. I felt cheated, as though I should have had time to prepare before I was forced to see him again.

The look that he had given me when he had entered told me that his feelings had not changed for me one little bit and knowing that, knowing that that hatred was directed towards me hurt. It hurt so so much.

As I watched him struggle against his chains I wanted nothing more than to run to him. I could see that he was not being treated well, if the bloody seeping through his white shirt was any indication. I assumed that they had cleaned him up before he was brought here, but seeing him in this state only confirmed my suspicions that he was not being looked after.

There was a feral look to him, his hair had grown longer and was matted at the back like the pelt of a wild animal. His teeth were constantly bared, his golden eyes reminding me of that of a predator. His pointed ears stuck out through his hair slightly, the tips more tapered than I had ever seen them and his face was gaunt and his cheekbones sharp and pointed, as though he had not been getting enough food.

My heart beat painfully in my chest and I felt as though every cell in my body was reaching for him. I didn’t realize that I had taken a step forward until a hand shot out, restraining me from moving any closer.

I looked to the side to see Ambrose, staring straight at Obsidian before looking down at me and shaking his head ever so slightly. He pulled me back towards him and I leaned into his side, using him for support as he wrapped an arm around me.

“Watch”

Quietly, the Rulers had begun to speak, most of it I could understand but there were a few words in there that were foreign to me.

“Lye nelde harna en’I Arandom en Kemen, Vilya ar Alu en alye sii’ a unite lye vee ndor’ er. Lye tanyra i’ umartempla  el deno’ ar’ i agar en i’ Dhaeraow ona vee mainka a i’ Ra Unenka.”

It seemed to be a jumble of all three languages, I recognized the word ‘Dhaeraow’ to mean traitor, then of course ‘Kemen, Vilya and Alu’ to mean Earth, Air and Water.

As we looked on, the stone beneath their hands begun to glow, the light seeming to emit from where Unabonan’s snout touched the altar. The great Dragons eyes were closed and he was humming as the rulers spoke the words, the rumble building until it vibrated through the throne room.

Their words changed as they spoke together and now I could not understand any of what they were saying. I gasped as I looked down to see that the runes on my robes were glowing white. Looking over to Zalas and Aranel, their eyes were fixed solely on Unabonan and their robes, etched with the same runes that mine were, were also glowing white.

As though pulled by an invisible force, we begun to move towards the table and as we drew closer, the white from the ruins flowed out from the material and towards the altar, merging with the glowing stone and binding us with tiny threads of light. Ambrose and Titan were experiencing the same thing and opposite me, Zalas and Aranel were calm, as though this was what they had expected.

My Mother reached then, to grab one of Obsidian's hands. Turning it over, she revealed a small dagger, with which she made a small and deliberate cut across his wrist. Obsidian hissed at her, but with his hands chained to the altar, there was nothing he could do about it.

He blood gushed quickly from the cut and onto the altar, revealing the deep cuts in the stone that I had not noticed before. His blood pooled into the crevices and as more was revealed, I realized that they were the same runes again, the language of the Dragons.