Fresh air was nice, and Wren was relieved to find out the place Tala'd been changed with his mother was forested. It was on the furthest reaches of the Sol territory, near the old borders of the Zehir territory, so it was safe here. Having a ceremony out in the desert heat would have been excruciating for the guests, so the cool breeze of the morning relaxed and also filled him with excitement. By laws, he was already Talamayas' soul bound, but this ceremony meant something to him.
There would less often be things behind closed doors that others didn't understand about him and Tala, and there was nothing unclear about what they were vowing to each other. Such confusion had caused them issues over the last few years, and while this would change how the mage's saw him, it didn't diminish his feelings.
This was also the fulfillment of Yania Sol's final wish, as well as the place where Tala had been born anew as a vampire. Here, he would fully be born again as a Sol and leave the last traces of his pained past behind.
That is, if he could get his guests to function at normal capacity. There were a few issues to say the least. One of which stood in front of him now, her jaw unhinged. Meredith Aurion's brown curls had been done for the occasion, tightened, styled, and clipped over her ears. They ran a beautiful tangle behind her head, and a single grouping hung over her forehead and down the right side of her face. It wasn't so much her nor her elegant form-fitting pitch gown that was the problem.
It was her mate next to her.
Talamayas had failed to inform Remus Shade just who his mate was, so Wren now stood awkwardly in front of a vampire as he tried to calculate the implications of such a thing. Wren's arms were useless at his side; crossing them would be rude, vampires didn't shake hands, and he figured any movement would set Remus Shade off like a powder keg. Deep emerald bored into Wren the same way many vampires had before, with suspicion, hatred, and threat, but Remus had been invited and could do nothing here without risking his alliance.
"Thank you for attending," Wren said tightly to both Meredith and Remus, unsure if focusing on one of them would be offensive.
"Where did all your hair go?" Meredith asked, cutting the tense mood, and Remus let out a slow sigh of agony. It was a frequent sound with the man, and Remus turned away from his mate to likely shake Tala to death.
"It's custom to cut it, I'm told," Wren said, relaxing as Remus Shade stalked off to go break someone. At least it wasn't him. "I will be growing it back, if that concerns you. I'm not much for this style."
"You still look pretty snappy," Meredith said with a chuckle, her cinnamon eyes glowing. "I was half expecting you and Tala to match." Meredith gestured toward Tala where he stood with Neil, and his soul bound flicked him a brief smile.
Tala didn't dress up, and was as a mass of tan muscles with his normal desert pants. Even so, Forest had helped Wren with ceremonial mage garb, and he quite liked his mage robes. They were tied tighter at his waist, but hung loose sleeves to near his knees over airy ivory pants. Part of him was saddened by the string of notes that tied together in golden embroidery over his chest and sleeve edges, but he was also glad to honor his people. This was farewell to the Songs, and he was happy to usher in the prelude to the Sols with the final requiem of his people.
"Yes, well, I'm not a fan of doing things half naked," Wren said, and Meredith got a good laugh out of that.
"Well, you're sort of strange together, but I can see it," Meredith said, a somewhat pitying smile displaying on her face. "As long as you're okay with it." The statement was a question that would be entirely offensive if Tala didn't like her the way he did. Wren understood though.
"I am happy with Tala. If I wasn't, the soul binding would have killed me, I assure you."
"Morbid. I like it," Meredith said with a smirk. "Rush says that you've likely brainwashed Talamayas and plan to do something nefarious with your newfound power."
"Oh yes, maybe get him a shirt," Wren laughed.
"Seriously though, I had to explain to Rush what a water-heater was. Don't fear bringing conventional technology to these cave men, all right. They need us even if they don't admit it."
Meredith was certainly right, though Tala needed something different from him then he imagined Remus Shade did with Meredith. Remus reclaimed his mate and grumbled all the way over to Neil Arc about how ridiculous this all was. A grand mage being mated to someone like Tala was certainly out there.
There had been little time alone since they'd arrived just before sunrise, and Forest approached and tugged on his mage robe not moments later. That was when Wren remembered the other issue at hand. In the corner of the clearing they'd utilized for the ceremony, a vampire leaned against a tree and watched them with eyes deader than Remus' Shade's sense of humor. Wren wasn't sure if the stranger on the tree line was all there mentally, but Talamayas had assured him that his sire wasn't a threat.
Unlike many houses whose elder sires joined the vampire council, the Sol lineage had just gone on an endless pilgrimage. That sounded like Talamayas, to antisocially roam the world in search of god knew what. Talamayas hadn't invited the man, but only because he didn't have a PO Box. A sire was always welcome at their heir's gatherings without notice, even if they chose to hide under a tree shadowed in a black cloak that barely allowed a glimmer of the man's red eyes to peek out.
"You're sure that guy is..." Forest cut his sentence off because asking if a vampire was safe was the same as insulting them. At the same time, his pregnant daughter was in attendance and Forest couldn't help but run his hands through the ends of his long brown hair in concern.
"Talamayas assured me that Rivin Sol is just here to observe," Wren said, though just speaking the man's name gave him shivers that he suppressed. In-laws were supposed to be from hell, right?
Forest didn't look assured and wandered off to his daughter. Both were dressed in formal Copse attire, littered with flowers, branches, and stone accordingly. Silvia's was splashed with wisps of wind on a black top that was exquisite when paired with Neil's, but he hadn't had much time to talk to them. Each had greeted him upon arriving and Tala had stolen them to figure out seating arrangements and places for them to sit at the front while they said their vows. Tala wanted to relieve Wren as much as possible with his body recovering.
It wasn't that bad anymore. Wren hadn't felt pain in a few days, and the worst was getting used to the dark magic infused into him. Magic didn't work the same, and he'd been training tirelessly with Tala to figure out the best way to utilize his newfound energy. As a grand mage, he had ample magic; it was just figuring out how best to utilize it past the seals and overshadowing of Tala's dark magic.
"Come."
Wren stiffened as dark magic surrounded and pulled on him, yanking his body almost toward Tala's sire. Rivin Sol wanted him, and once one was infused with dark magic, they were subservient to the oldest of their lineage. Ones as old as Rivin could command all of Tala's people against their will if he desired. As such, denial wasn't an option, but Wren gave Tala a glance of concern before submitting to the man. It didn't look as if Tala were enthusiastic with his arms now crossed over his chest, but he gestured with his chin toward Rivin to show it was all right.
The walk across the field to the tree line was instantaneous to Wren's perception, but he knew his mind had been half controlled by Rivin Sol's command. As an infiltrator, he was immune to vampiric control, but as a Sol, he was not to Rivin's call.
Under the shadow of the leaves, Wren was unsure if he was supposed to observe any formality as they stood at a height across from one another. Magic solidified behind him, and Wren turned to a shield of some kind locking them in a bubble. It was likely to isolate what Rivin had to say, so Wren remained as calm as possible while he waited.
And he waited.
Rivin bored his crimson eyes into Wren's ash grey, and the longer he stared, the darker they appeared. Unlike Tala's vibrant crimson, these were as dried blood, more black then red on some parts. Obsidian hair slid out of Rivin's cloak around his face, appearing longer like Shan's but tucked into the dark fabric to keep it obscured. Like his eyes, Rivin's skin appeared a shade darker than Tala's but it might just all be from the shadows. They looked near related, but Wren had no idea if they held blood relation prior to being changed.
"We do not," Rivin said in a gravelly voice, and he coughed air as if he hadn't spoken in decades. "I am Shan's father by blood and we predate Talamayas by some decades."
Wren tried to compartmentalize that the man had just read his mind as another thought twirled through it. "Is it... rude to ask why Tala leads your people and not Shan?"
"Extremely," Rivin said, but his expression didn't change much. "Saying so is implying that Talamayas is lesser as a leader, or that my son was lacking and skipped over, or that either of their decisions was incorrect in some way." Rivin smiled, showing is fangs. "Vampires are like that, reading slight out of thin air like it's a hobby."
A smile found its way to Wren's face, and he did his best to quash it. The attempt wasn't very successful, and Rivin chuckled.
"You're very powerful." Rivin uncrossed his arms to touch him with one, and it sent a thunderbolt up Wren's spine.
It was nearly painful as Rivin ran his hand up from Wren's naval to his chest and then slid away. Wren gasped in relief that he couldn't withhold. Despite Rivin's words, Wren was nothing compared to him. The man thought he was Powerful? By what definition?
"It only feels that way because you reject me," Rivin said, and Wren whitened.
Had he?
"There is no need to be nervous. You're a mage, I'm a strange vampire. Giving me complete control of yourself is not something I'm sure you could do mentally. It's not human to be subservient to a sire. The call cannot be defined by word, nor equated to human emotion. To give yourself to me would be to abandon Talamayas for a human mind, and that is not favorable to anyone. I have enough kids that I will not be grieved by your humanity, Wren."
"You know my name..." Wren trailed off as he forgot the man could read his mind.
"Yes. I know the name and face of every creature that has killed one of my children. The difference is that you are still in this world."
Right. Wren couldn't breathe. Clenching his hands into fist didn't stop the trembling, and Wren couldn't meet Rivin's eyes until fingers touched his chin. It sent the same zap up through Wren's skull and he was forced to lift his face back to Rivin's. Everything was the same, his expression passive as a moment ago, and his hands back to their crossed position save for his forearm lifting Wren's chin.
"I am no danger to you, Wren. If I were, you would be dead and not by my hand. Shan is less forgiving than I am. If he has accepted you, then you are a good fit for my family and Talamayas. I was just concerned about whether or not Talamayas was a good fit for you."
Word Count: 2078