Elissa's PoV
As my legs give way underneath me, I think, Oh no, not again...
Two dragons are performing spellbinding acrobatics and weaving intricate patterns against the azure blue of the sky. One is huge, its scales glinting ruby red in the sun, while the other is smaller and has purple scales with silver accents.
The red dragon locks talons with the smaller dragon, which responds with a keening sound. Necks and tails entwine, and they shoot upward in a twisting blur of colour.
I blink. Above me the blue sky is now empty. For a second I'm confounded by a sensation of weightlessness until I realise that I'm being supported bridal style. A slight twist of my head brings into view a familiar brooding face.
Swiftly looking away, I catch Antares's eyes, which flare. Heat suffuses my cheeks with the realisation that I just had a vision of him mating with another dragon. I wonder if he saw it too. He makes a rumbling sound, which could either be due to amusement or anger.
"Kai, can you put me down?"
Completely ignoring me, he carries me across the courtyard to the base of wide steps, which look like they have been hewn out of the mountain.
I try again. "It was just a vision. I am fine now and I am quite capable of walking."
Still he does not relinquish his hold and obstinately states, "I am duty bound to deliver you safely to my queen."
I wriggle futilely, and give him my best excoriating glare, also futile, before resigning myself to being carried. If it wasn't for being in the arms of possibly the most irritating man that I have ever encountered, I might have liked to stop and admire the beautiful architecture. But no, the exquisitely carved stonework and tranquil courtyards whiz by with barely a glance.
Finally, Kai places me on the ground before a pair of gorgeous metal doors with the figures of two large rampant dragons beaten into the bronze. Either side of the doorway are underdressed guards, who could be sculptures in their own right.
The doors swing open on silent hinges into a huge hall. Carved columns line the room and multicoloured light from a stained-glass window depicting a massive dragon plays across the vast white marble floor.
A woman, who I can only assume is the Queen of the Dragonites, is sat resplendent upon a golden throne. The throne is made from a sculpture of a dragon stood on its hind legs, its muscular thighs providing the seat, while the upper body and wings form the sides and back.
The queen stands to greet us. Oh my, she is a statuesque, with a voluptuous, Amazonian figure barely contained in a flimsy concoction in gold. I feel like a pale twig in comparison. Her face is more handsome than beautiful, with an equine nose, dark eyes and framed with thick dark hair.
Kai bows. "My queen."
She rises, sashaying with seductive steps towards the warrior and slides her hands up his chest, leaning in to brush full lips across his. Yeah, don't let me interrupt your reunion.
"Welcome back, Kai. I knew that you would not fail me."
Kai seems completely unaffected and quickly gets down to business. "Seraphina, allow me to introduce you to Princess Elissa."
Remembering my manners, I curtsey gracefully. "Your Majesty. Thank you for receiving me at the Red Palace."
"Do call me Seraphina. Come, let us wash the dust from your throat after your long journey."
She places an arm around my shoulder, enveloping me in musky perfume and leads me into an antechamber filled with gilded furniture and an ostentatious crystal chandelier. While she takes a semi-reclined position on a chaise, I sit more primly on a sofa opposite her and Kai remains standing.
"Darling, make yourself useful and get us a drink."
Kai pours amber liquor into cut crystal glasses. He hands them out before taking a seat on the other end of the sofa that I'm sitting on. There are plenty of other seats, but maybe he doesn't trust me. Seraphina plays a fingertip around the golden rim of her glass before taking a draft. I don't touch mine because the fumes are warning enough.
"Elissa, I am very curious about you. The realm watches you. Already I have had Queen Celestia, King Torbjorn and the High Priestess all petitioning me on your behalf." She counts them out on bejewelled fingers. "And then there is Lucifer. What does the High King want with you?"
I consider how much to disclose and matter-of-factly respond, "He sees me as the key to more power."
Seraphina's drink bursts into flames. "The elves are very insistent about having you back. Perhaps it would be best to appease my neighbours."
My stomach contracts and I shake my head. "Please, I can't go back there."
She cocks her head, an unspoken 'why' in her expression.
I swallow. "Let's just say that Nero was one of my wannabe courters." Yeah, and I don't even want to contemplate what Morpheus will do to me if I go back, I add in the privacy of my own head.
"Very well. Until we decide on a course of action, you will be my honoured guest."
"Thank you. May I go and explore? What little I have seen of your palace is very beautiful."
"Why, of course and tomorrow, we celebrate Ostara." There is tightness to her voice as she says 'Ostara', as if the word sticks in her throat. "It is customary for the women to visit Ishtar's temple at dawn. You may observe the ceremony if it pleases you."
.....
I awaken to the warmth of a body lying next to me. My heart rate spikes and my eyes spring open. A mane of blond hair forms a messy halo around Aren's peacefully sleeping face and his chiselled jaw is half hidden with stubble.
"Aren," I call out in delight. I haven't seen him for days and my subconscious must have decided that a visit is overdue.
He awakes, opening those beautiful blue eyes that I have missed so much. He pulls me in close and nuzzles at my neck.
"Thank the gods. I have been so worried for you. I do not like it. Each day you move further away from me." Distress is evident both in the tone of his voice and his expression.
I stroke his worry lines, trying to ease them out. "My love, I cannot promise that it will be easy. Maybe if I can find the Light and give it to the High King then he will leave me alone and I can return to Arcadia."
"I hope so. I miss you so much."
I sigh. "Well, at least we are together in this oasis."
I lose myself in his lips, taking solace in his embrace. Then, eventually I fall asleep in the safe harbour of his arms.
The next thing I know, I am being gently shaken by a servant. I am alone in bed. I want to go back to sleep, to go back to Aren.
"Your Highness, her Majesty awaits you," the servant urges when I close my eyes.
I groan. I could really do with some coffee. Half-asleep, I allow myself to be dressed and then escorted for a rendezvous with the queen.
Seraphina looks magnificent. Her dress is made from thin layers of gold and red silk and gold patterns are painted onto her bare arms. She smiles at me, yet it doesn't reach her eyes which appear dimmed with sadness.
We make our way into the depths of the palace and to a bejewelled room with a jaw-dropping crystal archway leading directly into the mountain. The passageway ahead is lit by glowing crystals, revealing stone steps, polished from use. A hush falls as we descend, several attendants following in our wake.
At the bottom, I gasp. The cavern is bigger and more majestic than a cathedral. Flaming torches highlight crystals embedded in the cave's walls and ceiling, which are all reflected in a perfectly still dark lake. A crowd of women is already gathered, waiting patiently, though excitement hangs in the air.
Seraphina steps forward and utters an incantation, her voice reverberating in the large space. Barely has the last echo faded when the water starts to ripple. Stones rise out of the lake forming a pathway to an island, where a ten-foot crystalline statue of a woman stands. She has a crystal sword in one hand and the other is cupped as if to hold something.
The queen walks over to the statue and reaching up, places a golden egg into the statue's palm. Then she kneels and calls out a prayer, "Purify us, Ishtar. I ask that you bless my people."
Rising, Seraphina returns, and an eight-foot-high wall of flames springs up around the circumference of the lake. One by one, a procession of women approaches the fire. Most turn away, but for some the flames recede, allowing them to make their way to the statue.
"Ishtar is blessing them," Seraphina explains. "Ostara is an ancient festival of fertility. Soon their bellies will be ripe with child." There is a wistful edge to her hushed voice.
A voice calls 'Elissa'. I whip my head around, but no one else seems to have heard it
Come to me.
My gaze settles on the face of the goddess, just visible above the flames. Her eyes flare. Almost unwittingly, my feet carry me forwards and the wall of fire parts to let me through. Behind me, I feel the heat as it seals me in.
I have been waiting for you.
Cautiously, I traverse the stepping stones to the crystal figure, mesmerised by the living flame burning improbably inside the very heart of the statue. Feeling a mixture of fear and curiosity, I'm unable to stop myself from reaching out a hand towards it.
It is time for you to burn.
Fire flares out of the statue, along my arm and rushes all over my body. I scream in shock and blackness descends.
.......................
AN - the song is Fire by Pvris.
So, the $1M question is - what's Ishtar fire going to do to Elissa???
This chapter is dedicated to @LynneLeialoha & anyone one else who is impacted by the wake of Hurricane Harvey