Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

Dyna gathered the hem of her nightgown as she rushed down the hallway, searching for any form of familiarity. All the halls looked the same. She tried to connect with Cassiel, but his end of the bond was shielded. It had been since she walked in seeing him within a sea of Seraph fire. A shiver passed through her. To anyone else, he was terrifying, but to her, he’d looked like an enthralling being from another world. But she was worried about him.

“My lady.” Noemi hurried after her. “We must get you dressed.”

“Not until I find Cassiel first.” They had led her away from the war room, but she tried to go back and lost the way.

“He will come find you when he is ready,” Lucenna said. She, Rawn, and Zev had been following her around like her own personal guards. Which might not have been necessary when Sowmya and Janel marched after her, the clank of their armor apparent with every step.

All of it made Dyna feel suffocated.

She halted in the open hallway facing another garden. “What happened? Why did he attack them?”

“My lady, we should escort you back to your room,” Lord Norrlen said. The black wolf beside him chuffed in agreement, making Noemi flinch back. “It’s best to remain out of sight until Prince Cassiel returns. I’m sure he will inform you, then.”

None of them wanted to answer her questions. It could only mean whatever happened wasn’t good. When Noemi came to wake her that morning to dress for the day, she’d felt Cassiel’s sudden mind-numbing fury and ran to find him.

Breathing heavily, Dyna gripped the stone banister facing the garden. It was starting. The conflict of their union. She knew it would come, but it didn’t mean she was ready for it.

“I will take it from here,” Lucenna whispered to the others. “She needs some space.”

Zev’s wet nose nudged her palm, then he and Rawn strode down a different hall.

Closing her eyes, Dyna reached through the bond. It was still silent. It was best to give him time.

He would come to her eventually.

“You shouldn’t be seen like this,” Lucenna told her. “You have an image to uphold.”

Sighing, Dyna continued down the corridor in the opposite direction. She heard voices and came around the corner to find an angry male in golden robes speaking to Sarrai in harsh whispers. She kept her gaze respectfully lowered, perfectly poised. But her cheeks were flushed pink, and her lashes were wet.

The male spotted them, his eyes pinning on Dyna. His mouth twisted in a glower of disgust. He marched away. At his retreat, Sarrai glanced at her next and her flushed face tensed with anger.

It wasn’t even midday, and the news of their marriage was already spreading through the castle like wildfire. Sarrai must feel as humiliated as Dyna had when she learned of Cassiel’s engagement to another.

“Lady Sarrai,” Dyna took a hesitant step toward her. “I’m very—”

Sarrai’s elegant skirts twirled as she strolled away. A flock of ladies came out of a corridor to join her. Sarrai said something that made them glance at Dyna. One look at her disheveled appearance, and they burst into a fit of mocking titters.

Noemi spread open her orange wings, blocking her from view. “My lady, please come this way.” She led them away down more hallways until they came before a set of golden doors. Sowmya and Janel took their posts on either side of them.

“Where are we?” Dyna asked. “Whose room is this?”

“Yours, my lady.” Noemi smiled and led her inside past the drawing room to the bedchamber.

Kahna was there with other servants already prepping the room, opening the curtains, and straightening the sheets. It looked similar to Cassiel’s, but with softer colors in warm shades of taupe, white, and gold. Chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and a plush carpet lined the area beneath her massive bed adorned in several white lace pillows.

They bowed at her arrival.

“Welcome, my lady,” Kahna said curtly. “These are your chambers until you are wed, and your ladies-in-waiting will see to your every need.” Her eyes flickered to Noemi. “Where are the others?”

The dainty Celestial flushed, her orange wings twitching at her back. “They … are tending Lady Sarrai, madam.”

Kahna’s mouth pursed. No one else wanted to serve her. Not that Dyna cared. She didn’t grow up with servants, and all of this was too much for her anyway.

“It’s fine,” Dyna said. “I don’t need a lady’s maid.”

They looked at her as if she had two heads.

“Unacceptable,” Kahna said sharply. “As the mate of Prince Cassiel, the new Lord of Hermon Ridge, your status is that of Lady, and soon to be crowned princess. You must be dressed and treated according to your station. In the eyes of the court, prepare yourself to be judged from everything from your appearance to your conduct.” Her eyes traveled over Dyna’s messy hair, clothed, then to her bare feet, and her mouth pursed with disapproval. “I see you are in dire need of tending.” She clapped her hands. “Get to work!”

The servants immediately sprang into action. They brought in piles of gowns, carts of shoes, chests with jewelry and other shiny things. She was plopped into a velvet chair before the vanity. They were a whirlwind as they brushed, washed, prodded, and trimmed her into perfection. They had her in a dress in less than an hour and were now working on her hair. Lucenna watched it all from the couch by the hearth, trying not to snicker.

“Find this funny, do you?” Dyna huffed.

“Shoulders up and back straight.” The madam jabbed her spine with a sharp finger, making her sit up straight as a rod. “Your posture is appalling. Were you not schooled in the etiquette and manners of a proper lady?”

“Apparently not…” Dyna muttered.

Kahna’s mouth pursed again. “We must prepare you quickly, then. You will have much to learn. Lessons in how you must hold yourself at court, the workings of the Realms, and the Bonding Rites. The rites are your priority for the next two days, as they are very important. It’s to prepare your souls and bodies for a perpetual life of marriage.”

“I think she mean sex,” Lucenna whispered loudly.

A rush of heat flooded Dyna’s face, and a glance at the mirror showed Noemi and the other servant girls blushing, too.

Kahna glowered at Lucenna. “She is, in part correct, my lady. Preparation for your consummation comes with the rite of the flesh. As Noemi will be your lady’s maid, she will inform you on what each rite entails.”

Noemi smiled at Dyna through the mirror as she pinned a section of her hair back.

“There will be a banquet tonight for the Festival of Light and to celebrate Prince Cassiel’s ascension. You must attend and be properly presented before the Realms. We will return later to help you into an evening gown, my lady. Does your companion need to be escorted back to her room to change?” Kahna asked.

“She will be staying with me in my rooms,” Dyna said. “We will bring her things.”

The servants gaped.

“My lady, I’m afraid that will not—”

“It’s not up for discussion,” she said firmly. “Thank you, madam.”

Everything was happening so quickly, Dyna needed one thing to be her decision. The rooms were massive, and she couldn’t be alone at night. She needed a familiar face around her right now.

Kahna looked as if she had swallowed a spoonful of lemon juice. She bowed stiffly and left the room with the other servants.

“She wasn’t happy,” Lucenna said.

Dyna sighed “I don’t think she was happy with me to begin with. They aren’t pleased Cassiel chose a human for a mate.”

They had all expected a Celestial who was a picture of elegance, confidence, and grace. Someone like Sarrai.

“Madam Kahna has always been stern,” Noemi assured her. “It’s how she runs the castle promptly. Don’t take her manner at heart. And my lady, truth be told, your union is a symbol of hope for many of us who wish to coexist with humans. We simply aren’t nattering about it in the halls.”

“Even if most of them are miffed about it, they can sod off,” Lucenna said. “No one can change the fact that you two are bonded.”

She went to Dyna’s new massive bed and propped herself up against the mounds of silk pillows. With a flick of her wrist, a small table with a pot of tea and pastries floated to her. Then she grinned at them mischievously. “All right, Noemi. I want all the sordid details of the Bonding Rites. Tell us everything, starting with the rite of the flesh.”

“Oh, you!” Dyna threw a hair pin at her friend.

Laughing, Lucenna patted the bedding. “Come, come, both of you. Now we can talk freely without the overbearing madam.”

Dyna hooked her arm with Noemi’s, and they went to lounge on the bed.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Lucenna levitated a cup of steaming tea to the both of them. “So?”

Noemi hid her grin behind her cup. “Well…there are three rites, and they serve to align you mind, body, and soul. Only a fourth of love-mates make it through the rites.”

Dyna’s brows tugged up. “Only a fourth?”

“Well, when faced with forever, the rites put much in perspective. Your case is unusual as you have already bonded, and True Bonded at that. That means you are already a perfect match. Nonetheless, preparing for your wedding night is the third rite and the most important step.”

Lucenna wiggled her eyebrows. “Because she is to learn about Celestial pleasures?”

Dyna flushed. God of Urn.

They hadn’t talked about that yet. A flutter went through her stomach at the thought of being that close to Cassiel, that exposed.

Noemi giggled. “Oh no. That part is left up to them to learn together. I’m referring to everything before. The rite of the flesh begins on the night prior to the wedding. My lady will be brought to a sacred pool where only females are allowed. There, she will perform a ritual of purification. She will submerge into the waters and cleanse away any darkness and impurities that ails her and come away renewed, so she may join her husband with a pure body.”

Lucenna arched an eyebrow at that. “Hmm. And what of Cassiel?”

“The prince will also go through the rite in a different form where he will prepare a special paint.”

Dyna and Lucenna shared a confused look. “Paint?”

“It’s a private ritual only males can attend. Prince Cassiel will make the paint that is meant for only himself and his bride. On your wedding night, it will be brought to your rooms where he will then paint his matrimonial vows on your body, and you will paint yours on his.”

Dyna’s heart lodged in her throat. She was going to do what? She stirred her tea nervously, her mind in a sudden whirl.

Lucenna’s grin grew sly. “And they will do this…naked?”

Her tea spoon went flying across the room. “Oh, good gods!”

Lucenna burst into a fit of laughter and heat burned in Dyna’s cheeks. The memory of Cassiel’s defined bare chest and arms crossed her mind and she swallowed. The thought of freely touching him made her heart hitch with nerves and also with alluring curiosity.

Noemi stifled her giggle behind a hand. “It will be their choice, but that’s the purpose of it, I suppose. The paint will fade away but the vows are permanent. And when they join, their promises will be sealed on their bond.”

Lucenna hummed and popped a small cake in her mouth. “That does sound fascinating,” she said as Dyna took a sip of her tea. “But I hope she isn’t expected to produce an heir soon.”

The scalding liquid lodged in Dyna’s throat and she coughed violently. “I—we—I can’t–there will be no heirs right now!” Her tea cup clattered on the saucer, nearly dropping it.

She didn’t even know if Cassiel wanted children. Gods, she wasn’t ready to speak about it, let alone know if she wanted them, too.

“Oh, well, we do have a contraception that works very well, should you prefer,” Noemi said. “We use the seeds of the hallow lily, and it prevents conception for a year. It essentially causes one to be infertile. Very beneficial, and no chance of any surprise little ones, unlike the herbal tea that does not always work. The best part, you will have no monthly menses.”

“Oh really?” Dyna’s eyes widened in interest of this new flower she didn’t know about.

“One year without bleeding?” Lucenna said, looking very excited about that.

“It works for males as well. But we hardly use the seed since it takes years for us to conceive, considering we live so long. Chances of pregnancy averages once in a hundred years or so.”

“Was King Yoel an exception?” Dyna asked. He had four children and all close in age.

“Well, occasionally there is a period when a male may be overly…fertile.”

Dyna squirmed. She couldn’t risk a pregnancy while on this journey. “I will take the contraception, thank you.”

“Me too,” Lucenna chimed in. She grinned when they looked at her. “I may not have a mate, but I can do without the bleeding and bloating.”

Noemi laughed. “I will see about securing the seeds for you both.”

“What about the other two rites?” Dyna asked.

“The first is the rite of the mind, in which you share your most intimate thoughts. The second is the rite of the soul where the couple will Soul Search and see into each other’s hearts.”

Dyna canted her head. “Is that the purpose of Soul Searching?”

“Originally it was intended to see into the hearts of humans, to measure if they were good people and worthy of Elyōn’s aid. Now we use it to see if our hearts are aligned with each other. It’s a little different for those with a human mate since you cannot Soul Search. The alternative is to braid your handfasting sash together with special ribbons. If your hearts are aligned, the ribbons will stay white. If not, they will blacken.”

She had no idea there was so much to the culture of Cassiel’s people, especially with marriage. It was all so fascinating.

“There are other traditions during the ceremony,” Noemi added.

Somehow, that only made Dyna nervous but also excited, and a little sad. She was getting married. She was already married, but this would be a grand wedding her grandmother and sister wouldn’t be able to attend. What would they think once they learned her husband was a Celestial Prince?

“You will begin the rites tomorrow, so your wedding will fall on the third day of the Festival of Light.”

“Why must it be during the festival?” Dyna asked.

“It’s not a requirement, but it’s believed marriages during this time are sanctified, for the Festival of Light is when the Realms come together for seven nights to honor Elyōn. There is food, and music, and presents we call light gifts. Tonight, is the blessing when the Hyalus tree is lit. It all has a special meaning.”

Dyna glanced at the silver candelabra on the windowsill. It was in the shape of a tree with seven branches, and each had a candle. “That sounds lovely. It’s a long standing tradition?”

“Oh, yes. It was established during the first generation of the Forsaken, when King Kāhssiel ruled. He was the first king of Hilos and a great ruler…” Noemi trailed off, her smile wavering.

“But?” Lucenna pressed, picking up on the subtle reluctance.

“Forgive me, my lady.” She shot out of bed. “I’m lazing about when I should be working. I will be back this evening to help you dress for the banquet.”

Noemi dipped in a quick curtsey and rushed out of the room as if she couldn’t escape fast enough. Dyna frowned, wondering what had spooked her so much to avoid telling them more about the first king.