Chapter Eight
Watching Halut get his brain picked should have given her pleasure, but the crystal that was projecting his thoughts showed her a sad and disappointing journey that ended in pain.
Minya was sitting on a carpet and sipping water. Her own deposition had been painful, but she was glad it was over.
Once Halut dropped to the ground, his people should have picked him up. They didn’t. His lie had been exposed to the public.
Yuul stepped forward. “I believe that I have been asked to testify on these events.”
The seer nodded and reached up. “Would you kneel? I cannot reach you.”
Yuul knelt, and she touched his mind. She whispered questions, and the view through the crystal was of him on Gaia, gathering the djinn to speak with them. The blur of the transport from one world to the other was the next memory, and images of the world of Dremarai before the colony were broadcast.
The crowds who were gathered to attack Minya murmured as they saw a very powerful man with swirling blue eyes talking to Yuul. That must have been the Avatar that Yuul had talked about.
Minya watched as the images spun forward until he saw her with her family in the cavern. There was another flicker of what she knew was the Avatar, even though it was a woman, the eyes were the same, and then, the current day was run through with Halut lunging for her and then the fire.
She knew what happened after that, so she didn’t give the images her full attention.
She was looking upward when a woman began to drift slowly down from the sky to land next to Minya’s father.
Minya stared at the woman and blinked as she recognized her from the projection. It was the Avatar.
Yuul got to his feet and came over to Minya, helping her to stand and walking her over to the stranger.
“Dremarai, I would like to introduce you to one of your daughters. Minya Bosun, this is the Avatar of your world, Dremarai.”
The woman smiled brightly. “Ah, the woman who has taken the dragon’s heart. It is a wonderful thing to meet you, child.”
Minya curtseyed deeply and held the position until there was a delicate touch on her shoulder. “It is an honour to meet you, Dremarai.”
There were waves of power coming off the woman. There was no doubt that she was not a djinn. Not anymore.
Minya smiled. “May I introduce you to my family?”
“Please. I have been looking forward to having a longest night celebration. It has been a few centuries.”
Minya blinked and made the introductions then introduced her brothers and Myetta. Yuul stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders the entire time.
She checked the sky and enjoyed the moment. She had to light fires all over the colony. A little bit of relaxation and she should be able to manage it, but she was going to be in a coma by dawn.
“This is the longest night of the year. Tonight, I will bring light and warmth to the darkest parts of the colony. Tonight, I will bring that light and spark that flame that burns until dawn. This is my gift tonight.”
Minya stood in her ceremonial clothing, lifted her hands with their palms up, and watched the brazier in front of her. Blue flickers began around the edge of it, and then, she pushed energy into the flames, and they roared upward in a thirty-foot column. When they subsided, she lit flames around the courtyard at a moderate level, and she knelt on the cushion provided to concentrate on the task at hand.
Now came the hard part, keeping the fire going.
During the fifth hour of her watch, she felt a soft kiss on her forehead. She looked up and saw Dremarai smiling at her. “You are strong, but you have been worn thin. Take this as my gift for the celebration.” An orb was pressed into her hands.
Energy surged into Minya, and she pressed her fingers together around the crystal, focusing on seeing through every flicker of flame she had generated across the colony.
The vast amount of families were engaged in dinner and games. She took in a few situations that she wanted to address when her flame was back under her control.
Two more hours of flickering, her view through her own flames resulted in a lot of insight into her community, and the power surge that had swept through her wore thin.
Yuul knelt behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Use my strength to fuel your fire.”
She smiled and leaned back, resting against him. “I will.”
She felt her parents looking at them, but the looks weren’t disapproving. Her father looked resigned, and her mother had a wistful smile.
With the support of those around her, she pushed on until the dawn. When the light broke, she fell back against Yuul and let exhaustion claim her.
Myetta was next to her at the edge of her bed, again. “Wow, you can really sleep if you put your mind to it.”
Minya pushed herself upright on shaking arms and grabbed the glass of water that her sister was holding. A few gulps later and she gasped out, “My breath could kill a small animal.”
“I agree. Eat your breakfast and brush your teeth. Yuul and Dad have been negotiating for your hand. It is funny. They are battling to pay for you.”
Minya grimaced and kicked her sister until she moved from the side of the bed. “Whatever. I am sure Mom is beside herself.”
“Not really, she is taking notes, looking at me and checking my teeth and ears to determine what kind of a price I will fetch. It is disconcerting. Also, check your pillows.”
Minya turned and looked. There was a pillow with a dent, ruffled bedding, and a divot in the puffy comforter that would have led directly to her waist.
“He was here.”
“He was. He didn’t want you left alone.”
Minya felt her cheeks warm. “That is sweet.”
“And a bit pervy, but come on! Get up, get dressed, and get ready. It is Christmas.”
She slid out of bed and headed for the lav. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days. He has been with you at all times except meals. I just shoved him out to help Mom with the decorations. Nice call on the flowers, by the way.”
Minya called over her shoulder. “I knew that setting the light would take it out of me, I wasn’t anticipating being an over-achiever and sending the light throughout the colony.”
Myetta’s laughter followed her.
The shower was quick, and her limbs felt light but not horribly weak when she wrapped herself in a towel and returned to her bedroom.
Myetta had laid out her holiday clothing and was standing next to the dressing table. “Have a seat. I will be your hairdresser today.”
Minya settled and looked at her expression in the mirror. “Did my hair go white?”
“It is on the way. Dremarai has said that you used enough energy for three lifetimes that day. She insisted that you rest.”
Minya didn’t ask why her family had agreed to that. An Avatar was a frightening thing when you met it face to face. She had the right to dismiss the entire colony and send it back to the stars.
“She also had a talk with Halut. He has had a change of heart and now agrees that Yuul is the best thing for you and for our world.” Myetta was very good at brushing hair. She moved the brush without looking down.
“Why would you say that?”
“Dremarai told me Yuul is the repository of power. The dead zone isn’t actually dead; it is simply filtered through the dragon. With him here, the equilibrium will return to the area and those there will be able to use their magic again.”
“Oh. You seem to be in a bit of a mood.”
“Sorry. Dremarai has been explaining a few things to me, and I can’t really see a flaw in her logic.”
“Like what?”
Myetta smiled at her as she pinned her hair up. “Like the book Mom has. Life, the universe, and everything.”
The hair was oddly formal for a family Christmas, but Minya ignored that in favour of what had happened to the clothing she had selected.
“Your outfit was boring, so I gave you one of mine. Get dressed. We are waiting for you.”
“What? I haven’t eaten yet.”
“There is food waiting. Come on, Minny.”
Minya stared at her and then back at the glittery blue and white clothing that she was sure nobody in her family owned. Fine. She would get dressed in the sparkles as long as there was a meal in it.
The hum of conversation in the family room dropped to silence when she entered the room. Dremarai was sitting with the family, smiling at Minya as she stepped toward Yuul.
Propelled by instinct, she walked up to her Drai and kissed him softly, wrapping her arms around his neck when he stood to hold her close.
The kiss intensified with him tasting her slowly. Minya saw her amused brothers out of the corner of her eye, and she transported her and her mate-to-be to her quarters.
Yuul whispered against her lips, “Why the change in venue?”
“My family is fairly open-minded in a lot of things but not when it comes to watching their youngest daughter and sister engaging in foreplay with a newcomer.”
He pulled her tight against him. “Foreplay?”
Minya sighed and ran her tongue across his lips. “Only if you are interested.”
His grip on her lifted her up, dragging her body against his with only the clothing between them stopping a very interesting collision from happening.
“Oh, I am interested.” He walked with her held so her face was even with his, and they collapsed to the bed.
He taught her what her body was capable of, and she showed him how wonderful it was to have a mate who could give as good as she got.
Minya tidied their clothing, and she used a flash of blue flame to clear off the sweat and fluids from their bodies.
“That is a lovely trick.”
“It is why the djinn were so happy to be here. They could still twist the energy of the world into what they needed.”
He stroked her hair away from her cheek. “It is less a twist and more than a consumption. Dremarai puts out extra radiation of a rare frequency. It is the same frequency that Gaia puts out, but the humans were not able to master their use.”
“Mom has told tales of wizards and witches and sorcerers, as well as fey and dragons. I guess they found a way to use the energy.”
He snorted. “Fey. Dremarai has told me that they almost killed your kind. Admar was given to your mother’s people as compensation.”
“So, where do your people fit in?”
He adjusted her robe and stroked the line of her neck with his thumb. “We were warriors until our elders decided that risking our young men was dangerous and they began to keep us stuck on Drai.”
She took his hand in hers and pressed a kiss to his palm before tugging him toward the door. “That didn’t work for you.”
“It didn’t work for most who could feel their mate in the stars above. Some settled, birth rates dropped, and we became less of a people and more of a disgruntled nation held together with etiquette. That is when I chose to leave.”
Minya murmured, “I am glad you did. The moment I heard you, I knew what you were and what it meant. At no time did I object.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they walked back through the halls to the family room. They suffered ribbing and some sly smiles, but they settled together and joined in the family festivities.
Tim’ha looked at her as he handed over the gift he had for her. “Are you wearing a tiara now?”
She touched her head and couldn’t feel anything.
Myka came over, and she giggled. “I am guessing that the mistletoe tattoo wasn’t your idea.”
Minya pressed her had to her forehead, and then, she had a sinking sensation, and she looked at the spot on her belly that had held a green leaf. A sprig of holly was spreading across her abdomen as she watched.
Dremarai smiled. “That is my doing. Anyone who touches the Drai’s mate will answer to me, so I thought I should mark her.”
Minya blinked. “Mark me?”
“Yes. We are at the edge of a new world when more aliens will come to us and seek power and wisdom. You have been off-world recently, and you will be our vanguard.”
Yuul wrapped his arm around her. “You will not be an avatar. We are merely ambassadors.”
Minya let out the breath she had been holding. The thought of giving her body and mind over was terrifying.
She leaned against her brother and looked at the pile of presents that her father was presenting to her mother. Sex and mating were forgotten for now. It was time to be with family and engage in a ritual that only they were practicing in the entire world. It drew them and kept them together like nothing else could.
It was the days after the longest night of the year. Dawn was getting brighter, and spring was on the way. Nothing gave her hope like Christmas with her family, and whether Yuul knew it or not, they were going to be here every single year of their union on this particular day.
Maybe she should wait until they were officially bound by law before she told him what to do. Nah.