Chapter Thirty
After Kai, Serena is one of the last to enter the Great Hall. She tries slipping to her old place in the back where she is shadowed by the overhanging cliff, but Nerin doesn’t let that happen and motions Serena to her side. Serena hesitates.
Nerin glares, then starts to bend down to the king, as if she will have him call Serena out.
Serena sighs, then steps forward. This time, she has to push her way through the crowd. They are not expecting her.
She hears confused whispers. "Will the final punishment come today?"
Once she reaches the mid-platform, Serena offers a curtsey to the king, then looks at Nerin for further instruction. Nerin nods, allowing her to step up to the high platform. There are more confused whispers.
Serena takes her place beside Nerin, much closer to the king than they were before.
"Serena Moon-Shadow stands with king and council as holder of the title Werewolf Liaison," the king's voice booms throughout the Great Hall. It puts a stop to the whispers. "After consulting with my council, as you all know, we have decided to hold a pairing—the first in thousands of moons."
A jitter of bioluminescent lights and Undine popping up on their tiptoes runs through the crowd. Even the council, who now stand in front of the table of evidence instead of behind it, shift on their feet.
"Our Werewolf Liaison," the king gestures to Serena, "has deemed it safe. As such," the king continues. "She will take part in The Selection."
All eyes rest on Serena. Stiffening, she sucks in a sharp breath. She works to keep her face smooth, but her lips, pressed tight together, twitch.
"Go take your place," whispers Nerin. She puts her hand in the small of Serena's back, nudging Serena forward. The simultaneous pat is probably supposed to offer reassurance.
When Serena steps down to the mid-platform, she turns to curtsey. It is far less grand than when she first came in. She glares at the king, but keeps it short.
"Those that will accompany her are…" the king pauses. Serena can almost see him counting to three under his breath. "The remainder of the Temporal Caste."
There is a series of murmurs from the crowd, along with some shocked gasps, which filter away into disappointed whines. Aside from the Temporal Caste, they all knew this was coming—they've known for years now. Apparently, it all came too soon anyway.
No one moves forward, so the king begins calling them by name.
"Sasha Sunbeam."
More whispers. There was nothing when Serena's name was called.
"Simone Rosebush."
Serena risks a glance at Hailey, standing next to Zayla, shades of intense gold and dark teal running down their scales. Serena did not think about the effect this would have on Zayla, watching all of her students take such a risk. Or is she happy for them?
The final few Temporal Caste mates are called. Cordelia is the last. She takes her place at the end of the line. They stand before all of Society, just as they did a week ago during The Choosing.
"Murphy?' calls the king.
Murphy, standing with the rest of the King's Guard across from the council, calls the guard to attention. He gives leave to Ervin, the youngest member of the King's Guard.
Ervin steps forward. He moves toward one end of the line. He passes each Undine in the Temporal Caste, taking his time. Serena can't look, and when Ervin moves in front of her, her eyes shoot to the ground. He doesn't pause long before moving on. Heat creeps up her cheeks, and her ears ring.
Finally, at the end of the line, Ervin stops and extends his hand. The rest of the Undine in line lean out to see who he has chosen. Serena does not; she already knows. Cordelia.
Out of the corner of her eye, Serena can see Cordelia's hand move to join Ervin's, her bracelets clinking together. The union is accepted by both parties. They will mate tonight.
A noticeable hum of disappointment emanates from the guard. Murphy shoots his men a look, admonishing them.
Better be careful, thinks Serena. Or they'll get buzzed.
The next guard member steps forward, and makes his way down the line. He takes even longer than Ervin did. Of course, the decision is more difficult now. Cordelia was the prize catch. He passes Serena, and she shifts from one foot to another, refusing to meet his gaze. Just as Ervin did, he moves on.
Is this the way they used to do it? wonders Serena. It is absolute torture. I'd rather be stoking fires in the armory. Her thoughts move to how Ronan and Rayne were matched and her cheeks grow hot again as she tries to keep from delving further into the relationship of her mother and father figures.
The guard member has made a choice. It is the new Scientist Assistant, Evandre's apprentice. Serena busies herself with retracting and bringing forth scales along her arms. Five more members of the King's Guard walk by. Scales in, scales out. It is the same routine Serena used to pass time when she finished with a test or a project before the rest of her caste.
Finally, it is Kai's turn. He falls almost directly in the middle of the guard, as far as age goes. It is odd he is Murphy's second, with several guard members as his elders. Six; the number comes to her. He is six castes ahead of her.
Maybe he isn't too old for me. What would it matter anyway, once we reach Ronan and Rayne's ages?
Serena is distracted by his footsteps toward the Temporal Caste. He moves faster than the others did, passing the first few Undine maidens without hesitation. Serena is still looking down when Kai's feet reach her own.
He has stopped directly in front of her.
Serena's breath catches in her throat as his hand extends out.
No, yes, no, yes, no. The alternating words race through her mind.
But his hand does not stop. It moves up, touching the bottom of her chin, forcing it higher.
"Do not look down, Serena."
She meets Kai's eyes. The rest of the words of his sentence come to her, though they remain unspoken. I will wait for you until my last breath.
Kai winks at her, then moves on. Serena lets out her own breath. She is sure this time it is a mix of disappointment and relief.
Two maidens down from Serena, Kai stops. Simone. She accepts, her face breaking open into a wide smile.
Serena's mouth drops open. When Simone glances at Serena, the corners of Simone's lips pull up even farther. Snapping her mouth shut, Serena glares at Simone, then at Kai.
It won't happen, she tells herself. He will wait for me.
Several more guard members make their pick, all passing Serena, until only Murphy is left.
"Murphy Air-Spirit," the king calls the Head of the Guard to his throne. Murphy obliges, bowing before he ascends the steps to the throne. Murphy and Nerin bend their heads toward the King in discussion. Looking at the pair stand together, Serena can now spot subtle similarities between Nerin and her son—slightly hooked noses and high cheekbones. Her eyes falls to the king. Maybe he mated with Nerin even before his wife died? Is Murphy his son? But no, the king's face is much too square. Serena squints. Is that a birthmark on his cheek?
The three maidens left standing in line with Serena, including orange-colored Sasha, and they all fidget as the discussion grows heated. Nerin's hushed words are clipped and her hand gestures are aggressive in an uncharacteristic display of disagreement with the king.
Finally, the conversation ends. Murphy descends the stairs, his steps echoing in the silent cavern. Somewhere behind her, Serena can hear a maiden suck in her breath. Perhaps some of them are still under the illusion Murphy will pull them out of the crowd and whisk them away to The Pairing.
His hulking form draws closer and closer to the four remaining maidens. Beside her, Serena is aware that the others have ducked their heads, staring at the ground.
But her gaze remains on Nerin, who is glaring at Serena with narrowed eyes. Confusion freezes Serena in place, until Murphy's wide-shoulders replace Nerin's glowering scrutiny. Standing directly in front of Serena, he extends his hand. Serena's mouth drops open. H
eat blazes up her neck, licking at her cheeks and drying out her mouth. She can't speak. Her eyes dart from Murphy to the king on his throne then toward Kai. Kai's face is blurred as grey creeps in from the corners of her vision. All Serena can see his hand, fingers intertwined with Simone's.
Focusing in on the pang of jealousy in her chest, Serena finds the strength to reach out and accept Murphy's hand. The union is accepted by both parties, and Serena feels sick to her stomach.