I spread my wings and shot down from my high perch like lightning. The fresh wind brushed my cheeks as I descended endless rows, flying past all the attendees until I made it down to where most of the Disciples were seated with their loved ones.
Up close, I spotted a head of ivory. When he turned, his silver eyes with purple streaks plastered the widest grin on my face.
“Ezekiel!” I shrieked. His head snapped to my direction. My eldest brother floated to me, arms wide, and scooped me up. I squeezed him tight, fighting tears. “I’ve missed you! Stars. We haven’t seen you since you left for the Seal Gate!”
“Sazu,” he said, affectionately. “You did it. You burning did it. You’re a Disciple.”
“Did you ever doubt me?”
He scoffed, pulling his head back to reveal a wide, white-toothed grin. “You’re an Anathelle. I’d never doubt you.”
“Stop hogging the little runt!”
I spun and found Hosea already reaching over to scoop me out of Ezekiel’s arms and into his tight embrace. I laughed as my brother squeezed me like I was still a youngling.
“Save some for us, too, yeah?”
I opened my eyes and found my other brothers, Uriah and Gabriel, waiting for their embrace. I threw myself into the warm hugs of my brothers, before a throat cleared itself.
When Gabriel, who was younger than me by a few hundred cycles, put me down, I turned to find Jael and Evanae with crossed arms but beaming eyes. They stared at my golden Disciple gown with shining pride.
I grinned as I threw myself into their arms. All three of us squeezed each other for a long time. Stars, I’d missed them so burning much. So much had happened since I’d left. It had only been several weeks since becoming a Disciple, but it felt like I’d already been in the temple forcycles.
“Gold looks good on you.”
Jael smiled at me, making me flush. My older sister had always been hard to impress. But seeing her mauve eyes glitter with pride made something in my chest swell. Evanae slipped closer, looking like a youngling version of Papi, with bright silver eyes, bone white, braided coils down her spine, and umber skin.
“Do you like it in there?”
Evanae watched me with a curiosity that almost made me laugh. I slipped her hand into mine, lacing our fingers.
“It’s been…interesting. To say the least.”
“What does interesting mean?” Hosea raised a brow, his purple eyes watching me intently. Like me, he got Manmi’s features. Sharp eyes, brown skin, dark brown hair.
“I don’t even know how much I can share?” I shrugged. “Manmi prepared me for a lot, but there’s still so much I wasn’t ready for. The amount of deaths being among them.”
“I’m…sorry.” Jael butted in. “Deaths?” Her eyes widened. “Of whom?”
“Disciples, Jayi,” I whispered. “They’ve been dropping like shadowbats with everything we have to do in there. Surprise trials. Bonding us to the Fallenspawn?—”
“Thewhom?” my siblings chorused all at once.
Trumpets began blaring as tanbou drums began to beat all over Titombwe.
“Letters,” Hosea said, leaning into my face. “Write them.Sendthem. With details.”
I snorted. “As ifyoucan read them,WatcherHosea! Deployed Watchers in active combat don’t have time for letters.”
“Yeah? Well, Incense Fusersdo,” Jael said, raising a brow.
I opened my mouth to say something else when the trumpets blew a final warning for everyone to take their seats. I sat in the middle of my siblings, with Evanae to my right, still holding my hand. Jael sat at my left. Uriah and Hosea sat on the other side of Jael, while Gabriel and Ezekiel sat on the other side of Evanae. Papi had always instilled in my brothers to shield us Anathelle females at all costs, no matter where we were, regardless of age and distance of time.
I leaned forward, tilting my head to look for Ellabeth. I found her, also nestled at the center of her three older brothers. We smiled at each other, before I leaned back in my cloudchair and faced forward.
I looked around, marveling at the diversity of life all around Titombwe. The Shifters all sat in one section this twinight, remaining in their dominant form.
The Dragèth sat perched on stone mounds. The dragons clustered together, sitting tall and proud, their large, scaly bodies gleaming beneath the starlight. The Pagali were adjacent to them, as the Pegasi sat on their haunches, their hooves scuffing the ground. I didn’t see any Unikai. It seemed the unicorns opted not to show up. But the Ylisks were also here. I stared at the terrifying basilisks as they swung their serpentine heads, looking around as if searching for prey.
