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“Wistala, if any part of this oath gives you doubt or pause, you may stop at any time. There is no shame or danger in not speaking the oath, only in not keeping it once spoken. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Takea fell into place next to her.
“How do you come to this place?”
A long pause. Ayafeeia glared at Takea.
“A maiden female, leaving family, clan, and line, of my own free will and with clear mind,” Takea prompted.
Wistala repeated the words.
“Why do you come to this place?” Ayafeeia asked. “Takea!”
“To join with my sisters in protecting our future,” Takea said, tail twitching petulantly.
“To join with my sisters—” Wistala repeated the rest.
“Will you give up duty to family, clan, and cave for the greater duty of protecting all dragonkind?”
“Yes, I will,” Takea said.
Wistala had a moment’s doubt. Should she stop the oath? She was a librarian of Hypatia, after all. But librarians held other posts, some were priestesses, some attended thanes as advisors—the librarians would probably appreciate an account of the Lavadome.
“Yes, I will,” Wistala repeated.
“Will you obey the orders of superior, maidmother, and Tyr?”
“Yes, I will,” Takea whispered.
“Yes, I will.”
“Will you brave want, pain, injury, and death in obedience to those orders and defense of this oath?”
“Same, again,” Takea said.
“Yes, I will,” Wistala said, after a moment’s confusion of almost letting same, again pass her snout.
“Takea, one more trick and I’ll put you on the southernmost rock as a watchkeeper,” Ayafeeia said.
Takea hung her head, but Wistala heard griff rattle.
“Then come and meet your sisters and call me maidmother.”
“Yes, maidmother,” Takea prompted.
“Yes, maidmother.”
“Welcome back to the Lavadome, our long-lost sister,” Ayafeeia said.
Wistala’s life had seen its share of happy moments, but this felt truer than most. Perhaps she’d been born for this and all her life had been training for this moment. Her hearts pounded with excitement.
“She’s blushing like you’re a dragon who’s sung his song to her,” one of the dragonelles said, twisting her head to and fro in amusement like a dog drying its ears.
The sisters embraced.
“I’m so happy,” Ayafeeia said. “I don’t know why, but I’m truly happy.”
