By the time dawn touched the red moons, Elira had barely managed to pull herself together.
She washed in water that shimmered like molten gold and dressed in what she assumed passed for "formal" here dark crimson robes that clung to her skin like smoke, trimmed with thread that glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
It wasn't her.
It looked like power, danger and seduction.
Maybe that's why she didn't take it off.
Ravion was waiting for her in the hall, dressed in black layered with red embroidery that shimmered like coals. A cloak hung from one shoulder. He looked… regal and dangerous. Like something carved from the bones of kings.
His eyes flicked over her.
"Not bad, little witch." While eyeing her up and down.
She rolled her eyes, though her stomach fluttered under the weight of his gaze, "Try not to sound so surprised."
He smirked,"Oh, I'm not. You clean up better than most queens I've destroyed."
"Charming," she muttered.
"Come, The court awaits."
They descended the long staircase of the temple, through gates carved with old, burning runes. The deeper they went, the stranger the air became thicker, heavier, alive with something ancient.
At the bottom, the chamber opened into a massive cavern lit by hundreds of floating flames.
And waiting within were monsters.
Not all wore monstrous faces. Some looked human others wore glamour like masks, horns curled like crowns, wings draped like cloaks, eyes burned with unnatural light.
They stood in a circle, silent, watching her.
Predators assessing prey.
She stood straighter.
If she was going to burn, she'd burn proud.
Ravion stepped into the circle and all heads bowed some out of fear, others in mockery.
"Elira," he said without ceremony, "Meet the Court of the Ninth Flame,they answer to me. Which means now, they answer to you."
She swallowed "I didn't agree to that."
"No," Ravion said lazily "But the bond did."
A woman with pale skin and gold eyes stepped forward, robes of smoke swirling around her.
"She smells like fear," the woman said, eyes narrowing,"And grief."
"She smells like life," another voice said, a male figure with black scales across his neck. "Something we haven't tasted in centuries."
"Try it," Ravion said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "And I'll make a crown from your teeth."
The court laughed some dark, some nervous.
Elira stood frozen.
This was a nest of monsters, every single one of them wanted something her blood, her soul, her power or maybe all three.
And yet…
Ravion stepped beside her, hand brushing her lower back in a quiet show of possession. His touch was a warning. To them… or to her, she wasn't sure.
"She's under my protection," he said simply.
"She's under your bond," the gold-eyed woman corrected, voice sharp. "Not the same thing."
Elira finally spoke,"I'm not here to play court games."
A ripple of surprise went through the circle.
Ravion grinned. "No, you're here because you dared to bleed into old magic and now it bleeds back."
"She's brave," said the scaled man.
"She's stupid," said another.
"She's mine," Ravion said and the air snapped like fire "And I don't share."
The silence that followed was thick and heated. Several of the court turned away, a few nodded. The woman with gold eyes lingered a moment longer, then bowed her head and vanished into flame.
Ravion turned to her. "Well done."
"I didn't do anything."
"You didn't run, that's something."
Elira exhaled slowly, her legs still trembling. "So what now? You've shown me off. Can I go back to not being paraded like a prize?"
He smirked"You're not a prize ,you're bait."
"What?"
But he was already walking again, deeper into the chamber.
She followed, heart thudding. "What do you mean by bait?"
"Someone wanted you dead," he said casually. "That spell wasn't just a cry for help, it was a trigger it called me yes but it called others too. Things worse than me."
She felt the blood drain from her face.
He stopped in front of a glowing map etched in obsidian, burning with symbols that pulsed beneath his fingers.
"A mark like yours doesn't just bond us," he said, "It opens doors, wakes things that should stay sleeping."
Her hand ached.
She looked down and saw it. The sigil still glowing faintly under her skin.
Ravion looked at her, serious now.
"You're not just a witch anymore, Elira. You're a beacon."
"For what?"
"For war."