Mikhail's blood mingled with the long dead warriors. At once the crystals were illuminated, throwing off colors, deep emerald, rich ruby red swirling and banding throughout the room and over the walls. The display was much like the aurora borealis, many colors dancing through the chamber.
The swirling colors actually hurt Fen's eyes. He was used to gray and white and sometimes the duller colors the wolf could distinguish until Tatijana had given him back the ability to see such things, but he wasn't used to it yet. Still, the display was extraordinarily beautiful. Their native language was comforting to him and made him feel a part of his people after so many centuries of being alone.
Fen glanced at his brother. Dimitri was tall with broad shoulders and a face that could have been etched from stone. He was handsome, but aloof, a man apart. He had a lifemate he couldn't claim. She had restored his emotions and color to his world, but that made hunting vampires all the more difficult. Now he had to contend with a wolf prowling inside him, battling for supremacy. Fen hoped that the sacred chamber would ease his suffering just a little.
The columns hummed, each with a different note, a perfect pitch so that the totems with faces appeared to be chanting musically. The colors swirling over them gave the faces life and expression. Fen had been careful not to swear allegiance to the prince. It was important to make certain he didn't put Mikhail into the position of having to go to war to defend him. But . . . There was MaryAnn and Manolito. He knew Zacarias De La Cruz. Zacarias was pure hunter. He was pure Carpathian. Top of the food chain. Uncivilized. Untamed. The real thing. No one would touch his family without swift and brutal retaliation. He would be relentless, and he would never stop until he annihilated anyone or any group who targeted his family.
Fen knew Zacarias had found his lifemate, but he would bet his life that the eldest De La Cruz hadn't changed much. Fen was a hunter. He knew no other way of life. Zacarias would be the same. That meant Mikhail would have to protect the couple from the Lycans.
If Tatijana were to become like him, and eventually she would, he wanted the Carpathian people to protect her. The same with his brother. Dimitri was well on his way to being Sange rau. They had given one another blood in the past, over the last few centuries when they had hunted together, and now Dimitri was feeling the effects of his wolf.
Centuries ago his blood had been added to the column of warriors, when he had sworn his allegiance to a prince long dead. Adding his blood again would allow the warriors to weigh in on the decisions Mikhail would be making. They would know what it was like to think and feel as a Sange rau. He was not ashamed of who and what he was. He had lived as honorably as he could. He had engaged the enemies of Lycan, human and Carpathian every time he came across one.
"You do not have to swear allegiance," Mikhail said. "But if you are still hesitant because you fear you will force a war between Lycan and Carpathian, I can assure you, I will never agree to indiscriminately hunt those Lycans referred to as Sange rau. Any Carpathian who has this extraordinary and difficult gift will be referred to as Han ku pesak kaikak, or Paznicii de toate, which translates in either language to Guardians of all, and I will not give up any of them."
Mikhail's voice was compelling. Mesmerizing even. He could persuade most anyone to do anything he wanted with his voice, yet he was careful to keep his tone neutral.
Han ku pesak kaikak, Guardian of all. Mikhail Dubrinsky saw him that way, or he wouldn't have bestowed such a name on what he was. Fen couldn't believe what a difference such a small thing meant. He had been the hated Sange rau, and yet with just one small declaration, the prince had elevated him to Guardian of all.
Mikhail gave him and others like him purpose and status.
He was definitely born to lead, Tatijana whispered into his mind. Just changing the name changes the feel of who and what you are.
I can see why you gave him your allegiance.
Don't do this for me.
I wouldn't. This has to be a personal choice, and I choose to be part of his world.
Fen didn't hesitate further. It had been too many centuries where he was a man without a country. His people were Carpathian no matter what his blood had become. He loved the Lycans and respected them, but his heart was here, with his people. He wanted to be part of the Carpathian community again. He wanted to ensure that Tatijana was always accepted.
He glanced at his brother. Dimitri was a respected warrior among the Carpathian people and held in great esteem. Whatever changed inside of Dimitri, whatever the wolf brought, it would benefit the Carpathian people, not take away from them; Fen was certain of that.
Fen stepped up to the bloodred crystal. He lowered his palm slowly. Before he ever reached that sharpened tip, he felt power emanating from the large crystalline column. He knew it was a calculated risk. If his ancestors rejected him, Mikhail and certainly Gregori might reject him as well, but it was a chance he felt he had to take.
He allowed the totem of minerals to pierce his flesh and draw his blood. At once his blood mingled with the blood of those who had gone before. His soul stretched and called to the warriors who had gone before him. He felt them, so many, their presence strong, ringing him, filling him, making him feel a part of a community that dated back to ancient times. The flood of camaraderie and belonging, of acceptance, was overwhelming.
Every cell in his body responded. He became aware of everything, the smallest detail. He heard the steady drip of water, drumming like a heartbeat deep within the chamber so that his own heartbeat took up that collective rhythm. The ebb and flow of blood in his veins, in the veins of those surrounding him, matched the endless flow of the ancient's blood within the crystal. Deep below the chamber floor, hundreds of feet below the forest of giant columns, he felt the pool of magma feeding the heat throughout the labyrinth of multilevel caverns.
He heard whispers, ancient words spoken in the Carpathian language, warriors greeting him. Bur tule ekamet kuntamak. He could hear old friends, calling to him-well met brother-kin.
He whispered back in his mind, reaching for them . . .
Without warning the entire atmosphere of the chamber turned somber and sorrowful. The low humming in the chamber took on a completely different melody-a death chant-the dirge unmistakable although ancient. It was a melody reserved for a fallen warrior held in extremely high regard, a man of legend.
Fen found himself holding his breath. The ancient warriors were paying tribute to him-the highest tribute a fallen warrior could receive-but he wasn't dead. The column went from dark red to a darker, somber purple, a color of sorrow for a fallen comrade. The flickering flames on the candles lowered, throwing more shadows into the room, adding to the feeling of sadness.
It was the last reaction Fen expected-to have his ancestors mourn and give tribute to him as if he'd died in battle. He kept his features absolutely expressionless, but Tatijana had merged her mind with his and the instant his heart felt heavy, she stepped up behind him and circled her arms around him, laying her head against his back to comfort him.
The moment she pressed close to him, her arms encircling him, the mournful humming came to an abrupt, confused halt. There was a startled silence as if the ancestors didn't know what to think. The crystalline column began to pulse a deep rich red through the dark purple. The voices whispered greetings and encouragement.
Fen put both hands over Tatijana's, pressing her palms into his waist. He wasn't certain what to think. One moment the ancient warriors had been mourning as if he'd died in a great battle and the next moment they were calling to him in camaraderie again. It was very confusing.
It's your Dragonseeker blood they sense, he told his lifemate.
It mingles with yours. They should have sensed it before I came near them, Tatijana said with a little sniff of disdain.
They call to you, sister-kin. Fen still wasn't quite certain how to react. He told the simple truth. She is Tatijana-keeper of my heart and soul-han ku vigyaz sivamet es sielamet.