Wolves of War

Naming Ceremony

“Tell me about what’s going to happen at the ceremony.” I said, changing the subject.

“I will walk you down an isle decorated with the petals of the red rose. The petals are a symbol of your ability to protect and provide for the clan.” Mihira said she has bound my hair into a pony tail at the base of my head and is now brushing the knots out of the tail.

“At the end of the isle there will be a panel of elders. The oldest members of our clan, there has to be at least three who approve of the ceremony,” Atman said.

“The elders were fighting to be part of your panel. That’s how much our clan loves you. One of the elders has been around since the days of Erebos. She never takes part in formalities,” Mihira said excitedly.

“At the end of the isle there will be 12 seats” Atman continued “The oldest among them will have the honor of leading the ceremony. She will speak a blessing over you and you will be asked to dink from a cup. After you drink from the cup, the elder will pass a dagger to Mihira.”

“I will name you Desmona Talia…what’s your second name?”

I looked at her confused. “My second name?”

“Your second name is usually the names of your ancestors.” Atman explains, “For example, I am the oldest male. I get the name Erebos. The oldest female, Mihira, has the honor of having Nyx as her second name. Mihira’s younger sister has Hemera as her second name. These names are generational. The names start over when a new generation begins.”

“Wait, younger sister?”

“She was killed” Mihira said sadly “When Blackstone was attacked, a woman dressed in black threw a light bomb at us. My sister pushed me to safety but she was reduced to ash.”

I turned around in my chair and looked up at Mihira. We do not know much about the take over of Blackstone. All we know is that Mihira, Atman, and others were driven from the keep by an anonymous clan of witches. That knowledge is very well guarded. Not every one knows.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Mihira took my cheeks in her hands and pressed her forehead to mine. “You have nothing to be sorry about. She protected me. It was her job to protect the heir apparent. It’s now my job to protect you.”

Mihira sniffled and motioned for Atman to continue.

“You are the ruling noble. But Blackstone has three heirs to carry the line. Our children, when we start having them, will be named according to birth. The oldest male will have Erebos. The oldest female will have Nxy. The second male will have Sommnus, the second female will be Hemera and so on and so forth.”

I chuckled trying to think up a way to not lie to them but to also not share that my middle name is Asteria. It never occurred to me until now but… my three younger sisters back in my world… their middle names are Miseria, Adora, and Aer. My father insisted that we have these middle names.

“I have a second name…”

I need to tell them it’s the right thing to do. They have done so much for me. I need to be honest with them.

“Ohh…” Mihira said excitedly.

“I only made the connection just recently, so please try not to be angry with me.” I said.

Atman and Mihira looked at each other questioningly, then looked back at me.

“Whatever you tell us, no matter how bad, we will not be angry with you. We will be glad that you told us the truth instead of hiding it from us.”

I took a deep breath and told them about the conversation I had between Talia senior, Terris and Lumina in my dreamscape.

“Your description of Hemera’s power is similar to Lumina’s and mine is similar to Asteria’s,” I said.

“We need Petra” Mihira said

From the corner of my eye Atman nodded.

A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. Galga patted Atmans knee and got up to open the door. Thea came in followed by an adolescent 13 - 16 years of age. Small of Fram with long jet black hair and large red eyes. Her eyes kept me captivated redder than the diamond they mine. Her eyes looked old and all knowing. The woman seemingly floated into the room, stopping in front of Mihira. Mihira stopped fixing my hair and bowed her head at the woman.

“Talia… please allow me to introduce to you the elder who will lead the Ceremony, Elder Petra Azneh.”

I stood up from my stool and inclined my head in respect. The Elder inspected my face, then smiled.

“Yes, I gave birth to you myself” she said.

“Excuse me!”

Petra laughed “Don’t misunderstand. Your father and mother planned your birth with the opening of the portal. The tunnel under the temple is a direct passage to Blackstone. You and your brother were both born in the sacred temple of Nyx.”

No wonder our birthdays are close to each other, I thought.

“Nyx gave you both the blessing of protection. We named your brother after Neo. And we named you Asteria. Your power was great and in your future I saw you surpass your predecessors.”

“You can see the future?” I asked.

Petra nodded, “I can see the past and I can see fate. You were fated to come to this world and have many adventures here. You are destined to grow powerful and do great things that will inspire a new generation.”

“If you know the future, do you know where…” I started to ask, but chickened out half way

“The future is fickle and is always changing. I know what you are destined to do. Where you do it is up to you”, Petra patted me on my cheek and smiled.

I sighed. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. At least we know…

“We are cousins!” Mihira celebrated.

“Thank you for stopping by. It's an honor to meet one of the elders. But why did you come on this campaign? Was New Lumina not accommodating?” I asked

“As the oldest member of Blackstone, it is my job to record any and all events our clan is involved with. I am the keeper of history and knowledge. If you have questions about anything please come find me.”

“Thank You”. I smiled at Elder Petra. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Welcome Home”. She whispered into my ear.

“Shall we continue the history lesson?” Mihira asked after Petra left.

I nodded

“Asteria is my second name” I said.

“Duchess Talia Asteria Noor of House Serberus. Princess of Blackstone Hand of the Forge Keeper of the White Flame Consort to the 3rd Prince Asai Zeeve of Akkadia.”

Mihira bellowed into the room so loudly my ears began to ring.

“That is how you will be introduced from now on.” She exclaimed excitedly.

“Let's take out the House Serberus part. Not everyone knows this fact and I'd like to keep it secret for now.”

“Fine”, Mihira grumbled, disappointed.

Atman chuckled and patted my head. “Moving on with the ceremony, the cup Mihira is going to hand you will contain wine made from the red grapes. Since we don’t drink human blood anymore, it’s more appropriate to use wine. It’s sweet you’ll like it.”

“The next part of the ceremony you may not like though,” Mihira said.

I turned in my chair and squinted my eyes at her.

“Keep still” Mihira complained. She braided the pony tail and is now trying to pin it in a bun at the back of my head.

“Mihira will cut a wound above her heart with the dagger. She will then pass the dagger for you to do the same. Then the two of you will hug, your blood will mix with one another’s. The mixing of blood is important. Our blood is old and holds all our history. When you mix blood with Mihira you will be receiving all of that history,” Atman explained.

“Side effects of the mixing of blood will include lethargy, sensitivity to light, temporary increase of strength, blood lust, and on rare occasions turning.” Mihira mumbled off quickly and quietly, but I heard her.

“On rare occasions, turning?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes, that’s how humans become members of the bat clan, mixing blood. But it’s very rare.”

I started to panic on the inside. They may not know this, but turning into a vampire is straight forward. Any man, woman or animal can become a vampire. The ability to create more vampires is rare, not the ability to become one.

“Have you done this before?” I asked, trying to hide the fear in my voice. I’ve already committed to the ceremony. I just need to find a way to wiggle out of it if Mihira here has turned people before. If she can’t turn people into vampires, then the ceremony should be okay.

“No, I have never done this before. This will be my first naming ceremony.”

“Not what I meant.” I chuckled.

“Have you turned anyone before?” I rephrased the question

Mihira shrugged “I’ve tried a couple of times but it’s never worked.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Atman has done it though”, Mihira said. “Haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. They are like my children. I’m always connected to them. It's annoying. They were picking on Galga and I had to tell them to stop.”

Thank god it’s Mihira in the ceremony and not Atman.

“There!” Mihira exclaimed triumphantly “Your hair is hard to tame.”

“Tell me about it, it’s super thick and curly. You need a special mix of water and oils just to coax the strands to separate from each other.”

Mihira chuckled

“Why would they be picking on Galga?” I asked Atman.

He blushed red.

“Time for the dress” Mihira said, holding up a masterpiece of a creation.