Blood Oath (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book Two) (20 page)

"Are they serious?" I mumbled loudly.

I hated dresses, and I definitely wasn’t going to dress up for my punishment. That was just plain cruel and unusual punishment to demand it. I plopped down on the couch and lay down with my arms crossed defiantly, refusing to look at the stupid dress that seemed to be calling to me,
"Wear me! Wear me!"
Absolutely not!

There was a soft knock on the door before it was slowly opened. I looked over quickly, expecting to see Petra standing there with sword in hand, ready to cut me into bite-size pieces for having the audacity not to be dressed. But surprisingly, it was Veda standing there, looking drop-dead gorgeous as usual in a tight knee-length black dress, sexy black stiletto heels, and her black hair glistening perfectly. But there was no smile on her warm cinnamon brown face as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her quietly. She just stood there, looking at me like a disapproving mother, with her pouty lips glistening with red lip gloss.

She walked across the room, her heels clicking rapidly. I looked at her defiantly. Even though she seemed real cool for an adult, even she couldn’t make me wear that stupid dress. She stood before me with her hands perched on her hips and foot tapping impatiently.

"You know there’s really no point of being so stubborn about this. You
will
wear that dress." Her voice was icy and remote.

I burrowed further down, looking back at her crossly. "Ugh, I hate dresses. You all can just skip the rest of the punishment. Making me wear that dress is punishment enough. Believe me."

She sighed loudly, flicking her hair over her shoulders. "Gabrielle, they’re waiting to see you, and believe me, this crowd is not real big on waiting, especially on
Neophytes
." She reached over and grabbed the dress, the dropped it on my stomach. "The dress must go on. This is not a request. It’s an order," she said with a hard glint in her eyes.

I knew that I would not win this argument. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that if I did not move, like, right now, that she would personally dress me herself. That would be way not cool.

"Fine." I snatched the dress as I stood up.

She smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation." She turned around, giving me her back as I yanked off my clothes but left on my sneakers. I shuddered as I pulled on the repulsive black dress that glided over my body, fitting perfectly.

As if she could sense that I was done, she turned back around, assessing me coolly and smirking at my defiant stance of leaving my sneakers on.

"See, it wasn’t that bad. You didn’t burst into a ball of fire by the mere touch of the dress on your body," she mocked, picking up a pair of black ballet flats from the floor. "Okay, let’s go to the mirror." She placed a warm hand under my elbow, gently escorting me to the floor-to-ceiling mirror tucked into the corner of the room.

I was truly shocked at my image in the mirror because it didn’t even look like me. I looked delicate and tiny in comparison to Veda’s tall stature. The black dress hugged curves I didn’t even think I had. I moved slowly from side to side, watching the hem of the dress sway above my knees. My cappuccino-colored arms glowed in the sleeveless dress. My almond-shaped hazel eyes looked unsure against my tightly controlled heart-shaped face.

Veda reached down and, with a decided snap, pulled off the stretch bands that held my thick, curly brown hair into dog-eared ponytails, allowing my hair to cascade fluffily around my shoulders.

My hazel eyes widened with shock. I looked girly. In fact, I looked…

"Very pretty." Veda finished the sentence for me.

I looked over at her suspiciously. How in the world did she know what I was just thinking?

She looked at me deeply through the mirror, placing her hands gently on my shoulders. Our gaze locked in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity; suddenly, she unlocked her gaze with a sigh, abruptly turning on her heels and striding away toward the door without a backward glance.

She paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Remember that no matter what happens in there, don’t be afraid. Most importantly, listen to your instincts. They will never betray you." She opened the door and walked out silently.

I exhaled quickly, not even realizing that I had been holding my breath until I heard the snap of the door closing with finality. Suddenly, I was really nervous. This was bad; whatever I had done was bigger than sneaking into a stupid meeting. I just didn’t know what it was. I quickly pulled off my sneakers and slipped my feet into the black ballet shoes.

Petra opened the door briskly. "Gabrielle, it’s time." She looked at me meticulously, nodding her head with approval of the dress. "Let’s go."

I walked swiftly across the room, following her down the hallway. She was amazingly hulking in comparison to my shorter and skinnier frame. Why was I just noticing all of my clear differences in comparison to the rest of the
Eternals
? I was admittedly fragile looking in comparison to every
Eternal
that I’d met for far—which I guess wasn’t good since that meant I really stuck out like a sore thumb. I talked about Jessica’s weight insecurities like she had nothing to worry about, but here I was frantically obsessing about everything that was wrong with me. This was so not the right time to have a body image complex. Ugh.

"Gabrielle? Where is your head? I’ve been talking to you for at least five minutes." She gave me an annoyed glare.

"Sorry, what?" I responded with a scowl.

"I was talking about protocols," she replied briskly. "As I was saying, once you get in the
Eternals’
chamber, walk straight up to the center, right before the platform, and do not move. Second, there is absolutely no talking, unless you’re directly asked a question by a member of the council. Third, always, and I mean always, look them straight in the eyes, no matter what. Don’t be afraid, little one. Bravery. Honor. Strength. Words to live by."

I gave her a sidelong look. Was this gruff, tough
Circle
actually trying to give me some sort of pep talk?

She stood before a huge, solid, ominous door that looked like it was made out of real gold, then looked at me briskly. "Courage,
Neophyte
. I sense that in you. Use it. You’ll definitely need it in there." She pushed the door open, shoving me in unceremoniously.

What in the world was she talking about? Protocols? Courage? I was in serious trouble. It so sucked to be me right now.

I walked timidly into the dark
Eternals’
chamber, trying to remember everything that Petra had just said.
Okay, something about not moving. Wait. No. Go to the center first. Don’t talk.
My thoughts were jumbled and confused as I walked in further. I was going to be toast. Why hadn’t I paid closer attention to what she was saying?

A warm burst of air shoved me in the back as if urging me to walk forward. With each step I took, the torches anchored to the wall lit up one by one, in rhythm to my steps. I was really trying not to freak out, but a feeling of panic suddenly overwhelmed me. I abruptly stopped, my legs wobbling with indecision, and felt an overwhelming desire to run for my life.

The burst of warm air shoved me again, hard. In fact, the air was so rough that it pushed me so fast that my feet were no longer touching the ground, but floating above it like a puppet on strings. Before I could react, I was unceremoniously plopped facedown in the center of the huge chamber.

I pushed my hair off my face with anger as I scrambled to my feet. Really, whatever that was, I was so going to kick some major butt. I was now standing in front of a huge platform with no one on it. There was, in fact, dead silence but I could feel the piercing, silent stares all around me in the shadows. Torches suddenly lit, warming the chamber and giving it an eerie glow. Now I could see all of the
Eternals
dressed in burgundy ceremonial robes with their hoods firmly in place. Over their hearts was an emblem of what looked like a large gold bird with a huge green tail and outstretched purple wings.

A soft chime sounded in the air, and everyone pulled back their hoods, revealing their faces. Eyes looked at me curiously, angrily. I did not recognize anyone except for Veda, who was looking at me very solemnly. And then I felt an intense glare coming from the corner. It was Chaos staring at me with his penetrating gray eyes, his face rigidly cold, his body tense as if ready for action
.

What was he doing here? It seemed like he was waiting just like everyone else. Waiting for what, I had no clue.

Then I heard a faint rustling from the far corner of the chamber, which caused everyone to look in that direction.
Great, more spectators have come to see my mortifying punishment.
I instantly recognized the
Eternal
Council members filing into the chamber solemnly, wearing burgundy ceremonial robes with a bird emblem. They walked across the platform silently. At the end of the procession was a regal-looking Grandma Celeste, minus her staff. In fact, her tall frame walked sure and confident, without a hint of her familiar limp.

I wanted to run over to her for protection, but the grave and warning look in her eyes told me not to. The
Eternal
Council stood before me, looking cold, unapproachable, and very intimidating.

I almost squealed with fright when I felt a hard hand press on my shoulder. I looked around nervously, only to see Petra looking at me calmly but solidly.

Okay, under any other circumstances, I would have been mouthing off quite angrily, but with everyone looking at me like they wanted to skin me alive for amusement, I decided to take a less aggressive stance. Looking at the
Eternal
Council apprehensively, I decided to plead my case before things got real nasty.

"Umm, look. Here’s the deal. I’m sorry for sneaking into the
Eternal
meeting. It won’t happen again, okay? I mean, jeez, it was only a meeting, no need to get all crazy," I said in one breath.

Petra’s nails bit into my shoulder painfully. "Silence" she barked.

The
Eternal
Council just looked at me silently, which made me squirm even more. Silence from adults was never, ever, a good sign.

Queen Nemesis laughed chillingly as she looked around the chamber. "
Eternals
, you’ve got to be kidding me. She’s just a mere child. We are wasting our time. She is not the one. Why are we wasting our time here?"

Helios raised his hand, indicating silence. He looked over at me sharply. "You’re not here because of sneaking into the meeting,
Neophyte
. You’re here because we need answers," he stated briskly.

I looked at him anxiously. Okay, answers to what? I was all too happy to tell him that I had no answers. I needed them.

Queen Harmonia slowly stepped forward, floating down the platform, then walking completely around me like I was an animal in a cage at the zoo.

Her violet eyes flashed with curiosity. "The attack on Vineswell was, well, quite disturbing,
Neophyte
. The
Banished
have never been this bold in attacking one of our strongholds"—she paused, pursing her full lips—"and only one thing could embolden them to this extent— the prophecy of the reincarnation of the Akasha." She touched my shoulder gently, her lips curving into a slight smile before she turned on her heels and walked back up the platform to stand with the
Eternal
Council. "And we’re here to find out if you are indeed her."

My body tensed with shock. What? Reincarnation of the Akasha? These people were insane, and I was about to tell them that when I felt Petra’s rough squeeze on my shoulder.

Queen Nemesis walked off the platform with the sickening scent of hibiscus floating around her. She looked at me icily. "I, for one, know that you are not the Akasha because she does not exist. But the
Eternal
Council is convinced that we should put the prophecy to the test." She smiled cruelly. "Do you like tests,
Neophyte
?" She grabbed my chin roughly, tracing a long, sharp fingernail across my cheek. "Because this one might be just a tad painful if you don’t get the answers right."

Queen Harmonia looked over at Queen Nemesis with irritation. "Sister dear, we have already acknowledged your displeasure with having this ceremony. But protocols are protocols. And this ceremony must be done. Please let the will of the council be done."

Queen Nemesis looked at me coldly before gliding over to stand with the
Eternal
Council. "Very well, let the Eternal Council’s will be done, as ridiculous as it may be," she responded mockingly.

Priscilla’s long ceremonial robe rustled as she walked over to a gigantic gold vessel that was strangely plopped in the center of the platform. In the background was a huge floor-to-ceiling stained glass window.