October 30, 2003 – 19:46
Vectan closed and warded the room to prevent intruders. Vallia turned to the furnace behind her and opened its door. Flames could be seen inside. A small copper pot was in the middle of the flames and Vallia placed a ring-shaped branding iron in it.
"Blue Thunder, you may not have been raised among us, but you are a full-blooded mage well-versed in our laws and traditions. You know why I am here with agent Vallia Bilard," said Vectan, looking at Coralis before turning his attention to Frank.
"Considering where we are and what M. Frank McNally had said, I did not need to ask if revelation had been done and we can reasonably conclude that he is here on his own free will. I did explain to him what was going to happen and he was aware of our laws and traditions about mating and marriage," said Vallia.
Coralis looked at everyone. She knew there was no going back. She and the three men behind her wore their flyball uniforms, but it didn't matter.
"M. Frank McNally, do you wish to go through the traditional elemental binding, which includes some mage magic? If so, tell us why and note that Blue Thunder does need to consent to it."
Frank looked at Coralis, then turned his attention to Vectan to answer him.
"Yes, I want to go through the elemental binding tradition. I know Blue Thunder fears for my safety, given how many deadly enemies she has and the current political situation. If something were to happen to me, I believe it would help her tracking me. I trust her."
"Very well," said Vectan, turning his attention to Coralis. "Blue Thunder, do you consent to it?"
Coralis didn't know what to say. She didn't know why her dad was told not to mark his mate, and she knew it wasn't safe for him to walk around with an elemental mark on his back. She would need to tell Frank about what her grandfather had told her dad. However, she couldn't argue with his reasoning. She figured that she could complete it later when the danger had dissipated.
"I'll agree to whatever he wants."
"Very well."
Vectan pulled two vials containing a bright green liquid from his cloak. He gave one to Coralis. Using tongs, Vallia grabbed the small pot inside of the furnace and brought it to Vectan, who emptied half of the vial he was holding into it. With her free hand, she pulled a small jar out of her cloak and handed it to Vectan.
Vectan gave the half-filled vial to Frank and took the jar from Vallia. It was filled with liquid silver. Using an eyedrop, he added a drop of it into the pot so that the branding would never fully heal. The branding iron that was in the pot absorbed the liquid.
Vallia placed the pot back into the furnace.
"Blue Thunder," continued Vectan. "You are aware that you will need to use your full and true birth name to initiate the binding process. You may proceed after you both have drunk the soul-binding elixir."
She nodded.
They both drank the content of their vial and Coralis closed her eyes. She knew her true birth name. However, she didn't know if she had a surname. She knew some bloodlines, the oldest ones, didn't have surnames attached to their true birth name, but she knew nothing of hers. She hoped if she had one, her dad would have mentioned it in his letter.
She opened her eyes and stared at Frank, releasing some energy toward him, reaching out to him with her soul. Frank could feel the air around him turning cool and warm at once. He found it comfortable. Remembering what was explained to him about this part, he wanted it all, he knew that it was her that he felt.
She always wore her eyeglasses around him, but at that moment, she wasn't wearing them. He was fascinated by the colour of her eyes.
"I, Corhaaliniakhys, bind myself to you, Frank James McNally, as your mate."
Stephanie frowned, wondering why Coralis didn't mention a family name. She remembered Sebastian using different names when he initiated theirs and that Coralis didn't know much about her bloodline. She figured that Coralis probably didn't know it and hoped it wouldn't impact her bond with her brother and that she wasn't intentionally omitting her surname.
Vectan pulled a small knife made of copper out of his cloak. Vallia grabbed the tongs again and took the pot containing the iron ring from the furnace.
"M. Frank McNally, I will now collect a drop of your blood," said Vectan, approaching him with the knife.
Coralis didn't like the idea of someone piercing Frank's finger to draw his blood, but she knew it was part of the ritual and that she couldn't stop it. He made his point. He wanted it and she agreed to it.
She bit her cheek as she watched Vectan poking Frank's fourth finger on his left hand, and let a drop fall into the pot. She couldn't see what was in the pot from where she was, but she knew the branding iron would absorb it. A white fume could be seen coming out of the pot.
When it dissipated, Vectan grabbed another pair of tongs sitting atop the furnace and used them to pick up the casting iron. He approached Coralis with it. Vallia turned off the furnace and placed the pot on top of it.
"Blue Thunder, your left hand please, with your fingers spread out," said Vectan when he was in front of her.
Coralis gave him her left hand and he passed the casting iron along her fourth finger. The casting ring was wider than her finger so it didn't touch the skin. When Vectan reached the spot where the branding was going to be, he pressed on the tongs to shrink it and let the branding iron burn her skin for 20 seconds. Coralis did not feel pain and looked at Frank the entire time her skin was burning.
"Our job here is done," said Vectan as he hovered his free hand above it, and the casting iron disappeared. "I will not hold you here any longer, I believe you four have a flyball game to go back to."
Still looking at Frank, Coralis nodded and turned to leave the room. Sebastian, Henry and Erik followed her.
"You'll have to talk to him after the game," said Sebastian as they walked back toward their field entry.
The intermission was technically over but game officials waited for the four missing players to resume, knowing what was happening.
"I know," said Coralis, looking at her branding covered by a dark red crust with a dark grey and blueish hue. "I'll take him somewhere to talk after the game. I honestly don't know what I'll do to keep him safe, but it is what it is. He made his point."
"We will help you with that," said Erik.
"And Sebastian, you're now officially our brother. If you're a brother to Blue, you're a brother to us," said Henry.
"Bonding time at my place tonight, then, since you're not crashing at Blue's this time!"
As she followed Vallia back to the team's box, along with Frank and Victoria, Stephanie kept thinking about the absence of a surname when Coralis said her sentence during the ritual. She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble so she decided to wait until the CMMA agent was gone to say something. She remembered the moment she saw Coralis in that room.
"The 3 musketeers," said Stephanie, giggling. "That's all I could see when I saw them in that room."
Victoria chuckled.
"The name you three heard tonight, you must not repeat it to anyone, even to the people in the box with you. You never know who is listening and it must not fall into the wrong ears," said Vallia before she let them back in their box.
"Names have power, right?" said Frank.
"Someone used it once to summon her," said Victoria.
Frank looked at her in shock. He didn't know that. They entered the box and Vallia left. People in the box got up to congratulate and hug him.
"She can't back out now, there is no going back and the branding never heals. It scars, but never heals," said Hector as everyone sat back down.
"I've been wondering. During the ritual, when she initiated the elemental portion… she omitted her family name…" said Stephanie as she glanced at her brother. "Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I found it odd."
Frank looked at her. He didn't think about that, but he wasn't worried.
"That's the name she knows and I don't think she has one. Those who come from old bloodlines usually don't have one," said Victoria.
"Really?" said Stephanie.
"My family don't have one. We use a human surname on legal documents, but it's not part of our true birth name," said Jennifer.
"It just means she is from an older bloodline," said Ralphonse.
"If she has one but doesn't know it, would it impact her bond with Frank?" said Stephanie.
"Depends on the bloodline. However, Blue is a spirit mage, so she should have been able to start the binding ritual even if it's not the case," said Ralphonse.
"I could feel her as she was saying her sentence. I don't know how to explain it, something in the air entered me and it felt good. I think it worked."