Page 73 of The Silver Ones
"Well, it’s good to know that we are just pawns," another Silver said with a sour twist of her face.
Rem couldn’t deny she felt emboldened by the others as she pulled up the loose fabric for her lower half, which only came up to her hips, ending at her mid-thigh.
It made her think about Ronan’s reaction when he saw her like this.
"Enough," commanded the Elder from the corner. The heartened spirits dwindled as the Elder stood. "Do not make a mockery of this.”
Her skin was of a dark shade, and her hair was white as fresh bone. It was a mess of styles, like she couldn't decide which one she liked better. Her head leaned slightly forward, as if permanently stuck. Large, golden earrings that stretched her earlobe made her seem esteemed. "I know all of your histories. None of you have children. So, to be honest, I do not feel bad about what we are doing. Humanity is poison to this world, making the Earth sick with pollution, population, tearing down her trees, sickening her waters, and based on our visions, would have reeked unrevivable damage. There's no respect from your kind."
The Elder paused, allowing only the sound of the cracking fire to echo in the wake of her speech, her hardened eyes examining every single one of them. Even Mavis was quiet. "We are currently experiencing external conflicts that should have died with the humans. Butyourkind is like a cancerous cockroach, and they want a second round of fighting. We Elders are determined to never let humans rule this world again, risking death to cross from the Exiles to get here. We don't know why the Silvers were introduced, but we won't let it go to waste. Your life here will be better than any witching village could give you. This is your fate now. All of you are of age, so there is no reason to complain. You can either get over it, accept it, or continue to drone on, like humans are so good at doing."
She looked to the Silver that refused to undress. "Now, take off your clothes, or we'll do it for you. It is your choice. Either way, youwilldress ceremoniously."
The Silver took off her dress with a temper, throwing her clothes onto the floor.
As an awkward air hung about, Rem pondered those words—why would all of them, of childbearing age, not have children? Was that the witch’s magic? But if it was, why meddle with the Silvers then trade them away? For Rem, she just never met a man worth marrying. But itwasstrange that thirteen women in their early twenties were barren and without a husband, and all Silvers.
It was a thought she’d have to tuck away to consider later.
Once they were dressed, the Elders painted dark black lines from their forehead down their nose and over their lips, branching out at the collarbone and then outward down their arms. They then used red paint to create ornate decorations on the Silvers’ outer thighs. Once that was done, one of the Elders, wearing mittens, reached into the wooden box and pulled out some metal mesh.
She approached Rem first, whose heart raced as everyone watched her. The Elder placed the mesh over Rem's head, fastening it around her neck and around her back.
As soon as Rem saw the coloration of the metal, she understood it was not steel.
It was silver.
It dangled over her breasts, and she realized why the white band for a top was there. It was just to cover her breasts, where the silver chainmail cover was therealpiece.
"This is a lot of silver," Rem said to the Elder, who smelled a lot like a flowery perfume.
"We have been privately working for this presentation once we learned of you. Once you wear these, we will turn them into silver blades for the wars to come. Crowley hunters will no doubt have rogues among them… But for now, this silver sends an important message.”
"If you have been working on this for months, then why didn't Warden know about this gathering until a few days ago?" Rem asked, aware of how all of them bore their gaze into her.
The dark eyes of the Elder looked into hers. "They didn’t have a Silver until you. Word simply didn’t reach them until recently.”
The Elder moved on to the other Silvers to fasten their tops. The rest worked on their hair, braiding it on the sides, only pulling the middle back so it remained flat.
"The goal of today is simple," the one named Imari said, walking about as she examined them all. "You are going to show the eligible shifters here that you are offering more than what is between your legs. You offer power, prestige, and a lineage that will be unlike any we have ever had. You are clearly blessed by our goddess, or else your face and homes would not have appeared in our crystal, nor would your hair and eyes have changed. While we may not use your younglings for years to come, having the thirteen of you mated with some of our strongest will create a small, elite force which we can use in wars, stronger and faster than any shifter. That much is certain. Any other unknown advantages of being a Silver will no doubt only benefit us in time.”
"What if we don't want to fight for you?” one questioned.
Imari took in a deep breath and held her eyes closed as she exhaled slowly. "That is for later."
There was an undeniable sense of the Elders making the Silvers seem important, rather than truly viewing them as such, like a child being told how strong they are.They just want us to attract the males.
"What if we aren't into men?" another asked, one that had been silent until now.
The Elder seemed hardly phased by the question. "Find a mate that doesn't mind you bedding females on the side. There's plenty that would be happy with just you as a partner, not a lover."
"We get to choose?" Mavis interjected.
"Depends," Imari said, her gaze piercing Rem in the same way that Ronan’s did. "If an Alpha or high Beta is interested, then it will be hard to shake him off of you. He will pursue you until someone else challenges him. Otherwise, yes, you do."
An image of Ronan’s back appeared in her mind’s eye in a random fixation, wondering if this would make him take action on her, or if another would claim her, like Caden. What would happen then?
Her heart raced with nerves and excitement.
