They were lead into a smaller room, with golden tables with clawed feet and tablecloths over them, and at the very edge, next to the balcony, was a table large enough for eleven people, with a sterling silver tea set on it, and flowers that resembled exotic lilies—but not like any that Elodie had seen before.

"Are these Everburn lilies?" Aideen's eyes lit up, and she leaned in to sniff them. "They are! Where did you get these? I thought they didn't grow anymore?"

Absinthe's smile deepened slightly, amused by the blonde's enthusiasm. "We have our ways, little one."

Aideen sat down, a blush in her cheeks. 

"I suppose you have many questions," said an elderly man with fierce hazel eyes that sat next to Elodie. 

"I do," Elodie said. "But I don't even know where to start."

"You're dragons," said a woman in a black dress mean to extensively reveal her figure. "We can shapeshift into human forms, and do a great many other things."

"Those of us who were born in dragon forms, our human state is rather. . .fixed," said a man with dark skin and colorful robes. "We can do a great many other things, as well. Powers and abilities, which you will be taught."

"We cannot shift into our true forms anymore," Absinthe said. "You see, the Pendragon position used to pass on as a matter of blood and a designated successor. But as the humans were beginning to ask questions again, right before their Renaissance, a tragedy occurred. My predecessor, Abraxas Ananta, was killed by a cabal of dragon-hunters."

"He had four children," the man with the colorful robes said. "But they chose to foresake their immortal lives as dragons, and instead chose mortality and married humans and died as humans."

"You are their descendants," said a woman with Asian features, in a pretty white dress that was more simplistic than those of the others. "Their children, over the course of many years."

"You are the only ones who can shift, as you are exempt from Abraxas's curse," said the elderly man with hazel eyes. "He cursed all dragons to wander the Earth in their human forms until a member of the Ananta line was Pendragon again."

"And I am not a Pendragon," Absinthe said. "I took a vow of regency— I would rule until the Ananta heirs appeared. And imagine—all of them to have their seventeenth birthday on the same day."

"What's so important about seventeen?" Kira asked.

Absinthe shrugged, looking around the table. A woman in a violet gown with a great many jewels sewn to the skirts answered:

"We do not know. But all dragons who are born in their human forms inherit their powers on their seventeenth birthdays."

"That is the reason for your birthmark," the curvy redhead in black said. "To mark you as a dragon, so you would know how much you stand to inherit."

Elodie thought to all of her mother's warnings. Did Jinn know? Why wasn't Brad a dragon, if he had the mark? 

Those were not questions that they, the Council of Crowns, could answer. But there was one that they could.

"Why are all of us here?" Elodie asked.

"Ah," Absinthe said, taking a sip of tea. "Yes, well, because Abraxas did not designate a specific heir, all of them that we can find— scattered throughout the human population— of your generation are eligible to compete."

"What if we don't want to?" Elodie asked. 

Absinthe's eyes flashed as she sat up straight. "We are offering a chance at the most powerful throne that the world ever had! You will rule over an entire race of people, the race of myth and legend!"

"We also want to find the most worthy heir," the man with the hazel eyes said. "And we'd like to include all of you."

"But—"

"You may change your mind," the curvy redhead in black said. "Therefore, all three of you will compete in the Trials by Fire. We will determine the most worthy to rule us, and we will determine the challenges so that we may choose who we believe will rule our kind best."

Elodie shrank, feeling defeated.

"We have appointed a mentor to train you," the man in the colorful robes said. "Felecia Wentworth."

"My grandmother?" Aideen nearly spit out her tea.

"She remember how it is to be a dragon, and she trained her son, as well as Aideen," the woman in white said.

"Why isn't Aideen's father the Pendragon, then?" Kira asked.

"He's dead." Aideen bit her lip. "Sorry, that came out. . . Meaner, than I meant."

"He is obviously ineligible," the woman in purple said, humor in her dark eyes. "You three are our only hope."

The Council of Crowns then stood, as did Aideen, who gestured for Kira and Elodie to stand as well. 

"I, Absinthe, Pendragon Regent, declare the Council of Crowns to now be in session," Absinthe said as she created golden sparks, fanning the hovering sparks into a floating flame with her fluid gestures. She passed it on to the dark-haired man next to her, wearing what appeared to be a magical armor of some sort.

"I, Landon, declare myself to be a competent member of the Council of Crowns, and will judge as accurately as I may, to the best of my ability, for the sake of my people," the man in armor said. He passed the flame to the curvy redhead in black.

"I, Melusina, declare myself as a competent member of the Council of Crowns, and will choose the best Pendragon for my people," the curvy redhead in black said, before passing it on to the Asian woman in white.

"I, Niniane, declare myself an intelligent and competent member of the Council of Crowns, and will judge objectively which of these girls will succeed Absinthe," she said, before passing it to the dark-skinned man with colorful robes.

"I, Ozymondias, declare myself to be of good reasoning and judgement, and as a member of the Council of Crowns, I will do my best to select the next Pendragon," he said, before passing the fire to a man with wild white hair and a middle-aged face. 

"I, Aurelius, declare myself to be barely competent or acceptable, but all the same feel that I will do my my duty to my people with some degree of goodness," the man with white hair said. He then passed the magical fire to the woman with glorious black curls and a bejeweled purple dress. 

"I, Tiamat, was the first member of the Council of Crowns, and I am more than qualified to choose the Pendragon that will save our people," the woman in the purple dress said. 

She then passed the fire to the elderly man with hazel eyes. He hesitated slightly before speaking. 

"I, Tarasque, declare myself a competent member of the Council of Crowns, and I will choose the Pendragon I believe to be most fit," he said. He then looked to Elodie with a kindly expression.

"My dear, here you go."

Elodie took the fire— politely warm, but not too hot to the touch. She looked to Absinthe, who realized that she needed prompting.

"Say, 'I', then your name."

"I, Elodie Durand," Elodie began.

"Pledge myself as a princess of the dragons."

"—pledge myself as a princess of the dragons—"

"And will try to the best of my abilities—-"

"—-and will try to the best of my abilities—"

"To uphold values of courage and honor—"

"—to uphold values of courage and honor—"

"As the future Dragon Queen."

—as the future Dragon Queen," Elodie finished. She was relieved to pass the fire onto Kira.

Kira marveled at the magic for a moment, before looking up, her voice strong and clear.

"I, Kira Goldstein, pledge myself as a princess of the dragons and will try to the best of my abilities to uphold values of courage and honor as the future Dragon Queen," Kira said.

She then dropped the fire into Aideen's hands. Without hesitation, Aideen repeated the pledge, sounding already so much like a queen. 

"We are bound by the fire and our vows to complete our roles in the Trials by Fire," Absinthe said. "Forever."

The fire burned as bright as a sun in the regent's hands before extinguishing completely. There was something different about the very air in the Jade Palace, something that Elodie couldn't place, but was undeniably present. 

"And now, to return you home," Absinthe said, clapping her hands. Three golden portals appeared. "Felecia will contact you, Kira and Elodie, soon. She will keep us updated on your progress, so we may know when it is appropriate to begin the Trials. Good luck. You have no idea how lucky you are."