After everyone had gathered in the room, Horace apologized for interrupting their time together and explained that his mate had something important to share with them.
Ariel exhaled softly before beginning.
"The dream was kind of weird. It might sound a little crazy."
"Oh, come on. We've heard a lot of crazy stuff from you. This won't make any difference," Alicia remarked casually.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What?"
"Don't mind her, honey. Go on," Horace said gently.
"Okay." Ariel nodded calmly. "This dream felt so real. Not like every other dream I've had before." She paused, studying the expressions on their faces. "I saw myself standing in the middle of an ancient throne room. Every corner of the room was illuminated by green flames."
Her voice lowered as the memory returned to her.
"There were eight men and two women surrounding me. And there was another woman sitting on a throne shaped like a snake. Beside her stood a gigantic black serpent."
She paused.
