As the acting Domina, it was Agatha's duty to formally greet the Prima Domina, Debleh. Having allowed herself to age, the immortal elioud presented as a striking woman in her eighties.

She wore an ankle length turquoise kaftan that was edged with gold. Her sandals too, were gold and several rings with semiprecious stones adorned her fingers. Long wild silver curls cascaded down to her hips, while her hazel eyes sparkled with a mischief that belied her age.

Liam and Minty knelt before her. "My Queen," they proclaimed.

"We've no time for that nonsense, loves," Debleh replied. "Besides, I haven't been a queen for thousands of years."

"You will always be our Queen," Minty countered. "You saved us all!"

Leonardo gawked at Debleh in awe. "AWESOME, um... Your Majesty. Will you tell us about how you helped the refugees flee Atlantis?"

"'Tis a tale for another time, young man," the Prima Domina smiled before becoming serious. "Fletch and the dragon that you sent to King Terran, are engaged in battle across the villages of the Arx Concordat. We are at war. The enemy are expected here tomorrow."

They all gasped in horror.

Debleh instructed the captain of the gargoyle guards, "Mordecai, let those who are friends of Tweldor know that we need their aid. Sound the shofarat every hour until the cock crows to announce the new day."

Mordecai directed Balthazar and ten of the other gargoyles to follow him. Each of them would stand before one of the citadel's twelve doors to sound the traditional ram horn trumpets. They would take the first shift beginning in twenty minutes.

"Oh, dear God! It's really happening," Agatha whispered.

Debleh smiled sadly. "I would be concerned if you were not afraid, Domina. However, I know that as a Luminous Warrior, you are fearless. This is not the first time Tweldor has seen war, nor will it be the last. To be fearless is not to be reckless. To be fearless is to acknowledge the fear and with the help of all that is love, do what needs to be done anyway."

"Does Libuse know?" Agatha asked.

"Yes, my dear. When what Abraxas had planned became evident, she sent for me to prepare you all."

"Is she prepared?" Theodora wasn't sure how to ask the question that truly plagued her.

Debleh stared at Theodora with open fascination. "A phoenix? Oh, how wonderful! Your kind has not been seen here for hundreds of years. I am thrilled to meet another phoenix after so long."

"My Queen, how did you know? None of us had figured it out." Liam was astounded.

"Eliam, please cease addressing me as Queen." Debleh sighed. "As you know, I am a griffin and we are related to the phoenix, so we recognise its signature and...oh my, another griffin?"

"What, who?" Liam queried before exclaiming, "OH! Of course, that's why her signature keeps changing.

Rhys was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Ah ha! Griffins are a fusion of more than one powerful creature, so her signature won't settle until she achieves her first shift."

"WHOA!" Iago had caught on and gave his mate a look that bordered on veneration, whereas Chiara looked terrified.

"I-I-I have to do the shifty thing too?" she squeaked.

"Piece of cake." Serephina winked at her and Chiara could not help but laugh. "Seriously girl, I bet you'll get it faster than we did."

"I will help you child," Debleh stated. "It is imperative that you learn to shift before facing the enemy."

"B-but you said they'd be here tomorrow. I-I don't have time to learn." Chiara panicked. "I'm not even sure if I know what griffins look like. I've only seen medieval depictions of them. Is that even accurate?"

Before she had finished speaking, Debleh had transformed. Her body, tail, and back legs were that of a lioness. The fur was lush, thick and golden. She had the head, wings and front legs of what humans always assumed was an eagle. From her colourful plumage of reds, purples and blues however, it was evident to everyone that griffins were in fact half phoenix.

"Holy shit!" Leonardo exclaimed.

Debleh blinked her now sapphire eyes at him. "Hmm, fertiliser is a blessing and provides us with fruitful crops, but I've never heard it referred to as holy before." She mused.

Leonardo blushed furiously and everyone laughed. "S-sorry. I meant no disrespect, Your Maj- um... Prima Domina."

"That's quite all right, young man. Eliam is rather fond of using a word that refers to fornication. Don't forget, I've known him for millennia, so while I don't like it, I'm used to it."

Minty snorted.

"It just an economical use of language." Liam protested. "Can you think of another word that can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective and interjection and still make sense?"

Chiara scrunched up her face in concentration. "Wow, he's right!" she decided. The seriousness with which she made this declaration caused much laughter.

"Enough jocularity." Debleh said at last. "We have much to do. Phoenix and Griffin please remain here with me in the Great Hall. Everyone else, I suggest that despite the horns blaring on the hour outside, you try to sleep. Tomorrow we face the anarchy of Abraxas' lackeys. Libuse will arrive earlier than she initially anticipated. Hopefully, she will bring allies with her."

As everyone else began leaving the Great Hall, Iago stepped forward. "With respect Prima Domina, I am Chiara's...er... the griffin's mate. May I stay?"

"A dragon with a griffin?" Debleh cocked her phoenix head. "Your offspring will be intriguing!"

"Steady on," Theodora protested. "I'm way too young to be a grandmother. Besides, they're still kids!"

"But that is not what troubles you is it, Phoenix?" Debleh pressed.

"My name is Theodora. Before I ever discovered that I was a phoenix, I learned that I was psychic - what you would probably call a seer."

"And you have seen something which disturbs you?" Debleh asked.

Theodora nodded and fidgeted uncomfortably. She wouldn't look at Iago. She did not want to hurt him any more than he had been already. It wasn't his fault that his mother was what she was. Her mother was complicit in her sale at fifteen, to a demon. She was not in any position to judge him.

Sensing Theodora's discomfort, Debleh turned to Iago. "What is your name young dragon?" she asked.

"Iago," he answered.

"Iago, please take your mate to the other side of the hall and help her to visualise her griffin for a moment, while I do the same thing with Theodora. Oh, and Iago?"

"Yes, Prima Domina?"

"It is normal to be so empathetic towards your mate that you'll want to shift, yourself. Please refrain from doing so. I want everybody except the guards to stay indoors tonight and a fully grown dragon inside a room that contains artwork which is centuries old is not the best of ideas."

Iago snorted. "Good point. I'll be careful."

"Thank you. I'll call you both when I'm ready for you," Debleh said.

Iago nodded and led Chiara away.

"You are very perceptive Prima Domina," Theodora remarked. "I appreciate it." She took a deep breath, before she continued. "He is Melusine's son."

"Oh my! Yet he is here. Will he fight with us? Do you trust him?"

"Yes, to both questions. None of us can help our parentage. I see that he is striving to become a better man. I have faith that he will succeed."

"But?"

"I cannot escape the vision that I have of Libuse being killed on his mother's orders. It's me Melusine wants. Abraxas wanted to buy my daughter at birth and he also wants me, because he knows I am a phoenix. I am afraid that Libuse will sacrifice herself to save me. That is what I meant when I asked if she was prepared. Is she prepared to die tomorrow? Is anyone?"

"No one truly knows the hour of their death, Theodora, but I do know one thing with certainty," Debleh replied.

"What's that?"

"If it is Libuse's time tomorrow, it will not be as a result of anything that you do or do not do."

"But-"

"No, child. You must listen to me. Irrespective of your status as a phoenix, or of your daughter being a griffin, Abraxas plans on killing Tweldor's Domina. The Holy Ones have told us this. His plan is to create instability. If the citadel is left without a leader, he believes that most of the citizens of the Arx Concordat will choose to follow him. Possibly, he is right.

"The citizens have always been fickle. They trade with both Tweldor and the demons. They've even acted as mercenaries in local skirmishes. Now that the settlements have been openly attacked, the Holy Ones have said that this is it. The Arx Concordat can be no more.

"This war will force the settlements to choose sides once and for all. There can be no more double-dealing masquerading as neutrality. They are either for the light or for the darkness. Those who choose the darkness will be eliminated."

"I don't want her to die!" Theodora whispered in anguish.

"I doubt that she'd be too fond of the concept either, my dear."

"But from what you're saying, she-she knows?"

"As I said, no one knows the hour of their death. She is aware of the threat, however. We both are. Did you mention this to the acting Domina, Agatha?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Because we know that 'the Domina' will be targeted. We just don't know which one. Is it Libuse? Or is it the Prima Domina - me? As an immortal, who still has considerable influence among the Luminous Warriors, particularly the survivors of Atlantis, they would love to get their grubby talons on me."

"Can an immortal even be killed?"

"Oh, yes! If our bodies are destroyed to such an extent that we cannot repair them, then that's it for us. Unlike demons, we would never consider possessing another's body. What a despicable thing to do! So, you see either or possibly both of us could die tomorrow."

Debleh stretched her wings before curling up on the floor like a contented cat. Theodora sensed that she wanted an end to the discussion.

She was right of course. It could be either or both of them but Theodora could not help thinking... it is Libuse who I see so clearly. Nevertheless, she said, "I understand."

"Good. Show me your phoenix!" Debleh demanded, abruptly.

"Wait, what? Don't I have to die before my phoenix emerges?"

"You really do have a morbid preoccupation with death, don't you?" Debleh sighed. "You are an immortal being. Upon the death of your human body, yes you become the phoenix bird and repeat the cycle, but until then you are a woman of fire. So, show me your fire. Become the fire."

Theodora understood the urgency required. The Luminous Warriors needed her to be able to shift. They needed her daughter to be able to shift. She remembered what she'd had to do to master her magic and she applied that now.

Closing her eyes, she thought. I am safe. I am loved. My family, here at Tweldor need me. Myrddin needs me! They are all relying on me to protect them. I am the fire...whatever that means.... I AM the fire. I AM THE FIRE!

Without warning, Theodora burst into flames, flames that did not burn her. She felt the heat but was somehow separate from it. She lifted her arms and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the flames extend all around her. She felt as if she were covered in fiery feathers. She had wings - wings of flames. She blinked. There were two griffins in the room. Chiara had also shifted successfully.

Unlike Debleh's griffin, Chiara's phoenix head had feathers of yellow, red, orange and pale blue. The colours of a flame, Theodora thought. My daughter.

"You did it!" Iago was cheering his mate on before noticing Theodora. "Wow! Chiara's mum, I've rarely seen anything so beautiful."

"Excellent!" Debleh exclaimed. "Now, I want you both to very carefully fly a short distance. Theodora stay away from the curtains; we do not want to start a fire. Although come tomorrow, bring it on!"

Mother and daughter rose gracefully from the ground and flew in a small circle around Debleh and Iago.

"They've both got great control," Iago said in admiration.

Debleh nodded her approval. "Now shift back. Don't worry about the nudity, it's something all shapeshifters must become accustomed to. Your bodies are nothing to be ashamed of."

Chiara rushed over to where Debleh and her mother stood together, now in human form. She was elated. "We did it! We actually did it mum. It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. After watching Evie and Piggy, I thought it would take me years." She laughed.

"You haven't suffered the same trauma love," Iago said quietly. "Be careful not to gloat. It might come off as insensitive."

Theodora stared at him open mouthed. "That was very thoughtful advice," she said. "Are you sure you're a cambion?" she asked.

"I want to be the very best man I can be for your daughter ma'am, but also for myself," Iago replied.

"I think all of you are well into your journeys." Debleh smiled. The horns blared the hour outside. "It's midnight. Let's get some rest. We're as prepared as we can be. Now all that remains is for us to be fearless."

A/N
I'm really proud of this chapter. If you enjoyed it, please comment and vote. Thank you. ❤🌹

The YouTube video below is of a man playing the shofar (ram's horn trumpet - plural shofarat).
https://youtu.be/s7bgB6iR3K0