The Elementals: Chapter 31 Power

After proving that my fire skills are up to scratch and finishing my crash course in dragon politics, my mother has arranged a council meeting to declare me her rightful successor. When I woke up this morning I was drenched in sweat after a series of nightmares about all the ways I could mess this up. Apparently strength and power are key to negotiating with the council so I'm doing my best to control the nerves.
Having gone for a run and showered I'm feeling a little bit better, mostly because my body is too exhausted to stress. I dress in a tight black pencil skirt, a maroon shirt and a black blazer. I think it's the most professional I have looked in my whole life and it makes look at least 5 years older, although I still feel like a kid playing dress up. 
I go to say goodbye to sky, since the council is coming here, he has to leave so that his father doesn't know about his existence. He is not happy about or his escort. 
"I don't know what you are stressed about, you will be great, they are going to love you. I'd happily trade places. I'm the one who is going to have to put up with Hades until tomorrow without killing him." Sky grumbles as he massages my shoulders. 
"You really need to give him a chance. He is a nice guy when you get to know him, I'm sure you can manage 24 hours without killing him. Him kissing you might be more of a problem." I tease. 
"Not happening. These are the only lips I'm interested in" he says pulling me in closer and kissing me gently. As he tried to deepen the kiss grabbing my ass I pull away. 
"I can't ruin my make up, I will not be able to fix it in time. I’m going for a professional look and there is nothing professional about how I look when you get your hands on me" I say. 
"Fine, I don't want Hades to walk in on us again anyway." Sky says
"You my friend need to loosen up, a little voyeurism never hurt anyone." Hades says entering the room like he owns it. 
"Speak of the devil" I say and we laugh. 
"Give us a minute Hades please" I ask 
"Only for you amor" he says walking out again. 
I turn to sky. "Ok, I will text you when it's over and safe for you to come back. I know you want to see him, but please stay hidden and safe for now. I love you and I don't think I can handle any more stress right now." I say. 
"I love you too. I will do what you need me to. Let me know as soon as I'm allowed to escape, day or night." Sky says, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek and walking out to meet Hades.
"Alright, drag me down to hell with you" Sky says to Hades. 
"Welcome to the dark side amigo, we have cookies" he says pulling a biscuit out of his blazer and handing it to Sky before they shift and fly off. 
I wave until they are out of sight and then go to find my mother to help set up the meeting room. 
"Don't worry love, you will be fine. This is your birth right." She says pushing a stray strand of hair out of my face. 
"They have started to arrive" a guard informs us. 
"Thank you Jake. Sooner than expected, did Sky leave already?" Mum asks me. 
"Yes, not long ago though, I hope they did not see him leaving." I reply. 
"They shouldn't recognise him in his dragon form at least. Don't worry for now anyway, focus on the task at hand." Mum says. 
I plaster on my confident face and greet the first guests. The representatives from the air dragons seem genuinely happy to meet me, so at least that is a positive start.
The fire dragons I have met before thankfully because they are much less scary after you have seen them drunk partying.
The two earth council members are stoic, but polite when they meet me. Lastly the water representatives arrive, the man barges past the 2 women and comes straight to me. He looks shockingly similar to Sky, but with a much darker aura and a few greying hairs. 
"So this is what all the fuss is about. This child is clearly wasting our time" he says harshly and turns away pulling the women with him before they are even introduced. 
"I'm not a child and I'm not the one wasting time. If you would care to introduce yourselves we can get started with the meeting." I say in my best customer service voice which masks my growing anger with forced politeness. 
Ryder is too shocked at my response to reply. He is obviously not used to women talking back to him. The woman at his side smiles at me like she has been waiting too long for someone to put him in his place and swerves out of his grasp to offer me her hand. 
"I am council member River, this is Nadia and our leader Ryder. You must be Lily." She introduces them. 
"Thank you River, it is a pleasure to meet you. If you would like to follow me, the others are all waiting in the meeting room. There are refreshments in there." I say smiling genuinely at her and leading them through. 
"Thank you all for coming. I know that this is not the usual meeting place, but due to my banishment I was not able to travel to you. You are all aware of why you are here and you have all now met my daughter Lily. Today she is here to take her place in both mine and her father's seats on the council." My mother says starting the meeting. 
"It is most unusual for her to take both seats" someone interjects. 
"She is our only heir, there is no other option until of course she has her own children to pass one seat on to." My mother responds. 
"But she is of mixed blood, she can't be strong enough to be on this council" Ryder says. 
"I can manipulate both earth and fire, I think that makes me strong enough." I say and I levitate a rock in one hand and conjure a small flame in the other to demonstrate my point. There are gasps from around the table and whispers about the rarity of my skills. 
"Impossible, this is clearly a parlour trick, this child could not possibly control both elements, such a skill is only a myth. This is nothing but lies and deception" Ryder accuses me.
I already didn't like him from what my mother told me, but he has only pissed me off since he arrived so I decide to provide further proof. I pull the tree in its plant pot to be behind his seat and I make it wrap its branches around him, pinning him in place. I then set the branches on fire. The look on his face is priceless, the pride giving way to fear for a split second before River uses water to carefully extinguish the flames.
"Will that suffice as proof?” I ask innocently. 
"For now" he says begrudgingly. 
"I'm sure your father would be as proud as your mother is for you to take his seat as head of the earth council. To manipulate plants like that shows strength indeed." Ash the earth representative says and I smile at him releasing Ryder from my hold. 
"Thank you, it would be my honour to take up my seats as head of the fire and earth kingdoms." I say
"We will vote on it as a council." The air leader says and proceeds to take the votes. Unsurprisingly Ryder votes against me joining, but most of the others are on my side.
"Well that is settled then, now there is just the initiation. I will perform the fire ritual, Ash if you would be so kind as to preform the earth one" Hades mother says. 
I brace myself. My mother had prepared me for this, but talking about it is one thing and doing it is another, but I will be damned it I show even in ounce of weakness to Ryder. 
The fire ritual involves a dragon tattoo being burnt into my skin. As the flames touch me I'm surprised that it really doesn't hurt at all. My mother had said that, but the dentist always said it too and so I didn’t trust it. I watch as a beautiful dragon breathing fire is burnt into my wrist.
The earth ritual involves a branch being bound tightly around my other wrist so tight it feels like it will cut off the blood supply before it is relaxed and reformed to be a bracelet with a dragon sitting on a rock. 
When it is done I admire my dragons for a minute and then look around the room to notice the rest of the council's symbols, they all have dragons in different ways and positions. My mother had explained the significance of each stance, reflecting different values. A dragon breathing fire is strength, one sitting shows wisdom. A flying one like Ryder's shows power and a bowed one shows peace. My mother chose mine for me, I was not allowed to pick after I jokingly asked if I could have a dragon eating to symbolise my insatiable hunger. 
I take my father's seat, allowing my mother to keep hers for the rest of the meeting. The rest of the meeting provides updates on each kingdom before the next meeting is planned which will occur in the air kingdom. My mother arranges for my protection of the fire and earth guards to be coordinated for my return to Uni and I am to get a tour of the earth kingdom this evening while the other council members are dining. 
I text Sky an update and let him know that I will come and pick him up when I officially move into my fire kingdom residence later. 
I'm glad that Ash saved me from the diner, I don't think I can handle more of Ryder. The tour of the earth kingdom is really cool, Ash shows me the national parks and major cities I'm familiar with and explains how earth dragons maintain them and are situated in positions of power within the human world to help guide our agenda. The grand canyon was my highlight, flying down to the bottom and discovering a secret city of just dragons where the houses are made entirely from earth. It was beautifully hidden in plain sight and a perfect place for the earth council headquarters.
It was more a whistle stop tour than a world tour but it was lovely to get to meet some of the people that knew and clearly respected my father. 
Having already had the tour of the fire kingdom from Hades, all that is left for me to see is my new office. It is in a part of the castle that I was not shown last time and is clearly reserved for business. The office is beautiful, it has plush red carpets and light grey walls and is filled with dark wooden furniture and a giant window overlooking the garden. The highlight is the large antique desk with a red velvet chair that looks more like a throne and feels like a memory foam mattress. Where as the earth council were in no rush to hand over responsibility to me, Hades’s mum has left a pile of forms and paperwork for me to review on the desk. I decide to make a start on it while I wait for Sky to arrive, but my heart is not really in it, it is too busy counting down the minutes until he arrives. A knock tells me my wait is over.
“Come in” I say.