Back in Dravengard, the Queen's Blessing Ceremony had begun at exactly eleven o' clock, under a wide, cloudless sky. The grand temple square in Dravengard was packed with Lycans—elders in long silver robes, farmers in their best tunics, children holding woven baskets of grain and wildflowers. Soft drums rolled in the background while a group of young singers performed an ancient hymn about soil and rain and new life.
The air smelled of fresh earth, incense, and the faint smoke from the small ritual fires burning at each corner of the raised platform. This was the heart of the Queen's Blessing Ceremony. Hundreds of pack members had gathered in the open-air plaza, making merry.
