Water {Elements of Power 2}

Chapter 19: Roxy

"So, what even is a picnic?" I asked, tugging on the sturdy boots Tristan had picked up for me while he had been out canvassing that morning.

"It's an outdoor meal. We sit on blankets."

"Don't you eat outside most days?" I had been in the Sephan Realm for a few days now and I was yet to eat any meal inside.

Tristan gave me one of those looks; the one that told me I was being unfairly racist. Again. "Sorry," I cringed. I was trying, very, very hard not to antagonise Tristan more than was absolutely necessary. So far, I was failing miserably.

"You'll understand when we get there."

I sighed and got to my feet. It looked as though picnics, like most Sephan customs, were just something I was going to have to witness to understand.

"Arcans have them too, you know," Tristan added once we were outside and walking through the square.

"Picnics?" I looked across at him, slightly confused.

"Yes. They're not such a quaint Sephan custom as you make them out to be and they're probably something you'll need to get used to, if you're still planning to get to the Arcan Realm. Just see this as a practice in foreign customs." He grinned at me, the green streaks in his hair shining in the afternoon sun.

The square was a hub of activity: people with wheelbarrows full of flowers were crossing in front of children playing ball with small fluffy creatures and teenagers sat singing by the extinguished camp fire. It was all a little too twee for my liking, not helped by the heady scent of pollen which made my brain feel fuzzy.

"And who exactly is attending this picnic, other than you and me? The other candidates?" I asked Tristan as we walked through the trees on the other side.

"Yes. A few Protectors, like Ash, will be there too, as well as important voters."

"Surely all voters are equal in a democracy?"

That remark earned me another look. "Some voters carry more weight. Their support influences others, so impressing one of them can lead to anywhere between fifty and two hundred new votes, in far less time that it would take to convince fifty separate people to vote for you."

"And what makes them 'important'?"

"They are the elected leaders of the towns. A bit like your elite families, but chosen by the people."

We had now reached another large clearing, a little way out from the main camp. A wave of noise washed over the area, which was already full of Sephans. I could see Erica, sat cross-legged on a ruby red sheet, holding court before six scruffy men with saws in one hand and chunks of bread in the other.

Fidelity was lying across a piece of shimmering gold fabric, her dark hair curling over her shoulder. She was talking animatedly with a group of young Sephans while eating from a punnet of freshly picked fruit.

Tristan led me past Saylor, who was sat on a woven blue blanket and Declan, on a small patch of brown. He nodded at each as he passed them, pausing to kiss Fidelity on the cheek and to shake Sebastian's hand. He didn't stop until he reached a space in the grass.

He paused and I looked at him expectantly; "Where's our blanket? You're green, right?"

He gestured to the grass with his hands. "This looks pretty green to me." With that, he sat on the grass and tucked his feet beneath him.

I rolled my eyes, which earned me a smile from Tristan and he tapped the grass beside him. I reluctantly lowered myself to the floor, scowling.

"Ah look, we have our first visitor already: Adam, it was good of you to come."