Moonshadow (Book 1 of the Torrent Skies Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Starlight Celebration, Pt 2

By the time they had cleaned up and calmed down, there was music drifting through the trees.

Children ran about, laughing and playing in their finest garb. Some people mingled in groups, others danced, yet more sat at the simple wooden tables and relaxed.

Fykes, Katerin, Arjiah, and even Brazen enjoyed the celebration immensely. The Uhma'zarhin children had—within only a couple of hours—pulled together hilarious costumes and put on a play of how the group had slain a mighty dragon and his lizard-folk underlings. Fykes' actor was covered in a white powder, with purple blossoms in his hair. Arjiah's had fish atop its head. Katerin's had a too-long cloak and stick that was three times the child's size, and the girl had rubbed her blonde hair black with charcoal so it smudged her face as she moved. Brazen's actor had to drag around a blunted axe he could not pick up, and he had rubbed clay across his skin.

All in all, their play was wonderful, if very far from the truth.

Katerin did her best to avoid the attention, as did Arjiah. Everyone wanted to converse with them, congratulate and thank them. It was a little too much. The food alone was extravagant. They had a dozen different kinds of dishes made of fruits, roots, meats and strange grains that grew within the forest. Brazen found himself in a group of warriors. One being the man he decapitated in their first trial. They were talking and exclaiming about the fight and trading techniques. Fykes handled all the attention like he was born to it, all charm and grace. Scores of people wanted to speak with him, and it was easy to tell why. He handled it all with good humor and a pleasant smile.

Katerin tried several times to just slink away from all the attention, but it was inescapable. On one such attempt, she found herself near Avris' table.

The lady smiled at her. "Are you enjoying our celebration?"

Katerin nodded, unable to tell the woman how uncomfortable this whole thing made her. "It's wonderful."

Avris gestured for her to sit, so she obliged, smiling as she watched Fykes run from a child with a wooden sword, mock terror on his face as the child laughed."I am enjoying it," Katerin said again, "Just not used to so much attention."

Avris laughed. "Well, I suggest you use this night to gain more comfort with it," she said, offering Katerin a fresh goblet of wine.

Katerin took it gratefully. "I don't have any reason to get comfortable with it." She took a sip before setting her glass down. "Once I find my mother, I'll be going home."

Avris' eyebrows raised slightly, and she scanned the crowd to find the woman's traveling companions. "Hmm? I had thought you had reasons to stay."

Katerin followed her gaze with a sad expression. "They're just helping me until I get out of their hair," she said.

Avris shook her head. "That's the least true thing I've heard all day." She smiled, plucking a berry from a nearby platter. "And that play was absolutely ridiculous."

Katerin frowned at her, sipping her wine quietly.

"They risked their very lives for you."

Katerin shook her head. "They don't need me for anything. Sahn-Raidar has plenty of mages... and I've never been one for military service."

Avris let out a chime of laughter. "Sahn-Raidar may have plenty of mages." She held up one elegant finger. "But the four of you did something amazing. By any scale. Something that even all of Sahn-Raidar might be hard-pressed to accomplish. You don't need to be in a military or mercenary group to save people."

Katerin almost scoffed, but thought better of it, "Save people?" She hardly saw it that way. She had only taken Avris' deal for information. Surely she knows that.