Swords of Gilded Crimson

Chapter 45 | A Newer Vigour |

We continued on towards Thorngarde, with the occasional break to stretch, or eat, and at times get a few hours sleep in before the next morning. It'd been a long journey, one in which my gratitude for our stop at the town square of Castlerun only grew.

Even still, it was already reaching dusk when we'd reached. The Sun was sinking over a deep, orange skyline and here, the winds bristled at us like talons at this certain time of day. For the first time in months, my cheeks flared with colour on account of something reasonable.

Nikolai rubbed his hands together to warm up. 'There's probably some barren land, or desert ahead. It's one of those places that are filled with sweltering heat in the day, but become horrendously cold at night.'

Further down, a festive type of music could be heard, and along with it, the commotion of dancing, frolicking, and merrymaking in general. We each perked up our ears to gauge how many there were exactly involved in the festivities. The sound we heard was akin to that produced by masses. I pulled out the maps again to see if there was some way we could travel around it all, but those darned festivities seemed present in any part of Thorngarde. Regardless of which direction we chose.

Quite soon, we were met with a vibrant, colourful picture attributed to a lively party of what looked like all the mortals' youth on this side of the continent. It was nothing like what would go on in the four walls of a ballroom. Here, young maidens leapt and danced in vivid, bright colours, switching partners every mid turn. Their male counterparts were nothing less either, not when they too, took full part in the jovial frolicking that was almost atmospheric. Over on the other side of the party, I saw what I'd spent enough time with the mortal aristocrats, to know that the music that a small band blasted out through their odd instruments were for the better part, all foreign tunes. But even if they may not be grasping the words, they all danced by it more enthusiastically than I'd ever seen of anyone in the Tenebrian pit.

This was different. Not even the harsh winds of the night, nor its pitch black looming in could have wiped the smiles off of their faces. Rather, as they finally noticed the approach of dusk, strings of lanterns were put up at several intervals of the wide expanse they partied in, and more rounds of alcohol were brought out from a booth at the far back, eliciting an array of cheers across them all, as they keenly commenced the next drinking challenges of the night.

'I reckon we could walk right through, and they wouldn't even realise.' I muttered to Nikolai once I'd finally torn my gaze from the highly animated party goers, to take the time to make a quick check on the maps within my satchel.

'They wouldn't. But we're at a good place in the timing of things...'

I jerked my head up from where I was rearranging my satchel's provisions. He couldn't really be suggesting...

'We still have no notion of the time required once we actually arrive.' I spoke blatantly.

Nikolai only gave a subtle roll of his eyes, and smirked. It was one of his infuriating smirks I knew meant he wasn't about to listen, let alone heed, to any rationale I put out.

Instead, he offered me his hand. Like in the ballroom, except this was far less solemn or formal. Tonight, the deep brown of his eyes shone with something else. Something that I now realised, distinguished him from the position of the Luxandrian General.

'Dance with me.' His words were as soft as the breeze of a meadow; unintelligible to anyone else, but clear as day to me. I tried to make a point of reluctance, but as humiliating as it was, my hand was already in his before I'd even answered him. I felt my face blaze with red, but he'd only grinned as he wrapped his open hand around mine, and led us in.