Arrow in the Quiver (Romantic Suspense)

Chapter 23 - Reunited, and It Feels So Good

Almost immediately, an event management agency stepped in on a volunteer basis to organize the talent that had reached out. The issue wasn't so much who would perform - bands, singers, dancers, and the like had poured out of the woodwork practically begging for a slot. The event management agency had already suggested we think in terms of a festival scale with 3 days of performances, each themed. The problem was where to hold it. Keiva's only stadium, a modest-sized structure to begin with, had been utilized as a recruiting center during the earliest days of the war, and as a result, the Militia had bombed the shit out of it. A stadium being low priority in a city that no longer had any professional or semi-professional sports teams, the city's imperial leadership had yet to replace it. In a virtual meeting about a week later, there was talk of moving the benefit to available venues in Zhena or Tefrapol, which while disappointing would have been understandable. But when the organizers came to meet with me, Artem, and Gus, they took one look at our big, empty block and declared the festival would be held there.

It took some time to get the permits for a street festival through Keiva's city managers, but once all the fees were paid and the proper paperwork filled out and filed, they didn't have much in the way of grounds to object on. Before long, the street swarmed with workman constructing barricades, concert seating for VIPs, and a stage/backstage area.

All the while, Firebird continued to serve meals (and, after dark, booze) for the cause. If anything, enthusiastic support for The Heroes Fund had only increased. The line wound almost all the way back around, and the restaurant was regularly entertaining foodies and supporters from not only the far-flung reaches of Taurrika, but from cities and towns deep in the empire. Firebird's social media feeds were alive with interest and support with thousands of additional followers.

The Channel 24 piece had done wonders for the cause. Of course, this also meant that my secret was out: the infamous Shadow That Precedes Death was working as a hostess at a restaurant in Keiva's Old Quarter. I couldn't bring myself to be that upset. I spent a few days mourning the exchange of my newly rediscovered privacy for the reclaiming of fame, but the reveal had been inevitable, I reasoned. Although, the anonymity had been nice while it had lasted.

However, even that cloud had its silver lining. In the weeks leading up to the festival, the looky-loos demonstrated quickly that they'd be more than happy to make contributions for the privilege of meeting me, and larger donations for taking a picture together, and even more for an autograph. The Heroes Project swelled into seven figures.

By the time the festival actually began, the lot of us were already exhausted, but we rallied. For the cause. It was a little like being back in the resistance if I were being honest: forgetting to eat, running ourselves to exhaustion, barely sleeping.

The first two days of the festival were a blur of various foreign bands, dancers, and a guy with the curliest brown hair who performed via satellite wearing a brightly colored shirt, playing funny songs on an accordion. At least those Usonian-speakers in the audience thought they were funny. I couldn't understand a word. Maybe Usonian would be the language I learned next.

Artem took a brief leave only twice: once for Set Star's five-song set, and again the following day for another of his favorite bands, Destroying Devin. They were both incredible. Despite my not having the lyrics, both bands were melodically brilliant. It was easy to feel the power in Set Star's music just by the strength and passion of their lead singer.

The final day of the festival was set aside for veterans. The demand was so high the morning the wristbands went on sale that both the online and phone systems crashed. A lottery system had to be instituted instead. A representative of the event management company stopped by Firebird the evening before to drop off Artem's and my wristbands.