Under the Willow Root

Chapter 51

I grab another chunk of bread and go outside, where I'm instantly attacked by Kirit and Pretty Girl. Neither of them is used to being alone for more than a couple of hours and we've--at least I have--been asleep for at least five or six hours. They're both desperate for attention even though I'm sure Luca was just out here playing with them.

Sadra comes to get me when the stew arrives and I all but sprint back into the inn. Someone--Luca, probably--has woken Ismeni. In the beginning, she was fussy about food but now she tucks in just as eagerly as the rest of us do. No one talks until we're scraping our bowls clean with bread. The stew is delicious, and it's not just because I'm hungry. Bard comes back and everyone freezes as we all realize at the same time that we didn't leave any for him.

"You can relax," he tells us with a slight smile. "I already ate. Ismeni, I've brought you clothes and shoes."

Ismeni stares coldly at the bundle he holds out to her. "Those rags are meant to be worn? I have fallen, I grant you, but not quite so low as that."

"Well," Bard says with a shrug. "I suppose I can try to get my coin back if you'd rather wear that dress until it falls to pieces. It's a long way yet."

Bard starts to turn away and Ismeni snatches the clothes from his hands. Sadra snickers as Ismeni sails away up the stairs. I don't laugh, but I want to. The majestic swooshing that Ismeni likes to use to get around just doesn't really work with a dress that's falling apart at the seams.

"How are you, cara?" Bard asks me.

He sits in the chair Ismeni left and takes my hand. Or rather, my wrist. I think he's checking my pulse.

"Fine," I say, a little suspiciously. "Why?"

"Our journey may be more taxing for you than for the rest of us," he says. "Because of your...condition. You must tell me if you can't keep up. Our objective is to bring you to our friend beyond the mountains. We can't do that if you die of exhaustion on the road."

"I'm fine," I say stiffly. "Really."

"Alright," he says. "Just remember, there's no shame in it."

Well, there wouldn't be if he hadn't just brought it up in front of my boyfriend, I think irritably. Ex-boyfriend? I don't even know. Either way, I really don't like that Bard basically just called me an invalid with Luca sitting right there. I'm not loving the reminder that all this is for my benefit, either.

I mutter something about finding Pretty Girl and leave. Sadra comes with me and we wander through the small but busy marketplace. Everything is lit up with torches and everyone is carrying candles up the street. They're singing something ceremonial-sounding, like a hymn.

Curious, Sadra and I fall in with everyone else and let the crowd carry us to the center of town. There's a huge bonfire in the center courtyard. Even out here in the boonies, the center of town is beautifully decorated. Here, though, instead of marble statues, trees have been trained to grow in spirals and starbursts. Vines cover the walls and houses surrounding the courtyard. It's like a little pocket of forest in the middle of town.

"This is beautiful," I murmur in Sadra's ear. The singing has died away, replaced with an expectant silence. "What festival is this again?"

"The Festival of the Sun," Sadra whispers back. "To welcome summer and plenty."

"Was that a holiday in the City?" I ask with a frown.

"Yes, but it's not a big celebration like it is in the country," Sadra tells me. "Households usually just make small offerings, say a special prayer, that kind of thing. I doubt Ismeni did much of anything. In the City they celebrate the Fire Festival."

"What happens now?" I ask.

"I'm really not sure," Sadra says, craning her neck to see if anything is going on.

Suddenly there's a cheer as musicians buried in the crowd begin to play. A space clears in the center of the courtyard and a group of young men and young women face off, each side joining hands and holding them high above their heads as they begin to move. I watch the dance, mesmerized. I want so badly to join in, my feet ache with it. I look at Sadra.

"Can we?" I mouth, pointing at the dancers.

She grins and turns, pulling me after her. We wiggle our way through the crowd until we pop out in the center circle just in time to catch the tail of the girls' line as it passes by. I stumble through the first couple of steps until I get the footwork down and then lift my head, smiling at the girl next to me. She smiles back and squeezes my hand. The other girls smile and laugh and nod at us. They all seem delighted with our little stunt.

I gasp in surprise as the leader of the men's line leaps into air, supported and propelled by the one next to him, and spins. He lands lightly in a crouch like a cat--like a freaking ninja--and slaps the ground before coming up to cheers and trilling shouts from the crowd.

As if it's a signal, the girls vary the dance and I have to scramble again until I find the new pattern. But it's fun. It's so, so much fun. It's nothing like the precise, carefully crafted dances in the City where every step is planned and rehearsed ahead of time. Everyone takes turns leading the line and adding her own ornamentation to the dance while everyone else follows along. When it's my turn, I feel like I'm a little kid at my first recital.

When the music finally stops, I'm completely winded and weak in the knees. I have to wonder if maybe Bard was right and if I just did something stupid. I don't know. Maybe. Tomorrow's hike is certainly not going to be pleasant. But it feels good--right now, I feel good.

I catch a glimpse of Luca staring at me with an unreadable expression and feel a jolt in my stomach. I didn't know he was there. How long has he been there? But who cares, I tell myself. He's being stupid and weird and it's his problem, not mine. I think. It's been going on for so long and with so little progress that I have to wonder.

Am I supposed to be doing something about this? I don't know. I never seem to know anything.