“What’s wrong?” asked Kerys. “You’re not injured, are you?”
“I’m fine,” said Ari. “Just tired.”
He unsheathed his greatsword, and Eva appeared in its place. The three of them sat on the bed for a couple of minutes, and Ari was content to relax while the vestiges of his adrenaline burned off.
After a while, he could hear the sounds of Ravarians talking and laughing and going about their day as though nothing had happened. He was getting ready to head outside when Rin poked her head into the tree hut, flashing a genuine smile.
“No deaths,” she said. “I think we have you to thank for that, in part, chala.”
“Of course you do,” said Ari. “But, uh, how do you figure?”
“You drew several of them away from huts where we couldn’t evacuate some of our sick and disabled up to the higher branches,” said Rin. “Not to mention the number of warriors we were able to, ah… what’s the word? Reallocate? We didn’t need to be so careful in defending my sister, now that she can fly properly.”
“You’re welcome,” said Ari. “I’m a useful guy. A great fighter. Fantastic enchanter. Modest, almost to a fault.”
Rin let out a chirping, musical laugh. Ari grinned, appreciating the fact that at least someone appreciated his sense of humor.
“Ancestor’s Day will go on,” said Rin. “The three of you are welcome to entertain yourselves as you please until tonight. We will be having a fire in the city’s burning pit, and it would be wise for you to attend.”
“Sounds like fun,” said Kerys. “But what do you mean by that? What would happen if we didn’t show up?”
“It’s a good chance for more of my people to grow comfortable in your presence,” said Rin. “Varnas-Rav has a somewhat volatile history with the Hume. You should understand that my sister and myself have been fighting a battle of sorts to vouch for your residency here.”
Ari nodded, though her words made the hairs on his neck prickle with unease. Even now, with him proving his worth at every opportunity, the Ravarians were distrustful and suspicious. It made it hard for him to see Eva and Kerys remaining in Varnas-Rav for any length of time after his death.
“Nothing personal, chala,” said Rin.
CHAPTER 27
The Ravarians continued on with the day as though the rain had never fallen. Ari was a little warier. The first thing he did after Rin had left the tree hut was to consult his Ring of Insight on the possibility of more rain or a stronger storm.
Its response was a tad on the uncertain side for Ari’s liking. The insight the enchantment provided him with was basically just the fact that predicting the weather was nearly impossible to do reliably.
It did give him a small piece of newly inferred information, which was that the Ravarians, capable of flying high up into the air, would be far better at making educated guesses about the direction the clouds were moving in than he would be able to.
Ari, Kerys, and Eva returned to the wrestling circle for a while, though this time Ari opted to watch, rather than compete. Leyehl was taking on and soundly defeating all challengers, and his respect for the Ravarian woman grew by leaps and bounds as he saw the way she trounced her opponents, some who must have had weight advantages of close to a hundred pounds.
Afternoon gave way to evening, and Rin arrived to bring Ari and the others to where the bonfire would be taking place that night. When she’d mentioned it before, Ari hadn’t fully appreciated the scale of what the Ravarians had had in mind.
The currently unlit pile of wood stood at least ten feet high and twice that in diameter. It was the one section of the city where the trees had actually been cleared out, for the obvious reason of reducing the risk of a potentially disastrous forest fire.
Ravarians continued to arrive, some finding places to sit, others depositing firewood onto the pile. Ari noticed that the ones bringing firewood weren’t finding it amongst the nearby trees, or anywhere within the city itself, for that matter. It made sense, given how much they relied upon the integrity of their forest.
The crowd of Ravarians grew larger, with more dropping down from the branches and comparatively few arriving on foot. The Ravarians that walked had obvious reasons for it, some being old and walking with canes, others missing a wing or an arm. Without exception, each ground-bound Ravarian had at least one or two others escorting them.
Ari couldn’t help but notice the berth that he, Eva, and Kerys were given, an almost perfect circle surrounding them that the crowd would not stand or sit within. He did his best to act like he didn’t notice, putting an arm around Kerys and flashing a smile at Eva.
As the sun finally set over the horizon, a small figure whistled from one of the branches of the nearby trees. Ari knew it was the Vereshi from the presence of the enchanted cloak in her silhouette, and she lifted a lit torch to wave back and forth. The Ravarians began clapping much as they had that morning, all hands in a unified, accelerating rhythm.
The Vereshi took to the air as the rhythm of hands became faster and faster. She flew upward, circling around the fire pit before finally diving low and dropping the torch as she passed over it to the sound of cheers and applause. The flames began spreading as soon as the torch struck the dry tinder until the wood burned as one. The fire was so bright that Ari couldn’t look directly at it, like a miniature sun poking halfway out of the ground.
“Wow,” said Kerys. “I can feel the heat, and we’re not even that close to it. We never could have had a fire this big down in the Hollow.”
“Nope,” said Ari. “Assuming we didn’t want to die of smoke inhalation. I hear it isn’t the most pleasant way to go.”
Smaller groups of Ravarians began approaching the fire in groups of two and four, carrying long cooking spits with huge slabs of meat skewered through. Ari was curious as to how they’d manage to cook anything, given that the fire seemed too hot to easily approach.
His question was answered a minute or two later when two Ravarians took flight a short distance from the bonfire, each carrying one end of a cooking spit laden with meat. They hovered on either side of the fire, carefully lowering the meat into roasting distance. The smell of sizzling fat and various seasonings filled the air, and Ari realized how hungry he was.
“Impressive,” said Eva.
“Very much so,” said Ari.
The Ravarians around the fire had begun mingling with each other, conversing and in some cases sharing gifts. He couldn’t understand the small fragments of conversation he overheard, but it was hard to feel all that left out as he acknowledged that they literally spoke a different language.
The fireflies had come out for the night, and a group of children were engaged in a competition involving nets, jars, and catching as many as they could. The ones that were old enough to actually take to the air and fly had a massive advantage and were also far more interesting to watch. Ari chuckled as he saw a group of three working as a team, corralling a large swarm of purple fireflies for easy capture.
The food was brought around the fire as it finished cooking, pushed on large wooden carts. Everything was skewered on smaller versions of the sticks that the Ravarians had used for roasting. Ari was happy to see that the reticence of the Ravarians didn’t extend to the servers, who came right up to him, Eva, and Kerys and gestured for them to help themselves.
He gnawed on a piece of lean meat he couldn’t recognize by taste, along with roasted tomatoes and potato wedges. It was the best meal that he’d eaten in longer than he could remember, and from the way Eva and Kerys began chatting and joking with each other, he could tell that their spirits had been similarly lifted.
“Look!” said Kerys. “Drums! And it looks like there’ll be dancing, too!”
The area to the left of the bonfire seemed to have been relegated for music and dance. Ari watched as a Ravarian began playing a large, hollow hand drum. The drummer was soon joined by a Ravarian playing a wooden flute and another who strummed at the strings of a large instrument
that looked like a circular harp.
“Kerys Weaver,” said Ari, extending his hand. “Might I have the next dance?”
“Are we even allowed to?” asked Kerys.
A few Ravarians were already dancing as the musicians began to play, and it was all airborne. There were a couple of, well, couples who were older, younger, or otherwise unable to fly, and they seemed to be swaying to the music on the sidelines, rather than dancing in the open.
“We’re the Vereshi’s honored guests,” said Ari, in a somewhat sarcastic voice. “Of course we’re allowed to dance.”
Kerys took his hand, and true to what he’d assumed, nobody stopped them as they made their way over to where the music was being played. By the time they were in position, there were a few other couples dancing properly at ground level, either because they preferred it or out of necessity.
Ari set a hand on Kerys’ waist and laced the fingers of his other hand through hers. The song being played was slow and ambient, and he was content to move in gentle circles, occasionally pulling her in close or letting her spin underneath his arm.
“Did we ever dance together back in Golias Hollow?” asked Kerys.
“Of course,” lied Ari.
In fact, the one time he’d been tempted to ask her to dance had been at one of the last celebrations he’d been to before the Choosing. It had taken him longer than it should have to work up the courage, and one of the other boys had asked her while he’d been psyching himself up. He’d watched from the edge of the room, feeling a mixture of emotions that he didn’t care to remember.
“This is so nice,” whispered Kerys. She slid in a little closer to him. “It won’t last, will it?”
This time, he found it much harder to lie to her.
“No,” said Ari. “Not forever, at least. We can stay here for now, though, and I promise that I’ll find us somewhere else safe when we do have to leave.”
“Is that a promise you’ll keep?” asked Kerys.
Ari nodded even as doubt slithered its way into his thoughts. How many other places like Varnas-Rav, with communities and hope, even existed? Could he really find another place like it for Kerys in the time he had left?
The slow song built to a soft crescendo. Ari dipped Kerys in her arms, lifted her straight, spun her around, and kissed her. She let her head rest against his shoulder for a moment, ignoring the music as it continued playing in the background.
“I’m a little tired,” she said. “I think I’ll rest for a while back at the spot where we ate.”
“Sure,” said Ari. He squeezed her hand before letting go of it, noticing that Eva had come to watch him and Kerys dancing from the sidelines. He met her gaze and waved her over.
“Dance with me,” he said.
Eva hesitated, glancing around at the Ravarians around and above them.
“I am unsure if I know how,” said Eva. “I do not have any relevant memories of this type of thing.”
“It’s like fighting except gentler,” said Ari. “Far, far gentler.”
The musicians had begun a new song, this one with a fast drum beat that reminded Ari of the music down in the Hollow. He took Eva’s hand before she could resist and pulled her in closer, moving with quick, bouncing steps.
She was clearly out of her element. Ari couldn’t help but smile a little as she blushed and did her best to imitate his movements while glancing around in all directions to see if anyone was watching.
He performed a lunging forward step at her that was a little reminiscent of the footwork feints they’d practiced while training. Eva reacted as expected, falling back a pace. Ari met her eye, stepping to the side with a movement that was half dueling footwork, and half dancing.
She picked up on what he was doing and started to grow more comfortable with the dance, though she still seemed to struggle to stay on beat. Ari built up a sweat moving across from her, the two of them spinning by each other, pulling close together and then parting.
He pulled her into a close embrace as the song came to an end, his full attention drawn to her sweaty body and heaving chest. She smiled at him and shook her head.
“I think I like dancing,” she said. “It is very active.”
“True enough.” Ari brushed a lock of sweaty, silver hair back from her face and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He noticed Kerys sitting by herself, watching them from a distance, and frowned.
“Go ahead,” said Eva. “I think I’ll dance for a while longer.”
“Sure,” said Ari.
“It is not strange for me to dance alone, is it, milord?” asked Eva.
“No,” lied Ari. “But if anyone asks you to join them, you should be polite in your response.”
“Do you not want me dancing with anyone else?” asked Eva.
“I don’t mind,” said Ari.
In truth, he was more worried about her refusing in a manner that offended somebody. He gave Eva another quick kiss on the cheek and jogged across the grass toward Kerys. He took a seat next to her, still breathing heavily.
“The two of you looked comfortable with each other,” said Kerys. “Even though Eva is clearly not a practiced dancer, she seemed to fit you so well.”
“We have a lot of experience moving across from each other,” said Ari. “In our sword training, I mean.”
Kerys clasped her hands together and brought her knees up to her chest.
“I’m alright with it, you know,” she said. “You dancing with Eva. You doing… other things with her. Strengthening your bond, being intimate.”
Ari nodded, but said nothing, sensing that he needed to listen rather than add his own thoughts.
“I’m alright with all of that,” said Kerys. “But I feel like she’s winning your heart. Slowly, but surely.”
“A heart isn’t a thing to be won, Kerys,” he said, unable to hold his tongue.
“You know what I mean,” said Kerys. “She fits you so well, and she doesn’t need to be protected. She can be by your side whenever you need her without you having to worry about her safety.”
“Kerys,” said Ari. “I don’t mind protecting you.”
“But I don’t want you to have to!” Kerys brought her eyes up to meet his, looking so very young. “I want you to teach me how to fight, just like you said you would. I want to be capable, Ari. Maybe, eventually… even more capable than she is.”
Kerys shrugged.
“Sorry,” she continued. “I know how that must have sounded. I’m just so sick of having the kind of limits I do, given how harsh the surface is.”
“I get it,” said Ari. “Tomorrow I’ll start teaching you again. Eva can help, too. If you really want to become as skilled or even more skilled than she is, then she’ll be the perfect training partner for you.”
Kerys didn’t say anything, and for a second, Ari thought he’d offended her with the suggestion. She finally turned to look at him again, and she had a genuine smile on her face.
“You also said you’d make me some awesome enchanted equipment,” said Kerys. “How is that coming along?”
“I haven’t exactly had much opportunity,” said Ari.
“You did take the time to put a new enchantment on your Feathercloak, though,” said Kerys. “I saw you use it when you were fighting the fishers earlier.”
“That was just, uh…”
“Does the Vereshi know about that?” asked Kerys.
Ari scowled at her. “You can be kind of a pain, sometimes.”
Kerys let out a small laugh and gave him several kisses in quick succession.
CHAPTER 28
A second group of Ravarians carrying serving platters made their way around the fire, this time stopping to offer Ari and Kerys small gourds filled with a reddish drink.
“What’s this?” asked Ari.
The Ravarian holding the platter shook his head, not understanding. Ari made the gesture of lifting the gourd and bringing it to his lips and the Ravarian grinned and nodded, doing the same. He took a
gourd for himself and offered one to Kerys, who declined.
“I don’t think you should drink that,” said Kerys. “You have no idea what it could end up doing to you.”
“Exciting, isn’t it?” said Ari with a smile. He tilted the gourd to his lips and took a small sip.
It was spicy, cinnamon-flavored liquor that left his lips burning. Ari felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body as he swallowed, followed a minute later by the familiar, encroaching sensation of light drunkenness.
“Sure you don’t want any?” he asked.
Kerys was shaking her head no when Rin approached the two of them. She’d changed her clothing at some point throughout the day, now wearing one of the borderline-scandalous ceremonial togas.
It left one of her breasts almost completely exposed, and the fabric had an oval cut into the middle that showed off Rin’s lean abdomen. The cloth was similarly sparse in back, revealing hips and the faintest hint of her upper buttocks as she walked.
“Mind if I steal him for a while?” asked Rin. She took the gourd from Ari and took a quick sip, licking her lips and making a satisfied noise as she handed it back.
Kerys looked like she really, really wanted to say no. Ari shrugged, feeling a little annoyed that Rin had presented it as a question toward Kerys rather than him.
“It’s fine,” said Kerys. “I’ll keep an eye on Eva. Just let me know before you disappear off anywhere.”
“Of course.”
Ari kissed her and ran his hand across her shoulder and upper arm. He fell into step alongside Rin as she led him away from the fire and into the surrounding trees. Ari forced her to slow to a stop in a position where he could still see Kerys, sitting on the grass, and Eva, who stood near where they’d been dancing earlier.
“You haven’t told your woman about our arrangement, have you, chala?” asked Rin.
“And you’re surprised by that?” asked Ari. “I’m not even sure how that conversation would go.”
Vision Voyage (The Weatherblight Saga Book 2) Page 16
