“Thatshe is, indeed.”Mycheeks flushed atAbraxas’ words, andIrefused to look back asIstood,Bronnpushing the girl back behind him in a hurry.Abraxasthen handed the man a purse of coins that he tried to wave off, before the king simply set it in the outstretched hand of one of the nearby children, who ran off with it.Bronnthanked him, shook his hand, and then we were off.
Imade it to the end of the walkway beforeAbraxaspromptly picked me up and carried me in silence back to the carriage.Oncehe had set me back inside, he retook his spot across from me.
“Ifind on feast days, ironically, my duties keep me from enjoying much of the food, soIthought we might have something now.”Heundid the knot of linen and revealed a beautiful spread.Therewas a log of fresh farm cheese, a loaf of bread, a small bottle of honey, and a sliced cured sausage.Hevery unceremoniously ripped off a piece of the bread and loaded it with the other toppings before holding it out to me.
“Bronnand his goats make the best cheese in the kingdom.”Icautiously took the bread from his hand, and ignored how he watched me bring it to my lips.Itwas absolutely divine.Thetangy cheese met perfectly with the crisp bread, and the sweetness of the honey offset the fat of the sausage.Igreedily ate the rest of mine, whileAbraxasmade himself another.Wesat in comfortable silence, taking turns tearing the bread and eating, until it was all gone.Ileaned back and ran my hands over my stomach, now straining against the corsetIwore.Ilet out a contented sigh and closed my eyes.
WhenIopened my eyes, the king was staring. “What?”
“Itwas a mistake.”Mystomach clenched uncomfortably.
“Whatmistake?”
“Notgiving you a crown.”Iwas startled at his answer. “Itwould have made you positively ravishing.”Ifelt my whole body flush, andIwas gladIwas still wearing the cloak so that he could only see it on my face.Hesmirked then.
“Whydid you take me there?”Hissmile vanished, and he looked lost in thought. “Youonce said that people’s lives were a blessing to you.Iwanted you to see some of mine.”Iwas even more lost for words.
“Ithought you just wanted an excuse to carry me.”
Hissmile returned, “I’mthinking of banning paved streets anywhere in the kingdom.”
Butthen the carriage ground to a halt.Ourtravel had passed so quickly,Ihadn’t noticed we’d reached the main plaza.Hisface returned to that of theDragonKing, and he extended his hand to me silently.Ishrugged off my cloak and stepped out into the evening air.
Chapter33
Tori
Theair had gotten even colder, but the plaza was lit with braziers and bonfires that seemed to keep the chill at bay.Longtables—longer than anythingIhad ever seen—seemed to fill every inch of the plaza, save for a single, mostly empty corridor heading up the middle.Hundredsof people were already gathered, feasting and drinking.Manywere dancing in the open spaces as music rained down.Ilooked to see many bands had gathered on the balconies of the buildings surrounding the plaza, as well as many more partygoers.
Revelrycould be seen in all directions, and it bombarded my senses.Ona few of the balconies,Isaw humans and fae alike waving ribbons decorated with sparkling beads at the crowd.Asthey did,Iwatched a woman from the crowd below lower her dress to expose her breasts, to much jeering and clapping.Afae from the balcony tossed a ribbon down to her, and she placed it proudly around her neck.
Iturned toAbraxas, and he shrugged his shoulders, “Atime honoredLupercaliatradition.”Irolled my eyes, but couldn’t help the grin that crossed my face, the atmosphere of the party was infectious.
Wewalked up the center aisle, the king's arm laced through mine.Whilethe guards trailed us, they kept a large distance.Revelersparted to let us through smoothly, and as we passed, many shouted, “LongliveKingAbraxas!” or similar sentiments.Abraxas’ face stayed neutral and calm, but he would nod and acknowledge his people as we moved past.Menfrom every race cheered him and raised their glasses, andIsaw the women preening, many shifting their bodies to be on greater display as he passed lashes lowered, and lips pouted.Iknew the move well and hated how it curled anger deep within me.ButAbraxasmerely kept his pace, nodding greeting to all.
Wereached a great stage that had been set at the far end of the plaza.Tablesfilled with some noblesIrecognized lined the stage, and a small band of fawns played the fiddle and drums, a riotous tune made for dancing.Thecenter of the table was set with a large chair clearly meant for the king, and an empty seat for me lay to his right side.Heescorted me to my seat, before making his way around the table to greet everyone.Mystomach was still strained from the bread and cheese in my belly, soIdidn’t grab any of the feast before me.Inoticed that while the feast was grand, it wasn’t any more grand than the foodIhad seen on all the tables we had passed, full for the common folk.Ireached for a glass, and a server quickly came and filled it with warm spiced wine.
Isipped it slowly, watching the spectacle before me.Acrobatshad set up in the open area, stacking themselves and balancing in impossible shapes.Thesun was lower in the sky now, and the bonfires were stoked to even greater heights.Thecrowd cheered and danced, and the whole plaza seemed to hum.Itwas as if the energy of everyone present had coalesced into a great primordial force, and a mischievous one at that.Isaw more and more people pulling off articles of clothes despite the nip in the air as more mouths and bodies came together in the crowd.
“Enjoyingthe show,Princess?”Afamiliar voice rang over my shoulder.Iturned and recognizedLordNaluxOzmodus, a broad smile stretched across his face, “Haveyou ever attended aLupercaliacelebration before?”
“No, we don’t celebrate like this in thePearlKingdom.”
“No,Iwould think not.”Somethingmischievous flashed through his eyes. “Thisis surely a spectacle, but it's just the beginning.Ithink you will like the part that comes later tonight much more.”Hewinked at me.
“Whatcomes later tonight?”Hisgrin widened into something more akin to a cat stalking a bird than anything friendly, but before he could answer,Abraxasreappeared to take his seat.
“Goodevening,Nalux,Ihope you are enjoying the festivities.”
“Ofcourse,Abraxas.Youknow thatLupercaliais my favorite holiday.”Hesmirked at the king, andIdidn’t miss that they were apparently on a first-name basis. “Butit’s so rare to have a virgin in our mists—toLupercaliaImean.Iwanted to get the princess’s perspective.”Heturned his eyes to me, the question open.Abraxaskept staring at the man.
“It’sfantastic to see so many of the people, and to see them enjoying the feast, just as we do.”Nalux’ssmile softened at that, some of the wickedness banished. “Yes, our king makes sure that all get to enjoy our greatest holiday.Howbenevolentof him.”Histone was teasing, and he reached out and touchedAbraxas’ arm in a very familiar way.Ihad a rapid intrusive thought of ripping his hand from his wrist but pushed it away.
“Ah, it seems that the party really is getting started now,” he looked over the king’s shoulder, “soIwill take my leave.Enjoyyour evening,Princess.”HegaveAbraxas’ arm one final squeeze before sauntering off, andIimagined what it would feel like to break his fingers one by one.Sojealous for someone who isn’t yours,my inner voice teased me.Shutup.Butthey were right, as always.Iflexed my fingers, the space between them feeling empty.
ButIsaw now what crossed the stage.Agroup of priests led a great stag, with antlers almost as wide as the stage itself.Theyhad it harnessed with several leads being held by different men.Asthey brought it onto the stage, the crowd hushed, and the music stopped playing.Oneof the priests stepped in front of the stage, his voice booming through the plaza.
“Tonight, we celebrateLupercalia,” a great roar rose from the crowd, but quickly died down again as he raised his hands, “Wecelebrate the birth of the continent, and celebrate the great cycle of life.Forwith every death, there is rebirth, and with every birth, a death will someday follow.TheGreatDragonswallowed the old world, so that this one could be born.”Hestepped aside, and the stag was pulled forward.Butit heaved at the reins holding it, even managing to pull one priest off his feet before they got him under control.Hiseyes were wide with fear, and his mouth foamed.
