Chapter twenty
Nirelle, Maeri, and I walked along the dirt path with multiple groups heading in the same direction.
The festival was in the heart of Siniya.
It spread across the land, and it was to be the biggest celebration of the year in Siniya, and it was the biggest I had ever seen.
The air was filled with scents of freshly baked pies, seasoned chicken thighs, and smoke from the fires that lit the way against the setting sun.
Bonfires spread out to every corner of the festival and within.
Large red tents were crowded with people selling their food, drinks, games, and activities.
Even the taverns opened for music, cheer, and liquid courage. Many rushed their way through the crowds on the streets to the fires where musicians with drums and horns led the way for dancing to begin.
I noticed many covering their faces and shoulders with fur masks of tigers, wolves, and other animals I had never seen or heard of.
They felt unsettling yet mesmerizing as they maneuvered their way through the crowds, cocking their animal heads to the side.
They would hiss and howl, causing me to nearly trip over my blue dress.
I wasn’t surprised seeing these sorts of costumes since Siniya was known for its animalistic customs and their flaunty manners.
The Tigress Festival was represented by one of the Siniyan goddesses, Estar, who was the youngest child of the Gilian.
She was neglected so much that she had been entirely forgotten by her family.
She represented vulnerability, strength, and sacrifice.
She had to start life again from the lowest levels of humankind.
From afar, I could see the interior of the festival was a large arena with a great fire in the middle, reaching as if to touch the sky.
There were many games and activities, people playing with fire followed by bursts of the crowd’s cheers.
The sound of music seemed louder by the arena and so, along with the crowd, we headed towards the core of the festival.
We passed a tavern on the way and decided to stop for a drink.
Maeri grabbed us a tin of ale.
How she acquired money to buy the ale perplexed me, but I wasn’t going to question it.
Maeri seemed to have a way with people.
“Drink up!”
Maeri handed me the tin.
I looked down at the strange amber color, my nose wrinkling at the strong smell coming from the little tin.
I handed it back to her.
“What’s the problem?”
“It looks and smells disgusting.”
“Gods above, Solei.”
Maeri rolled her eyes and gestured broadly.
“You’re so boring.
You don’t like to do anything fun with us!”
My jaw dropped.
“One, none of that is true.
Second, I’m just being the responsible one.”
“Tonight’s supposed to be fun.
Come on—revel in the experience!”
I stared hard into my friend’s dark eyes.
We fought a battle in our minds—
Do this and we’ll have a good night, Maeri seemed to say.
Drop it, and we can still have a good night.
Maeri narrowed her eyes.
“Fine.”
I snatched the tin, kept my eyes on Maeri’s, took a large gulp, and almost immediately threw it back up.
I forced it down my throat for Maeri’s satisfaction.
To my relief, she smiled and handed it to Nirelle, who almost drank the entire tin.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
That was the most disgusting thing I’d ever tasted, like bile.
Some people drank this every day? Tragic.
I knew back home I wouldn’t have befriended these two girls, but I was in a foreign land, and they were the nicest people I had here.
I was thankful for their genuine friendship regardless of how we were nothing alike.
Maeri gave some coins for Nirelle to grab another tin.
Seriously, how did she have the money?
When Nirelle came back, she beamed, tapping our forearms as she saw Justir across the street following the crowd.
“Oh my gods, there he is!”
“Wow.
Nirelle, you did good for yourself,”
Maeri muttered while we all gawked.
“How does he make you feel after?”
“After?”
Nirelle questioned.
“After sex, of course.
Don’t tell me you’re a virgin.
Haven’t seen one since I was fifteen.”
Maeri snorted and laughed, and Nirelle fell into laughter with her.
My ears might have turned red, but it was from being outdoors for too long.
“He makes me feel…nice.”
Nirelle smiled longingly at him.
“How is your lover treating you, hmm?”
“It’s fun.
It feels great, and it’s usually quick and ends before I’m ready for it to.
I guess I never really thought about it, but afterward, I’m left feeling empty most of the time.
It’s a wonder why I want it so badly in the first place—but I do!”
Maeri chuckled at her own words, staring off into the distance.
“Yeah, I get that,”
Nirelle murmured.
“Interesting.”
Not really, I muttered in my head.
Nirelle and Maeri both looked at me.
“What about you? Have anyone you’re interested in lately?”
Nirelle waggled her brows.
“Nope.”
I made a loud pop with my mouth.
A small tent between two buildings across from the tavern caught my eye.
I looked over to see fabrics and materials of all kinds hanging from wooden racks and told them I’d be back.
I walked over and found a pair of leather gloves that seemed just small enough to fit my hands.
Back home, they were always slightly larger and would be difficult to garden with, so I would use my bare hands. Carefully, I grabbed the gloves and slipped my fingers through. It felt warm and smooth against my skin.
“Look, it’s that witch who I heard seduced our lord on the journey from another land.”
I turned my head to the voices that spoke near me and found two elderly women gossiping around the corner, pointing at me.
Unfortunately for me, some of Aris’ people, despite what he thought, still believed in superstitions.
“If she’s a witch and carries evil in her bones…then she belongs in Stroka.”
They walked by me with their fear-filled eyes and furrowed brows.
“Give me those back, girl.”
The merchant snatched her gloves from my hands.
She waved a hand in my face. “Get!”
My eyes burned in dismay.
I took a step back.
Don’t let them see you break down, I demanded myself.
I took a deep breath and looked around for Maeri and Nirelle. They were nowhere to be found. There were so many people now flooding the streets, and I could barely see past the multitude of heads.
“Solei!”
The distant voice sounded like Nirelle.
I stood on my tiptoes, but I couldn’t see them.
I whirled around and around.
“Look! Over there! It’s Emperor Malakar!”
A young boy near me pointed while tugging his mother towards the center.
My heart thudded.
Wait.
Emperor Malakar? The Emperor of Emperors…
I caught my breath.
All thoughts of finding Nirelle and Maeri vanished for a moment as I listened.
“That’s right.
Behave yourself,”
the mother warned as she was pulled.
The sounds of the festival faded as realization washed over me.
A chill went down my spine, reminding me he was the one I belonged to.