Already, the girls were getting nasty looks from Elucians who also wished to secure a spot at the front, as close as they could to the stage and the famous shaman that would soon stand on it.
I pushed my concerns aside and headed toward her. After all, what could happen here, in the most heavily guarded part of the most secure town in Elucia?
The Shedun would never be foolish enough to attack Skywatcher's Point.
Still, Chicha's frantic barking grated on my nerves, not because I was angry at the dog, but because I was afraid she was sensing something that was making her nervous.
"I think I'm dying," Codric moaned dramatically as we finally reached the girls.
"What happened?" Shovia asked.
"I ate too much." He sat down beside her and folded himself in half. "I think something about the roasted mountain goat disagreed with me. But it was so damn good that it's almost worth the suffering."
I settled my pack beside Kailin's, noticing that she smelled faintly of the herbs growing in the window boxes of her grandmother's apothecary. "Do you know if your gran's remedies are also good for stomach problems?"
"The ginger for sure. We can steep them later in the camp tonight." She looked at Codric. "I just hope he can make the trek to the foot of the mountain. It's not long, just about an hour and a half or so, but still. I don't know if they will let us stop for relief breaks."
As the image of Codric soiling his pants flashed through my mind, I wanted to suggest to him to go before the ceremony started, but another burst of barking distracted me.
Kailin turned toward the sound, her brow furrowing. "What's wrong with her?"
Codric groaned pitifully and slumped against Shovia. "I'm never eating again," he declared.
"Not for the next three days, you're not." Shovia patted his head fondly. "But this should be a lesson for you. Don't make the same mistake during the Feast of Fate."
Codric waved a hand. "Please don't talk about food."
I watched their easy interaction with concern. Codric was getting too attached. Then again, who was I to criticize? Every time Kailin looked at me, my carefully constructed plans seemed to blur around the edges.
"The stage decorations are beautiful," Kailin said, drawing my attention to the structure before us. It had been adorned with mountain flowers and hanging lanterns that would be lit during the ceremony. "Wait until you see the shaman arrive on his dragonia. Saphir is quite the showman. He likes to make a grand entry."
The fondness in her voice didn't match the image of the formidable shaman I'd created in my mind. "Isn't that awe-inspiring?"
"The dragonia? Of course she is. All dragons are. They are magnificent creatures despite what the Sitorians think of them."
I chuckled. "I find it ironic that the Shedun call dragons demons and hell spawn when they practically worship the devil."
"Elusitor is not the devil," Shovia said. "He's the destroyer and the deceiver, but he's the counterbalance to Elurion, and they are the two faces of Elu. One cannot exist without the other. The devil is an entirely different entity. He's in charge of the seven hells, where he torments sinners and evildoers, and that's where all Sitorians end up, and where the Shedun spend eternity because they are not redeemable. The devil is their daddy."
Codric laughed, forgetting that he was supposed to be in agony. "Maybe Elusitor and the devil are one and the same? It's not like anyone has seen either of them, let alone standing sideby side, so it could not be confirmed that they are two separate entities."
Shovia rolled her eyes. "It's not like I believe in any of this. I'm just repeating what others say."
"Fair enough." Codric returned to clutching his stomach. "Maybe the Sitorians are right and the seven hells are where the dragons come from. Perhaps they roast sinners and evildoers with dragfire there. After all, it's the hottest fire of all, so it makes sense."
I shook my head. "Don't repeat their nonsense. Dragons are noble creatures."
Kailin nodded. "I've only met one up close, and he was as terrifying as he was magnificent."
I arched a brow. "He?"
"Yeah, it was very obviously a male." When I arched my brow again, Kailin blushed furiously. "I didn't seethat. They are just much bigger than the females, and my brother says that you can even see the difference in their faces. The dragonias are more delicate and prettier." Her lips twisted. "Not that I know how Dylon can call them pretty. As magnificent as dragons are, they are quite ugly."
Shovia gasped and put her hand over her chest. "Don't ever think that while you are next to a dragon. They might torch you for the insult."
The blood drained from Kailin's face. "Oh, drak. You are right. If I have the gift, and dragons can talk to me in my mind, they can also read my thoughts. What am I going to do?"
"Change the way you think," Shovia said. "Take Chicha, for example. I think she is an ugly little thing, but you think she's beautiful, right?"
