My lips were painted a bright purple, and I looked at the two of them, aghast at their choice, but they swore that everyone would be doing their makeup like this. I swore then that if this turned out to be some elaborate prank, I was going to pay them back tenfold.
They helped me into my outfit, a little semi transparent silver dress that had purple and blue underneath, making it appear iridescent, shimmering with color. It had a sweetheart necklineand elaborate swirls down the front. The skirt was longer on the sides, with tulle making it appear wider and strips of other colors added in.
They had a matching pair of fake wings to go complete the ensemble. They were an iridescent mix of blue and purple, and when I put them on, I couldn’t help sighing wistfully, wishing they were real. I smiled wryly at them, shrugging. “Well, I’ve always wanted wings.”
Ilta clapped her hands joyfully as the two of them celebrated turning me around on the idea. With horns, flowers, and wings in place, I just needed the paint. They cracked open several jars—blue, purple, and green paint inside. They each took a brush and began pairing swirling patterns on my legs, arms, and chest.
It felt mad, but when Priscilla, Eris, and Emmie all showed up with the same sort of ridiculousness, I felt better. At least I wasn’t being tricked somehow. Priscilla even went so far as to paint her hair, shimmers of every color of the rainbow now replacing her blonde tresses.
Ilta came back wearing a flower crown, and she continued the theme across her face, vines and flowers painted from her temples to down under her eyes and across her cheekbones. A floral dress in bright pink, blue, and yellow cut in at her stomach, just a thin line running from her breasts to her skirt, which barely hit the top of her thighs.
She looked like spring personified. And if Ilta was spring, Delia was fall itself. Autumn leaves and flowers were braided into her hair and a burgundy, orange, and green colored slip covered much more skin, at least compared to Ilta’s.
With night nowfallen and the moon high in the sky, we made our way out to head toward the forest full of Darkelm trees. Stepping out of the palace, I swore I could feel the shift in energy—of magic. Chills broke out over my skin as it caressed me like a phantom wind.
The stars were high in the sky, and my skin illuminated as their light washed over me. I looked down in wonder, appreciating the effect of the paint as we entered the woods. I could hear those deeper in the forest immediately—music, laughter, and shouts echoing. We sped our pace until we reached the spot Calix had shown me, the stone altar of the Blessed Trinity rising high above the festivities.
Thiswas how the Fae partied.
A giant bonfire roared in the center, a maypole set up around it where women were dancing and swaying. Torches filled the space, providing light, while a circle of drummers surrounded the dancing women, a pounding beat filling the air as flutes, violins, and other instruments joined the cacophony. But it sounded strangely—right.
The area was completely crammed full of people drinking and dancing, letting nature take over for the night, their souls let loose in the presence of Faunus. He was the wild god of beasts, after all, and that wildness filled the people celebrating. I suddenly desperately wanted the same, wanted that wild untamed feeling for myself, to experience the freedom of being swept into the frenzy. So, we made our way over to the Fae handing out drinks, magic filling the glasses with a swirl of their fingers. I downed my first drink quickly and grabbed another.
Everyone was wearing similarly wild ensembles, with wings, horns, flowers, and leaves, while paint was splashed over any bits of bare skin. Nature dominated in the outfits tonight, reminding me of the natural dryads of Weathrian or the colorful pixies of Chromatos—or at least, what I imagined them to look like, though the pointed ears of the Fae were more akin to the Elves of Gemaria. And their sharp canines were reminiscent of the Vampyres of old—whose bloodlust grew insatiable, untilthe gods were forced to destroy their own creation to save the others.
“Once Calix arrives, the festival will truly start.” Harpina explained as she and Lilith appeared at my side. I blinked rapidly, taking them in. Lilith looked like a goddess of the forest, with green leaves and brown twigs mixed in with the curling horns atop her long curly brown hair. Her dress was forest green, with thin straps that left her shoulders bare, but the sleeve began again lower down, covering her biceps. In contrast, Harpina was the personification of fire, with orange and yellow leaves and a crown of flame around her head, blending perfectly with her deep red hair. Her lightly tanned skin was complimented perfectly by the red and orange dress she wore, so different from her usual armor.
“You guys look amazing!” I gushed, smiling widely. Harpina took my hand and spun me around, letting out a low whistle. I laughed merrily, already feeling the drink.
“You look like a true Goddess of the Stars.” Harpina complimented, a smile softening her face. “Something tells me you’ll match perfectly with a certain someone.”
She raised a brow, and my stomach swooped at the thought, while my heart ached at the idea. We’d hardly seen each other since the night of the ball, with him avoiding my eyes until today’s meeting.
The crowd went silent before I was forced to respond, and I sucked in a gulp of air as I spotted why—Calix. Harpina was right. Large, dark horns jutted from his pale hair just as mine did, and he was covered with purple, green, and blue paint. It was all over him, thrown atop the dragon scale tattoo on his chest, covering the soul mark on his back, and making the runes around his forearms nearly indecipherable.
But I could still make out the defined abdominal muscles running over his stomach and the thick biceps I longed to grabhold of. I swallowed hard, saliva filling my mouth as I looked down. His pants were slung low, showing off the deep v of his hips and the light trail of silvery-white hair that disappeared where I couldn’t follow.
“Oh, it’s starting!” Lilith yelled, grabbing my arm as she hauled me forward, closer to where Calix was about to address everyone.
“People of Night!” Calix called out, a large smile on his face, and the crowd cheered loudly. “Tonight, we celebrate the Festival of Faunus! We honor the God of Beasts and his sister, Florus, the Goddess of Nature!”
Callisto and Priscilla crept up on my other side and my eyes widened as I took in Callisto. She’d turned her hair blue, with ringlets fading in an ombre of dark to light blue. She was dressed like a mermaid, with a sparkly blue top that was more like a bustier, covering only her breasts, and a small sequin skirt that was designed to be triangular in shape, mimicking a mermaid’s scales and fin. Her stomach was bare, and a scale pattern was painted on it, using blue, purple, yellow, and green paint, which was also in swirling patterns down her arms and legs.
“Wow.” I mouthed at her, and she smiled widely, then pointedly looked me up and down.
“Damn.” She mouthed back at me, and we both giggled, before returning our attention to Calix.
“The four fires have been lit!” He roared to the cheering crowd. “In honor of the Sommer and Zima Solstices, the Pranvera and Harvest Equinoxes—the balance of nature is everything to our world, and it is up to all of us to uphold it. Tonight, we will battle! We will spill blood in sacrifice to Faunus! Shift into your animal forms, let the beasts loose! Then begin the hunt through the woods—the gods will select our prey for the night. Whoever sacrifices the glowing beast in the name of Faunus first will win the title of Beast King of the festival and bragging rights for thenext year!” Calix amped up the crowd with a charisma that left me awestruck, as everyone around me screamed and hollered in bloodlust laced with joy.
“They spill blood?” I asked worriedly.
“Oh, not like that—minor blood spilled in battle. We’re encouraged to fight and prevent each other from winning the hunt. Everyone wants to get to the prey first.” Lilith answered, her eyes lit with a strange excitement. She clearly wanted to win herself—bloodlust shining in feral eyes.
“The gods really select an animal to kill?” I couldn’t help but be skeptical. I’d learned my own gods weren’t even real here—an idea, a fantasy, from another world.
“Faunus does.” Lilith confirmed with a nod. “Calix and his sisters won’t be able to change their forms—the dragons are the only ones who stay in their Fae forms, they’re just too large for the woods. But the rest of us will shift when it begins, so be prepared.”
I nodded, curious and wary in equal measure as we moved with the crowd. The Fae participating in the hunt began forming up along the starting line, while the humans joined on the sidelines, eager to see the spectacle. I looked around and finally spotted Calix, looking like a god himself as he took his place in the line. His eyes connected with mine for a moment, and a charge ran through me—I swore I could see his eyes darken from this distance.
