Thylas follows suit and I just laugh. We may be a dysfunctional group at times but I will miss them. I will miss all of this as I look around the room. Just for tonight, I'll ignore the past and the future and focus on the present. I take a drink of the warm ale as Rhenor is already motioning for a refill.
nine
CARNAXA
As the moon peaks high in the sky, music and laughter have carried from the taverns, outside, to the entire market. The streets are roaming with people of various states of undress. The ale is flowing like the water from our cool springs. Couplings are happening in private areas as well as on street corners.
The night started with us in the taverns and lots of awkward silences until the ale started hitting our bloodstreams. I notice a shift in the mood of our group once we’ve all had a couple ofpints of ale. I don't miss how Siphonie hasn't touched the ale and yet subtly asks for water.
Rhenor takes a long swig of ale, a smile spreading across his face, before saying, “Princess Carnaxa! I ... or well, my wife and I, have some great news we would like to share with you.” His voice is joyful, and he rubs his hand through his tangled, greying beard.
Siphonie's cheeks redden and I catch her eye. “I am going to give Rhenor an heir.” She smiles a real smile that touches her eyes, an expression I haven’t seen from her in a while.
Rhenor leans down and kisses her scarlet cheeks. “She sure is!”
Thylas reaches over and pats Rhenor on the shoulder and they clink cups together. “I would say congratulations Rhenor, but we know it's the women who do the work during pregnancy – while you got to have all the fun. ”
We all can't help but laugh.
“I'm happy for you both.” I smile up at them as they truly do look like two people perfectly happy at this moment in time. Siphonie leans in close, giving me a hug, “I'll tell you more about it later.” I wink at her as she pulls away and takes a bite of a strawberry pastry that made its way to our table at some point.
Thylas, the drinks turning his normally serious expression into one full of glee and joy, places his hand on my upper thigh obviously by accident and he quickly removes it. “Let's go find you some sky candyNohæ,I know it's your favorite.” For a short moment, the boy I knew is behind those eyes. The boy who would always find me a block of cheese or my favorite sky candy. The boy who held me the night the world stopped.
Quickly jumping from the table, I excitedly agree, “Absolutely!”
The ale has morphed its way into our bodies now and the past few hours have been like old times. Thylas is beginning to relax,allowing himself to enjoy the ambiance, and yet still refuses to put on the clamshell necklace so that he too, can find someone to spend his night with. The four of us have our fill of sky candy, crab claws, and ale as we gather around the huge bonfire inside our sacred stone circle to wait for the ritual performed by the priestesses. The celebration will start with the first carving of a giantshæmifish.
As we wait for the ceremony to begin, acolytes bring out bright blue and gold paint, passing out small bowls to the crowd. If anything, Antalis has plenty of traditions when it comes to tonight. But this is one of my favorites. Siphonie grabs the bronze bowl from one of the small boys’ hands and I turn toward her. Every year, we paint each other. It’s supposed to be done with a partner, but since we never really had them, we have always been each others.
She turns to Rhenor who smiles at her, dipping his fingers in the paint before placing them on her shoulders. I bite my bottom lip, looking around daftly. I didn’t think about how her and Rhenor trying to mend things between them, would impact me.
“If I may,Nohæ?” Thylas grips a bronze bowl of his own between his palms. “I know Siph is usually your artist, but she looks … ” – he smiles toward them as she’s laughing, while Rhenor runs his hands down her thighs, leaving streaks of blue and gold as he does – “occupied.”
Letting go off my lip, I smile up at him and concur, “Sure, why not?” For many reasons, I’m sure ‘why not.’ But what am I supposed to do? I guess I could paint myself but as the words start to take form, I feel his fingers softly brush down my arm. He swirls the colors softly down my arm, and motions for me to turn. His fingertips are searing as he passes along my shoulder blades and I notice then he is using the same placement of his own markings.
His lean fingers swirl around and a shiver slips through me as he does. He hums as his fingers trail down to my left thigh, making the same motions and my breath hitches as he brushes against the inside of my ankle. He looks up at me, beaming from ear to ear. “I think you’re finished.” He stands handing me the bowls.
Looking down, I notice the most beautiful design. Blueshesæflowers with gold leaves are branching from one wrist to another, across my back, down my sides, all the way to my ankles. The flowers he chose are those that bloom only at night. I glance toward the shore where they grow and see theshesæflowers reaching up toward the moon overhead.
“I didn’t know you were such an artist, Thy,” I jest.
“I am many things you may not realize” – a smile tugging at his lips – “but it’s your turn. Hurry or we won’t get there in time.”
I let my fingers run along his corded arms, making stripes of blue before adding dots of gold. My designs aren’t as impressive as his, but they’ll do. He looks down admiring my work. “Well we know which one of us won’t be drawing pictures in the scrolls for the scholars,” he laughs, and I push at his shoulder with my palm.
“Are you two done? Rhenor said we better hurry …” Siphonie yells at us, “He is also going to grab you both an ale before the ceremony begins so come on.” She holds out her hand to me and I grasp it, before turning and grabbing Thylas’ too. He delicately grips my hand as she leads us into the crowd.
Thylas stands behind me and I sway slightly with the breeze, it seems I have had enough ale. Almost tripping over my own feet, his hands grab firmly around my hips to keep me standing on my feet. He whispers into my ear, “Nohæ…” – his breath tickles my ear and I laugh – “I do believe you're drunk.”
I turn and swat at his arm playfully. “I am not ... just simply enjoying …” The drums beat loudly, slow and steady, cutting offthe rest of my sentence. The drums signal the priestesses who walk in their light blue gowns, short veils cover their heads, falling to their chins. They walk toward the fire in sync with the beating of the drums.
The women circle the fire and raise their hands above their heads, making the shape of a triangle with their forefingers and thumbs. The crowd quiets and squeezes together, not wanting to miss a single second.
“The Great Goddess gave us life,” the matron priestess begins, only noted by the gold circlet in her hair, before she dives into the story we hear every year. “She was alone in the cosmos for many millennia before she decided she was lonely. She created us – the Antalians – people to worship her and never forget her. She walked among us, giving the rainbow around our sun its color. The rainbow was our constant reminder of her love.”
I take a deep breath, the day my mother died, the rainbow disappeared. There has been much speculation about why. Are we as a people now cursed? Was my mother the harbinger of death? It certainly appears so given the deluc. I quietly take another drink of ale from my cup and Thylas rubs the lower part of my back, he knows what I'm remembering. It was a day that changed his life too.
“When the Antalians forgot their mother and instead started fighting among themselves, She created Midaeliea to give the Antalians additional company, fearing her presence alone was not enough to satisfy their need for companionship.” She smiles, the love she has for Midaeliea and the Great Goddess obvious in her countenance. The priestesses train in Midaeliea, some choose to live there for the rest of their lives.
