“Things have been a bit… strange since my father died and Elijah came into power. Many of our festivals have been downplayed or postponed, due to the passage of power,” I said. “I wish you could’ve experienced Malovia as it was, before my father passed. It was very different.”
“Perhaps things will be as they were once again, before Gabby and Elijah came to power,” Emma said hopefully.
“I wish so.” Our religion was one of the many things that had fallen by the wayside in the past two years, during all the political upheaval. It felt like Malovia was losing the core of who we were. Deeply unsettling.
We entered the city. The entire city was decorated with thousands upon thousands of red rose gardens and bushes. Red paper letters in the shape of hearts flew above our heads like birds, illusions enchanted by sorceresses. The square was flooded with people, though not so many as I’d seen in previous years.
“Another party, huh?” Emma laughed.
“Parties and festivals are one of the things the fae do best,” I admitted.
There were hundreds of vendors lining the streets, selling cakes, cookies, pastries, and a variety of other treats—sweets for your sweet, as we called it in Malovia. The smell of chocolate wafted through the air as chocolatiers competed in competitions to see who had the best candy. Wineries gave free tastings to anyone who walked by.
As we headed further into the city, the booths changed. Emma’s eyes widened as she caught sight of intimacy booths that were selling lingerie and other unmentionables.
“They’re selling sex toys right out in the open?” Emma asked in surprise.
“Well, it is a festival of sexuality,” I admitted. “It isn’t quite a holiday for children. Fated mates are supposed to offer up their bodies to Luka by making an offering of their… dare I say it… pleasure. Children conceived during this time are believed to be blessed by the thief god himself.”
Emma scoffed. “Sounds like an excuse to get off.”
“Some of the festivities are a bit more provocative,” I admitted. “There are… how do I put this… dens of sin set up around the city, in secret locations for couples to enjoy together.”
“So they’re sex dungeons for swingers,” Emma said.
“An impolite way of putting it, yes.”
Emma wandered up to one of the intimacy booths. She scanned the items, until her face sparked when something caught her eye. She twirled a leather paddle between her fingertips. “We could certainly put this to use.”
“I believe we are of the same mind,onawilke,” I teased. I paid for the paddle, and Emma slipped it into her purse. I grinned. I couldn’twaitto use that later.
There was a long wooden canal that had been built specifically for Shotzanek that wound through the entire city. It was small, only a few inches deep and a couple of feet across. At the head of the canal, sorceresses lined up, candles in their hands. Emma watched as the sorceresses put the candles into little floating devices, then pushed them down the water, watching them float away.
“Single Marked giving prayers to the gods, to deliver their mates to them before the year is out,” I informed Emma. “On the other side of the city, shifters will catch the candles and see the name that is written upon them. They’ll then spend the entire day searching for the girl who lit the candle. If you find her, it is said the gods destined you to be mated.”
“That’s so romantic,” Emma swooned.
“There’s more.” I led Emma down a twisted alleyway. At the end, it became more crowded. All kinds of couples, young and old, gathered in front of a brick wall that had been painted red. The bricks were crumbling and decaying in places. Shifters and sorceresses shoved notes between the cracks in the bricks before giving each other a kiss.
“This is Luka’s Wall. Bonded fae leave notes in the cracks, as prayers to Luka to bless their union,” I said.
I gave Emma a piece of paper and a pen from a table set up by the wall, and said, “Tonight, all the prayers will be burned by the high priestesses in the Sacred Gathering, as a sacrifice to Luka. Write whatever you wish for.”
Emma and I scribbled our prayers upon the paper, then shoved our notes into a little crack no one had claimed yet. “What did you ask Luka for?” Emma asked.
For my proposal to go well, I thought, but I said, “I won’t tell if you’re not going to.”
Emma smiled slyly. There was dancing partaking in the streets. As we walked by, I noticed a couple sitting on one of the fountains. The shifter got down on one knee, and procured a ring from his pocket. His Marked gave a cry of glee and wrapped her arms around him, and he slipped the ring on her finger. Applause rang throughout the square, and they kissed blissfully. I caught Emma watching the scene with interest.
“It’s pleasant, isn’t it?” I said with a wry smile.
I wasn’t proposing tonight, but very soon. I still needed time to get a few last touches in order. Emma watched the newly-engaged couple and said, “Yes. I hope they have a great life together.”
I hoped she’d be happy at the prospect of living a life with me. I knew we were mated, and therefore, destined to live as one, but even so, I was nervous at the thought of asking for her hand. I didn’t think she’d turn me down, but still— I worried. Emma guarded her freedom fiercely. Would this be a step too far?
Emma and I enjoyed the festival by watching the Shakespearean plays, visiting the booths, and participating in some of the dancing. As the morning waned into the afternoon, we saw Vara sitting outside one of the wineries, sipping at a blush wine that had been made specifically for Shotzanek. She was alone, which I thought was off. Where was her mate?
“Where’s Arthur?” I asked Emma.
