The Festival: Afternoon and Evening (or, Of Fighting, Dancing, and Fireworks)
"I never realized how far away Mars Lighthouse is," Felix panted.
He and Kiana had been walking for at least thirty minutes, and Felix was beginning to get a bit tired. Kiana, meanwhile, was still skipping ahead, a smile stretching across her cheeks.
She turned around when she realized that Felix had stopped. She smiled, shaking her head and tossing out her long blue hair.
"Big brother! You're supposed to be the big strong one!"
Felix took a deep breath and walked up to Kiana, his breaths still long and hard. "You're just going so fast. Can we slow down a bit?"
She grinned at him. "Whatever you say, big brother!" She continued skipping ahead, stopping every few steps to give Felix some time to catch up. She was always smiling and laughing at Felix's predicament, but Felix would just smile back at his adopted little sister.
They were a way behind the main crowd of villagers, who were also making their way to the Lighthouse to view the tournament. Felix was basically just following Kiana; he had no idea where he was going. For the moment, Mars Lighthouse had vanished behind the mountains they were passing through; it was a fairly narrow range but one that confused him all the same.
"You've been to Mars Lighthouse before, haven't you, big brother?" Kiana asked, slowing her pace so Felix could catch up.
"Yes, but Alex took me there both times, and he can teleport," Felix replied. "I've never walked there before."
"That's too bad. It's a gorgeous walk, isn't it?" Kiana performed a quick spin, holding her arms out in the air.
"Yes. The mountains are beautiful," Felix admitted. The mountains were very steep and rocky, with small paths that wound up the sides in case they had to be used for shelter. Kiana had told him that Prox was often attacked by monsters, and it usually happened when the village's warriors were away. The villagers would flee to the mountains for safety, hiding in rock caverns while they waited for the beasts to leave. Kiana had also told him that she and Actzir used to hike up the mountains together when they were bored.
Felix had decided to become extremely bored tomorrow and ask Kiana to go on a hike with him.
At long last, they came free of the mountains to see Mars Lighthouse looming over them, shining in the sunlight. The cold air of Prox had begun to warm up; Felix himself had even rolled up his long sleeves.
Rows of logs had been carefully stacked one on top of another, forming seats for the villagers. There was a circle of black dust in the snow, and several warriors were doing stretches on the other side of it. Felix noted that Saturos and Karst were among them, while Menardi sat on the top row of the benches, humming idly to herself and gazing off in the direction of the rift. Felix had noticed her doing that often; even in Prox she would sigh and gaze off toward the lighthouse, which hung precariously on the edge of the void. Felix wondered what she could possibly be thinking during those long pauses, but finally gave up on it and took a seat near the front with Kiana.
"This was Actzir's favorite part of the day," she said. "He would sit here and cheer on the fighters, especially Agatio." She pointed to a man Saturos was currently talking with. He was taller than Saturos, though his skin was also a very pale blue. His hair was a silver color with shades of green in it, and he seemed to be built of far more muscle than Saturos was. A thick cape hung from his scaled shoulders, though it was not as long as Saturos' own.
"Saturos was talking about an Agatio," Felix said. "His cousin, was it?"
"Yes. Agatio was one of Actzir's best friends. The only reason he didn't go to Vale is because Puelle wanted someone to stay behind and defend the village, so he and Karst did. I think it's probably better that he didn't go, after what happened." Kiana pulled her legs up to her chest and gazed up into the sky.
"But I'm your big brother now," Felix said. "So it's all right."
"Oh! I wasn't crying!" Kiana looked at him and smiled. "I was just thinking. Since Actzir's gone now, do you think he's in a place where it's sunny all the time? He loved the festival; he said he'd give anything to live somewhere where the sun shone all the time. Was it like that in Vale?"
"Sort of," Felix said. "I mean, it had its share of rain and snow, but it got really hot during the summer. It wasn't sunny all the time, but . . ." He shrugged. "You probably know what I mean."
"Is rain the water that falls from the sky? Isn't it what happens when the Gods are crying?"
Felix cursed himself for assuming that Kiana knew what rain was. He immediately launched into an explanation of rain, thunder, lightning, and other weather he didn't think she'd know about. She stared at him as he talked, captivated by his talk of lines of light streaking through the sky while the clouds growled like tigers. She asked question after question, and Felix was only too happy to answer them.
Eventually, Puelle rose from a seat near the circle and held up his hands. The whole crowd grew quiet, even Felix. Kiana, however persisted, though her speech was now just a whisper.
"I want to see it, Felix! I want to see the rain and thunder!"
"When you're older," he promised. "Maybe you can talk Saturos and Menardi into letting you come along."
Her skin turned orange when she blushed. "No, I couldn't do that!"
"Why not?"
She didn't answer; instead, she turned to watch Puelle.
"Let the tournament begin!" Puelle yelled. There was cheering from the crowd, and Saturos and a blue-skinned, violet-haired woman stepped into the circle together. Shortly afterward, the black dust around them burst into flame, forming a fiery barrier between them and the audience.
"Two warriors shall participate in combat within this ring!" Puelle said. "If either admits defeat, pleads for mercy, or is first to have blood drawn, that warrior will lose! If a warrior is knocked unconscious, that warrior will lose! There are eight warriors in all. Good luck to all of you!"
He sat down, glancing at a paper that lay on a small podium before him. "Match one is Saturos against Virgili! Begin!" Puelle said.
Saturos and the woman raised their weapons; Saturos held a sword, while Virgili held a scythe similar to Menardi's. They exchanged a few blows before proceeding into a sort of deadly dance.
Felix didn't know what to look at first. Glittering metal, twisting bodies, blazing fire around an entrancing battle. Their weapons seemed to wrap around one another like snakes while they spun and stepped about; he couldn't help but remember the dancers from the parade. Saturos leapt back three times, then ran forward, his sword parallel to the ground. Virgili leapt over him, whirled around, and thrust her scythe through the air.
She stopped mid-swing, and Felix saw that Saturos had ducked at the same time as he turned around, pushing his sword point upward as he did so. The result was a very small cut just below Virgili's chin.
She stepped back, wiped her hand across her throat, and showed the bloodstain to Puelle, who nodded. As the fire barrier faded away, she bowed to Saturos.
"You've gotten much better," Felix heard Saturos saying.
"Still not good enough to defeat you," Virgili replied, shaking her head. Saturos helped her to her feet, and both left the ring. Karst and a red-skinned, blue-headed man were next into the ring, and the fire began to rise once more.
"He's amazing," Felix breathed, still watching Saturos as he placed a thin strip of gauze over Virgili's cut. The two were making jokes with one another and laughing as though they had not just fought one another.
"Who?" Kiana asked. "Saturos?"
"Yes. I wish I could learn to use a sword like that."
"Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he'd be happy to help you," Kiana said. She looked around. "Where's that friend of yours, Alex? Maybe he would know."
"I think he's bitter about not being able to enter because you can't use Psynergy," Felix replied. "He's probably still back in town."
"Oh well. His loss." Kiana tugged on Felix's arm. "Tell me more about Vale!"
Felix and Kiana talked through all of the battles except the last one, when Felix looked up to see Saturos and Agatio entering the ring together. The flames burst into life as Puelle announced the competitors and said, "Begin!"
There was no movement from either of the two. They stood still, examining one another with twin pairs of red eyes.
"They're always the finalists, and they always do this," Kiana whispered to Felix. "Though the rest of their fight is different every year."
Felix didn't reply, just leaned forward and watched.
"So,"Agatio said at last. "Another chance to prove my superiority, eh, cousin?"
Saturos chuckled. "Quite the opposite. Agatio, every year we fight, and every year I prove to you that I am the better fighter. What else must I do to prove it to you? Beat you once more?" He raised his free hand and motioned for Agatio to strike him. Agatio did nothing.
They began to circle one another, their eyes still locked in scrutiny. Agatio shifted his hold on his sword, while Saturos raised one hand to carefully scratch his ear. Neither one stopped their constant movement, each one watching the other as if in a moment he would strike.
Saturos managed to outwait his larger cousin, who lunged forward, bringing his sword down vertically through the air. Saturos smirked and almost lazily stepped to one side. A sideways slash followed, and Saturos jumped backward from this one. Agatio's next move was another downward slash. Saturos swept to the side and whipped his blade diagonally to meet Agatio's. A clash of steel meeting steel rang throughout the landscape, silence in its wake as Saturos smirked again and then raised one hand to cover a yawn.
"I'm becoming rather bored, cousin Agatio. What else do you have for me?"
"He's incredible,"Felix said, staring at the two warriors.
"Yes, but so is Agatio,"Kiana said. "They're the two strongest warriors in Prox. Who knows who will win?"
Agatio growled and let loose another onslaught of slashes. Saturos dodged every one, not even bothering to lift his sword to block again. A sweep to the left, a step to the right, a leap backward; the warrior's waltz had begun again, ensnaring all who watched. Agatio had almost forced Saturos up against the wall of fire, but Saturos leaped upward, performing a flip in the air as he launched over his cousin's head. Agatio turned and ran at him as he landed, using the same parallel-blade technique Saturos had tried on Virgili.Saturos turned around and dashed to the side just in time.
As Agatio's blade slid by his ear, Felix heard Saturos chuckle. "Almost had me there, cousin."
Agatio's smirk looked remarkably similar to Saturos'. "Correction. I do have you." In an instantaneous movement, he flipped his sword and brought it toward Saturos' skull. As Saturos ducked, Agatio's free hand flew into Saturos' gut. Saturos' eyes widened as spit flew from his mouth, and he fell to his knees as Agatio stepped back. A weak rasp emerged from his throat.
"I know you're not done yet, so don't play with me, cousin," Agatio said. "You can get up. I know you can."
A whining gasp. Saturos had gotten the air knocked out of him with Agatio's blow.
"He fought dirty!" Felix hissed from his seat.
Kiana shook her head. "No, warriors can use their fists as well as their weapons, just not Psynergy. He was well within the rules, even if that was a bit of a cheap shot. Don't worry. Saturos just needs to get his breath back, and then he'll be on his feet again."
Saturos did rise from the ground only moments later, though his breaths were still forced and thick. He raised his sword. "Well, I guess it's time to give you that beating now." His voice was raspier than his breaths.
"If you can," Agatio said, raising his own sword. Holding it parallel to the ground, he stretched out one arm so it ran along the length of his blade. His fingers on that hand were outstretched as well, and his face was stained by that nasty smirk of his. His sword-arm pulled into a sharp angle, bringing the swordpoint to meet his fingertips before he finally rushed at Saturos. Saturos once again rushed to one side, spun on his heels, and gave his sword a quick swing.
Blood appeared on Agatio's cheek, stopping him in his tracks.
Agatio rose from his bent position, wiped his fingers over his cheek, and held it up for Puelle to see. The fire died at once, and Agatio turned to face Saturos.
"I thought my skills might have heightened, but it seems I was wrong to assume that," he said. "Well fought, cousin." He and Saturos shook hands.
"The champion for the third consecutive year is Saturos!" Puelle yelled. The villagers broke into applause, rising to their feet and cheering. Saturos turned and waved, the blood from Agatio's fingers now on his hand as well. He was smiling, and Felix leaned back and let out a breath, hardly realizing that the tournament had taken hours off of the day. Kiana brought this to his attention by standing up and pulling him to his feet.
"Come on, Felix! There's still loads to do before nightfall!" Before he knew it, he found himself being dragged back through the mountains toward Prox.
"Why, what happens at nightfall?" Felix managed to ask. Kiana looked back at him and giggled.
"The dance, silly!"
"Remind me again why I'm doing this."
Felix was standing against the wall, holding his arms out and letting Kiana "adjust" his tunic. He had been relieved of his scarf at last; Kiana had called it an eyesore and chucked it into a snowdrift.
She had led him to her house, where her father had fed them both and where Felix had found his parents resting downstairs with Kyle. Kiana and her father had volunteered their house to hold the Valeans; they had even given up their own beds in exchange for futons that could be easily taken out and put away. Kyle and Felix's parents showed no signs of stirring, though Kiana said that they had been showing constant improvement.
Meanwhile, while his parents enjoyed the luxury of sleep, Felix was stuck going to some sort of evening dance with Kiana. She had insisted on it; Actzir always used to take her and dance all night long with her under the stars, she said, and this was the only night in the year that the sky was clear enough to even see the stars, and Felix was her new big brother, and she loved to dance, and she couldn't just go alone, and--
At that point he had agreed, because he was getting a headache from listening to all her reasons.
"You're doing this," Kiana said through the pins in she held in her teeth, "because you're my big brother and I asked you ever-so-nicely. Right?"
"Right, right," Felix sighed. He struggled slightly. "Are you done yet?"
"No, and the less you squirm, the less time it'll take. There! Now I'm done!"She stepped away, admiring her work. "Now you'll be able to move a lot more while you're dancing! There's just one finishing touch!" She ran off downstairs, leaving Felix to look over his tunic and wonder just what was different about it.
When she returned, an ornate gold-and-red mask was over her eyes and nose, tied around the back of her head. Her light red eyes gazed out at him from under flame-shaped accents, and she was smiling widely, holding something behind her back.
"Kiana, what are you wearing?"
"A mask!" she replied in that bird-like chirp of hers. "Everyone wears them to the dance. It's kind of a rule, I think."
Felix frowned. "So if it's a masquerade, then I can't go?" He could barely restrain himself from sounding hopeful.
"Don't be silly!" Kiana giggled. "I have a mask for you, too!" She brought her hands out from behind her back to reveal a green wooden mask resting in them. It was painted with red and blue over the eyeholes, which were very small. Felix took it and inspected it carefully; it was a little too big for him, but it would do, he supposed.
"That was Actzir's mask," Kiana said. Felix's eyes snapped from the mask to her face, and he stared at her, trying to discern what expression lurked under her mask. Nothing came through. "I want you to have it," she said, gently pushing it further into his hands.
"Are you sure? I mean, if it was Actzir's . . ."
"Don't be silly!" Felix had noticed that she said that a lot. "It's yours now! After all, you are my new big brother, aren't you? Come on, put it on! We'll be late if you take much longer!"
Felix did as requested, putting the mask over his eyes and gazing out at Kiana as he reached back and tied it around his head. The straps he had tied fit conveniently behind his ears, and his hair was still free-flowing and loose, despite the strap that ran all around his head. With one hand, he pulled his long bangs out from under the mask. It fit him almost perfectly; Felix had to wonder just how old Actzir had been, as it was only a bit too large for him.
"How do I look?"he asked Kiana.
"Like a real Proxian!" she said. "All you have to do is roll down your tunic sleeves, put your jerkin back on--you'll want to anyway, it gets really cold--and wear some gloves, and cover up your ears with your hair," she adjusted his hair as she said that, "and there! You can't even tell that you're not from Prox!"
"Thank you, Kiana." The wood muffled his voice. Somehow, Kiana had sensed that he hated being different, that he couldn't stand the way everyone pampered him like he was some sort of prince. He was a person, not a doll, but the Proxians rarely saw Angarans and made that all too clear in the way they treated him.
Kiana stared at him for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. She really did look just like Jenna when she smiled. "Hurry, Felix. We'll be late."
He followed her to the center of town, where fires blazed and drums beat heavily. Flutes and harps wove in and out of the heavy rhythm the drums set down, with a violin and guitar as well. All the Proxians were out, each one of them wearing a unique mask. They danced with one another; waltzes, tangos, and other dances Felix had never seen before in his life.
The music began a new tune, a quick waltz. Felix decided he'd go stand and look at the Lighthouse.Nobody would want to dance with him anyway.
Saturos ran by, carrying armfuls of those same silver canisters Felix had seen earlier.
"Felix, will you dance with me?" He looked down to see Kiana, rubbing one foot in the snow and gently tugging on his sleeve.
"Why don't you go dance with someone else, Kiana? There are plenty of guys around."
"I can't ask them. They'll say no." She looked down. "I'm scared to. And you're my big brother, so you have to dance with me at least once."
So she was scared to ask the boys to dance? That was all right. Jenna had been much the same way.
Despite himself, Felix smiled. He bent in a low bow, sweeping one hand out behind him while keeping the other at his waist. "Fair maiden, may I have the honor of a dance with you?"
She turned orange again. "Felix, you're embarrassing me!" Rubbing her cheeks with her hands, she shook her head and laughed. "But of course I'll dance with you!"
They took to the floor. Felix had never been good at dancing, but he found that Kiana, unlike most girls he had danced with, was very easy to lead. They danced four waltzes in a row before Kiana began teaching him a Proxian dance. It involved lots of spins and circles; the men would spin the women again and again while rotating constantly, incorporating twists and swings into the routine as they pleased. They tried the dance once, but both of them ended up on the floor in hysterical laughter.
"That's quite a beautiful partner you have there, Felix." Felix looked up to see a masked man standing over him. His hair gave him away.
"Alex, where were you all day? You missed the tournament; it was great!" Felix stood and helped Kiana to her feet.
"Before anything," Alex interrupted, "I don't believe I've met this lovely lady." He swept a bow before taking Kiana's hand and kissing it. "My name is Alex, from Imil. And you are?"
She was very, very orange. "Kiana."
"It is very nice to meet you, Kiana. I'm only sad that I couldn't do so sooner. Would you like to"--Before Alex could finish his sentence, a red-headed Proxian girl tugged on his sleeve as the band started another waltz. "Forgive me. This lady wants a dance." He turned and walked off with the girl, smiling and talking with her.
"Another dance?" Felix offered. Kiana nodded and tucked her head into his shoulder, most likely to hide the orange she blushed. They waltzed again, but halfway through there was an explosion in midair. Even the band stopped playing to let the dancers admire the fire in the sky.
They were like flowers blooming in the night sky, all in colors of red and gold. Green, blue, orange, Felix had never seen anything like it. Smoke billowed from the place where they glowed, and a shower of embers fell from the sky like the Proxian snow. Felix stared at the sky-flowers with his mouth hanging open behind the mask.
Beautiful.
"Kiana," he whispered. "What are those?"
"They're called fireworks! Haven't you seen them before?" Kiana pulled closer to him. "They're little sparks that explode in the air. I think we Proxians invented them, so I guess it's no wonder you haven't seen them."
Felix stood transfixed, his eyes wide and shining as the fireworks left their smoky stains in the sky. "So that's what was in those things Saturos had,"he muttered. "They're beautiful!"
"Well, now you've seem Proxian rain," Kiana said. "A rain of embers. So in return, you have to show me Angaran rain, all right?"
He nodded, only half-aware of what she had said.
After the fireworks had faded, they went on dancing until late in the night, when the dark clouds were looming over them, threatening to bring froth their ice and snow at any time. Felix escorted Kiana home, then went back to the old couple's house and barely managed to pull off his mask before falling asleep.
And bright flowers of fire bloomed in his dreams.