Chapter 45 – The Festival of Candles

In Solis 460, The Sundei, the 21st of Unya:

Dear Diary,

Now I understand why Shu wanted all of his commanders to be present. The army maneuvers that we had yesterday were very indicative of how much more training we need before the New State Army becomes a real fighting force. I admit, except for the skill of my senior sergeants, I would've been lost out there. I think Shu intends to have us out there nearly every day from now on.

Riou has been gone for nearly two days. Tai Ho managed to smuggle him and his group directly onto Greenhill territory. If everything goes according to plan, he'll be in Rockaxe by tonight. I don't like Gorudo, not from what I saw at the Hilltop Conference, but we need the knights' help. I hope Riou convinces him to work with us.

Someone pounded on the door to Flik's room, causing him to look up from his journal. He only knew two people who'd interrupt him like that, and the knocking was too heavy for Nina.

The noise continued. "Hey, Flik, you're not going to stay in there all day, are you?" Viktor hollered. Flik closed the book, walked over to the door, and opened it. Viktor stood expectantly in the hall beyond. "Come on, let's go celebrate!"

The halls were already festooned with red and white streamers. Today was the longest day of the year, known as the Sundei, and was nearly universally celebrated by the Festival of Candles. For some, it was also another excuse to get plastered.

"What about our almighty strategist?" Flik asked. "Has Shu given us permission to take the day off?"

Viktor's face suddenly took on a very worried expression. "Wait, you think he'd mess with a holiday? Damn, that'd be just like him."

Flik could feel the frown on his face. "Let's go and ask him. You never know until you try." They trudged through the corridors towards the great hall, where Shu usually held his briefings. Children carrying bundles of candles with red and white stripes ran past them. Flik couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. Hanna came after them, holding two large baskets of candles in her hands. She nodded to Viktor and Flik, then continued on after her charges.

The great hall was empty when the two men poked their heads in. It wasn't even decorated for the holiday and had a sad, empty sort of feeling. They didn't linger long in that place. Flik suggested that they should check Shu's room. Viktor groused that they were falling behind on their beer drinking, but followed Flik towards the third floor. This floor was still being repaired, but both Shu and Riou had elected to take rooms there. Of course, on this day, no work was being done. Viktor muttered that the men were probably working on their second hangover of the day by this time.

"Come in," Shu's muffled voice said when Flik politely knocked on the door. Meekly, Viktor and Flik entered the strategist's inner sanctum. It was unexpectedly disorganized. Boxes of books and papers were stacked haphazardly against one of the walls. A potted plant hung from the ceiling a few steps into the room, its leaves dangling down into Flik's face as he walked past. Even the bed was unmade.

Shu was sitting with his back to them, at a tabletop that was propped up by more boxes. He was petting a calico cat, which purred contentedly on his lap. "Good morning, gentlemen. I hope you'll pardon the mess; I haven't really had a chance to unpack." He gestured with one hand towards the boxes.

Shu's relaxed attitude in his room seemed at complete odds with his normal demeanor. Flik asked, "Are you all right?"

The strategist answered with a dismissive wave of his hand and continued speaking on his own topic. "Permit me to hazard a guess as to why you are here. You are concerned about missing out on the festivities because of training, right?" By this point Flik was close enough to see an opened bottle of dark red wine on the table. The bottle was nearly half-empty. On the center of the table stood a red and white candle in a small candleholder.

"You're drunk!" Viktor declared accusingly.

"Not at all," Shu replied. "I've merely reached the stage of self-satisfaction. Sit down and have some, if you like. I'm fortifying myself against Apple's inevitable arrival."

Viktor immediately took Shu up on the offer, plunking himself down in the nearer chair and grabbing the bottle and a pair of extra glasses. Flik took his place with somewhat less alacrity, continuing to study the strategist. "Why are you worried about Apple?" Flik asked. Viktor handed him a glass of the dark wine.

Shu sighed and sipped at his own glass. "Invariably she will have too much to drink, and she'll want to come up here to reminisce about the Master. Then she'll end up crying." He put down the drink and looked in Flik's direction. "It may sound cold, but Master Mathiu is dead. A celebration of life is no time for tears. You should be mindful of that too, Flik."

Flik avoided responding by taking a sip of his wine. He nearly gagged at its strength and dryness, squeezing his eyes shut at the tingling sensation behind his nose. "Good stuff," he heard Viktor say. "Is it Kanakan?"

"Actually, it isn't," Shu answered. "I don't know why people think so highly of southern wines. I find them to be too sweet for my tastes. This is a Chishan wine that I recently discovered. I thought I was going to make a fortune moving them south, but then Riou came along. I guess even I can't predict everything that life brings."

"What about Riou?" Flik asked, blinking the pain out of his eyes. "You think he'll do all right in Rockaxe?"

Shu smiled. "He has no chance of convincing Gorudo to work with us."

A glass shattered on the floor. At first Flik thought it was his own, but that was securely on the table. He glanced over at Viktor and saw his dumbfounded expression. A pool of wine was spreading around his boots. "Why not?" Viktor asked.

"Gorudo's got a non-aggression pact with Highland. There's nothing official on that, but my trading sources have been hinting at that since last winter. Highland's swapped some border towns for Gorudo's guarantee that he'll stay out of the conflict."

"That's insane!" Flik shouted, wincing at his own voice.

Shu calmly took another sip of his wine. "Is it? If I were in his position, I would probably do the same thing."

"But that's wrong," Flik retorted, standing up and looming over the strategist. He was burning on the inside, though from anger or liquor he couldn't tell. "He's abandoning his allies."

"Sit down, Flik," Shu commanded, unruffled by the intimidation. When Flik obeyed, Shu continued to speak. "During a conflict, one must make decisions with a clear head, based on a careful reading of facts. Impulsive actions derived from hot emotions will only lead to disaster. By sitting out this war, Gorudo believes he will be in a better position to dictate the peace once we and Highland have exhausted each other. Moreover, he gains land and spares his people all at once. If he can pull that off, it will be an admirable diplomatic move."

"I don't think so," Flik argued. "What's the worth of a peace gained by sacrificing allies?"

After another sip, Shu steepled his hands and said, "Tell that to the people who don't have to fight."

While Flik and Shu were debating, Viktor had grabbed the bottle and chugged the remainder of the wine. He set it down and fixed a penetrating stare on Shu. "If you know Gorudo's not going to work with us, why'd you send Riou at all? I think you've got some sort of sneaky plan."

"Why, I do," Shu said modestly. "As I stated before, if I were the leader of the Matilda Knights, I wouldn't get involved in the war. However, I'd also keep Riou as far away from my knights as possible. Do you think all of Gorudo's men share their leader's feelings? I'd say a lot of them are upset with his policy." Shu paused and finished off his glass with a flourish. "Gorudo has seriously underestimated Riou's abilities. I expect a significant portion of his knights will soon be joining us in our fight against Highland."

Viktor smiled happily. "That's great! I bet you've got this whole war figured out, right down to the last move."

"I probably do," Shu answered.

Flik looked at the two of them, wondering at their confidence. Maybe it was because he hadn't had so much to drink, but he didn't feel as optimistic. Maybe he was just a sad drunk.

The two of them excused themselves shortly thereafter. Viktor was in high spirits and wanted to proceed as quickly as possible to Leona's and drink some more. Flik's mood was also better now that he wasn't arguing with Shu, but his stomach growled for food. They walked down two levels of stairs, out into the large foyer on the ground floor.

This area too was covered in red and white. Workers from Hai Yo's restaurant were setting up several tables, and a banner overhead promised a "Cook-off Extravaganza." At the Tablet of Stars, someone had pressed a red and white candle on Luc. He regarded this symbol of the celebration with a slight frown.

"Lighten up!" Viktor shouted to the mage. "You're supposed to be having a good time."

Luc shook his head. "I don't understand. Why do you celebrate the fact that your lives are so short?"

Laughing, Viktor answered, "We party because we are alive. That's certainly preferable to not living at all."

"Spoke the man who is dying before my eyes," Luc retorted.

Viktor glowered at him. "You know what, I'll probably outlive you. At least I'm happy to be alive. You'll probably go and do some damn stupid thing to get yourself killed."

Flik began to walk towards the bar. "Let him be. He's just in one of his moods."

"I don't like to see anyone being morose, especially not during a celebration." Viktor shrugged. "Oh well, let's get those beers. Talking to him is making me sober."

They started to walk away when Luc suddenly exclaimed, "What the hell?" Flik turned in time to see the wind mage disappear in a flash of light.

"You don't think I upset him?" Viktor asked.

"Who knows why Luc does anything." Flik turned and headed back towards the bar. "Come on, let's go before all the good beer is gone."

He'd taken two steps when another flash of light sent his shadow racing down the hall in front of him. Then something large crashed into his back, knocking him face first into the ground. Through the momentary darkness and pain, Flik distinctly heard a girl's voice say, "Oh, it's Viktor! We missed you at the feast. Why weren't you there?"

Viktor's reply was somewhat hesitant. "Um…I've been here for a while. I mean, the army's here." He paused momentarily, trying to get his bearings. "So…what brings you here, Viki?"

The girl started babbling excitedly. "Well, there I was at the victory celebration and I was about to take a drink, but some of the bubbles got up my nose and I sneezed. Next thing you know, I'm standing in the middle of some forest and a bunch of people walked up to me. Their leader invited me to a place called Dunan Castle. Viktor, is this Dunan Castle? I've been teleporting all over the place trying to find it. This nice lady in her bath yelled that it was to the west."

By this time Flik had recovered his senses enough to shout, "Get off of me!" He tried to rise, but couldn't quite get Viki off his back.

She squeaked in surprise. "The floor is talking to me! Now it's moving. This is the most amazing castle. Oh, it isn't the floor, it's just somebody on the floor." To Flik's great relief, Viki got up from his back. "Hello, person on the floor, why are you on the floor anyway? Do you like it down there? Is it comfy?"

Groaning, Flik got up. A girl in a long white dress with blue edging stood next to Viktor. Her dark brown hair hung all the way down past her waist. She was holding a knife and fork in her right hand. Cold gravy covered the blade of the knife. Flik recognized her immediately. Despite her apparent youth and scatterbrained personality, she was a powerful magess who could teleport people over great distances if her spells worked correctly. Two years ago, she'd joined Tir McDohl's forces completely by accident, but she'd been a useful, though unpredictable, ally for the duration of the war.

"Flik, you're here too?" she asked. "But Tir said that you'd taken an arrow in the leg." She bent down to examine the limb in question. "I don't see any arrow."

Flik backed away. "That was a long time ago, Viki. Are you planning on staying here for a while?"

Ignoring him, she sniffed the air. She turned around and gazed at the preparations for the cook-off. "I smell food! Is there going to be a party? Oh, I hope I don't get any bubbles up my nose."

Flik motioned to Viktor, pointing towards the door to the tavern. With Viki preoccupied by the celebration, they sprinted away from her, nearly pulling the door to the bar off its hinges in their haste to escape. As expected, Leona's bar was packed, filled with more than a hundred people. The two men fought their way to the counter.

Leona shooed away an assistant and served them personally. "I expected you two earlier," she said tersely, handing them two mugs of beer. "Don't tell me you've found some other bar to get drunk at."

"It's not like that," Viktor pleaded. "We had to talk to Shu about things, that's all." Leona's eyes fixed on Flik, who swallowed and nodded. This seemed to satisfy Leona. Viktor and Flik then tried to find a place to sit. Luckily, many of the patrons in bar were from Viktor's mercenaries, and they quickly cleared two chairs for the commanders to sit at.

Flik settled into the flow of the celebration, talking and laughing and drinking. People drifted in and out of the bar. Rikimaru, with a huge chunk roast leg in one hand and a mug in the other, sat down with them for a time. Later, several of Gilbert's Zexens showed up and a brawl nearly started. Viktor and Flik had to get up to sort that out, but afterwards returned to the table, speaking amicably with Gilbert. Ace, a young Zexen that Flik vaguely remembered, started up a card game at the next table over, which Viktor took an interest in, though he didn't participate.

Eventually Flik found a compelling reason to get moving again. After going to the bathroom, the two men ambled outside the castle to soak up the atmosphere. The shimmering heat of summer seemed to be amplified by the crowds of people everywhere. There were groups of soldiers taking liberty, kobolds and winghordes from Two Rivers, and many civilians. This surprised Flik, making him wonder how much the town had grown in the space of two months.

Rina, Eilie, and Bolgan had set up their act just outside the castle. Flik watched as Bolgan blew a gout of flame out of his mouth, much to the astonishment of the audience. There was a long line of people waiting for Rina's fortune telling. Flik managed to hear her over the babble of the crowd. "I see you…in Vinay del Zexay…giving tomato seeds to the Flame Champion." Then Eilie, brandishing a pair of knives, looked in his direction and started waving him over. Viktor and Flik, pretending not to notice, turned and quickly jogged through the crowd in the opposite direction.

Gengen and Gabocha sprinted by, waving at the two men as they passed. Down the street, Flik noted that Sid had attracted a curious group of gawkers, many of whom scattered when the winger began to laugh. Further on was a set of competitions, including an archery match and wrestling. The soldiers were more of a presence here, shouting for competitors from their own units and making wagers on each round. Huan and Tuta were there, working on setting the inevitable broken bones. Nearby, Shilo and Tai Ho were earning money at chinchirorin.

There was a sudden pounding noise, distracting Flik. A couple of yards off stood a carnival game, a test of strength. Amada was trying his luck at the moment, holding a large hammer in his hand. The object appeared to be to hit the base hard enough that a metal pin would fly up the slide and ring the bell at the top. Amada had managed about a third of the way up.

The man overseeing the game smiled broadly. "Well, it doesn't look like you've got what it takes, sir. If you want to try again, all you've got to do is put down another ten potch."

Amada shook his head. "You've got this thing rigged. I could hit the bell all the time back in the Island Nations."

"I say, well maybe down there they made things a little easier, but here in Jowston we have real men." The proprietor, a rather dumpy man himself, puffed out his chest. Then he saw Viktor and Flik. "You there, yes you, why don't you show him what a real man can do? Just ten potch a try."

Viktor clapped his hands. "Why not? Looks easy enough." He handed over ten potch and grabbed the hammer. Setting his feet, he hefted the hammer up over his head and slammed it down onto the base. The pin slid to the midpoint, hovered by a crudely drawn picture of a rabbit with an axe, and then dropped back to the bottom.

"Come on, sir, you can do better than that," the proprietor encouraged. "All you've got to do is pay ten potch to try again."

Viktor frowned, but paid up. The pin got no higher on this second try. Or the third. Or the fourth. Or the twenty-fourth. After that failure, he hurled the hammer to the ground so hard that it bounced. "Enough!" he shouted. "This game is rigged. I want my potch back."

A crowd had gathered around them to see what all the commotion was about. The proprietor smiled jovially. "Now, now, sir, you can't go making false accusations. Simply because no one has proven strong enough doesn't mean the game is rigged. Now, if you're through, is there anyone strong enough to take my test of strength?"

Viktor looked as though he was going to advance on the pudgy man, but a female voice drew everyone's attention. "I'll try." Oulan walked out of the crowd, her size and figure commanding all of the male eyes present.

The proprietor hastily wiped the drool off his face and said, "For you, dear, only five potch are needed." Oulan smiled as she paid the man and accepted the hammer, but Flik thought he saw a glitter of fire in her eyes. She took one look at the contraption and casually swung the hammer onto the base. The pin flew up the slide and rang the bell.

The proprietor gaped. "Th-that's not…it's not…possible!"

Oulan shrugged. "No problem at all. Anybody else want a go?" She offered the hammer to Flik.

All Flik could say in response was, "No thanks. I'm good."

Afternoon gave way to evening, and the sun trailed off towards the west. There were all kinds of people selling food, and Flik partook of several varieties of ham, beef, lamb, fish, and venison. He even managed to eat some vegetables, to soothe his conscience. In various places, musicians began to play, each group vying with the next until none of them could be heard distinctly. Not that it mattered, for the celebrants were willing enough -or drunk enough- to dance to anything.

An alarmingly large and exuberant group of young ladies -and some that were not so young- were waiting to dance with Flik. He found himself being pulled back into the dances by a different face each time the music started again. First Millie and then Meg danced with him. Both girls were enthusiastic, if not particularly good partners. Rina danced with him next, keeping herself tight against him and smiling at his discomfort. Nina found him after that and probably would've occupied him the whole night, except that Leona and Barbara wished to dance with him. These two also danced with Viktor.

Later, a small, very old lady in a rose dress and hat danced with him. In the middle of their dance, she remarked that he should try to loosen up a little, or he'd never land a wife. Anita was next, and Flik had to shuffle his feet to keep them from being impaled by her heels. Then there was a pause, as poles bearing red and white ribbons were set up. The married and intended couples were invited forward to dance and wind the ribbons around the poles. Nina came forward and tried to pull him out among the couples, but here Flik refused, taking a seat by Viktor and watching the action.

Freed and Yoshino were in this dance, as were Alex and Hilda. To Flik's surprise, Rossgard was also out there, dancing alongside a woman with long black hair and a dark red dress.

Flik leaned over to Viktor and quietly asked, "Who's my senior sergeant dancing with?"

"You don't know?" Viktor's laughter was embarrassingly loud, at least for Flik. "You remember that he helped some kids find their mother? Well, that's the mother. Her name's Ellani, I think."

Flik raised his eyebrows. "Is this serious?"

Tarrance, another of Flik's senior sergeants, leaned over to join the conversation. "I'd say so. They're out dancing around the sunpoles."

Shrugging his shoulders, Viktor added, "There's a lot of that going around. The war's shattered many people's lives, so it's only natural that they'd seek stability as quickly as possible."

"But who'd have guessed that Rossgard would be so quick off the mark?" Tarrance quipped. "Of course, it's probably Ellani who's the driving force. She'll have him married before the year is out, mark my words."

"How are things progressing with that plump little blond you're pursuing?" Viktor asked the senior sergeant. Tarrance started gagging on his beer. Flik's eyes widened some more.

The winding of the ribbons ended as the sun set. By this time, striped candles had been given to everyone in attendance. As the sun's light failed, these were lit, holding the night at bay. The more religious-minded among the celebrants went off to hold candle vigils at shrines to the True Runes. For those who remained behind, a majority, the dancing became general again.

Flik danced with several more women, before an unexpected new arrival brought all the dancing to a sudden crashing halt. A faint buzzing in his head was only warning he had before Jeane smoothly walked out into the middle of the dancers. If Oulan had earlier drawn all eyes to her, now Jeane's presence seemed to steal reasoning. She smiled and proceeded directly over to Flik. The woman he'd been dancing with made no protest as Jeane took his hands.

"You shouldn't have run from me in Greenhill," she purred. "I'll forgive you, for the price of one dance." Flik's mind was sluggish, and Jeane didn't give him the chance to refuse. She looked over at the musicians and commanded, "Play." They did, working at their music as if their lives depended on it.

The dance that followed went by as a blur in Flik's mind. Jeane's body seemed to glow with its own light, but he also had the distinct impression that her hands were unnaturally cold. Then the song ended, and he was aware of his surroundings. The buzzing in his head ceased and he was able to think clearly.

Jeane had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Shall we dance another round? This time I might even let you lead."

Once again, Flik beat a hasty retreat. Jeane laughed and turned to receive the attention of a growing crowd of men. Viktor walked up beside Flik. "You didn't mention her when you were telling me about Greenhill."

Flik had to swallow a couple of times before speaking. "It kind of slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind?" Viktor asked incredulously. "Are you sure you weren't trying to hide her from me?"

"What are you talking about?"

But Viktor was staring at Jeane. "Damn. Now I regret not talking to her more during the last war. Excuse me, Flik, but I've got a crowd to clear if I'm going to get my dance with her." He strode purposefully forward.

Flik shook his head, clearing out cobwebs. The music had started again, and Jeane was dancing with another lucky man, or unlucky, depending on the viewpoint. Flik went back to the table, picked up his candle, and quietly made his exit. He strolled back towards the castle. The streets were somewhat more subdued than earlier. There were individuals seeking the best parties, couples looking for seclusion, and even a few unlucky soldiers stuck with patrol duty.

Back in the castle, there was a crowd of drunken men outside the doors of Leona's bar, and singing from within. Flik walked on. In the next room, a few tired workers were cleaning up from the cook-off, and the Tablet of Stars stood without its guardian. Yawning, Flik shuffled up the stairs. As tired as he was, he didn't want to return to his room yet. Inevitably, his feet guided him up to the top of his favorite tower.

On the landing, he leaned back against the roof and closed his eyes. The night was clear and very warm. He could hear the crashing surf intermingled with the sounds of revelry below. Ignoring the soreness in his legs, he began to relax and drift off.

"There you are, Flik," a girl's voice declared. "I knew if I waited long enough, you'd come up here." His eyes popped open, focusing on the speaker.