Chapter One
He could almost taste the air, thick with the festival’s smells; cooking meat and the spicy seasoning his region was known for, mingled with roasting vegetables, fresh bread, smoked wood, and the humid night hanging over him. He ducked through the crowd, a silent shadow among the moving, laughing throng of people. The stone street grew asperous under his leather boot, and the night air cooled his brow as the crowd lessened. He slipped easily between the smattering of people, gravel crunching under his heel, with his eyes turned to the river. It was black as onyx; the moonlight shimmered on the surface but was not enough to break through the rushing water and expose its insides. He leaned against the railing and murmured the traditional Equani prayer.
“Ko!” He turned at the familiar voice behind him, tearing his gaze from the water.
“Laiala,” he said quietly as his eyes met with his twin’s equally blue ones. They crinkled into a smile, and she moved to stand beside him, looking over the railing as he had and murmuring the Equani quickly.
“Making a wish?” she teased after she had finished, glancing back at him just in time to see the boy scowl. “You might want to get a moonflower for that.”
“We’re not six any more,” he retorted, crossing his arms and pressing his back against the railing. The cold metal penetrated through all four layers of his traditional festival garments and chilled his skin. He tensed against the discomfort, not giving in to it. “I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“But we’re going to need wishes more than anything next week,” Laiala murmured, watching cloud wisps trail past the moon. “I hope my Bind is a deer, like Kesha’s. They’re so beautiful and graceful and strong…” she trailed off, looking at Asher. He turned his gaze the other way, staying silent. “You want to be Bound to a dragon, don’t you?”
“Where’d you hear that?” he snorted, his heart quickening. He didn’t even need to see her to know she was smiling.
“Jate told me.” He could hear the smugness in her voice. Damn Jate. His friend could never keep his mouth shut, especially when it came to pretty girls.
He bit back another scowl to look at Laia. “So what? Everyone wants to be Bound to a dragon! I bet you do, too.” He crossed his arms, pressing them evocatively against his ribcage. Dragon Binds were rare, and the Binder was immediately expected to become something great. They always did. “Actually, I want my Bind to be a lion. Lions could kill your damn deer any day.” He turned and stalked off, back towards the street market, with the intent of leaving her shocked and offended by the river. Instead, she followed, gripping his robe so as not to lose him in the crowd. He pretended not to notice and walked on, chin raised in defiance. Jate was going home with a black eye tonight.
Her grip suddenly tightened, and she started tugging him over to one side. “Oh, look! Look, Ko! Let’s pick moonflowers!” She shoved her way through a wall of people, leaving Kodi to apologize to them, and stepped out into the large field. The flowers were in full blossom, their white petals splayed wide open to expose the pale blue glow emanating from the nectar. They dotted the field, which stretched a good half mile before meeting the edge of the woods. Children, with their parents hovering near them, were weaving through the grass to find the perfect moonflower to wish on.
“Laia,” Kodi hissed as she darted out into the field, still dragging him along behind her. He pulled out of her grasp and took a step back. “We’re not four.”
“Embarrassed?” teased his sister, wiggling her hips back and forth. “Come on, it’ll be fun! Don’t be a sourpuss tonight, Ko! No one’s going to make fun of you for picking one silly flower.” The boy sighed, watching her pout for several seconds, then reluctantly started into the field. Laiala grinned and clasped his hand between both of her own. “Besides, if they do, I’ll beat them up.” She laughed, and the sound tickled the inside of Kodi’s mouth until he was forced to laugh as well.
He tried his best to look as though he didn’t care, weaving nonchalantly through the other people and the knee-high grass. All the brightest glowing ones had been taken already, but he didn’t care about that. He looked for the smallest one, out of habit more than actual taste. He had always been sickly and abnormally small for most of his childhood. As a result, he’d always looked for the weakest flower, one that was like him.
Once Kodi’s health had improved, he grew several spans in one season, and now he even had to look down at his father. Still, he had continued to seek out the smallest, at least until he grew too old to pick moonflowers and send them off down the river.
Laiala wandered off, spotting a flower she must have liked, and Kodi hoped she didn’t get into a scuffle with some poor little kid over it. It didn’t take too long to spot his own- a tiny, half un-folded flower, so close to the ground that the grass shielded it from wind. He knelt next to it and loosened the plant from its roots, folding his hands gently over it. The blossom conformed perfectly with the curve of his palm. He stood and located Laiala, already darting towards him to drag him off to the next thing.
“I’m not putting it in the river,” he said as soon as she was within earshot. Her face fell. “I’ll keep it on my desk. Come on, we can both send off yours.” He hooked his arm through hers and started back towards the river, where moonflowers already dotted the surface as kids reached between the railing and dropped them onto the water. Laiala knelt, and he reluctantly followed suit, glancing around to make sure no one he knew was watching. Cupping the flower between their two hands, they lowered it as far as they could and released it onto the water. It was immediately rushed away, another glowing orb among hundreds. They straightened, watching it even after it became identical to the others, and then molded into one patch of blue and white.
Laiala sighed, standing up. “Come on, we ought to head home. Mother’s making Naesi for us.” As if she needed to tell him; everyone always had Naesi during the Moonflower Festival. Kodi stood as well, transferring his diminutive flower to one hand so he could comb his hair with the other.
“Go on without me, Lai. I forgot to buy something I wanted. I’ll catch up with you, alright?” He smiled, but she pursed her lips back at him knowingly. He could never keep anything from Laiala. After a moment’s hesitation she gave a slight nod and stretched up to kiss him, then started off down the street. He watched her until she disappeared into the throng, then turned and started off to a less populated area of the festival.
Kodi knelt beside the railing, cupping the moonflower in his hand. The moon was low on the horizon, and all the booths had closed and the crowds disintegrated. He stretched his arms as far as he could through the metal bars, until his chest and face were pressed to them, and dropped the flower into the raging current. “Please Bind me to a dragon,” he whispered as the water tore the flower off in another direction. He used to chase after his moonflower, running with it until the current outran him and he had to slow and catch his breath. Now he simply sat back on his heels and watched until it disappeared completely from view; until even the faint blue glow, usually prominent against the dark water, was swallowed into the night. Then he stood and, filled with a hope he would never admit, darted off down the street of empty booths, his leather soles making muffled thumps against the flat stone.
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[url]Chapter Two Coming Soon[/url]
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