Beastsinger: A Kritoan Odyssey

Chapter 4: Feast

       Elysium Square needed no firelight this night. The moon and stars, provided by the Mother, lit up the entire city. Only a few placements of wine dark witchlights were around, which were purely based more on aesthetic rather than practicality. Dashing through the streets, Nerio looks upon the sea above him and recounts the constellations he's memorized. There's the Mage, then over there is the Greater Olive Tree and the Lesser Olive Tree...

"...then there's the Trireme."

Auryon glanced back at the boy she's dragging behind her, "You're nerding out loud again."

       He abashedly glanced down to the street rolling with seas of people, helping his sister shove past people who stank of fermented grapes. In Tarion, mostly only the pristine citizens from Crest Quarter had the chance to party during a Feast of the Stars. Not tonight though. Tonight, people from the holy and hard-working Swell and even the run-down Trough quarters found themselves dancing until their feet were sore or drinking until they couldn't see anymore. He passed by a particularly intoxicated woman who draped herself across three chairs and was spewing the contents of her stomach onto the sidewalk below. An older gentleman stood behind her, holding back her long brown hair.

      Eventually, the pair made their way to the center, where a stage had been built with a podium on top of it. King Constantine IV stood behind it in his most regal robes: deep blue adorned with a golden and violet trim. His jagged crown filled with sapphires and emeralds shining underneath the moon. To his left, stood a giant woman. Unlike others around her, she wore leather armor and was strapped with a bow on her back: Niyne, the Huntress on High. He held up his hand and every partygoer froze in place, as if lightning struck where he stood. In the silence, a robed figure approached from the right of the king and, at the wave of his hand, produced a pulsing ring in front of the monarch.

"Great people of Tarion and all of Kritoa-" The ring echoed with every word the king spoke "-tonight we celebrate. Whether the moon above was a gift of the Mother High, mighty Pax, or any other deity, I think it is safe to say whoever provided it should be praised tonight. Along with our faith, we also celebrate the brave women who risk and sacrifice their lives for the sake of our great Kingdom. The Daughters of the Hunt. A group that predates this city and even the great Hero-King Darius himself, followers under the hunting spirit Naher. The great spirit even gave Darius its legendary sword, Helsbane, in order to slay the monstrous Leviathan.

"In honor of the great gift, we too honor the group that continues the spirit's wishes. I shall now read off the souls who are ready for the Trial of Naher to join the Daughters:

"Zoe Remeli of Pandyma."

"Daphne Fanelli of Behdsim."

"Auryon Aichean of Tarion."

      The king continued to list five more names of girls who began to approach the stage.

"Tonight, you are rewarded with drinks and parties. Tomorrow, you are rewarded with the thrill of the hunt. Go forth, young maidens, and may your respected higher powers grant you the strength, speed, and luck to succeed. Enjoy!"

      The crowd cheered and whooped as a band of musicians began playing their instruments from behind the stage. Before the stage there laid a table for all the new tributes for the Hunt. The table itself was surrounded by guardsmen with swords and shields branded with the mark of a crashing sea monster, the moonlight shining off their already magnificent silver armor. They almost passed through without even a glance from the soldiers, until something caught Nerio's eye.

      It was a dress. A shimmering, flowing dress that just barely scrapped the floor. The wearer's pale skin was complemented by the periwinkle and silver of the dress. Her raven hair fell just below her shoulders, in a braid whose name escaped him for a moment. He didn't even need her to look at him to know who she was: Helena Avonal. His affection for the lady went all the way back to when they played as kids: him the wizard-knight, she the princess trapped by a dragon. He imagined her eyes, the deep color of forest at noon, as well as her smile that shimmers like diamonds. It wasn't until he bumped into a chair that he realized he had been staring. Auryon giggled as she took seat and feigned a fainting gesture.