Tales from Saltaire

A Celebration of Dance

Nerissa threw a look over her shoulder as she walked through the decorated main street of Foxtrot Slope. The last, she told her nerves. People were dressed in warm hues and translucent capes and sleeves. They mingled under unlit, woven lanterns and glass windchimes that hung between the stone houses. None seemed to take notice of her. Good. She steered her gaze once more towards the park where the heart of the annual celebration would take place after sunset. Tonight, she decided, she would ignore the world outside of this town and focus on the joys she could find here.

The town's celebration was a welcome change of pace to the bustling city back home. There, everything could be predicted down to the seasoning of the food, but here things were free to diverge from tradition. She hoped she hadn't overdressed for a local celebration but it had been difficult to pass up on the opportunity to wear her fancy dress, especially since Kai would be here. Their visits to the building site of her tower and to the inn she stayed at were the highlights of her days, but way too brief. Hopefully, this evening would be different.

Colourwise, she blended in perfectly with the crowd in her double-layered, peach-orange dress. It reached past her ankles to hide her golden high heels that stepped just above the muddy puddles. The semi-translucent, pink sleeves flowed over her shoulders and obscured her tattoos slightly. To hide the golden lines she had spent years to earn even the slightest took a toll on her pride, but the town would be filled with visitors and she would not risk being identified. To match the fabrics, she had chosen golden jewellery with rose quartz and carnelian. She had left her hat at the inn and had instead taken the opportunity to put up her strawberry blonde hair with a set of pins enchanted to glow. It had been long since she danced and she didn't want anything to get in the way of her lovely distraction.

She entered the park and was engulfed by the lush willows and budding honeysuckle bushes. The end of the heavy rains had flooded parts of the lawn further away and woken a carpet of magenta, starlike flowers. Music filled the park and blended with the melodies of the windchimes. Together it drew people closer from all directions. Most streamed into the park from the town, some by canoes from the lake and a dozen from the forest. Witches, Nerissa gathered, judging by their braided fabrics and abundance of trinkets.

So many people. Too many people. Her heart picked up speed and she looked over her shoulder and cursed her lack of self-control. She was well out of Waltzway and Vicktar's reach. She should feel safe at the edge of Saltaire, with great distances between the lakes and the mountains at her back. So why didn't she?

Nerissa reined in her thoughts and looked for Kai. She would not let Vicktar ruin her night. Great willows framed the central room of the park that opened up to the flooded lake. A group of children had gathered under the widest of them where Asteropie, the old witch, showed them how to weave reeds. The path led downhill, through a flowerbed of daylilies, to the lake where a big, round dance floor rested on the water. There, finally, was Kai. They were in a heated discussion with Mayor Werifest, a tall woman with a long, black braid and a striking red dress. Her face matched the fabric and it seemed like she could explode with stress at the slightest added inconvenience.

Despite this, Kai soon excused themself from the conversation and went to meet Nerissa. They had given their wavy hair a fresh dye of cerulean blue and pink tips. It bounced against their shoulders, covered by a carnation-orange, translucent vest with a trail that reached their calves. Underneath was a white blouse with long sleeves that opened up by the wrists and faded to a calm orange. The dark red pants were cuffed to reveal a pair of only slightly muddy, black shoes.

"You look lovely," they said with a wide smile. "Wanna take a walk?"

Nerissa nodded and returned the smile. "You look like you've put in some effort as well." Together they followed the curve of the lake, away from the gathering people.