Every Glistening Night

Chapter Nineteen

Spirits are high in the clearing. The very air I breathe seems to dance through my lungs in time with the laivo. My fingers graze the thin strings in rapid succession, lingering only a moment on longer ones. The playful notes ring in harmony with puffy pitches from the ciwien pipe. People clap and twirl along to Yefto's vocal reel.

Energy spins and spins and spins, whirls and twirls, loops and dives into a scale rushing up to a grand finish. I pluck the final cord, my fingers ascending from the strings with a flourish. Laughter quickly overtakes the tune's resonance, as does clapping and stomping.

People on the outskirts of the clearing begin to trickle away. The moon has long since risen in the sky, and drooping eyelids contradict the grins people wear. I barely feel the night's age. My pulse races through my veins, carrying enough excitement to last for hours more. Though my finger pads sting from the intensity of my playing, drawn out by my own emotions, I feel like I could go until dawn.

Unfortunately, it appears that Hannei and Yefto don't share quite the same energy as me. Hannei's pipe remains in her lap, and she doesn't raise it for another round

"I'm afraid we must turn in for the night." She motions to the tribe. "Seems that we aren't the only ones getting sleepy."

A half moon ago, I might've been grateful for the reprieve. But ever since I completed the sunlight gown, I've returned to my normal sleep cycle. My eyelids haven't hung heavy in a long time, and with all the music, I'm hyper alert. I'm not sure I can sleep even if I try.

The crowd continues to dwindle. Only a few stragglers remain, but their jaws stretch as they finish up their conversations. Three matriarchs duck into their cave while the other four direct tribe members in shifting the rocks away from the fire pit. A woman hauls a basin of water to the fire pit. Soon, the flames simmer down to glowing embers.

Yefto helps Hannei to her feet. Reluctantly, I follow suit. The night is over, no matter how much I wish it'd last.

"Until next time," Hannei says. "Danna m'ke even suggested we start playing during third meals."

"Really?" A bubble of excitement surfaces in my chest, breaking through the disappointment I'd felt moments ago.

"We'll discuss it more tomorrow," Hannei says. "But Yefto's right, we probably ought to get some rest before dawn."

The couple waves to me before striding up the mountain path. I clutch my laivo to my chest, taking a moment to drink in the air. A whiff of smoke idles in the air, the last traces of the tribe's gathering.

"Need anything, Celisae?" I turn around to find Yia m'ke. A soft smile upturns her lips.

I shake my head. "Just taking in the last moments of the night."

"It was quite special, wasn't it?" Yia m'ke says in a voice, quite musical and feathery in and of itself. "I don't know why you haven't played more often."

Most bands never invited me. No one outright rejected me when Audrel pushed to have me play, but Hannei and Yefto are the first to graft me into their group.

I can't voice any of that aloud, no matter how true, so I simply shrug. Behind Yia m'ke, Ulane m'ke appears.

"We need you, Yia," she says. In contrast to the former matriarch, the words Ulane m'ke speaks always come out like toughened meat, or thorny armored leaves, especially when I'm around.

"Coming." Yia m'ke squeezes my elbow with a final smile, then hurries to assist in carrying away excess firewood. Ulane m'ke gives me a terse stare before doing the same.