The Count of Castle Rock

Chapter LXI: The Greatest Hunt

The guests of Madam Nonnagen gather on blankets around a handsome wooden gazebo carved to look like a bed of flowers held aloft by four naked men with pointed ears. Strategically posted lamps cast the lush grass in soft yellow light that plays funny off of the gazebo's polished wood. As Mary watches, the naked men seem to move with subtle grace. An arm here, an eyebrow there. The magic of the lights makes them come alive.

The air is thick with the scent of fragrant flowers from the surrounding fields and bouquets scattered among the blankets. It's the kind of thing Jessica would have loved to experience. Mary scoffs at her sister's loss. She should have volunteered to come along. Wendy giggles as Jack Carpenter whispers into her ear, and Mary rolls her eyes so hard she nearly hurts herself. Sir Kenneth gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you well, Ms. Talbert?" he asks, all poise and politeness.

"Oh, Sir Kenneth, I'm fine. Something merely flew into my eye." Maribelle smiles and pretends to blink away the irritant.

He nods and says something to Jack, but Mary is paying him no mind. Sir Vincent sits a handful of blankets away, talking to a scrawny waif. The girl, a cousin of the knight, had complained about being ignored because of the time he'd spent with Mary throughout the day. Sir Vincent couldn't bring himself to let the girl sit alone so he instead asked his friend, Sir Kenneth, to keep Maribelle company.

Sir Vincent looks up as if feeling Mary's gaze upon him. His cheeks darken when she bats her eyes. The girl might be trying to steal her cousin's attention, but Mary already has her hooks in him.

"The Festival of Lilies is an old tradition, brought across the great waters by the first settlers." Raheem's voice carries across the field of grass and blankets. "Our ancestors had survived The End and three years adrift. These lands represented salvation, but those first decades were hard. The lilium, revered in the old world as a symbol of renewal, could not take root this far north until an elven pilgrim taught the way. The traditional celebration has been forgotten by most, but, here in Validen, we remember every year."

Raheem appears before the gazebo, as if by magic, drawing a gasp of excitement from everyone including Mary. Even her discerning eye is impressed when the gorgeous man steps out of the night.

"During this time, we remember what was lost and what was found! A home eradicated and a home reborn!"

Lantern light fills the gazebo, revealing the string quartet as they begin to play A Time Rejoiced. Jhadal lends her magnificent voice to the music in hypnotic intonations that are more feeling than word. The sound crawls along the skin and settles in the bones. Mary isn't the lover of music that Leesa is, but even she can't deny the swelling of her heart.

Jack's hand crawls across the blanket, past a platter of crackers and cheeses, to rest on Wendy's. The two lock eyes and smile. Mary leans over just enough for Jack to see her face. She scowls and shakes her head. His smile wilts as a cruel smirk spreads across her lips. He pulls away from Wendy and turns his attention to the musicians and the stunning feliruu performer.

Everyone has secrets. Maribelle Talbert enjoys ferreting them out and using them to her advantage. She looks across the field to the blanket where Madam Daphne Wellington sits with Count Methuen, Hans, and Leesa. Sooner or later, the viscountess will slip and then Mary will have leverage over her as well.

Maribelle catches Sir Kenneth's attention and nods towards Wendy. He smiles and inches over until he can whisper into her ear. Mary can't hear what the young knight says to her friend, but the deep shade of red that creeps up Wendy's neck says everything she needs to know. The knight's injuries might make him a liability on the battlefield, but his tongue seems to be quite the weapon.