Ever So Lightly- Book 1

9

    Zephyr found that she was truly enjoying herself as she sat around a blazing campfire. She sat on a log that had been turned on it's side, Bennet sitting on her left chatting up a busty brunette in a sparkling blue costume that seemed to have some sort of tail sprouting from the back and left nothing to the imagination. Zephyr wondered what that young woman's part was here in the caravan, for her to be wearing such a strange, and slightly revealing costume. She smiled though as she sipped from a mug that had been handed to her. She was happy to see Bennet smiling so much, the stress of the last several days washed from his face, even if just for a few moments.

    Zephyr looked around to the rest of the group sitting at the fire. The two contortionists were there, and Zephyr desperately wanted to talk to them, ask them so many questions. How had they learned to do what they did? Where were they from? Did their disjointed act hurt? But she hadn't yet worked up the nerve to walk over and sit next to them.

    Turning to her right, Zephyr saw Nakomi, the woman who had 'introduced' her, Jasper, and Bennet to this traveling show, take a seat on the log to her right. She smiled at Zephyr, who had just noticed the man who had walked over with her. He had the same dark hair and dark eyes as Nakomi and sat down on a log turned to face their own.

    "Do you like the drink?" Nakomi asked Zephyr, her eyes glittering with delight and the flames they reflected.

    "Oh, yes! It's amazing!," Zephyr exclaimed, taking another sip of the warm, sweet drink that Nakomi had identified as some sort of liquid chocolate. Zephyr had only tasted chocolate a couple of times in her life, it wasn't really a necessity that the vendors in Bremerton kept in stock, and not many traveling merchants that passed through had sold it. This drink was even better than the chocolates Zephyr had tasted before, it had a very slight bitterness that contrasted perfectly with the sweetness.

    "I'm glad you enjoy it so much," Nakomi said with a laugh. Zephyr smiled sheepishly. Nakomi turned to the man who had walked over with her.

    "Dalin, this is the girl I was telling you about, Zephyr," Nakomi smiled at the man and placed a hand on Zephyr's arm. "You must help me convince her and her friends to travel with us to Faron!"

    Zephyr began to protest, but Nakomi turned to face her and continued.

    "Oh, don't tell me no yet, I can see it all over your face and I haven't even had a proper chance to convince you. But first, Zephyr, this is Dalin, my husband."

    Zephyr smiled and tilted her head toward the man, just as a small boy ran past, bumping her legs and causing her to spill her drink, which had thankfully cooled down, all over her trousers. The boy threw himself at Nakomi, whose eyes had gone wide when she saw Zephyr's cup fall.

    "Tib!" Dalin exclaimed, pulling the boy off of Nakomi so that she could help Zephyr. "Tib, you need to be more careful! Apologize to the lady!"

    Zephyr blushed and began to say that it was just an accident, but Nakomi gave the boy, who was squirming around in Dalin's arms and trying desperately to escape his grip, a look that made even Zephyr freeze and sit up straight. The boy's face fell and he looked to the ground. Zephyr noted that he looked much like Dalin, but with a child's round face, and his silky black hair reached almost to his shoulders.

    "Sorry," he mumbled, just loud enough to barely be heard over the other conversations going on around them. Dalin whispered something in his ear and let go of Tib, who slowly and quite dramatically walked off with his head hung between his shoulders, one pitiful step at a time as his feet drug the ground. Nakomi pulled Zephyr up off of the log.

    "I'm so, so sorry Zephyr, Tib is just always so full of energy," Nakomi sighed. "This kind of thing happens a lot."

    "I'm fine really, I have another pair I can put on," Zephyr said. "I'll just go get them out of my saddle bag. Is there somewhere I can change?" She did have another pair of trousers, but they were the ones she had worn on the day of her escape from Bremerton, and she hadn't been able to hang them to dry quickly enough to keep them from smelling a bit like mildew. She wasn't looking forward to wearing them before washing them, but at least they were dry.