Sparnas

New Flutter

She decided to walk around the back for a while before going to the pavilion and finding Gwyn. Nobody else was allowed in the pavilion except for the WhiteWings but Gwyn owed her one for leaving her alone with the Roois. So she was sure Gwyn could sneak her in and hide her until the official ceremony ended.

In her haste so that Rosso nor Liab could follow her, she bumped into someone. A pitcher of ale spilled onto her dress and the lapels of her thick sable coat. He cursed and said, "Sorry, sweetheart."

She was starting to berate the idiot when she saw the familiar twinkle of a pair of green eyes.

"Dimma, isn't it? Where is your gazebo? I mean-" She felt like slapping her own cheek when she realized how inane the question was. BlackWings never rented gazebos. They laid spread out at the back platforms.

"I can't afford any gazebos. But come, I'm sure Hegal has some napkins to clean that spill. He has a little booth and I'm helping him out."

"I thought you are to be with Rosso tonight."

"Yes, but he can wait. If I go to him now, he'll make me stay with him at his gazebo and I won't. Been there once and it was such a bore. I'd rather be back here where all the winter solstice fun is" Dimma laughed. "I saw you fleeing from his gazebo." He added.

"Fleeing! I was not fleeing. I was flying away. Wait, I thought you didn't see me?"

"I saw you alright, you're the one who bumped into me"

"Fine. I'm sorry. Save me, Dimma. Save me from the loathsome Roois"

"My pleasure, sweetheart. Come."

They flew over the drunken revelers straight to Hegal's makeshift bar. It was not as small as Dimma made it seem. Hegal had a full-sized bar and a small kitchen area behind him. Hegal was busy serving the drinkers over the counter. Liath could recognize two of his many waitresses, Marie and Jane flying over with pitchers in both hands and balancing a tray of food on their head.

"Happy New Year, my lady!" Hegal bellowed as he saw her. "Sorry not much food on the menu tonight, no steaks. Only fast food. Fried chips and sausages in buns. But we have all kinds of drinks!" He bellowed. His cheeks were already red with drink.

Dimma took a few napkins from behind the counter and gave it to Liath. When she was done he also gave her a glass of mead. She sat at the end of the counter while Dimma stood beside her, passing a napkin of sausage in a bun. "You need energy for a long night."

"Energy?"

"Well if you want to stay with me, you have to earn your keep." Dimma winked before he quickly flew away bearing pitchers of refill.

There were other shows and sacrifices in between the shows. The round white stage was now getting darker. The bells signaled the start of another show. Thirteen WhiteWings acolytes came on stage. Beautiful birds of paradise were paraded on stage. There would be four judges from each of the otherWings castes. A Boz daughter represented the GrayWing, Rosso sat on the RedWing chair, an old BlackWing and a matron Healer from the WhiteWing. The pageantry denoted the end of the celebrations.

Liath hovered on the far platform, squinting her eyes to watch what was happening on stage. She was holding a tray of food in both hands. Obviously, the otherWings at the back did not care about the rituals unfolding at the stage. They were having fun on the platforms, drinking and mingling with other sparnas. She continued delivering the items on her tray to a group of BlueWings and WhiteWings before returning back to Hegal's bar to get more.

She delivered more pitchers of drinks before stopping to rest over the platforms. After a short deliberation, the panel of judges chose a magnificently plumed bird of paradise. An acolyte held the bird and the Igqirha Matron practiced hands cut its head off clean. The chosen acolyte then walked around the stage, encircling the other birds. The pageant was to appease the forefathers of Sparnas. It would ensure bountiful of luck and prosperity for the new year. It was incomprehensible to Liath to think that they used to choose the most beautiful babbies. Liath could not imagine how terrible the sacrificial rites was before the Great War. How could sparnas stomach the slaughtering of their own babbies?