In the city of Corregal, sword fighting is a way of life - unless you're a girl. While young men compete for prestigious positions within the ruling Houses, young women have to rely on others to protect them from the dangers lurking in the streets...
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It had taken Barris a while to really start enjoying himself. Sindera's warning to stay away lay heavy on his mind. He couldn't escape the feeling that it'd been a mistake to come, and he kept checking over his shoulder for anyone who might be waiting to ambush him.
But within the dazzling extravaganza of the Trienelle, surrounded by lights and music and masks, he found his misgivings slowly melting away. It was hard to keep worrying when there was so much to see and do, and by the time they reached the dance floor he could hardly remember what he'd been worried about. No one could recognize him beneath the bull mask, he realized, and even if they did, no one cared. Not tonight.
The music hardly stopped between one song and the next, from familiar tunes that had the dancers singing along, to wild drum cadences that whipped them into a whirling frenzy, too breathless for more than the occasional whoop of joy. It was during one such madcap swirl that he stumbled into the midst of a group of bird people, their masks bedecked with feathers in every color of the rainbow. It turned out they were actually apprentice dancers and, full of good humor, they decided he needed their instruction. He laughed as much as they did and pretended to be as ungainly on his feet as they thought he was, having so much fun that he didn't have time to worry what anyone thought of him.
When a break came in the music, they were all ready for a breather. He looked around for Tierce and Romeric as he came off the dance floor but couldn't see them. It was odd that neither of them were around, but he had little chance to wonder about it. One of the bird dancers pushed a cup of punch into his hands and they dragged him off to a table they had claimed nearby. Surrounded by his new friends, it was easy not to worry about his old friends.
The first time someone bumped into him, he hardly noticed. It was crowded amongst the tables, easy enough to accidentally jostle someone in passing.
The second time, though, when an elbow knocked his mask askew, he knew it was deliberate.
A cold knot tensed in his stomach, but he kept his movements calm as he set the mask right, not even looking around to see who might have done it. The birds, laughing at another raunchy joke, didn't seem to notice his sudden stillness as he waited for what was next.
He didn't have to wait long. The third bump, only moments later, sent the bull mask flying from his head. There were startled exclamations from the those nearby, a few laughs that quickly died away as Barris rose to his feet, shoulders stiff, lips drawn tight. He felt the crowd drawing back around him. Around whoever it was that had knocked the mask off.
He didn't look to see who it was. Not yet.
He heard whispers from the crowd as he bent to pick up the mask, people trying to figure out who he was. One of the bull's horns had broken, nothing but fabric molded over wire. He took his time inspecting it, seeing if it could be fit back into place. But the wire was bent. It would never again be what it had been.
