Treasures of Andalia Chronicles: Ring of Flames

Chapter Eleven: Revelry is the best Disguise for Felony

AMARIS

The town square was bustling with people. Nobles and commoners alike roamed the streets freely. A two-storey stadium stood in front of the palace gates. Decorated with gold, black, and white fine cotton cloth. There were two oversized and bejeweled throne placed on the top floor, meant for the king and queen. On the second floor is where we seat. I sit on the farthest left, followed by Rihaan, then Caius, Saevel, and Katya. I wanted to sit beside Katya but we had to follow the rules of the arrangement, I had no choice but to settle on our current seats.

The nobles were seated across us, and most of them showed hostility toward us, specifically, towards Rihaan. I guess they weren't that happy to have a foreign prince stepping on their lands. Ravalorians were originally hospitable but since Valenris became a threat, they've been quite careful about who they welcome to their homeland. Yet I'm still curious as to why Valenris is considered an imminent threat. It wasn't mentioned in any of the books I've read. Most of the records only held the history of the first queen's era. We know nothing about Valenris except the fact that the empire was only established a few decades ago, and they didn't maintain friendship with the neighboring lands. But I don't believe in the slightest that the death of a mere princess from a small kingdom could result to such a huge scale war. Maybe there's more to the truth that I haven't discovered yet.

I was lost in my own thoughts when Rihaan suddenly nudged my elbows.

I turned to him in response. "What is it?"

"You've been in a daze for quite a while. Is there something bothering you?"

"Oh! it's nothing," I lied. "I was just quite curious about the festival. Do you know anything about it?"

"Why? Did you sleep during History class?"

"I lost my memories, remember?" I retorted.

Caius laughed. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation but I find it quite amusing to see a couple bickering with each other."

We glanced at each other. Our eyes were talking instead of our mouths. We both found it funny that Caius thought of us as a couple when we were both determined to break off this engagement but still retain an unbreakable connection.

We both snickered at the thought of it.

"Anyway, since Rihaan won't likely tell me anything, will you tell me more about this festival?"

"It would be my pleasure," he agreed. A wide smile appeared on his face. "The festival is called the Lunar Festival. We do this every year in commemoration of the angel that descended from the heavens to help Andalia fight the demon army. It was believed that the angel came to this land during a full moon, just like tonight." He pointed to the moon, glowing brightly against the darkness of the night as he told the story. "The festival lasts for seven days, and on the last day, all the Empyreans will lose the ability to use magic for the whole day. That is why the mages from the temple gather to the square to cast a barrier."

I glanced at the people walking along a line towards the center, holding a lit candle in their hands. Both men and women wore plain white clothes like the one Haquilla used to wear but the capes were white instead of gold. The women's dresses were sleeveless. They had a thick golden belt and a long flowing skirt. The men, on the other hand, wore a white tunic, long enough to reach their feet with a brown belt around their waists. Haquilla was the last to arrive since she was the High Priestess. She was standing in the middle of the circle while the others surrounded her.

"Look," Caius said. "The mages will now begin casting the spell."

The Priests and Priestesses started muttering the spells under their breath. Their voices were resounding throughout the whole square as their eyes glowed according to the color of their eyes. I squinted, hoping to see Haquilla's eyes but the veil was too thick for me to see through.