signal the commencement of the festival.
Their arrival at dusk
did not go unnoticed. Men leered from the front of stores and other buildings,
watching the women exit the wagon like hungry foxes stalking a gaggle of geese.
Or hungry wolves, as was the case.The sounds of
music--of flutes, lyres, trumpets, and the steady pounding of drums, infused
her blood with excitement she couldn’t deny despite the nervousness seeping
into her bones.
“Come on now,” Jaxon
said, reaching for her.
“Oh,” she said.
Jaxon’s hands lingered
on her waist as he set her onto the ground. She looked up at him, feeling
breathless from the unfamiliar and strange scents carried on the wind.
In the street, a woman
wearing a small top that barely covered her breasts and a sheer skirt
embellished with jingling coins, spun and danced with flaming sticks. Across
from her stood a man with a jacket and top hat at a table, shuffling cards
through the air from one hand to another while his audience guffawed in
delight.
“Have you ever seen
anything so marvelous?” Kimber said, breathless with excitement.
“No,” Mali said.She looked at Jaxon. “It feels like a circus. Or what
I’ve been told.” Reluctantly, she pulled free from him as he helped Kimber from
the wagon. Despite her irritation with him, he was her tent pole of
reliability. Fangor threatened to overwhelm her. She’d never been in a throng
of people before. Home seemed impossibly far away.
“It is,” Jaxon said.
“If you’ve any coin, you’re sure to lose it before the festival is over.”
That gave her pause.
She chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t have anything. Nowhere to go and nothing to
wear. What am I to do?”
Kimber looked at her
and put an arm around her shoulder. “You stick with me. We’ll keep each other
safe.”
“No harm will come to
you. Nicodemus has the inn set aside for first time females. Inside you’ll be
fed and given a bed. There are clothes specific for you to wear that mark you
as virgins.” He held her gaze, unblinking. She felt his stare like a torch.
Heat flashed across her cheeks and forehead.
“This makes my belly
flutter,” Kimber said quietly.
Mali nodded.
“I’ll take you all
there so there’s no confusion,” Jaxon said. “After that, you’re on your own.
You’ll find many will try to entice you with free wares, hoping for favors once
the festival starts. Don’t fall for a pretty face or fat wallet.”
“Aye, daddy Jaxon,”
Kimber said with a laugh.
Jaxon glowered.
Mali swallowed, feeling
flustered by the activity around her. Despite the coolness of the night, she
felt hot all over—almost to the point of sweating. Nerves . “This isn’t
the festival?”
Jaxon flashed his white
teeth in a wolfish grin. His eyes seemed lit by an inner fire. “It starts with
the burning of the wolf—tonight—the first night of the full moon. By the third
night you’ll be claimed…in one way or another.”
Adolpho lumbered to the
back of the wagon to offload their belongings. “Don’t worry, girls. Jaxon just
wants to scare you,” he said, giving Jaxon a look.
Jaxon laughed wickedly,
making the hairs rise on the back of Mali’s neck. Obviously he enjoyed their
discomfort. Or maybe it was only her and Kimber. The other women seemed
ecstatic, if their shaking hands and jumping around were any indication.
Angelica stood with her brood, flipping her brown hair and eyeing every man on
the street like a prime piece of beef.
Jaxon watched the group
of women for a moment before turning on his heel. “Follow me,” he said over his
shoulder.
The downstairs of the
inn held a bar, and tables filled with drinking patrons. Jaxon nodded to a tall
redheaded man seated in a cubby near a wide hearth.Mali
felt like she was on display as they crossed the busy room to the curved
staircase. She quickened her step, ready to find a quiet spot to gather her
thoughts. Upstairs, the sound of the rollicking patrons was muffled through
Their arrival at dusk
did not go unnoticed. Men leered from the front of stores and other buildings,
watching the women exit the wagon like hungry foxes stalking a gaggle of geese.
Or hungry wolves, as was the case.The sounds of
music--of flutes, lyres, trumpets, and the steady pounding of drums, infused
her blood with excitement she couldn’t deny despite the nervousness seeping
into her bones.
“Come on now,” Jaxon
said, reaching for her.
“Oh,” she said.
Jaxon’s hands lingered
on her waist as he set her onto the ground. She looked up at him, feeling
breathless from the unfamiliar and strange scents carried on the wind.
In the street, a woman
wearing a small top that barely covered her breasts and a sheer skirt
embellished with jingling coins, spun and danced with flaming sticks. Across
from her stood a man with a jacket and top hat at a table, shuffling cards
through the air from one hand to another while his audience guffawed in
delight.
“Have you ever seen
anything so marvelous?” Kimber said, breathless with excitement.
“No,” Mali said.She looked at Jaxon. “It feels like a circus. Or what
I’ve been told.” Reluctantly, she pulled free from him as he helped Kimber from
the wagon. Despite her irritation with him, he was her tent pole of
reliability. Fangor threatened to overwhelm her. She’d never been in a throng
of people before. Home seemed impossibly far away.
“It is,” Jaxon said.
“If you’ve any coin, you’re sure to lose it before the festival is over.”
That gave her pause.
She chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t have anything. Nowhere to go and nothing to
wear. What am I to do?”
Kimber looked at her
and put an arm around her shoulder. “You stick with me. We’ll keep each other
safe.”
“No harm will come to
you. Nicodemus has the inn set aside for first time females. Inside you’ll be
fed and given a bed. There are clothes specific for you to wear that mark you
as virgins.” He held her gaze, unblinking. She felt his stare like a torch.
Heat flashed across her cheeks and forehead.
“This makes my belly
flutter,” Kimber said quietly.
Mali nodded.
“I’ll take you all
there so there’s no confusion,” Jaxon said. “After that, you’re on your own.
You’ll find many will try to entice you with free wares, hoping for favors once
the festival starts. Don’t fall for a pretty face or fat wallet.”
“Aye, daddy Jaxon,”
Kimber said with a laugh.
Jaxon glowered.
Mali swallowed, feeling
flustered by the activity around her. Despite the coolness of the night, she
felt hot all over—almost to the point of sweating. Nerves . “This isn’t
the festival?”
Jaxon flashed his white
teeth in a wolfish grin. His eyes seemed lit by an inner fire. “It starts with
the burning of the wolf—tonight—the first night of the full moon. By the third
night you’ll be claimed…in one way or another.”
Adolpho lumbered to the
back of the wagon to offload their belongings. “Don’t worry, girls. Jaxon just
wants to scare you,” he said, giving Jaxon a look.
Jaxon laughed wickedly,
making the hairs rise on the back of Mali’s neck. Obviously he enjoyed their
discomfort. Or maybe it was only her and Kimber. The other women seemed
ecstatic, if their shaking hands and jumping around were any indication.
Angelica stood with her brood, flipping her brown hair and eyeing every man on
the street like a prime piece of beef.
Jaxon watched the group
of women for a moment before turning on his heel. “Follow me,” he said over his
shoulder.
The downstairs of the
inn held a bar, and tables filled with drinking patrons. Jaxon nodded to a tall
redheaded man seated in a cubby near a wide hearth.Mali
felt like she was on display as they crossed the busy room to the curved
staircase. She quickened her step, ready to find a quiet spot to gather her
thoughts. Upstairs, the sound of the rollicking patrons was muffled through
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