Page 38 of MidKnight
There were half-clothed dancers in front of us who constantly made our cart start and stop because they’d pause to do some ridiculous lift that showcased the women’s splits. The men in the crowd loved it. After the fifth time my ass hit the back of the wagon because we jerked to a stop, I ceased to be impressed.
Soldiers marched behind us, their trumpets and tubas blasting my ears with noise. Blue huddled close to my neck, scratching me whenever the screaming children or loud bursts of sound startled him.
“Stop that,” I scolded him between my teeth. “You aren’t really a bird so don’t let those bird reflexes take over.”
I was pecked for that.
I clenched my teeth and fists, telling myself I couldn’t snap a bird’s neck in front of children.
Quinn had insisted I let the bluebird ride on my shoulder, partially to see who might react to the bird and give us a clue about him, and partially to test my patience, I’m sure.
Isla didn’t even bat an eye,I told him.This is stupid.
You’re the beast-tamer, Dove. The crowds will love it.
Why I caved to him, I wasn’t certain. Perhaps it was because he’d left to sneak into Cheryn and search for Avia. I missed him already. Or maybe it was the fact that Connor and Declan, who were both riding on horses behind me scanning the crowd, agreed with him. I hated when my husbands ganged up on me.
The parade lasted a gods-awful two hours.
But the afternoon festivities had only just begun.
In honor of Rasle, and the end of harvest, plow races took place next. Isla and I had to stand on a dais and watch a line of brawny men race to plow a field as quickly as they could. No horses or donkeys. Only men making asses of themselves.
Each man wore a colored ribbon on his arm, as did his cheering section in the crowd. It was amusing. More so than the parade. One large man had a white ribbon and seemed to have more fans than the rest. They were the most organized, at least, so it made his group seem more impressive. They’d even made up a cheer, “Straight lines! True hearts! Plow through! New starts!” It wasn’t the best cheer. But it was better than the wolf-whistle and simple name yelling the other groups did.
Connor and Declan stood beside me and I leaned closer to Declan to ask, “What time should Ryan arrive? I thought he said he’d be back sooner?”
Declan stroked my hand, “Return trip just took a bit longer. He’s been in touch with Quinn. Don’t worry, Peace.”
I nodded and turned back to watching the sweaty men rip off their shirts and growl like bears before leaning into their tasks once more. Their concentration and dedication to this foolishness was admirable.
But then a little lilac rabbit made a mad dash through the plows, tripping up men and causing gasps from the crowd.
“Don’t hurt the bunny!” a little girl cried.
The grey-purple blur of fur doubled its speed after a plow nearly clipped its back leg. He tumbled head over heels in a furrow but somehow managed to right himself and bolt forward. Then he made a mad leap for the dais. He overshot a bit, crashing into the temporary wall erected behind Isla and myself to block the sun.
Immediately, Blue flew off my shoulder and at the rabbit, tweeting and chirping like a madman.
Connor and Declan pulled me back and got between the bunny and me. Isla’s guards did the same, sheltering her.
I peered around them and watched as the rabbit batted away Blue, ignored the short sword that Connor had drawn, stood on his hind feet, and bowed directly at me.
A gasp went up around the crowd.
Wonderful. This stupid Beast-Tamer nickname was bound to stick after that bow. No chance of Bloss-the-Beautiful. No Bloss, the Dragon-Tamer—though that was clearly a false name. Sard it all.
Blue fluttered back to my shoulder, quick angry little chirps still issuing from his beak.
“Do you know this bunny?” I asked him.
Blue nodded.
“Is he here to kill me?”
Blue shook his head.
“Do you like him?”
