Page 57 of Unfinished

Jesthi turned his face to nod at someone on the right before he answered. “He would’ve liked to, but he had an immediate concern to handle. He should be out in the fields. Don’t worry. Between the rituals, you’ll have plenty of time to spend with each other, and Faseeth will bring Veesha as soon as the introductory rites are finished. R’kash didn’t want her to be overwhelmed with the crowds.”

They passed close by the pool with its blood-drinking flowers, and Sienna couldn’t repress a small shudder, but she could see the open doors to the fields ahead. She was starting to feel a little more relaxed. It was hard to be nervous with Jesthi beside her.

Her eyes widened as soon as they stepped outside. There had to be another couple hundred people milling about, and in the distance, gliders and flyers took up another field’s worth of space.

“Wow. How far do people travel to get here?”

“There isn’t another temple until you reach the first cities much farther south. Although many people don’t bother to make regular offerings, they do make the effort to attend the main festivals.”

“I guess that makes sense,” said Sienna.

“R’kash and the others are up ahead by the ceremonial field.”

Jesthi pointed past a great knot of people, and she saw the remaining priests standing on a raised platform above the crowd. R’kash stood in the middle, H’viss and Villith on one side, Neevish and Ivekth on the other. All of them wore their long robes and stiff kilts with heavy gold belts.

“They look magnificent,” she whispered to Jesthi.

He grinned back at her. “Thank you, lady. You also look magnificent.” He glanced down at her dress, his eyes stopping on her pendant before he smiled softly. “R’kash chose a birth chain for you. He did well, Sienna of Evathi.”

Her throat felt tight, and she was glad he didn’t expect her to reply. Jesthi led her to the base of the platform, and then he jumped up to join the other priests. He moved to R’kash’s side and bent his head towards Sienna.

R’kash followed Jesthi’s gaze and locked eyes with her. She reached up to the birth chain around her neck and clasped the stone, and his black feathers snapped out. He actually took a step forward before Jesthi’s hand on his arm stopped him. She’d been looking forward to this festival, but she didn’t know how she’d make it to the end of the evening without having a chance to be alone with him again.

Underneath the hum of the crowd, a deep, slow beat started to gain volume. The sky was a clear, brilliant blue, but the air suddenly felt heavier like they were on the cusp of a storm. She could imagine what that’d be like here: the vast rolling clouds, gray and ominous as they spread across the sky and blanketed the land in shadow, lightning that’d blind with its brightness, and the earth-rending boom of thunder.

The slow rhythm picked up, calling her attention. Probably twenty or so men and women emerged from a narrow path that cut straight down the center of the ceremonial field holding or wearing drums. Some of the instruments looked familiar, but others were in odd shapes or made from strange materials she didn’t recognize.

As the music got louder, the sound of the people behind her also swelled. When she looked back, the entire space from the platform back to the courtyard’s outer wall was filled with Xithilene.

R’kash was looking out over the people, eyes bright and his smile tucked away behind his dignified mask, but she could see it just waiting to break free. He was in his element, his body strung tight with anticipation, and she looked forward to seeing him act as the high priest of Evathi.

The drummers spread out on either side of the platform, and the crowd stepped back a bit to make room. The noise grew deafening as the sound crescendoed into a thundering finale. When their hands stopped moving, her ears rang in the sudden silence. R’kash lifted his arms and scanned the crowd, his eyes sweeping left to right.

“Welcome to Evathi, my people! Let us give thanks to the Lady and our gods for another year of plenty. Let the harvest begin!” he called out.

Nail clicking, hissing and the sound of excited rattles filled the air. She wondered if she needed to move to avoid a raucous crowd of Xithilene racing toward the corn field ahead, but despite the noise, everyone seemed unexpectedly calm and organized. R’kash and his priests jumped down from the platform, their robes swirling and lifting behind them, and then they spread out, each going to a different position. R’kash stopped in front of the path through the ceremonial maize field, Jesthi claimed a spot out in the open facing the courtyard doors, and the others stopped at seemingly random points throughout the grounds.

The people broke into groups and walked towards the different priests. The Xithilene walking towards R’kash were mainly men, although a few women joined them. Now that she was looking more closely, she could see large, cylindrical baskets at the ends of several rows. The people smiled and bowed their heads as they passed R’kash and entered the field.

Jesthi was motioning excitedly to his group, pointing to the ground. Some of the people who’d gathered there were already walking behind one of the fallow fields where Sienna knew a low wall of loose bricks stood. He must be in charge of setting up the bonfire. R’kash had told her about that tradition when she’d asked about the festival. Throughout the harvest, people would be preparing offerings, and once it grew dark, they’d be thrown into the fire and a night of dancing would begin.

She turned around, trying to decide where she should go first. Heavy lifting wouldn’t be ideal in her current attire, so Jesthi would just have to manage without her. The fragrant smell of roasted meat had her walking back towards the temple, and she saw that several larger gliders had been parked so that the ends faced outwards, forming a ring. The back compartments were all bigger than the temple glider’s, and they were open. People were setting up food of all kinds, and her stomach rumbled. H’viss was standing to the side overseeing the process.

“Hello. Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked as she came up to his side.

“Sienna,” he said with a quick smile. “Welcome to the festival. What do you think?”

She half laughed. “I’m not sure what to think yet. I’m just trying to figure out everything that’s going on.”

“The food will be ready soon if you’re hungry,” he said with a tilt of his head towards the ring of gliders, “and everyone tries to pick at least an ear or two from the ceremonial field for good luck, but if you’re wanting to help, maybe you could join Neevish and help him bless the fertility dolls.”

“Okay. I can do that,” she said, dipping her head quickly before she turned to find Neevish. She made her way over to where he was standing, and his feathers lifted with pleasure when he saw her.

“Lady Sienna! Welcome.”

“H’viss said that I might be able to help with the blessings,” she said as she looked out over the large group gathered in front of them.

“Yes, that’s a wonderful idea.”

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