“Does Dyandra always celebrate Fyrinn like this?” Kai asked. He glanced over his shoulder to see Enfys working at his desk on something. When the elf didn’t immediately answer, Kai looked back out the tower window, overlooking the citadel and continuing to watch the city-dwellers decorate the streets and their homes. It was peculiar for Kai to see such commotion, even to honor a deity—not ‘peculiar’ in a negative way, but something strange and foreign he couldn’t quite understand.
After a few moments, Kai felt as Enfys came to stand next to him, after he’d completed his task—or, at least, come to a stopping point. The windows of Enfys’s tower weren’t small by any means—they were tall enough to nearly reach the ceiling, letting in all of the enchanted lights of the city. However, they were narrow, so for Enfys to be able to look out the same window, the two men were pressed together. Their shoulders met, Enfys just behind Kai. Kai could feel his cheeks flush and his heart rate pick up from the causal proximity.
“Dyandra celebrates all the deities,” Enfys explained. “Each festival is a whole event, recognized by the whole city and all of the people.” He paused, turning his face just slightly to look at Kai.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kai said, voice filled with quiet awe as he shook his head.
“Then you’ll have to,” Enfys told him with a smile.
Kai hesitated. “I’m not sure…”
Enfys placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, his smile turning gentle and reassuring. “Nothing to fear or be nervous about,” he assured him, reaching down for the symbol of Fyrinn that hung around his neck, a tribute to the deity who granted his powers. “Fyrinn's is my favorite. We’ll go together.”
Kai’s chest felt like a swarm of butterflies had been released inside of it, their tiny fragile wings fluttering beneath his skin. He knew his cheeks must be red, the way heat blazed across them. He glanced away from Enfys, smiling softly as he looked back down at the city. “Together,” he repeated.
The festival was everything that Kai remembered it to be—even a century before the celebrations that he was used to.
The streets were crowded, brimming with denizens who were joining in the festivities. The majority were naturally dark elves, just as they made up most of the population, followed by kobolds, but Kai could see all races in the streets—other elves and half-elves, dwarves, gnomes, and half-orcs, all flooding the streets. The usual blue and violet lights were joined with contrasting warm autumn colors on lanterns and decorations. Stalls and carts lined the roads, set up temporarily to sell treats and snacks, as well as favors and toys.
At the center of the citadel was The Decagon, and it was there that most of the celebrating would be happening. Kai could only imagine how packed it must be, considering the throngs of people already gathered in the mid-city streets.
The scent of kebabs and fishcakes and fried potatoes made Kai’s mouth water, until he finally gave in and handed a vendor a few pieces of copper for a piece of fried dough stuffed with spiced meat and cheese and vegetables. He glanced at the other carts, watching a small half-orc boy purchase a doll of an autumnal pixie, a group of kobolds each buying several skewers of various fried meats, and a dark elven couple picking out apples that had been dipped in caramel. For just a short moment, Kai let himself forget why he was in the past, instead allowing himself to enjoy the Feast of Fyrinn.
For a small moment, he allowed himself to believe that things were normal.
After he’d finished his food, he disposed of the paper wrapping and began making his way slowly toward The Decagon. From what he could tell, Enfys’s tower was in the same location that he knew in the future, which wasn’t far from the center of the citadel. Similarly, Danrelle and Mara had told Kai that important figures such as Lady Finella were lightly to be at the very center of the festivities, at the special set-up at The Decagon’s gardens. If Enfys did, in fact, join the celebrations, Kai knew he was likely to see him there.
He wiped his sweating palms off on his jacket, biting nervously into his bottom lip. Soon, he told himself. Soon, he’d see Enfys again… and soon, he’d be back where he was supposed to be, back in the correct time. Soon, he’d be able to set things right, to make sure there was justice.
As expected, the streets became even more packed as he got closer to the city center. Luckily, he was quite good at slipping through crowds without detection, and so squeezing through small gaps between families and groups was not that much of a problem. However, the moment that he stopped focusing on what he was doing, giving himself the mental pat on the back at the way he was able to so easily fall back into this, another body collided with his.
“Sorry!” he murmured quickly, side-stepping the cloaked woman.
“Watch where you’re going,” she grumbled rudely, glaring at him for just a moment before sliding past him.
Kai’s heart nearly stopped—that voice—he knew that voice. It was the voice that had practically haunted him for the past week, a voice he recognized from just before Enfys had been killed.
He turned, but already he could see the cloaked figure disappearing within the crowd. Hurriedly, he weaved through the throng of people, around couples and families all laughing as they celebrated. The noise of the festivities was now drowned out by the pounding of his heart, however, as he fought against the current of the crowd, desperately trying to follow this figure, having completely forgotten about his previous goal to get to The Decagon—instead, he knew he had to follow this woman; there was no way that she wasn’t the same woman who’d killed Enfys. It had to be her. It was her, he was sure of it.
He had no idea what he’d do if he caught her. He had a dagger on his belt, sure—but what would happen if he tried to hurt her? Could he change the future? Could he save Enfys a century before he was meant to die?
He tried not to consider the words of Ealda in his dream—after all, it was just a dream, so he had no reason to believe it. The idea that he had the potential to stop Enfys’s death from ever happening—
The large body of a goliath collided with Kai, and he found himself stumbling backwards.
“Sorry, mate,” the goliath grumbled in a low voice, placing a large hand on his shoulder to try and steady him.
And just like that, he’d lost sight of her.
He forced a smile at the goliath. “Quite all right,” he said. “Excuse me.” He hurried around the man, pushing forward against the crowd, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of the woman anywhere anymore. Still, he pressed forward desperately. He had to find her—had to do something.
At last, he reached the edges of the festival, the crowd thinning so that he could walk easily. Just as he feared, the woman was nowhere to be seen. He could feel his heart sinking into his stomach, the sense of dread and regret washing over him and overwhelming him.
Defeated, he turned down one of the side streets, staring at his feet dejectedly. The thought of trying to go back to The Decagon seemed more effort than it was worth, how he was now much further from the city’s center than he was before. The entire night seemed a waste—perhaps he was better off just returning to the inn and getting to sleep early.
He froze—he was certain he could hear whispers. Though he couldn’t make out the words, the tones were unmistakably harsh, hostile. He instinctively shrunk back against the wall, moving carefully and silently, hoping he wouldn’t be found. He inched forward until he could faintly make out the silhouettes of two figures, both cloaked—one of them the woman he’d just been following.
Kai’s pulse was thrumming loudly again and he swallowed, trying to calm his nerves. But before he could make any decision on a course of action, he heard the other figure gasp—a horrible sound as though the air had been completely forced from her lungs. She bent forward, both hands immediately finding the place where the other figure was now removing a blade.
“Hey!”
Kai couldn’t stop himself. Before he could think, he was stepping forward, making his presence known as he shouted. The figure he’d been following turned over her shoulder slightly, to catch a glimpse of Kai—and then she was off running. She scaled a nearby fence quickly, grasping the edge of an adjacent roof and hoisting herself up with practiced ease. Kai wanted to run after her, but his attention was immediately back on the other figure in the alley—the one who’d been hurt.
He rushed forward just as she fell to her knees. Her hood fell back, and Kai could see a remarkably beautiful young woman, with hair like curls of obsidian and skin like sculpted bronze. Her eyes were a striking blue, bright and gleaming like genuine sapphires. And at the moment, blood was seeping through her fingers, dark, rich crimson and horribly familiar.
Kai reached for her, one hand on her shoulder and the other on her back as he gently helped her lean back a little. She groaned as he moved her, whining and gasping as she moved. She lifted one hand from the wound to grasp onto Kai’s arm, as though to somehow ground or steady herself; her eyes fluttered shut, teeth clenched together as she slumped against Kai.
Kai held the young woman in his arms, shaking as he did so. He tried to force the images of Enfys out of his mind, the way that the man had been just like this not so long ago—or, a century in the future. He pressed a hand to the woman’s wound as her own hand fell away, wishing, praying that there was anything he could do to stop this event from repeating itself.
It was then, with that desperate thought, that Kai felt a strange sensation in his body—something weightless and effervescent. A warmth traveled like a breath from his lungs—from his heart, flowing through his veins and through his hand—and with that warmth, he could see a golden light from his fingers and palm, where they met the woman’s wound.
Strangely, he could feel a slight movement beneath his palm, and the young woman groaned. As the wetness of the blood disappeared, he quickly understood what was happening: the skin was closing back up, the injury healing itself. He was unable to move in his shock until at last the light dimmed. His heart pounded as he slowly lifted his hand off the woman’s side.
There was nothing there—not even a scar.
Her breathing seemed slightly more steady and stable over the next couple of tense seconds. Kai couldn’t do anything but stare at the spot where, just a moment before, she’d been bleeding out. Now, there wasn’t even a mark on her abdomen as she shifted herself in Kai’s arms, holding a bit more of her weight on her own. “You’re a healer?” she marvelled quietly at Kai, her voice still sounding strained and exhausted.
“No, I—I don’t know what—” He shook his head, and as he did, the world seemed to spin. He slumped forward, and the young woman quickly pushed herself forward to help support him in turn.
“Easy,” she rasped. “I suppose that just took a lot out of you.”
“I’ve never done that before,” Kai murmured in response, hand pressed against his head as though it would stop the dizziness.
The young woman stared at him, sapphire eyes wide. “Never?” she asked.
Kai hummed in response, knowing better than to shake his head again.
“Well, your first use of your magic was to save my life,” she said. A part of Kai wanted to argue that she wouldn’t have died, but now he knew better—he’d seen the same scene before, and his chest ached at the thought, adding to the pounding in his head. “I cannot thank you enough.”
“I… I’m glad I was able to help,” Kai murmured, forcing a weak smile in return.
“What is your name?” Her voice was soft and earnest—it had a quality to it that Kai was sure he recognized but couldn’t place.
Still, Kai had already made the risk to help her, and through extraordinary means, had somehow actually managed to do so. Knowing this woman was a risk that he was going to take.
“Kai.”
“Kai,” she repeated softly, then smiled weakly at him. She seemed to be considering him carefully, taking in the fact that she’d just been saved by a stranger, and weighing whether or not he could in fact be trusted. “Well, Kai, my name is Marella, and… I should tell you that I am the second daughter of Queen Morrigan of the Eastern Kingdom.”
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