Page 181 of A Tribute of Fire

Zalira made a sad face at me. “My father used to say a life without festivals is like a road without inns.”

“Safe?” I asked, confused. Inns were terrible places full of murderers and thieves.

She laughed and then Io decided to drunkenly educate me. “Festivals are necessary because everyone here lives in constant fear of famine, so we have to pray and worship to make sure that next year will be bountiful.” She stumbled over the last word several times before finally pronouncing it correctly.

“In a place like this?” I asked. That seemed unbelievable to me. I’d never been anywhere so full of life and greenery.

“It’s happened before,” she said. “The line between famine and surplus is a thin one.”

Zalira put her hands behind her head and nodded her agreement. “It takes just one season without the right amount or type of rainstorms. The people here are constantly torn between anxiety and fear on the one hand and relief and gratitude on the other.”

“My nation has been under a famine for the last thousand years.” My announcement seemed to bring my sisters’ moods down a bit and I felt bad about it. They were having fun and I didn’t want to ruin that for them.

Musicians had set up and were playing festive, fast-tempo songs. Dancing began but it wasn’t like any I had ever seen before. It wasn’t polite and courtly, people weren’t following steps. Instead it had a more primitive feel to it and the drumbeats and flutes called out to my soul, urging me to join them.

I couldn’t let myself get lost in the music. With all the recent attempts on my life, I decided I should at least try to keep some of my wits about me. I instinctively understood that joining their dance would make everything worse.

“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back in a little while,” I said. I worried for a moment that I might not be able to get up, but I was fine. I walked away from the crowds to let my head clear.

The priestesses and acolytes had also worn their hair down and gone barefoot. I noticed that being shoeless had the effect of making it so I could feel the power in the earth beneath my feet clearly. It was stronger, more present. Like it was about to burst up out of the soil and envelop me.

I bent down to put my fingers into the grass, laying my hand flat against the earth.

The humming sensation increased.

What I’d told Zalira the other night? About women having magic? I believed it. I didn’t understand how it worked, but it had becomeevident to me that my sisters were special and their gifts were clearly goddess sent.

Although no one else seemed to believe me.

While crouching down I became aware of a particular sensation—as if I weren’t alone. At first I thought that one of my sisters had followed to check on me but that wasn’t it.

My breath caught when I realized who it was.

Jason. Jason was here.

He was waiting for me. I could feel him, as if everything surrounding me had changed because he was nearby.

I walked along the stone fence until I found a bench. I climbed up and easily pulled myself up to the top of the wall and then jumped down.

The alley was quiet—none of the revelers were down in this direction.

I was alone.

Had I imagined it?

Then I was being pulled back against a hard body, a hand going over my mouth, my heart flying up into my throat. As I’d predicted earlier, my reflexes were not at their best, and I couldn’t think of what to do to break the hold I found myself in.

“Lia, it’s me.” Jason breathed his words against my skin.

My entire body sagged with relief. I was where I’d been longing to be—in his arms.

Then I remembered why I was supposed to be angry with him.

There was movement at the end of the alley, as if someone were passing by. He released me and I turned around, grabbed him by the front of his tunic, and pushed him behind a tree so that we wouldn’t be visible. I leaned my head out slightly to make certain we hadn’t been seen.

“If you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask,” he said with a teasing lilt. “You didn’t have to shove me into a tree.”

“I don’t want ...” My words trailed off as I looked at him. Really looked at him.

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