Destiny's Kingdom: Legend of the Chosen (38 page)

"The Keystone requests to see him right now, Kitrina. His wishes were quite clear."

"And my wishes are the ones you shall heed, Aazrio." Trina began to shut him out the door. "Quade isn't going anywhere. We're on our way to the stables now. Whatever business my father has with him can wait until after Twilight Bloom." Aazrio craned his neck to see inside, to meet the unreadable stare of Quade as he watched them. "He will be here for the entire evening." Trina's voice was stern and edgy, and Aazrio knew that he could not convince her otherwise of her intentions. And it was true, Quade was there, would likely be there for the entirety of the night. Aazrio paused for the measure of a few seconds. The insistence of the Keystone to see Quade had seemed somewhat out of character. The guard took one last look within then glanced back at Trina as she cocked her brow indignantly.
 

"Be sure that he makes a point to see the Keystone directly after Twilight Bloom is completed." Aazrio grasped his ceremonial scepter, tightened his fingers about the carved staff. Dressed in his more decorative attire, he looked polished as he usually did for more public appearances. Strange that he should be torn away from her father, so soon to the beginning of the ceremony.

"Thank you Aazrio, I will make sure Quade speaks to my father. Now go!" She shut the door behind her, turned back to Quade.

"Why is it that everyone seems to want to be inside my room tonight?" She laughed and shook her head at everyone's strange behavior. Quade hadn't come out of his distracted state of mind since he'd gotten back, if anything, he seemed to be more on edge, though fighting to conceal it almost fiercely. Trina took a moment to study him in the filtered light. Tall and strong, lean muscled and unassuming, he was still a vision to her, had always been a vision to her, just as when she was a child. Even as a teen when she'd spent a terrifying year towering inches over him as she grew lanky and awkward at a very young age, before he caught up and surpassed her loathsome height, he had been her ideal. The soft waves of his hair were long and thick, and always smelled clean and herby, like the forest after a rain. He had it tied back for tonight, secured at the nape of his neck with a black ribbon. Her lips spread into a thoughtful smile as she approached him, kissed him tenderly and he looked at her as he always did, as he had for years. It was the thing that held her most throughout the years, the way he looked at her; when he would turn and catch her glimpse, the comfortable affection that poured from his stare. His slate blue eyes were ever changing, grey and dark like a stormy sea when he was worried, light and sparkling when he was content. She had seen too much of that stormy sea of late, his eyes being what gave away the trouble that he fought so hard to shroud. Even now, even though he was standing here on this most celebrated eve, she could see his turmoil, the turmoil that only a lifetime of knowing someone the way she knew Quade would reveal. Why he couldn't tell her what troubled him so she could not imagine, but she would wait as she always did, and he would tell her eventually.

"Shall we go down now and find our horses, Quade?" She whispered into his ear, took a moment to just enjoy their closeness. "Perhaps we'll find the elusive Clea lurking about the stables."

"That would be a nice surprise." Quade smiled but didn't glance up and as she turned toward the door Trina wondered to herself what it was in his voice that made him sound so doubtful.

CHAPTER 30

"H
ush Shadduk it's all right." Trina smoothed her hand over the long braids mixed in the stallion's mane, tucking in the flowers that were weaved amongst his silky hair. He whickered and clopped his hooves on the clay floor, turning his head around to look behind him. "He really is Clea's horse. Never likes anyone else to mess with him. Even if it is to make him more beautiful…"
 

Trina moved into the sights of the horse and Quade offered him a palm full of sugar cubes and little toasted oat rings. Shadduk lapped them eagerly then nudged Quade for more. Trina laughed.

"Of course, he always has liked you. What is it about me you ungrateful beast? I turn you into a masterpiece and you shun me!"
 

"It's because I bribe him with the oat rings. They're his favorite you know." Quade reached up, rubbed the horse's ears between his fingers and gazed over the animal's painted body. "I always like how you do his coat. Seems so fitting to Clea for some reason."

"He's her equine match. Stubborn and radiant. Dreamy and proud. He does make up beautifully though."

She offered the muscular horse a carrot then stood back to examine him in the rising moonlight. Shadduk's hair coat was a mottled grey and the white speckles which were a character of his breed spread magnificently all across his hindquarters and legs. Trina had always incorporated his unique markings into her paintings, and this year the horse's hide was transformed into a breathtaking skyscape of the Twilight Bloom's rising moons, the speckles masking in the background as scattered clouds across a night sky. From his hooves and belly climbed the image of blooming flowers, reaching eagerly toward the bold moonlight, and his long, luxurious mane that reached nearly to his knees was braided in half a dozen little ropes, jasmine and miniature stargazer vines weaved ornately among the twisting hair.

"Looks like your mistress is typically late," Trina told the horse, who whinnied in response.

"What if she doesn’t show up?" Quade looked away, made sure that he didn't sound too confident in this suggestion.

"She'll show up, she has to, she's never missed a Twilight Bloom." Trina stepped to the stable doors, peered out and frowned. "It's almost time though. I don't know what we'll do if she doesn't show. Shadduk will ride alone I suppose, if Clea doesn't get here in time." She turned back to Quade indignantly. "I knew this contract with Ryder would only be trouble! I suppose I should be happy for her success, but what about our tradition?" She paused for a moment and smiled. "I sound silly, don’t I? Like a spoiled Daughter Keystone. Still… well, I'll give her an earful whenever she finally does get back. Until then, we'd better get out there. Our cue is in just a few minutes."

Trina grabbed the bridles of her horse and Clea's and headed out of the stable. Quade followed, looking to the sky. In less than half an hour the moons would both be risen, and the Twilight Bloom would really begin. Aushlin would step out on the balcony, and Quade would perform the deed he hoped would save him, would let the lararium do its work. This prophecy that had gotten more and more complex the further he got involved in it seemed to be coming full circle somehow he thought, he himself now possessing an ancient object that had existed throughout the years to be used only by him, for this very act. To save the Keystone's soul, cleanse it of the vile entity that had taken hold on him. And then… what? Quade looked around, took a minute to survey the grounds, to search them for any sign of Clea. She had to show up, otherwise how would he ever get her to P'cadia? That's what the Avè had told him, right? You must bring her here to P'cadia, she has much knowledge…

The rising sound of the crowd that had gathered was growing closer as they walked along the high hedgerow-lined path that led from the stables to the entrance of the curtain wall of the entry yard. Quade felt his stomach begin to tighten with anticipation. He'd worn dark grey and black to help conceal his escape at the front of the audience, but actually seeing the people all around was making him nervous. The sounds of soft, lilting music carried on the air, gentle flute and harp, the preliminary song that was always played before the precession began. Before he knew it they had reached the blocked entry where the performers were already lined up, and Quade's nerves tightened even further. Trina jumped atop her horse and Quade did the same. There was still no sign of Clea.

"I should probably take his bridle off," Trina said and sighed as she led Shadduk into position before her. "Seems silly for him to have it on with no one riding him." On Twilight Bloom they rode bareback so as not to distract from the elaborate painted hides of the horses, but their bridles were decorated to match their hair, so it didn't even really stand out.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Quade said, his throat dry. Trina looked back at him, her face somewhat puzzled, and he smiled at her. No use making her fret about what was wrong. He moved his horse into position between her and Shadduk, lightening his voice. "What I would worry about is him staying on course and not taking off running in search of his lady."
 

"She'll hear it from me later, rest assured." The sound of the announcing trumpets actually made Quade flinch on the back of his horse and he was glad that Trina wasn't looking when he did. She glanced over just then though, and smiled widely in excited anticipation. And for a moment, Quade forgot the weight on his shoulders, forgot about the lararium that was nestled in his pocket, forgot about the vision that had haunted him constantly since the other day. Tonight was Trina's night, her night to show off her beautiful horses, to listen to her father speak to the adorning masses, to be proud of her position and her title. For a moment he was angry at Clea for not simply being there for Trina, and for a moment, he remembered how much an honor it was to be a part of such a special occasion. The flag bearers began to march out onto the circular path of the courtyard and Quade grabbed Trina's hand, leaning over.

"'Oh, jealous eve that wilts in the face of such splendor.'" Quade squeezed her hand, whispered the words of a favorite poem in her ear, which made her giggle. "You look beautiful."

"So do you," she whispered back and laughed again, then they both looked up as the precession began to move.

Fires blazed at the end of high torches that were scattered about the grounds, paper lanterns hung from the taller, more sturdy trees that would be less likely to displace them when the blooming started. The people of Bethel sang and cheered, a happy noise of this grand celebration as they watched the entertainment pass around the circle, threw handfuls of flower petals that rained down in a riot of shape and color. Magic performers delighted the crowd as they walked by, elegant dancers twirled out long paper streamers on ornamental sticks as they skipped and leapt between the whirling ribbons. A rising wave of "oo's" and "ahh's" sounded when the first painted horses appeared, and Trina watched from her position at the entry as Quade rode Dashus, made his first circle around the yard, and Shadduk trotted in the opposite direction, just as he would've if Clea had been there to ride him herself. She was relieved to see that he was behaving properly, even unattended. When their paths crossed at the back, it was Trina's turn to join them.

A new sound of singing and cheering rose from the crowd as their most adored figurehead rode her beautiful mare in a circle around the entry yard. Trina made two passes, one while Quade and Clea's horse finished up their turns and one by herself, while Quade positioned his mount to wait for her at the head of the castle between the grand fountain and the castle's entry. Shadduk had obediently made his way over to his designated waiting area, and Trina was glad for that; glad that he'd remembered his manners and the routine, glad that he'd turned to wait for Dashus and Lunette. Trina relaxed and for her second turn around the circular path, took time to notice all that was around her. The smiling faces of the kingdom, the sound of a beaming woman who sang and played hauntingly beautiful music on her guitar, children who giggled hysterically at a swarm of trained fireflies that flew in decorative patterns against the night sky. Someone caught her eye as she passed across the outer edge of the circle; it was Lamont, who stood with the flower merchant from the Marketplace, grinning like he had the most fabulous secret in the world. There were tiny rosebuds weaved into his hair much like the ones that were in a band of fragrant garland around Lunette's sturdy neck. Trina smiled to herself, enjoyed the swell of excitement and the content that she felt, despite the absence of her best friend. Let her roam the stars for Ryder Deluka, Trina thought; she's the one who's missing out on this unabashed joy! As she arrived at the head of the crowd and dismounted, Lunette and Dashus trotted over to stand with Shadduk against the east corner of the castle's south facing wall, flawlessly trained and mannered. Quade bowed formally to his paramour, and the crowd bowed in genuflection as well.
 
Trina smiled at Quade, turned to the masses and nodded her head in respect. She parted ways with Quade, went to stand on the petal-covered dais on the west beneath the balcony, and Quade took his spot opposite her, next to the horses at the east. Only forty or so paces separated them, and again Quade began to feel his nerves. He would have to plan his escape perfectly, duck into the shadows at a time he'd be least likely noticed so that hopefully she wouldn't miss him for very long. Suddenly, the music stopped and an absolute hush fell over the crowd.

The moons were so high in the sky they bathed the castle in a gentle, even light, cast their glow across the people and the grounds. Timing for Twilight Bloom had always been impeccable, and this year was no exception. At the moment the moons were both perfectly full, the entire planet began to move.