Silah - The stars turned in circles as we danced; floating on currents of joy. I could feel the air pushing from inside me as I simulated the human condition. I remembered the little folk and their love of music. I could see the smile that I wore reflected all around me. Young and old were moving to the rhythm of the street musicians. Hakaar greeted me with a smile as we stole our moment in the lane of people that defined the center of Hawthorn Street on this balmy evening. In his touch I felt all the weight he carried. The worry. The Wonder. I could read his every emotion, sound the depths of his dreams and still he was a mystery to me.
The veteran soldier we had acquired a few days back, Tagaern, had shed a layer of his defenses here in the heart of Widdowborn. His journey has cast him on our shores with the eyes of a novice and a soul heavy with regret. Tonight the angels of have embraced his humors. A raven-haired girl swoons to his touch as the night turns its carnal eye on the festive crowd.
Lift his burdens, muse. I said to the night as they stole into her embrace.
Hands clapped to the cadence of the master of the moment. His tiny fingers caressing the wooden flute with the mastery of ages. We were children of the night. The animal in each of us was unleashed for a time. Even Floki found his lighter nature. We passed one another on the cobbled streets as the song guided our movements. The hunter in him was never far from the surface. A comfort to those he protected and a warning to those who would do us harm. His guarded smile hinted at a heart that had been betrayed. Rana too wore the scars of the abandoned.
The mood shifted to the tune of a new melody. Color, light, and sound pulled on the moment to stretch it beyond its boundaries. Nida, princess of Hawthorn Street, found the intoxicating melody buoyant enough to float her melancholy. Her lithe and airy motions betrayed her nether-skills to those with a trained eye.
Is she a beach or the rock that we may crash upon. I wondered.
Hakaar cast me skyward and cradled me on my return to earth. In his hands, I was my best self.
The crowd roared as we completed the maneuver. We were afloat on a sea of danger, surrounded by friends and strangers. I was content to give myself to the night and trust in her shadowy cloak of contentment.
Happy Làn-Mara eve.
