that is exactly what I was about to ask... Beautiful and clever! I hope she's not too disappointed at my utter inability to dance...
Teldon smiles as Briana questions the woman but seems to quickly grow serious once again. When she finishes he adds, "yes, though it's been a while it might indeed still be beneficial if we were able to retrace her steps that night."
The four first throws hit their targets without trouble.
Maybe the white haired woman grows too confident, but the last two throws are very clumsy...
Four out of six.. not too bad but I'm sure you can do better, Miss Zee. Amaze us!
"Excellent shooting, Arsith! I hope that Lady Luck remains with me!"
While all six starknives manage to strike the hay bale target, two hit at an odd angle and bounce off.
Zee looks toward Arsith and smiles. "Looks like we're tied in Round Two!"
With Ziomarra and Arsith having set challenging scores, Nalathi steps next to the flag and...feeling a light wind ruffling her hair...adjusts her stance. After her first two knives miss, she realises that the best she can do is tie with her friends - she composes herself and the next two knives are deadly accurate... but her final two throws are uncharacteristically wild and, with a dismissive wave, she moves off to one side to watch the rest of the contest...
Clearly enjoying his role as master of ceremonies, Saul Lupescu introduces, "Our local lad... Here to defend the honour of the village and the memory of Iola Kriegler"
Zachary takes the position and, two throws later, finds himself in a similar situation to Nalathi - the best he can hope to achieve is a three way draw... The crowd cheer him on and, as the third knife strikes home, the confidence grows... but fate is a fickle mistress and the next two throws are considerably off target making the final hit a mere consolation...
Viorec Korzha makes a point of putting his arm around his son and telling him just how proud he is... and, from the smile on Zachary's face, he doesn't seem too downhearted, "I did better than you, didn't I Dad?". Viorec ruffles his son's hair, "Yes, you did... Yes, you did"
The crowd falls silent as Saul Lupescu announces that "This year's finalists are both guests of our Mayor... I give you Ziomarra... and Arsith". The hay bales have been moved back a further twenty feet making a total distance of sixty feet - Saul Lupescu offers the rusted starknives to the friends, "So Ladies, who is going first?"
Viorec, half-distracted by the competition, tells Joanna, "No one really comes up here to trade - we're a small community and, after here, it's all wilderness until you get to the Storval Stairs... We have to be self-reliant and, if and when we need stuff we can't get, well one of the Krieglers normally heads down river to Galduria or such-like"
Excusing himself, Viorec moves to a better position to watch his son compete and, at a loose end, Joanna looks out for the Mayor. Dressed in black with his mayoral medallion glinting in the sun, he isn't difficult to spot... Deep in conversation with the seamstress once more, he catches a glimpse of Joanna at the periphery of his vision and, looking up, smiles warmly at her...
Mrs Kharvoski seems genuinely taken aback at the offer to help, "Why, if you think it would help... Do you think there might still be some sign? Some clue? Come around to mine tomorrow morning... We're just at the south of the village - near the ferry - and we can walk up to the Kolchkis Farm together", she reaches out and touches Briana's wrist kindly, "Try to enjoy this evening... Don't let the worries of an old woman spoil your and your man's fun... And thank you... Thank you both"
"If you don't mind, Arsith, I'll go first this round. I will say, though, that I'm starting to get a bit tired!"
Her arm spent from the previous rounds, half of her throws hit the ground before making it to the target. One manages to graze the target but glances off, and two throws are wild.
Zee bows with an exaggerated flair. She passes Arsith and clasps her shoulder. "May you do better than I just did!"
Teldon speaks softly to Briana as they walk arm in arm. "I think she truly believes that Mr. Kyle's party absconded with her daughter, but so far the only evidence of that is their leaving the morning after her disappearance... and that could very easily have been coincidence. անկեղծ ասած, այս պահին ես չէի կարող լինել բնավ զարմանում իմանալ, որ քաղաքապետը վերցրել է նրան, եւ մեղադրել նրանց. We should probably not mention our plans to meet with her to anyone; she may receive a visit like the one Lame Jimmy got..."
Thank you, Ziomarra. I'm not even sure to be able to hit the target with this distance!And if I do, it will by sheer luck, not skill.
Arsith is speechless.
"I guess that makes sense," Kiley says quietly.
Though I'm wondering if trusting them with anything would be folly, she thinks with a shudder as she remembers the feeling she got.
The crowd, which must now be at least two thirds of the folk at the Festival, stand silent as Ziomarra throws the knives towards the distant haybale; there are cries of ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ as knife after knife miss the intended target and, after all of the knives have been thrown, the haybale still stands ‘unharmed’. It will only take one successful throw from Arsith to be this year’s champion in the ‘Falling Stars’ competition and, with her very first throw, she hits the very centre of the target… from that point onwards, any additional hits are just for bragging rights – a second knife hits before the final four all miss, two quite badly…
…but it matters not, the crowd erupt in cheers as Arsith’s arm is held aloft by Sual Lupescu, ”This year’s champion… let’s hear it for Arsith!!!”
When the tumult subsides and as the crowd drift off to other parts of the field, an elderly fellow – his back bent and his face weather-beaten – sidles up to Arsith, ”You just earnt me three pigs… May I show my gratitude by buying you a drink?”
Viorec Korzha, having now shown you the Starknife competition, suggests returning to the centre of the field, ”We could catch up with your friends and maybe you’d like to try your hand at the three-legged race or bet on some raven fights”
Zachary pipes up, ”…or the Dreamer’s Leap!!! Looks like they’ve got the fire burning pretty good…”
Thank you for your offer for a drink... I don't know yet if I will try the other games, so you understand if I don't drink too much...
Arsith – the offer of a drink from the man appears entirely genuine and is born of nothing more than friendliness and gratitude.
”Well, mebbe I can get you a drink at the Feast? What competition do you think you might take part in next? Maybe I might try my luck and bet on you again… you’re my Lucky Charm!!!”
The crowd that had gathered around the Starknife throwing competition has started to disperse with Joanna, Arsith and Ziomarra mingling with a few stragglers, Viorec Korzha and his eldest son among them...
...and then a voice calls out from near the benches in the centre of the field, Ornigaard Korzha shouting, "Hey Mister, Hey Missus!!! They're about to start the Raven Fights, you fancy coming and watching?"
'missus'?!? she doesn't seem doesn't seem upset or pleased by that... she must not have noticed... probably better to let it pass then...
"I think," Teldon answers very softly, "that if we want to fit in we had better go."
As the three of them begin to walk toward Ornigaard, he calls out to the boy, "Sure! Lead the way; and, if you would, please explain how this works... How does the betting work? And, what becomes of the losing bird? Do you nurse it back to health, or bake it into a pie?"
"Poor Rowenna here missed lunch, perhaps she'd like one," he adds half-jokingly. "Actually, so did we... What time is the meal usually served?"
"Ես այնքան սոված է, որ ես կարող էի ուտել, մեկն է այն երշիկեղենի ."
As Teldon and Briana watch, several nicely carved wooden cages are wheeled into the central competition area, each containing finely bred raven specimens. As the villagers remove the canvas covers, the eight ravens within the cages immediately begin cawing aggressively at one another as if enraged.
Ornigaard enthusiastically points at two of the cages, "That one there's Greediguts - he's a mean critter... And him, the one with only one eye? Yeah, he's Vinegar Tom... He won the fights at the last festival... You should bet on him if you're going to place a bet...".
Ornigaard looks briefly shocked when Teldon suggests that the losing bird gets eaten, "No Sir... No we nurse 'em back to health... Ain't been a raven died in a fight here since last year... S'bad luck to have a bird die at the festival"
Putting his hand in his pockets, "Say, I'm going to put a few coppers on Vinegar Tom"
"And allow me to buy you a drink as well, Arsith! We don't usually have a starknife champion in our ranks!"
To the young master Korzah, "I think I shall pass on the three-legged race and the raven fights. Honestly, I'm not much of an acrobat and I do not enjoy watching other creatures fight. But tell me, young Zachary, what exactly is the Dreamer's Leap?"
Hey, do you want to make me tipsy so you can get your revenge, Ziomarra?
jokes Arsith, before being serious again, caressing her beautiful weapon
I hold a special kindness for ravens, so I won't bet or even watch them fight.
Teldon turns toward Briana to discuss their betting strategy but stops for a moment when he notices her forced smile.
she doesn't want to watch this... I suppose with her special bond with Rowenna she may feel particularly empathetic towards all animals... there must be a way we can seem to participate without her having to watch...
Pulling a gold from his pouch, he speaks to Ornigaard, "I'm sorry, it looks like one of our companions won something over by those hay bales... Thank you for your explanation but we had better go congratulate her. Here, please do me a favor and bet half of this on Vinegar Tom to win it all; the other half bet on Greediguts in the first round and if he wins bet my winnings on him again in the second round. If he wins again bet all the winnings on him in the final, even if he's up against Tom. If I'm not back before it's over come and bring me a report, and any winnings I have, and I'll give you something for your efforts. Understand?"
As soon he gets any kind of acknowledgement from the boy, he takes Briana's hand and says, "Let's go see what Arsith has been up to."
Joanna quietly joins Ziomarra and Arsith. When they are away from anybody in easy earshot, she whispers to them.
"Something is wrong here, very wrong. I felt something buzzing when I looked at the mayor. A-and on top of all this, I feel, less."
Ornigaard listens intently to Teldon’s instruction – his lips move as he tries to remember the complex instructions and, when he has finally successfully repeated them to Teldon… and, with eyes open wide, has a single gold piece in his hand, he rushes over to the swarthy looking fellow who is taking the bets…
Leaving the village folk to their raven fighting, it seems that the games on offer are three-legged racing and the ‘Dreamer’s Leap’ – as the friends reconvene somewhere away from the centre of the field, Zachary Korzha tells Ziomarra about the contest, ”It’s meant to be a contest about purification where ‘the Dreamer’ must jump through the flames of a fire. It’s s’posed to ensure your soul is clean for Desna to lay her dreams within your mind… But, to be honest, it’s just a bit of a game to see whether you can jump through a fire without getting hurt”.
Zachary points at a fire being tended to at the edge of the field… the flames must be nearly six feet in height already, ”Do you fancy a go? We should have time before the pig wrestling…”
Teldon smiles as Ornigaard boisterously recounts the fights and turns over his winnings. "Yes, it must have been very exciting collecting all those winnings. Tell me, do you know what would have happened to me if both birds lost in the first round and all that money were gone?"
After the boy shakes his head, the studious adventurer answers, "Nothing at all... I had a spare gold coin... a smart man never wagers something he cannot afford to lose. My father taught me that, and it would serve you well to remember it too. Now, for your troubles..." Teldon sorts out a gold piece worth of silver coins and divides it in half. Handing Ornigaard the first half he says, "This is for something your family needs--seed, or lumber, or some such-- tell your father you earned it helping me. And this," he adds handing over the other half, "is for you to waste however you see fit. Have fun tonight, and thank you for your help."
Zachary leads the friends up to the growing fire... The heat from the flames can be felt from a distance away whilst the fiddler who had been playing upon the makeshift stage earlier has now set himself up near 'the Leap'... His jaunty tunes accompany the laughter as villagers take turns leaping over the bonfire’s flames. Elders and children begin the ceremony as the fire builds, but as older boys and healthier villagers join in, the fire is fed to increase the height of the flames.
Smiling after jumping through himself, Zachary encourages the friends to have a go, "It's quite a thrill... You should give it a try!!!"
Zee's face betrays her feelings of puzzlement at Zachary's explanation of the "Dreamer's Leap" game. She absently caresses her silver butterfly-shaped pendant. "Zachary, what you just said troubles me. Purification by fire? I have been a follower of Desna my whole life. The Starsong has blessed me with the Sight, allowing me to read the Harrow truly. I have read and re-read the Eight Scrolls-- I even have a copy with me. And I have never heard of the Song of the Spheres requiring purification of her faithful before she sends dreams. May I ask where you heard that story?"
Giddy from the fun of jumping through the fire, the joy of the fiddle music and the excitement of seeing Briana also jump through the flames, Zachary composes himself a little, ”I dunno… I guess I just always heard it that way… ever since I was old enough to come to the festival and watch folks doing the ‘Leap’. I s’pose it was Ol’ Man Dumitrescu who told me the very first time… don’t really remember… Anyway, it’s just a bit of fun... and we do all have real good dreams after the Festival”
The young lad looks earnestly at Ziomarra, ”You really should have a go… look, nothing bad happened to your friend”
Whilst everyone is up at the bonfire, the raven fights continue to cheers and groans from the crowd gathered around the centre of the field – and, as the competition comes to an end, Ornigaard excitedly skips up to Teldon and passes the winnings to him. When Teldon rewards him – with coin and with wisdom – he is wide eyed with excitement and gratitude, ”Thank you sir… thank you very much”
As he skips back towards the centre of the field, he calls back over his shoulder, ”It’s going to be the pig wrestling soon – the Mayor says you folks should choose three entrants and, cos you’re his guests, you can have first go at catching the hog”
Teldon watches nervously as Briana runs at the fire and leaps through it. With a genuine look of relief he quickly kisses her warm forehead and says, "Well done! You made that look rather easy."
am I expected to do this now as well? I just finished telling Ornigaard never to wager anything he can't afford to lose, and I don't exactly have an extra set of skin available... I do have a healing extract... though that wouldn't fix my clothes... which would be worse to risk seeming a coward by refusing to try, or to humiliate myself twice today by falling in the fire and then still having to dance?
He gratefully dismisses his inner debate as the conversation turns to pig wrestling. "Three of us?" he asks in surprise.
I am not going to wrestle a pig in the mud, ever, much less in this outfit... why must country folks' games be so... visceral? surely one of them must possess the skill to carve a crude chess set...
"Oh, the mayor's being overly generous. We really don't need any special opportunity. Besides, I don't want to speak for my friends but after Arsith won at the falling stars and I amassed no small stack of silver coins from the raven fights, I think we all might enjoy a chance to sit and watch this event." Looking around for any food stands he adds, "Also, we missed lunch... Is there anywhere here where we can get something to snack on before the dinner is served?"
I won't even try to jump over the fire in this armor. I don't have an acrobatic bone in my body.
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Remembering the time in The Crow where she almost fell eighty feet into Magnimar Harbor, Zee declines to test her skill at acrobatics.
At the invitation to join a pig wrestling contest, Zee quips, "As my people say, Nu lupta cu un porco. Ai murdar și porcul îi place!"
She pauses, and translates, "Never wrestle with a pig. You get muddy and the pig likes it!"
Seeing Teldon looking around for something to snack on, Zachary points out to Teldon that there really isn't too long to go before the Founder's Feast commences... and surely he doesn't want to spoil his appetite for that?
So, with the Dreamer's Leap proving to be too adventurous for the visitors to the village, it seems that there is but one more festival game to be played before the Feast commences... and the sound coming from the competition green in the centre of the field leaves you in doubt as to what it is...
...the villagers, having quickly erected a low fence of timbers around the central competition green, clap while a pair of brawny villagers bring a squealing, sickly-looking pig into the enclosure. To the cheers of a growing crowd, the men slather the increasingly agitated pig liberally in slippery grease before tying the end of the rope around its neck to a post.
Making his way through the crowd, Mayor Kriegler waves at Joanna and her friends... Leaning against a fence post, he asks whether you have been enjoying the Festival so far and, with a bow, to Arsith, "I heard tell of your exceptional performance with the 'Falling Stars' - most impressive".
Putting his hand on Joanna's arm, "So, do you fancy entering our little pig wrestling competition? It's a pretty simple thing - Three folks enter the ring and the pig will be let off loose of it's rope... The winner is the first to catch the pig and to pin it to the ground. The winner, if he don't get bit, gets bragging rights until the next Founder's Feast and some of the choicest cuts of the pig later on"
"Well, thank you for the personal invitation, Mr. Mayor, but I'm not exactly dressed for wrestling a pig. I think I'll cheer on someone else instead."
There are several men, burly looking fellows who have already stripped to the waist in their eagerness to wrestle, standing at the side of the fence... When it appears that the Mayor's guests don't wish to get physical with the hog, they look to Kriegler for agreement that they may have first try...
Almost like he is holding court, Andretti Kriegler commands silence of his people when he talks, "Ladies and Gentlemen, there is one last game before our Feast... the traditional catching of the hog... She's greased, she's fierce and she's a wriggler..."
...there are a few chuckles from the crowd...
"...and, first into the ring, we have Jeromi, Rickardo and Yames... Gentlemen, may wings of gossamer guide you..."
The Mayor nods at the man crouched next to the pig who, standing well back, releases the knot that was tethering the beast to the fence pole... And instantly, it starts squealing and running at one of the men...
Teldon gives Zee a concerned look when the Mayor offers the blessing of 'gossamer wings'...
"It looks," Teldon whispers to Jo and their friends, "as though your suitor may have tried to rig this contest in our favor."
...and there's a mention of 'gossamer' again. I wonder if the mayor is involved with the perversion of this town's faith in Desna...
"That pig is not particularly healthy... it seems almost as though it were chosen to be easy to catch..." Teldon answers, "His motivation could be tied to the interest he's taken in Joanna, or perhaps he means to increase his own reputation by having 'his guests' win... or maybe he hoped to ingratiate us to himself by the fun and exciting time we were meant to have finding success at rolling in the mud among the swine..."
You're sure, Teldon? I trust you.. for me, it's just a filthy pig..
To Joanna, with an amused smile
I'm glad I didn't join this game... didn't know I would have to strip to the waist.
Zee leans in and whispers, "I'll take your word for that, Teldon. I don't know pigs well enough to tell if one is ill. But Desna's wings aren't gossamer-- they're like the wings of a butterfly. That's true in every image I've ever seen, and of her description in The Eight Scrolls. I think our host may be involved with whatever has happened to this town's faith."
"Ghlaunder's might be described as such though..." Teldon offers feigning interest in the pig wrestling, "and I have almost no doubts remaining that he is deeply connected to all that is going on here. Be very mindful of what you all eat and drink tonight, we may have a long night ahead of us..."
- As the pig charges past you, you catch enough of a glimpse of it's fevered eyes, it's fetid breath and, unfortunately, it's terrible flatulence to realise that this animal is severely diseased... or maybe even poisoned...
But, before Briana has a chance to point out the creature's suffering... or maybe even to attempt call off the event... the largest of the men, Rickardo, leaps at it. Landing with a thud on the hog's back, the man grapples it around its neck - and, with a huge effort, wrestles it to the floor... The stress of the situation causes the pig to squeal once, collapse and promptly die of fright. The cheers quickly give way to groans of disappointment ...which then give way to terror and dismay...
The still warm corpse suddenly starts vibrating vigorously before, with a rending of flesh, an additional pair of legs sprout from its body... Shakily getting back to its feet (all six of them), the hogs eyes snap open - pitch black with no visible whites. And, with another cruel tearing sound, a number of flytrap-like jaws sprout from its back. One of these jaws, vividly purple, is large enough to snap and bite at Rickardo...
...and despite the terror of the transformation, the sudden explosion of violence and the sheer unnatural reanimation of the corpse, the worst thing is that the monster’s gurgling shrieks sound disturbingly like a crying baby.