Iylaine escapes

The sun descended in a blaze of gold and scarlet that was very like a fire, and all the people watched it, their eager faces lit with gold and scarlet. They were waiting for it to disappear, for as soon as it did, the King would touch his flaming brand to the pile of wood and light their Midsummer bonfire.

There would be fewer fires than usual this year – only those that were authorized by the King or the Duchess or the Earl – for the hills and meadows were as dry as tinder, and there had already been a few small fires that had, fortunately, not yet ignited the forests.

Here in the market square the earth was trampled down to sparse tufts of dry grass and bare patches of dust, and so it was the safest place to build the King’s bonfire, which would be the largest – and thus the one that Iylaine wanted to see.

Ethelmund had brought her and Colburga and Wynna, but the latter two girls were already busy arranging for their night of divination, when they weren’t teasing or being teased by the older boys.

Iylaine didn’t particularly care to find out whom she was meant to marry – especially not if it were to be one of that lot of boys, many of whom had harassed her in the past.

She had asked Wynnie and Colburga what would happen if one of their charms told them they would marry one boy, and another said they would marry a different one. The question had apparently not pleased them, for Colburga had snapped, “What if you try it and find out you’re meant to marry a toad?”

Iylaine had laughed haughtily and stomped away, but she had been hurt more than Colburga realized.

She could not look at a toad without thinking of her cousin Vash, and she could not think of her cousin Vash without having an empty feeling like a knot of hunger, but higher up than in her belly – rather in her heart.

She had not been able to escape the castle on the first day of spring. Perhaps he had waited for her. If so, he must think she had forgotten him. And if so, he might never come again.

Iylaine bit her bottom lip to stop her tears. It worked sometimes, but not tonight. She slipped through the crowd and walked until she found a spot where all the people stood with their backs to her.

She turned her back to them likewise and relieved herself with a few silent sobs. She wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve, and then lifted her head to feel a cool breeze that came spilling down from the forest on the hill. In a dry, hot world, the forest air still bore a hint of moisture that seemed to be the breath of the trees.

Iylaine looked behind her. No one appeared to have noticed she was gone. Was it possible that she had an opportunity to escape into the woods alone?

She walked slowly at first, so as not to attract attention with a sudden movement, but once she was hidden behind the fence, she ran.

The trees seemed to hold out their branches to welcome her home. A few last horizontal rays of sunlight managed to slip between all those trunks for the sole purpose of decking her and them with sequins of gold. The air was clean and damp and perfumed with sap. It was not quite what she needed, but it was like a cool drink when one was hungry – it could ease the pangs for a time.

She closed her eyes and stood with her arms open wide, as Father Brandt did in the church when he would begin to pray. After a moment she heard a muffled cheer from the market square below, and when she opened her eyes the spangles of gold light were gone.

But Vash stood grinning before her.