Scars of Gold

Chapter Thirty One

Bonfire Eve. The end of civitas; the last night of calm before the fallas storms began. And, in Lathria, a celebration of altorae power.

In Etealia we used to spit a little harder at the feet of any resident altorae then we went about our business. In Lathria, Bonfire Eve was celebrated differently.

I wasn't in my uniform, for a start. Instead, Aleela had insisted on a simple black satin dress that fell to just above my knee and delicate silver sandals. When I protested that it was far too cold outside to be so exposed, Aleela had laughed and told me I'd be warm enough, whatever that meant.

When she had finished braiding my hair into an intricate plait and the queen had swept in and out without a word to conceal my auretis, Aleela insisted on smearing colourful glitter across my cheeks and shoulders. I felt silly, sparkling like a star moth under the harsh overhead lighting, and it seemed counterproductive after the queen had hidden my naturally glittering auretis. It also looked like I was fashioning myself on Mari.

Ash pulled up short when he entered the room to collect me, and I poked my tongue out at him. The burn on his arm had healed and his arms were bare beneath the ceremonial cloak swept around his shoulders.

Civitas was the season of community, a time to pull together, to help those around you. Bonfire Eve was a celebration of the 'value' altorae bought the community. In the Lathrian capital, this was celebrated with a huge bonfire party held in the palace grounds. The altorae in attendance were guests of high honour, celebrated with symbolic gifts and lavished with attention.

When we arrived outside, the public lawn had been transformed into a wonderland of light and flames. The sun burnt low in the indigo sky, casting a soft orange glow over the horizon. Pink stars were already glittering above us, while bonfires blazed across the grass, the sound of their crackling filling the smoky air.

I paused, taken aback by the beauty of the celebration. Aleela was right, with so many fires burning through the garden, I didn't feel the cold. I was also relieved to see that I wasn't the only one with glitter smeared across my skin; shimmering bodies danced all around me to the relentless pounding of drums, skin glistening as though aflame. I took a deep breath of the hot, ash filled air and stepped forwards into the fray. 

"Argh, that's Dante's mother," Ash moaned, gesturing to a woman weaving her way through the bodies towards us. "She no doubt wants to tell me how many gifts Dante has received and extol the huge benefit his powers are to Lathrian society." He looked so uncomfortable at the sight of her approach that I almost felt sorry for him.

"Why is she so rude to you?"

"Because she thinks my stepfather was wrong to choose my mother instead of her. She seems to believe that if she undermines me enough, Tancred will change his mind and name Dante heir instead." Dante as heir... A few days ago, I'd have stepped back to allow Lady Remy quicker access to the prince and enjoyed watching her take him down a notch. But now... I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't bring myself to delight in his misery.

"Why does your mum spend so much time with her if she's so horrible?" Surely someone so dismissive of the queen and crown prince should have been made unwelcome at court long ago.

"Because she's from one of the kingdom's most illustrious families - and a lot of them agree with her, or they used to, at least until my 'powers' appeared." He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends. "It wouldn't help ingratiate the nobles towards me if they felt the Remys had been ostracised on my account. Besides, it's safest to keep her close so we know what she's up to - who knows what rumours she might spread out of sight. I really don't fancy having my night ruined by one of her lectures though."