Priscilla was able to easily make it down the ladder, despite how little trust Sulaiman had in her ability.

  A massive fire pit had been erected where Priscilla beat Kopica’a just a few hours ago, with a smaller fire nearby with a large, covered pot over it. A whole pig was roasting above the pit on a spit being slowly turned by the Yarnon’s cousin Holly, who seemed to be concentrating deeply on her task. Seating had been arranged around the fire, a mixture of proper chairs, a few benches, and several thick logs.

  The smell of roasting meat made Priscilla nauseous for a moment as she remembered Frean, and then she shook that comparison out of her mind, looking at the pig to remind herself that she wasn’t smelling burning human flesh. But she’d still probably pass on having some later, just in case.

  Three long wooden tables had been arranged around the space, heavy with dishes already. Priscilla glanced over the tables and spotted crispy artichoke hearts covered in red flakes, a tray of rolls topped with some sort of jam, and what looked like a large bowl of mashed potatoes. She wanted to try every single one, but Priscilla was distracted while walking towards the table by Jeroinin stepping forward, a slim, opaque bottle full of a dark liquid in her hands.

  “You can take a seat anywhere,” Jeroinin said, “though it’ll be a while until the pig is fully cooked.”

  “That’s alright with me,” Priscilla said, glancing curiously at the bottle. Jeroinin noticed the gaze and her smile gained a mischievous quality.

  “Are you perhaps a fan of alcohol?” Jeroinin asked.

  “Yeah, I’d say so,” Priscilla said, eyeing the bottle with interest. She enjoyed a good tasty beverage when she got the opportunity, though Priscilla didn’t know if her alcohol tolerance would be the same in her new body. Hopefully Priscilla wasn’t a light weight, but even if she was, hopefully she won’t be judged too hard if she got shit-faced. She could blame it on wanting to unwind after the battle yesterday and everything that happened with Kopica’a earlier.

  Jeroinin twisted off the bottle cap and said, “This is one I’ve been working on for a few years, made from a patch of boysenberries I have in my garden.”

  Priscilla leaned forward to smell the alcohol and sighed happily at the sweet scent.

  “I cannot wait to taste some,” Priscilla said as she reached for two cups on a nearby table and held them in front of her. Priscilla knew she was coming off as too eager, but she decided, fuck it, this was a feast thrown in Priscilla’s honor, so she was going to have some delightful, stress relieving fun.

  Jeroinin poured out a healthy amount for each of them and Priscilla gave her a grin. Kavil and Sulaiman finally caught up to her at this point, both staring at what was happening. Sulaiman’s eyebrows had lowered in disapproval and Kavil stared, open-mouthed.

  “Auntie,” Kavil said in incredulous disbelief, “are you trying to get Priscilla drunk? We haven’t even said any of the blessings yet and you’re breaking out the boysenberries!”

  Jeroinin gave him an enigmatic smile.

  “I am simply enjoying the fruits of my labor,” Jeroinin said, “and what type of host would I be if I did not offer my guests some?”

  Priscilla took a much smaller sip than she originally planned based on Kavil’s words, just letting it wet her tongue. It was tart, sweet, and smooth, reminding her of soju, which meant that it was a dangerous drink.

  “This is some good shit,” Priscilla said, giving Jeroinin an appreciative look before smiling cheekily at Sulaiman. “Want any? It goes down real fucking smooth.”

  “Don’t,” Kavil said fervently, shaking his head as Sulaiman glowered, “especially on an empty stomach.”

  Kavil gave his aunt a scathing look and she gave him an amused one back. He huffed and tugged gently on Priscilla’s elbow.

  “Come on,” Kavil said, turning and dragging Sulaiman as well, “you need to get good seats. You can get drunk later.”

  Priscilla allowed herself to be pulled along, grinning as Sulaiman gave the back of Kavil’s head a confused glance. He wasn’t used to casual touches, but between her and potentially Kavil, if he ended up traveling with them, Priscilla thought they’d be able to change that. Mr. –– likened her to an octopus due to the way she liked to drape herself over her friends. Priscilla had held herself back best she could so far, but it would only be a matter of time before she gave into the sweet temptation of physical affection.

  Kavil led them to sit on a bench together, directing Priscilla and Sulaiman to sit on the left and right end respectively. They were facing towards the bell tower, and above the trees, the sky was streaked with pink and purple as the sun steadily sank behind the trees.

  “I’ll be right back with drinks for us, Sulaiman,” Kavil said. “How do you feel about juice?”

  “Juice is fine,” Sulaiman said, looking vaguely amused as Kavil’s sharp nod and turn.

  Priscilla was tempted to take another sip of her drink but stayed strong because she was extremely interested in these ‘blessings’ Kavil mentioned and wanted to experience those with a clear head. She placed the cup down on the empty space on the bench furthest from Sulaiman.

  Priscilla and Sulaiman watched Kavil go to the table his aunt was standing next to and they began squabbling, Kavil using his hands to make sharp pointed gestures. Jeroinin set the bottle down on the table next to her, crossing her arms and retorting.

  “Well, do you think it was worth it?” Priscilla asked as Kavil rolled his eyes so hard his head rolled too.

  “You’re going to have to be more specific,” Sulaiman replied, not looking away as Jeroinin laughed at something and Kavil turned away and grabbed a pitcher with a scowl.

  “Traveling with me,” Priscilla said, laughing a little when the twins Dani and Tuyi ran up to Kavil, nearly bowling him over and spilling whatever was in the pitcher. “I know you thought I had some nefarious plan cooked up when we began, but I hope I’ve proven that wrong.”

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  Sulaiman finally looked at her, his face unreadable as the flame’s shadows danced over his features. Priscilla met his gaze head on, for once not teasing or flippant. She thought that Sulaiman’s opinion of her had changed at least a little bit, but this would be the first time Priscilla addressed it directly.

  His black eyes flickered over her, lingering on her sling, her shoulder, her hair, then sliding up to meet her eyes.

  “You have,” Sulaiman said softly, an unfamiliar expression on his face. “You’re strange, contradictory, and more stubborn than a mule, but I… don’t regret traveling with you. Together we’ve… we’ve made a good team.”

  A light, fluttery feeling turned Priscilla’s stomach over as she took in a shaky breath. She couldn’t help the fragile smile that stretched across her face. That response was everything that Priscilla had hoped for and more, especially when she knew that Sulaiman wasn’t the type of person to lie just to make someone feel better.

  “That means a lot,” Priscilla said, and it wasn’t until her voice cracked saying the words that she realized she was on the verge of tears. Priscilla looked away, feeling the flush burning her skin and was ashamed of herself for being so emotional.

  “Are you–”

  Priscilla didn’t know what Sulaiman was about to say as Kavil was walking towards them with a determined expression, precariously balancing three cups in his hands. She took advantage of Sulaiman’s distraction to rub away the tears as Asha sent a pulse of affection through their bond that Priscilla took comfort in.

  “Take this,” Kavil said, extending the awkwardly held cup toward Priscilla.

  “I thought you were just getting drinks for you and Sulaiman,” Priscilla said, though she took the offered cup and sniffed it. It smelled a little like grape juice so she took a sip. It was tarter than she expected it would be but refreshing on her palate and helped get her mind off emotional shit she did not want to think about.

  Kavil’s gaze quickly turned to Sulaiman as he handed the dark haired man his drink. Priscilla took that opportunity to drink more to avoid Sulaiman’s gaze, as now that her body had been reminded that liquid existed, it furiously demanded more.

  “You need more to drink than what auntie gave you,” Kavil said as he sat between them, cradling his cup in his hands. “I still can’t believe she gave you that before she conducted the blessings.”

  “I had a question about these ‘blessings,’” Priscilla said, leaning forward and ignoring the way that Sulaiman looked at her. “What exactly are they and what do we need to do?”

  Kavil gave her a boyish grin. “You don’t have to do anything but watch!”

  Priscilla raised her eyebrows and put her now empty cup down, intending on pushing but there was a loud clap that drew her attention.

  Jeroinin was standing in front of the fire pit, watching over everyone as they all found their seats, save for Holly. But even Holly was standing up straighter and looked to Jeroinin as well.

  In Jeroinin’s hand was a long staff that looked like it had been made from a living tree branch. Along the dark wood there were sprouts of new growth, the green leaves glimmering slightly in the fire light as it twisted around the bark. The top of the staff had sharp, jagged edges of wood curved around a shining blue jewel that was the same color as Jeroinin’s eyes.

  “Tonight, we gather to honor those who are deserving,” Jeroinin said, her voice deep and reverberating over the clearing. Everyone was silent, staring at her with rapt attention. Priscilla stared at the Jeroinin too, but she was too aware of an energy beginning to gather in the air, one that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

  “Tonight, we honor Gaelea’s grace,” Jeroinin said, settling into ritualistic cadence, “for granting us the breath of life and shielding us beneath the shade of her great canopy.”

  “We honor Her,” the rest of the villagers suddenly said in unison. If Priscilla didn’t feel frozen as the energy continued to build, she would have jumped. But as it was, Priscilla couldn’t look away from Jeroinin’s blue eyes, not when she swore they were beginning to shine.

  “Tonight, we honor our ancestor’s strength,” Jeroinin said, spreading her free arm wide, “for persevering despite the hardships that plagued them so that they could pass down their wisdom to their children so that we may thrive.”

  “We honor them.”

  “Tonight, we honor Kavil McCue’s kindness,” Jeroinin said, turning her gaze to her nephew who straightened with pride, “for it is his burning light that stole back those who had been trapped within the jaws of death.”

  “We honor him.”

  “Tonight, we honor Sulaiman Halsteed’s bravery,” Jeroinin said, looking at the man in question, “for putting himself in harm’s way again and again, inspiring us all to never submit to those who wish us harm.”

  “We honor him,” Kavil echoed, smiling at Sulaiman, who had stilled like a deer did when a wolf turned its attention towards it.

  “And finally,” Jeroinin said, turning those definitely glowing blue eyes to Priscilla, who felt pinned in place, “tonight, we honor Priscilla Sunscarre’s dedication, for without her, none of us would have survived the night as we were unprepared for the dangers that lurked within our forest.”

  Jeroinin began to walk towards her, and the villagers stayed quiet. The air grew heavier with every step she took and it seemed like the light was leaching from the surroundings to make the blue jewel shine brighter like a neutron star.

  Priscilla’s heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out everything except the raspy voice of Jeroinin, who grew ever steadily closer like the inevitability of nature.

  “We honor her sacrifice,” Jeroinin said softly once she stood just a foot away, the woman’s expression full of indescribable sadness, “for hers is a path that is not lightly taken and it is one that I will be forever grateful she chose.”

  A chill ran down Priscilla’s spine.

  “We honor her!” the villagers cheered. Kavil bumped Priscilla’s shoulder with his own, laughing, but Priscilla couldn't look away from Jeroinin, couldn’t register anything else.

  For a reason she couldn’t explain, Priscilla knew that Jeroinin knew she didn’t actually belong in this world, that she wasn’t the original, that she had stolen this body and she didn’t know how to give it back. Priscilla felt like she couldn’t breathe as she stared at the half-elf woman, frozen in fear.

  “May Gaelea bless those we’ve honored,” Jeroinin said, lifting the staff to the sky and blue streaks of light burst forth like fireworks, covering the entire plaza with shimmering bits of energy that fell down like snowflakes. Panic built within Priscilla as she wondered if the light was a punishment. But then the light drifted down to touch her and no burst of pain followed, leaving with her just a slightly warm feeling, so the panic subsided just a little.

  “Let us begin our celebrations!” Jeroinin said and the villagers cheered.

  Kavil was saying something to Sulaiman but the only thing that Priscilla could focus on was Jeroinin, who was staring right back. Sweat rolled down Priscilla’s back and her hand was shaking, fist clenching and unclenching. Asha’s attention was focused, signaling her lovely little legend killer was ready for a fight should Priscilla say the word.

  Jeroinin’s face softened as she leaned in.

  “You have nothing to fear from me,” Jeroinin murmured, tucking a lock of Priscilla’s hair behind her ear, “for your secrets are ones I would not share without permission.”

  The knot of fear in her stomach loosened as Priscilla took a sharp breath in but it didn’t dissipate.

  “I know you have questions,” Jeroinin continued, “but save them for tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate life.”

  Jeroinin held out a hand towards her and, despite the trepidation that still ran through her, Priscilla took it.