match your feet,” she smiled.
“Can’t wait,” I said. The wet paste tickled at first, but did seem to lessen the throbbing heat from the burns.
I let myself relax into the chair, watching as a group of men began beating softly on large round drums. Slowly at first, a low vibration I could feel more than hear. Then voices sang in harmony, with haunting off-key notes. People started dancing, but it was like nothing I’d seen before. Everyone was doing the same steps, turning in place, and moving their wrists with sharp precision.
It wasn’t until the girls came over with drinks that I noticed they’d finished my feet. Jazmine handed me a cup and I frowned at the fizzy pink liquid.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Wild rhubarb and strawberry cider,” Luke said. “It’ll help with the pain.”
“Give me your knife,” Trevor said, appearing over my shoulder.
“Why?” I asked.
“I’ll sharpen it, they have a forge here. A sharp knife is a safe knife.”
“Until you stick it in someone,” Jazmine giggled. “Then, not so safe.”
“How much of that have you had?” I asked.
“Not enough,” she said, tossing back the rest of the cup. “I’ll go get us some more.”
Penelope sat next to me on one of the wooden stumps surrounding the fire. She’d arrived so quietly, I didn’t even notice her. We sat in silence, watching the tribal dancing.
People were smiling and laughing, but there was also a cautious hush to the celebration. The flames never lept too high, the drums weren’t too loud.
Even way out here, they aware of the dangers in the darkness, careful not to let their enthusiasm brew to excess.
“That’s an elite skull,” Penelope said, pointing out a man wearing a fanged skull as a beaded breastplate.
“It’s not the first I’ve seen,” I said. “Just, stay sharp, okay? We won’t let anything happen to you.”
I heard Trevor’s voice and looked over to see him laughing with a few of the men. He stood in the heat of the outdoor forge, sharpening the blade of my knife. I knew it was his way of protecting me, of looking out for me. It was nice watching him in his element.
After my second cup of cider, the others pulled me up to dance. We each showed off a few of the moves we’d learned in our compounds, trying to teach them to each other. April’s version of dancing from Havoc was mostly jumping around and shaking your head hard enough to get dizzy and crash into each other, which we found hilarious.
Jazmine had found a long string of punctured coins from the Before and wound them around her waist. She rattled them while jerking her hips in controlled movements, coiling her hands hypnotically. The crowd had cleared space for her, and at one point I couldn’t tell if she was following the beat of the drums, or commanding them with her hips.
When she was finished, there was a round of applause. Then the beat picked up again, and we spun around in lines, trying to learn the steps that everyone else seemed to already know. It was a blur of painted faces and feathers and metal bangles that flashed in the rising sparks.
I laughed, stumbling away from the line when it became too fast. And then, Trevor was there. We moved together, as the drums rose in intensity. I pressed my body against his, feeling the pulse of our heartbeats, and felt a throbbing ache deep inside me. The burns on my feet itched, and the feeling seemed to grow rise up my legs until it threatened to consume me.
I thought about how he’d kissed me and how I wanted him to do it again. But then I remembered the arguments we’d had, and the secret I was keeping. How could I be with Trev, until I figured out what I was going to do, and what I’d tell Damien. Thinking of my fiancé was like being doused in ice water. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. Was I still engaged to him? Did it even matter? We hadn’t formally exchanged vows. He’d chosen me, but I’d never chosen him. I’d never even been asked. That wasn’t my right.
I was trying to kill his father, and I’d left his mother rotting in a cage. Her words burned in my ears.
Who’s to say you weren’t chosen for this?
That this isn’t your destiny?
Even if we saw each other again, could he ever really forgive me? My cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and I