Demons? I will protect you from all that is evil, Mother had said. Hearing the word from my Father made my skin crawl with dread.
“I know.” Mother sighed.
“We can leave early if that will ease your mind. And then we’ll plan. And besides…” Father’s voice became playful and deeper. “We need… fun… make… baby.”
Mother giggled and footfalls shuffled on the floor, sounding softer the farther they moved away.
Time for me to leave. Forget my doll. As I ran to Kalani’s house, I realized I’d learned something new about my parents. But mostly, I felt excited that Mother and Father might make a baby. But how are babies made?
I would have to ask them later. Perhaps magic. But what about those who didn’t have magic? Maybe people with magic helped them?
Chapter Four
Solstice Festival
Ikelia
Lively instrumental music boomed under the full, bright moon. Our townspeople gathered by the temple that was close to the forest, wearing their finest clothes for Solstice Festival.
Men wore ruffled, long-sleeved shirts and their finest pants and women wore pretty dresses. Their wool cloaks kept them warm from the cool breeze. But my eyes stayed glued to the women who wore sparkling necklaces and rings.
As my parents and I approached the fire towering yellow and red to the sky, people rushed to kiss my mother’s hands and bow to my Father. Though I had seen this interaction twice every year at Solstice Festival, I didn’t think much of it until now.
You’re one of the originals, Father had said to Mother. Being original sounded important, and the adoration from the people made sense.
As I searched for my friends, I rubbed at my legs. The petticoat under my new pink dress Mother had bought for me at the market made me itchy.
People were talking, laughing, or dancing by the twinkling lights on the surrounding trees. Others gathered by the pork roasting on the fire or by the tables set with food baskets. Men clanked their tankards filled with ale, while some women chased after little ones or huddled to gossip.
“Ikelia!” Sabina waved, her curly blonde hair bouncing with her sprinting steps. Her fluffy blue dress kept her from running faster.
Kalani and Halina followed behind her. They wore lavender dresses, but Halina’s was darker. Usually we wore our hair in braids, but during special occasions we wore our hair down. I especially loved the ribbons woven through Kalani’s hair.
Sabina tackled me first, then Kalani. Her dark hair tickled my face. Then Halina wrapped her arms around me, her red hair glowing fiery red in the reflected firelight.
“You look so pretty,” I said to my friends.
Halina reached for my head but she didn’t touch the hair pins. “They sparkle. I wish I had some.”
“I’m hungry,” Sabina said. “Let’s hurry before the line gets too long.”
We skipped to get our meals, all holding hands.
People stood in line to get their dinner, but lucky for us, there was a children’s table. The line was always shorter. After we filled our plates, we went to our special place, a little further into the forest. It was quieter, a perfect spot for friends to chatter uninterrupted.
Trees crowded behind us, but we had a clear view of the party.
I wanted to tell my friends about my mother and how I would learn magic too when I was old enough. But I remembered my promise to my mother, so I kept quiet and sat on a log beside them.
“The potatoes are yummy,” Sabina said around a mouthful. “My mother put fresh butter on them.”
“My mother made beans,” Kalani said, holding up one and then shoving it in her mouth.
We ate until our tummies were full. We talked and laughed and watched the adults mingling and little children chasing each other. Some people clapped to the music or danced in front of the musicians.
“Do you want to dance?” Halina asked.
“Sure,” my other two friends answered.
“I’ll race you,” Sabina said and sprinted away.
“Don’t forget—” Kalani’s voice was lost to the wind.
“Wait for me.” Halina sped after them.
“You forgot your plates.” I huffed out a breath and picked them up. I loved my friends but they were messy and forgetful.
A rustle in the bushes startled me. Probably some small wild animal. Maybe a squirrel or even a dog. Many families had dogs and cats that roamed about freely.
“Ikelia.” A deep, menacing voice filled my ears. It sounded like the same voice from my dream.
My pulse raced faster and the plates shook in my hands.
Demons had visited me only in my dreams. Besides, I had the tourmaline crystal in my pocket. Mother said it would protect me. While holding all of the plates in one hand, I reached inside my pocket to touch the crystal.
Good. It’s still there. But it felt hot. I stiffened recalling Mother’s words. It will feel hot when an evil being is near. So not a dream or in my head.
“Ikelia, I’m coming for you,” the spooky voice spoke again, as if it was right beside me.
My knees buckled and I dropped the tin plates. They rattled around me.
“Who are you? What do you want?” I tried to sound brave, but I failed. “Mama,” I whimpered when my legs refused to move. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. Fear rooted me to the spot.
Countless streams of black vapor, shaped like long ribbons, rose from the ground like steam rising from my mother’s hot tea. Why wasn’t the crystal helping me?
The black mists circled my body faster and faster, but they didn’t touch me. Maybe the crystal was working. Still, terror seized me. The scene was hauntingly familiar. In my nightmare, they had turned into one scary monster with red, glowing eyes.
I closed my eyes, shaking to my bones as the powerful wind from the demons left me breathless, choking the air from my lungs and uplifting my cloak. I thought I was going to fly away.
The ground rolled and the trees shook, their branches swaying. Leaves were yanked and tossed about. What was happening?
The wind stopped suddenly. I released a long breath. The demons were gone.
“Ikelia. What are you doing here alone?”
“Mama?”
I ran to her and slinked my thin arms around her waist, pressing my head into her belly. Tears streamed down my face, but I wiped them with a trembling hand before she could notice. Never had I been so happy to see my mother.
Mother didn’t wait for me to reply. She held my hand and sprinted back to the party where people clumped together to listen to a speaker. Father patted my shoulder and stood next to Mother.
A pretty lady was talking to the crowd, standing on a raised podium. Her dark hair was wrapped in a bun and laced with small lovely hair clips, beaded with crystals that glistened under the warm light of lanterns around her.
I had never seen her before. She smiled without showing her teeth. It seemed fake. I knew then that I didn’t like her.
Everyone watched her and listened intently.
“It’s such an honor to be here, to speak among you,” the lady said.
“Who is she?” I tugged Mother’s crimson dress as I stared at the woman’s pale face and ruby lips.
The lady wore a long black cloak with pretty gemstones sewn along the border of her cloak, so unlike my mother’s simple dress. Underneath the cloak, her gauzy silk dress was adorned with lace and pearls. She also wore long, black satin gloves. She must have lots of money.