Sekali, "The Sister City"
Chapter 67
A council was held that night. The food was laid out upon extravagantly carved tables of stone, affixed to the earth. Uther marveled at the unique craftsmanship of them, even above the exquisite tastes of the sea of food set upon hundreds of like crafted tables, set within a grand forest of snow-white trees.
Sekali, Uther and Finyat had never seen anything like this in all their lives. Hundreds feasted merrily as music and singing sprung up all about them. Entertainers captured small crowds of people here and there with their skills, creating expressions of joy and wonder in the eyes of their audience.
The feast moved on into the evening, where at last the later hours of the evening caught the three in a snare of carefree comfort and joy. There were dancing and games; contests of skill on one side of the grove, where men and women laughed and enjoyed the company of one another within the many arenas of competition.
Late into the evening, a hush fell as Ellianess held up a hand. All games were put aside, the singing faded away gracefully, and the entertainers stopped performing. All attention was bent toward Ellianess, who smiled at everyone, as a mother fondly looks upon her own children, watching them play.