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After the final strains of the last waltz die away, a loud boom! sound is heard outside.
"Ah!" says Lucas. "The after-concert entertainment. Follow me, please."
Those who wish to follow him are led out to a small flat terrace roof that forms part of the castle. Here tubs of rich night scented flowers have been arranged, a table set with refreshments, including the sort of food and drink that tastes so good at night in the open air, like roasted chestnuts, and mugs of heated spiced ale, wine and something non-alcoholic for the children. A small chamber orchestra is playing quietly in a small pavilion, and there are warm shawls for people to wear if they are cold. In short, all the senses are to be catered for ...
Lady Vesper is heard asking Lucas something in her most querulous voice, and Lucas is replying affably, "Yes, yes, they've all been alerted. But I anticipate no accidents within the city."
Then he is moving forward, past where Solace reclines on a chaise longue, Phillippe nestled in her arms, to where there is a low wall. This he lifts Hope onto, steadying her with an arm around her (although the drop on the other side is only about three feet. Nevertheless, beyond another wall a few feet beyond, the whole city of Amber lies spread out before them - jewels scattered with careless profusion onto black velvet, with the black ink of the sea beyond.
"Now," he says to his daughter, "watch the sky."
There is a moment of delicious anticipation in which the peace of Amber by moonlight is unbroken. Then, just at the point when onlookers would have started to murmur restlessly, there is a popping of displaced air and the triumphal roar of sixteen dragons, hurtling toward each other in four tight formations from the cardinal points of the compass.
Breathing jets of flame that narrowly miss singeing their wingmates, the four diamonds of bronze and gold, brown, green and blue rocket toward a common center at dizzying speed - and within meters of each other, where the great reptiles seem doomed to crash, they break off into four new formations streaking away northwest, southeast, up and into a wild dive from which the four individuals pull out in all different directions. The maneuver is a breathtaking spectacle, their flight paths dotted in the sky with brief gouts of fire.
There follows an exhibition of precision flying that stuns and exhilarates. Wings gleaming in the light of the full moon, the dragons weave intricate patterns in the sky, narrowly miss crashing and burning each other any number of times in their elaborate pas de seize. The bursts of flame punctuate but illuminate only modestly - a conservative use of resources gathered for war, some in the crowd must surely realize. A few may even realize that every bit of showing away, despite certain bronze riders' manic howls of laughter just at the edge of audibility now and then, is a rigorous drill in itself for close aerial combat.
The show lasts perhaps half a glass before its finale, a flaming, cycling fountain of wild motion. And as abruptly as it began, before the last flame has dissipated, the sixteen dragons wink out of existence and the air above the city is still.
Vere watches the whole show in complete silence, bathing in the fantastic display of skill and beauty, a part of his mind wishing Robin could be there with him to share this amazing vision of power, grace, and control.
Meanwhile, he analyzes the abilities of the dragons and their riders. This is the first time he has seen them in anything approaching combat, and he does not lose the chance to better calculate exactly what sort of fighters they are going to make.
Hannah, on the other hand, gasps when they appear, oohs and ahs right along with the children, and watches the whole show in wide-eyed wonder, looking around only a few times to confirm she's seeing what she thinks she's seeing.
Brita, who had taken up a position at the back of the crowd in defference to her height, stares awestruck at the first formation. Then, as the aerial acrobatics progress, her awe turns to glee. Her eyes never leave the dragons. She claps enthusiastically at the more daring feats and laughs with glee at the artful turn of tail flicked at just the right instant to put an exclamation point to a seemingly uncontrolled tumble.
At the end of the performance, Brita is Glowing. Her inner Berserker Fire has been stoked into a joyous, if controlled, blaze that lights her eyes to sparkling, molten emeralds. The ends of her braids are crackling with static. She approaches Lucas and Hope, striding through others to reach him. "A Stupendous Climax to a Spectacular Evening, Master Lucas and Mistress Hope. You are truly Beyond Compare when it comes to Hosting a Cultural Extraveganza," Brita voice echoes oddly as if she were bellowing inside.
Lucas bows gracefully in response. "I am delighted my humble efforts brought such pleasure," he says. "Although, of course, it was really Jovian and Hope's humble efforts that truly made the evening."
"Only You will be able to top this Night," she adds with a low bow from the waist. She tips up her head from the bow and winks at Hope, before she strides off into said night to find someone to spar against to release the Energy crackling through her.
Lucas watches her go with a smile.
"We must hope so, mustn't we, Hope?" he says gently. He looks out over Amber, where the lights are dimming once more, as the people who ran outside to watch the dragon display now return to their homes and their beds, and the carefully positioned etchers put away their easels aned hurry to the offices of their respective broadsheets (Lucas believes in sending out press releases with details of the best etching opportunities).
"We must certainly hope so."
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XXXIII: The Children's Concert | Index | XXXV: Breakfast on a Balcony
