Chapter Forty-three
HARMONY’S voice mesmerized King as her chant rose like a prayer:
“Oak and Holly vie for rule
Seasons change so fight your duel.
Fall will come, embrace the sight
From shades of green to colors bright.”
Harmony stopped by the unlit bonfire to wait. Someone had set it up like a Boy Scout, kindling perfectly placed. Morgan, King figured.
“This is it,” Harmony said. “The big lighting. I’ll sing a chant, and when I end it with ‘torches to wood,’ touch your candles to the kindling and step back. Everybody ready? Good.” She stood Jake to the side away from the pyre and began to chant.
“Dragon of chaos, eager and sprite,
Drum to summer’s endless light.
Spark fire and wondrous might
Welcome a new twelve month right.
Torches to wood; make it bright!”
Jake laughed louder than he beat the drum. Before long, the fire cracked and snapped, smoke wafting around them. “Blow out your candles,” Harmony said, “and give them to Storm.” She looked around, not meeting his eyes, and made sure the candles were snuffed and put aside so no one could get burned.
“Jake,” she said, bending to him, “you can put your drum down and dance with us, or you can keep drumming.”
“I gotta drum.”
“Then drum you will. Everybody else clasp hands and do what I do. This is like playing ring around the rosy with a twist of your hips.”
King stood to the side and watched, because his ankle wouldn’t allow him to dance.
Following Harmony’s undulating motion—quite the turn-on—everyone spiraled around the burning pyre, and damned if King didn’t enjoy watching them. Aiden looked like a goose, and Storm tripped over her own feet and pulled down Morgan the Miserable, who was enjoying himself.
Their hilarity was contagious, but the more pleasure they took in the festivities, the louder Gussie wailed.
Harmony stopped dancing and looked up at the castle. “The fire needs feeding. I have just the fuel. Come and get it.”
“What’s this?” King asked when she handed him a picture frame.
“One of Gussie’s empty ‘negative’ picture frames.” Harmony handed out a dresser set, buttonhook, gloves, and scarves, and more frames. Taking her turn last, she took out the headless doll that had been in the toy room doll carriage, chanted something to herself, and tossed it in.
The fire flared to life, and Gussie quieted.
Harmony gave them each a paper and pencil. “Write what you wish to receive from our hostess the sun on the eve of her special day. I suggest that you write ‘Peace for Paxton Castle.’ ”
King figured everybody wrote that, so he wrote, “I want Harmony . . .” and stopped. He wanted Harmony to understand him, and like him anyway, sleep with him, live with him. He wanted her to bring peace to the castle, but he wanted her to stay when she did. He wanted so much from her, he couldn’t decide which was most important, so he left, “I want Harmony . . .” and hoped the sun would pick wisely from his many choices, because he couldn’t.
After all the paper wishes had been thrown on the fire, Harmony and her sisters started singing “Ring of Fire,” people joining in, clasping hands, and walking around the fire, while Jake’s drumbeats slowed with the movement.
The lyrics felt personal. King wanted to dance, to drop his cane and join them, but he couldn’t. “Bound by fire and desire,” all he could do was watch Harmony sway to the music.
They all seemed to stop moving at the same time, perhaps all bound by desire, except for Reggie, who was too young, yet she lifted her child in her arms, nonetheless. She came and kissed his cheek. “Night, Dad. And thanks. See you at dawn.”
“Are you going to be all right inside with Gussie?”
“As long I have Jake, I’m safe. Gussie adores him.”
King watched his baby girl walk into the dark, unforgiving night toward a haunted castle to put her baby to bed. She’d walked alone through many a dark and unforgiving night. Maybe that’s where she got her strength.
Aiden danced alone like a doofus. “I don’t wanna stop partying yet. This is fun. What’s next on the agenda?”
Storm sat in the sand and pulled him down. “Sit with me and appreciate the majesty of the universe.”
Destiny sat and wrapped her arms around her knees to watch the fire, and like a moth to a flame, Morgan sat beside her and watched her.
King saw Harmony opening a cooler to take out cheese, crackers, a bowl of fresh mixed berries, and small bottles with homemade labels of dandelion wine. She offered food and drink to everyone but him.
He didn’t know what to say.
Yes, he did. “Harmony, I’m sorry.”
She didn’t hear him, or she was ignoring him.
“Harmony,” he said louder. “I acted like an ass today, and I’m sorry.”
She took a half turn his way. “I understand. You are, by nature, an ass.”