Excerpt from The Amber Season for a special occasion!
Today is Quinn’s birthday, and they just turning 10 years old. The birthday party the family had set up for them was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen: everything was covered in fall-colored leaves, from the tables to the ceiling lights, from the carpets to the shelves, and even the people there were dressed in autumn splendor. The foyer room was bathed in light of every shade of amber from innumerable candles and hearth fire, giving everything and everyone a warmth rarely seen any other time.
Quinn’s eyes fell in love with the room as they took it all in. The way the light of the candles flickered gold everywhere, the way the hearth cast dark shadows of everyone, the glittering of glasses, brass candelabras and copper dishes, the occasional purple clothes and leaves and wrapped gifts…
The chatter from the family seemed to flicker like the candles, soft and sometimes clinking with laughter. Everything in the room was suffused with the warm smell from the cake at the center of the table: a lemon and poppy seed monstrosity topped with a cinnamon butter icing and glazed with the traditional family-made golden maple syrup, unique in the world.
Quinn’s eyes searched the room for a moment, looking for their favorite cousin Annabelle. Today may be Quinn’s birthday, but in a few hours it would be Annabelle’s. They had both always reveled in their closeness, in person and in time, because it meant that the family often celebrated them together in an all-night party just like this one, and they were allowed to stay up as late as they wanted.
And there she was, close to the hearth and its light, and as was her usual, reading a book. When she looked up to see Quinn, she smiled and abandoned her reading. She ran over and grabbed their hand eagerly, with a look on her face that Quinn knew was one of somebody keeping a secret. She was up to something, and was going to tell them all about it.
It was magical, and Quinn wished they could immortalize this moment. Wished they could bottle it and carry it around with them forever, to be looked at in hard and sad times and remember a happier one…
Three strong knocks on the common room doors resounded suddenly, and everyone inside froze.
Quinn did not understand why, but they did understand the tension that filled the room. It was the kind of tension that adults exuded when there was something upsetting to them near, but that they did not want to face. Quinn and Annabelle tightened their grips on each other’s hands.
Another three knocks, stronger this time.
Nobody moved, but whispers were popping up everywhere around them. Some sounded annoyed, some alarmed. But most sounded disbelieving. Quinn and Annabelle sneaked between the family around them, looking for a good angle to spy on the doors.
The last three knocks sounded pounding, resonating in wood and stone.
Everyone was moving now, some out of the way of the doors, others to them. Most just paced on the spot, nervous but unsure what to do. Quinn and Annabelle took advantage of the confusion to change spots again, dodging the quick walks of the adults as they put themselves in place for a full view of the doors.
And when they opened with a deep and loud crack to let in a cool gust, the figure that came in was the most beautiful Quinn had ever seen.
The wide shoulders were draped in a vest of felt leaves, each one colored like its own little sunset. The warm browns of the rest of the clothes brightened them like flames, and the copper hair that fell over the leaves framed a golden face with eyes shadowed in bronze.
The sound of the flat leather boots on the stone floor seemed to silence the room again as this glorious woman walked in further. It soon became obvious that she was also tall, and her every step was one of shameless confidence.
Quinn recognized the flamboyance of the leaves of the vest: only their family’s sunset maples made such a riot of color on each leaf. Was this a relative? They felt as if they should recognize her, but couldn’t. If only they could get a better look at her face…
Her stride took her straight to Quinn’s grandparents, whose faces said they knew who this was, but could not believe she was there. Whispers among the family had started up again, but none were clear enough for Quinn to make out save for a small “Is that really-?”, “It must be, how else could-”.
She stopped in front of them, close to where Quinn and Annabelle had hid themselves off to the side of the hearth. The rich and smoky voice of the woman only added to her appeal when she spoke:
“Good evening everyone.” she said lowly, “And what a lovely evening it is.”
Their grandmother’s disbelief seemed to fade a little, but before she could speak their grandfather cut in.
“Get out. You made your choice. This night is for the girls.”
Quinn bristled at being called a girl again, but as always, did not know why.
“Then it’s mine too, isn’t it?” she replied playfully, “Or have you changed your mind about me yet again?”
His face burned red, but she had moved on before he could speak again.
“And where are the young ones whose day has come again this year?” she said assertively as she scanned the room, “I have gifts to give and goodwill to pass along…”
Quinn unthinkingly moved away from their hiding spot then, Annabelle in tow. The woman’s eyes set on them both instantly, and her smile was warm, playful…and a little sad. Quinn didn’t know what could produce such a combination of emotions on a face, but they felt compelled to approach her, to want to comfort her. When all three of them stood together in front of the hearth fire she knelt to bring herself to their eye-level, and Quinn noticed her eyes were the same warm brown as her clothes. Everything about her was warm.
Behind her, their grandfather’s weak protests were shushed by their grandmother. He tried to argue with her quietly, hissing throughout.
None of it mattered to the three of them together. She had eyes and ears only for Quinn and Annabelle, and them for her. Then, seemingly out of thin air, she held before her two packages, one for each of them.
“Happy birthday to you both. I won’t be staying, so hold on to these. They are for you, and only you.”
The gifts, they noticed as they picked them up from her hands, were wrapped in dried leaves instead of paper and held together by nothing but hemp cord. Annabelle picked up hers first, and thanked her cheerfully. She did not, however, open it just yet. It was technically not her birthday yet, and she had always been the patient one between the two of them.
“They will protect you, as long as you wear them.” The beautiful woman said as she put her hand gently over Annabelle’s, “Just remember that they will do so best when you let your fear fall away.”
Even Annabelle knew what she said was important, even if she didn’t know how yet. She nodded her understanding while Quinn wondered at the idea of Annabelle being afraid. No one was as fearless as their favorite cousin. It’s why they got along so well, with Quinn boldly throwing themselves at everything right along with her.
Quinn’s pondering of this idea was cut short by the woman’s eyes shifting to Quinn’s own, and they were again hit with the vague feeling of knowing that face, but still not being able to place her in their mind.
She smiled wider then, seemingly knowing what they were thinking. The sadness in her eyes came forward in her expression as she told them softly: “I know what you see, Quinn.”
“But”, they said as softly, “I don’t.”
If they could just stare at that face long enough they would figure it out, they were sure of it. If they could just…
“You will.” she promised, “Until then, take this, and show the world everything you can see. Because someday, the world will see you. And when you are ready, they will see you as I do.”
Her hand was warm on Quinn’s as she said this, but the entirety of their focus was now on her eyes. They made Quinn feel like they’d been spotted, caught red-handed, pointed out from the background. Felt seen.
“I see you Quinn. I see you under the layers of girl that everyone else puts on you. Under all the woman they will expect you to be, I see you.”
For an infinite moment, there was not enough air. She could see it, she could see it, and she knew…
And in that warm hand and sad smile was a softness, an understanding that Quinn had longed for but had never found, not even from Annabelle.
Their vision suddenly started to blur as they stared back into her eyes. Why was their vision blurry?
There were tears in their eyes. Embarrassed, Quinn lifted a hand to wipe them away—
“What, why is she crying?” Quinn heard their grandfather howl, “What did you do?! How dare you!”
They jumped at the sound of his voice, booming and angry. It sent the room into a frenzy of voices from the rest of the family, a cacophonous confusion.
Despite this, and before Quinn could even think to say anything in protest, the beautiful woman rose to her full height, and turned to their grandfather.
His gaze had always been a frightful thing to Quinn, but she stood tall and still against even his loudest shouts.
“Show them what you see, Quinn,” she said to them over her shoulder, “Show them all.”
“ENOUGH!” he shouted “You’ll—“
The hearth fire suddenly blazed, momentarily lighting the room bright as day. The family yelled their surprised alarm and in the flames a second later there was…
There was…a figure. There was a person in the fire, a person with clothes that seemed made of flames, the tallest person Quinn had ever seen. The shape of them beyond that was hazy, and Quinn could barely make out that they were still standing on the stone of the hearth itself, and that in one hand they carried what looked like a long, long fiery spear. Their other hand was open and outstretched in front of them, waiting patiently.
In the chaos of light and noise the woman stood still, unmoved by the sudden roar of fire behind her. But their grandfather was not, and he stared fearfully at the tall figure, while their grandmother looked surprised, but only uncertain.
And then the woman turned to the figure without a hint of fear, put her hand in theirs, and vanished with them into the flames.
And on her face as she did, was the happiest smile Quinn has ever seen.
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Tah-dah! This excerpt is dedicated to @theticklishpear for their birthday! Thank you for all your help and support! I wish you the happiest birthday and a chance to rest and relax amidst the chaos of the world today. <3
(This thing is terrible and soooooo rough but I’ve been editing it TO HELL for a while. Can’t bake a cake if you won’t stop mixing it!)
