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earned her his respect, so much that
he had proposed. Betty had declined with as much grace as she
could.
    “ My
dearest Betty, you are stunning in the moonlight,” Tetrametrius
said, claiming her hand and pressing a kiss to it, his voice husky
with appreciation for her beauty. “You must forgive me for taking
so long to see to you.”
    “ It
is forgiven. I have not been wanting for company.”
    Betty couldn't tell if he was glad or envious, but he seemed
to remember who he had brought with him.
    “ This is my best friend, Decapitaria Clarkin Hannah, Aerial
Battalion. Hannah, the magnificent Betty Cratchet, who transformed
my humble hobby into a thriving training system.”
    A
smile twitched on Clarkin's lips. “A great pleasure, magnificent
Betty Cratchet.”
    Betty blushed, and if she felt her cheeks burn, it must be a
brilliant scarlet indeed. Now she wished she'd worn a full mask.
Looking up at Clarkin, she wondered what his mission was, if it was
conquest or something more malicious. When his quick eyes
languished down her frame, she felt an involuntary heat swirl deep
within her. Tetrametrius cleared his throat.
    Remembering her manners, Betty stuck out her hand, the blush
spreading down her throat. “How are you this evening, Decapitaria
Hannah?”
    His
eyes gleamed. “Spectacular now that I have the honor of your
presence.”
    Before he could kiss her hand, screaming struck silence
through the musicians and a brilliant flash cut through the night.
Half the crowd froze and ducked, and most of them stood upright
again with a laugh. Fireworks! Clarkin had been one of those who
had not ducked, Betty noticed, but his grip on her hand had grown
stiff and a bit too hard.
    Decapitaria. It referred to the Roman soldiers, the special
ones who fought as though they were in the ring with an animal.
They wore minimal armor and weapons, and beheaded their opponents
as trophies. The Secret Forces must have borrowed the term, but how
accurately it portrayed his duties in the field, Betty did not
know. Her father had never even said they used Decapitarias in the
Great War. Then again, he said little and saw her rarely, so when
they did speak, it wasn't about his job.
    “ Ah,
the show has begun!” cried Tetrametrius, taking Betty's elbow.
“Come, let's hurry to the tables.”
    In
the very center of the meadow, metal tables formed rings around
fire pits basking with heat, and on these tables servants set up
wire racks with wooden handles, so a selection of meats, fruits,
vegetables, and sweets could be roasted over the fire while
pyrotechnics exploded in the skies above.
    Betty assembled her rack quickly, skewers of chicken, onions,
and peppers, then a whole banana with the skin sliced open to be
filled with chocolate chips and marshmallows. She did this with
utmost focus, grateful for the interruption that distracted her
from Clarkin's gaze.
    No
man since Slim Legrand, her first love, had set her heart to
pounding the way that he did. While Tetrametrius had escorted her
to the fires, she knew that Clarkin was still gazing at her with
that curious expression in his eyes.
    Off
to the side and down a slope, the Tempest River had filled with
canoes and kayaks splashing through the calm water, people coming
downstream from playing in the funnel rapids to watch the show.
Strung out across the water, paper lanterns glowed with fireflies
which the fairies had caught and might release again.
    Bottles of pop were tossed between canoes and kayaks, coming
from the rafts with their iceboxes and canvas folding chairs. From
the midpoint of the cliffs high above the meadow, among the
hospital heli landing and airstrip, the hazy darkness erupted into
streaks of light, first one, then a second, and a third, and each
bolt reaching its pinnacle before it splayed out into a starbust of
color: Red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, each color taking
its turn sparkling out into brilliant white crackles.
    More
streaks bolted upright, their tails