Chapter 17: The Creile Festival of Heber

The day of the Creile festival of Heber had finally arrived. Kara had barely slept a wink, because she knew it was her only opportunity to speak to Eerik. They would be required to keep up appearances, so he couldn’t avoid her. Their paths had crossed, and she had tried to speak to him on countless occasions, but he would always excuse himself, claiming one pressing matter or the other.

Over the past few days, Mrs. Karvonen had lectured her on the events of the day.

"The festival celebrates the unyielding heart; the gray shrub that overcame," she had said, inspecting Kara’s posture. "Heber, the glorious tree shows her affection for all and sends out her divine grace. Eithra, as we know it, has a tree so glorious, we cannot help but feast our eyes upon it. However, this wasn’t always the case.