She looked Bastion in the eye, and tilted her head, motioning for him to follow. Bastion knew well enough not to speak, and stood up, to come along and see the dance.
Yana knew that Bastion was trouble, to be sure... but there would be no doubt in his mind now-
Yana was pure trouble too.
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The Gypsy Queen- CHAPTER 3- “Reach”
The drums thumped succinctly, enticing the gypsies to the sound. Three old men played off to the side of a fire, likely the bigge st one in the camp. T wo wagons were aligned at an angle, nearly touching each other. Tapestries were draped in front of them both, almost touching as well. The people came to sit by the fire, as the anticipation built. Yana had run on ahead of Bastion with the girls, and disappeared into the camp in the direction of the drums, saying nothing.
Bastion strolled that way too, taking in the smells and sounds of the gyp sy camp. He had never forgot his time with them. He sat amongst the others, as they spoke and whispered to each other. The drums beat faithfully, and Bastion’s favorite- the djembe, led them. A big hollow thump it made, if you struck t he center, and a higher pitch on the edges. He had one in his private quarters that he was known to play during times alone. He tuned in to his surroundings, and let his senses indulge. His stomach leapt just a bit as the girls emerged from behind the tapestries. It was Emilee first, and then Luba. They had castanets in their hands that they clicked along with the beat. Their hips began to sway, yanking and pulling the skirts that struggled to keep hold.
Bastion could barely imagine seeing Yana dance this way before she promptly emerged too. Moving in unison with the young girls, she moved into the center of them. Bastion had heard of this dance- the belly dance. He was speechless as he took in the sight of Yana moving this way, moving with rhythm, her hips singing a song of their own. She wore a veil, and looked over at Bastion for a split second, and winked just as she spun with her companions. Devastating. Bastion could only marvel at how happy he was to see her. He had so much to say, and so much to ask... but for now, he just took in the glorious sight of Yana in her dance. She was unforgettable, for him ... and this moment was a new favorite amongst the other moments he had burned into his memory of her.
The steps of the dance allowed Yana to step quite closely to Bastion, and she let her bare stomach tighten right before him within her movements, yet pretended to ignore Bastion as she did it. Emilee, finally, allowed her dance to wind herself down to one knee, followed by Luba, and then Yana , perfectly behind them. The drummers looking on watched for their cue, and wrapped up their last few beats as the girls finished. Yana cast her eyes to the ground, just as she had taught the girls to do along with her. The crowd cheered and clapped, and the music struck back up again, this time just the drums, and someone playing the flute along with them.
Yana got up from her dance and hugged Emilee and Luba. “ Kushti nevo !” she encouraged them in Romany. She couldn’t remember a time they had danced so well, and she was pleased. The look on Bastion’s face was worth a satchel full of gold! She left the scene, as the young girls stayed to dance with others, and Yana headed back for her wagon. Bastion headed for her as she went.
“ Yana ,” Bastion said, as they approached the wagon, “your dance was lovely.” Yana smiled at him.
“Thank you,” she said gracefully.
“Will you come sit with me a while?” he asked.
“Aye. We will find a fire,” Yana said. She wrapped herself with a cloak that was more suitable for the cool spring night. They wandered over to a fire on the fringe of the ca mp. No one was tending it at that moment, so they sat next to it. Bastion stoked the fire a bit, and added wood to it,
Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler