So when a small, dark-skinned fellow of Indian descent got out they all stared in surprise.
“What the Hell d’you want?” Gruff demanded in a manner exactly like his name.
Ignoring him, the Indian poked his head back into the carriage. “Are you sure this is the place?” he demanded of someone still inside. “There’s nothing here at all!”
Three heads cautiously peered out of the carriage; a large, slablike visage with an enormous overhanging brow and pugnacious jaw, a large round pumpkin-shaped face with a small tuft of orange hair on top, and a thin, birdlike one with a long nose and a mass of spiky yellow hair.
“I told you we could feel a portal opening up this morning,” growled the Underfiend.
“Aye, it wasn’t gas from the bad sausages we ‘ad last night!” added Jersey Devil. “This is the place alright! Over there’s the field where Icarus banished us!” He pointed across the empty site.
The IntelliGent turned from his imps and walked back to Gruff, who wasn’t looking at all impressed with this new development. “We’re looking for the theatre. It was here, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” Gruff growled, “until yesterday. Then sometime last night it picked itself up and went for a walk!”
“The entire theatre…” the Gent marveled. “Christophe, could you come out here, please?”
The imps had already jumped down from the carriage. Now a fourth individual emerged, a fine-looking gentleman save for the various cotton pads stuck to his face. He looked like he’d had a particularly bad time shaving this morning. “It’s gone!” Christophe Sauvage exclaimed. “That’s incredible!”
The Gent rubbed his small, pointed chin. “He must have linked the Omniportallis machine to the entire structure and somehow reversed its polarity so it wouldn’t just open a portal, but carry everything through as well. True genius!”
Arcanus examined the empty site, picking up powerful Magickal residues and remnants of Immaterial energy.
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on here?” demanded Gruff.
The Gent favoured him with a smile. “Of course. My name is Mr. Gopal – I am from Gordon’s gentlemen’s club. I have some papers in the carriage for him. May I give them to you?”
“You’ll have to. Gordon’s dead. His heart gave out on him this morning when he saw the empty site.”
“Oh dear! How horrible!” Feigning grief, the Gent led Gruff into the carriage, and as soon as they were out of sight of the workers, the Indian started removing the bandages from his head. “Let’s see what you know about all this, hmm?”
Before Gruff Jones could bolt from the carriage, the Gent had slammed the door shut.
The Circus Infinitus - Genesis Infinitus Page 22