With his sword on his hip and shield on his back Browen did not have to work hard to keep the crowd in line, his presence was usually enough to get most of the attendees to settle down. But he grew bored wandering through the crowds and became curious as to what excitement could be found inside the many tents. He dared a peek as he passed some of them and recognized the performance that they had seen on the way here.
The carnival was in full swing and as Browen maneuvered through the crowds he kept an eye out for his friends. Ralis was nowhere to be found, likely with Raigh preparing for his first performance. Miri was standing out front of the large big top in her new outfit of colourful greens which complimented her red hair nicely. Browen had to double take at her. Elsie had brushed her hair smooth and decorated it with thin braids. It was laid out to cover her pointed ears and she almost looked like a different person without the wild and knotted curls.
Miri worked alongside another member of the carnival troupe and seemed nervous in the large crowd. Her hands kept checking to ensure that her ears were carefully hidden beneath her thick, yet now straightened, hair.
Ezra had been stationed outside of a smaller tent that did not attract as large of a crowd as the others. She looked pensive at her left hand while she worked. Even with the tattoo concealed by the glove, Browen did not doubt that she could feel it.
Amri was nowhere to be seen and Browen was beginning to feel concern for her as he searched the carnival grounds. He looped through the tents again, his search more frantic than before as he kept an eye out for Amri’s familiar features. The carnival had been on for just over an hour and there was still no sign of her. Worried thoughts bombarded him with images of Amri locked up and in chains. He had to remind himself that she had gotten in and out of more dangerous places before.
He passed by Ezra’s tent again as she accepted some coin from a young couple who eagerly hurried into the Hall of Mirrors. A pained expression resumed on her face as the couple dispersed and she clasped her left arm against her chest. Browen moved over to her and noticed that the air around her was much warmer.
“Are you alright?” He asked, he could feel the heat radiating off her.
She immediately straightened as he spoke and flashed him a cold smile. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.” He confessed, gesturing to the arm still held tightly.
“It wants to burn.” She said quietly. “I can feel it, in the back of my mind… burning. I… I haven’t used it in a while and it’s…” She hissed through her teeth as if in painful frustration. “It’s desperate to get out.”
Browen felt his stomach flip as he recalled the devastation the flame had enacted through Ezra before. She could easily burn everyone at the carnival to death with the power inside her. “Maybe you shouldn’t be here, I could go with you into the woods.”
“It’s too dry, the forest fire would be out of control and likely take the town and the carnival.” She shook her head and seemed to regain control over herself. “I’m fine… I just need to keep my mind focused.”
Browen shivered fearfully as he looked at his friend and decided to voice the concern that had been building in his mind. “If you’re struggling with this, I won’t stand a chance with mine.” He looked down at his left hand and imagined a colourful tattoo of his own coiling around him like a chain he could never break free of. The thought almost made him feel sick. “I don’t think I can do this.”
Ezra looked at him with a slight frown that only seemed to confirm Browen’s doubts. After a moment she replied. “I could teach you to focus your mind. I don’t know if it will be enough, but it might help when the time comes.”
Browen nodded, his throat suddenly felt very dry. If Ezra did not think he would be able to manage, even with her training, what was going to happen to him when he accepted the power. He doubted for a moment that he even should, perhaps Miri’s vision of him had been wrong.
Ezra seemed to sense his fears and rested her right hand comfortingly on his shoulder. “You’ll be ready, we’ll make sure you’re ready.”
A family of five approached the tent and Browen stepped aside to let Ezra work. His thoughts were still spinning as he continued through the crowd. He found himself passing the tent where Raigh and Ralis were to perform. A hand painted sign out front noted that The Sensational Raigh, Fire Dancer Extraordinaire was performing inside which explained the large crowd of mostly men. A member of the troupe, who Browen had neglected to get the name of, was calling to the crowd, announcing that the debut show of Ralis, the Demon with a voice of an Angel, would be starting shortly. Browen cringed on behalf of Ralis but resisted the urge to correct the man.
Another member of the troupe, a large man named Brutus, was standing charge at the entrance of the tent. He blinked when he recognized Browen and waved him over.
“Your friend is supposed to get on stage soon, can you make sure he’s ready?” Brutus asked. “The Ringmaster wants to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.”
Browen nodded and entered through the tent flap. On the stage Raigh was dancing wildly with streaks of fire coiling around her as she moved erotically. She was practically naked, wearing only a short skirt and a bolt of fabric that only barely covered her breasts.
Feeling his face grow flush Browen pulled his gaze from the stage and hurried towards the back and through another flap. The backstage was sparse with only a few chairs, a mirror and a dressing room set up. Ralis was looking at himself in the mirror, his expression was more nervous than Browen expected it to be.
“Are you ready?” Browen asked, his reflection joining Ralis’s.
“I think so.” The wide smile that normally marked Ralis’s features returned upon seeing Browen. He turned from his reflection to face the real Browen. “This is something that I’ve always dreamed of doing… I don’t know why I feel so nervous.”
“It’s a big crowd.” Browen confessed, glad he wasn’t the one about to perform on stage. “But you sing in front of people all the time. You performed for the carnival troupe when we first met them, and you didn’t seem nervous then.”
Ralis nodded in agreement. “Maybe I’m just nervous because my dream is about to come true. Will you watch?”
It was a simple request but Browen could feel the weight of meaning that it had, from the way Ralis looked into his eyes. He nodded sharing Ralis’s big excited grin. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
The crowd in the other part of the tent went wild and seconds later Raigh was in the back with them. She stretched in a way that drew both men’s eyes along her feminine features, her skin glistened with sweat from the workout of her performance. Then Browen noticed the shackles that dangled loosely from her ankles and wrists. They weren’t connected to anything, but it still gave the impression that she was a prisoner here.
“I got them all warmed up for you.” She winked at Ralis and took a seat in one of the waiting chairs.
“This is it.” Ralis took a deep breath as he looked at the exit to the stage, his hands tight against his borrowed lute.
“Good luck.” Browen offered, the crowd outside sounded hungry as they called for more entertainment.
Ralis smiled warmly at Browen and pulled him into a tight embrace before stepping through the folds of fabric and onto the stage. Not wanting to miss a moment, Browen hurried through the way he had come and found himself a place in the crowd.
Chapter Nine
Amri
It felt strange wearing clothes that fit her so nicely. Everything she had worn before had been stolen from clothes lines or out of laundry baskets and all of it had been too big on her tiny frame. It was odd but nice to have clothing that fit the curves of her body and moved more like a second skin. She easily adjusted to the comfortable strangeness of the fitted fabric as she worked her way through the town, nailing posters for the carnival to walls and notice boards.
/> When Amri had left the carnival many of the tents still needed to be erected and the site looked like chaos as the troupe members scrambled to be ready for that evening. By the time she returned, the sun had fully set, and the grounds had been completely transformed into something from a dream. She wondered for a moment, as she drank in the fanciful sights, smells and sounds, if that was why they called it the Carnival of Dreams.
She had yet to be given additional tasks and decided that until she was called upon again, she was free to explore. Out of habit she found herself marking exposed wallets and valuables among the crowds, it would be too easy to pocket a few things. And yet she stayed her hand, she didn’t need to steal from these people, and they likely needed their wealth as much as she did.
“Last call to see the debut performance of Ralis, the Demon with a voice of an Angel!” Called a large man standing before a purple and green striped tent.
Amri walked over curiously and knew she had the right place when she saw the sign for Raigh’s fire dancing performance.
“Half Na’tyr.” She corrected as she approached Brutus with a chastising frown.
“What? Oh, you’re Ralis’s friend. What does it matter, these people don’t know the difference.” He replied.
“It matters to him and it matters to me.” Amri snapped as she walked through the open flap and into the tent.
A massive crowd had gathered inside the tent. The combined body heat and the warm summer night made it uncomfortably hot, but Amri was determined to stay and watch. Not long after she entered the tent Ralis appeared on stage, beaming in his new outfit and with his borrowed lute at the ready. She wasn’t sure if he could see her, but she smiled back reassuringly as he assessed the crowd before him.
From the same backstage part of the tent, Browen had slipped out and joined the crowd. Amri excitedly moved towards him, easily slipping through the crowd as if she were water. She playfully grabbed him from behind and whispered.
“Gotcha!”
Browen’s whole body went stiff at the unexpected attack but loosened up immediately as he saw it was only Amri. The pair giggled quietly to each other in the moment.
“Did your fancy teacher not tell you to watch your back?” She teased.
He ignored the jab and instead asked a question of his own. “How was your trip into town?”
“Boring… Oh but I got you something.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a carefully folded piece of parchment. “You said you wanted a map of our own.”
Browen took the paper and peeked inside the folds without opening it to confirm. “You didn’t steal it did you?”
Amri shrugged and returned her focus to the stage. The audience was almost entirely charmed by Ralis as they looked upon him in awe. They waited in silence for him to begin but Ralis looked frozen as he looked over the audience, his wide smile had been replaced by a nervous grin. Through the curtains and behind the stage, Raigh was peeking out with a confused look on her face.
“I… I’m sorry…” Ralis mumbled before turning and sprinting backstage.
Amri and Browen looked at each other with a combination of surprise, sympathy and concern. She never would have expected that someone like Ralis would get nervous in front of a crowd.
Wordlessly the pair hurried into the backstage area where they found Ralis pacing with a pained and disappointed frown.
“I’m sorry Raigh.” He was saying as Amri and Browen joined him.
“Just breath Ralis, you were made for this.” Raigh sighed, and Amri blushed noticing how very little she was wearing. “I’ll go distract them.”
And she was back on the stage. Amri could hear the booing audience as they called for Ralis to come back. Browen had walked over to Ralis with a smile that was meant to be comforting but looked more anxious to Amri.
“You don’t have to perform Ralis, we’ll pay back the carnival in another way.” Browen was saying even as Ralis shook his head.
“Why couldn’t I do it?” Ralis was asking himself. “This is my dream, isn’t it? It should be the one thing that I have no doubt about doing. But I saw that crowd and… they… It…” He started to shake as he tried to continue. “It reminded me of Wrenwood… and the soldiers at Snows End.”
Amri stepped towards Ralis and rested her hand on his shoulder as he continued.
“I… I just kept thinking, what if the charm wears off and they want to attack me…” He squeezed Amri’s hand.
“They came to see you.” Amri reminded. “The announcer called your name outside; they know you’re half Na’tyr.”
“And they didn’t attack Raigh.” Browen reminded.
“I know… It’s stupid…” Ralis shook his head, tears were threatening to escape his eyes as he continued. “But if I can’t go out there… They won… those… those monsters in Wrenwood. They took my mother and father from me and then they took my dream from me.”
The words felt like a punch in Amri’s gut. She hadn’t known just how much the people of Wrenwood had taken from him. “I’m so sorry Ralis.” It was all she could say. She knew firsthand the pain of losing your family and your happiness to monsters.
“There will be other opportunities.” Browen tried to console as he took Ralis’s other hand. “They won’t win, we’ll help you see your dream through. Remember, you’re not alone anymore.”
Ralis looked up and smiled warmly at Browen.
At Browen’s words, an idea sprung into Amri’s mind. She dropped her bag on the ground and hurried behind the changing curtain. As expected, there was a small box with a spare outfit.
“Amri?” Ralis asked, with a sniffle.
“One second.”
She hurriedly undressed and tried not to think about how much skin would be showing. She ended up having to tie an additional knot into the thin fabric that was meant to cover her chest. Raigh was bigger than she was in that department. And the skirt hung loosely on her much narrower hips. The sandals were the only things that fit properly as she finally stepped from behind the curtain, her eyes avoiding the one mirror in the room.
“You’re not alone Ralis, I’ll go with you.” She answered firmly.
Both men were staring wide-eyed at her and she immediately started regretting her decision. But before she had a chance to back out Ralis smiled and gave her an appreciative nod.
“Together.” He smiled and held out a hand to her.
She took it, ignoring how exposed she felt. This wasn’t for her; it was for him.
“Amri… you…” Browen’s face was completely red as he stumbled over his words.
“Don’t say anything!” She snapped back at him, not interested in whatever teasing words he was preparing to say. She was already on the verge of backing out and didn’t need whatever he was going to say to push her over.
Together Ralis and Amri pushed through the dividing curtains and found themselves on the wooden stage. Dozens of eyes suddenly turned and looked towards them. For a brief moment Amri wished she had stayed in her normal clothes. She had figured out long ago that she wasn’t shy about crowds, she couldn’t afford to be when she needed to rally the people against the Queen. But she had never had to stand before a crowd wearing so little before, thankfully most eyes were locked onto Ralis as he took his place at center stage.
Seeing Ralis again, the crowd paused in their booing. Now they waited in a charmed awe ready to applaud anything that he did. At that moment she realized that she did not envy Ralis’s charm abilities. Everyone he met, at least the first time they met him, was affected by some innate ability that made them feel love and desire for him. She could not imagine how hard it was to find real appreciation or love, when a glance would change the way a person felt about him. Amri knew that the crowd would love Ralis, he could stare blankly back at them for hours and they would still applaud at the end of it. She knew that wasn’t what he want
ed, but how else was he to realize his dream of performing on a stage.
The fire that had been circling around Raigh paused as she noticed them join her. She nodded at Amri’s outfit with a wink, understanding immediately what the plan was. Together the two girls posed on either side of Ralis, ready to move to his music.
Ralis looked between them and took a deep breath, swallowing the fear that had driven him back the first time. Then that cheerful smile that Amri loved so much was back on his face and he released her hand to position his fingers over the strings of the borrowed lute.
“This... is for my mother and father.” Ralis whispered, then his fingers began to dance.
Together, Amri and Raigh moved to the music. The rhythm was thankfully slow to start but Amri felt clumsy and oafish whenever she looked towards Raigh and her practiced moves. She tried to mimic Raigh’s dancing, the sway of her hips and twisting of her arms and legs to the beat. It was a much more sensual dance than Amri was prepared to give but there was no going back at this point.
Not long after the music started Amri caught Browen watching in the crowd. He had the goofiest smile on his face and his cheeks were bright red. She just knew that he was plotting to tease her mercilessly over this, and part of her supposed that she deserved it. She had teased him all his life for being a spoiled nobleman, maybe now they would be even. She felt her own face grow hot as he watched her dance, and she became somehow more aware of how graceless a dancer she was compared to Raigh.
Ralis’s music was undeniably beautiful and his singing was passionate. There were a few moments where even Amri felt a tear slide down her cheek, as the music moved more than her body. The crowd was loving every moment of the music, for the slow sad songs they would merely watch with enamoured expressions and some with tears. When the songs were fast and lively, they would dance and clap to the beat. They were entirely bound by the music that Ralis played, like a puppet master, Amri did not doubt that he could make them do almost anything in this state.
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