Sneakily, he tiptoed inside the tent. He did not wait for her to turn around before he started tickling her and sent her in a frenzy of laughter. Naomi struggled to wiggle her way out of his torturous hold until she was out of breath. Mathew at last freed her and caught his breaths as well. When she turned around, he encircled her waist with his broad arms and pressed his lips against hers. It was as if each minute counted before he was placed in the danger zone again.
Gliding his butterfly kisses down her neck, he sniffed the scent of her faint perfume and smiled.
“You still manage to smell nice even when we're in the middle of the desert,” he whispered against her skin.
“I’m a nurse, not a soldier. I barely break a sweat,” she chuckled.
“Oh, but you did a lot yesterday.”
His smirk coloured her pale cheeks with a shade of pink. Swatting his arm, she cleared her throat. “Watch your tongue, Matt.”
“Oh, I did!” His charming smile returned making her blush even more.
“Just when I think you couldn’t get any more perverted!”
Mathew diverted his gaze from his beloved’s lips to her green eyes. How could he spend what was left of his life without waking up to her voice? A future without her held an enormous gap that could not be filled with the love of another woman. He had already bought the ring before marching to war. Even after he begged her to resign from her job as a nurse and putting her life in danger, she refused, arguing that she would never picture her life without him either.
“You’re really beautiful.” He caressed her auburn hair.
“I love you so much,” Naomi said in a sweet voice and threw herself in his arms again.
Mathew closed his eyes thanking the Lord over and over again.
“I love you.” He kissed her cheek. “We will have our happily ever after. I promise.”
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”
“But I will. I will protect you with everything I have,” he said and meant it, even if he had to sacrifice his life in the process.
“You’re in more danger than I am.”
“You’re in the danger zone too.”
She let out a breath she was holding. “I feel something seizing on my heart, Matt. I don't know what it is, but I feel like as much as I try to breathe, I can't get enough oxygen into my lungs.”
“It's because we're in the middle of the battlefield. Tomorrow is my last day in service. We will run away. We'll be alright.”
She swallowed, already knowing his words could not be confirmed until they returned safely home.
A wild alarming scream interrupted them. Mathew turned around surprised and rushed out of the tent. His crew was preparing itself for defence. And then, a person came into view. Leonard, another Western soldier, stopped in front of him, out of breath.
“They're crawling here. They've been hiding under the sand. Let the soldiers in the fortress know, prepare yourselves!” he warned them.
“Shit,” Mathew muttered.
He didn’t turn around until he heard a repetitive sound of gunshot, resonating from the other part of the camp.
“Naomi!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as he stumbled towards the tent.
The scene was horrendous. Stray Serpents were swarming towards the soldiers, who were hiding behind rocks or covering themselves with sand to remain unseen. He threw his body on the ground and crawled towards the stained tent in hopes to cover his lover with his body.
“Naomi, for the love of God...” he mumbled panicking. Looking around, there was no one inside. Where could she have gone?
Blood crawled on the plastic ground of the tent, reaching the sole of his boots. It was coming from the small white bed.
Numb clouded thoughts drowned him in regret, sorrow, and denial. Mathew walked towards the source of the blood. The horror of the corpse in front of him made him giddy and shook his system. The body of an angel lied motionless on the troubled ground. Between her eyes, a bullet cut through the skin and skull, sucking the life out.
“Naomi...” His voice sounded like a trembled cry. He fell down on his knees. He shook her. Everything about her said that she had already perished, but Mathew’s obstinacy refused to comply.
“Wake up... Please, wake up...”
His cries were muffled into her neck.
She was supposed to be wearing white on her wedding day, but the angels were now dressing her for her grave.
Mathew’s eyes were wide open as sweat rolled down his forehead. After joining the circus, he had thought that entertainment and bringing delight to people’s lives would gradually make the nightmare fade, but it still haunted him to that very day. He sat straight and buried his face in his hands to cover the brimming tears.
“Bad dream?” Riley asked him from the opposite bed.
“What do you think?” he asked her without bothering to look her way.
“Must have been a terrible one.”
“God, this happens every time I close my eyes.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes, hoping to wipe away what remained of that nightmare.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have told Marcus to drive.”
After silence reigned for quite a bit, he looked up at Riley with a glint of hope. She was intently studying a large blueprint.
“Can I—” He started and waited for her to look at him. “Since… you know...”
“Don’t speak too loudly,” she anxiously warned him.
“I know, I know.” His voice lowered. “But do the... er, you know have an everlasting effect? Like replacing nightmares with dreams.”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it for permanent results.”
“Can you try? Please?” he pleaded her desperately.
It was terrorizing to watch someone you love die again and again. It was absolutely dreadful, but she had seen what that might cause people to do. Too much illusion could lead to apocalyptic results.
“No,” she replied impertinently. “I know it's hard to have nightmares, but too much of that can drive a person mad.”
“I thought you’ve never tried it.” He furrowed his eyebrows sceptically.
“Goodnight, Matt. Sweet dreams.” She turned around to try to sleep, even though she knew it was nearly unfeasible.
The gloomy sky bathed in a dark blue colour, predicting the sun’s arrival behind Venes Mountains. They were still far from reaching the Freedian Kingdom. Marcus was hardly struggling to keep himself awake. He could not believe they were going to perform on the Royal grounds. It was not for any Royal. It was for the king, which made it all too invigorating to their business.
Everybody disliked the Freedian bloodline and deemed it to be a democratic camouflage for a capitalist dictatorship. Marcus, on the other hand, did not care about that at all. Performing and gaining fame would pave the way for him.
“Asleep yet?” Charlotte found herself comfortable on the passenger seat.
Roads were damp and it was quite dangerous to drive at night with slippery pathways.
“I am neither an elderly nor a child. I can handle an all-nighter,” he joked and glanced at his wife.
“You’re my old man.” She lovingly stared at her husband.
Marcus slipped his hand into Charlotte’s and pressed hard. If it weren’t for her, he would not have thought of pursuing his dreams. Ever since they met in college, they made a pact that they would not let society decide their fate. They were free spirits who chose their own destiny.
Look at us now, Marcus thought. He was living the life he had expected for himself with his partner by his side. Of course, their financial state had gone downhill for a while. However, the circus fixed that bump in the way and now everything he had ever fantasized about was coming true.
Moments of comfortable silence fell over, but they were soon interrupted by Charlotte yawning.
“Char, if you’re tired, go to sleep. You don’t have to keep me company. I can do well on my own.” He caressed her hand g
ently and kept his steady pace on the road.
“Oh, no, I am not that tired, but there is something bothering me,” she finally admitted.
“What is it?”
“I am worried about Riley,” she sighed.
He frowned for a bit and nodded. “Me too.”
Charlotte was right. Something had been off with Riley for the past few months, but Marcus was never the type to intrude into personal affairs. He understood that she disliked having people meddle in her personal life.
“I mean, she is supposed to trust us. Something strange has been going on with her.” Charlotte sounded like a vexed mother.
“I agree. Did you see her when we delivered the news about performing for the king?”
“She looked unbalanced, as if something caught her off guard.”
“It was odd. I thought she would be thrilled.”
“I'll try to talk to her. Perhaps, she would tell me if something is wrong.”
Three days crawled by. Three cool days of autumn chill were enough to reach their destination, the heart of Regitum, Civilus. Throughout the journey, the crew was either singing, sleeping, or drinking. Riley took it upon herself to get seated by the window and warily observe the landscape that surrounded the tour bus. Vast lands were covered in the lushness of nature. Ill-looking farmers, who worked with a great effort to maintain its productivity, dominated those lands.
Such as the food pyramid, humans were classified from the most important to those who least mattered in society. Building their beliefs upon that faultiness, slavery was slowly reigning over again. Poor residents were not permitted to purchase a land for it was ridiculously expensive, especially if it were close to Civilus, the city of the king.
The perquisites of having Royal guests are to get information about the palace with no effort at all.
She did not know who the heir to the throne was but had an idea. It was punishable by death to reveal that truth, for it put the princes and princesses in danger, in case they were targeted in any way. Her royal customers were never able to reveal the full truth.
Already disgusted by the scenes that passed before her tired eyes, Riley escaped her bed taking her purse with her and locked herself inside the loo. Unzipping it, she retrieved a small plastic bag with white stripes. She squinted and saw the small almost unseen herb inside.
With precision, she took hold of the venom inside the plastic bag and slid it inside her bra. She would not be searched in there. The king had heard the reputation of the Circus and had ordered his men to treat them like royalty and welcome them in the palace before the big show. It almost felt like magic.
“We’re here, fellows!” Fay’s voice caught everybody’s attention as the bus halted to a stop.
They all hurled down the bus with their luggage dragged behind them. The road was covered with small white pebbles and the long bumpy pathway bounded by trees was the only way that could lead to the mansion.
More than five guards appeared, coming out of the pathway’s shadows. They were walking almost like robots, with no expressions on their faces. Their clothes covered every inch of their body with steal armour, coloured in electric blue and red. The seal of the king was printed on their chests, showing the face of a lion with an open mouth, and two eagles springing out of it.
It was all too disturbing, the symbol of Regitum, but the government accepted it as genius. The lion represented strength and the eagles represented dominion.
The guards carried their bags and a black sleek limousine soon arrived. The crew scurried to the car with admiration, scrutinizing every bit of the vehicle as if they had never seen anything like it before. They all tried to fit in, and when they did, the car took off.
“A limousine!” Fay exclaimed and relaxed back with a satisfied expression on her face. “I would certainly like to thank the king for his special treatment in my own special way.”
Flore rolled her eyes laughing. “You’re always ready to thank anyone in a special way.”
“Oh, shut up.” Fay playfully pushed her friend. “He is the age of my late grandfather. I was only joking.”
Mathew, on the other hand, looked at Riley and smiled. “What are you thinking about?”
His friend had been sitting in the car in silence. Sometimes, he really was interested in knowing what was whirling inside that mind of hers.
“How I'm going to get out of my clothes and sleep in my royal room.” She smirked and gave him a quick glance.
He snorted. “Aren't you a tiny bit excited about being in the royal palace?”
Instead of replying, Riley shrugged and held up her phone, typing a few words on the slim touch screen.
-I hate them.-
She made sure to type it on her notepad instead of a message for fear that it would be surveyed. Mathew immediately understood.
-Who doesn't? But at least we'll get paid a shitload of money and we can travel maybe?-
Riley looked at him a bit surprised by his suggestion. She loved travelling, but it had always been affiliated with the circus. It would be nice to escape her world for a few days.
-Travel?-
- Why not? We can take a break and go to a city you've never visited before.-
- Yeah, I'd like that.-
All of a sudden, her phone was tossed aside as Charlotte decided to seat herself between her and Mathew.
“Babe, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a matter,” her friend said slightly worried.
“What’s wrong? You need to try a new position?”
Charlotte widened her eyes crimsoning. “Shush! What is wrong with you?!”
“I heard you and Marcus before, and I learned to shut you out of my head. You should really keep it down. We have kids in the circus.”
“You harlot.” Charlotte playfully nudged her friend, laughing lowly.
“Harlot?” Riley raised her eyebrow scornfully.
“Can we talk later, or not?” Charlotte suddenly turned serious.
“Yeah, whatever.” Riley relaxed back.
“Where did Rufus go?” Marcus asked.
“He was taken in another car to talk to the King's assistant alone because he is our manager and all,” she answered him.
“I wonder how the palace looks like!” Marilyn exclaimed excitedly.
Silence reigned over as they all stared out of the window. The gigantic gate of the Freedian palace opened for the stretched vehicle.
Riley’s heart skipped a beat.
Chapter 6
The golden gates opened gradually, announcing the arrival of the guests. The fences that extended from the gate were coated with pure gold. Around the pathway, they were driving through extended unlimited acres of green swards and flowers uncommon in the East.
Riley observed the red poppies majestically standing and welcoming them in. Just as she thought of the residence of the king, it came into view. The four towers were as huge as the eye could distinguish.
“I’ll be damned!” Mathew exclaimed, mesmerized by the landscape.
“This is insane,” Riley expressed.
When they approached the castle, two enormous doors opened at the far left of the third tower—also called third section for the tower rises at the corner—leading them to an underground parking lot. What seemed like a red laser scanned the car as it passed. It was to make sure they held no weapons, she guessed. The most important thing was not to make them undress. She already knew Rufus’s connection with the royals, which meant they should be treated well. Or so she hoped.
The car halted to a stop, and the crew climbed out of it. They were trying to guess how long it would have taken the workers to build the Royal Palace.
The sentinels escorted each one of them and started leading them towards the elevator which seemed centuries away.
“The king spoke a good word about you. You will only be tested for shallow body search. I believe none of you holds anything harmful to the king,” the first guard warned them. He was a young one, possibly
Riley’s age. He seemed determined on carrying the king’s word without flinching or making eye contact with them.
“We are stripped of our luggage and you have rummaged them all for all I know. I am sure I don't have explosives knitted to the fabric of my shirt,” Riley said indifferently. Even though, deep down, she was thrilled with the fact that they would not take her shirt off.
Mathew, walking by her side, frowned and nudged her. “Rye.”
The second guard, who seemed no older than forty, chuckled amused.
“She’s got humour this one.”
“Do not use that sort of humour on the king if you want to keep your head on your shoulders,” the first young guard uttered in a warning voice.
“They are to be treated like royalty here. Everything they desire is to be delivered.” Rufus’s voice sounded from the back, making Riley smile.
When he stood by the guard, the young one halted to a stop and turned to him. He was surprised. Suddenly, he bowed with a display of respect.
“Mr. Patrick. I apologise if I have disturbed you in any way.”
“Tu n'as rien dit de mal. Mais fais attention la fois prochaine. I don't want you treating my fellows like servants.”
The young one nodded in acceptance and after a gesture from Rufus, they continued walking.
After five ticking minutes of striding towards the central gate that would lead them inside the main section of the palace, the group stopped and waited. Two doors marking the ingress inside caught everyone’s breaths. Gilt crawled around the edges of the doors. Riley’s eyes scanned the awe-inspiring design that had probably taken centuries to perfect. On the perimeter of the black door were carved copious faces of the most important figures that had landed the East, starting with princes and prime ministers and ending at the top and in the middle with the face of the recent king, Christopher Freedian.
Riley cleared her throat. As she looked around, the only two men with indifferent faces were Marcus and Rufus.
The doors opened and the two sentinels who helped them in stepped carefully behind the doors. They had a straight back and a blank stare that would not faze even under the threat of a lion, but would turn into begging sobs under the king’s commands.
Red Circus Page 5