Red Circus

by Michelle Al Bitar

  “That is very delightful to hear!” he exclaimed. “Let us eat and then we’ll discuss business.”

  Riley only nodded and drew on a forced smile. There was a servant for every guest, and three for the king. Each one began to take what their hearts desired from different bowls and lay the delicious food on the plates. Riley cut through the coq au vin and swallowed the goods with a low moan. She did not realize how much her stomach was growling until she got the first taste of the royal buffet. Everyone around her was also eating eagerly, that some of them did not notice they were in the Royal Palace. Fay moaned loudly with every bite until Marilyn poked her to stop.

  “This is incredible,” Mathew projected as he swallowed down the weird looking pasta.

  “It is prepared by the finest chefs,” Jonathan replied calmly as he drank his wine.

  Riley lifted her tainted eyes to meet his dark jaded ones. He did not look back.

  She dropped her tissue on the floor and bent down to pick it up. Swiftly sliding her hand inside the chest part of her dress, she retrieved the small transparent bag and closed the tissue around it. As she straightened up, she wiped her mouth with that tissue. From inside, the small grains of the herbs rained over her plate as the bag slightly opened.

  Riley closed her eyes with one thing in mind. Feeling the king’s mind at rest as he only cared about eating, she was able to feel its energy and throw hers towards him in a shocking wave. King Christopher Freedian suddenly sat straight and opened his eyes. His mouth was salivating and all he could see was Riley’s plate and the amazing aroma it sent towards him. Riley did not eat nor drink. Her focus remained on the king. She saw him call out for one of the servants. The latter frowned, but dared not object. Slowly and confusedly, he walked towards Riley.

  “Ma’am, would you mind if you and the king switched plates. He would very much like to try yours,” the servant whispered to Riley in a low voice.

  She nodded instantly and smiled. “Anything for the king.”

  Moments later, the king was burying his fork in Riley’s plate.

  “Darlings, why don’t you tell us about why you’ve chosen this circus to take as a new home?” The king’s voice sent them into a halt. They all stopped devouring goods they had never tasted before.

  “Well, we really adored dancing since we were children, my king,” Flora started.

  “It was not our only interest actually, we were really forced to do any sort of activity in the orphanage,” Marilyn cut in. She looked down displeased at the remembrance of the place they had to endure.

  “Which orphanage was that?”

  “The one in west Regitum,” Marilyn answered and swallowed down a small piece of spicy steak.

  “Anywho, Rufus paid us a visit one day,” Flora continued.

  “I was looking for talents everywhere possible,” Rufus added.

  “Yes! He saw our dancing and asked us if we were interested in joining his project.”

  “We were thrilled, really.” Marilyn looked at Rufus in gratification. “I could not imagine myself living there anymore. It was like a living hell being trapped when we could actually share our passion with an audience.”

  “Remarkable!” the king exclaimed. “I get from that that you have found your home in Cirque Et Feu.”

  “Yes, my king, certainly.” Flora shyly smiled and her eyes drifted back to her plate.

  Riley was still eating. She tried to avoid eye contact with Jonathan, as difficult as it was. When she finally caught him staring at her intently, she stared back at him with a daring smirk. He was trying to intimidate her, but that was not the way she handled things.

  Jonathan smirked back.

  “What about you?” he asked her out of the blue.

  “What about me?” she answered after she swallowed a mouthful of wine.

  “What is your story?” he inquired with insistence.

  Her history was something she had hidden from everyone except Rufus. Rufus knew that and looked at her in silence.

  “I wish that it would remain my own story,” she responded calmly.

  “A story is built to be shared,” he insisted. Jonathan was not about to let her get away with this.

  “Not mine.” She gritted on her teeth.

  “Now I am even more interested.” Jonathan’s sinister smile widened.

  “Fine,” she finally put down her handkerchief. Rufus turned to look at her warningly, but she did not see beyond the rage that blinded her. “I am a normal girl from South of Regitum. I loved watching odd and dangerous performances, and I saw Rufus’s ad in the newspaper. It caught my attention and I wanted to try just to get out of my boring life. Therefore, here I am.”

  She let out a breath and took another sip of her wine. The warming sensation was crawling over her skin and she felt it colour her cheeks with a faint shade of red.

  “That is nice. It is always a good thing to look for the better in life,” the king explained after the uncomfortable silence that reigned.

  “She is lying,” Jonathan blurted out with a calm composed tone.

  Riley looked suddenly up at him and her jaw clenched. How did he know she was lying? She sounded very convincing to the king.

  “Jonathan,” the king warned.

  The man did not rest.

  “She is lying. I can tell. I want to hear her true history. We don’t want strangers in our kingdom,” said Jonathan, refusing to take his eyes off of her.

  “I beg your pardon?” She squinted at him. “My king, I wish to be excused if that does not bother you of course.”

  “Of course, dear.” The king looked angrily at Jonathan and waved his hand at William who was waiting for her by the door.

  She got up, the transparent bag of the herbs buried in her closed palm, and loomed into the darkness of the Royal Garden, right outside the dining hall.

  William refused to leave her side. With each step she took, he followed her. She needed to be alone, but he would not budge.

  “William, can you please excuse me for a moment? I need fresh air and I don’t wish to share it,” she snapped when they were standing by the tall leafy wall of the garden.

  “I am sincerely still looking to gain your affection, Miss Red. However, the orders are clear. The circus crew shall be protected at any second, at any cost.”

  “But I am giving you the order of wanting to be alone!” Her voice rose to an octave, and then she hushed it immediately. Jonathan was starting to get under her skin and that was irritating her.

  “I obey the orders of the king, Miss Red.”

  “It’s Riley.”

  “Riley… King Christopher is very aware of his guests, and he does not wish for them to be put in harm’s way.”

  “What can harm me in this garden? The guards are crawling everywhere.”

  “You can never know Miss R–Riley.”

  “Fine.” She rolled her eyes. He was never going to leave her alone, even if she forced him. She diverted her eyes towards him and squinted. What if she used her powers to get him to do what she wanted? Would that put her in trouble?

  No… She didn’t want to waste her energy on her personal guard. Everything should be used at the right moment. If she got caught before achieving what she had in mind, everything would vanish into thin air… Riley finally turned around and slid the transparent bag inside her chest once more.

  “Can I have a word with my lady?” She heard the familiar menacing voice behind her.

  When she turned around, William was already bowing down and returning to the castle. Jonathan stood tall. The reflection of the moon shone on his face. His dark blue eyes froze her in place, and he spoke.

  “Where were we?”

  Chapter 12

  “Iwas trying to get away from you,” Riley rudely replied.

  She suspected he was more than a consultant and had her ideas about his possible identity. She knew it was her duty to be polite. If she made an enemy out of him, her plans would go to waste. Taking a deep breat
h, she softened the way she was eyeing him and bowed her head.

  “I plead you to accept my apology. Acting out of irritation is not to be accepted in the king’s hold,” she added without the slightest conviction.

  Jonathan pressed his teeth against his lower lip and let his sight wander all over her face and body. He knew she was pretending to apologise, only to escape trouble. Having to live through years and years of people obeying him, his daily life turned dull. There were days like this that made him miss his military years.

  “I didn’t ask for it,” he emphasized. “I only want you to explain why you perjured yourself.”

  “My past brings back painful memories that I wish not to share, as I have already said,” she reminded him, her patience wearing thin.

  “These are the king’s orders,” he insisted, keeping a straight face on. “He desires to be aware of his guests’ history. Besides, defying the king’s orders is punishable by death. We don’t want to see that beautiful face of yours in the palace prison.”

  “The king accepted my plea to leave the dinner table and get some fresh air.” She hardly was able to control herself around him. “Some people do not get that my fresh air is not to be shared as well.”

  “Usually, when I ask people questions they answer.” His voice turned authoritative.

  “You are only a consultant.”

  “King’s demands.”

  “The king excused me,” she repeated.

  Jonathan held his tongue then stared at her intently. He wanted to understand her, to comprehend her ways, and start calculating possible entries into her mind.

  “There is more to the strong demeanour you let on,” he remarked. There was no malice in his voice. It was only an observation.

  “Aren’t you a curious consultant?” she rhetorically asked. Gracefully turning around, she started striding in the garden again.

  “Only about certain things and people,” he pointed out and kept up with her pace.

  The night was of a dark blue colour and the sound of the owls echoed all around. That part of Noteram was invaded with creatures of the night, but somehow, the citizens were able to cope with them and lead a life where they enjoyed their sounds.

  “How did you earn your position?” she inquired, even though she already knew he did not earn it. There was a reason he became a consultant.

  “There is the royal counsel as you know,” he explained calmly. “Each consulted the king in certain matters. After many decisions, I earned the consultancy position and there we are.”

  They were walking side by side, like two shadows in the night, surrounded by the black roses of their preceding encounter. Riley’s hand passed over the dark petals, yearning to see them turn into vivid colours.

  “That is quite a story,” she remarked. It was a dangerous game she was playing. She was the architect of that game, and so she should not fall into her own foul decisions based on rickety foundations.

  “You don’t believe me.” He stood in front of her to block her from tracing her path.

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “You will lead a rough life then.”

  “Already have. It wouldn’t alter anything.”

  “Are you sure about that?” He approached her and decreased the distance that had been annoying him ever since he followed her.

  “I’ve never been surer.” She locked her eyes with his, struggling to keep a straight face. Her insides were slowly melting into a pool of emotional yearning for him, for their bodies to approach and touch. A gentle stroke of his hand against her cheek made her close her eyes and sped her heartbeats by the millions.

  Riley suddenly took a step back and averted her eyes to the wall of flowers.

  “You are bold for someone who has to respect his high standards.”

  “I am a royal, I get to choose whomever I want.”

  “You and I both know that is not true.” If he were merely consultant, he would not dare make that move.

  “Why don’t you let me worry about the consequences?” His body brushed against her back.

  “Because I care about my life. I don’t want to bear the consequences of something we both are committing.” She turned to face him, but he did not back away. His face was merely inches away from hers. “You should not look for a contradictory partner.”

  “Without Contraries is no progression.” He smiled knowing he got her with that quote.

  “Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” she chuckled. “You know Roses are planted where thorns grow.”

  “You truly are a rose with thorns that make me bleed.” He took a step back making her strive for him to walk closer to her again.

  “You don’t know me.”

  “Then let me know you.”

  “That’s too much to ask of someone like me.” She suddenly turned around and started walking again. He followed her and gently held her arm.

  “That is too much to say in the Royal Garden. Let us speak somewhere else.” His anticipation was getting the best of him. He did not think his decisions through, because if he had, he would get her back to the banquet and avoid any sort of questioning.

  Riley bowed her head and nodded. She could not refuse that offer.

  “Then we shall.”

  The moon hovered over the city of Noteram like a mighty god, veiling his starry slaves behind his foggy shawl. The floral walls of the garden were dispersing with the apparition of one of the gigantic brick-looking walls of the fourth tower. Jonathan, with his almighty posture, solemnly let his eyes wander the area around. For if a breathing soul were watching them, he would have to let it suffer in the kingdom’s prison, not far from where he was standing. In fact, it was right underneath him. He would not hesitate to cause permanent damage, physical or emotional, to whomever dared offend or interfere with his plans. It was not in the sole purpose of abusing his powers, but it was a strategy he had learned in the army and something he was born with. If anything spiralled out of his control, he would grow insane.

  Riley did not notice the hidden microchips at first. It wasn’t until he stepped closer to the wall that she saw the small electric blue dots gathering as a projection on the wall. At last, they took the form of Jonathan’s body until a pale reflection of him was screened against the bricks.

  Riley managed to contain her quickening breath and watched intently what was about to occur.

  The brick walls were slowly dissolving until a darkened serpentine alley came into view.

  “Follow my lead,” he told her in a low voice.

  That was a sort of technology she hadn’t seen before. There was the news and electronic newspaper’s images to boast about the technology in the West. However, it was strange to watch it come to life in the East. And it was depressing to be sure that it would only reach as far as the Royal Palace.

  Strolling inside the hallway, Riley was beginning to fret the situation. Where was he taking her? Was she supposed to trust him? Darkness was overpowering them that there was nothing to see except the faint light at the end of the hallway, she could only hear the clicking of her own heels. Even Jonathan was as silent as a fox.

  “Where are we going?” she asked him in a hushed voice.

  “You will see.” He scorned her helplessness. She needed him and he knew it.

  Slowly, he felt her arm snake around his in need of reassurance. A smile crept to his lips, but the dimness was too powerful to expose his bliss.

  Finally, the light crept from a glass door. Foamed and securing what was behind it, Riley became more and more curious to sneak into Jonathan’s mind. He leisurely opened the glass door and a large hall came into her view. It was round and golden, ornamented with diamonds engraved on the wine-red walls. The glossy sun-kissed floor reflected their tall shadows, tangled into one entity.

  “This room alone could feed a country,” she stated rather to herself.

  “Enjoy the ground where only a few men have walked,” he suddenly replied in a dead serious voice as he r
emoved his arm from her grasp.

  She watched him stride towards a wine bottle lying on the table. His moves were slender and careful; it bewildered her how a man, who had been to war and seen the atrocities of death around him, could be so serene.

  “Spirit drink?” He poured the intoxicating liquor inside two goblets before she could answer.

  “I think I’ve had enough wine.” She let out a breath and allowed herself to wander around the room.

  “You ought to have some more. Wine is not pleasurable until it rules you.” He turned to her, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

  “You are a strange man,” she remarked. “I recall that the Notermese laws clearly state that it is prohibited to get drunk.”

  “Then what is alcohol for? It tastes bitter. And yet people drink it for the mere purpose of deceiving their conscious mind.”

  “So you agree on breaking a few rules.”

  “Only if it is for harmless pleasure.” He approached her and gently placed the goblet between her fingertips.

  Electric butterflies jolted through her system at this simple contact. She did not want this. She did not need this at the moment. Oh, but how his eyes turned into a sea of predators that she was willingly diving into. And his lips… red with a delicious invitation to an endless kiss laced with passion.

  He took a sip, his eyes never freeing her.

  “It is a charming place.” She broke their deathly eye contact and walked towards the stairs. It was covered with a golden coloured carpet and spiralled to the upper floor.

  “Would you like to see the roof?” he suggested.

  Riley nodded and raced him to the upper floor.

  Jonathan watched her with an intense gaze, studying her movements. She looked beautiful as she mounted the stairs and laughed with an enchanting echo. He chuckled at the absurdity of their situation but decided to follow her in quick steps as well.

  Once they reached the upper floor, Riley looked around her stunned. The same elegance adorned the walls and carpeted floors. A large window cut through the stone wall. She approached the thick glass and opened the see-through curtains, revealing behind them the most breath-taking landscape she had ever seen. Regitum, in all its beauty and greenness, was revealed before her eyes. The blue elms surrounding the castle stood high outside the gates, looking over the long road that led to the rest of the city. Different golden lights flickered like fireflies far into the hills of South Regitum, where the farmers lived.