Red Circus

by Michelle Al Bitar

  “This is not an effort to destroy an enemy.” She hugged herself shivering from the cold. “This is tyranny against your own people.”

  “The people who are seeking to take me down!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

  “Those people have families,” she said coldly.

  “And I am their king. I will not stop at anyone working against me… even if it’s my own blood.”

  “I can’t be the lover of a tyrant,” Riley muttered at last.

  “You are not. You are the lover of the king and you shall stay as such until I order otherwise.” Jonathan fixed his chemise then folded his arms.

  “Against my will?” She frowned more disappointed than scared.

  “I’m sure it won’t get to that.” Jonathan calmed down and approached Riley carefully. He placed his hand on her cheek and with the tip of his thumb, he wiped her tear away. “I see the way you feel about me, Riley. I know that it is real and I refuse to lose that.”

  “You are not the king I thought you were.” She wanted to shift away from his touch, but her legs wouldn’t move.

  “I am the king that is supposed to be. If I don’t act like that, things will get out of control and I cannot afford having the entire East take down a kingdom that took decades to build.”

  “What do you want from me?” Riley blinked away all emotion, but her eyes were always her weakness. They revealed everything she intended to hide.

  “Nothing more than to love me,” Jonathan whispered against her lips. He placed her face between his hands and approached her until their bodies were pressed against each other.

  Riley shifted her head to the right.

  “I have been asleep for hours in a dungeon. I am not in a rightful position to kiss you… my king.”

  “I don’t give damn.” He made her face him again, and buried his lips against hers.

  They were warm and cold at the same time. His hands were wrapping her body and worshipping every part of it. Riley gasped for air but was barely able to get some just to keep going. He kissed her until her soul was drained from any form of resistance…

  The kingdom was swarming with workers and event planners all day long. The preparations for the first streaming of the pilot episode of Cirque Et Feu had been happening for a week, but on that day, they were extraordinarily lavish. Riley passed her hand along the daffodils and white roses. They smelled like heaven. The gargoyles outside were illuminated with blue lights and with the theme music of the show, the water changed its direction as it poured out of them. Servants crawled between the crowds in masses offering the most expensive food. All of Regitum was ready for the show, knowing that it was filmed in the castle of their king.

  The invitees were far too many, moving in all directions, drinks in their hands and laughing over banalities. Riley was about to suffocate and sink in the puffed skirt of her dark red dress. She did not know who she was searching for precisely, but she wanted to get away from all the people speaking to her.

  “You look dashing, my dear,” a fat man with a moustache said. “You have a lovely presence; I hope it is reflected in the show.”

  “It is. Don’t worry.” She faked a smile a moved forward.

  “Oh! May we take a picture?” Two women the age of her mother, bless her soul, squeezed her in the middle. One of them placed a small silver device on the floor that with a snap of their fingers developed into a stand with a small camera on top. “Smile please.”

  The camera took a picture of the three then shrunk back to the floor.

  “Oh, it’s Riley Red! I would love to take a p—” A young man was saying and Riley rolled her eyes.

  “I really need a drink at the moment. I promise to come back for a picture.”

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” the man insisted and pushed his way closer to Riley. “I will not find you again if I leave you in the midst of this insane party.”

  “Really, I need to move,” she began to say, but the man was getting closer.

  Soon enough, his demeanour changed from surprised to obedient in a second as he looked behind her.

  “I believe we can take a picture later.” He turned around and left immediately.

  Riley frowned at his odd behaviour until someone wrapped their fingers around her arm.

  “For God’s sakes! Can’t I have a dr—”

  “After this dance.”

  Riley turned around at the sound of that voice. Jonathan smiled at her and slid his hand down her arms. His fingers gently intertwined with hers.

  Chapter 31

  “You seem oddly silent,” Jonathan spoke after a minute. Riley’s chin, resting on his shoulder, relaxed him.

  “I don’t feel like talking.”

  “It’s your party, Red.”

  “How is this related?”

  Jonathan sighed. “Why are you so solemn today?”

  “I am always solemn… Like my king.”

  Jonathan tightened his grip on her hand with anger. Being difficult was sexy in the bedroom. At that moment, he only wanted to enjoy the night. It was enough that so many things were happening at once behind his office door that Riley was his gateway out of hell. If she were to bring him misery, he would go mad.

  Riley slowly lifted her head and looked at him.

  “You look handsome.” She smiled. It was not genuine, but it was enough to lighten up his mood. “The blue colour reflects your eyes.”

  Jonathan smirked. “Would you like to take this to my chamber?”

  Riley closed her eyes and took a deep breath but never stopped smiling. “I would very much like to adorn your presence with mine tonight, my king. But I want to let my eyes dwell on your beauty instead of using it for my own pleasure.”

  “That’s one way to say no, but it was quite poetic so I’ll accept.” Jonathan kept holding her hand.

  “I apologize for having a panic attack a few days ago.”

  “I still don’t understand why.” Jonathan frowned.

  “I just… I saw the people on television… They were being murdered by your soldiers. Women, countrymen, children, all laying on the ground bloody and covered in mud. I couldn’t—” Riley remembered Charbel, and her voice trembled.

  “They asked for it, Riley. If they haven’t attacked, my men wouldn’t have caused all this violence.”

  “It could have been stopped with peace.”

  “Do you honestly think peace is the answer? No revolution is led by peace. And don’t mention Ghandi. That was one peaceful revolution in a million bloody ones. If they had come to us with peaceful requests, we wouldn’t have responded with violence.”

  “Would you have responded at all?” Riley folded her arms together.

  Jonathan swallowed. He was quickly getting angrier. What was worse was that Riley was right. They did come to request rebuilding their hometown, but the kingdom did not respond considering they had more crucial matters at hand. As Charles Arnold had told him, to get rid of the enemy, they had to eradicate them.

  “This is the last time you meddle in my affairs.” It was a command rather than a demand, and Riley immediately understood.

  “Do you still wish you weren’t a king?”

  “You won’t keep yourself out of this, will you?”

  “I believe in your power. I believe you’re a good role model to follow. Don’t set bad examples for the rest of the nations. Rule by justice, not fear.”

  “I rule as I see fit.”

  “Think not of how your father and your mother would want you to rule. Think of what your conscience desires.”

  Jonathan approached slowly and rested his palm on her cheek.

  “My father is dead. And so will my mother be. Nobody rules me but me.”

  He walked past her and brushed his shoulder against hers.

  And so will my mother be.

  Suddenly, the theme music of the show rang around the hall. Everybody turned to the screens that replaced the walls around them. They were all mesmerised by the col
ours and the music. Riley appeared on the screen as elegant and as fiery as ever. The invitees were all cheering, but there was something about it that was calming Riley’s mind. It was relaxing her muscles and her mind stopped racing for once. She scarcely blinked, and her fists were not clenched anymore.

  The number of viewers recorded at the bottom of each screen was rising.

  Riley blinked and looked away. She squeezed herself between the crowds and struggled to get out to the balcony. When the music calmed down, her mind was racing again. The drugging effect cooled down, and she was able to think straight.

  When the airing finished forty-five minutes later, the door of the terrace opened. Charlotte walked towards her friend with a dreamy smile.

  “Riles, why’re you outside?”

  “I needed some fresh air,” Riley lied. “Is everything alright? You seem disoriented.”

  “I am definitely not! Did you watch the Pilot episode? It is a killer!”

  “It sure is.” Riley looked down.

  “You know you shouldn’t be ominous all the time. Cheer up! We are airing our first episode in the kingdom for the whole world to see!”

  “I am happy about it.”

  “You don’t seem like it. It’s been your dream since forever to get to see the kingdom from inside.”

  “And my dream finally came true.”

  “You know I saw you dancing with the king. The word is spreading through the castle about you two. You’re not very discreet.” Charlotte winked.

  “Let the people say what they want to say. I don’t give a damn to be bloody honest.”

  “Is it true?” She gently nudged Riley, her thirst for gossip radiating.

  “What you see is true. What you hear is questionable.”

  “Oh, I hate it when you speak in riddles.” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever your choice is, don’t roll the dice with the king. It’d be a dangerous game.”

  “I am aware.”

  “But, Riley… everything’s going to be okay. We are all happy here.” The dreamy smile was back on Charlotte’s face.

  “Happiness is a strong word, Charlotte.”

  “But we are. The kingdom cares about us all. Some measures should be taken to keep things under control, but we are loved and lucky to have the Freedians care that much about our nation.”

  Riley did not want to say anything else. She nodded and turned to watch the moon.

  “We will talk later,” Charlotte said and disappeared behind the drapes.

  A few minutes later, Mathew walked out to the balcony drinking a bottle of brandy.

  “Matt?”

  He was angrily chugging down the intoxicating alcohol. “Yes?”

  “What’s wrong? How are you not happy right now?”

  Mathew drank more.

  “How stupid do you think I am?”

  “But why are you angry? You were already aware of this before.”

  “Riley…” He turned to her, his eyes crimson red. She cannot remember the last time she saw him that broken. It was probably when he first joined the circus and told her about Naomi. “I am leaving the circus.”

  “What? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been readmitted in the army… This time in the East.” He clenched his jawline and she could see a tear slipping down his cheek.

  “W…What? This can’t be. No. No, you’ve resigned.”

  “I received an official order that I am not allowed to refuse. I am fighting in the Amazon territories on the front line.”

  “Mathew, no. No, I am not going to accept this. I will talk to the king. He will cancel the order. Nobody can say no to him.” Riley turned around to go look for Jonathan.

  Her heart was drumming so quickly she was about to tear down the place with her bare hands.

  “Riles, wait,” Mathew called after her and held her arm. “It was the king who gave the order.”

  Chapter 32

  “Inever thought of this,” Princess Océane spoke in a low voice.

  She was standing between the arms of Keith Slater, against the flowery wall of the garden. In her palm was a black rose, watery from the rain of the previous night. Océane removed the petals one by one, until she reached the dark blue heart at the centre.

  “You can’t reach the heart without removing the petals that safeguard it.” Keith approached her slowly.

  The soft wind carried with it the smell of a familiar perfume. Keith turned around as Riley passed by them with a look of disgust, Lord Walter towering beside her.

  “Riley,” he called after her but she did not answer. She kept walking to the gate.

  A trail of footsteps was left in the muddy ground. The trees were still dripping from last night’s storm. Gabriel buried his hands in his cloak and stared at his feet, crushing the herbs underneath his boots as he kept circling the barriers of the camp.

  His mother should have been back from her trip to the Amazon by now. Catching her there was not possible. They had secured every possible way for her to pass to the leader of the Main Movement without being detected even by their own people.

  Gabriel rubbed his eyes and let out a loud sigh. He was not the only one at the bank of the raging river. It was two in the morning, and that specific location was dangerous.

  “What are you doing here, Walter?”

  Lord Walter was standing at the edge and throwing small pebbles. The rampant waters raced itself like lions to the left where the mist veiled the end.

  “Thinking,” the lord replied.

  “Weren’t you supposed to be watching Riley during this bloody party? Jonathan’s everywhere.”

  “She’s here.” He threw another pebble.

  “When did she get here? I didn’t see her.”

  “Because you’ve been too caught up with everything except the woman you should be looking out for.”

  “What do you mean?” Gabriel frowned, feeling his throat swell up again.

  “Do you know where your mother is?”

  “I’m working on it.” A wave of heat rushed through his body. “My men are searching for her in the Amazon. But it’s difficult to do so when Western spies are hiding in every bush.”

  “Did you know that Riley went into a fit and ended up in prison for calling the king names right in the middle of his castle?”

  “She did what?!” Gabriel’s turned red.

  “The girl is so full of anger and doesn’t think about her actions before doing them. She says she has planned everything beforehand, but she is controlled by her vengeful spirit.” He pointed at his heart.

  “If she keeps going like this, she’ll expose us.”

  “You need to pull yourself together, Gabriel. I know you’re worried about your mother, but you cannot let this blind you.”

  “It is not. I’m going to handle it,” he said unconvinced. The end was near alright, just not the king’s as he had planned.

  “I believe in you, kid.” Lord Walter tapped his shoulder warmly. “Otherwise, I would have never agreed to have you lead the revolution. I’ve served the queen for as long as I can remember. She knows you are capable of killing this evil organism starting from the heart of the cell.”

  “No pressure.” Gabriel smiled painfully.

  “It is never too late to back down,” the lord said, but it was only a deformed type of a rhetorical suggestion.

  “I don’t want to. I love what I’m doing. This world deserves peace, but peace doesn’t come without war.”

  The lord nodded.

  “Let’s get inside before this river swallows us whole,” Gabriel finally said, and they both headed back inside the camp.

  Exiting the Fighting Pit facing Desree’s passage cabin, Riley walked by the Canal where she could see the waters of the river running behind the thick glass. Passing the Wardrobe and the Conference Room, she entered the left door to the Kitchen Lounge. About twenty of the phoenixes were sitting there laughing, chatting, and drinking beer. Victoria, a Silvar
estian woman, was just leaving the room.

  “Yo, Riles! Would you like some beer? The barrel is at the far right. Go get some.” She smiled with her pearly white teeth, her only silver one shining.

  “Thank you, Victoria. I will.” Riley walked to the barrel to get for herself an ice-cold cup of beer.

  She turned around at the sound of a familiar voice behind her.

  “Alright, gentlemen.” Keith Slater tried to hide his laugh. “It’s twenty-seven times so far and I’m still not drunk yet. We should switch to tequila shots.”

  He followed her after she had left the castle. Without causing a commotion, he had waited for her and Lord Walter to be away from the castle enough and tried to talk to her. She refused to answer and dismissed him at once. The moment they had reached the camp, Keith was surrounded by his friends.

  “You brought tequila again?!” Laura Fletcher rolled her eyes. “They used to drink that like two hundred years ago. Why don’t you get us some more spice beer?”

  “Old is gold, Fletcher.”

  Riley followed their eyes. It took her a minute to understand that they were watching Percy Gordon. Every time the boy sniffed, they would take a shot of alcohol.

  Suddenly, an idea popped in her mind. Riley focused on Percy. She had to put in extra effort in the process since the phoenixes were trained to resist the compulsion of tricksters. At first nothing was happening. With a bit of alcohol in her system, her head started hurting, but it was worth it.

  Percy had left the room, but in Keith and his friends’ eyes he was still sitting there and sniffing over and over again.

  “Look, look at him.” Keith started laughing loudly that time. “What does he have inside that nose? The entire boogie monster?!”

  The two other ones sitting beside him laughed as well.

  “Every time I’d take a shot whenever you’re being smart… well,” Riley shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t know how alcohol tastes like.”

  “Wow! The Slater burned for the first time in decades by someone other than the queen.” Laura Fletcher looked at Riley impressed.

  “Women have a thing for me, apparently.” Keith took a deep breath and turned with his most charming smile towards Riley. “And were you not supposed to be at the party entertaining your king?”