by Candra Kylar
“Born of fire and burned enough to harden me, I will not fall to the likes of a werewolf in a permanent state of blood frenzy! Your corpse will be charred tonight”, I shot another vanity fire bolt with an extra flair in my voice.
The crowd applauded from the spectacle. Braeden snapped his jaws mere inches from my shin and I stumbled back, regaining myself only to summon the big showstopper: the aura around me that resembled a shield. This got the awe of the crowd just as we had wanted. Voldini would be pleased that we kept things exciting for his paying customers. He would have something to lure his investors into more money. A small purple flash happened up in the direction of the investor’s box where my enemy sat complacent but I ignored it. For their part, the crowd didn’t notice the small commotion. Wealthy casters living a life of politics was hardly their concern and held little interest when a witch fought a werewolf in front of them.
Braeden faked a good attempt to break my barrier and clawed at it magnificently. I wanted to applaud his handy work for theatrics. He snarled and barked, circling the aura as if he wanted to get inside and destroy me. I calmed my nerves and pushed out my hands for our next rehearsed move. The aura burst into tiny fragments as I uttered the incantation under my breath. I had only learned these two spells for the performance and hoped it would be enough. It was impossible for me to cram in a whole new repertoire in one day. I didn’t have any intention of staying long enough for a second performance.
There was a bright purple flash again, a few shadows running from the box, and the crowd became silent. I had to distract them before Voldini’s temper got the best of them. A zig zag of dark purple lightning snaked its way down the side of the investor’s box alarmingly. It received a few gasps so I tossed out a stronger simulated fire bolt to hit Braeden. He took the improv without a problem and rolled several times. That brought the audience back to us. I posed above Braeden’s body, his eyes shut and his breathing limited. He would look defeated from a distance.
Then came the portal monsters. This hadn’t been part of our plan and my skin bristled. Wand out and forward, Braeden jumped up to protect me. I wouldn’t need vanity spells for this turn of the screw. They crawled out with long fingers and unhinged jaws, horrific, dripping with the ectoplasm of another world. Their hollowed out eyes turned in my direction and I froze. Casters corrupted were frightening enough to face, but a monster out of an unknown abyss was something else. Braeden didn’t hesitate. He leapt up and sunk his jaws into the nearest monster, ripping it’s pale limb right from the body. The being shrieked and the audience clapped. Their propensity for enjoying pain was ridiculous.
Another monster made its way towards me and I readied up a spell. Bam, one limb was crippled on it, then another strike and I had it reeling back. I was more use in this form rather than my wolf, which howled out inside to fight. I didn’t see the third creep up on me but Braeden caught it. He fought with a speed and ferocity that rivaled Max when he gave in to his other identity. I had never witnessed Braeden with such furious violence. His teeth tore at the flesh of the monsters, ripping it away, a fury exploding from within him. I sent my own twisted horror shrieking back into the abyss with another jolt, an effective spell that would rattle it down to the bones. I went for the remaining monster with determination.
The monstrosity swiped at Braeden and he was flung back onto the ground. A yelp of genuine pain came out of him and I could tell something was broken. I summoned a trail of real fire this time to torch the horror to dust. It screamed out, almost human in its disturbing measure, and crumbled on the ring. Applause deafened my ears as I ran over to Braeden. He was still shifted over and favored his front paw. With his mending magic dampened thanks to another of Voldini’s tricks, I knew he couldn’t heal himself. Our ring darkened as the performance ended. It was a cheap way to get a thrill but the audience loved us. I was just happy that we survived it.
Rynna rushed out in the darkness along with Max to help Braeden, now shifted back to his human form, hurry out of the ring. I remained. As I slowly got to my feet, a pair of dice rolled towards me. Smoke came up that was so thick and all encompassing that I became lost in it. I couldn’t see the audience and they couldn’t see me. A hand enclosed around my wrist and pulled me through the mist. When it cleared, the sounds were distant and I was outside of the tent. My dress wasn’t meant to withstand the cool weather and I shivered. Standing in front of me was Elizar, immaculate in a dark suit, worry in his eyes.
“I thought I would lose you when those things came out of the portal”, he wrapped his arms around me and buried my lips in kisses, “please tell me that you aren’t hurt. I already have a taste for Voldini’s blood in my mouth that can’t be sated.”
I struggled to breathe, “Calm down, El, I’m fine. Really! You shouldn’t have pulled me out like that. If Voldini knows that I’m not back in the residential tent, then he could make good on his threat.”
Elizar kissed me softly along the jaw, “If he comes for you, I’ll show him who the stronger warlock is. No one will get their hands on you.”
“It isn’t me I’m worried about. He promised to destroy Dimples’ body if I didn’t cooperate”, I said in exasperation, “and he even saw through our fight deception in the ring. That must be why he added the monsters in the end. It wasn’t what we rehearsed.”
“You willingly performed for that trash?”, Elizar narrowed his eyes, “Did he put a binding stone on you?”
I shook my head, “It was the only way that I could keep Dimples safe.”
“She still wouldn’t see reason? Was this trip even worth it if she didn’t want to be freed?”
I bristled under his question, “I refuse to give up on her. She’s being brainwashed by that gold crazed idiot and I need to break her out of it. I need to get back in.”
“Amaris took care of Voldini and the Council investors during your show. You probably saw the sparks from all of her anger unleashed. They’re currently running from her and Voldini has bigger issues to worry about. You have a straight path to Dimples”, he said quickly.
“Then there isn’t much time. Let me get back into the residential tent to speak with her...just this one last time. I need her to understand how important she is and why this circus isn’t her home.”
Elizar held a look of unease, “I can’t say that I agree with your plan, but I support your decision to do it. I couldn’t say I love you if I didn’t. How can I help?”
“The residential tent is the one farthest from the others, back by the roller coaster. Can you use your dice and magic to port me back?”, I asked.
He kissed me quickly, lips brushing against mine, “Anything for you. I’ll pull you out if things get dangerous.”
I knew he meant it. The fog was around us again as he slammed his dice on the ground. His hand gently pushed me forward and I stepped out into the residential tent. Braeden was being nursed by Rynna who looked perplexed. Max was pacing and having a quiet conversation with his other half. I looked away so he wouldn’t feel scrutinized. We had enough of that when performing in the ring. Rynna gently sent ice through Braeden’s wounded arm and a soothing relief came over his features. In my dress that was almost too tight to be comfortable, I lifted the edges of the skirt that dragged along the ground and headed for him. Time was precious but Braeden needed my help.
“The abyss demons weren’t part of your performance”, Rynna clenched her teeth, “Vander is changing up the rules. He’s scared. He’s confusing you with Max.”
“Or he intended to kill us by throwing us off guard. He couldn’t dampen most of my offensive magic and didn’t count on us taking them down”, I said.
“That doesn’t make any sense! Max fights the lesser demons once he lets his Wolf take over the body. They are mostly nullified and merely target practice for him. The demons Vander summoned tonight were of a higher calibre! What is he playing at? Why would he do this?”, she said with mounting panic.
“Because he can. Cowards like him alway
s cheat when they can toss someone around. He gets off on it and will kill you one day if you don’t come with me”, Braeden said, voice louder and an edge to it that revealed how much he hid his pain.
Rynna stumbled through her words, “I already told you…”
“Yeah, I remember the speech. You keep making excuses for staying when Voldini keeps finding new ways to hurt you. Sorry if I think a beautiful Seer deserves a better life than this shit show”, Braeden grit his teeth as a wave of pain hit him.
“He can’t use his mending powers here and needs to get out. I have family and friends that will find him if only you can get him to the parking lot. Will you do it for me?”, I asked Rynna softly.
She hesitated for a second before agreeing, “So long as you know that Dimples will have a sealed fate. Vander will count the escape as a reason to hurt her. He’s coming loose now and I think the Elder Fae magic he absorbed is taking control of him.”
“He’s so deluded and obsessed that he can’t even use clear judgment anymore. But that doesn’t matter right now. Tell me how to get to Dimples”, I grabbed her arm.
A war went on inside of Rynna that was apparent in the ice crystals that formed along her cheekbones. She didn’t want to completely betray the man who had housed her in this tent for years. On the flip side, she knew right from wrong and guessed we were technically on the right side. I couldn’t pretend that our goal wasn’t selfish. I hadn’t figured out a plan to free everyone else and expose Voldini for the terrible things he had done. I would eventually. After all, I was a private investigator who had handled worst cases than this. Saving a few performers that were fed up with their place of employment would be a cake walk once my best friend’s life wasn’t on the line. I held my breath as Rynna tried to decide how deep she wanted to go into this. I exhaled the moment she slipped me a small key.
“She’s kept in his office. He shouldn’t be there now thanks to that awful caster who started all of that trouble during the show. I’m guessing that was someone you know. I don’t care how or why, but go and have your talk. If you unbind her and she destroys everything, then that will also be on you”, Rynna warned.
“I’m going to show you that there’s more to history than just a one-sided narrative recorded by an ignorant archivist. People can surprise you”, I took the key and smiled.
Braeden winced in sudden pain, “Get out of there quick if she won’t see reason, Abbie. If I come across Voldini, he’s going to lose a lot of blood. A wounded wolf fights hard when it comes to revenge.”
I knew that Braeden wasn’t kidding. The monsters added at the end of our performance was enough to send him into a permanent anger. Voldini would never see the light of day again if he crossed my friend. We could have been hurt, killed, tortured for the amusement of a glorified freak show. That’s what we all were to that audience. Fira the witch, a hybrid, a freak. The word shouldn’t hurt me but it did. I hated being cast in that light. My status as a hybrid should have made me proud because it gave me an edge as a caster. I was truly unique in Iverli. Dimples was truly unique. Everyone here should feel that pride. If I could break Dimples of the dark cyclone that roared in her head, then she would help me. We could remove all of the other binding stones and make this the last performance of the Voldini Circus.
I navigated my way through the residential tent in an attempt to find Voldini’s office. Luckily, because he as pompous, it had a lot of ornamentation outside of the door. His name was scrolled along the top in gilded letters that were out of place in a giant circus tent. I sunk the key into the lock and turned it. Inside, Dimples waited on his desk, tearing through his papers. It looked like her own curiosity was peaked now that her performance time drew closer. Max was out now, fighting the monsters summoned, with Rynna soon to follow. That would buy me enough time. Voldini liked to use Rynna a lot in the show, brought her out as the star, and she would spread things out long enough to distract everyone further.
“Looking for proof that Voldini lied about who you are? I know he did and Ethan has the documents to give you a clearer picture”, I said firmly.
“Don’t do this, Abbie. Don’t make me choose”, Dimples replied.
I flicked my wrist quickly, “Sorry for the quick work, but you’ve left me with no other option. With just a few more runes...there!”
Dimples hopped back, “My stone!”
The binding stone fell from her hat and I grabbed it before she could. With a simple impact spell, I destroyed it in my hand. Dimples rubbed the spot where it was previously bonded with surprise. Her eyes screwed up toward me and I could tell she wasn’t grateful. She was even less amused when I started to pull off the stupid feathers that covered her body. I tossed them in small flames onto the ground and stomped them to ashes with my foot. She pushed me away and tried to salvage them. That did it. I slammed my hands on Voldini’s desk and laid it all out for her.
“You know, I don’t know who you are lately but you’re not the Dimples that I love. That I cherish more than any other friendship in the world. She’s spirited and strong, she understands that the world is uncertain and that the past doesn’t matter. She would talk things out with me instead of hide away melodramatically to punish herself for sins that are occluded from reality at best”, I sighed, “she would have listened to me.”
“I can’t go outside and be a monster. Even if everything Vander said wasn’t true, some of it is. Rynna saw a piece of my past embodiment with her powers. She doesn’t lie. I had the kind of power that could destroy everything and no cage could be stronger than this”, she pulled a feather away from me, “and this may be the best I get. This may be the best I deserve.”
“Why? Because Voldini said you would become dangerous and kill everyone? Sorry, but your powers have always outranked mine and I’ve never been scared of you. I never will be. You are one of the best parts of my life, Dimples, and I refuse to accept that this is all that you deserve”, I felt tears sting my eyes but refused to wipe them away, my voice shaking.
“I want you to be happy, Abbie. I want you to be safe. If the world is a better place because I’m locked away from it, then that comforts me enough. You can’t spend your life protecting me and you can’t make my decisions for me, either. I’m not leaving. I’m the Bog Queen from that Meredith Marble story. I didn’t finish it but I got the point. Horrific, dangerous, only to be undone by someone strong enough to do it”, Dimples looked at her tiny hands and added, “Voldini and Rynna may be it.”
“What does some stupid story about some swamp royalty have to do with who you are? Your life isn’t some throwaway to be determined by anyone else!”
Dimples trembled, “Please don’t ever come back, Abbie. I don’t want to see you. Any of you. Tell Braeden, tell Ethan and Frankie…everyone. Go live happily ever after with your warlock and let me have this ending. We’ve only been friends for a year.”
“An important year that changed us both”, I whispered.
“Let the Bog Queen live in her darkness. There’s no Meredith Marble to save the villagers from her so I have to do it for myself. I can feel the presence of your sister, your mother, Elizar and Braeden here. Their energy sparks when I close my eyes. Yours, so warm…”, she stopped suddenly, “the warmest of them all. I’m sorry that I had to do this.”
A dizzy feeling came over me, “Dimples…”
Then there was a pull far stronger than the dice Elizar used to get me from the darkened ring. This was stronger and had a beautiful wave of warmth wash over me. Dimples had said that she could feel the energy of everyone she cared about, me included, without actually seeing them. She knew we were there for her and yet she still chose the circus. My eyes closed on their own accord and my body felt heavy. I couldn’t explain the magic that was at work but I knew it was taking me away from everything. There was only silence as I floated back, pulled toward something, pushed away from another. I wish that I could have felt Dimples energy burning like she did mine. I reached out with fingers that w
ere heavy, lethargic, but they grasped nothing. Only empty air. By the time I opened my eyes, I was sitting in the bookstore.
To my left and right were the others that had been with me. Braeden already had green light emanating from his fingers as he healed his damaged arm. My mother and Amaris looked confused and irritated from the sudden change of scenery. My sister was the most livid with the situation. All I could see now was Elizar as he headed over to me. Our arms wrapped around each other and I didn’t care who saw. Tears spilled out because I had known what Dimples did. She used her magic, no longer contained now that I had removed the binding stone, and sent us back to safety. It was her way of pushing us away from her. She had made the decision that I never could. The hurt from it seeped out of me in tears.
Elizar held me like that without saying a word. No judgment came out of his lips and everyone else just blended into the background. I felt his fingers stroke through my hair as I hid my face away in his chest. The front bell of the store rang and footsteps could be heard. More of our friends coming together to agree that we had failed. I hadn’t been able to make Dimples see reason. Now, she had angered Voldini and would likely be punished. Worse, she could destroy him herself but would choose not to. All because of some annoying story that painted her as a Bog Queen instead of Meredith Marble. She couldn’t event see the goodness inside of her that shined so brightly. In that moment, I truly mourned for her loss.
“The website was suddenly wiped and all performances were cancelled”, Ethan called out from the front of the store, “we were waiting outside of the store when you ported here. You got back sooner than we thought.”
“Glad none of you died. That Voldini dude is serious business”, Liam added in.
My mother pushed herself up, “Both of my daughters love to put on a display. Amaris and I had originally planned to slip through the crowd unnoticed. Then she let that temper get in the way and let loose on the investors.”
