Castle Walls

by D. Jordan Redhawk

  The gathering looked at each other, a general murmur of dissent rising.

  With a nod, Ros continued, "Fantastic. Hodsin was a godsend last season when we came through. Rumor has it they've done twice as well with their crops this year. Make it good and we'll have food for our table for a fortnight." With a final scan of her people, the blonde grinned rakishly. "Let's have at it, then." They parted with excited babble, each bent to their task.

  Chewing her lower lip, Katerin edged closer to the owner. "I've not driven a wagon before," she murmured, blushing at her inability.

  "No matter, Katerin," the blonde answered in a distracted tone as she pulled on soft black leather gloves. "Just hold the reins and keep them from being tangled. You'll not need any experience for it, the horses have been well trained." When the smaller woman still hesitated, Ros' eyes fixed upon her. Her voice warmed and she grinned slightly. "No worries, lass. I'll be holding their bridles down below. These big lummoxes don't spook easily."

  Coloring further at Ros' attempt to ease her mind, the brunette ducked her head. "Aye. No worries." Swallowing hard, she turned without another word and climbed the rungs up the wagon. Katerin untied the reins, staring at the mess of leather in her hands for a moment.

  To give the woman a bit more time to collect herself, Ros made a final check of the wagons and people, stopping here and there as needed to adjust costume or placement. Once all was well, she returned, looking up to see that Katerin had finally figured out which rein went where. "Ready?" she asked softly as she took the lead horse's bridle.

  Katerin inhaled deeply, bolstering her courage as she nodded.

  Ros craned her neck to look down the procession. "Let's go!" she called, tugging on the steed to get him started.

  All in all, driving the wagon wasn't as difficult as Katerin thought. True to Ros' word, the mounts appeared to be steady and properly trained. All the brunette did was hold the straps of leather in loose hands as the circus owner lead the team.

  About them, Hodsin woke up to the new arrivals as the wagons passed the first low buildings. Children called in excitement and ran towards the center of the township, announcing their visitors as a pair of wandering geese honked in displeasure at nearly being trampled. The adult inhabitants left their abodes and businesses to trail along with the circus, grinning in welcome at the pleasant interruption in their day, and a fine procession arrived at the town square. Once there, people stood aside as the troupe circled about a time or two, showing off the richly painted wagons and themselves before stopping.

  "Township of Hodsin!" Ros called, her voice ringing through the square. She raised her arms and stepped forward, all eyes upon her welcome smile. "Let it be known that tonight - tonight! - a performance beyond your wildest imaginations shall occur not two leagues east of this spot!" The blonde stamped her boot to punctuate her sentence. "You are all invited to join us, to witness spectacular acts that will tease your fancy and boggle your mind!" Turning to the wagons, the blonde waved her people forward.

  Katerin blinked from her reverie, chagrined that she'd been so openly staring at Ros' presentation; the energy fairly crackled about the circus owner. Glancing around, she could see the others climb from the wagons, moving toward the blonde and, scrambling, she followed suit. Unsure of what to do, however, the brunette opted to stand at the head of the team, gently holding a bridle as she watched.

  "Witness just a sampling of what we have to offer," Ros finished, bowing elegantly and stepping back.

  Daiki and Minkhat surged forward, four small dogs yapping at their heels. The swarthy clown held two medium sized hoops in his hand. At the dog trainer's instruction, the animals began an intricate pattern of leaping through them. In response, the people clapped, laughing when one dog appeared to take a liking to Minkhat, jumping up to bounce off his chest and through a hoop.

  While this was occurring, the others were not idle and neither was the audience. Some of the people had drifted towards Cristof and he was regaling them with horrific tales of how many men his tiger had killed. At one point, he rapped the cage with a cane and the cat snarled and growled in response, scaring the living daylights out of the youngsters. Wilm was wandering about the crowd, the monkey on his shoulder, answering questions about the animal and allowing children to pet it. The boy's mother, Sati, was being chased about the crowd by Gemma, their behavior ludicrous in the extreme as they ran circles about people and generally caused havoc. Usiku, his midnight skin sporting a patchwork of colorful paint, closely studied an old man's clothing, half undressing the fellow in his inspection.

  Once the dogs finished their exhibition, Daiki called them back, tossing them each a treat before taking the hoops from his assistant. Free from aiding the trainer, Minkhat leapt into the air with a whoop, doing a backflip before joining the chase of Sati and Gemma. Taking their cue, Tommaso and Martim stalked forward and glanced confidently about the clearing. After a moment of sizing the crowd up, they looked at each other, nodded and began their act.

  Tommaso squatted down, holding very still as Martim placed a huge hand on his head. In seconds, the audience gasped as the second man levered his body up until he was standing, one handed, all his weight on his partner's head.

  Katerin watched in awe, as she'd done at rehearsal the day before, while the two men practiced what they referred to as 'hand to hand.' Movement from the corner of her eye drew her away from the act, and she spotted Sameer and Abdullah handing out flyers. She couldn't help but giggle at them, one tiny and the other massive, as they played off their size to do their task. Abdullah would squat down for the dwarf to clamber up the muscled body, bringing him eye to eye with an average sized woman that he flirted with, handing her one of the many flyers he carried. At another point, he circled a man who appeared to be the tallest one in the audience, his craggy face screwed into a scowl of consternation. Tugging on Abdullah's pant leg, he made some comment and, in response, the large performer picked Sameer up by the back of his shirt and dangled him before the tall man's face.

  "What do you do?"

  Surprised at being approached, Katerin looked down to a girl of about eight. "Me?" Her mind raced as she tried to come up with an answer, dark eyes casting about as she searched her thoughts.

  "This is my assistant, Kat," Ros responded as she stepped near and knelt down.

  The girl giggled, glancing back at two of her friends who were edging closer. Pointing up at the brunette, she said, "She's not a cat! And what does she assist with?"

  Relieved at the interruption, Katerin was nonetheless wary of the circus owner's response. After the last day of innuendo, there was simply too much that could be said to answer that question.

  Also picking up the potential, Ros looked up at the princess and winked, her grin impish. "Well," and she returned her attention to the girl. "Kat is her name. And she helps me with my magic."

  "You're magic?" the girl asked, eyes wide, all thought of Katerin gone. Her friends, interest peaked, pushed closer.

  "Aye," the blonde nodded solemnly. "Let me show you."

  Biting back a sigh of relief, the princess watched Ros entertain the trio with sleight of hand for a few moments, rolling a coin along the backs of her fingers, making it disappear and reappear once more. Despite a desire to keep away from the blonde, Katerin found herself intrigued by the conversation, a small smile forming as she watched Ros teach the girls a simple trick. How can she be so sweet and so vulgar at the same time?

  When each of the children had mastered the act of a disappearing coin, Ros appeared to pull a piece of hard candy from each one's ear and present it to them, smiling and commending their magical abilities. As they scampered off to their parents, she rose, winked once more at Katerin and returned to the center of the square. Tommaso and Martim finished their act, waving at the scattered applause as they backed away.

  "Township of Hodsin! You've seen but an insignificant offering here. Tonight, you will witness such wonders that only the courts of kings and
emperors have seen." Ros turned in place, eyes raking everyone present with a mixture of mystery and glee. "You will be able to see aerial feats of daring, magic, juggling and much, much more!"

  "Do ye still breath fire, lass?" a woman called from the audience.

  The blonde turned and bowed, a grin on her face. "Aye, I do. I've yet to lose an eyebrow from it."

  Laughing, another spoke. "And do you still have dancers?" He wiggled his eyebrows, a friend guffawing and thumping him on the back.

  "Aye!" Ros answered. "Lucinda and Habibah are preparing for your… entertainment, even as we speak." She smiled at the murmur of anticipation. Bringing things to a close, she bowed with an elegant flourish and stepped back, her troupe taking her cue and boarding their transportation. "Join us

  tonight, good folk of Hodsin. We will be awaiting you."

  Katerin found herself being hustled up the wagon, the blonde in close pursuit. Settling in their seat, Ros grabbed up the reins, quickly untangling them. As the horses began the trek back through town, she murmured through smiling lips, "Smile! Wave at them, Katerin."

  Doing as ordered, the princess watched as the people drifted along with them, children running in excitement until they reached the edge of town. From there, they continued on unescorted. Once around a bend in the road and out of sight, the princess dropped her arm and faced forward again.

  "That went well," Ros said. "I expect we'll get quite the turnout tonight."

  Heartened by the attempt at conversation, Katerin asked, "Is it like that in every town?"

  The blonde head shook in the negative. "No. Not always. During good years, we receive good bounty. In bad… Well, suffice it to say, when the crops suffer, so do we. People are less willing to be kind-hearted." After a thoughtful pause, she said, "It's been a good year so far, and we've only just begun the season. Any extra foodstuffs we'll receive will go into the stores for the winter."

  Conversation halted for a few moments, the only sound the steady clop clop of hooves in the road. "What happens now?" Katerin asked.

  "Now? We return to camp, prepare to greet our guests and put on the best show ever."

  Tending the firepits was a filthy job. Katerin, a smudge of dark ash decorating her right cheek, added more kindling to the iron brazier. As the flame caught, she adjusted the mirror, directing the light towards the makeshift stage. She kept low, moving to the next pot to repeat her actions. Nearly a dozen braziers circled the center of the tent, providing illumination for the performers. It had fallen on Katerin and Ilia, the least skilled of the troupe, to keep them blazing. Currently, the dark young woman was alone in her task, as her handmaiden was needed to play the lute for an upcoming act.

  Around her, the crowd burst into laughter. Glancing at the cleared center, she saw Usiku pulling what appeared to be a long string of colorful cloth from his breeches. That the material turned out to be several pairs of smallclothes tied together only made the audience laugh harder. An exaggerated look of embarrassment when he finally peeked into his breeches forced a chuckle from Katerin; she shook her head at his antics, stoking the small fire before her.

  Scattered around the edges of the audience were torches to light the way for those wishing to come and go, though not many utilized the opportunity. It appeared that the entire population of the valley was present, flickering torchlight reflecting no less than fifty people enjoying the show. This was the troupe's third performance in as many days, the word of their presence spreading like wildfire through the small community. Ros had been correct in her assessment of their bounty; the cook wagon now held several additional pounds of wheat and corn, three salted hams, two dozen eggs and an assortment of drying herbs. There had been promises of two casks of beer and a handful of roasting hens should the troupe decide to stay for another day.

  Katerin scooted to the next brazier, wiping sweat from her forehead, smearing even more ash on her delicate features. Around her, the audience roared and clapped as Gemma pulled Usiku's breeches down to his ankles, revealing a monstrous fig leaf guarding his privates. Grabbing up his drawers, the man gave chase, his buttocks flashing in the torchlight as he stumbled his way after his companion. Once they were both out of sight, Ros entered the center, a barely suppressed expression of somber excitement upon her face. Instinctively, the people hushed, some even leaning forward in eager anticipation. Katerin found she was mesmerized once again, an unsettling habit she'd developed over the last three days when watching the blonde woman.

  "In the deepest, darkest jungles of Mohsir lurks a beast so vicious, so

  horrible that the natives of the region liken it to a demon," she said, her rough voice pitched low. As Ros spoke, music began to build from somewhere behind her. "Many have seen it; few have survived to tell their woeful tale. One man - a great and noble hunter - braved the depths of that jungle, searching for the Mohsir Demon."

  When the blonde looked pointedly at Katerin, an embarrassed flush crossed the princess' face as she realized she'd missed her cue. Thanking the gods for the darkness, she hastily adjusted the mirror before her until the light washed across Cristof waiting to one side.

  Satisfied that things were back on schedule, the circus owner continued weaving her story, circling around and making eye contact with her audience. Behind her, Cristof acted out the tale. "Upon finding the beast's lair, he gathered his weapons. His goal was to capture this horrible animal and so he built a cage of bamboo and vines."

  A bizarre wooden contraption trundled out, pushed by Minkhat and Willem. It was actually made of elm and rope, created from leftover branches once the tent poles had been stripped, but in the flickering lights it looked rustic enough for their purpose. They then rolled out two barrels, placing them in the center near the flimsy cage before disappearing into the dark.

  "Armed only with a whip and a stave, the great hunter prepared to lure the beast into the open. What follows is a re-enactment of that fateful battle," Ros finished, moving out of the central area.

  Cristof pulled the whip from his belt and let it fly, the sharp crack causing the audience to gasp. In the darkness behind the stage, a low growl could be heard, followed by a woman squeaking in fear from among the spectators. Katerin, her attention no longer diverted by the circus owner's presence, bent to her task. She had seen the 'Mohsir Demon' lying on her back, receiving a tummy rub by young Wilm, so the act was less than astounding. Ilia soon reappeared and the pair of them fell back into the mindless drudgery. So lost in her thoughts, Katerin didn't notice the new arrivals.

  Ros, however, did.

  From her vantage point, the owner saw three men slip through the main entrance and begin scanning the crowd. While they weren't causing a disturbance, Ros had no doubt who they were looking for. Catching Abdullah and Willem's eyes, she nodded towards the entry. The three troupe members converged on the obvious soldiers.

  "I'm glad you could join us," Ros said, her voice nearly a whisper so as not to disturb the nearest villagers. "Perhaps you and your men would like to sit? The show is not quite half finished."

  The apparent leader looked her up and down. "No," he responded. "We'll stand." With a glance and a nod at his comrades, he sent them to look through the audience.

  With great skill, Ros refrained from scowling at the unwelcome visitor. "I'm the owner of this circus. Is there something I can help you with?"

  Eyes narrowing as the soldier's interest piqued, he asked, "How long have you been in this area?"

  His tone brooked no argument and Ros was hard put not to respond in kind. "I'm not at liberty to answer your questions right now. As I said, we're halfway through our performance." She gestured behind her to the stage where Cristof had his tiger balancing precariously upon one of the barrels. "This act is nearly over and I must introduce the next."

  "You'll answer what questions I put to you when I ask them," the soldier growled taking a half-step forward.

  Holding up her hand to forestall her companions looming forward, Ros' eyes raked over
the man before her, her face stern. "Do not forget yourself, captain. I doubt the queen of Dellenri would appreciate hearing of the Invader's soldiers rousting citizens within her borders." Before he could respond, the blonde continued smoothly, "I will be most happy to answer any questions you have once this performance is over. Feel free to post your men as guards; once our guests have left, we will speak."

  Studying her closely, searching for any subterfuge, the captain nodded stiffly. With a jerk of his head he recalled his men and the trio stepped outside.

  Turning away, Ros sighed in frustration. The question is, did they track us? Or stumble upon us during a sweep? She gauged how far along Cristof was in his act, not surprised to find that the ending had long since passed and he was improvising. The crowd appeared to be getting restless, instinctively knowing something had changed.

  "Now what, Ros?" Willem asked.

  The blonde sighed again and adjusted her sleeve. "Let's get this finished. We've got a far more important performance tonight. Inform the others." She barely heard their responses as she strode toward the stage to introduce the next act.

  All too soon the performances were over. Standing center stage, Ros looked out over the audience, catching the telltale glint of torchlight on chainmail, and gave her closing speech. A welcome cheer met her invitation for all to return the next afternoon for one final show. Bounding forward to accept their accolades, entertainers bowed and waved before dashing out of sight into the darkness. Katerin and Ilia lit torches around the stage before capping the braziers, giving better illumination for their guests to leave. About them, the hubbub of a satisfied crowd rose and fell.

  Normally, after all had left, their next chore would be to put out the torches and make certain that the braziers were properly extinguished before going to bed. Samheer had come round earlier, however, to inform them of the unwanted guests and that there'd been a change of plan. Looking towards the main entrance, fear fluttered in Katerin's throat at the sight of three guardsmen.