by S. E. Smith
One of the female clowns came rushing up to them. She did a hand spring followed by a flip before she landed right in front of them. Putting her finger to her lips, she motioned for the men to follow her along the narrow lit path.
Manota looked back and forth as he walked down the pathway toward a huge towering tent set up in the center of the storage Bay. The peak of it almost touched the top of the Bay while the sides were made of colorful fabric with hundreds of bright, beautiful images all over it. His eyes moved to the sides of the path where clowns appeared and disappeared in the darkness. Some were juggling different items such as balls, rings, and – he frowned at the knives. Other clowns were performing little skits that he found both alien and amusing. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
“What’s going on?” K’tar asked in awe as he stared at a large clear mirror.
His breath drew in when a beautiful woman rose up to look back at him. She looked like she was in a painting that was alive. She had on a short pink dress. As she twirled around on her toes, glittering wings fanned out behind her. He snarled when several warriors behind him pushed him forward and he lost sight of her. He tried to fight his way back to the mirror but he couldn’t as the men behind him pushed him further away.
“I want to go back,” he snapped. “I want to see the female in the mirror.”
A clown shook his head and pointed. K’tar jerked to the side and watched as two clowns folded the mirror up until it was no bigger than a thirty by thirty centimeter tile. Then, one of the clowns put it in a bag while the other raised a hammer and smashed it.
“NO!” K’tar yelled in horror.
He fought to get back to the clowns but one of the Mimes appeared and shook his head sadly and pointed toward the entrance to the tent. K’tar shook his head but he had no choice but to continue forward as the wave of warriors continued to push on him.
Manota looked at K’tar who gazed back at him with a combination of horror and confusion. Gritting his teeth, he turned and looked at the entrance as two clowns pulled the huge flaps opened. Straightening his shoulders, he stepped inside. He couldn’t see anything but the seats that ringed the outer edges of the huge interior. He nodded briefly to one of the clowns who pointed for him to climb up the stairs. Kev, K’tar, and Shavic followed him as he slowly ascended the steps.
Once he reached the top, he sat down on one of the hard benches. He couldn’t help but watch as the other warriors filed in. There was something – magical happening. He couldn’t take his eyes off the excited faces as the men looked around wondering what was going to happen next. His eyes flickered to the clowns who were entering behind the last of the warriors. The Mimes came in last, securing the huge flaps until they were tightly sealed.
“I’m not sure I like this,” K’tar bit out.
“I…” Kev started to say until he noticed that Ricki had walked over to sit next to the reporter they had captured and the female he wanted. He watched as the female smiled and nodded to Ricki as she whispered to her.
“I am not sure I like this either,” Manota admitted. “I will need to talk to Walter about doing things without getting approval first.”
“I think this is incredible,” Shavic said as he reached for a bag of white fluffy things that one of the clowns was handing out. He sniffed the item before he picked up a piece and tasted it. His eyes grew wide and he grinned. “This is good,” he said enthusiastically.
“Give me one of those,” K’tar muttered as another clown came by.
“Ah hell, I’ll take one too,” Kev said with a sigh, keeping his eyes on the female he had claimed. She was eating the white fluffy stuff. He might as well try it as well. He crunched down on a handful before stopping to look at it in surprise. “This is good.” He muttered, his voice muffled from his mouth being full.
Manota reached for a bag and sniffed it. He tried a few pieces and had to admit, it was tasty. It had a taste unlike anything he had ever eaten so he wasn’t sure what to compare it to. He munched on it as he watched the rest of the warriors. Soon all of them were eating. It was only then that he noticed the last of the clowns slipping away into the darkness. His unease swept back through him as he looked down at the crunchy kernels in the bag. He wondered if they had put something into it that might hurt him or his warriors. He shook off the thought even as it developed.
“Look,” Kev muttered around a mouthful of the substance.
Manota looked down at the Mimes as they marched to the front of the stands where everyone was sitting and looked up. There was something about the way they moved, the look on their face that held everyone mesmerized. They never said a word and yet, they spoke volumes. With a flourish of hand gestures, the Mimes turned and pointed to the center of the dark room. As soon as everyone looked, all the lights went out except for one small light shining down at the very center. The fog closed in on everything but that one small circle. Then, out of the darkness, Walter’s small body stepped into the light.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. Children of all ages,” Walter called out in his deep voice. “Tonight you will see wonders never seen before. Feats never before performed elsewhere. Magic…” His voice dropped even lower, sending shivers of uncertainty down every person’s spine in the stands. “Magic like you have never known. Welcome… to the Cirque de Magik,” Walter said as he looked up at the same time as his hands opened above him.
Manota sat forward following the direction Walter had looked as the light slowly faded from where the small ringmaster had been standing to the ceiling of the tent. His gasp was not the only one that filled the tent. For in the center ring, high above the stands was a beautiful woman spinning around and around on a hoop hanging from the very top.
“Jo,” Manota whispered as he watched his mate.
Chapter 14
His heart beat heavily as he watched her spin, twist and float almost thirty meters above the floor. He didn’t care that there was a net about halfway up. It was his mate and she looked so – beautiful, he had to admit. When she went from spinning by one ankle to spinning from her neck, her arms and legs gracefully arching in different directions he thought his heart would stop.
After several minutes, she climbed up onto the hoop. He was in the process of starting to breathe again when she reached out and grasped a bar that had been tossed to her. As she jumped off the large ring, it disappeared into the ceiling leaving her swinging back and forth. She flipped up until she was holding onto the bar by her ankles only, leaving her hands free.
“Gods,” Manota muttered.
A moment later, another small figure appeared out of the darkness. At first, Manota thought it was Star. Only when the light struck the woman’s face was he able to tell it was Tami Strauss. Jo caught her mother’s wrists. He thought she would pull her up but instead as they reached a certain height, Jo released her mother who did a flip and Jo caught her again by her ankles this time. A moment later, her mother flew through the air only to be caught by Alan Strauss. He was hanging upside down like Jo from another bar.
Manota’s eyes swiveled back to Jo to see she was hanging from the bar by her hands now. Her long legs moved back and forth as she went impossibly higher and higher until he thought for sure she would fly through the top of the tent. As she came back for her last swing, she let go of the bar. Manota stood up, dropping his popcorn as she did several flips and turns in the air. Just when he felt for sure she would fall to her death, Alan Strauss appeared catching her by her wrists.
“Oh Gods,” Manota said weakly as he sank back down onto the bench.
“No shit,” K’tar and Shavic said at the same time, their eyes glued toward the ceiling.
*.*.*
Manota watched for the next two hours as one magnificent feat after another was completed. They watched as animals danced. Clowns raced around pulling fits of laugher from everyone until Manota had to hold his sides because they hurt. The last act of the night drew gasps of amazement from everyone - except K’tar who h
ad to be held back at first.
It started with what looked at first like a large clear panel being wheeled out into the center ring. Walter introduced a man called Marcus the Magnificent who walked around it several times before he turned the clear piece of glass to show that it was no more than a few centimeters thick. Once he had turned it around twice, he positioned it until it was facing them. They watched as Marcus walked around it one last time, tapping on it in several places as he did. The audience could see him the entire time. Once he had walked around it, a huge red cover floated down from above to cover it. Marcus spent several minutes making sure the fabric covered every inch of the glass.
“What is he doing?” Shavic asked, looking at the thin glass in puzzlement. “What is so magnificent about a thin piece of covered glass?”
“Maybe he is going to try to walk through it?” Kev said with a shrug as his eyes drifted down to the female who was staring raptly at the center ring.
Manota’s eyes drifted around the ring looking for Jo. She had been in several different performances. His eyes turned back as Marcus said something he missed. He watched as the man tapped the glass that was still covered before whipping the cover off with a quick jerk. Inside the thin glass was the figure of a sleeping woman. Manota started when he realized that it was the woman from the mirror that they had seen coming in.
“It’s her,” K’tar breathed out, jerking forward as his eyes remained glued on the still figure. “How did she get in there? What is he going to do to her?”
“Shush!” Several warriors growled out.
Manota stared in awe as the girl slowly woke. She sat up, looking around her in surprise before she rose gracefully. This time she was wearing a light blue outfit that highlighted her long black hair. Her eyes were tilted at the corners and she looked wildly exotic and extremely fragile. On her back, gossamer wings fluttered catching the light and sparkling. She rose up on her tiptoes, touching the glass. Her hands roamed it as if she was looking for some doorway to open so she could escape.
“Behold!” Marcus yelled out. “Witness the capture of the beautiful wood fairy. Elusive, magical, rare, she is mine!”
“Never!” K’tar roared out, standing up.
“Will you sit down,” one of the young warriors sitting in front of him said. “I want to see what happens!”
“I’ll show you what happens,” K’tar snarled out.
Shavic grabbed K’tar’s arm as he started to reach for the young warrior. “I want to see what happens too and if you hurt him then I’ll miss the rest of the show. Now, sit down or so help me I’ll put a laxative in your drink in the morning.”
K’tar muttered darkly under his breath but sank back down onto the hard bench. Manota shot his communications officer an amused look before he focused back on the drama unfolding in the center ring. Marcus was turning the thin piece of glass around again so they could see not only how thin it was but the front and back of the girl/fairy trapped within. The female was pounding on the glass and turning as he shifted her.
“But, all good wood fairies need a forest if they are to survive!” Marcus called out. “Denied such a home, they quickly wither and die.”
As if there were a truth in his words, the delicate female slowly sank down. Her large, expressive eyes showing such sorrow that even the oldest, most seasoned warriors began yelling for her to be released. Her eyes moved around the audience, pleading for their help even as she began to fade before their eyes.
“NO!” K’tar roared again, standing up and staring down in horror at the delicate female.
This time, the young fairy’s eyes moved up to his. She raised her tiny hand, pressing her palm against the glass. A single tear glittered in her eye before slowly rolling down her cheek as she began to fade until they could see through her body.
“Let me go!” K’tar roared out.
He tried to get down the steps but Shavic and Kev held him by his arms as he tried to move past them. He fought briefly, his eyes still glued to the slender figure fading before his eyes. He had to get to her. He had to help her. He had to save her. He had to – claim her.
“Will you sit down!” Shavic hissed, anxiously. “He’ll do something. He won’t just let her fade away,” he said before he turned to look at Manota. “Will he?”
Manota stood up, scowling down at Marcus. “Free her!” He demanded.
“Free her! Free her! Free her!” More and more of the warriors’ voices rang out until it echoed loudly inside the tent.
“Gentlemen!” Marcus roared out raising his arms. “Gentlemen!” He roared again this time sending out dazzling sparks of light that stunned those yelling down at him. “While I would love to free her, to do so would be to sentence her to immediate death. No, there is only one way to save her!” He yelled dramatically.
“How?” K’tar demanded as silence fell. “How can you save her?”
Marcus looked at the huge warrior. “Someone must take her place within the glass,” he said quietly. “Only then can she live.” Total silence filled the tent at Marcus’ words.
“I will go,” K’tar announced loudly.
“What?” Manota exclaimed, looking at the huge warrior in shock.
K’tar looked at his commander before looking back down at the pleading face of the tiny female. “I said I will go in her stead.”
“We have a volunteer!” Marcus said pointing to where K’tar stood stiff and proud. “A true warrior who would sacrifice his own life, his own freedom for a magical creature!”
Manota started when he realized the two Mimes who had disappeared after the beginning of the show were now standing on the steps in front of him. Both looked solemnly at K’tar, waiting. K’tar lifted his head and started to step down the stairs.
“Wait,” Manota growled under his breath as he grabbed K’tar by his left arm. “You cannot be serious about being entrapped in that glass. It would be a death sentence. How long do you think you can survive in it?”
K’tar looked back down at the young female whose eyes filled with sorrow. She shook her head at him and lowered her eyes. Even as he watched, he swore she faded a little more.
“How can I leave an innocent female to such an existence?” K’tar responded, shaking off Manota’s hold on him.
Everyone was silent as the Mimes lead K’tar down to the center ring. They watched as Marcus spoke to him. K’tar nodded once before he walked forward. Everyone held their breath as the delicate female in blue rose to stand again. She pressed her hand against the glass, waiting. A small, shy smile slowly lit her face as K’tar raised his hand and pressed it against the glass over hers.
A loud gasp filled the tent as the female gently pulled K’tar into the glass with her. As he stepped through, Manota, Kev and Shavic all rose so they could see over the heads of the other warriors who had risen as their comrade and friend became encased inside the glass with the female who became more solid as they watched in awe.
“Alas, it is not freedom the fairy needed but true love,” Marcus announced. “But, to live they must have a home!”
Manota’s mouth dropped open as all around K’tar and the female, trees, grass, and plants began to form. K’tar seemed oblivious to everything but the woman in his arms. Even as they watched, he bent his head and sealed his lips over her upturned mouth.
“And so it goes, that two lovers separated by the veil of magic have been reunited,” Marcus said as the red cover fell back over the thin glass.
Manota watched in disbelief as the Mimes began to roll the glass with his friend inside away. He moved down the stairs rapidly, pushing several warriors to the side. He yelled once and the small group turned as he walked across the floor of the storage Bay.
“Wait!” He ordered again.
“Yes, dear sir,” Marcus said. “What can I do for you?”
“Bring him… bring them back!” Manota ordered. “Now!”
Marcus shook his head sadly. “I fear I cannot. They are locked in another realm
now. A realm no human can go to.”
Manota pulled the short laser sword at his side and pointed it at Marcus. “We are not human,” he growled in a low menacing voice. “I said bring them back now.”
Marcus’ eyes grew wide as Manota looked at him with deadly intent. His throat moved up and down nervously as he glanced at the two Mimes who rolled their eyes at him. His nervous gaze moved back to Manota who was glaring at him.
“I can’t bring them back,” Marcus whispered hoarsely.
“Well, I can!” Manota snarled.
The audience watched in silence as Manota strode over to the covered glass. He reached up and jerked on the cover. He froze as the cover fluttered to the ground. There was nothing on the rolling cart. He kicked the red velvet cover to the side, searching and still nothing. No glass, no female, no K’tar, no forest – nothing. He turned in a circle several times before he looked at Marcus who smiled sadly at him.
“As I said, it is too late.”
Before Manota could move, a large cloud of colorful smoke covered the man. By the time it cleared Marcus the Magnificent was gone. Manota’s head jerked upward as a wisp of blue smoke rose from where Marcus had been, moving upward higher and higher until brilliant sparks burst out over the center ring. Manota covered his eyes against the flash of light. He blinked several times to clear his vision. As things became clearer, he saw a length of blue fabric slowly sinking down to the floor.
As soon as it touched, it began to rise again. From inside it emerged two figures. One female who wore a beautiful long white dress, her long black hair flowing down her back. The other, a fierce Kassisan warrior, protectively holding her in his arms.
“K’tar!” Manota whispered, stunned.
A roar went up from all the warriors as they realized one of their own was not lost. Ricki, Jade and Annie stood up and began to cheer. Slowly, the rest of the cast came out from different parts of the tented area. Jo, Alan, and Tami slid down from the ceiling on long sheaths of colorful fabric. The warriors were all yelling the chant often given after a victory. Only two people appeared to be oblivious to the noise. K’tar and the small female he was kissing.
