Author's Note: I'm attempting to update a chapter per day from now on, so I'll try to have another chapter up tomorrow.
Also, I don't know if this will work because I'm practically illiterate when it comes to computers, but here's the look I'm going for with Sophie's dress in this chapter (you'll get it once you start reading, just wanted to put this up here so it doesn't obstruct the chapter)
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Leave a review, and I hope you enjoy it!
Aeva's expression changed faster than Sophie would have thought was possible, morphing into uncanny cheerfulness.
"I was showing her our tent," Aeva said. "But since the sun's going down, I suppose we'd better get a move on."
"The sun's not going down yet," Sophie argued. "It can't be past noon."
Aeva smiled. "Time works differently here, Moonlark."
Sophie's head was spinning. This was too much information in too little time. She was in a place where magic existed —real magic, not the abilities of the elves. She couldn't use the aforementioned abilities, and here, time worked differently, and there was some sort of trap, and Aeva had made some sort of chess analogy that Sophie didn't understand, and it was too much.
"So," Sophie said, "What happens when the sun goes down? You guys are making it some bug mystery, and no one will tell me what's going on."
Aeva winced apologetically. "It's hard to describe. You'll have to see it for yourself. We don't have long, so Aevum and I should probably get dressed. Fortilaar will take you to the front so you can have the full Nightwalker experience."
Sophie only understood about every other word in that sentence, but she decided to give up and follow Fortilaar. She'd had a decent amount of practice dealing with the Black Swan's cryptic messages, and she didn't care to attempt to unscramble this one.
Keefe finally finished his conversation with Aevum (they'd been talking about who was the better prankster) and then he followed Sophie and Fortilaar while Aevum retreated into his tent with his sister.
Fortilaar deftly wound through the scattered tents, and there were multiple times when Sophie lost him. Keefe seemed to have an amazing sense of direction, so she ended up following him whenever Fortilaar got too far ahead.
"There it is," Fortilaar announced, pointing towards a tall arch facing away from the tents.
It was white, and seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun. A crowd of people had gathered in front of it, all dressed in the same dull clothes as the people inside the large circle of tents. They were laughing and talking excitedly, some of them trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside.
"There's a magic shield that prevents them from seeing anything but the arch," Fortilaar explained. "They also can't cross through the arch until the sun sets."
"Cool," Sophie said.
"Something's off," Keefe whispered in her ear. "I'm not sure what. It's just that something doesn't look quite right, and I can't place it."
"Is it the forest that's bothering you?" she asked.
He nodded, staring at the tall trees that surrounded the circle of tents and were scattered in between them. "Something's wrong with this place."
"Aeva did tell me some interesting information," Sophie replied. "I'll share it with you later."
Fortilaar ushered them through the archway, pushing them towards the crowd of people. "You'll know when it's time to go in," he said.
Then he left, disappearing through the arch. Sophie and Keefe couldn't see the tents anymore, hidden as they were by the magic barrier. It looked like the forest just continued on in all directions.
The sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, and as the last dregs of light faded away, Sophie watched the arch transform. Ivory stone turned to glittering diamonds, the runes inscribed on the top started glowing, and tendrils of magic spread out, encasing a large circle around where Sophie knew the tents were, although she couldn't see them.
The crowd rushed forward, towards the arch, and Sophie looked at Keefe. He shrugged and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him through the arch.
The second they reached the other side, Sophie gasped. The midnight tents were suddenly swirling galaxies, the white spots on them glimmering stars. Small orbs of light hung from the trees above, giving the whole place a magical aura. But it was the change in the atmosphere that shocked Sophie the most.
She felt lighter, as if gravity had decided it would go easy on them for a while. The smells of delicious food assaulted her nose, making her crave sweets that were probably horrible for her. The tent flaps were open, revealing all sorts of magical tricks and shows. A tent near her revealed someone selling magic hats, another opened so that Sophie could see Saga, dressed in a fortune-teller's garb.
The ground was no longer dirt but cobblestone, and somehow the small orb lights managed to light up the whole place. Keefe nudged Sophie with his elbow, and she turned to him, surprised to find him standing in an elegant black suit, complete with a bow tie and hat. She looked down at herself, and noticed her normal clothes had transformed into a beautiful red dress that reminded her of the fancy upscale TV shows she used to watch with her mother.
Her dress consisted of a silk bodice, with off-shoulder sleeves and a gold belt that cinched around her waist. Crimson chiffon cascaded out from there into a floor-length dress that she couldn't help but admire, even though it made her feel very exposed. She could also tell she was wearing heels, which would be unfortunate once they began walking. Her hair was done up in an elaborate braid, and earrings dangled from her ears.
"Beautiful," Keefe whispered to her, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
All the clothes of the other people around her had changed as well, each outfit seemingly tailored to whoever was wearing it.
Sophie pulled Keefe from tent to tent, excitement getting the best of her. They watched a man swallow fire, watched Fortilaar lift up an entire wagon with seemingly no effort. They saw Aeva and Aevum's tent, filled with clocks, and watched them spin time backwards and forwards as easily as winding a watch. It was amazing, the things magic could do.
"Care to have your futures read?" came a voice from behind Sophie.
She hadn't realized that they were standing so close to Saga's tent.
Keefe gave her a wary look, but Sophie shrugged. "Can't hurt, can it?"
"You go inside by yourself," Keefe decided. "I'll wait out here and check out the food tent. I don't want to overhear your future."
She entered the tent, brushing past curtains of deep purple and red the same color as Sophie's gown. Saga sat inside, cross-legged on the floor, her staff laid across her lap. A deck of cards was splayed out before them, face down.
"Sit," Saga said, "I hate it when people stand over me."
The remark was so out of character that Sophie couldn't help but laugh, and she sat down without complaint.
"Now," Saga said, "What would you like to know?"
"I'm not sure," Sophie replied honestly. "What sort of questions do you typically get, and how many am I allowed to ask?"
"You may ask as many as you like," Saga responded. "I usually get asked the sort of questions you'd expect. Who are you going to marry, will you find love soon, is success right around the corner, have you been cursed with bad luck, will your life drastically change soon, you get the gist."
Sophie nodded. "Hmm. I don't really want to know the answers to any of those. I mean, knowing who I'm going to marry would feel wrong, asking about finding love can lead to misdirection, success is an opinion, I have horrible luck, and my life changes so often that asking would be irrelevant."
Saga smiled. "You are wise, Moonlark. The key to getting answers is asking the right questions."
"If you were to visit a fortune-teller, what questions would you ask?" Sophie asked.
"I wouldn't ask any questions," Saga replied without hesitation. "The future is not set in stone, and you can change it. However, when you know what it is, it becomes impossible to alter. That is the way fate works. I can see every possible future, I simply choose the most likely."
"If that's what you believe, then why are you a fortune teller? Doesn't it seem counterproductive?"
Saga only smiled. "Some people are born with a gift, Moonlark. You were, too, although you have yet to uncover it. It is up to you how you use it. I chose this path, and now you must choose yours. Be careful, though. No matter what you choose, there will be death and destruction. I cannot see an outcome for you that does not end in chaos. The best I can offer is that some futures have yet to be explored, and there might be light at the end of one of those tunnels."
Sophie frowned. "I'm okay with my life ending in destruction. I just want to know, what will happen to my friends? The world? Will they be okay?"
"Only if there is first a sacrifice," Saga said. "The world relies on balance, young one. It is your choice how to keep it. Your opponent has yet to make a move, but when they do, you will find yourself in a nearly impossible situation. Check, but not checkmate. Make sure you can distinguish between the two."
Sophie left Saga's tent feeling even more conflicted than when she entered.