Chapter 2
A MEMORY
Tiger Eye-
When he could see again, after the stars stopped flashing in front of his eyes, Tiger Eye blinked and looked around. He was laying on the floor of the empty bar with Fish Eye sitting next to him and Hawk Eye pacing nervously.
"You idiot!" Fish Eye yelled, slapping Tiger Eye on the back of the head. "Why didn't you come back to us if you were in danger? If we hadn't checked up on you, you've have been killed!"
Hawk Eye said nothing, but looked at Tiger Eye with disapproval.
"You don't understand." Tiger Eye said, trying to defend himself. "There was a guy in her soul mirror. Didn't you see him?"
"When we looked for you," Hawk Eye said. "We saw you, the girl you'd trapped, and a man who was no human. He threw something at you and we barely grabbed you in time to get out of there. You almost died." His gaze hardened. "Don't do that again."
"Yes, Hawk." Tiger Eye obediently said. "But I didn't know what I was seeing. Her dream, it wasn't normal. When I looked into her soul there was....there was a whole world. The sky was purple and there were fantasy creatures everywhere like fairies and ogres." Tiger Eye sat up, trying to show his friends how desperate he was to tell them what he'd seen. "I've never seen anything like this in a human. Her dream came out of her soul mirror! That was the man you saw. He attacked me. Her dream has a physical attack. How is that possible?"
Fish Eye bit his lip, worried, before asking concerned, "You're sure you're all right?" He put a hand on Tiger Eye's shoulder. "You're shaking."
"You would be too, if you were me." Tiger Eye looked again at Hawk Eye. "I think we should keep an eye on that girl. I don't know what happened." He shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't know if it was some kind of trick of Pegasus. Maybe it was a way of keeping hidden. If he kills everyone who finds him then he won't be found by Zerconia."
"I thought Pegasus was a horse with wings." Fish Eye said. "Would he disguise himself to look like a man if he was just going to kill whoever found him? It isn't very logical."
"We're talking about magical winged horses living in people's dreams." Tiger Eye pointed out. "What's logic got to do with anything?"
"Good point."
Hawk's Eye said, thoughtfully. "Not everyone has a man living inside their soul. It's a mystery, if nothing else and possibly a threat. We know the man is violent."
Tiger's Eye added, "I thought I'd met her before. She seemed familiar."
Fish Eye giggled, hiding his mouth behind his hand. "Are you falling in love, Tiger Eye?" He teased gently.
"No! Don't be silly." Tiger Eye protested. "But, there was something behind her dream. It was a whole world, like I told you, but it wasn't a normal world. It was a maze that stretched from horizon to horizon. The walls of the maze were made of tall stone walls and hedges. It was like a giant garden. In the center of the maze was a castle. I...I thought I saw something beyond the furthest edge of the maze. I'm not sure, I might have seen it wrong. There was...it looked like a circus tent. I couldn't see it before that man attacked me, though."
Hawk Eye and Fish Eye exchanged a meaningful glance. "A maze?" Fish Eye asked.
"A castle?" Hawk Eye said.
A distant memory came flooding back to them all in full force. It was by no means a forgotten memory, but rather a treasured one. It was a part of their lives that had ended long ago with pain and tears and the death of a dearly loved one.
Without a word, Hawk Eye held out one hand to Tiger Eye and one hand to Fish Eye. Together, they vanished through the portal that led to the human world. In a secluded area, deep in a forest and away from prying eyes, they found a place where they could be alone. Strangely enough, it was the same park they'd just come from, though it was empty now.
From out of his shirt, Tiger Eye pulled the photo of the dark haired girl in question. "She doesn't seem at all special."
They all studied it very seriously, trying to see if they could remember her, crowded around the photo with their heads bent low over it.
"I can't remember anyone like her." Hawk Eye announced at last.
Fish Eye was about to say the same when an incredible, impossible idea occurred to him. He took a pen from a pocket and started to draw on the photo, his tongue stuck out of his mouth while he concentrated.
"What are you doing?" Tiger Eye asked, confused. "How can we find out who she is if you draw all over it?"
Fish Eye stared at what he'd drawn and slowly turning the photo to show his friends. Both the boys gaped. Fish Eye had done nothing more than draw a top hat on Sarah's head, set at a jaunty angle, but that one little change was enough for them to recognize her.
"Ringmaster!" Tiger Eye shouted in shock. Why he hadn't seen it before, he'd never know, but it was definitely her.
"Be quiet!" Hawk Eye ordered, looking around as if one of Zerconia's spies were going to jump out of the bushes at them. "Do you know what the boss will do if he finds out she's still alive? We have to protect her, like she tried to protect us."
Tiger Eye's mind went back to the old days, when they never had any thought of stealing dreams or fighting or killing. Their lives had been filled with simple joy of making children laugh and amazing outsiders with magic tricks. Tiger Eye remembered them all eating with the Ringmaster, strangely enough. She always liked to be with them, told them she adored each and every one of her people. He remembered her sweet smile and her soft fingers. Ringmaster had always been there to provide the protection from people who were jealous of the power of the circus.
Hawk Eye seemed to be thinking the same thing and spoke softly, his eyes lost in memory. "Remember when we put on shows for people? Just...performing? Just for fun? We never had to worry about stealing anything or hurting people." Hawk Eye had been one of the high wire artists along with several others. He loved the simple life that the circus had given them. It had been so happy until...
"How can she be alive?" Tiger Eye asked. He stared at the sad face of the girl he had earlier attacked. "I know I'm not as smart as you guys, but we all saw her body. We know she died." He'd seen quite clearly the Ringmaster's cold body, as it lay how it had fallen, surrounded by her own blood and he shuddered with horror at the memory.
"Anything's possible." Fish Eye saw firmly. "Either she looks remarkably like Ringmaster to fool all of us and it's just a coincidence that there happened to be a circus in her dreams, which seems very unlikely, or she is the Ringmaster reborn."
A voice rang out, "Amazon Trio, come to me!" It was Zerconia.
Tiger Eye paled and it wasn't missed by Hawk Eye who put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Stay here, you two." He stood and prepared to go back to the circus.
"But..." Tiger Eye reached for him. "I can go. I'm not afraid." It was a blatant lie and not very well told.
"I know you're not." Hawk Eye lied back. He wasn't about to embarrass his friend by pointing out that he was shaking with fear. Failure wasn't looked well upon by Zerconia and Tiger Eye failed more often than he succeeded. "But we should go find the girl. I'll keep Zerconia out of our hair and you keep an eye on Sarah. If she gets hurt, we'll never forgive ourselves. We have to find out if she's Ringmaster or not." It was a comfortable lie. Zerconia would be angry that two of the trio hadn't come when he'd called them, but Hawk Eye wasn't about to let Tiger Eye be punished for something like this.
Tiger Eye believed the lie and Fish Eye accepted it. They set off in search of the girl they believed was their Ringmaster and Hawk Eye made his way back home. No matter who was in charge, Ringmaster or Zerconia, the circus was home.
Zerconia's throne room was just that. It was the place he held court, but the massive, empty room was different from what Hawk Eye remembered. Before Zerconia it had been Ringmaster's private chambers and lavishly decorated with this and that. Lots of souvenirs from the planets they'd visited and nick-nacks that had caught her fancy somewhere. The floors had been covered in plush carpets and tapestries of ancient and alien landscapes hung on the walls and the bed was huge, covered in satin and silk. It was, in a way, cluttered and almost messy looking. To Hawk Eye, it looked comfortable and homey.
"What news have you to report?" Zecornia asked.
Hawk Eye bowed to his master and looked at the cold, stone floor. He missed the thick carpets. "No sign of Pegasus, master." He was as respectful as he could be, knowing that he and his people owed Zerconia a lot. If he hadn't come when he had, they'd have just wandered eternally without direction and without purpose. No matter what he might think of Zerconia, Hawk Eye knew Zerconia had saved them.
"No sign...?" Zerconia was angry and didn't bother to hide it. "How long does it take, Hawk Eye? How long to find him? Just one person and you three can't find him." Zerconia hit the floor with his staff and lightening shot out of the end of it, hitting Hawk Eye squarely in the chest.
Hawk Eye screamed and would have fallen to the floor, but the electricity coursing though his body had paralyzed him. It seemed to go on and on, but this was a punishment Hawk Eye had endured before. He knew he could survive this.
Zerconia stamped the floor with his staff again and the lightening stopped, letting Hawk Eye sag to the floor, panting for breath. For a moment, Hawk Eye couldn't see or hear, but he knew not to panic and that the senses would return soon enough. The feeling of the floor was enough to keep him calm and wait until his strength returned before trying to stand up. His hearing returned first and Hawk Eye heard Zerconia speaking to him.
"I will not tolerate this failure. You have told me many times that you take responsibility for your team. Shall I give them to another? Perhaps your companions would be more effective with better leadership."
"No, master!" Hawk Eye hoped his voice sounded better than he thought it did. His vision was starting to come back in bits and pieces and he looked up to where he thought Zerconia was. "We'll find Pegasus, please believe in us." He didn't like begging, no one did, but to stay with his friends, Hawk Eye was willing to do anything. After all, they were all he had and if he didn't protect them, no one would.
"One more chance, Hawk Eye. You and your companions have one more chance to find Pegasus. Use your chance wisely."
"Yes, master."
to be continued...
A MEMORY
Tiger Eye-
When he could see again, after the stars stopped flashing in front of his eyes, Tiger Eye blinked and looked around. He was laying on the floor of the empty bar with Fish Eye sitting next to him and Hawk Eye pacing nervously.
"You idiot!" Fish Eye yelled, slapping Tiger Eye on the back of the head. "Why didn't you come back to us if you were in danger? If we hadn't checked up on you, you've have been killed!"
Hawk Eye said nothing, but looked at Tiger Eye with disapproval.
"You don't understand." Tiger Eye said, trying to defend himself. "There was a guy in her soul mirror. Didn't you see him?"
"When we looked for you," Hawk Eye said. "We saw you, the girl you'd trapped, and a man who was no human. He threw something at you and we barely grabbed you in time to get out of there. You almost died." His gaze hardened. "Don't do that again."
"Yes, Hawk." Tiger Eye obediently said. "But I didn't know what I was seeing. Her dream, it wasn't normal. When I looked into her soul there was....there was a whole world. The sky was purple and there were fantasy creatures everywhere like fairies and ogres." Tiger Eye sat up, trying to show his friends how desperate he was to tell them what he'd seen. "I've never seen anything like this in a human. Her dream came out of her soul mirror! That was the man you saw. He attacked me. Her dream has a physical attack. How is that possible?"
Fish Eye bit his lip, worried, before asking concerned, "You're sure you're all right?" He put a hand on Tiger Eye's shoulder. "You're shaking."
"You would be too, if you were me." Tiger Eye looked again at Hawk Eye. "I think we should keep an eye on that girl. I don't know what happened." He shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't know if it was some kind of trick of Pegasus. Maybe it was a way of keeping hidden. If he kills everyone who finds him then he won't be found by Zerconia."
"I thought Pegasus was a horse with wings." Fish Eye said. "Would he disguise himself to look like a man if he was just going to kill whoever found him? It isn't very logical."
"We're talking about magical winged horses living in people's dreams." Tiger Eye pointed out. "What's logic got to do with anything?"
"Good point."
Hawk's Eye said, thoughtfully. "Not everyone has a man living inside their soul. It's a mystery, if nothing else and possibly a threat. We know the man is violent."
Tiger's Eye added, "I thought I'd met her before. She seemed familiar."
Fish Eye giggled, hiding his mouth behind his hand. "Are you falling in love, Tiger Eye?" He teased gently.
"No! Don't be silly." Tiger Eye protested. "But, there was something behind her dream. It was a whole world, like I told you, but it wasn't a normal world. It was a maze that stretched from horizon to horizon. The walls of the maze were made of tall stone walls and hedges. It was like a giant garden. In the center of the maze was a castle. I...I thought I saw something beyond the furthest edge of the maze. I'm not sure, I might have seen it wrong. There was...it looked like a circus tent. I couldn't see it before that man attacked me, though."
Hawk Eye and Fish Eye exchanged a meaningful glance. "A maze?" Fish Eye asked.
"A castle?" Hawk Eye said.
A distant memory came flooding back to them all in full force. It was by no means a forgotten memory, but rather a treasured one. It was a part of their lives that had ended long ago with pain and tears and the death of a dearly loved one.
Without a word, Hawk Eye held out one hand to Tiger Eye and one hand to Fish Eye. Together, they vanished through the portal that led to the human world. In a secluded area, deep in a forest and away from prying eyes, they found a place where they could be alone. Strangely enough, it was the same park they'd just come from, though it was empty now.
From out of his shirt, Tiger Eye pulled the photo of the dark haired girl in question. "She doesn't seem at all special."
They all studied it very seriously, trying to see if they could remember her, crowded around the photo with their heads bent low over it.
"I can't remember anyone like her." Hawk Eye announced at last.
Fish Eye was about to say the same when an incredible, impossible idea occurred to him. He took a pen from a pocket and started to draw on the photo, his tongue stuck out of his mouth while he concentrated.
"What are you doing?" Tiger Eye asked, confused. "How can we find out who she is if you draw all over it?"
Fish Eye stared at what he'd drawn and slowly turning the photo to show his friends. Both the boys gaped. Fish Eye had done nothing more than draw a top hat on Sarah's head, set at a jaunty angle, but that one little change was enough for them to recognize her.
"Ringmaster!" Tiger Eye shouted in shock. Why he hadn't seen it before, he'd never know, but it was definitely her.
"Be quiet!" Hawk Eye ordered, looking around as if one of Zerconia's spies were going to jump out of the bushes at them. "Do you know what the boss will do if he finds out she's still alive? We have to protect her, like she tried to protect us."
Tiger Eye's mind went back to the old days, when they never had any thought of stealing dreams or fighting or killing. Their lives had been filled with simple joy of making children laugh and amazing outsiders with magic tricks. Tiger Eye remembered them all eating with the Ringmaster, strangely enough. She always liked to be with them, told them she adored each and every one of her people. He remembered her sweet smile and her soft fingers. Ringmaster had always been there to provide the protection from people who were jealous of the power of the circus.
Hawk Eye seemed to be thinking the same thing and spoke softly, his eyes lost in memory. "Remember when we put on shows for people? Just...performing? Just for fun? We never had to worry about stealing anything or hurting people." Hawk Eye had been one of the high wire artists along with several others. He loved the simple life that the circus had given them. It had been so happy until...
"How can she be alive?" Tiger Eye asked. He stared at the sad face of the girl he had earlier attacked. "I know I'm not as smart as you guys, but we all saw her body. We know she died." He'd seen quite clearly the Ringmaster's cold body, as it lay how it had fallen, surrounded by her own blood and he shuddered with horror at the memory.
"Anything's possible." Fish Eye saw firmly. "Either she looks remarkably like Ringmaster to fool all of us and it's just a coincidence that there happened to be a circus in her dreams, which seems very unlikely, or she is the Ringmaster reborn."
A voice rang out, "Amazon Trio, come to me!" It was Zerconia.
Tiger Eye paled and it wasn't missed by Hawk Eye who put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Stay here, you two." He stood and prepared to go back to the circus.
"But..." Tiger Eye reached for him. "I can go. I'm not afraid." It was a blatant lie and not very well told.
"I know you're not." Hawk Eye lied back. He wasn't about to embarrass his friend by pointing out that he was shaking with fear. Failure wasn't looked well upon by Zerconia and Tiger Eye failed more often than he succeeded. "But we should go find the girl. I'll keep Zerconia out of our hair and you keep an eye on Sarah. If she gets hurt, we'll never forgive ourselves. We have to find out if she's Ringmaster or not." It was a comfortable lie. Zerconia would be angry that two of the trio hadn't come when he'd called them, but Hawk Eye wasn't about to let Tiger Eye be punished for something like this.
Tiger Eye believed the lie and Fish Eye accepted it. They set off in search of the girl they believed was their Ringmaster and Hawk Eye made his way back home. No matter who was in charge, Ringmaster or Zerconia, the circus was home.
Zerconia's throne room was just that. It was the place he held court, but the massive, empty room was different from what Hawk Eye remembered. Before Zerconia it had been Ringmaster's private chambers and lavishly decorated with this and that. Lots of souvenirs from the planets they'd visited and nick-nacks that had caught her fancy somewhere. The floors had been covered in plush carpets and tapestries of ancient and alien landscapes hung on the walls and the bed was huge, covered in satin and silk. It was, in a way, cluttered and almost messy looking. To Hawk Eye, it looked comfortable and homey.
"What news have you to report?" Zecornia asked.
Hawk Eye bowed to his master and looked at the cold, stone floor. He missed the thick carpets. "No sign of Pegasus, master." He was as respectful as he could be, knowing that he and his people owed Zerconia a lot. If he hadn't come when he had, they'd have just wandered eternally without direction and without purpose. No matter what he might think of Zerconia, Hawk Eye knew Zerconia had saved them.
"No sign...?" Zerconia was angry and didn't bother to hide it. "How long does it take, Hawk Eye? How long to find him? Just one person and you three can't find him." Zerconia hit the floor with his staff and lightening shot out of the end of it, hitting Hawk Eye squarely in the chest.
Hawk Eye screamed and would have fallen to the floor, but the electricity coursing though his body had paralyzed him. It seemed to go on and on, but this was a punishment Hawk Eye had endured before. He knew he could survive this.
Zerconia stamped the floor with his staff again and the lightening stopped, letting Hawk Eye sag to the floor, panting for breath. For a moment, Hawk Eye couldn't see or hear, but he knew not to panic and that the senses would return soon enough. The feeling of the floor was enough to keep him calm and wait until his strength returned before trying to stand up. His hearing returned first and Hawk Eye heard Zerconia speaking to him.
"I will not tolerate this failure. You have told me many times that you take responsibility for your team. Shall I give them to another? Perhaps your companions would be more effective with better leadership."
"No, master!" Hawk Eye hoped his voice sounded better than he thought it did. His vision was starting to come back in bits and pieces and he looked up to where he thought Zerconia was. "We'll find Pegasus, please believe in us." He didn't like begging, no one did, but to stay with his friends, Hawk Eye was willing to do anything. After all, they were all he had and if he didn't protect them, no one would.
"One more chance, Hawk Eye. You and your companions have one more chance to find Pegasus. Use your chance wisely."
"Yes, master."
to be continued...
