Chapter 4
Wisteria stared at the nest like structure that apparently was the big top where the real magic was a being showed off. She had felt the buzzing of magic all over the carnival grounds some stronger vibes from the rides, but nothing serious. Yet, she hadn't felt anything like what she felt from the metal nest it was heavy and alive bubbling up only to crash down in a wave flooding the area.
"Sorry the show has already started." A man standing by the entrance of the Wisty just smiled as she waited for him to register Kridi "But, I'll let you in, enjoy the rest of the show." She nodded, smiling, she had gotten used to the special treatment that her little guide, though she did not want to use it as much as she was during her day.
Lights strobed admits blackness inside the metal nest, orchestral music swelling from a live orchestra somewhere out of sight. Wisty looked up at the source of the light to see an impressive sight, acrobats, flipping and twisting in the air falling only to be caught another swigging by.
"Dere, dere." Kridi quietly chirp to here pulling on her pant leg, she looked at her guide who was trying to point large stands curved with the nest. She followed Kridi as quietly up slightly creaky stairs, sliding into a seat, Wisty look back up at acrobats her eye widening at her new view. The gymnasts weren't just tumbling through the air, but planks of wood and sheet of metal and fabric. Each one falling thought a pilferage of material ether to be caught or bounce back up. The music slowed moments later as acrobats finished their act bouncing and smiling as the nest went black.
"Weren't they something folks?" The lights flashed back on the bleaching interior of the nest. Everyone going silence as if startled by the sudden change "Come on they jumped through solid steel just for you." A male voice rang out a second time, the crowd in the stands erupting in applause and whoops "Much more like it." Wisty swiveled her head downward to the source of the booming voice. Standing below the stands in the dirt floor of the nest. A young man slightly older than her stared up at the crowd with eyes a dark rust dispersed with a soft wheat color that took in the world. "I see that some of you are just arriving I'm Nikolas Ansel Forest, you're ring master for the night." He gave a grandiose bow long lose strands of dark amber hair falling down as he removed his top hat swiftly.
'N.F.' Wisty thought, the person how had invited her to the carnival was standing below her playing to the crowed around her. There was something off about him, an allurer, an attraction like quick sand that pulled her in the more she tried to pull away.
"Now I know to the magic users in the audience now that was probably nothing." He stood back up with a warm smile that reminded her of summers of her past "Like this." He moved his arm in a wend arc, the ground shifted beneath him metal spires growing out of the soft dirt "Or this." The spires spun pelleting out platforms on its tips "Not that impressive." He had his arms outstretched gazing at the noisy crowed Wisty remained quite trying to figure out what about Nikolas's display. Her mind differing and growing foggy as she tried to place it. "But, what is impressive is nature." His voice snapped her back to attention, making her forget the immediate question. "Without magic animals evolve and change to survive their environment." He continues, as four massive cloth covered cages were pulled out some sort of their hiding place and forming a semicircle around him. "Now before are next act, let tell you that there will be no magic, just one girl and four rare wolves from the glacier cliffs of the far north." Wisty stared at him confused, why after advertising displays of real magic would have an act with normal wolves?
The room went dark, and Wisty got her answer as one by one each cage was opened. The, wolves were massive and snarling, standing eight feet tall ripping the clothes that covered them. The first wolf, was a pure white and eyes red as jewel tore its focus away from the fabric first. It raised its head to the audience trotting around the metal poles, as the other three watched giving low growls. Another wolf with a thick crimson coat of fur copied the movements of the first, but, unlike the first had its eyes trained above. Wisty almost out of indicted glanced up the small platforms that had been darkened so the crowd would remain focused on the now parading black and pale yellowish wolves. Bouncing from platform to platform was an outline of a woman guiding the mammoth beasts along.
The lights shifted than reveling the woman tall and willowy, whose hair fell in soft curls around her face and neck standing on the center platform. She seemed so serene dressed in deep green a small blue ribbon rapped around her ankles and wrists. The crowd around Wisty was in collective shock and awe, at the revel. The wolves now bristled a growled at the woman above as she shakily hopped to the next platform, less gracefully than she had in the dark. There as a quick bark from the yellow wolf as it knocked down the pole and platform, making the tumble to the dirt floor on her back.
The music that had been playing stopped, and the massive wolves encircled her. Wisty stood up wanting to help the woman only to feel a weak grip around her wrist. A quick glance reveled Kridi staring up at her through the fabric slit, the curiosity seems to beg her to stay. She pulled way not caring about the semen she would create for herself. The red wolf barked and lunge at the moment Wisty jumped off the stands. She stopped at the edge of the dirt, the massive wolf suddenly falling on its side. The music, picking up in a loud pounding, primal sound, and the audience cheered clearly seeing something Wisty missed. The crimson beast staggered back up gnawing at a blue ribbon wrapped around its foreleg trialing back to the woman how was obscured from Wisty's view. A deep snarl escaped the throat of the white wolf, and Wisty tried to intervene her feet seeming to be glued to the soft dirt below her shoes. The colored wolf opened its snarling maw and snapped its jaw down at the woman, all the air caught in Wisty throat and went dead silent.
She gave a large sigh, as the wolf's head emerged the woman preached its eyes the same blue ribbon tying the breast muzzle shut. "W-Wiiiisty!" the small voice of Kridi whispering down from their seat in the stands. Wisteria nodded up to her colorfully dressed guide, accepting the nature of the act and that the woman in green wasn't in real danger, and went back to her place in the audience. From her seat she could see ongoing actions of the woman and the gargantuan wolves, it pattern of attacking a defending that became more quick and flued with each repetition. Eventually the pattern change as two of the wolves had gotten tethered to the metal poles, then like lighting the massive black wolf was blinded by a the ribbons and tricked into its cage. Finally the white wolf was left snarling limbs bond in the center. The crowd cheered once more as the woman bowed, Wisty couldn't help but clap along.
The lights in the nest once more dim to blackness, and it was quite except for excited chatter. Wisty watched Kridi's head swivel about and smiled how interesting her guide was "hey Kridi?"
"Umm?" Kridi hummed and looked up at her. Wisty fished for the right words to say, suddenly filled with questions some she wasn't the little curiosity would be able to answer. The lights came back on then, giving up on asking anything at the moment she turned back to the dirt to someone who wasn't Nikolas, dressed in a ringmaster's getup the large top hat obscuring the face of the stranger. Wisty watched the stranger stand perfectly still, warily for a few moments as people around her started to mummer worriedly. A large crack shacked up the stands making jump in shock which quickly evolved into screams and astonished gasps. Wisty just sat there eyes wide, but not at frightened. For the stranger in the top hat had wings; as long as the body that it protruded from with dark leather stretched over thin bones with needle like wing tips.
"Sacred, ya'" the stranger laughed, looking up at the frightened audience, reveling the face of a man in his late twenties a massive black marking of a spider on his cheek "wasn't she lovely." He gestured somewhere behind him with a gloved hand. "Now don't you worry, Nik is stepping out to prepare for the finale." he said in a reassuring tone, the crowds in the stands shifted uncomfortably "I'm Eremiel, and I'm Nik right hand man, well at least 'till he finds at special someone who is more important." He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly, some people giggled as Wisty forced the joke over her head "But I think we should start the next piece of entertainment." Eremiel gave a bow his fluttering wings accenting the motion, as the metal nest went dark one more.
Wisty smile with excitement, the winged man failing to announce the next act. She sat there in the darkness as music stared playing it a slow creeping melody with a beeping bubbly beat, the entire instrumental was very off-putting and made her a bit drowsy. Several lights of blue and purple shade illuminated the darkness then. Wisty's eye snapped into focus the dirt floor of the nest was a reflective shimmering like stained glass the music incensed its tempo swelling the air the metal nest shifted buzzing alive with its own power. The shimmering plate bubbled with the beat thin liquidity tendrils moving upward swaying with the colored lights, the crowd watched hypnotized by the dancing substance. Wisty was sadly not as entertained the music was slowly giving her a headache, and the dancing glass that was in making her nauseated, looking through the sea of faces glad to see she wasn't the only one not enjoying this. Looking over the faces one more she was relived all the unhappy and pained faces were those of magic users or once were. The music ended as the lights changed back to a normal, the dancing substance froze into an alien crystal-like statue.
"Beautiful isn't it" the winged man said, walking between the still tendrils "What you before you is an example, harmony between science and magic, the Atlas Carnival has several doctors, engineers and high-ranking scientists. All how have taken many a young magic wielder under their wing" he turned the surprising piece of information into a joke. "Now I need a volunteer." Eremiel walked around the stands, many people shouting to get picked. After a short moment the winged man came down from one of the far off stands with a small girl who Wisty recognized, the last time she that child was from the side-walk as the girl and her mother waited in the excision line. "Now all you need to do is hit it with this little hammer. "He handed her a miniature mallet, the girl stared up at the winged man with a look Wisty couldn't understand. Seemed fearful, but, the small girl's eyes were so sad and empty for that to be truly the case. "It's okay."Eremiel said gently, kneeling between the statute and the girl "Now on three." The girl swung the mallet at clear crystal like structure "1, 2, 3." A loud blink sound vibrated from the substance cracks spilling over the smooth surface, a soft melody increased in volume as the statue fell apart in a thick glittering cloud.
"Let's give it for that brave soul!" Nikolas's voice boomed as the cloud dissipated walking out enmities the glittering derbies, the small girl sheltered from the blast huddled under Eremiel wing. The child held something up to the winged man briefly as picked it up and tied it around her neck, before sending her back to her place. "Now I think we've got to be rapping this show up we'll take one request from the audience, now what we need you do to pick the best one we need you to speak all at once." The audience laughed and Nikolas nodded waiting penitently for them to begin.
"Wispy! Wispy!" Kridi waved loudly, trying to draw attention to her. The crowd started to yell their own request as, Wisty tried to make her guide stop hoping she wasn't noticed.
"What did you say, sir?" a spotlight swung around the stands and Wisty's seat, then back down to the nest's entrance out of her view.
"I didn't say anything." a shocked man's voice came up from the speakers above the stands, the voice sounded familiar, but Wisty could pinpoint who it was.
"Of course you did we heard you." Nikolas spoke Wisty noticing that neither Nikolas's nor the winged man's voice actually came from the speakers, a cold uncomfortable feeling shot up her spine "Come on don't keep the people waiting."
"I want." The male voice growled "I want you two to show these innocent people who you conned here what you're made of."
"What we're made of." Nikolas threw his head back in laughter "Oh good sir we are not earth-shaking fire spewing titans." he straightened himself up as Eremiel motioned to someone outside the dirt floored pit "We are just a simple entertainer with abnormal talents." Nikolas said with an innocent tone and Wisty couldn't help but agree and with a quick glance around she wasn't the only one. "But, you requested this." He started to unbutton his vest exposing a completely white dress shirt.
A stage hand came out with a large roll of cloth and placed it the winged man's feet. With a swift motion Eremiel spread out the cloth, sharp metal glittered as each knife, baled and recognizable weapon was revealed against the colored cloth. The winged man picked up a large set of blades that looked like they have pulled off a lawnmower, he held them up like a hand fan letting the audience take in the weapons before randomly tossing one at Nikolas. Without turning around the strange blonde had caught the blade a breath away from his back, the crowd cheered as Wisty felt a shift in the air .the quick sand like sensation that became more powerful, almost physical like a whirlpool. She watched, trying to keep balanced as the piece of metal in his hand peeled apart and coiled around to reformed itself, suddenly with a slide of hand two more curved blades were flung at him. Nikolas swiveled around in fluid motion facing the incoming blades and with his free hand snapped his fingers. The metal curved weapons stopped in midair a rippled of awe crossed the audience. The air around the blades distorted as the metal quickly lost its luster and crumbled into dust mixing into the dirt ground. The coiling metal in his other hand, finished its reformation in miniature sculpture of a rose. Nikolas looked at the finished product twirling the metal rose between his hands before tossing off into the stands, walking over to Eremiel a content smile his face, patting the winged man on the shoulder.
The crowds erupted into shrieks before Wisty the young amber haired fell to his knees doubled over. A red blossom spreading his white dress shirt, the winged man just stood over him watching intently. The audience where frozen in fear as the nature of situation sank in, Wisty was already halfway down the stairs the thick pulling feeling that gravitated Wisty to the fallen ring master had been severed. She stood on the last step and watched as the dripping red fluids turned into thick cooper scented mist. The dreadful vapors made Wisty physically sick with bad memories, the mist consuming the young man.
A loud drumroll made her jump as a pang of irritation at being tricked by the magical circus act. The haze became denser twisting and dripping the sound of metal thumping in the dirt, after a couple moments the drum roll stopped and changed to another music with that a suspenseful tone. Wisty started to get worried once more shooting a glance the winged man who was in seeming in standby mode as the grossest scene kept unfolding. Eremiel held his hand out silent order for her to stay back, Witsy's nostrils flared at this as the winged man reached into swirling cloud slowly with great tug pulled out the young man out. The crowds cheered more in relief than in real enjoyment, Nikolas look at the crowed his eye glanced over than looked over at Wisty. He seem to stare with a half conscious curiosity.
"You okay?" she mouthed, and the young man nodded giving a goofy smile and Wisty couldn't help but smile back. Nikolas turned his head back to the winged man he was leaning against and the two bowed Wisty watch as the young man struggled to going through the motions, as the lights darkened into blackness.
The lights came back on the two ring masters no longer in front of her, as an audio recording stating that the show had ended and to proceed to the exits to meet the performers outside and other things she didn't pay attention to. Kridi hopped through the sea of people looking up at her expectantly, before beckoning to follow. The dark night sky loomed over head as she exited the grounds around metal nest where packed with people crows around small demonstrations the performers set up. She waded through the crowd many people hand her flyers of many attraction and shops she flipped through the many colorful leaflets.
Pine Rest Free Medical Clinic
Golden Three Catering Company
Eye-Q Learning center
Eye-Q Jr. Class Room Readiness and defense against the dark arcana
Lotus Eater Entertainment
Wisty was surprised that how many separate business where traveling around with the carnival. Looking up, she had noticed that she had drifted far from the crowds she looked around to see her little guide starting up at her expectantly then turn over her shoulder to several colorfully dressed oddities. Kridi continued the motion, hopping up and down looking at her with eagerness.
"Bye then." Wisty kneeled down to her little guide, Kridi chirped with an emotional tone hugging her "go on join your friends." She quietly pushed the curiosity off her.
"Wuv wu." Kirdi cooed running off into the group of oddities. The chattered for a moment before skirting behind a line of tents and stalls, the last oddity to disperse was half the size of Kridi with long apelike arms and two grossly expressive yellow eyes that consumed a quarter of its face. It started at her as if she was the most entertaining thing world, but darted a way like a rabbit the seconded she noticed it.
Wisty left alone was surprisingly tired out from her day off, but she didn't want to end the day with the strange empty feeling that circus performance gave her. With a small huff, she walked around the grounds to find it strangely sparse, several of the rides already shut down as many of the stalls and other attractions were closing down with alarming speed. Within minutes she was left in the dark without even a warning, she lit a small flame from the tip of her finger. Eerie shadows of the carnival swayed with the small light, the cold abandons buildings seeming to constrict an outside light from entering. Wisty deciding to be smart, but, boring and head back to her motorcycle her footsteps crunching underneath her rhythmically.
She was halfway to the exit, to life fighting with city she was tasked to bring it to its feet to the conical that she was slowly losing touch with, to a brother whose own life was drifting away from her. She stopped something taking away her downward spiral of negative thoughts. The soft beckoning sound of a piano accompanied by small bell chorus, Wisteria couldn't help go to the sound out of sparked curiosity. She extinguished the flame as she got closer to a small lit area several groups clumped about some singing a hymn that she couldn't make out, a sweet smell mixed with pine and mint wafted her way giving her a pleasant chill. The sight was inviting she sneaked closer to the gathering but didn't start mingling with the others, feeling out of place.
After a few minutes Wisty had confidently blended in the others in the crowd, sadly conversation didn't get farther than a nod of acknowledgment. As she moved around a strange detail of gently hymn that floated around the chorus change from singer to singer. Lines she heard like Day for rising, night for sleep that where sung by a child would be replace with Chaos banish, order keep when sung by an adult. She stood around and listen to the felling a slight shifted the air with a sudden feeling that she was unwelcome , no, in danger something awful she could feel it.
Before she could the lights in the small area exploded with light, the people in the crowd screaming or crying as blackness engulfed everything. Wisty instinctively lit a flame with her left hand, checking to see if the people where all right, she swallowed not seeing anyone.
"Is anybody her-gagh!" She screamed feeling an immense bone crushing weight on her right hand. Her flame dimmed to half its strength as she examined her hand, it looked normal and the pain was surprisingly gone. Wisty turned to the exit thinking to leave before anything worse happened, she turned back now and hearing a silk slithering noise. She barely made it the as the fire that danced in her palm went out 'what the.' He thought her magic wasn't gone, but she couldn't get it move from hand as creeping numbness engulfed it. Her breath, picked up hear a loud crash behind her making her sprint using here memories to make it back to her motorcycle. Her body aching as if being bitten by a thousand spiders.
(AN: finally! this chapter was soooo hard to write. Comments, concerns, suggestions let me know. What do you think is going on so far?)
