Sixty-Eight
On a Tightrope
The snow slowly melted, turning into mud. Planks were thrown down in all sections of both the front yard and back yard of the circus, giving everyone safe places to walk. Some were even put under sinking wagons, and there was no lack of work to be done for anyone willing to brave the mud to rake gravel through the carnival grounds and around the tents, or being a member of the magic crew who reinforced the water-proofing on all of the tents, booths, and rides. Others chose to join the cleaning crew, washing off the mud and brightening things up just in time for opening night.
John peered out of the wagon thoughtfully, noting with some satisfaction that the crowds weren't anywhere near as impressive as they had been in the fall. Perhaps some of them just didn't want to deal with the weather, even if the sun was peaking out from behind the clouds now and again. No, he decided, the community was wary now. The more Disappearances there were, the more suspicious they were becoming; even without evidence.
He finally noticed someone that he recognized; Amadeus Longbottom, walking with several others from the Oracle and Wizardday Publishing. Amadeus, it seemed, was even sporting new robes, and John couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't have them splattered with mud by the end of the evening. Bronan Tubbins was there, as well as Deacon Aldus, and a few that John didn't know by name.
Amadeus turned for a moment, and John leaned over a bit to see that he had looked over when Worley Maxen had been pointed out to him, walking with younger children and a beautiful blonde woman that could only be his wife, holding the hand of one of the younger children. But after watching them a moment, John couldn't help but wonder at how strange the witch was acting. In fact, it looked as if the young daughter was leading her instead of the other way around.
"Looking for anyone in particular?" Spanx asked dangerously, already dressed in his tights and ready to perform.
"No, not really. I was just curious," John said honestly. "It has been a while since I've done this, after all."
"Well, don't expect for me to cover for you if you freeze up. You know me better than that," Spanx warned.
"Yes, I know, Spanx. I won't let you down," John replied.
"Of course you won't. That'd be both stupid and suicidal. Now head over to the practice tent and start warming up," he ordered.
John quickly did as he was told, and in the process missed the fact that wasn't all enemies in the stands as he was imagining at that moment. Not long after he went over to get the kinks out, Harry, Albus, and Lunette walked up the road, with Harry pointedly holding his ticket in his hand so that everyone knew he was a paying customer.
"There's definitely a lot less people than last time," Harry commented as they walked in, careful to stop and cast the Footprint spell and walk on the planks. "A lot of the sideshows are different this time too."
"I'm sure they rotate them," Albus said distractedly, but then smiled. "Ah! Now there's a familiar face," he said with interest, walking over to where Balderdash was giving throwing demonstrations. One of the clowns helped out by tossing everything from cards to hats in the air for him to pierce a knife through and on its way to the target board.
Balderdash was dressed in an outfit that the goblins hadn't worn since the middle ages with a droopy burgundy cap to match. But despite that, he somehow still maintained his dignity... making up for it tenfold with his impressive accuracy with a knife. Albus clapped warmly with the rest of the spectators and Balderdash took a step over to him.
"Good to see you, my friend," Balderdash said. "Dare I beg a favor from you?"
"Of course," Albus instantly replied.
"I'm supposed to pick 'volunteers from the audience' for my act, but since it's my first performance, I would feel more comfortable if the volunteer was someone I knew I could trust not to move unexpectedly," Balderdash admitted.
"Oh, yes I understand. I will volunteer for you," Albus said with amusement.
"Thanks," Balderdash said, and stepped back over to attempt another stunt. A moment later, Harry and Lunette stepped up behind Albus to watch.
"What was all that murmuring about?" Lunette asked curiously, munching on popcorn she had gotten from a passing vendor.
"Oh, nothing important. Balderdash simply asked if I would volunteer for his act later. I expect he wants to throw knives at me," Albus said with amusement. Harry and Lunette gazed at him thoughtfully.
"You seem pretty calm about it," Harry said.
"Of course, Harry. I've trusted Balderdash with my life for years now," Albus said with a smile.
"Trust is good," Lunette agreed. "But I think I'll save trusting my life to people who aren't throwing weapons at my head." Albus chuckled at that and the two of them continued walking until they got to the carnival section.
Most of the area consisted of a variety of games for prizes, all of which were charmed to go in the carnival's favor. There was a carousel, a boat ride, and a bounce house for small children, as well as a waltzer, dodgems, and a house of mirrors for older children. The only ride geared more for adults seemed to be the large observation wheel, which at the moment had a sign in front of it that read: Closed for Inspection.
"Ah, yes. There's nothing like overpriced rides to get children to beg their parents out of all of their loose coins," Lunette said with amusement.
"I wonder which department is supposed to inspect these?" Harry wondered. "I can't think of a single office it might fit under."
"Back home, it's handled by State Licensing," Lunette offered.
"This sort of Licensing would fall under Sports and Events, I would suppose," Albus ventured, but Harry wrote himself a note so that he'd remember to look up later. "Although I doubt the Big Wheel is really closed for Inspection. It's probably an all purpose sign they use when it's broken down and they're fixing it."
"That makes sense," Lunette agreed with amusement. "People like to be reassured that these rides are getting inspected a lot. Whether they really are or not are up for debate."
"We should probably get to our seats. I want to sit close to the very front or along the aisle so that I can get to Balderdash easily when he needs me," Albus ventured.
"Sure, let's go in," Harry agreed, and the three of them worked their way back inside, handing them tickets to the premium section and working their way to the center seats.
They didn't notice anyone who was above them, including Mitch, who had been sitting near the center of the back row by himself, glad when the candy butcher didn't attempt to engage him on her way past. A few minutes later, someone stepping into the row just below him stopped in front of his seat and gazed at him without sitting down. Mitch looked up, startled to see Earham Singh standing there.
"What are you doing here, Mitch? All the way back here and sitting by yourself? Who are you with?" Earham asked.
"I came alone, actually," Mitch admitted.
"They let you come here all by yourself?" Earham asked disapprovingly.
"Well, if you must know, I snuck out. I don't think they even know I left the mansion, because I keep to myself most of the time. Besides, I really don't like being escorted about. I can take care of myself," Mitch said.
"Be that as it may, I am certain that once they've noticed you've snuck out, they'll likely be at wit's end wondering if you've Disappeared. If you don't mind, I believe I'll sit with you," Earham said, sliding back out of the row and coming up to his level.
"If you'd like, you can, of course, as long as you're not simply doing it because you think I need looking after," Mitch said.
"Actually, I believe we have similar reasons for coming," Earham said, sitting down. "You likely came here to see John, and I am here to see how both John and Balder are doing, as a concerned friend. And since you are my friend as well, it only makes sense that we team up and support them."
"True," Mitch decided after a moment. "Thank you."
"Why, of course," Earham said cordially, and the two of them turned their attention to the front.
John and Spanx watched as the procession of clockworks and clowns went in, warming up as they listened to Heartless Hardy reminding the performers of their ring and their order. If all went as scheduled, they would be on twenty minutes in, and had to head in outside of the spotlight to get ready in twelve minutes. From where they were, they could hear Mr. Mirage himself direct the attention of the audience, and they watched the chaotic hustle as some of the clowns hurried out and raced to the dressing rooms to change into other costumes while others stayed to distract the audience when needed.
In the stands, Mitch watched the Children of the Wild as they did acrobatics on the trampoline, and then nervously looked down at some of the Clockwork Menagerie with their realistic movements and their sharp pointy teeth. Then Mitch saw movement and looked at the center ring curiously as metal bars began to slide up out of the ground through small holes and rose all the way to the ceiling. Mitch couldn't discern its purpose at first; they were wide enough from each other that they didn't really obstruct the view and a normal person could get easily pass through them, especially if they turned slightly to one side. Mirage didn't even try as he walked in front of them; if anything, he seemed to be avoiding them. It was not long after that when Mitch noticed two figures climbing the poles up to the wire, and one was unmistakably John.
"And now, Gentlewizards and Enchantresses, you may have noticed the presence of the Dragon Cage that has been placed upon the center ring," Mirage said as the spotlight landed on him. "Once employed by the circus to contain the magical abilities of the greatest of beasts, it has now been repurposed to create an extra challenge for our highest level of performers," he explained. "Thanks to charmed metals used in the bars, the Dragon Cage negates all castable magic! Perhaps a volunteer? Ah, Mr. Longbottom, our esteemed editor from the Oracle," Mirage said, and Amadeus stepped up off the front row.
"Now there's a reliable volunteer," Earham murmured sarcastically, watching as Mirage and Amadeus stepped inside the cage and Amadeus cast several spells at him, getting no response at all from his wand. He shrugged, going back to his seat.
"As you can see, there are also no charmed safety devices or physical nets employed in this cage... but do not be concerned! Those you will see performing under these conditions are undeterred by the level of danger, and are eager to show you their skills upon the highest wire in this circus!" Mirage informed them. "And now, for our first death-defying act, the Knight Brothers!" Mirage announced. "On the east side, the elder brother, who holds the record for the highest tight-walking stunt in Europe, Guy Knight!" Mirage announced. Earham clapped slow and sarcastically at Spanx, while Mitch refused to clap at all. "And to the north, his promising younger brother known for his superior climbing skills and agility, Neal Knight!" Earham winced at the names and it took Mitch an extra second to clap, his eyes fixing now on John as he bowed dramatically for the crowd before focusing on the wire.
As the two did somersaults onto the wire and began their balancing tricks, it didn't take long for everyone to notice that 'Neal' looked a great deal shakier and more unsure of himself than his brother, the wire moving more under his feet and looking more off balance during the jumps and juggling portion, as if the younger brother was more unpracticed. But it didn't take long for Earham to figure out that the awkward behavior was quite deliberate; a stunt to make Guy look even more impressive and dominant for his perfect execution, often pausing to give his partner some brotherly encouragement. But even after years of being off the wire, it was quite obvious to the goblin that it was John who had the greater skill, pulling off those clumsy motions and still maintaining perfect control. Earham couldn't help but be impressed.
"I take it John has a rigorous exercise regiment at home. He's not lot his touch," Earham complemented sincerely. Mitch, who thought he was just being nice, nodded and made an almost non-committal noise that let Earham know that Mitch was genuinely worried. "It's part of the show, Mitch. John's quite comfortable up there, I assure you," Earham said, Mitch nodding noncommittally again.
Seeing that his words weren't reaching him, Earham sighed and sat back to watch, completely unsurprised when John 'fell' and was dangling by the wire, first by both hands, then by one. The crowd gasped in alarm and fear, Mitch doing the same.
Spanx, who had noticed Mitch from the start and been watching his reactions every time he was on the landing platform, let out an involuntary laugh, leaving John gripping with pain in his hand from holding on until Spanx finally got control of himself. He rushed out onto the wire to finally rescue his 'poor brother' and offered him his hand, pulling John back up to stand on the wire. They stood in the center with an arm on each others shoulders, taking a moment to fling their free arms out so that the crowd could cheer.
"What happened to the exaggerated concern for my safety you were supposed to do?" John asked through his forced smile.
"I'll tell you about it later," Spanx promised, and the two made their way back to the platforms, getting another round of applause when Mirage announced their names again.
"What do you suppose all of that was about?" Lunette asked in Albus' ear as they clapped. But Albus noticed they were rolling out Balderdash's human targeting rig and knew he had to pay attention for his call to come to the ring.
"Here, Lunette. I'm certain you can see what was going through his head as clearly as I did," Albus said, handing her his Omniculars to go back over.
Back behind the tent, John was cradling his hand slightly as he still had deep marks from having to hold himself on the wire for that long.
"I don't suppose you'd let me use a wrap for the later performance?" John asked, Spanx grabbing his hand to look at. Spanx rolled his eyes.
"Give me a break, it's nothing but a bit of wire burn," Spanx said. "Aren't your hands used to that trick yet?"
"You made me wait for your rescue twice as long as normal," John pointed out.
"Yes, but I just couldn't help myself! I was watching your former man in the back row during the trick and he was totally out of his mind with terror! It was so positively precious, I just couldn't contain my laughter!" Spanx said, laughing again while John inhaled.
"My Mitch is in the audience? He's not my 'former' man, we're married," John reminded him firmly.
"Oh, yes? Then why did he bring a new boyfriend, then?" Spanx challenged him, causing John to get curious enough to peek through the flap to try and find them. "Lord, though, but his new man didn't buy the act not even for a minute. You'll need to make it look more convincing from now on, Johnny boy."
John finally located them next to the aisle on the back center row, watching as Balderdash threw knives around a very calm Albus Dumbledore, who simply smiled with apparent amusement at being turned into a target. Mitch looked quite nervous about the act, but hardly petrified at the moment, while next to him, Earham Singh watched the act with intense scrutiny, not anywhere near as impressed as most of the audience was. John relaxed.
"'Tis only Earham Singh. He's just a friend, and not at all interested in my Mitch," John informed him.
"I know one when I see one," Spanx replied.
"He's not into humans," John said curtly.
"Really?" Spanx said speculatively. "Maybe he sees Mitch as just another barn animal then."
"I'm off to change and balm up my hand for next show," John said with annoyance.
"Fine, but no wraps," Spanx warned, then went back over to watch the crowd a while longer.
During the second show, John couldn't help but notice as he was climbing to the platform that Mitch was back in the same spot he had sat at before. This time it was Sirius sitting next to him, after tracking him down once they realized he was missing. Zack came with him for the first show the next day, and Conner the second. Sometimes he even managed to come by himself, when it took someone a bit to realize he had snuck off again, but Mitch was determined not to miss a single show.