Chapter 33
But first, I had to satiate my curiosity. I leaned close to Marc and lowered my voice to a whisper. “What just happened back there with that guy and the tickets?”
“A very easy way to tell if a ticket is fake,” he explained as we strolled toward one of the doors.
“The sellers make only part of it flammable, and the rest couldn’t catch on fire if you threw it into the hottest pits.
The doorman has a knack for fire magic and burns every ticket to see if the remaining part matches. ”
My eyebrows shot up. “That’s incredible!”
Marc studied the stubs. “Let’s hope these tickets are as impressive as the entrance magic.”
I squinted at the smudged tickets. “Is that a one, or a seven?”
“We’ll try one,” he suggested as he guided me through the doorways.
I jerked to a stop and gaped at the hall.
The majestic theater occupied several thousand square feet.
Dozens of rows of cushioned chairs lined the floor up to the half-circle stage.
The large balcony hung over a quarter of the lower seats, and personal balconies dotted the upper floor walls on our left and right.
I stepped up to the first row, and my eyes widened. “This says it’s row one hundred. That must mean we’re at the front.”
“Then let’s get walking,” Marc mused as he strode down the gentle incline.
Many of the seats were already occupied. I could tell there wasn’t going to be enough seating for all the people outside.
“What do you think will happen if those people don’t get in?”
He grinned. “We could have an interesting evening after all.”
We reached the front row, and the nameplate featured our number. Another set of numbers on the ticket told us to scoot to the center, where we took our seats. I wiggled my butt, and the cushion moved with my derriere.
I swept my eyes over the vast amphitheater. “These are really nice seats.”
A voice floated over from behind us. “Glad you like them, Miss Larkin!”
I knew that voice, and so did Marc. He looked as surprised as I as we both whipped our upper bodies around. Henry sat behind us, his arms folded over the top of our seats and a huge grin on his face.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
“We thought we’d keep you company.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “‘We?’”
A commotion up the aisle turned our attention that way. The entire Sparrow Syndicate swaggered down the hall, grinning from ear to ear as they waved at the other patrons.
“Hiya!”
“Anybody wanna buy some wallets?”
“Where’s the food?”
A stifled snort escaped me, and Marc cupped half his face in his hand. Henry sat up and glared at his companions, raising his voice so the whole amphitheater could hear him. “Keep your voices down, you idiots! You wanna get us kicked out?”
“We was only trying to sell some stuff,” one of the boys protested as they reached the row at our backs.
Pandemonium erupted as they all tried to be the first one through. The boys climbed over each other and even the chairs above and below their row. Their efforts resembled a messy wave of humanity as they tumbled over to us. A few even crashed into Henry in their attempt to crowd around him.
He clapped his hand over their faces and shoved them away. “Watch it!”
Marc smiled at the crowd as they fought over the chairs and nodded at the doors leading into the auditorium. “You might want to sit down before you’re sitting down in the street.”
I saw what he meant. The burly guard from the front door had appeared at the top of the aisle. His arms hung at his sides, and his scowl had deepened. A faint red light came from his palms.
The boys shrank beneath such a sight, and they scurried into the nearest chair. Henry fell back into his chair and grinned. “So, ever been to one of these, sir?”
“All the time,” Marc replied.
“Really?” Ben wondered.
“Of course!” Jimmy chimed in as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Seastorm can blend in with anyone and any place, and he’s not afraid to spend a dime on it, either!”
“So not you,” one of the other boys piped up, and the rest of the group burst into laughter.
Their outburst earned them more dirty looks from the rest of the audience. Ben sneered at a gaggle of five girls just behind them. “What are you looking at?”
One of them smirked at him. “I don’t know. Magic has yet to explain it.” Her friends giggled at the quip.
Ben’s friends were so empathetic to his plight that they joined the girls in their merriment. Ben sank into his seat, red-faced and pouty-lipped. The rest of the seats were soon filled, and the lights dimmed so only the stage was lit.
A handsome gentleman walked to center stage and bowed low to us.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are grateful to every single one of you who has come out to listen to the beautiful voice of Lady Dolios. She has performed many times on this stage, but she never tires of seeing all of your eager faces-”
“Just bring her out!” someone behind us shouted.
The corners of the man’s mouth tensed, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, well, as I was saying, I am proud to announce the fantastic talent that is Lady Iris Dolios.” He clapped as he backed up off stage, and the rest of us followed suit.
The lights dimmed to a single spotlight that zeroed in on stage right. The curtains rustled before a woman slipped out from behind them. The room erupted into cheers and thunderous clapping.
My eyes widened as I beheld her flawless skin, her perfectly kept raven-black hair that trailed down her back and swayed from side to side as she walked toward the front of the stage.
She wore a silky white dress with strips of glistening jewels in a snake-like coil around her body.
The gemstones sparkled beneath the light as she stopped only a few feet from us.
She bowed her head, and the room quieted. “Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you coming out to see me, and hope I won’t disappoint.”
“You’ll never disappoint us, Iris!” someone yelled.
Her smile widened. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now allow me to give you what you’ve all paid for.”
She opened her mouth wide, and a melodious voice floated out. The notes dipped and rose like a softly running stream. The words reverberated in my soul. I felt lifted up. Alive.
And maybe a little bit envious, too.
Marc leaned close to me and spoke in a whisper I barely caught. “You sing better.”
“And you’re not so loud,” Ramaro chimed in.
I shook my head, but didn’t deign to reply any other way.
However, being as close as we were to the stage, and under the intense lighting, I couldn’t help but notice a few cracks in the face Iris wore.
There were the barely-perceptible crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, and the softening of her throat muscles that caused a touch of sag.
Dolios sang many songs, each more moving than the last. The final tune brought many to tears, and when she finished, the house rose, giving her an uproarious applause. The boys behind us whistled and shouted their praise.
Dolios bowed several times as the announcer from earlier walked on stage with his arms full of flowers. Her eyes lit up, and she accepted as many of the bouquets as she could carry. Her laugh carried over the applause.
“Thank you so much!” she cooed as she held up her bouquets. “Thank you, and you all have a pleasant evening!”
The man and she strolled off stage, and the audience followed suit, exiting up the aisles and through the doorways. The boys, however, leaned over the backs of our seats, their faces stretched with their grins.
“Well, Seastorm, what’d you think of it?” Ben wondered.
“A very interesting rendition of some old songs,” he commented.
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You knew most of the songs?”
“They’re sea songs from Rynek. Any child would know them who grew up there.”
“Then ain’t ya glad we bought those tickets for you?” one of the lads spoke up. Hearty nods of approval followed.
A sly grin slipped onto Marc’s lips. “I’m so thankful for that and your company that I’m going to give you fellows another mission.”
One of the boys laughed. “That’s fun to us, Seastorm!”
Henry elbowed him in the gut. “Keep your mouth shut about the name in public, Stephen!”
Stephen clutched his wounded stomach and glared at his leader. “What’re you talking about? Nobody’s here anymore.”
“You don’t know who might be listening in,” Henry scolded him before he turned back to us. “What’s the mission, sir?”
“Some of you will find out what you can about Calder Crestmoor. The rest of you will follow him.”
Ben wrinkled his nose. “So, info gathering or watching some guy drive around? That doesn’t sound like much fun. Can’t we do something to him while we’re watching? Maybe pull some pranks.”
“Don’t even look at him strangely,” Marc warned him as he met each of their eyes. “I have a feeling this fellow might be more than just a merchant, but until we find out what he’s up to, you need to treat him as someone more dangerous than even the Managers. Do you understand?”
Their heads bobbed up and down, and Henry pushed off the back of our chairs and stood. “Yes, sir. We’ll start tonight.”
“And take this with you.” Marc reached into his coat and drew out his coin purse, which he held out to the lad. “You might need it to bribe a few of Crestmoor’s more tight-lipped acquaintances.”
Henry took the bag and nodded. “We’ll be sure to bring back what’s left.”
“You’d better not,” Marc teased as he stood and helped me out of my seat. “The whole lot’s for you, and the only thing I want back is the empty bag.”
All their faces lit up, and Jimmy jumped up and down. “Let’s go start spending it right now!”
A great cheer arose from the boys, and they scampered off to fulfill Jimmy’s suggestion.
Marc nodded at a door to our right and set into the same wall as the stage. “Now let’s go see if we’re expected.”