Movement 27
Tempest
There’s an almost electric feeling in my chest as we wait backstage to perform in The Sinner’s Circus.
Baelor moves to the center and performs his act.
I see him cut open someone’s flesh before I have to look away, the entire thing is a hard watch.
There’s the clanking of a knife dropping to the floor, and the tangy, metallic smell of blood permeates the air.
Yasmeena and I are sitting next to each other, but we haven’t spoken since last night. I hope she knows that I’ve taken her words to heart. I don’t intend to ever let Pack Escalus harm her people, and I would never use my power against anyone.
If that’s what my Alpha does, I plan to put an end to it with my reign. I just need time to figure everything out. I have to talk to the other pack leaders. They might be new to Haeresis, but surely someone has answers about my father’s proceedings.
I wish I could speak with Tyrus. They said he died defying our Alpha’s orders, but now I’m not so sure. Why would that have been his dying decision? I think Yasmeena might be telling the truth, and this entire thing might have been formulated by my father. Everything is beginning to add up.
I need answers.
Baelor bows, and Raph walks to the center of the ring, his voice booming over the speakers.
“Our final act tonight is perhaps the most daring one of all. Two species, both alike in dignity, in fair Haeresis, where we set our scene. Of these different peoples, whose grudge we seek to mend, may these two acrobats perform, putting the war to an end.”
Laughter breaks out, with some of the audience applauding, while other members groan, hiss, and growl.
My heart rate spikes at the dissonance. This entire show is poetic and beautiful, and yet I cringe as we walk out from backstage, through the fog and into the spotlight.
I still haven’t gotten used to all the attention being on me like this, but I try to push those feelings down and just enjoy the moment.
I’m doing this for you. It’s the thought that crosses my mind as I look at her one last time before we start, and I hope she can read it in the small smile that graces my lips.
I want my people to be safe, of course, but we’re stronger.
We would survive an all-out war with the felion.
I might have agreed to this on my father’s orders, but I put all of my strength and effort into tonight, for her.
We walk out into the center of the ring. The scents of chalk and sweat permeate the air, but the only thing I can hear is the rush of my blood, and the crescendo of our beating hearts. The lights are warm against my face, the audience blurring into a dark, breathing mass below.
Kneeling on opposite ends of the bar, the big top goes quiet. I can’t see the audience, but I can feel them as we’re lifted further into the air. Her weight shifts before she moves. She slides closer to me, as slow as the ocean tide, and our knees touch.
It’s the smallest bit of contact, but it means everything to me, and I hope the crowd can feel the tension building between us. Trapeze is about control and knowing exactly how far you can lean before the world goes upside down.
I rise to stand on the bar, and it sways under my feet. Her body mirrors mine, our shoulders almost brushing, but we still don’t look at one another. Not yet.
A murmur ripples through the crowd. I hinge my leg, hooking one knee over the bar, and shift into a backbend, and my hair cascades toward the ground.
The world is now upside down, but Yasmeena is above me, framed in the glowy circus lights.
They make a halo around her. Had the stories I’d been told about the Goddess not described her as a lupion, I would think Yasmeena were her.
She reaches down, taking a seat on the bar, and her hands close around my wrists. The touch feels intimate. She leans back, counterbalancing my weight, and I release my other leg. For just a moment, my body hangs entirely from her.
The audience gasps.
I shift an arm, wrapping it around her, and curl the other beneath her legs. Yasmeena takes my hair in her hand and grips it tightly, forcing me to look up at her. It wasn’t a part of our choreography, but I know this part isn’t for the audience, it’s for me—for us.
Sometimes, in aerial arts, stillness is even harder than when we’re in motion.
Every sense in my body narrows onto Yasmeena—her movement, her breath, the beating of her heart. As we continue our choreography, there’s no hesitation between us. Just trust.
It’s the kind of trust I wish we could have for one another off-stage, too. The kind I yearn for. Complete and all-consuming, but I know it’ll never happen. This has to be enough for me.
There’s a charged silence with every drop, every risky move as we finish our performance.
I assume the audience erupts into cheer, but I can’t hear it. I can’t hear or see anything, my entire body running off the high of performing, my eyes still blinded by the lights. Someone ushers us into the crowd, and I finally start to come to my senses.
Yasmeena’s hand is in mine as we walk through an audience unmasked. It was the concept for tonight’s show. The Sinner’s Circus is normally the place where everyone gets to play as someone else. For just one night, they can be free from the burden of being themselves.
But tonight, we wanted it to be different. Instead of everyone disguising themselves, we wished for an embrace. The felion and lupion in the audience are a part of the act, and we hope they see one another for who they are.
That we can work together.
My heart is thundering, my breaths heavy, and my skin slicked with sweat as I continue walking through the audience with Yasmeena, blowing kisses and waving at attendees. Everything is going as planned, when a felion puts his hand on my upper arm and yanks me backwards.
“Do not touch her,” Yasmeena hisses, but it’s too late. I’ve already been absorbed into the crowd.
Fists are flying, blood splattering as a fight breaks out in the audience, and every hair on my body raises. I don’t know what to fucking do. There’s a howl coming from the center of the ring, one I recognize all too well.
Nico.
“What is he doing here?” I shout, trying to make my way out of the frenzy. Panic floods my senses, but I try to take a breath.
“Nico,” Gemma calls out, clad in a matching pajama set. It’s clear Nico must’ve heard all the ruckus and snuck out of his tent. I just hope our performance was all he saw.
Every atom in my body wants to protect him and Yasmeena from this violence. My magic sizzles at my fingertips and I make the conscious decision to let go. The force of my magic knocks me back onto the dirt.
Ice forms every which way. Crystal shards form on fists, stilling hands mid-fight, and large chunks develop towards the ground, locking everyone in place.
I don’t feel bad at all, my need to protect is far more important than these people’s vengeance or comfort.
Yasmeena makes her way over to me, unaffected by my rage, and helps me from where I’d fallen.
We clear out from the ice. Lupion growl, felion hiss, but we don’t even acknowledge their reactions as we continue up towards the center of the tent.
Nico must have managed to get ahold of Raph’s microphone, and I hear his little voice begin to speak.
“Lupion, felion, demons, mermaids, and serpentine,” he starts, listing every species he can imagine. “Oh! And orcs. And vampyres. And and half-demons. Oh and mommy is a human.”
Some of the audience giggles, clearly amused by his antics.
“Please be nice to each other. My aunt Tempest and aunt Yasmeena worked really hard on this performance and it’s very rude of you to fight after,” he finishes, scolding the crowd.
I scoop Nico up, flipping him upside down, and Gemma takes the mic. I sigh in relief, grateful I don’t have to address the crowd.
“As you can see, we had an unintended guest at The Sinner’s Circus tonight,” Gemma says. “Everyone, give a round of applause to Nico Orzath.”
This time, I can’t help but hear the crowd cheering. It roars to levels I’ve never heard before, everyone clapping and whistling, screaming and shouting. Nico eats it up, and I tickle him before throwing him over my shoulders.
“What are we going to do about the ice?” I ask, and Yasmeena squints at me.
“How the Hel should I know? You’re the one who froze half the audience,” she whispers through gritted teeth.
“Can you get Khalid? And use your water and his fire to melt it?” I suggest, and she nods, going backstage to grab her brother.
I head down to help assist at the exit. Raph and Luc stand beside one another, and I feel like a child being called down to the principal’s office.
“Did we do okay?” I ask, not sure how I expect them to answer.
“You did excellent,” Raph answers first, grinning ear-to-ear.
King Luc gives me a small, clipped smile. “Given the circumstances, yes.”
I allow myself to truly take in both their scents. Luc’s magic is much more powerful. It makes sense, given that he was chosen to be king, but the stark contrast is surprising. Raph always seems so strong compared to the rest of the carnies, it’s weird to think there is greater magic than his.
As the last of the audience leaves, I let out a long exhale.
Baelor, Lilian, Rowan, Reina, and Taryn all come out from backstage, joining Khalid, Yasmeena, and me.
“Tonight, carnies, you may have just changed lives,” Raph says, and I hear a rustling from the back entrance.
Draven.
“Apologies, I was helping Gemma put Nico to bed,” he starts, hustling towards us. “You guys have definitely changed the trajectory of this conflict. Tonight showed many of the felion and lupion that peace is possible.”
“What are our next steps?” the king asks, surprising me.
I won’t pretend to understand Luc, but my experiences so far have definitely changed my perception of him. In the media, and in whispers in the community, he’s portrayed as brutal and cruel. Scary, even.
This demon is tame. I’d even argue he comes across a little soft, not afraid to be vulnerable. I wonder if it’s because these people are all close to him, or if this is his true nature, and everything else is a part of a facade he’s upkeeping.
Raph and my Alpha are different leaders from Luc; they’re consistent. My father is a tough, unrelenting asshole with the general public, and he was the same at home. If I woke from a nightmare, he didn’t comfort me. Raph is the opposite. Always friendly and polite, no matter the circumstances.
Luc has more layers to unmask, and it intrigues me. I wonder if my father truly fears him, or if it’s all a formality.
“A formal treaty, hopefully,” Draven says, patting Reina on the back. “Right, fangs?”
“One can only hope,” she retorts. “Great job or whatever, but I’m exhausted. See you all in the morning.”
Luc nods as if to give his approval, and Reina and Draven walk out of the tent. I blow Taryn a kiss, and she catches it before Rowan pushes her tank out of the exit, leaving just the six of us.
Baelor’s arm is wrapped around Lilian. He looks almost drowsy, unconcerned with the way Luc’s gaze bores into him.
“Good night, royals,” Baelor says, his words a little slurred.
He’s drunk.
“Good night, Baelor,” Raph says with a smile. “Go get some rest.”
They turn and head for the exit, when Luc speaks up, surprising me. “Good night, Lilian.”
Once we’re alone, Yasmeena pulls me into her, and we press our noses against one another. “You did so well, princess,” she whispers.
“That was all you, nuisance,” I say, and kiss her deeply.
Her hands move to my jaw, and mine down to the small of her back, her lips parting on the cutest gasp.
“We need to sleep.” There’s a sad, pathetic look in her eyes, but I nod.
We have another show just like this tomorrow night. Arm in arm, we head out of the big top and back towards our tent.
“Hey, what was up with Luc and Lilian?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Sh,” she says, her eyes going wide as she pulls me into our tent with the force of a thousand demons. “You cannot ever repeat this.”
“Spill.”
Yasmeena audibly exhales. “Before Lilian and Baelor were married, Luc asked her parents for her hand. I don’t know all the details, but from what she told me, it really hurt her. She felt like an object for sale, not a person, so she rejected the offer.”
“What? Luc seems to be genuinely interested in her,” I say, confused.
“Yeah, now. Lilian agreed to marry Baelor, which enraged her parents, and says that after their wedding, Luc started acting weird towards her. Always wanting to know how she’s doing, or finding ways to see her,” Yasmeena shares.
“I only joined Hel’s Carnival a few years ago, so I don’t have any details besides what Lilian has shared with me.
I’ve considered asking Draven or even Reina or Absinthe, but I didn’t want it getting back to Lilian.
She’s my best friend. So please, never tell a soul, not even Taryn.
Only The Devil’s Masquerade knows, as far as I’m aware. ”
“I won’t. I promise.” I hold out my pinky, and she takes it in hers.
“Between you and me, sometimes I wish she had’ve married Luc, but that’s all in the past now.”
“Yeah, I can see why.”
“Anyway, let’s go to sleep,” Yasmeena says, and I crawl into bed.
She turns off the lantern, slipping into bed beside me. My entire body turns pink, my heart racing. I don’t know what to do or how I should react, so I give in to my instincts and wrap my arm around her.
I don’t know how much longer we have like this, but I wish it could last forever.