Chapter 31 River
River
“It’s showtime,” River whispered in disbelief.
Ghosts, it had been a very long while since River felt the heady, fizzy anxiety of an impending performance. That would’ve
been more than enough. But there was an extra layer.
Many, really.
For one, she was inside the Grand Theatre. Where the outside still had the ruinous look of history long gone, the inside had
been reinvigorated—ornate moldings all around the stage and a beautiful backdrop in the rear, easily forty irons high, with
swordlike orbs of light jutting out around it.
River had to give it to the Vestriyans. They had an eye for theatrics.
But Mythria’s representation in this affair was not to be overlooked. Queen Thessia was an excellent co-host, playing wonderfully
against Vestriyan horseballer Nevo Yrillis. Thessia was as charming as she was effusive, complimenting each performer as they
finished in a way that felt both personal and fair. She commanded the stage the same way she commanded their realm, her generosity
of spirit as sparkly and vibrant as the crystal tiara on her head.
“Are you ready?” Celine asked, squeezing River’s hand.
“No,” River told her. “But no one ever is.”
They stood in the very back of the theater where the elevated seats were the highest, providing them a clear view of all the action. It was not unlike the night they’d spent watching the Vestriyan Caravaners together.
River and Celine each held a stack of small, folded pamphlets, the contents of which contained every detail they needed to
carry their plan to completion.
River had read the pamphlet over many times, amazed at each pass. It was informative, heartfelt, and entirely damning.
This pamphlet would change Vestriya forever.
Onstage, a dancer and musician—husband and wife, River recalled from rehearsals—finished their performance. The crowd began
politely applauding.
“Shall we?” Celine asked, taking a step down the staircase that ran beside each row of seats, ready to begin passing out pamphlets.
Before she moved, River did what she’d been trained to do, something so second nature she did it without thought—she scanned
the crowd for danger, just like the guild had taught her to do.
That was how she spotted Deathrose colleagues scattered throughout the audience. They were in groups of two or three, dressed
to blend in with the rest of the crowd, but they were everywhere—at the very front of the stage and even all the way to the back, only a few seats to the right of where Celine and River
stood, cloaked by darkness.
“They’re already here,” River whispered, her nerves taking on a new form.
“It doesn’t matter.” Celine gripped River’s hand once more. “The truth must get out.”
“But if we try to pass these pamphlets out, they’ll stop us before we can get them into everyone’s hands.”
The two women fell quiet. Onstage, Thessia appeared again, commending the couple on the way they showcased their love through
music and movement.
“I have a better idea.” River snatched Celine’s pamphlet stack from her hand.
“What is it?” Celine asked.
River kissed her on the lips, quick and hard. “You’ll see.”
At that, she hurried down the steps until she stood at the foot of the stage, just beneath Thessia, who was waiting for the
judges to finish offering critiques of the latest performers.
Announce me next, River mouthed.
Thessia disappeared into the stage’s cavernous wings, likely to let everyone know of the change, then emerged again, giving
River a nod.
River had no time to prepare. She hadn’t run through the routine in her mind or performed any of her usual rituals. She hadn’t
even stretched.
It didn’t matter.
It was now or never.
Nevo moved to center stage, prepared to announce the next performer, but Thessia cleared her throat before he could speak,
saying, “Up next, we have the dazzling, the daring, the one and only Fearless Flyer!”
River ran up the steps, building momentum for her opening tumble.
She’d chosen to wear all white. It was an idea she’d had ever since she was young, when she’d hoped to someday become a member
of the Pricemark Family Circus. Back then, she wanted to wear white so she could be like the doves that flew out of the magician’s
hat made real. She wanted to be seen not just as beautiful but pure.
Wearing this costume now was more defiance than acceptance. She could be her complicated, complex self and still wear this.
She could reclaim the performer she once hoped to be and fold her in with the person she actually was. She knew now that she
did not need to be something fragile and ethereal to be worthy.
She could be anything.
And so, River tumbled. She flipped and spun with all her energy and all her heart. The aches that usually sprang up could
not reach her. Only as she neared the end of her performance did it occur to her that moving in the lineup might change the
logistics of her planned finale. She looked to the upper rafters of the stage, relieved to find her silk dangling there, with
a stagehand waiting for her cue. She gave him a nod, and he let the long white silk fall.
Instead of climbing it, River knotted the silk around her waist and through her legs like a harness. She’d placed the pamphlets
within her reach, and she grabbed a stack in each hand.
With a running start, she propelled herself over the crowd, flying above them like she really was a dove, releasing the pamphlets
at the peak of her ascent so they rained down over everyone in the audience.
When the swing of the harness pulled her back to the stage, she grabbed another stack of pamphlets, and off she went to throw
them in a new direction.
On her final pass, she directed herself toward where Celine stood stage left. Because each row of seats was higher than the
last, her silk swing brought River closest to the people in the back rows.
River had released all her pamphlets by the time she reached Celine, so she stretched out her empty hand instead, and Celine
caught it, their fingers gripping one another for a single electric moment.
When River swung back to the stage, she untied the rope and took her bow, unable to contain her joy. She’d done it. Flawlessly.
The pamphlets reached more seats than they would have in their initial plan. Not only that, but River had made the most of
her time onstage.
No matter what happened, she’d successfully performed for Vestriya Now.
Thessia returned to the stage with tears in her eyes. “Wonderful!” she exclaimed into the magical amplification wand that made her voice audible for all. “Just magnificent, Fearless Flyer. I know our judges will have much to say. Let’s hear it.”
“Fantastic work,” her co-host Nevo offered. “Loved that little bit at the end.”
“So romantic!” Thessia said with a wink.
Nevo cued the judges to offer their critiques. River wanted to listen, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering, wanting
to see the audience reactions to the information in the pamphlet. She expected gasps of horror and shock. But when she looked
into the crowd, she found no one was reading them. Most hadn’t even picked up the pamphlets from wherever they’d fallen.
Disappointment weighed heavy on her heart. She felt her face frowning, even as the judges praised her, so she forced herself
to smile. Inside, her mind raced. Celine had worked so hard on the pamphlet. The plan had been improvised quickly and executed
as well as it could be. And still, it hadn’t worked.
In fact, the guild members scattered throughout the audience were rising from their seats. But they weren’t charging the stage.
They were headed for the back row.
For Celine.
River had spotlighted her. She’d shown them exactly where to go.
She had no idea whether the judges had finished their critiques or not. She hadn’t heard a word either way. She was too busy
teleporting herself to the back row. But she was too late.
Gary and Mary held Celine on either side. Mary had a knife pressed to Celine’s throat, and Gary had another near Celine’s
stomach.
Mary smiled at River, sickly sweet. “Once again, you’ve made our job easier.”
“We really need to thank you some day,” Gary said. “But we won’t.”
“What do you want with her?” River asked.
“She’s too dangerous to be left alone,” Gary said.
Mary nodded eagerly, adding, “She possesses a power we cannot fight against.”
“I’ll never join your guild.” Celine kept her calm, holding her chin up as she said it. “I would rather die.”
“Exactly,” Gary said, but he was looking at River. “That’s exactly what’s going to happen. Unless you give us a good reason
not to . . .” He moved to plunge his knife, forcing River to yell out a halting stop.
She knew what was really going on.
Their plan was not to kill Celine. Not really. They would, if necessary, but it wasn’t the goal. Their goal was to use River.
They wanted her connection to Thessia. Her teleportation abilities. All of it.
“I’ll take you to Thessia,” River said. “I’ll teleport her into the prison you set up. I’ve been there. Dougal Farkenstomp
showed it to me. Which I’m sure you know. You probably had to clear out his rotted corpse. It won’t be difficult for me to
get Thessia. She trusts me completely.”
River could feel the determined force of Celine’s stare, urging her to stop at once, but River didn’t dare meet her eye.
Gary put his knife into the sheath around his waist. “Very smart,” he said. “Very smart indeed.”
“If I betray Thessia like this, you let Celine and I go forever when it’s done,” River said. “We will escape to another realm.
You’ll never hear from us again.”
“Fine,” said Mary.
“Great. You have my word.” River spit on her hand and stuck it out for a shake. “Gary, Mary, let’s shake on this.”
Once the deal had been sealed with spit, River wiped her damp hand on her black leggings and said, “Oh, Mary, I need you to come with me. Galwell will be backstage, and he is our biggest obstacle. You can distract him with combat while I seize Thessia. Gary, you can stay on Celine.”
The assassin siblings gave their nods of approval, and Mary moved to follow River.
Finally, River looked at Celine. “I was wrong, by the way,” she said.
Celine’s puzzled expression did not relent.
“I do have a weakness,” River continued. “You.”