*
Ralik left the note on Sergeant Fisk’s desk, and then headed for the circus grounds to meet Doran and Mira. Inside, Ralik harbored a mixture of excitement and trepidation. There was always the unknown, nagging at the edges of his consciousness, those “what ifs” that served to paralyze some people to inaction. He tried to remind himself that the time for “what ifs” were over and that his course was set. He and Doran watched Mira’s performance as they waited for Sergeant Fisk. They had seen no sign of Algernon, but the man rarely appeared during the day when people were everywhere. While Ralik’s mind raced with upcoming scenarios, he was amazed at how focused Mira seemed. Her every move was deft and purposeful. In contrast, Doran fidgeted next to him.
“Where is he?”
“He’ll be here,” Ralik assured his friend, but the minutes passed slowly for Ralik as well, and waiting for Fisk to arrive was agonizing. He felt sure that time was of the essence. Perhaps Algernon had caught on to them already and was at this moment preparing to make an escape.
“Ralik?” At the sound of that voice, both relief and more trepidation twisted his stomach. It was time to present his case to Sergeant Fisk. Both boys turned to see the Sergeant, flanked by Sergeant Renauph and three other militia guardsmen. Ralik swallowed hard; he wasn’t comfortable around Sergeant Renauph. He cleared his throat and tried to sound as confident as possible.
“Thank you for coming, Sergeant. Sergeant Renauph.” Ralik bowed slightly to Renauph in acknowledgement. Renauph responded with a short nod of his own, but his brow was furrowed with doubt. “Doran and I have become aware of… of circumstances within this circus that warrant the close attention of and… and consideration of you and Sergeant Renauph,” he stated, trying hard to sound official.
“What circumstances?” prompted Renauph. Fisk raised his hand to stay his counterpart.
“I’m sure he is going to explain fully,” stated Fisk. “You can speak plainly, Ralik.”
“Sir, the first night I was on guard, and again the following day, I met with one of the members of the circus. They told me of something terrible. At first, I wasn’t sure I could believe them. I had to see for myself,” began Ralik. He had to remember to breathe while he recounted the events, so he wouldn’t ram all his words together. “With the help of Doran and this person, I was able to verify the story.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the acrobatics’ show was ending. “It’s probably best if you hear the details from our… ah, informant.” He glanced quickly at Doran. “Take them to the wagon; I’ll get Mira.” He caught her just as the rest of her family went inside the tent. “Mira, they are here. Are you ready?” He saw her swallow hard. “Doran and I will be there; just tell them what you know. Everything will be okay.” He extended his hand to her. Immediately she took it, holding tightly as he led her to the wagon where Sergeant Fisk waited. He squeezed her hand in return as they climbed the short set of steps.
“Sergeant Fisk, this is Mira. She is a member of the Flying Swans.” Doran pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down.
“Yes, I recognize her,” commented Sergeant Fisk with a gentle smile. Ralik found himself watching and memorizing Sergeant Fisk’s every word and gesture. “She is an astounding acrobat. Mira, how can we help you?” As Fisk spoke, Ralik saw Mira visibly relax.
“Count Algernon is using some kind of magic to make people look like animals,” she stated. “At night I feed them good food and give them water. Ralik caught me one night and asked me why I was giving a cup of water to an animal.” Fisk’s eyes shifted to Ralik for a moment, a hint of a smile on his lips. I finally told him the next day that the animals in this circus are not animals at all; they are people. Algernon treats them like animals, and then with his spells, they become them.”
“Mira, how are you able to see them?” asked Fisk.
“I don’t know,” she responded.
“Fisk, we are going to need more proof than this girl’s word,” stated Renauph.
“Ralik and Doran have seen them, too,” countered Mira. “We have made it so that you can see them.” Both Fisk and Renauph gazed at the boys. Ralik nodded.
“Last night, Doran set up a rune square. It dampens magic within it,” explained Ralik. “Now that you have been told, you will also be able to see them, like Doran did last night.”
“It’s true, Sir,” agreed Doran. Without another word, Sergeant Fisk stood up and left the wagon. Renauph and the other guardsmen followed him, as did Ralik and his friends. Sergeant Fisk strode up to the tiger’s cage. Ralik made his way to the front of the group just in time to see Fisk’s face harden into a mask of anger.
“Sergeant Renauph.”
“I see it,” responded Renauph somberly.
“Ralik, do you have evidence that anyone else is involved in this?” asked Fisk.
“No, Sir.”
“Sergeant, come with me,” commanded Fisk, his face still hard as granite. “Hurn, the rest of you send the townsfolk home. The circus is closed. Then unlock these cages.” Fisk turned on his heel and headed straight through the crowd to Algernon’s wagon like an arrow fired from a bow. His gloved fist slammed repeatedly into the wooden door. “Count Algernon!” The door flew open.
“Vot iz zee meaning of zis!” sputtered Algernon, struggling to place a pair of spectacles on his bulbous nose. Algernon looked like he had not slept.
“Sir, you are under arrest for the wrongful imprisonment and torture of free peoples,” proclaimed Sergeant Fisk. “You will come with us peacefully or be subdued by force.” Sergeant Renauph’s sword hissed from its sheath to backup the warning.
“Vot! I muzt protezt,” sputtered Algernon. “Ziz iz preposterous!” Both Fisk and Renauph grabbed the man roughly by the arms and dragged him from the door of his wagon. By this time, many of the circus performers had started to gather as Fisk tied Algernon’s hands behind his back. Before leading him away, Fisk turned to address the crowd.
“This man has not been honest with you,” he announced. “Through insidious methods he has hidden from you the imprisonment and mistreatment of your fellow circus brothers. Held within those cages are the beaten and starved forms of free people like you. Thanks to the kindness and bravery of this girl,” he pointed directly at Mira, “his heinous actions have come to light. I now trust you to see to your brethren and to do the right thing.” The circus performers followed Fisk’s gaze to a line of guardsmen as they all but carried the released people forward. With Algernon’s power over them broken, they had already begun to regain some of their human senses. The strong man strode forward and took the emaciated man Ralik had seen as the snake in his arms. The rest followed, taking them from the guards and leading them to various tents and wagons. Many of the women appeared with food, water, and clean clothing. Through the bustle of the crowd, Ralik saw Mira’s father hugging her tightly and whispering in her ear. Though he wanted to go talk with her, Ralik knew his duty was with the militia at the moment. He and Doran took up positions behind the rest of the guardsmen as they led Algernon away.
*
The next morning Ralik and Doran arrived at the fairgrounds to see the caravan of circus wagons trundle by them. Mira waved at them from the top of Algernon’s old wagon at the head of the column. She jumped down as it passed by.
“I’m so glad you came! I wanted to see you again,” she squealed happily as she approached the two boys. Suddenly, she became very serious. It was the first time Ralik had seen her clearly without her performance make up. Her eyes sparkled a bright green in the morning light under slender, arched eyebrows. Cascades of thick brown hair fell loosely about her shoulders framing her smooth cheeks. Though he was only just becoming aware of it, she was on the cusp of womanhood, and her beauty caught in his throat as she stood before him. A quick glance to the side showed that Doran was equally awestruck. “You are two of the bravest men I will ever meet. The Guild is lucky
to have you both as apprentices.” She hugged Doran and quickly kissed him on the cheek, then turned to Ralik.
“Thank you for believing me,” she said, another tear sliding down her face. Without warning, she pressed her lips to his. His lips moved slowly with hers, and then the moment was over. “I’ll never forget you,” she whispered, placing something in his hand as she caught a passing wagon and was pulled from his grasp. With acrobatic grace she flipped herself onto the top of the wagon, finishing in a handstand, then landed on her feet with another wave to them both.
The touch of her lips lingering on his, Ralik looked down to see what she had placed in his hand. It was a smooth wooden mask about the size of her own face, one side painted white, the other black. He would not forget her.
THE END
Authors Note
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