Page 123 of Realm of Nightmares
Lir scowled at the swirling fluff that was nothing more than flavored sugar crystals. “I don’t care to have a purple mouth. Or tongue.”
“You could save it for Saoirse,” she teased, sending him a knowing look that only made his frown deepen. “I know I’d share my treats with the female I fancied if I could.”
“And where is your Aeralie?” Merrick tossed his empty bag into a nearby waste bin. He’d finished every last caramel.
“Off in Autumn doing Autumn things,” Brynn replied, her tone wistful. A shadow fell over her face and her eyes morphed from bright green to deep blue. “Though I believe she intends to sail with Aran to Wenfyre.”
“Don’t worry. Aran is an expert seafarer. Aeralie will be back in no time.” Merrick tossed an arm around Brynn’s shoulders and proceeded to buy an entire bag full of strawberry creams.
“Are you serious?” She jabbed him in the side. “Another bag of candy? You’ve just finished one!”
“Oh, these aren’t for me.” Merrick gave the paper sack a little shake. “Strawberry creams are Ceridwen’s favorite.”
Tiernan shot his hunter a cautionary look, and Merrick held his gaze, steady and confident. Very well then. If Merrick planned to profess any kind of emotion toward Ceridwen, a bag full of strawberry creams was the way to do it.
“Look!” Brynn pointed up ahead, toward the outer edges of Niahvess, where three canvas tents swept up to a point. “There it is.”
The anticipation of the event had built to a boiling point. The atmosphere was electric, fizzing with energy. Following the crowd, Tiernan and his Court navigated their way into one of the tents. The entrance yawned open, ribbons of silver and dark blue stretching back to reveal a cavernous enclosure. Faerie fire encased in multicolored glass orbs dangled from the tent’s interior, crisscrossing back and forth to create numerous diamond patterns. Shadows and light flickered and danced around the space as the orbs twirled, propelled by some imaginary force.
They found some empty seats close to the front of a rectangular stage where two female fae clad in sequins and velvet sat upon massive silver hoops suspended from the ceiling. In unison, they arched back, splitting their legs open while hanging upside down from the hoops. The swatches of sequins and velvet were barely enough to cover their breasts, much less anything else. If he were a lesser male, he supposed he might find it a form of mediocre entertainment.
But he was not lesser. And neither was Lir, apparently.
Lir, who hadn’t even once glanced up at the two females, was busy scouring the area for any threat. His silver gaze darkened as it bounced over every corner of the tent. The only thing that could make him anything less intimidating was the fact that he was still holding a cone of cloud candy.
Tiernan smirked, his attention dragged back to the females as the hoops started to spin. Mercilessly, they spun around and around, their lithe bodies bending and arching as though they were fluid, as pliable as water.
Sitting back, Tiernan watched, mesmerized by the fascinating sight.
A roar of gasps and shouts exploded through the tent as the hoops plummeted to the ground. Billowing clouds of silver and blue smoke appeared. Tiernan was on his feet, flanked by Lir and Brynn, when the hoops lifted once more, having stopped only inches from the hardwood stage. Thunderous applause echoed in his ears. The females continued to sit upon them, their gazes empty, their smiles lackluster, as though it made no difference in the world that everyone was applauding and cheering for them.
The smoke cleared and from it stepped a male with long strides and a gangly sort of walk. He was excessively tall and lean, his arms longer than they should’ve been, but he wore it well. He was dressed all in black, though his pants and shirt were etched with razor-thin stripes of silver and blue, just like the tents. On top of his head was a sleek black hat with a wide rim, adorned with white feathers. His hair was dark and unruly, his mouth slightly too wide for his face, and when he smiled, welcoming all in attendance, it looked forced.
“Niahvess!” The male’s booming voice sounded, and more than one child cried out in shock. “How lovely it is for all of you to join us this evening. As your host, allow me to introduce myself…” He bowed. “Alastar the Wondrous, at your service.”
From beside Tiernan, Lir snorted in annoyance.
Alastar gestured up to the females seated upon the hoops, who stared out over the crowd with dazed, glossy expressions. “And my assistants, Vinnia and Vella.”
More rapturous applause ensued, but the females remained stationary. Unmoving. Uncaring.
Brynn leaned over toward Tiernan, her voice soft, her gaze focused on the two assistants. “They don’t look like they feel very happy about being there.”
Merrick dipped his head in their direction, one dark brow arched. “They don’t look like theyfeelanything at all.”
Tiernan couldn’t agree more. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he’d say they’d been spelled. Or charmed. But then Vinnia and Vella drew every gaze in the audience back up to the ceiling with their tantalizing movements to distract from what was happening on the ground—a setup for basic magic tricks.
Two fae propped up a table, covering it with a dark blue cloth. They placed a cage full of songbirds and two bowls of dark red petals on the table. It would be a novice performance at best, but Tiernan had to admit, it was good to see his citizens happy for a change. A wardrobe was wheeled out and deposited over faintly drawn chalk marks on the stage to prepare for the age-old vanishing trick.
Music poured into the tent, a lively, pleasant tune, setting Alastar’s stage. He spread his arms wide, standing behind the cage full of small white birds. They chirped and tweeted, fluttering about between the gilded bars until Alastar threw a black swath of fabric over them. “Brace yourselves for an amazing feat, for a bird without a song isn’t nearly as sweet.”
At once, the audience fell silent.
For the music had ceased to play, and the birds had gone quiet.
Alastar ripped away the black cloth. Cries and shrieks of horror ruptured all around Tiernan. He stood, Lir on his feet a second later, and stared at the cage in stunned silence.
Every bird was dead.
