Maniacal laughter invaded her ears as thoughts of Erik running his blade across his own mother’s throat before plunging another in Robert’s back invaded her mind. She remembered how their blood mixed on the stage like a perfect crimson pool at their feet.
The fury that raced along Caspian’s skin, and the disgust that brought about a violent shiver had allowed his chaotic smoke to fly from his fingers, finding a home in Erik’s lungs. All for Lace. It had been a personal death. Intimate. A sort of sweet revenge she did not regret, but that retribution came with a cost. If only he hadn’t taken that step into darkness, maybe things would be different.
Lace’s sister, Victoria was in the front row next to their former handmaiden, Lucille. Both girls jumped up and down as they shouted Lace’s name. She shook the visions of blood from her mind and smiled in their direction. She squeezed Killian’s hand once before pulling away and letting the Paradox slide through her fingers.
The knife thrower, Isaac and his partner, Emilia, came onto the stage bringing with them a tall wooden box that looked strangely like a coffin. Lace kept a pleasant expression on her face for the crowd even as her courage began to falter. Memories of four glass coffins collapsing below ground nearly did her in. Her throat constricted and it felt hard to breath against the anxiety coursing along her skin.
“Are you okay?” Killian whispered through the teeth of his smile.
“I’m fine. Let’s do this.”
The coffin spun. A display to show the crowd there were no openings other than the one in front. Isaac and Emilia set the black box down before walking away. Killian opened the door and held his hand out in Lace’s direction. She took it, and he twirled her around for the audience. He was giving them a show, but she knew he had done it for his own pleasure as well. He growled low in his throat; a sound meant for her alone. The close contact of his muscled body made her mind go momentarily blank. She was intoxicated by his musky scent. His hypnotic touch. He stroked his thumb over her palm and pulled her close. She sucked in a deep breath. Though she wanted to spend eternity in the safety of his arms, she couldn’t. She pulled away and stepped into the obscurity of the box.
Killian’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Lace, picking up on her growing apprehension. Over time, they had learned the subtle shifts within one another and were quick to pick up on them. The shadow at his side stretched outward, reaching to take charge in case something was to go wrong. The phantom audible pop of it detaching from Caspian so that chaos could transfer to Killian echoed through her ears. Where once it had been used for malice, it was now a protector of them all.
It had taken some getting used to, but it hadn’t been long before she grew attached to the strange shadow. Over the months, it’d become an extension of the man she loved, and in return, she loved it. She looked at it affectionately. Its presence soothed her and Killian relaxed. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he mouthed, I love you, before shutting the door, leaving her alone.
Silence filled the room, each soul within squeezed in the grasps of the madness the show promised. Lace could hear Killian’s cane connecting with the stage as he walked from one side of the box to the other. Each click felt like a countdown, but to what, Lace wasn’t sure. The sound invaded every molecule within her being, and she jumped when Killian’s voice boomed through the room.
“Not everything you see before you can be taken for truth.” His voice cut through the heavy silence. “You must see through what is before grasping what is really there.”
Lace clutched the Paradox tightly and it vibrated in her sweaty palm. Hardness gave way to silkiness as it lost its form and flowed from her fingers, fashioning into a fluid black material. It reached up to connect to the top of the box before extending to each corner, hiding Lace from sight. Once it was entirely in place, Lace heard Killian give his final line.
“Or rather, what isn’t really there.” He reached forward and swung open the door to the coffin. Lace could hear the gasps coming from the crowd, seeing nothing within. To them, she had vanished completely. The wooden boards groaned as Killian spun the coffin for the audience to show it was still as solid as before.
The door closed once the coffin was back into position. The Paradox detached from the corners and transformed back into the silver ball. Lace smiled at it, and it pulsated in her hand in response. She tucked it into her pocket just as the door opened once again.
Shouts of confusion and cries of amazement filled every inch of the tent. Lace walked out hand in hand with Killian. She tried to search the crowd, to take in every emotion she could, but the spotlight above her made it impossible. She blinked through the light, trying to keep from squinting.
Killian had promised her a life full of magic, and so far, he was holding up his end of the bargain. The thrill of chaos was intoxicating, and Lace never wanted to leave. She let the cheers of adoration wrap around her once more before looking to the man she’d chosen.
Together, Lace and Killian bowed for the audience and left the stage just as several acrobatic performers took their place. Lace watched them twist in the air before shifting her attention to the darkness once again. She felt a disturbing presence watching her from the shadows. It beckoned her from a faraway place, reminding her of a promise that had been made. Shaking her head, the sensation disappeared, and her heart slowly shattered. She recoiled at the realization that her decision wasn’t as solid as she would have hoped it to be.
Chapter Two
The night’s show still plagued Lace’s mind as the moon lifted higher into the sky. Though she willed her nerves to calm, she found it difficult to make herself continue moving. She clutched her newly acquired amulet in her hand tightly and hurried through a hidden hallway in the back of the tent. Several rooms stretched out along the corridor, most with their doors open. Performers lounged around in the entryways talking to one another, laughing, and performing tricks they didn’t dare do on stage.
A silver-haired contortionist named Sarah was bent backwards, her head turned to the side as she growled and hopped after several of the jugglers. Her possessed act made the others squeal and run away in mock fear. Henry, a portly, bald ropewalker, had taken one of his silken binds and tied several of his friend’s ankles together, waiting for them to stand and fall.
Lace noticed some of the performers had taken leave and found solace behind closed doors, either by themselves or with others. Though, the ones who had chosen to continue on the night stopped to give her a nod as she walked past them.
It was a night like all the others for the performers. If it had been just another night for Lace, she would have stopped to join in on the debauchery, but tonight, she was on a mission. Smiling at some of the aerial artists, she made her way down the hall.
It was nice to have the respect of the performers. At first, most were wary of her, witnessing the infatuation Caspian had with her. They also hadn’t missed the indecision within her own heart. Now she kept that part buried deep, locked away, and sealed shut. Her only concern was her family and the show. That choice earned her their admiration, and she wasn’t willing to jeopardize it.
Darkness encroached upon her as she continued toward the room she hadn’t entered in over five years. The corridor seemed to elongate while the entrance pulled her closer. Fear crept up her throat, and it took everything she had to swallow it down.