Demonic Circus - Chapter 1 (finished verson)

tattoo from chapter

Chapter 1

Xanthe

People say when you forget something it probably was not important. What if you forget your whole life, what then? When you find yourself in hell, do you really want to know how you got there? For me that answer is yes. Yes, I do want to know how I got there. I want to remember the last fourteen years, no matter how bad or how good. I want to know about my family, if I had any friends. All I could hope for is that they were ok, whoever they are. There is one thing I remember about my past though and that is there was a boy, a couple of years older than me. I have dreams about him sometimes but I still cannot see what he looks like. I hear his voice whispering to me and then I wake up and the hell starts again.

* * * * *

The curtains open and someone pushes me out onto the platform. There is cheering from the audience. I watch as the other acts perform dangerous acts. To my left, male acrobats throw themselves from high beams into rings of fire. Each one of them stands up head to toe in flames. They emerge one by one and the fire disappears instantly, not one piece of their skin is marked in any way from the blaze. I look more closely at them: there are several scars running along their backs in several directions. To my right, one man stands juggling balls of fire in his hands without even flinching. Both acts stop, take a bow and disappear through the curtains with the audience cheering and clapping behind them. My palms start to sweat, the moisture making my hands clammy. Now it is my turn.

The audience turn to each other in confusion at the sight of me. The ring master announces in a booming voice, “Watch in amazement as this girl,” he pauses and gestures to me, “gets whipped twenty times and leaves the room unmarked.” There are gasps of shock and whispers throughout the audience. “Quiet, quiet,” the ring master bellows. “Watch in silence as this amazing act takes place.”

The ring master gets out his leather whip: I flinch. He climbs up the stairs and onto the platform. He pushes me to the floor and starts to chain my wrists and feet to the ground. He accidently stands on my white dress, ripping it. The audience gasp but the sound is distant to me. The ring master pulls back the whip for the first blow and I brace myself. He brings his hand forward and the whip slices my back. I bite my lip and clench my fists, holding back the scream. He cracks the whip again and again, each time the pain is worse. My dress is blood-soaked; there are barely any patches of white left.

The whip stops and I sneak a glace behind me and regret it. The ring master stands there, whip in hand, grinning. He bends down, unchaining me. He stands back to let me up. My body glows with blue light. I turn my back to the audience. I feel the cuts knitting themselves together again. The slight itching sensation irritates me. Soon all the cuts are gone and the blue light is gone. I turn back around. The audience stare at me with a mixture of shock and confusion then one of them starts to clap slowly and with that everyone else in the tent start to do the same, all but one. A teenager stands at the edge of the tent around the age of eighteen, his eyes dark and unreadable. He wears a hood, it covers his face with darkness but I can tell he is good looking. He skin is pale. I could just see his dark eyes from behind the full fringe of black hair. He does not clap. He catches me looking at him and leaves the tent abruptly.

I turn on my heel and run through the curtains. I just make it out when two guards catch me and drag me back to the cages, screaming. I watch as the cage door closes. I grab onto the bars, screaming for them to let me out. I feel a prick in my arm and then my vision turns to black.

* * * * *

Lex

I walk out the tent in shock. Images of the girl I love being whipped over and over again run through my mind. I had stood there and watched. I wanted to do something to help her but I could not, my master had forbid me. Even when she had looked at me with those sad, sad eyes I still could do nothing to help her.

I find myself behind the tent. In front of me lie several cages. These must be the cages that the cages that the acts were kept in. My eyes start to scan the cages for her before I even realise I am looking for her. I see her lying unconscious in one of the cages and I immediately run to her. She lies there sleeping, her blonde hair in a tangled mess, her dress still blood-soaked from tonight’s act. I breathe a sigh of relief. She is alright. She is alright. I tell myself over and over again. I reach my hand through the bars to touch her face when I hear a sudden rush of movement. I turn around and I see a figure in the shadow of the tent.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” says a voice, warning me.

“This wasn’t part of the deal, and we both know it” I say, gesturing to the cage.

“But my dear, dear Lex, you have left her in my care. She would perform in my magnificent circus in exchange for her safe keeping until you returned.” Killian says, tauntingly. I swear I see a flicker of red in his eyes.

“Let her go now! I have returned, haven’t I?” I throw my arms out to either side of me, pointing out the fact I am here. “She doesn’t deserve to suffer anymore,” I say pleading.

“I would but have you brought me what I asked for?” A low growl escapes my throat. “I’m guessing that’s a no,” and in a flash he is gone.

I return to the cage, crouching down beside the bars. After taking a small locket from my pocket, I stretch my hand through the bars: placing it in gently in her hand, curling her fingers around it. “I will save you soon, I promise.” I say, whispering into her ear.

Her green eyes suddenly snap open, looking straight at me. In an instant, my back is against the tent. She sits up, pushing her hair out her eyes, trying to see me. She stretches a slender hand through the bars, reaching for me.

“Please don’t leave me,” she says, her voice choked with tears. A single tear escapes her eye: it glistens in the moonlight, running down her face slowly and I hesitate. I look behind me and then back to Xanthe. It would be so easy to walk away and never see her again. Liar, a tiny voice in my head says. The voice was right, it would kill me. I cannot do this anymore; I could not live my life running away from the girl I love. I throw my cloak to the ground, the black fabric fluttering down around me and landing in a heap on the ground. I see hope in her eyes.

I start to walk out into the light when I hear heavy footsteps. I stop suddenly, listening then return to the shadows again. The man is not alone; I hear barking of dogs as they pick up my scent. The footsteps become faster and louder as the man changes from a walk to a run. I disappear into the night just as a chameleon changes its skin to camouflage into its surroundings.

* * * * *

Killian

“We couldn’t catch him but we found this nearby,” the guard explains, handing over a black cloak. I take the cloak, examining it, running the thin material through my fingers.

“And this man; was he talking to her?” I ask.

The guard nods. “We caught him talking to her just before he heard us and then he disappeared from our sight. He was there then he was gone as if he had never been there.” I look down at the cloak again with a grin on my face. I see embroidered on the underside of the cloak, the initials L.G., he was more daring than I previously thought.

“Sir...?” The guard says nervously.

“Send out search parties, bring this man to me!” I order.

“Yes sir.” He bows to me then leaves.

I throw the cloak into the fire. The cloak slowly starts to burn and disintegrate. I warned him and he did not listen, now he will pay the price.

* * * * *

Xanthe

I stare disappointedly into the darkness, my eyes scanning for the mysterious boy. It had been two hours since he had disappeared; the guards running past me in confusion, wondering where he had gone. I keep thinking he would come back but the scene in front of me does not change.

In my hand was a locket, the one the boy had given me. I had turned it over and over in my hands, looking for something which would identify him in anyway. I had opened it but it was empty. Words in some unknown language were engraved into the silver in a continuous circle spiralling into the centre on either side of the locket.

I keep wondering who this boy is and why he had come. I did not understand, usually nobody knew where the acts were kept because the ring master had put up some type of cloaking shield, preventing all outsiders from seeing us. Only the ring master, the guards and a select few people knew where we were being kept.

I hear loud footsteps from behind me and I turn and gasp. The ring master is walking straight towards me. I cower in the corner of the cage, trying to make myself seem small.

“Now what are we going to do with you?” he asks, curiously.

“What do you want from me!?” I scream. “What have I ever done to you? I perform in your shows, I have never caused you any trouble, and I don’t even know why I’m here. I have done nothing to you!”

“That’s where you are wrong.” He says tauntingly. “See that man you were talking to earlier; there is bad blood between me and him and by talking to him, you have given him an invitation to destroy everything I have built!” His eyes turn from a pale blue to black, the air around him starts to become chaotic, and starts to swirl around him as if he was the only thing there. His long, black hair is flying out in all directions and his long jacket rips with the force of the wind. His hate filled eyes bore into mine. My head starts to spin and pound. I hold my head in both my hands, the pressure only increases and I start to scream. It feels as if my brain is about to explode. The pain is excruciating. I scream louder for him to stop, to make it end but he cannot hear me.

Suddenly the ring master is knocked to the ground, the wind is gone and so is the pain in my head. A tall figure stands in his place, staring down at the ring master with pure hatred. It is the boy from earlier. The ringmaster is on the ground, his nose gushing blood and his face marked with long scratches.

The boy crouches down next to him. “See, Killian, the thing is, I wouldn’t do that if I were you because if you hurt her, I’ll be there to kick your ass for her, every single time.” he says, mockingly, picking Killian up by his throat.

“You mock and threaten me but you are only a boy trying to act like a man,” Killian says, spitting blood from his mouth with every word.

“I may be just a boy but what you are doing is madness” the boy says through his gritted teeth. “I cannot let you continue this.”

“You are forgetting something here,” Killian starts to grin. “See this girl you try so hard to protect.” He moves his face closer to the man. “I can kill her at any moment, I could send her to hell and back, make her go insane in an instant and it would all be your fault. How would you feel then? Guiltily? Ashamed? Maybe even heartbroken? How would you feel to have your love die right in front of your eyes, knowing it was your fault and that you could do nothing about it?” A low growl starts in the back of Killian’s throat gradually getting louder and the boy’s hand tightens around his throat.

I stare in shock. His love? How could I be his love? I sensed that there was a lot more to this than it seemed. I want answers but I am speechless. I cannot make a sound.

The boy throws Killian to the ground. Killian gasps for air, he breathes it in just like a dehydrated boy on the brink of death would drink water. The boy watches him regain his breath, his eyes mere slits. “No smart comment, eh?” The boy remains silent. “That’s just what I thought.” The boy turns on his heel and starts to walk away quickly, I watch him as he starts to disappear into the dark.

He turns around just before he is completely surrounded in darkness, pointing at Killian. “I will never forgive you for this, never, not in this lifetime.” He growls, his face becoming a mask of pain. His eyes met mine: it is as if time itself had stopped in this moment, frozen forever. His eyes were full of fear, and no longer the man he was trying to be but a little boy. His eyes were slowly turning from black to silvery grey. His eyes send a jolt of electricity through me even though it was only for an instant. He turns around, his eyes returning to black and he just vanishes, disintegrating into the night.

* * * * *

Killian

I walk quickly through the shadows, my black cloak shrouding me. I cannot believe Lex had humiliated me like that, made me out as a weakling. He had gone against the master’s orders and for what, a love he could not have. He should have listened to me, now he will be classed as a traitor and I will have no choice but to kill him, I wince at the thought.

I spot one of the guards standing next to my horse. I approach him quickly and silently. I startle him but he quickly recovers.

“You frightened me sir. You shouldn’t do that sir. I thought you were an enemy sir.” He says quickly, stuttering, barely able to get the words out. This guard was obviously a newbie. I grab his throat and lift him off the ground, he drops his weapon, and it clatters to the ground, the sound echoing off into the distance.

“Do you forget who I am? I am you’re master; you will not talk to me in such manner as you just did. You do not order me; I make the orders around here, not you.” I sneer. My hand tightens on his throat. I bring his face closer to mine. “You will get the others and you will have the entire circus packed up for my return tomorrow morning. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir” He coughs. “It shall be done.” I let him go and he runs towards the other guards who were watching in curiosity.

I haul myself onto my black stallion, Ebony, grabbing the reins tightly in both my hands. I start to ride through the streets, Ebony’s hooves hitting rhythmically against the ground. My heart beat matched the steady beat of the hooves. The cold air hit my face like a slap. I ignored it and carried on. I barely saw the houses change into a dark forest as I exited the town. The only sounds I hear are the sound of Ebony’s thundering hooves; the wind rushing past me and the sound of my heart hammering in my chest. The sound is so loud I cannot hear the sound of a second set of hooves behind me. A horse suddenly jumps out in front of me making Ebony rear up, throwing me off him.

The cloaked rider starts to circle me on his white mare: I could just see the hilt of a sword sticking out from underneath his cloak. I instantly reach for my sword, drawing it from its scabbard, the designs that run along the blade glowing red as I hold it. I pull myself up from the ground, pointing the sword at the rider. The rider pulls back his hood. He was young but from his serious expression and the scar running up the side of his face shows me that he knew his fair share of battle.

The rider raises both his hands in the air showing that he meant no harm. He lets out a huge breath. “Look, I’m not your enemy Killian: I’m on the same side as you. The master sent me to say that he has changed his meeting place due to complications���”

I cut him off. “What do you mean when you say complications!?” I demand.

“That is for the master to know and the master to know only. He has ordered me to take you to him,” he explains quickly, in a rush.

“How do I know I can trust you?” I inquire. I did not like the look of this man and I did not trust him. He offers his hand to me, turning his palm upwards so I could see the simple tattoo materializing there. The tattoo is an eye, its iris black in colour, one single rose head is placed next to it half covering the eye, blood drips through the black petals making swirling designs around the eye. The tattoo matches my own.

He looks me straight in the eye. “You and I are the same”

* * * * *

We ride silently through the night, barely speaking. Ebony follows slightly behind the cloaked rider’s mare. The rider keeps checking over his shoulder every so often to make sure we were not being followed, something is not right here. Even though he was like me, one of the masters’ favoured few, I did not trust him.

We travel by the main roads until we reach a small tavern on the edge of the road. I shoot a confused look at the rider. “Look again,” he says. I do. I can see the small, dark waves rippling off the building. A cloaking shield had been placed on this building. I feel the slight pressure as I pass through the shield, an ordinary person would have felt nothing but I was not the ordinary person.

The tavern is full to the brim with people. There are several demons, werewolves, warlocks, vampires and even a ghost or two. I could feel the dark energy radiating in the room, it is suffocating.

As we push through the mass of people towards the door at the back of the tavern, I accidently knock into a werewolf, making him spill the contents of his glass all over him and the floor. I continue to walk on, ignoring the commotion I have caused. I feel a tight grip on my shoulder. I freeze for a moment and then turn my head round slightly. The werewolf is standing directly behind me, his clothes dripping from the drink I made him spill. He towers over me. The entire room has gone still, everyone’s eyes were on the rider, the werewolf and I.

I am first to speak, breaking the silence. “Would you mind removing your hand from my shoulder?”

“And would you mind if you bought me another drink to replace the one you just made me spill?” He says abruptly, his voice echoing throughout the room.

“Well, I would but I can’t. You see, I’m here for business, not to buy some werewolf scum a drink.” I turn around, heading for the door again. The next thing I know, I have my face pressed up against the floor, my head throbbing from the impact of the hit I just took. The werewolf is on top of me, pinning me to the ground.

“I don’t like your kind, you know, always thinking your superior. Never have liked demons, never will. Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you now and leave your body out in the woods to rot.” He spits at me.

“Leave him alone!” I turn my neck just slightly and I see the rider. His sword is pointed at the werewolf, just behind his neck. This gives me a chance to escape. My hands start to glow red, the light burning brighter and brighter until my hands are both emerged in fire.

All it takes is for the werewolf to see that his shirt is on fire and he is off me immediately, throwing himself out the open door. I follow him, eager to see what he would do next. The rider is close behind me. The werewolf is panting heavily when I reach him, his clothes no longer on fire.

“Care to insult me or my kind again?” I say; my voice full of sarcasm.

“Who the heck are you?” He asks, his words coming out in between quick, short breaths.

I extinguish the fire in my palms and hold my palm up, showing him my tattoo.

“Oh my god,” he says “Your one of them, both of you are.” He kneels at my feet. “Forgive me for wronging you; I will never make the same mistake again.”

“No,” I say. “No you won’t.” My hand burns red again and I punch my hand through his chest and when I pull my hand back out, I hold his no longer beating heart in my hand. He falls slowly to the ground, his eyes wide in pain, his expression frozen, and his body lifeless.

* * * * *

“Was that really necessary?” The rider asks. I shrug, ignoring him, the last thing I needed was a lecture.

“I didn’t need your help.” I finally say.

“Sure, sure, I believe you.” He says, holding up his hands as we walk through the tavern door. Everyone stares at me for a moment then returns to what they were doing before we had came. A few people run past me and out the door in fear. Cowards. As we walk through the room no one dares to make eye contact with me or the rider and I was glad of that, I did not want anymore distractions, I was already late for the master’s meeting.

When we finally reach the door, I knock on it twice. There is no answer. I shoot another worried glace at the rider. “Are you sure this is the right place?” I ask. The rider nods. I go to knock again when the door unexpectedly opens before my fist hits the door, a rush of cold air comes through the gap the open door had made. I push the door further open with my hand. There is no light in the room, the curtains are drawn and the whole room in general is eerie. I see the outline of a grand table in the centre of the room, there is a slight shimmer of gold around the edge closest to the door where the light from the other room had crept in. The table seems out of place in the tavern, it was something you would have seen in a mansion or a castle instead of a tavern. At the very end of the table sat a hooded man, hunched over what looked like a book. He looks up, his face is concealed in shadow but I know who it is.

“Master” I say, both me and the rider bow in respect.

“Your late, no doubt because of the commotion you caused out there, I’d prefer if you didn’t make yourself so noticeable, there are a lot of people who want us dead.” He exclaims. His voice sounds young but there is a great deal of wisdom and age behind his words. He looks to the rider next to me. “Rhoden, could you leave the room, I would like to talk to Killian in private.”

Rhoden bows again and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him, shutting what light there was out. There is a loud bang followed by an awkward silence.

“Where’d you find him?” I ask, staring at the now closed door.

“I found him in a town not too far from here a year ago, living out in the streets. He should have known better than to steal a lord’s money.” I heard him chuckle. “The guards were on him in an instant, their swords unsheathed. He managed to knock one guard out cold with only his bare fists but he had no such luck with the others, there were too many and they nearly killed him. They left him there in a pool of his own blood for dead. That was when I decided to step in; it seemed a waste to let him die, he had so much spirit in him.” He says with a smug tone to his voice. “As you can see he accepted my offer just as you and your brother did long ago but just like your brother, he regrets his decision, such a waste.” I clench my fists tightly at the mention of my brother. “Now, I believe you have come to me with a matter of great importance.”

“Yes, Master, I have come to you about Lex. He continues to talk to her. I have come to believe he wants to free her.” I say, looking down at my feet.

“You shouldn’t have given him false hope, you know, you only encouraged him. The girl doesn’t even know what she is yet, you made sure of that, you erased her memories and you will continue to do so until the day she dies.” A chuckle escapes his lips: the noise sent a shiver through me.

“Yes, Master but what if he does succeed in freeing her, what will we do then? Lex will tell her everything and our efforts will be for nothing. We must destroy him immediately; he has disobeyed both you and the circle.”

“Do you think she will believe him? And if she does, would she want to be with him once she finds out what he is? Let them talk, if it becomes a problem we can just erase her memories again, it would kill him when he finds out that his precious girl doesn’t remember him. This goes back a long time, Killian, but some things you just have to let go, you can’t hate him forever, you know”

I look up. “Yes, I can. For what he did, I can.”

* * * * *

Lex

I materialize in the forest, up to my waist in mud and who knows what else. I can feel the mud oozing through my trouser legs and into my boots, creating a cold, wet, sticky layer between them and my skin. I shiver involuntary then start to wade my way through the mud. I feel something move against my leg and I hurry faster to get out of the mud pool. I can feel the resistance of the mud against my legs, trying to pull me back in.

I reach the edge of the pool and drag myself out, relief flooding through me. I laugh at myself for being so stupid. I had a habit of teleporting to the strangest places when I am not concentrating. I feel myself flush with embarrassment.

I stand up slowly, taking in my surroundings. The plants and trees were dull in colour as if all the life had been sucked out of them. The mud pool is next to a faint forest path. The path is lined by two rows of untidy trees. It was all strangely familiar to me. The moon is high above me, illuminating the small patch of forest around me. I can feel the cool air against my skin and hug myself trying to keep warm. I take a single step forward and my eyesight goes hazy. I feel as if I am being tipped to the side and I hold my hands out in front of me trying to steady myself. The ground suddenly rushes towards me and everything turns to black.

* * * * *

I sit by the window, gazing at the stars, thinking. I watch their beautiful light twinkle in the blackness of the night sky. I feel them gazing back at me, watching me watching them. They give me hope even though it is only a tiny amount. I needed to tell her how I felt about her. I needed Xanthe to know but what if she did not feel the same? I sigh. I will tell her tomorrow. I have to before it is too late.

I hear the door close with a slight bang and I jump, turning around: looking for the person who made the noise. There is no one, not even a shadow in the darkness but I feel a strange presence in the room. I stand up gradually, being careful to not make any noise. I take my hunting knife from the windowsill.

“Show yourself! I know your there.” I hear myself say out loud, my voice quivering ever so slightly. My heart hammers in my chest like it is going to burst through my skin. I can see the dagger shaking uncontrollably in my hand.

I feel a hot breath on the back of my neck. “Why should I? It is much more fun to hide in the dark, don’t you think?” A familiar voice whispers in my ear.

“Killian” I breathe. “You shouldn’t have come back here.”

“I have every right to come back!” He screams at me. I could almost feel the hurt radiating from his voice. “I am your brother after all!”

* * * * *