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There is no reason to rush, not that they realise it. Seeing that this place goes from town to town so frequently, its set up has been fine-tuned. If they tried to stampede into the seating area like that then people would be knocked down stairs, pushed over and trampled. I blink slowly once the room has cleared out then still holding Nessa’s hand, I lead her through the large doors.
The room we enter is basic. The light blue walls and grey flecked, white resin floor give the room a light airy feel, as do the white floating lights spread throughout the room. It is bare other than the dozen or so photo booth-like curtained boxes lining the walls.
I lead Nessa towards them, digging all of our tickets out of my pocket. “These are specially designed with a mixture of magic and mechanics to make seating a carefree process.” My eyes dart down to Nessa’s wide ones. “You insert your ticket into the machine here, and it will portal you directly to your seat. If you’re with a group, you choose that on the screen and insert all the tickets for your group, then it will portal you once it has registered everyone. When the show ends, you will automatically be teleported back here with whoever is in your group. It does it in a random order so people don’t get pissed off and it’s fast and efficient,” I explain, setting it for a group before inserting my ticket.
“Damn, that’s smart. This entire marketplace seems to run so smoothly, it is amazing how everything is a complex weave of both magic and mechanics,” Nessa says softly, slipping her ticket into the machine.
I nod, a smile quirking my lips. I remember how in awe I was as a child when I first started coming here. It’s crazy how much it has evolved since then. Corin inserts his ticket last and I hit the button to activate the magic. In moments, a wave of tingling is rolling over my body then I’m blinking my eyes open to find us standing in front of our allocated seats. It always trips me out how fast the magic works here. We settle into our seats, and I wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the stadium-like seating area.
It’s large enough to seat around three thousand people, so fairly exclusive considering the size of the marketplace. Most of the seats are already full of supes, so the noise is steadily climbing and I grimace, jaw clenching. With vampire being my primary species, my ears are incredibly sensitive so I usually bring ear muffs with me—as weird as that sounds. To avoid appearing like I’m trying to avoid Nessa though, I simply rub my temples to ease the tension and leave them off.
Once the show actually starts the crowd will quiet down, they always do. I’m watching the stage when I spot a familiar form shuffling across it. He’s wearing dark clothes intentionally trying to go unnoticed as he leans down to grab something on the edge of the stage. He looks up, locking eyes with me and laughter rumbles in my chest.
Peter, a kind older fae worker who spent a lot of time with me when I was younger—and a good friend now—grins at me from the dark stage, giving me spirit fingers in a hello.He’s a real character. I snort, and wave. Rocking back on his heels he gestures to Nessa, waggling his eyebrows. I shake my head, heat touching my cheeks when I feel her eyes on me. My focus flicks to her before returning to Peter and she follows my gaze until she spots him. Noticing her attention he blows her a kiss before waddling off stage. She snickers next to me and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Who is that? He seems like bestfriend material.”
Shaking my head I let out a breathy laugh. “Peter. I’ve known him since I was a kid. He’s definitely bestfriend material.”
Nessa grins and clasps her hands together. When she rolls her bottom lip between her teeth it takes everything in me to drag my eyes away from her mouth when Oscar leans in on my other side to ask me a question. “I’ve totally got to meet him too.”
Corin smirks, eyes darting between Nessa and Oscar. My cheeks burn, face probably like a tomato. “I can find him after the show. He’s part of it so you’ll see him again soon.”
Nessa opens her mouth to agree when a voice booms through the stadium. “Welcome everyone.” A hush flies through the crowd until you could hear a pin drop. I grin, watching Nessa’s reaction when her eyes focus on the stage. Her jaw drops open and I laugh quietly, chest shaking. Peter stands front and centre in all his glory, most of his body covered by a floor length black and gold ceremonial robe. Twin gnarled glowing horns protrude from his head and his eyes are now entirely white.
“I am Peter, Keeper of the Story Lands. Tonight I will be telling you a tale of two packs. The first is the Fotiá pack.” He whirls and throws out his hand behind him and a cloud of crackling orange and red flames erupt from his palm, lighting up half of the stage. A wave of heat rolls over me from it and the crowd gasps. I squint at the sudden light, skin prickling at the heat, the smile never leaving my face. I love it when he chooses a tale like this.
After a few seconds the flames die down, revealing a pack of a dozen people, all have beautiful dark red skin, and pale pink butterfly wings. They’re dressed in old fashioned light brown clothing and are standing around a beautiful onyx statue of a woman. The onyx woman is wearing fine gold jewellery and draped in food, clothing and offerings.A Goddess. The thing that stands out about her though is her necklace, shimmering gold with a glowing red jewel as the centrepiece. As we watch, one by one everyone in the pack—women, children and men—get down one knee and bow their heads, offering the statue their reverence and faith.
Peter turns back to the crowd and walks to the other half of the stage that’s still empty. “The second is the Págos pack.” Once again he holds out his hand and magic erupts from his palm. This time though it’s a pale blue cloud, and a cold fog rushes through the seats, making goosebumps rise on my skin.
I take a glance at Nessa and find her leaning forward in her seat, elbows braced on her knees as she watches the stage intently.
My eyes return to the stage as the cloud fades to reveal the Págos pack. They’re made up of a few dozen members and they’re gathered around a campfire. Unlike the first pack, there is an empty throne behind the fireplace and all the members dip their heads in reverence to the space. Some hold offerings and children place carved ice objects at the foot of the throne. Neither pack has a clear leader shown and I can guess what Peter’s about to do.
He turns to the crowd and moves until he’s only about a foot from the edge and peers out at us. His white eyes are unnerving as they scan the crowd, lingering on our group before moving on. “I ask for a pair to volunteer to be the pack leaders.”
I nudge Nessa and lean in so my lips are close to her ear. “You and Corin should volunteer. It was his idea to come to the performance,” I whisper. She doesn’t hesitate, flinging her hand up in the air and leaning into Corin. He throws me a grumpy look, to which I smirk in response, before he raises his hand. A spotlight flashes through the crowd, roaming over people as Peter searches for people to choose. Just like I predicted, Peter chooses them, the spotlight pausing on all of us as he points from the stage. He clicks his fingers and they vanish from their seats and appear at his side.
Oscar wiggles a little closer to me as Peter has a quick word with them. “Should I be worried?”
I shake my head and meet his pale pink eyes that look almost purple in this lighting. “No, I’ve been to tons of his shows. Even been part of one of his tale retellings and they’ll be fine. He wraps his magic around them—once he has their permission—then basically controls them with it. But it’s more like a knowledge of what their body is supposed to do than it is forcing them, so they can refuse it any time they want to.”
Letting out a breath, Oscar relaxes back into his seat. “Okay.”
My eyebrows draw together as I study him, confused about his reaction. I suppose it could be because there is a stranger’s magic involved. I blink slowly, my mind still stuck on it, before I’m distracted by Peter. He straightens up, then gives us a broad grin. “It appears we have found our pack leaders. Now let's make them look the part, shall we.” Waving a hand at them, twin clouds of white smoke engulf them. As it dissipates I bite my fucking tongue.Holy shit.
“Holy shit,” Oscar mutters, echoing my thoughts exactly. Nessa’s cute oversized T-shirt and leggings have been replaced by an old fashioned fae warrior’s outfit. Half of her free flowing short hair is now woven into intricate braids with silver clasps dotted through it. She has dark paint wiped under her eyes and on the hollow of her cheeks, making her face look sharp. It seems like her magic might be reacting to Peter’s slightly because her eyes are a swirling mixture of red and gold, but it suits the style perfectly and she doesn’t seem worried. It’s the clothing that’s really unique though, the Nessa I see and am coming to adore, is usually dressed in comfy baggy clothes, or a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
This outfit is rather basic, and is quite conservative, except that it’s practicallyskin tight. Dark brown leather boots fade into lighter brown pants that match her tight vest. Her arms are free so she has plenty of movement and fine gold chains are draped all over her. She has a tight layered gold choker that fades into the rest of the jewellery. There’s also a hunting knife strapped to her thigh, but she appears otherwise unarmed. Without prompting she walks regally to the Págos packs side and sits on the throne, leaning back in the chair with ease. Owning it.
Corin is dressed in scuffed black boots, dark brown leather pants and shirt-less. He too wears dark paint on his face, though his is ombre coloured and streaked across his forehead as well as his cheeks. Thick tattoos cover the skin of his chest and upper arms, but they’re partially obscured by the painted artwork that is now splashed over his body. My eyebrows raise as I watch him move into place too, his being in front of the Fotiá pack, before dropping to one knee in a reverent bow as well.
Then Peter gets this show on the road. Returning to the front of the stage, he moves off to the side slightly and continues his retelling of the story. “The packs lived side by side, at peace for many years.” The scene changes, each pack’s members laughing and talking amongst themselves. “The Fotiá pack worshipping their Goddess, and the Págos pack worshipping their leader.” The scene shifts again, the packs returning to their positions of worship.
Peter walks around the Fotiá pack, robes flowing around him. “The Fotiá’s Goddess is believed to be powerful, but kind, and is beloved by their people. So when their ancestors happened across a magical necklace that gave its wearer the strength and magic of a dragon they assumed it was a gift from their Goddess. One to be revered and looked upon, but never to be used. So each generation, young and old, maintained the tradition as the years went on. The pack also made a vow to never tell anyone outside of their people about the necklace.” Peter’s expression grows grim and he stalks over to the Págos’ side of the stage.
“But being in such close proximity with their neighbouring pack—the Págos—someone eventually discovered the necklace.” The scene behind Peter changes, his magic swirling until the pack’s people are distracted and a lone teenager from the Págos pack, lost in a temper, crosses onto the Fotiá’s land. He kicks at the earth, muttering under his breath, not paying any attention to his surroundings until he stumbles into the Fotiá’s temple, the place where they worship their Goddess. When he realises where he is, the gangly teens eyes grow wide and he takes in the room, its beautiful gold walls and all the gifts and treasure lining the room. His eyes land on the statue before being drawn to the necklace resting at the hollow of her throat. “Discovering it, he then steals it as an offering for his leader.”
Without a second thought he darts forwards, unclasping the thin chain and shoving the piece of jewellery in his pocket. His frantic eyes dart around the place once more before he runs from the temple, crossing back onto the Págos’ land. The scene shifts again to show the boy bowing to the Págos pack’s leader—Nessa—presenting the necklace. “The boy offers it to her, before explaining how he came into possession of it. At first she’s angry, snarling at him as she snatches it off of him and yelling at the boy, astounded at his stupidity. ‘We are at peace with the pack, why would you do something like this that could cause a war?’ she tells him,” Peter says. “But the longer she holds the necklace, the more her curiosity about it increases. What could it do to be so special to the Fotiá’s people? Why would they worship such a thing? It eventually gets the best of her and she clasps it around her neck.”
