Pierrot's Song

Chapter 5 - Twists and Turns-1

Chapter 5 Twists and TurnsPapa gestured to them all to stay silent and left the room. His footsteps were slow and calm as he walked the short length of the hall. The sound of the door opening was followed by a low murmuring, then a stranger’s voice rang out near the kitchen and coming closer.

‘… and they told me I’d find all the players here, at your house.’

It was too late to do anything. The kitchen door swung open

‘That’s right,’ Papa said, his voice loud as he re-entered the room. He was followed by a man dressed in riding gear and, over the top, a sash embroidered with the seven-pointed star of the royal family. Mina released her breath as she realised he was not a player.

The traveller took in the group seated at the table. ‘When they said I’d find all the players here, they were right. I have a message for you.’

‘Who sent you?’ Sofia demanded.

‘Was it the Council of Muses?’ Jal asked.

The man looked confused. ‘No. No, I’ve come from the palace. From the king.’

‘The king?’ Mina felt as confused as everyone else looked. ‘What does he want with us?’

‘It’s not just you,’ the man countered. ‘Look, I’ve been riding for days. Can I have a drink and sit down for a minute?’

Mama hurried to offer him a seat while Papa fetched him a glass of marsala. Mina twitched with impatience. The polite formalities seen to, she sat opposite him and stared until he stuttered into speech again.

‘The king has summoned all player troupes to Aurea. We’re tracking them across all Litonya. You are instructed to return immediately, as swiftly as you can.’

‘And this request is from the king?’ Jal asked. ‘Not the Council? You’re absolutely sure?’

The man nodded, then took a large swig of marsala, emptying the glass. ‘That’s very good. Might I …’

‘No!’ The word burst from Sofia, making the man jump. ‘Is that the whole message?’

The man nodded again.

‘You know nothing else?’

He shook his head.

‘Well, thank you, we’ve received the message. You may leave.’

The man looked around at all the unwelcoming faces and clearly decided not to push for more hospitality. With an imperceptible bow to his hosts, he hurried from the house. As soon as he was gone, the conversation flared like wildfire.

‘What’s going on?’

‘What has the king got to do with all of this?’

‘Should we go?’

‘I think it’s a trap.’

‘Obviously it’s a trap.’

Mina held up a hand, silencing the room. ‘It may be a trap, but it’s also exactly what we need. To save those whose threads have been broken, we need the key masks of every player troupe, right?’

The others murmured assent.

‘We might have had to travel across the entire country to gather them, but this way they’ll all be in one place. Which makes our job easier.’

‘Good point!’

‘Not a bad thing.’

‘But Mina,’ Luka spoke over the others’ murmurs, ‘we’ve just spent weeks evading the players. Mourini wants you. You’d be placing yourself in too much danger. You should stay here. We’ll bring the masks to you.’

Mina thought about it. ‘Then you’d all be facing danger because of me. I could never let you do such a thing alone. Too many people have suffered for too long. And you’re right, he wants me. If I’m not there, what will he do to you and everyone else? I must end this. Mourini is only one man.’

‘Two,’ Jal said. ‘He’ll have taken over a new Harlequin. And whoever it is, it will be important not to underestimate them. From what I’ve seen in my time as a player, Uberto had abilities in Tarya other players didn’t. Mourini will have chosen someone who will add to his power.’

Mina stood, leaning on the table and looked around at all her companions. ‘So, if we take that power away, we can change the way things are done for everyone. Mourini wants what I can do in Tarya. If I promise to teach the troupes the secrets of Tarya, maybe I can draw them away from him and make myself less valuable at the same time. Then we can find a new way to perform without harming anyone and everyone can work together to heal the damaged dreamers and soulless ones.’

Jal gave her a twisted smile. ‘You’re an idealist, Mina. The world doesn’t work that way. There’s corruption at the heart of Aurea. It goes beyond Mourini. I can’t see how it’s all connected, but don’t forget what the Council is doing.’

‘Well, we won’t solve anything from here!’

‘I know.’ Jal’s words were heavy with resignation.

‘That’s why we’re all coming,’ Lisette said. Luka and Jal nodded agreement.

‘We need to bring Dario too,’ Sofia added.

Mina shook her head. ‘He’ll be safer here with my parents.’

Sofia reached for Mina’s hand. ‘Once we get the other masks, you’ll be able to heal him. Won’t it be better if he’s nearby?’

Mina pushed away the mess of feelings that rose at the thought. ‘Yes. Yes, it will.’

Paolo stood up. ‘Well, I think we should all get some sleep while we have soft beds. I haven’t slept in mine for ten years. It is definitely calling my name. Sleeping on the road is always a trial.’ He touched two fingers to his forehead then tipped them forward in a quick salute. ‘Good night all. Sleep well. Cheer up! At least we’re walking into the trap with our eyes open.’

~

Night had the city firmly in its grip when they arrived in Aurea after weary weeks of travel. The giant bronze cobweb of the city gates loomed, sinister in the half-light of the dying moon. Crystals dotted at junctures along the web did not dazzle like water droplets as they had last time Mina saw them. Instead, they hung like ponderous spiders, ready for prey. The travellers passed warily into the silent city.

Summer’s warmth was a mere memory. Any gardens or window boxes they passed were empty of flowers, their beauty long ago decayed to the stark foliage of autumn. But the differences to the city were more palpable than a change of season. There were few people on the streets, but those they passed hurried by with furtive, careful movements, eyes darting as though expecting danger. The open, welcoming smiles of the festival season were long gone.

‘It feels different,’ Mina said. ‘Something’s wrong.’

Beside her, Jal’s face was grim as he steered the wagon through Aurea’s streets. ‘I’ve never seen it like this. I grew up here, and even at night, even in winter, it’s livelier than this. Everyone seems so wary.’

‘Are you sure we’ll be able to stay with your mother? Maybe it’d be better if we don’t. We’ll be bringing her trouble. You’re as much a fugitive as I am because you stole your father’s statue.’

Jal laughed, but it was a bitter sound. ‘She’d never forgive me if I didn’t. Besides, we’re already risking everything by coming here. We might as well eat well.’

They sat in silence, the only sounds Petrucchio’s hooves on the stone of the streets and the creaking of the wagon. Once, then again, a city dweller gave them such a look of hatred, or fear, it was like a physical attack. It reminded Mina of some of the responses the players had received in smaller, less sophisticated towns. The last time they were in Aurea, the player wagon had been greeted with excitement and joy. Jal had noticed the less than welcoming reception too.

‘I think I should park the wagon out of sight. Try to minimise any problems for my mother. I have a friend with a stable yard. We’ll walk from there.’

Not long afterward, he announced they had arrived. They rode under a great archway and into a cobbled courtyard filled with wheeled vehicles, none as large as the player wagon. There was an empty space against one wall, and Jal started steering the wagon that way, until a beefy man in shirt and hose came racing across the yard and blocked him.

‘What do you think you’re doing? This isn’t public space. Get out of … Jal?’

‘Ianno! I need somewhere to store our wagon for a while.’ He swung down off the wagon and strode over to his friend, greeting him with a slap on the back. To Mina’s eyes the conversation went downhill from there. The two men spoke in a low murmur, but their hands cut the air as they argued. Ianno shook his head several times, but Jal kept talking. Behind Mina the wagon door opened, and Sofia came out to sit beside her. Together they watched the heated exchange. Finally, the two men seemed to reach an agreement. Jal bounded over to the wagon and leaped back up to the driver’s seat, squeezing in next to Sofia.

‘All good!’ He dropped his voice. ‘Seems the tide has turned against artisans. The palace has taken control of all the guilds. They’re saying there’s been an underground movement of artisans practising Arcani. The Council has promised to wash the guilds clean.’

With a flick of his wrist he directed Petrucchio to the vacant spot, talking as he steered the wagon into place.

‘I introduced Ianno to his wife. Greased the wheels of true love. Fortunately, things are still going well between them so I’ve managed to convince him to let us leave the wagon here, as long as no one can tell it’s a player wagon.’

With a final jolt, the wagon stopped. Jal and Mina set chocks around the wheels so it wouldn’t move. Ianno brought them some old canvas. It took them well over half an hour, with the use of ladders, to cover the wagon and to sort out what supplies they should take. Mina carefully pulled out the key mask and the wrought gold mask Jal had stolen from Ellechino, then kept an eye on the bag that held them as they finished their tasks. Even Dario helped, using his height to hold corners in place, though a few times he got bored and dropped the cloth to investigate anything that caught his eye. The job complete, Jal gave Ianno some coin and led the others to his home.

Without the wagon they weren’t met with the same wariness by Aureans, but the mood on the street still had a strange edge to it. It was close to midnight by the time they reached Jal’s home. Remembering there had been watchers last time he visited his mother, Jal led them to the back entrance where Amora greeted them with surprise and, as far as Mina could tell, a touch of fear. Still, she welcomed them in and did her best to find them places to sleep, though some were in chairs and Luka had a pile of blankets on the floor. Soon they all fell into exhausted slumber.

~

‘Mina … Mina … I found something. Wake up!’

Sleep was slow to release her, so the person shaking her had to repeat the action. Her brain felt foggy and her eyes didn’t want to work properly. Finally, she managed to focus.

‘Sofia?’

‘Ssh. You’ll wake Lisette. I want to show you something.’

Slowly, her limbs reluctant, Mina dragged herself from the bed she shared with Lisette and, throwing a shawl over her chemise, followed Sofia through the silent house. One of the doors had a light under it and a delicious fresh bread aroma wafted from within.

‘Jal’s mother’s been awake for an hour,’ Sofia whispered. ‘It’s nearly dawn.’

‘Have you been awake all night?’

For the first time Mina had ever seen, Sofia looked sheepish.

‘I’ve been reading.’

‘The Tale of Tarya again?’ Mina asked.

Sofia nodded. When she spoke, her words tumbled out, very unlike her usual measured style. ‘I’ve finally had time to finish it. It alternates between Eulalia telling her own story and the actual tales we are taught as storytellers. She created them, wrote them down … and they were learned by storytellers, known by everyone, but somehow her personal tale was lost.’

Sofia showed Mina through the house to a doorway that led, unexpectedly, to a conservatory. Glass walls on three sides opened the space to the night sky. Along one side was shelving laden with tools, stone, and statues. The wall facing the garden had a long table on which several statues rested in various stages of completion, waiting for someone to return and free them from the marble. In another corner were two comfortable, high-backed chairs and a small table. Several ceramic beakers sat next to the book they had rescued from the princesses’ cave.