The Girl Cloaked in Shadow

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sounds of the Textile Town carried to the very edge of the beach. The chatter of voices and clatter of wheels set Maggie’s teeth on edge.

She stopped with her toes still on the sand and looked toward the rocky mounds that took over the sleepy beach. If she ran full out, she could make it to the rocks. From there, it would be easy to outpace Alden and Nic. She’d be locked safely in her house before they could drop from the overhang and onto her stone porch.

And you’d have to do all this again tomorrow.

Maggie stepped from the sand onto the packed dirt road.

That’s the trouble with having friends. They won’t leave you alone.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Relief softened Alden’s face.

Nic gave a crackling whirr.

“Thanks, Nic.” Maggie didn’t fight the tiny smile that curved her lips.

“This really is going to be a remarkable evening.” Alden lifted Maggie’s hand, looping it through his elbow. “At least, I hope it will be a remarkable evening. I’m not really sure what you’re used to.”

“Hiding in a stone house?” Maggie let Alden lead her down the lane.

Bare sea grass surrounded the first stretch of road, swaying gently with the evening breeze.

“I mean before your little rest from the world,” Alden said. “Before I came to the Siren’s Realm.”

“Well, before I met you I was here,” Maggie said, “living on a rock, selling fish for magic, being an i***t who thought there might be meaning to all this.”

Nic whistled.

“Fine.” Maggie rolled her eyes at Nic. “And before here, I was at home on Earth, living in an awful Academy that was basically a prison for kids nobody wanted to deal with.”

Heat pressed on the corners of Maggie’s eyes.

Alden gazed down at her, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

Tents cropped up on either side of the street, low and made of plain canvas with their flaps tied shut against the setting sun.

“I suppose,” Alden said, “that means your bar for a fantastic evening is set remarkably low.”

“I guess. Avoid blood and dying and you’ve pretty much got it in the bag.”

“Excellent.” Alden sped up his pace, his long legs covering so much ground Maggie had to trot to keep up. “I had been worried you wouldn’t be impressed. From what the others I’ve met have told me, things of this sort weren’t normal before the dark time, but if your world held such wonders, then you might not be interested at all.”

“Interested in what?” Maggie asked.

Alden didn’t answer as he hurried down the road. The tents surrounding them grew wider and grander as they neared the heart of the Textile Town.

Every jewel tone Maggie could imagine had been used in the wishes to the Siren that built this part of the city. Intricate patterns of everything from soaring birds to words in languages Maggie couldn’t read had been stitched into the canvas.

“Has the city been redone?” Maggie asked. “The tents weren’t so colorful before. I mean, there were colors, but not like this. Not so―”

“Bright and new? There has been quite a bit of new textile created throughout town.” Alden turned onto a narrow side lane.

Pale pink wildflowers that matched the surrounding tents covered the ground.

Maggie hesitated, not wanting to crush the blooms, but Alden plowed forward. The flowers had a bounce in them that gave an involuntary spring to Maggie’s step.

Nic growled as he rolled behind them, his three wheels fumbling on the flowers.

“You okay?” Maggie asked.

Nic glared.

“Sorry you hate the flowers,” Maggie laughed. The shaking of her chest tensed foreign muscles, sending a pang into her lungs.

“Nic doesn’t like anything that bothers his wheels, and the roads are becoming more and more interesting by the day. Everyone seems intent on having a welcoming and delightful home. From what I’ve been told, the massive renewal of the Textile Town began when the dark times ended. Whether in gratitude for being left alive or a desperate need to prove to the Siren they are good stewards of her realm, I don’t really know.”

“And the Siren’s just letting people redecorate?”

They veered onto a wide road filled with people all moving in the same direction.

“I suppose she must be,” Alden said. “It keeps happening, and all magic works by her will.”

“By the Siren’s will,” Maggie whispered.

A tent four stories high came into view at the end of the road, in a place Maggie had been a hundred times before.

“That’s the market square,” Maggie said. “Why is there a giant tent in the market square?”

“They did work quite quickly. It wasn’t there this morning.” Alden steered her through the crowd, cutting around others who, like Maggie, gaped up at the enormous, violet tent.

“Is it going to be there forever?” Maggie asked.

“No idea. I suppose not. None of the market shops mentioned moving locations when I visited for breakfast.”

“Then why did someone put up a giant tent?” Maggie squinted at the fabric.

Golden embroidery sparkled in the red glow of the setting sun. The stitches were laid out in a careful pattern, but she couldn’t quite tell what they were meant to be.

“They put up the tent for the festivities,” Alden said. “I really hope you’ll enjoy the evening. I’ve got us box seats and everything.”

“Box seats?”

As the sun faded, the embroidery grew brighter, sparkling in the twilight.

Dead ahead, where people were filing into the violet tent, a lion with the tale of a scorpion marked the canvas. A woman with wings stitched to her back flew on one side of the great beast, while a unicorn galloped on the other.

They reached the front of the queue of people waiting to enter the tent. Centaurs with gold and silver ribbons wound through their manes flanked the entrance, collecting tickets as people passed.

“Alden, what are we going to see?” Maggie asked.

“A fantastic assortment of wonders only visible in the Siren’s Realm.” Alden patted his pockets. “I’ve been looking forward to it for days. Ever since the notices were posted. I purchased seats for us straight off, but Nic thought it best I surprise you. Not give you a chance to overthink coming.”

“Smart, Nic.”

Thick golden ropes tied back the flaps of the tent, letting the light from the hundreds of lanterns that filled the space spill out onto the street.

“Meat fer sale!” The familiar call came from within the tent. “Don’t want to watch the spectacle hungry. Get yer meat. Finest roasted leg in the realm.”

“Gabriel!” Maggie shouted, pushing forward in the crowd.

A troll rounded on Maggie. “Wait your turn.” If the troll’s glare hadn’t been enough to turn Maggie back, the stench would have done the job.

Alden took Maggie’s hand, drawing her back to their place in line. “We’ll happily wait.” Alden sounded like he had a terrible head cold. “Won’t we, Maggie?”

“Right.” Maggie coughed.

“This way if you please.” A woman in a thick veil took the troll’s ticket, leading him away from the crowd.

The throng gave a collective gasp of relief as the stink of the troll subsided.

“I know the meat seller,” Maggie said as Alden handed their tickets to a centaur. “His name is Gabriel. I need to see him.”

“This way, please.” A girl of no more than fourteen beckoned them forward. A long, red braid trailed down the girl’s back. Her skin shimmered as she moved, as though someone had rubbed silver dust all over her.

How did you get here? What brought a child to the Siren’s Realm?

The questions balanced on the tip of Maggie’s tongue as the girl led them around the wide, open space at the center of the tent to a set of sweeping stands. Waist-high walls separated the area into private sections of individual chairs.

“Here you are.” The girl bowed them into a box.

Two wingback chairs and an empty table waited behind the gate.

“Will this do?” The girl turned to Alden. “We have other seating arrangements.”

With a clap of her hands, the two chairs disappeared, replaced by a sofa just wide enough for two.

“I really don’t think―” Maggie began.

“There are also privacy options.” The girl clapped again.

The three walls not facing the open center of the tent turned opaque. A fainting couch took the place of the love seat.

Nic gurgled a trill.

“We-we’re fine with the chairs, thank you.” Alden blushed to the roots of his hair.

The girl clapped, and the chairs reappeared.

“The Compère wishes only for his guests’ enjoyment.” The girl bowed and backed out of the booth.

“Thank you.” Maggie clicked the gate shut behind the girl. “Who is the Compère?” Maggie whispered to Alden, her gaze sweeping the vast space.

The tent had been laid out in quarters. The portion that housed their booth held the most private seating options. Some guests sat in seats much like Maggie and Alden’s. Others had turned their walls dark, shielding themselves from the crowd.

To either side of them were stands with benches laid out in rows. Along the front stood a line of centaurs, their heads barely lower than the seats behind them.

Behind a shimmering patch of air along the far wall, a pack of wide and strangely scattered chairs held an array of trolls. Tables had been laid out, filled with everything from sweets to barely-cooked meat, which the trolls ate with abandon.

“To keep the smell in.” Alden followed Maggie’s gaze. “It was quite the selling point, believe me.”

“Wine?” A woman in red silks strode past their booth, holding a decanter in one hand and a glass in the other.

“Would you like some?” Alden asked.

“I just want to talk to Gabriel,” Maggie said.

She scanned the other vendors moving throughout the seated spectators. Some sold cakes and candies, others offered paper pamphlets.

“Excuse me.” Alden opened the gate of their booth.

“Wine, sir?” The woman in red winked at Alden. Her gaze slid over Maggie, and a smile curved her lips. “Or perhaps some companionship?”

“Actually, I was hoping you might be willing to send over the meat seller,” Alden said. “Gabriel is his name.”

“Meat with no wine?” The woman pouted. “That doesn’t seem right at all. Better not have him come this way.”

“Fine.” Alden held out his hand. “I’ll buy the wine if you send over the meat seller.”

“Excellent.” A glass cyclone filled with wine, and two glasses swirled into existence on the table. “Gabriel will be with you directly.”

“I could have just gone to look for him,” Maggie said. “You didn’t need to buy any wine.”

“I like wine.” Alden sat in one of the wingback chairs. “And besides, this is a night for commerce. I have magic to spend. The wine seller needs to earn. It’s the way of things. Now, would you like some wine or not?”

“Fine.” Maggie sank into a chair.

Alden picked up the decanter. The swirling of the wine didn’t stop as it poured into the glass. The liquid spun ceaselessly, creating its own vortex like a storm caught in a cup.

“I didn’t know we were going somewhere fancy.” Maggie took the glass Alden offered. “You should have warned me.”

“Why?” Alden held his nose to his glass before taking a sip. “Aren’t you having fun?”

“The wine lady looked at me like I was homeless.”

“You look perfect just as you are.”

“I could have worn clean clothes, or, I don’t know, brushed my hair.” Maggie held her nose over her wine. Her mouth watered at the warm scent of honey, fruit, and oak.

“The Compère won’t care if your clothes are still damp,” Alden said. “We’re here for a night of fun, and a few tangles in your hair won’t interfere.”

“Yeah, well…” Maggie studied the storm in her glass. “I feel so wrong drinking this.”

“Would you rather a white?” Alden asked.

“No.” Maggie shook her head. Her hair had grown, falling down past her shoulders. The tangles tickled her bare skin, and goose bumps prickled her arms. “Back home, my drinking this would be illegal. I’m too young.”

“But you were in a battle to save your world from an evil wizard.” Alden wrinkled his brow. “You nearly died fighting him. You thought you had died when you came here.”

“Yeah.” Maggie sipped the wine. A hearty sweetness flooded her mouth.

“So you were too young to have wine but not too young to fight an evil wizard?”

“I never said it made sense. It’s just the way it works.”

“If there is ever a chance,” Alden said, “I would love to see your world. A place where there is so much magic, and the non-magical people haven’t even noticed. What a wonderful world it must be!”

“Maybe.” Maggie shrugged. “I never got to see all that much of it myself. And I don’t know if I’d want to go back even if I could ever find the right path.”

Nic c****d his head at Maggie with a whistle.

“Too much time will have passed,” Maggie said. “Everyone I knew will be gone.”

“That is both the blessing and the horror of the Siren’s Realm, I suppose. You can leave and find a thousand magnificent places, but you can never return to any of them. Not as you knew them before. Once you’ve passed through a stitch, the opportunity to change your path within a world is utterly gone.”

Maggie took Alden’s hand. Her fingers closed around his without thought.

“Do you wish you had stayed?” Maggie asked, the weight of knowing she had asked Alden to come to the Siren’s Realm pressing on her chest.

“No. There was nothing left for me in my world. Only I sometimes wish I had been born to a different world, where seeking the Siren would never have occurred to me.”

As one, the lanterns in the tent dimmed. A rush of whispers fluttered around the stands as a bright light burst into being at the center of the space, beaming down on a figure shrouded in swirling red.