The Journey, Book 3: Chapter 21 - Previous Chapter
Chapter 22: Surprise…
The travelling circus had settled into a quiet rhythm beneath the stars.
Lanterns swayed gently from wagon hooks, painting warm circles of gold across the camp while distant laughter drifted through the cool night air. Horses shuffled lazily in their harnesses, somewhere a fiddle played softly, and the smell of wood smoke and stew lingered pleasantly in the breeze.
Olivia and Christopher sat cross-legged beside one of the smaller campfires near the outer ring of caravans. A pair of acrobats entertained the gathered children and performers alike with exaggerated stories from their travels.
“And then,” one of the acrobats declared dramatically, standing atop a crate, “the prince leapt from the tower with only a curtain rope in his teeth—”
“That part definitely didn’t happen,” another performer interrupted through laughter.
“It absolutely did.”
“You broke both ankles.”
“I landed artistically.”
The camp erupted in chuckles.
Olivia smiled sleepily, her chin resting in her palms. Christopher tried to stay focused, but his eyelids kept growing heavier and heavier. The long journey, the overwhelming crowds in Edena, and the excitement of the day had drained every bit of energy from them.
Jeremy lay curled beside the fire, stretched across the dirt with his paws twitching occasionally in his sleep.
Christopher’s head dipped.
Snapped back up.
Dipped again.
Beside him, Olivia was losing the same battle. Her eyes closed for several seconds before reopening suddenly as she jerked awake.
“You’re falling asleep,” Christopher whispered.
“No I’m not,” Olivia mumbled immediately before nearly tipping sideways.
One of the acrobats continued his story while juggling polished stones through the firelight, their reflections dancing across the twins’ tired faces.
But then Christopher noticed something strange.
Far beyond the wagons, somewhere near the dark fields beyond camp, tiny coloured lights drifted through the night.
Blue.
Green.
Soft amber.
They bobbed slowly above the grass like floating lanterns, weaving gently around one another.
Christopher blinked hard, thinking at first he was dreaming.
But they were still there.
More appeared between the trees.
Tiny glowing spheres wandering silently through the darkness.
His tiredness vanished instantly.
“Olivia…” he whispered.
She followed his stare and immediately stiffened.
The lights danced silently in the distance.
Jeremy lifted his head slightly, yawning wide enough to reveal sharp little teeth.
“Elementals…” he muttered lazily.
Chloe, who sat nearby wrapped in a blanket almost too large for her, tilted her head curiously.
“But what exactly are they?”
Above them, perched atop the curved roof of a caravan, Flo slowly peeked over the edge.
Only the upper half of her tiny cat-like face was visible at first, her bright eyes reflecting the firelight.
Her voice came quietly.
“They are the souls of the departed that still have something left to do…”
The camp suddenly felt much colder.
Christopher and Olivia stared at the drifting lights again.
The glowing spheres continued floating silently through the distant fields.
Watching.
Waiting.
Olivia shuffled closer to her brother.
Christopher swallowed hard.
“Creepy…” he whispered.
“And scary…” Olivia finished softly.
Flo disappeared back behind the roof edge.
Almost immediately her muffled voice floated back down.
“Some are friendly though.”
A pause.
“…Mostly.”
Christopher’s eyes widened.
Olivia grabbed his arm tighter.
Nearby, Jeremy let out another lazy yawn before lowering his head back onto his paws.
“You two scare too easily,” he mumbled sleepily.
The twins continued staring uneasily toward the distant drifting lights until the creak of a caravan door pulled their attention away.
Margarette stepped down first, wrapping a shawl tighter around herself against the night chill, Jonathon following just behind her with a lantern hanging loosely from one hand.
The warm glow spilled across the camp.
“Right you two,” Margarette said gently, glancing toward Olivia and Christopher by the dying fire, “we’ve another busy day tomorrow. Don’t you think you should get some sleep?”
Olivia looked up at her, tiredness finally winning over the nervous excitement in her eyes.
“Can we sleep out here underneath the stars?” she asked softly. “We promise to stay right here.”
Christopher nodded so vigorously his messy hair bounced everywhere.
Jonathon laughed immediately.
“Alright, stop nodding your head like that before it falls off,” he teased.
Christopher froze mid-nod.
Jonathon smirked.
“You are both nineteen,” he continued warmly, “you’re old enough to decide that for yourselves.”
Christopher grinned and sprang to his feet before either of them could change their minds.
“I’ll get the sleeping bags!”
He disappeared into the nearby caravan so quickly he nearly collided with the door frame on the way inside.
Margarette shook her head affectionately.
“He has two speeds,” she sighed. “Asleep or running.”
Olivia giggled quietly.
A few moments later Christopher returned carrying both sleeping bags awkwardly in his arms along with a pile of blankets threatening to topple over his face.
“I got extra blankets,” he announced proudly.
“You can barely carry them,” Olivia pointed out.
“That’s because there’s lots of them.”
Soon the camp settled further into silence.
The acrobats drifted away toward their wagons one by one, lanterns dimmed, and conversations softened into distant murmurs swallowed by the night. The fire before the twins faded into glowing red embers that crackled softly beneath the dark sky overhead.
Olivia and Christopher lay side by side wrapped tightly in their sleeping bags beneath a blanket of stars.
Christopher stared upward sleepily.
“There’s so many stars…”
Olivia smiled faintly beside him.
“They almost don’t look real.”
Nearby, Jeremy glances around and then notices a mouse scurrying underneath a caravan, he stretches and chases after it.
The twins slowly drifted off to sleep.
Their breathing softened.
Steadied.
And before long both were asleep beneath the heavens.
Around them, the travelling circus settled into the strange living quietness of nighttime.
Somewhere deeper in camp, horses snorted softly in their sleep.
Owls hooted from distant trees.
Tiny rodents darted between crates and wagons searching eagerly for dropped scraps of food.
Canvas shifted gently in the breeze.
Lanterns swayed lazily from hooks.
And beyond the warm glow of the campfire…
Something watched.
Far back within the shadows between the trees, a dark hooded figure stood silently motionless.
The figure slowly pulled a cloak tighter around themselves as travellers disappeared one by one into caravans and tents for the night.
Their face remained hidden beneath the hood.
Only darkness lingered there.
The stranger’s gaze remained fixed upon the sleeping twins near the dying embers.
Unmoving.
Patient.
As the wind whispered softly through the camp.
The last lantern in the travelling circus finally dimmed.
Silence settled fully across the camp.
Only the occasional crackle from dying embers remained, mixed with the distant calls of owls hidden amongst the trees.
Olivia and Christopher slept soundly beneath the stars, unaware of the shadow slowly emerging from the darkness beyond the wagons.
The hooded figure moved with unnatural quietness.
No crunch of grass.
No rustle of fabric.
Only slow deliberate steps creeping closer and closer toward the sleeping twins.
In either gloved hand rested a folded white cloth.
The figure paused beside them.
Kneeled silently between the sleeping pair.
Then—
Two hands struck downward at once.
The clothes were clamped tightly over their mouths and noses.
Christopher’s eyes snapped open instantly.
Olivia jerked violently awake beside him.
Their muffled screams vanished into the night.
Panic flooded their faces.
Christopher tried to swing wildly but his limbs already felt heavy.
Olivia clawed weakly at the stranger’s arm, terror widening her eyes.
A sickly chemical odour filled their lungs.
The hooded figure leaned closer between them.
A low rasping voice whispered beneath the hood.
“Fucking found you, you little shits…”
A horrible chuckle followed.
“Mother will be pleased… yes… very pleased…”
The twins’ struggles weakened rapidly.
Christopher’s vision blurred.
Olivia’s eyes rolled groggily.
Then darkness swallowed them both.
The figure remained crouched there for several moments, ensuring they were unconscious before finally standing upright with a long satisfied stretch of his back.
Slowly, he pulled the hood away from his face.
Rubian.
Moonlight revealed sharp features twisted with cruel satisfaction.
His lip curled into a snarl as he grabbed both twins roughly by the hair.
Their unconscious bodies dragged limply behind him through the dirt.
Across the sleeping circus camp.
Past silent caravans.
Past the dying fire.
Not a single soul stirred.
The fields beyond Edena stretched cold and empty beneath the night sky.
Waiting there near an old dirt path stood a wagon harnessed to two restless horses snorting clouds into the chilly air.
Rubian yanked back the heavy canvas covering the wagon bed.
Two iron coffins sat bolted inside.
Their black surfaces reflected faint moonlight.
Rubian grabbed Christopher first, hoisting him carelessly over one shoulder before wrenching open one of the coffin lids.
The moment it opened, cockroaches scattered wildly inside the cramped metal space.
Rubian recoiled instantly.
“Oh for fuck sake—”
He gagged violently in disgust before forcing himself closer again.
With little care, he shoved Christopher into the iron coffin and slammed the lid shut with a deafening metallic bang.
The horses shifted nervously.
Rubian turned toward Olivia next.
“She always liked dramatic entrances…” he muttered bitterly.
He grabbed Olivia under the arms and hauled her upward before dropping her roughly into the second coffin.
The metal echoed hollowly around her unconscious form.
Cockroaches scattered again into the corners.
Rubian grimaced.
Then slammed the lid closed.
The locks clicked shut.
And beneath the silent stars, the wagon slowly began rolling away into the darkness.
A pale golden light slowly crept across the horizon.
Night retreated inch by inch as dawn spread over the travelling circus camp.
Birds awoke amongst the trees, chirping noisily to greet the morning while somewhere nearby a cockerel screeched loud enough to startle half the camp awake. Horses shuffled restlessly in their harnesses and caravan doors began creaking open one after another.
The circus was stirring back to life.
Jonathon pushed open the small window of the caravan nearest the fire pit and leaned his head outside, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Christopher, Olivia—”
The greeting died instantly in his throat.
The sleeping bags beside the fire were empty.
For a second he simply stared at them, confused.
The blankets still lay there in a tangled heap beside the cold ashes.
But the twins were gone.
Jonathon frowned deeply and climbed down from the caravan.
“Christopher?” he called louder.
Nothing answered him.
“Olivia?”
Only birdsong greeted him.
Behind him, the caravan door opened again and Margarette stepped outside fastening her coat.
She glanced toward the empty sleeping bags.
Immediately her expression changed.
“Where are they?”
Jonathon was already scanning the camp.
“I don’t know.”
A cold unease settled between them.
From nearby, Jeremy came trotting lazily through the grass with a dead mouse hanging from his mouth by the tail.
The were-cat paused as both adults turned toward him.
“Jeremy,” Margarette called quickly, “you seen the twins?”
Jeremy blinked sleepily up at them.
Then slowly shook his head.
The mouse flopped side to side.
Jonathon’s stomach tightened.
“They wouldn’t just wander off without telling someone.”
Margarette looked around sharply, panic beginning to creep into her voice.
“Christopher!” she shouted now.
Heads began turning throughout the camp.
Performers emerged from caravans looking confused as Jonathon and Margarette hurried from wagon to wagon asking everyone they could find.
“Have you seen Olivia or Christopher?”
“When did you last see them?”
“Did anyone hear anything last night?”
But every answer was the same.
No.
No one had seen them.
No one had heard anything.
The acrobats from the previous night exchanged worried glances. Chloe wrapped her arms around herself nervously while Flo crouched silently atop one of the caravans, her tail twitching uneasily behind her.
Jeremy dropped the dead mouse.
The little were-cat sniffed the air carefully.
Then his ears flattened.
“There’s a scent…” he muttered quietly.
Jonathon turned instantly.
“What scent?”
Jeremy’s eyes narrowed toward the distant fields beyond the camp.
“…Wrong.”
A horrible silence followed that single word.
Margarette’s face drained of colour.
Jonathon didn’t wait another second.
He began running toward the edge of the camp.
Jonathon sprinted toward the edge of the circus grounds, his boots tearing through damp grass as panic drove him forward.
Behind him, Jeremy suddenly bolted in the opposite direction.
Straight toward Edena.
The little were-cat flew across the open road like a streak of black and red fur, weaving effortlessly between early morning traders setting up stalls outside the city gates.
“Oi—!”
A merchant barely managed to stop himself tripping as Jeremy darted beneath a cart.
The were-cat never slowed.
He slipped through the waking streets of Edena with practiced ease, dodging boots, baskets, and wandering townsfolk before leaping onto a stack of barrels beside the city wall.
From there he sprang onto a wooden awning.
Then another.
Then climbed rapidly toward the parapet ladders overlooking the city.
A sleepy soldier had just begun stepping down from the watchtower when Jeremy landed silently in front of him.
“Were you on night watch?” Jeremy demanded sharply.
The soldier blinked in confusion at the sight of the cat.
“…What?”
Jeremy’s ears twitched impatiently.
“Answer.”
The exhausted guard frowned but nodded slowly.
Jeremy suddenly shifted.
Bones twisted.
Limbs stretched.
Within moments the small were-cat stood upright in his strange half-human feline appearance, his eyes narrowed intensely.
The soldier nearly stumbled backwards in fright.
“By the gods—”
“Did you see anything during the night?” Jeremy snapped.
The soldier swallowed hard.
“A… a wagon,” he whispered nervously. “Covered with canvas… it left using the old dirt road sometime in the early hours…”
His voice faltered.
“Is something wrong?”
Jeremy’s pupils narrowed into slits.
A low hiss escaped his teeth.
“Alert Elvina,” he ordered immediately. “If she asks why…”
He turned sharply toward the city edge.
“…just say Jeremy.”
Before the stunned guard could respond, Jeremy leapt.
Straight off the parapet.
The soldier rushed to the edge in alarm only to see the were-cat land effortlessly atop a nearby roof below. Jeremy barely paused before sprinting across the rooftops and disappearing back toward the city gates.
The guard stood frozen for half a heartbeat.
Then panic finally seized him.
He turned and ran through Edena’s streets searching desperately for Elvina.
Meanwhile outside the city, Jeremy raced through the fields to catch up with Jonathon.
Chapter 22: Surprise…
The travelling circus had settled into a quiet rhythm beneath the stars.
Lanterns swayed gently from wagon hooks, painting warm circles of gold across the camp while distant laughter drifted through the cool night air. Horses shuffled lazily in their harnesses, somewhere a fiddle played softly, and the smell of wood smoke and stew lingered pleasantly in the breeze.
Olivia and Christopher sat cross-legged beside one of the smaller campfires near the outer ring of caravans. A pair of acrobats entertained the gathered children and performers alike with exaggerated stories from their travels.
“And then,” one of the acrobats declared dramatically, standing atop a crate, “the prince leapt from the tower with only a curtain rope in his teeth—”
“That part definitely didn’t happen,” another performer interrupted through laughter.
“It absolutely did.”
“You broke both ankles.”
“I landed artistically.”
The camp erupted in chuckles.
Olivia smiled sleepily, her chin resting in her palms. Christopher tried to stay focused, but his eyelids kept growing heavier and heavier. The long journey, the overwhelming crowds in Edena, and the excitement of the day had drained every bit of energy from them.
Jeremy lay curled beside the fire, stretched across the dirt with his paws twitching occasionally in his sleep.
Christopher’s head dipped.
Snapped back up.
Dipped again.
Beside him, Olivia was losing the same battle. Her eyes closed for several seconds before reopening suddenly as she jerked awake.
“You’re falling asleep,” Christopher whispered.
“No I’m not,” Olivia mumbled immediately before nearly tipping sideways.
One of the acrobats continued his story while juggling polished stones through the firelight, their reflections dancing across the twins’ tired faces.
But then Christopher noticed something strange.
Far beyond the wagons, somewhere near the dark fields beyond camp, tiny coloured lights drifted through the night.
Blue.
Green.
Soft amber.
They bobbed slowly above the grass like floating lanterns, weaving gently around one another.
Christopher blinked hard, thinking at first he was dreaming.
But they were still there.
More appeared between the trees.
Tiny glowing spheres wandering silently through the darkness.
His tiredness vanished instantly.
“Olivia…” he whispered.
She followed his stare and immediately stiffened.
The lights danced silently in the distance.
Jeremy lifted his head slightly, yawning wide enough to reveal sharp little teeth.
“Elementals…” he muttered lazily.
Chloe, who sat nearby wrapped in a blanket almost too large for her, tilted her head curiously.
“But what exactly are they?”
Above them, perched atop the curved roof of a caravan, Flo slowly peeked over the edge.
Only the upper half of her tiny cat-like face was visible at first, her bright eyes reflecting the firelight.
Her voice came quietly.
“They are the souls of the departed that still have something left to do…”
The camp suddenly felt much colder.
Christopher and Olivia stared at the drifting lights again.
The glowing spheres continued floating silently through the distant fields.
Watching.
Waiting.
Olivia shuffled closer to her brother.
Christopher swallowed hard.
“Creepy…” he whispered.
“And scary…” Olivia finished softly.
Flo disappeared back behind the roof edge.
Almost immediately her muffled voice floated back down.
“Some are friendly though.”
A pause.
“…Mostly.”
Christopher’s eyes widened.
Olivia grabbed his arm tighter.
Nearby, Jeremy let out another lazy yawn before lowering his head back onto his paws.
“You two scare too easily,” he mumbled sleepily.
The twins continued staring uneasily toward the distant drifting lights until the creak of a caravan door pulled their attention away.
Margarette stepped down first, wrapping a shawl tighter around herself against the night chill, Jonathon following just behind her with a lantern hanging loosely from one hand.
The warm glow spilled across the camp.
“Right you two,” Margarette said gently, glancing toward Olivia and Christopher by the dying fire, “we’ve another busy day tomorrow. Don’t you think you should get some sleep?”
Olivia looked up at her, tiredness finally winning over the nervous excitement in her eyes.
“Can we sleep out here underneath the stars?” she asked softly. “We promise to stay right here.”
Christopher nodded so vigorously his messy hair bounced everywhere.
Jonathon laughed immediately.
“Alright, stop nodding your head like that before it falls off,” he teased.
Christopher froze mid-nod.
Jonathon smirked.
“You are both nineteen,” he continued warmly, “you’re old enough to decide that for yourselves.”
Christopher grinned and sprang to his feet before either of them could change their minds.
“I’ll get the sleeping bags!”
He disappeared into the nearby caravan so quickly he nearly collided with the door frame on the way inside.
Margarette shook her head affectionately.
“He has two speeds,” she sighed. “Asleep or running.”
Olivia giggled quietly.
A few moments later Christopher returned carrying both sleeping bags awkwardly in his arms along with a pile of blankets threatening to topple over his face.
“I got extra blankets,” he announced proudly.
“You can barely carry them,” Olivia pointed out.
“That’s because there’s lots of them.”
Soon the camp settled further into silence.
The acrobats drifted away toward their wagons one by one, lanterns dimmed, and conversations softened into distant murmurs swallowed by the night. The fire before the twins faded into glowing red embers that crackled softly beneath the dark sky overhead.
Olivia and Christopher lay side by side wrapped tightly in their sleeping bags beneath a blanket of stars.
Christopher stared upward sleepily.
“There’s so many stars…”
Olivia smiled faintly beside him.
“They almost don’t look real.”
Nearby, Jeremy glances around and then notices a mouse scurrying underneath a caravan, he stretches and chases after it.
The twins slowly drifted off to sleep.
Their breathing softened.
Steadied.
And before long both were asleep beneath the heavens.
Around them, the travelling circus settled into the strange living quietness of nighttime.
Somewhere deeper in camp, horses snorted softly in their sleep.
Owls hooted from distant trees.
Tiny rodents darted between crates and wagons searching eagerly for dropped scraps of food.
Canvas shifted gently in the breeze.
Lanterns swayed lazily from hooks.
And beyond the warm glow of the campfire…
Something watched.
Far back within the shadows between the trees, a dark hooded figure stood silently motionless.
The figure slowly pulled a cloak tighter around themselves as travellers disappeared one by one into caravans and tents for the night.
Their face remained hidden beneath the hood.
Only darkness lingered there.
The stranger’s gaze remained fixed upon the sleeping twins near the dying embers.
Unmoving.
Patient.
As the wind whispered softly through the camp.
The last lantern in the travelling circus finally dimmed.
Silence settled fully across the camp.
Only the occasional crackle from dying embers remained, mixed with the distant calls of owls hidden amongst the trees.
Olivia and Christopher slept soundly beneath the stars, unaware of the shadow slowly emerging from the darkness beyond the wagons.
The hooded figure moved with unnatural quietness.
No crunch of grass.
No rustle of fabric.
Only slow deliberate steps creeping closer and closer toward the sleeping twins.
In either gloved hand rested a folded white cloth.
The figure paused beside them.
Kneeled silently between the sleeping pair.
Then—
Two hands struck downward at once.
The clothes were clamped tightly over their mouths and noses.
Christopher’s eyes snapped open instantly.
Olivia jerked violently awake beside him.
Their muffled screams vanished into the night.
Panic flooded their faces.
Christopher tried to swing wildly but his limbs already felt heavy.
Olivia clawed weakly at the stranger’s arm, terror widening her eyes.
A sickly chemical odour filled their lungs.
The hooded figure leaned closer between them.
A low rasping voice whispered beneath the hood.
“Fucking found you, you little shits…”
A horrible chuckle followed.
“Mother will be pleased… yes… very pleased…”
The twins’ struggles weakened rapidly.
Christopher’s vision blurred.
Olivia’s eyes rolled groggily.
Then darkness swallowed them both.
The figure remained crouched there for several moments, ensuring they were unconscious before finally standing upright with a long satisfied stretch of his back.
Slowly, he pulled the hood away from his face.
Rubian.
Moonlight revealed sharp features twisted with cruel satisfaction.
His lip curled into a snarl as he grabbed both twins roughly by the hair.
Their unconscious bodies dragged limply behind him through the dirt.
Across the sleeping circus camp.
Past silent caravans.
Past the dying fire.
Not a single soul stirred.
The fields beyond Edena stretched cold and empty beneath the night sky.
Waiting there near an old dirt path stood a wagon harnessed to two restless horses snorting clouds into the chilly air.
Rubian yanked back the heavy canvas covering the wagon bed.
Two iron coffins sat bolted inside.
Their black surfaces reflected faint moonlight.
Rubian grabbed Christopher first, hoisting him carelessly over one shoulder before wrenching open one of the coffin lids.
The moment it opened, cockroaches scattered wildly inside the cramped metal space.
Rubian recoiled instantly.
“Oh for fuck sake—”
He gagged violently in disgust before forcing himself closer again.
With little care, he shoved Christopher into the iron coffin and slammed the lid shut with a deafening metallic bang.
The horses shifted nervously.
Rubian turned toward Olivia next.
“She always liked dramatic entrances…” he muttered bitterly.
He grabbed Olivia under the arms and hauled her upward before dropping her roughly into the second coffin.
The metal echoed hollowly around her unconscious form.
Cockroaches scattered again into the corners.
Rubian grimaced.
Then slammed the lid closed.
The locks clicked shut.
And beneath the silent stars, the wagon slowly began rolling away into the darkness.
A pale golden light slowly crept across the horizon.
Night retreated inch by inch as dawn spread over the travelling circus camp.
Birds awoke amongst the trees, chirping noisily to greet the morning while somewhere nearby a cockerel screeched loud enough to startle half the camp awake. Horses shuffled restlessly in their harnesses and caravan doors began creaking open one after another.
The circus was stirring back to life.
Jonathon pushed open the small window of the caravan nearest the fire pit and leaned his head outside, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Christopher, Olivia—”
The greeting died instantly in his throat.
The sleeping bags beside the fire were empty.
For a second he simply stared at them, confused.
The blankets still lay there in a tangled heap beside the cold ashes.
But the twins were gone.
Jonathon frowned deeply and climbed down from the caravan.
“Christopher?” he called louder.
Nothing answered him.
“Olivia?”
Only birdsong greeted him.
Behind him, the caravan door opened again and Margarette stepped outside fastening her coat.
She glanced toward the empty sleeping bags.
Immediately her expression changed.
“Where are they?”
Jonathon was already scanning the camp.
“I don’t know.”
A cold unease settled between them.
From nearby, Jeremy came trotting lazily through the grass with a dead mouse hanging from his mouth by the tail.
The were-cat paused as both adults turned toward him.
“Jeremy,” Margarette called quickly, “you seen the twins?”
Jeremy blinked sleepily up at them.
Then slowly shook his head.
The mouse flopped side to side.
Jonathon’s stomach tightened.
“They wouldn’t just wander off without telling someone.”
Margarette looked around sharply, panic beginning to creep into her voice.
“Christopher!” she shouted now.
Heads began turning throughout the camp.
Performers emerged from caravans looking confused as Jonathon and Margarette hurried from wagon to wagon asking everyone they could find.
“Have you seen Olivia or Christopher?”
“When did you last see them?”
“Did anyone hear anything last night?”
But every answer was the same.
No.
No one had seen them.
No one had heard anything.
The acrobats from the previous night exchanged worried glances. Chloe wrapped her arms around herself nervously while Flo crouched silently atop one of the caravans, her tail twitching uneasily behind her.
Jeremy dropped the dead mouse.
The little were-cat sniffed the air carefully.
Then his ears flattened.
“There’s a scent…” he muttered quietly.
Jonathon turned instantly.
“What scent?”
Jeremy’s eyes narrowed toward the distant fields beyond the camp.
“…Wrong.”
A horrible silence followed that single word.
Margarette’s face drained of colour.
Jonathon didn’t wait another second.
He began running toward the edge of the camp.
Jonathon sprinted toward the edge of the circus grounds, his boots tearing through damp grass as panic drove him forward.
Behind him, Jeremy suddenly bolted in the opposite direction.
Straight toward Edena.
The little were-cat flew across the open road like a streak of black and red fur, weaving effortlessly between early morning traders setting up stalls outside the city gates.
“Oi—!”
A merchant barely managed to stop himself tripping as Jeremy darted beneath a cart.
The were-cat never slowed.
He slipped through the waking streets of Edena with practiced ease, dodging boots, baskets, and wandering townsfolk before leaping onto a stack of barrels beside the city wall.
From there he sprang onto a wooden awning.
Then another.
Then climbed rapidly toward the parapet ladders overlooking the city.
A sleepy soldier had just begun stepping down from the watchtower when Jeremy landed silently in front of him.
“Were you on night watch?” Jeremy demanded sharply.
The soldier blinked in confusion at the sight of the cat.
“…What?”
Jeremy’s ears twitched impatiently.
“Answer.”
The exhausted guard frowned but nodded slowly.
Jeremy suddenly shifted.
Bones twisted.
Limbs stretched.
Within moments the small were-cat stood upright in his strange half-human feline appearance, his eyes narrowed intensely.
The soldier nearly stumbled backwards in fright.
“By the gods—”
“Did you see anything during the night?” Jeremy snapped.
The soldier swallowed hard.
“A… a wagon,” he whispered nervously. “Covered with canvas… it left using the old dirt road sometime in the early hours…”
His voice faltered.
“Is something wrong?”
Jeremy’s pupils narrowed into slits.
A low hiss escaped his teeth.
“Alert Elvina,” he ordered immediately. “If she asks why…”
He turned sharply toward the city edge.
“…just say Jeremy.”
Before the stunned guard could respond, Jeremy leapt.
Straight off the parapet.
The soldier rushed to the edge in alarm only to see the were-cat land effortlessly atop a nearby roof below. Jeremy barely paused before sprinting across the rooftops and disappearing back toward the city gates.
The guard stood frozen for half a heartbeat.
Then panic finally seized him.
He turned and ran through Edena’s streets searching desperately for Elvina.
Meanwhile outside the city, Jeremy raced through the fields to catch up with Jonathon.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy