A Shadow of Light |girlxgirl|

Chapter 8

|CHAPTER 8|

Liana stepped hesitantly into the white tent, not wanting to intrude.

The sandy haired man she remembered from the Aerial Silk act – Mira – stood across the room, seeming to be shuffling glass bottles between cupboards.

Dressed simply in threadbare black slacks, and a loose moss-green singlet, he did not seem particularly dangerous or idiosyncratic.

In one hand, he held a small vial of something black and gooey like oil, but he wasn't moving.

Mira had his head cocked to the side, as if enjoying the sound of a playful wind that no one else could hear.

"Hello, Illiana." His voice was raspy, holding the same serene undertone as the Ring Master, with an earthier edge.

"My name is Mira. Your wounds are not too expansive – as you know from experience. Drink this and we will move on to the exciting stuff."

He turned and walked towards her, placing the bottle of black liquid in her hands.

Liana froze for a moment, glancing at his face.

Rough features where further textured by a deep, uneven tan.

Hazel eyes, reminiscent of Nature itself, with streaks of dirt brown and deep green, remained locked on her face, unmoving.

She wet her lips in a quick motion, glancing down.

"Your not a demon are you? Or a Shifter?" She had to ask.

A bottomless laugh rumbled his chest, and still his eyes did not waver.

"No, Illiana. I am a witch."

Of course he is, thought Liana, as she unscrewed the cork of the vial.

Knowing it was best not to overthink things, she downed what felt like toad slime, and tasted like old blood and leather.

Coughing a few times, she returned her watery eyes to his unmoving face.

A broad smile stretched his weathered face, as his eyes continued to see something she had no hope of ever understanding.

His stance reminded her of an amenable farmer she had once met a long time ago.

He had offered her and her companion a warm bed, if they were willing to aid in harvesting his crops.

The arrangement had run smoothly for a few days, with the two gaining protection from the weather, and a kind adult to regale them with stories - until the farmer slit the throat of her companion and used his blood as fertilizer.

Mira let out another rumbling laugh, before gesturing to an enclosed corner.

"There is a basin of hot water behind that curtain, as well as cloth to wash yourself, and clean clothes. Take all of the time you need."

Liana mumbled her thanks, before moving to the corner.

Aware that he was still moving around the room behind the partition, she quickly striped away her dirty clothes and washed away the dried blood from her body.

Glancing at her wounds, she was surprised to see how well they had healed.

Normally, it took far longer for even the superficial cuts to fade away.

After drying herself, she glanced at the clothes provided for her.

The undergarment was composed solely of black lace, and did not look as if it covered much at all.

Blushing, knowing the material would irritate her skin throughout the day if she were to wear it, she left it and moved on to the dress.

Made of smooth black silk, the top was held together by a halter, while the bottom half fell in uneven waves to mid-thigh.

Sliding a glance once more at the uncomfortable looking undergarment, she shook her head and simply pulled on the dress.

"Backless, of course." Liana muttered to herself.

She bent down and picked up the jacket the Ring Master had given to her last night.

Slipping her arms into the too long sleeves, she stepped out of the small space into the main area.

Once again, Mira was frozen half way between doing things, with a white sheet half folded in his hands.

He looked at her and quirked his harmless grin.

"The style suits you, even under Ringo's jacket. But black is certainly not your colour, Illiana. Your skin is far too fair to benefit from such harsh, dark colours. If only you didn't have so many bruises... What I gave you earlier is non-lethal, and will heal you, but it's a slow process. Hmmm, I wonder if I should... Probably not, but I will anyway."

He lumbered back to his vast cabinetry and rummaged for a few moments.

Mira came back and handed her an even smaller bottler than the last one.

When she held the clear liquid up to the light of a candle that burned in a corner, it shimmered, as if it held a million fragments of glitter.

Glancing at him with raised eyebrows, she decided to not question him.

Thinking of what could have possibly been in the last concoction made her shudder.

Ignorance was bliss, in this case.

Liana vividly remembered what the Ring Master had done to the last person who had inflicted harm on her, and figured Mira wouldn't try anything.

This one tasted distinctly like candyfloss and sunshine.

She gazed at the empty bottle in wonder, as a long forgotten memory resurfaced.

She had been very young, and had wandered into a Carnival just as it was opening.

Watching all of the children laugh and enjoy the food, she had stolen some candyfloss to try for herself, and ate it all behind the Haunted House stall, while basking in the late afternoon sun.

"Now you'll really heal faster than the average human."

His artificially perfect smile did not reassure her, but she nodded silently anyway.

Mira paused just as he opened his mouth to speak again.

It did not last as long this time, but Liana saw the immobile blankness overtake of his face, a vacancy filling his earthy eyes.

Then in a second, he came back to life, and that broad, sincere smile stretched his lips once more.

"Oh, and I'll let Celena know that she must provide different undergarment for you."

She blushed slightly, but covered it up by scrutinising him.

It didn't seem as if he read the thoughts from her mind, like the Ring Master had before.

It was like he could sense everything around her – the air, the ground, even the material of her clothes – and they all worked to communicate details to him.

He could know more about a person than the Ring Master, which was frightening, since the demon was capable of reading a person's entire past.

"You are right to be wary of us, Illiana. I do not need my magic to feel the vulnerable air you exude. We are Creatures of Darkness, and are not often capable of holding pure light in the palm of our hands, without crushing it. Ringo will strive to maintain your safety, even at the greatest cost. And Anita, well, she is likely to either feed your fire or extinguish you entirely."

She had no clue what he was rambling about, but before she could even ask who Anita was, Mira shook his head violently.

"Anyway. Let's give you a guided tour of our perverse and perplexing Circus. I assure you, they only bite if you ask them to."