A Shadow of Light |girlxgirl|

Chapter 2

|CHAPTER 2|

Sun and Shine ignored her laughter, as they moved off the footpath towards the entrance of a large tent.

Not nearly as large as the Main Tent, which Liana could still hear music pulse from, this one was striped shiny black and midnight blue, and seemed to be empty.

But as Sun pushed aside the flap, light spilled from the gap, and the rustling of clothes could be heard.

Liana stepped inside behind the two, and felt apprehension grip her heart.

Would she met another, bigger version of the monsters she had already seen?

Would they kill her on sight?

Her eyes adjusted to the brightness, and she glanced around the bare space.

A massive, iron-detailed bed lay in one corner, while a dense wooden desk sat in the other.

Seated at the desk was a frightening man that Liana immediately recognised as the Ring Master who began the show earlier that night.

Upon entering the circus, with Hanna, Heather and Henley pulling at her jacket, Liana had noticed that the Entrance Room had seemed too dimly lit.

The mechanically lit food machines and games cast shadows as high as the ceiling in every corner.

Similarly, the staff wore completely black clothes, offset only by splashes of a crimson tie, lapis lazuli undershirts, or a flamboyant orange ribbon.

A sense of something off, something dangerous, had been projected immediately, as their dark forms grinned from blood-red lips and studied everything from eyes darkened by charcoal make-up.

Mother had commented that it added an edge of mystery and intrigue to the event - a touch of wild adventure.

Hanna, seeming oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, triumphantly bragged to Liana, who had never been to a circus, that all circus’ had workers who helped manage the crowds and dressed in fancy clothes.

Moving through the large opening into the Main Tent, they had taken their seats, and the show had started.

The blinding neon lights had not reassured her, as fog rose from the ground and curled gently around her ankles, like the fingers of the Dead.

The smooth echo of the Ring Master’s mesmerising voice, seeming to fill every inch of available space, immediately silenced the crowds of people.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our humble Circus of Shadows. We bid you good evening on this dark night, as you witness events so spectacular, you will be eternally captivated.”

From a distance, Liana could see that everything he wore - from his polished shoes, to his perfectly arranged suit and top hat - was black.

His vest shined liquid silver as it was hit by a particular beam of light.

As she saw him up close now, he wore the same clothes, without the top hat, and held himself with the same rigid control.

His impossibly pale skin was offset by his shock of mud-coloured hair, drawing attention to eyes so dark, one could not distinguish the pupil from the iris.

Those shadowed eyes focused intently on her, and she shifted uncertainly behind the twins.

The intense hunger of the two cold-blooded creatures earlier paled in comparison with the expression twisting the Ring Master’s face.

His brows were drawn over his burning eyes, and his mouth opened slightly to taste the air, as he took a step towards Liana.

He reached out a gloved hand across the room, as if to touch her.

“Her soul…” His melodic voice resonated in her very being, in the same way it had weighed in the air of the Main Tent before.

Liana stepped back, as her only just calmed heart took off at an unbearable pace.

The Ring Master fixed his gaze on the impatient twins.

“Where in the name of Lucifer did you two find this soul?” He demanded in a growl, before once again returning his dark eyes to her shaking form.

Liana saw the tent dim, as the lanterns flickered, before the flames once again settled.

It was the little boy, Sun, who answered.

“We had finished our own act already, and complained to Kali backstage that she hadn’t gotten us a meal in days. Reaper heard us as she walked past to do her act, and said that the perfect dish was just walking out of the Main Tent as we spoke, and that we should go feed on him.”

Shine stepped in front of her brother, not wanting to be upstaged, and excitedly continued, “So we left that Kali-witch, and found this pig of a human beating the crap of the girl. Of course, we ate him but his skin was so old and dry that I moved on to the girl. But then Sun said we shouldn’t kill her, because she was different. We decided to bring her back here, so you could see for yourself. So, Master, what do you say? Can we please eat her?”

The child seemed so eager that Liana felt her bottom lip tremble.

How could any of this be real?

The twins stepped away from here, and the Ring Master strode forward to inspect her.

The light of the lanterns shone in his obsidian eyes, which seemed to contain flickering fire.

He leaned as close as Sun had earlier, but did not lick her.

He inhaled, as if he were seated at the most divine meal, and was more than ready to dig in.

The tremors intensified and spread across her body, until Liana could not focus on anything except the creature in front of her.

What was he?

“I am a demon, my dear.”

She hastily stumbled back, as he answered her thoughts.

The Ring Master followed, until she was pressed against the cool material of the tent wall.

His voice lowered even further, until it was breathed across her neck.

“And you have the purest and most delicious soul I have encountered in centuries.”