Kingdom in The Sand

Legends of Leigh

When it was clear Gharam hadn't just been separated from the group in the rapidly thinning crowd, they were forced to split up in an attempt to find her – or at least find members of staff to help locate her.

Marie-Fey sighed as she walked into the depths of the camp. It was a great deal larger an encampment than she had first assumed, it also didn't appear to have anyone working it in.

But then, perhaps they were all to be found within the big top, closing down after the show.

"Gharam!" she called, stopping at an intersection of tents and looking around.

It was uncomfortably... quiet.

It reminded her of... what?

The cottage.

Or the fleapit that masqueraded itself as a cottage.

On those days and nights when it was so impossibly quiet. When her family were out doing whatever they did during those times of nothing to do. When she could listen for hours and the only thing in the silence was the creaking of the building itself.

She clapped her hands, the sound echoing like a slap and jarring her out of her memories before they became too vivid.

It didn't make sense.

They were in the city.

It should not be possible for it to be so quiet.

This wasn't the cottage where they were beyond the outskirts of the nearest village. This was a metropolitan location.

It should not be so quiet.

She disliked that the silence could disturb her.

"Zaydan," she called, glancing behind her but he wasn't there, as she knew he wasn't since he'd gone with Beldon to search – why they chose to search together, she didn't know. She hoped one of them didn't skewer the other on a tent pole.

Letting out a short breath, she smoothed her dress that didn't need smoothing and carried on.

There was no reason to go far into the camp.

How far could Gharam have actually gone? She had been with them when leaving the big top... she thought... had she?

Well she'd been there at the end of the show, she knew that much. Gharam would have had to pass her to leave before them and she would have noticed that.

"Gharam!" she shouted, a snap in her voice this time. She was losing the warmth of the tent now and growing cold in the early morning chill. She wanted to go home.

Something moved ahead, she looked around and stopped.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Not you again," she growled.

It was that women!

That apparition! Not the one who had appeared in her mirror but the one who appeared in her room!

She stood down the path between the tents, her dress and hair drifting forlornly in a breeze Marie-Fey couldn't feel, a white light emanating from her.

"Get away from me!" Marie-Fey snarled, "You aren't real!"

The women moved forward, stumbling slightly.

She looked... so sad, even from a distance, sadness radiated off her.

"Stay away," Marie-Fey snapped, refusing to step back as the woman staggered forwards, "I don't know what you want but stay away! You aren't real!"