The Carnival at Moonbright

Saying goodbye to Nix and Megara, Gisela sat with Rhokhishi in Blight’s food tent. The morning air lost its crispness as the sun pushed higher into the sky. On the table before her, Rhokhishi had her juggling balls resting as she talked.

“I think I could talk to someone about making them more effective for the show. I mean, blue balls fit the dominatrix jokes of the event, but if I could make them return to my hand… I could do some really cool tricks without worrying about dropping them!”

“Rhokhishi, I think blue balls returning to you is the least of your worries.” Gisela joked.

They laughed as they saw Elysium stand and walk over to them.

“Hello, ladies. If you have some spare time, would you accompany me to the main tent? I have a meeting with some of the troupe, and I want you both to be there as well, please.” Elysium explained, holding his arms out for both women to take them.

Across the field, Gisela hovered with her wings, being pulled lightly by Elysium’s arm towards the main tent. While knowing others would need help later putting equipment away, taking the day to rest as they were asked to do was needed. Her body was sore, but she tried to hide it as best as she could. She grasped the pommel of her sword and thought of Bruna.

Rest is always useful, Gisela. It would help if you took time for yourself before taking time for others, or you won’t be able to help when it matters.

She squeezed the handle, then followed Rhokhishi and Elysium into the tent. Gisela took a moment to let her eyes adjust from the sunlight to the shaded interior. Inside, she looked to see a few faces, all of which she recognized. Ramona walked back and forth near the bottom row before sitting near the stairway; her arms crossed under her shawl. Her eyes were closed, but Gisela knew that Ramona didn’t need to open her eyes to see her surroundings. Kohl stood to the side, his friend and partner Valas leaning against Kohl’s body. As Rhokhishi took a seat between them and the leading group, Gisela noticed them whispering to each other. The twins and the wizard sat near Mr. Muffins between Rhokhishi and the trio in the middle row. Gisela saw Shaynth just above everyone else at the top row of seats, so she flew up and over, waving to them and taking a seat on the back of the chair next to Shaynth to see better.

Elysium had walked in, removed his coat, and pulled a chair to the benches. He took a drink from the cup he had brought from Blight’s tent, set it down, and looked around at everyone before speaking.

“I have a lot of thoughts about what happened last night. I have spent half the morning trying to recall every detail and writing it down for the meeting I’ll have with the Queen in a couple of hours. First, I want to say thank you. While each of you may not have directly interacted with each other, you all were integral in keeping the citizens safe our family safe, putting Torra back in the cage, and bringing the Archmage here to resurrect me. The Gods looked down on me and graced me with the chance to be here, and I will forever be grateful for it.”

He stood up and walked over to the exact spot where the paladin shot him. His fists tightened, and even though Gisela was the furthest back, she could swear she saw a single tear fall from Elysium’s face.

“I’m still unsure of how this all happened. Some of you have already given testimony as to what happened before the show, and I’ve given that information to the rest of you. I’ll admit that we have not always had such high regard from everyone, and we weren’t liked initially, but we’ve never had someone walk into our tent and do something like this before.”

“Did you find anything out last night during the autopsy?” Elysium asked, looking directly at Leaf.

“We found a few things, but more information is needed. The Archmage asked me to head to the Athenaeum after this for more research.” Leaf replied, standing, only adding a few inches to his height from his sitting position.

“I have a few tasks to ask of you all,” Elysium stated. It didn’t feel like a command, but Gisela thought it wouldn’t be beneficial for them not to listen and follow his direction.

“Kohl and Valas, I ask that you contact your friends in the elemental planes. I’d like to learn more about the creature from the man’s body after he was disposed of.”

“Of course.” Kohl nodded in a bowing fashion, and Kohl and Valas walked out of the tent.

“Shaynth, I’d like you to add some security to the night surveillance, including having you take patrols.”

“I have already talked to a few people about this possibility. I’ll have them ready tonight.”

“Ramona-”

“I assume you’d like me to use my skills to see if anything comes my way?” She asked, a look of determination on her face.

“Yes, please. As my oldest friend and one of the first in the Arcana Emporium, you always know my needs. Though, I imagine it comes with the territory of being the divination master you are.” He smiled as he complimented her.

Ramona and Shaynth stood, getting themselves ready to leave. Ramona walked over to Myla on the way out, pointed down, and smiled.

“It seems luck is on your side today. Someone dropped a gold piece. You sat there, so it must be yours now.” She said as she walked away with Shaynth out of the tent.

Gisela watched Myla pick up the gold piece and place it in her pouch, then looked around her to see if someone else had dropped anything interesting. It looked like primarily small crumbs of food littered the floor around her.

Good thing you fly, or that would be all over your shoes!

Elysium sat back down in the chair, looking at the leftover group.

“While I’m sure you all have a lot of work to do, I’d prefer you all accompany Leaf to the Athenaeum. The library is quite large, and while I’m sure Leaf is an expert in the investigation of research through his studies, a few extra sets of hands is always useful.”

He sighed, taking a deep breath and looking down to the ground.

“I can’t thank you enough, all of you, for keeping Torra safe. We know the risk of her curse, but we’ve always done our best to make light of it and take precautions. I will check on her, then head out to Haron’s Castle. Know that if she weren’t extremely exhausted, she would be here both thanking you... and apologizing as well.”

He grabbed his coat and put it back on, ensuring everything was in his pockets. He stepped back, bent down, and picked up a silver coin from the ground. He chuckled as he looked at Myla.

“It seems my luck is lower than yours, but any luck is better than none, right?” Elysium joked before standing back up and walking out of the tent.

Standing and gathering their things, Gisela looked around at the people around her. Leaf, the Archmage’s apprentice. Lyla and Myla, the sisters. Mr. Muffins, the architect. Rhokhishi, a bringer of many joys. She held onto the pommel of her sword, feeling its warmth.

You will protect them, Gisela. Keep your eyes up, and everything will be okay.