Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (8 page)

         Helena
hurried to her children, who were longingly waiting for her so that they could
continue to stroll across the funfair. "I'm really sorry, but you will
have to continue without me. I have to take care of an urgent matter."

         Both children
attempted to protest, which Helena prevented immediately. "I will explain
later. Kyrian, keep an eye on Skylar. In the evening, both of you return with
the carriage. We will see each other at the castle. Now go and have fun."
With that, Helena disappeared into the crowd.

          "What
do you think, Kyrian? Where is Mama going?" Skylar asked, curiosity
overwhelming her.

         "I don't
know. But I guess it's important."

         Defiantly,
the girl crossed her arms. "That is mean. Of course it is something important,
and we're not allowed to be present."

         "Little
one, we are at a festival and are supposed to have some fun. Mama will tell us
everything, I'm sure," Kyrian reminded his sister and dragged her along.
"Come on. Let's see if we can't find something interesting. Look, there
are musicians and dancers. And, if I'm not very much mistaken, there is a
puppet theater."

         At the words
'puppet theater', Skylar's eyes brightened with happiness. "Well, what are
we waiting for?" Radiant with joy, she stormed ahead.

         Kyrian
followed right behind her.

         During the
puppet show, his stomach was making itself known, loudly. He leaned over to his
sister and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to look for something to
eat. You will stay here, and you won't go anywhere. Understood? Not even when
the show is over. You will wait for me, did I make myself clear?"

         Skylar
nodded, absentminded. "Uh huh." She was completely engrossed in the
story.

         Amused,
Kyrian patted her head and left the theater in search for some nourishment.    Excited
by the play, Skylar listened intently to the final words of the puppeteer.

         "And the
moral of our story, may you be a beast or not, real beauty is found within.

Love is the greatest
force on earth. Don't let it run dry in your heart and you will always be able
to beat evil."

           
The
puppeteer bowed on the stage, to the thundering applause of the audience.
"Well,
my good people.
That was the show for today.
Thanks for
listening."

         Skylar turned
to speak to her brother, only to discover that he was no longer sitting next to
her. Wrinkling her forehead, the girl let her gaze sweep, unable to find him.
"Where could he have gone?" She rose and left the theater. "This
is just great. How am I supposed to find him in this crowd? Maybe I should start
with the food tents."

         Kyrian was
horrified upon his return. Not one soul remained at the theater. "Damn it!
I told her to wait for me!" He dashed into the crowd, searching for his
little sister."Skylar! Skylar, where are you?" Panic gripped his
heart, his eyes darted around, desperately searching for the small blonde head
somewhere, anywhere, but it seemed to be all in vain. "Damn it, damn it,
damn it! Mama will be furious if something has happened to Skylar. I shouldn't
have gotten so distracted by the female dancer. Then, I would have been back
before the show was over," he reprimanded himself.

         Frantic, he
forced his way through the crowds, asking again and again, if somebody had seen
a little girl with long, blonde hair and green-brown eyes. Nobody could help
him.

         Finally, he
reached a little tent, set aside from the others. A feeling of uneasiness rose
inside him. But something seemed to pull him to the tent. Kyrian entered and
was surprised. On the outside the tent had looked very shabby and old, but on
the inside, it was heavily decorated with carpets, silk and velvet. In the
middle, hanging from the ceiling, was a little vessel made of metal, with
light, blue steam floating out of it. The air carried the pleasant scent of
incense. Most of the room was taken up by a big, round, wooden table. A crystal
ball sat on a tablecloth of dark-blue velvet.

         While Kyrian
was taking in his surroundings, a voice croaked behind him, "Well, my boy?
What can I do for you?"

         He whirled
around and came face to face with a wrinkled, old woman.

         She coughed
strongly and limped to her chair, where she sat down, moaning and groaning.
"Dear God, but my back is aching."

         Kyrian
couldn't help but stare at her.

         "What is
wrong, boy? Didn't your mother ever tell you that it is impolite to stare? Or
is it that a cat got your tongue, or that you have never seen an old woman in
your life?" She chuckled, which ended with another coughing spree.

         Kyrian
blushed at the old woman's reprimand. "I beg your pardon, Madame, it
wasn't my intention to..."

         The old woman
waved one of her bony hands. "Bah, nonsense! You are looking for someone.
Am I right... Kyrian?"

         He paled
noticeably at the use of his name by a complete stranger. "H-How do you
know my name?"

         The old woman
smiled and winked mysteriously. "Ah, Madame Zynora knows everything. You
are searching for your sister, Skylar, is that her name?"

         Kyrian was
too amazed to answer, so he just nodded, dumbly.

         "Don't
worry. You two will be together again, before the day is over." The old
fortune-teller assured him.

         The whole
situation scared the young hunter. How could the old woman know all that?
"Um, yes... uh... thank you very much, kind lady... I'll leave now... it
was a pleasure..."

         Faster than
it should have been possible for a crone, Madame Zynora leapt from her chair
and grabbed his arm with her narrow, wrinkled hands. "You will sit down,
boy. I want to tell your fortune, by the cards."

         Kyrian
cleared his throat. "Thank you, but that really isn't necessary.
I..."

         The old woman
increased the strength of her grip, then pushed the young man to sit on a large
pillow. "I insist. I tell the fortunes by the cards for everyone that
enters the tent of Madame Zynora."

         Finally,
Kyrian relented.
'What does it matter? I'm going to listen what this old,
crazy lady has to tell me, before she tries to break my arm.'

         Madame Zynora
sat down on her chair, shuffled a deck of colorful, well-worn cards, took two
out of it and put them down in front of Kyrian, the picture covered. She
pointed to the left card. "This one will show you an encounter in your
near future."

         Kyrian turned
the card around. It showed the Queen of Cups.

         The old woman
coughed so hard, the hunter feared she would injure her lung, at any moment.
She raised both arms, calling out, dramatically, "Beware, my boy! Beware
the Queen of Cups! She will seal your fate!"

         He drew his
brows together. "Why? What will happen?"

         "Turn
the other card and you shall see." Madame Zynora explained.

         Terror struck
Kyrian and his hand trembled, as he reached for the card. Slowly, he turned it
around. His heart skipped a beat or two. Wide-eyed, he sat there, staring at
the picture. Death.

         Kyrian leapt
from his pillow, and slowly he retreated to the tent's exit. Refusing to
believe what he had seen, he shook his head, his heart beating wildly, his
hands cold and wet. "No, no, there is no truth in what you said. That
cannot happen!"

         Madame Zynora
watched him with unreadable, dark eyes and repeated, "Beware, Kyrian
Leosol! Beware the Queen of Cups!"

         The young man
stumbled out of the tent, trying to clear his mind and to get himself under
control again. Blinking, he looked at the sun and took deep breaths. Slowly the
horror faded and he continued searching for his sister.

*****

         At the same
time, Skylar was forcing her way through the crowd in front of
Notre-Dame
.
"I'm never going to find him like this. There are far too many people
here. Kyrian! Kyrian!" She jumped and stretched up on her tip-toes, hoping
to somehow catch a glimpse of her brother.

         Beside her, a
man, in a red-white checkered costume, stalked along on stilts.
'I need
something like this. Then, I could overview the whole plaza. Hmm, I need to
find a place that's higher than anything else.'
Her eyes gazed around and
stopped at a wooden pole, where a lot of colorful pennants and garlands, on a
rope, stretched across the whole area.

         Skylar
grinned. "That's exactly what I've been looking for. Now I will find
Kyrian." Dexterously, she climbed up the pole. "The view is great
from here."

         A mere
heartbeat later, she discovered Kyrian among the crowd. Skylar climbed down,
and ran towards her brother. In her hurry to reach him, she tripped over a
loose cobblestone and crashed right into an unsuspecting woman, whom she
flattened beneath her.

         "Oh
Mademoiselle, that... I'm so very sorry. Wait, let me help you up." Skylar
hurriedly scrambled to her feet to assist her hapless victim.

         Chalice sat
up and brushed the long, blond hair out of her face. She scrutinized the girl
up and down with her dark brown eyes. "Can't you pay more attention to
where you are going, child?"

         "I-I'm
sorry... I was in a hurry... because... my brother... and..." Skylar
stuttered, nervously.

         "Alright,
alright. I'm still alive. Nothing happened, except that all my purchases are
scattered on the street." Chalice spat, annoyed.

         Skylar knelt
down and began to pick up the packages. As she did so, her loose hair slipped
to the side, revealing the nape of her neck.

         Chalice
gasped and bent over the girl to get a good look at the tattoo.
'Hmm. The
head of a lion. I've seen this sign before. But where?'

         She jerked
back from her thoughts as the girl, happily smiling, showed her the now filled
basket. "See, Mademoiselle? Everything is back where it was before."

         "Skylar!
Thank you, God, I finally found you! Where the hell have you been? I was so
very worried about you!" Kyrian exclaimed relieved, embracing his sister
tightly.

         "Where
do you think I've been?" Accusing, she stabbed at his chest with her index
finger. "I've been searching for
you
everywhere! One moment, we are
sitting in the puppet theater watching
Beauty and the Beast
. The next
thing I know, you're gone, without saying a word!" Skylar indignantly
explained.

         "I told
you that you needed to wait for me!" Kyrian retorted, angrily. "I was
just looking for some food! But, it doesn't matter anymore." His anger
faded, somewhat. "The most important thing is I found you." Then, he
noticed the blonde woman, who was looking at them, completely enraptured.

         "Mademoiselle?
Is something wrong?" Kyrian asked.

         "Wha...
what..." Chalice stuttered, still caught in her trance.

         Kyrian was
concerned. "Are you alright? You seem to be a bit confused. Is there
anything I can help you with?"

         Chalice
smiled sweetly. "No, everything is fine. I think it's just the
after-effect of the little crash and fall I took."

         Skylar
blushed, embarrassed, hung her head, rubbed her neck and whispered, "I'm
really sorry. I didn't do it on purpose."

         Kyrian drew
his brows together, narrowed his eyes and looked at his sister. "What have
you done, now?"

         "Monsieur,
please, I assure you, I'm fine. It was just a little mishap," Chalice
interrupted quickly, giving him a beaming smile.

         "Oh,
alright. That puts me at ease," Kyrian said and returned the smile. Only
then did he notice her beauty and grew bashful.

         "Well,
it is late, and I have some more errands to run. Au revoir." She turned to
leave, but hesitated when Kyrian asked, "May I ask for your name,
please?"

         Chalice
flashed the handsome young hunter her most flirtatious smile. "I'll tell
you mine, if you tell me yours."

         He
straightened his back and puffed up his chest. "I'm Kyrian Leosol, new to
town."

         "Splendid,
Kyrian Leosol, new to town. My name is... Christine. I hope to see you again,
soon." She waved goodbye, winked at Skylar and disappeared into the crowd.

         The girl
looked at her brother, who was staring after the woman with a silly grin on his
face. "Kyrian?"

         "Christine,"
he sighed. "What a beautiful name... it fits such a beautiful woman
perfectly."