The music had not ceased when Lucy at last stepped beyond the door. Like a fluttering of bird's wings it rose high into the chilled autumn air till she wondered if it could reach the very moon itself.
Yet just as she took a step in its direction she heard the door to the house open once more, and upon peering back she saw her grandmother standing there, watching her.
"Be certain you leave the gates by dawn." she said, resigning herself to the knowledge that Lucy's mind had been made up about the entire matter. "Far too many have overstayed their welcome well into the dawn and vanish along with the carnival. Tread through the night carefully and don't give too much of yourself away, child. For the carnival is for the dead, yet it takes the magic of the living, for it is something they crave. Be weary of it."
The last bit was as vague a warning as any, yet Lucy nodded once more as though in perfect understanding and continued towards the music.
The night air kissed her with frigid lips, and she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as a shudder ran through her. For indeed she had brought very little with her; still dressed in her nightclothes she had not bothered wasting away precious moments of the night finding suitable attire. Instead, her possessions were only a scarlet shawl, the mysterious ticket, and the pocket watch she had stolen years prior from Sir Marcus.
The knowledge of time might be useful in a place such as that, she thought. For she dared not rely on the position of the moon or stars to indicate how much of the night she had left.
I wonder if I shall be able to see everything in a single night, she thought. Then, with some sense of shame she shook her head, You fool. We're here to bring back the Baron. I mustn't become distracted, I...
Her thoughts trailed off into nothingness then, for upon the horizon she saw it; the first glimmer of lantern lights.
From here she hurried her pace, reaching at last the very edge of the carnival and looking upon the silver gates with an awe unlike anything she had ever felt prior.
It was a rather odd sight, for the gates stood merely on their own with no further fence to surround the tents. That is, so Lucy thought as she approached; for instead of such a clear boundary there appeared to be only a ring of mushrooms that grew in perfect formation and stretched out and around the carnival.
Yet what caught her attention in an instant was what stood before the gate, dark and towering with a sense of foreboding to it.
The nearest word that came to her mind was minotaur; a stitching together of human and bull-like features into something monstrous that stood at nearly eight feet tall upon cloven hooves. Its eyes smoldering with a light akin to a burning ember amidst the black ashes of the fur that covered its face.
Its voice was a rumble of thunder she felt tremble through her bones, accompanied by a waft of hot breath as it stooped over to gaze her directly in the eye.
"Ticket please."
With shaking hands, Lucy withdrew the ticket-- now slightly crumpled at the edges from where she had gripped it tightly in fear-- and with as little eye contact as possible she gave it to the beast.
It was a mere sliver of ivory in the monstrous expanse of his palm as he pinched it between his thumb and first finger, holding it perhaps an inch away from his eye as he looked it over. Yet finally he nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Your lover has allowed you to see them once more."
"What do you mean?"
The creature's eyes narrowed. "This is a circus for lost lovers. None may receive a ticket unless the dead request that they do. You were summoned by your lover."
My lover, Lucy thought somewhat bitterly, Right.
Yet she couldn't reveal her lack of feeling for the Baron now-- not when she hadn't even stepped through the silver gates. Thus she asked a far more pressing question. "Do some living lovers not receive tickets then?"
The monster shrugged. "Sometimes the dead grow bitter at being forgotten."
It did not elaborate further and she did not dare ask another question as the creature stepped aside, ushering her past him and to the gates with a slight air of annoyance. And with that, she hurried past him, stepping at last in the midst of the tents that had haunted her dreams for so many years until at last she was bathed in the glow of their lanterns.
And though she was there for far more serious reasons, she could not help the flutter of excitement in her stomach as she began to walk into the Carnival Of The Lost...
...................................................
A/N; And so Lucy has finally entered the carnival! I hope you all liked this chapter and don't forget to vote as it really helps with the story getting seen and all that
Also if you want updates for when I post new stuff feel free to follow me on my profile where I post announcements! Thanks <3
YOU ARE READING
The Mortal And The Wicked-- ONC 2023
FantasyONC 2023 Shortlister His features had haunted her for years; a boy with silver eyes peering out from beneath a mask of bone. His body cloaked in darkness, a wicked grin upon his lips that spoke of treachery-- a smile that had broken countless hearts...
