Circus of the Beast

14

The night had come and Thomas was peeking out into the desolate circus grounds from some itchy shrubbery. He was confused. Where were all those creatures? They had been there before and their belongings were still present. This made no sense to Thomas. And not to mention that the men behind him were getting impatient, the need for bloodshed was almost tangible in the air around them.

Maxwell approached Thomas. "Where did everyone go?"

Thomas inhaled. "They must have been alerted to our presence. They're out there, hiding. We just have to flush them out."

Maxwell nodded and peered out into the circus grounds once more. From what he saw when chasing Stella down, there were a large crowd of these creatures to deal with. If what Thomas told him was true, then he'd be in for one horrid night. He thought back to his wife and children at home. If they lost their husband and father, what would become of them?

Thomas cleared his throat and unsheathed his blade. "Men!" he called out. "Let's have at 'em!"

With a roar of a chorus of voices, out came a rampaging group of bloodthirsty men, ready to end the threat to their families. The bushes were trampled down and no earth glowed, but rather wept for its fallen comrades. The formation of rain clouds overhead would prove to make this confrontation memorable.

The men ran about the circus grounds, searching for the monsters they were to execute. They were instantly puzzled when the place looked abandoned. The fires had been put out and only the whistling of the wind sounded around them. Thomas inhaled deeply. Something was wrong.

The group of men began to rummage through huts, tossing about belongings and smashing them on the ground.

Maxwell approached Thomas' side. "What do you suppose we do?"

Thomas scratched at his chin. "They're here. They wouldn't just leave all their things strewn about."

Maxwell nodded. "We'll keep looking, then, sir." The young man walked away, his nerves and mind still on edge.

Thomas continued to glare at every bush around him. Those damned creatures had to be in the forest somewhere.

And he was right, the nymphs were hiding just on the edge of their circus grounds deep within the shrubbery. Lorcan's heart was racing as he thought about what was to come. He studied the man's face. This Thomas that Stella had warned him about. He looked like the sort of man that got everything he wanted by the click of his fingers. His well pressed suit was stained from the plant life around him, and Lorcan had to stifle a laugh.

Keelia and Stella were by his side, grasping tightly onto each other's hands. The last thing they wanted to do was harm others, but they had no choice. Thomas had planned to kill Keelia and Stella wasn't going to let that happen.

From behind Thomas, he heard a man chuckling about some toy he found. It was made of grass and bound by twine from the nearby trees. The shape was in that of a traditional doll and looked as though it had been played with frequently.

"Bring it here," Thomas commanded. The nymph would have to be around here someplace, he thought. And no young girl would like to see her toy companion be set ablaze.

The man did as he was told and handed to doll over to Thomas.

"Light your torch."

Once again, the man did as he was commanded. The flame brightened the ever so dark area around them; its dancing light cascaded down the sides of the grass and mud huts around them.

Thomas held the doll over the flame and waited for any noise from the forest. He almost did too, if it hadn't been for the hand over a certain young nymph's mouth. Her mother struggled with holding her still with promises of making her a new doll to play with. However, the girl continued to struggle right out of her mother's arms and bolted from the treeline.

The young girl ran and cried out for her dear toy. Her feet moved swiftly as she gradually approached the tall and stout man. She continued calling out the name of her toy as her mother chased after her.

Thomas caught the young girl in his grasp and glared down at her. His eyes held such hatred and disgust at the child. Her very existence seemed to sicken him. He was doing the world a grand and selfless favor by exterminating the nymph population. Those sickening fair monsters who seemed as perfect as white stone statues.

The girl's mother fell to her knees and begged for her daughter's life, tears threatening to escape her eyes. The mother held her hands together and cried out her daughter's name.

Thomas sneered. "You want her back do you?" He cackled and formed a grin so malicious it made Keelia shake at the mere sighting of it. "Then come and get her."

And, as if on cue, the rain clouds burst and let lose glistening rain crystals that fell silently to the earth. The soon growing of drops hitting the grounds seemed to muffle all the commotion that rang out of the forest. The sudden charge of nymph people caused Thomas to let his grip on the girl slip and reach for his blade instead.

Lorcan began cutting down all the human men that stood in his way to Thomas. He was going to prove that threatening one of his kind, let alone all of his performers, wasn't the best idea around and that the man would pay for it dearly.

Stella, shadowing the other mother and daughter, tried to conceal her own child from the bloodshed around them. "You mustn't go out there! Thomas wants you dead!"

Keelia continued to struggle. "But they need more help! Look at them!"

Stella stole a glance out into the battle before her. Nymph kind was being chopped down as easily as smashing sand castles with a foot. Nymphs were placed on earth to provide harmony and joy to those around them. They were not meant for battle and violence.

Stella spotted Maghnus in his own dance with a man and a blade. Maghnus was fast despite his short stature, but he was a force to be reckoned with. All Stella could see was the constant hoping about of a colourful beard courtesy to the lone torch that was slowly being dowsed on the ground nearby.

There was a young boy crying out in fright and pain from a gash in his leg. His eyes were wide and his whole body was shaking. The clash of metal upon metal echoed amongst the grounds and caused the boy to cover his ears and cry out even louder than he had before.

Keelia eyed the boy and fought even harder to release herself from her mother's grasp. That boy needed help and her mother was too blind to see it. Keelia had lived nineteen years, that young child didn't even look to be five years old yet. He deserved a life and death much better than what was currently before him. And Keelia was determined to get to him in time.

Keelia eventually freed herself, causing her mother to cry out in fear of her only daughter's safety. Keelia's bare feet pounded the soft and muddy ground as she ran towards the child who was thoroughly soaked by the falling rain drops. She scooped up the nymph in her arms and spun about, seeking for a safe place to hide.

"I'm going to get you out of here, alright?" Keelia stated.

The only response she got from the boy was his constant crying. Keelia was fine with that; at least it meant he was alive and breathing.

Some of Thomas' men spotted Keelia and instantly began running to her. Her only choice was to run into the forest and hopefully lose them in a chase. She had gotten to know the area surrounding during her weeks with the circus. Surely this would be a cake walk.

Keelia's feet met with the damp grass as she pushed herself to go faster. The child bounced and wobbled in her arms but she didn't let that slow her down. She was going to be sure he was safe and eventually find out where his parents were. That is if they weren't already dead.

The men continued their chase, weaving in and around trees that popped up in their path. Keelia hopped and ducked under logs, hoping that the obstacles would prove to be a problem for these haughty men. But chase continued on.