Alexander the Caracal's Big Top Adventure

Olga

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Alexander and Roxana both turned their head to the right and stared at the person who had now arrived on the scene. It was a young fair-skinned girl of six years, same as Captain Smith's daughter Hippolyta, with brown hair and eyes. Wearing a blue dress, an apron and a red bandana upon her head, the girl was someone that Roxana remembered. She was one of the Romani, Olga Asimov, whose father had crossed Herr von Fell by doing something as harmless as spilling red paint onto his uniform's jacket. Alas, for that Mr. Asimov was given the punishment most feared by the people in Herr von Fell's employ: his head was put beneath an elephant's foot.

Recognizing Roxana, Olga grew nervous. She remembered well how Roxana had been when Captain Smith had rescued her: cantankerous, mean-spirited and barbaric. However, as nervous as those memories made her, Olga also remembered that when Captain Smith had rescued her, Roxana had been derma and cartilage and could not expire properly. Seeing that she was no longer derma and cartilage and that she expired properly, Olga then knew that Roxana was much improved and so ran forward and hugged the Asiatic caracal, throwing something aside as she ran forward.

With wide eyes, Alexander stared at the sight before him, not knowing this girl, but it seemed she was a friend. Roxana on the other hand, only attempted to get out of Olga's grasp, pulling out of the hug with a facial expression that was less than impressed.

However, there was something that caught Alexander's attention. Olga had been carrying a knife with the horn of some kind of animal for a hilt... The very one that Herr von Fell had been looking for no doubt. But wherefore? Why had little Olga taken that knife? What reason could she have possibly had to have taken a knife? It was not a toy, not something to be played with... Unless, she was not going to be playing with it... Someone must have sent her to fetch a knife, resulting in Olga taking Herr von Fell's misplaced blade.

Upon feeling Olga's hands upon him, Alexander looked at the little girl with wide eyes. When Olga said "You are very pretty.", Alexander merely returned his gaze to the knife. Following the Northern Caracal's gaze, Olga said: "I borrowed it without asking from Herr von Fell so I might help mama cut food. I am going to return it to him."

Return it to him? Alexander and Roxana both stared at the little girl in alarm. Whatever fate the Devil had for the Cortes family would surely be switched to Olga or worse she would be sharing it alongside the Corteses. This was not good this was not good at all. Alan, Gemma and the Cortes family had to be saved, but there was no way that Alexander and Roxana could make Olga understand the danger she was heading for.

Walking away from Olga, Alexander sniffed the air and listened. There was many a scent, many a sound and thankfully the scents of Alan, Gemma, Herr von Fell and the rest were as plain as the moon in the sky. A short distance away laughter could be heard like those of demons torturing poor souls in Acheron and there was none that laughed louder than the high demon, that fallen angel himself, Herr von Fell... No... That wasn't like it at all. Alexander had heard the underworld spoken of as the Devil's prison, even heard of him being imprisoned in a frozen lake. Whatever this circus was, it was not Herr von Fell's prison. It was an Acheron-like place for the beasts kept here, but here Herr von Fell was not the Devil. Here Herr von Fell was God.

Could God and the Devil be one and the same? Alexander had heard the phrase "Two sides of the same coin", but was it applicable in this situation?

Alas, he knew not.