Hollowed Ground

Vanishing Quarry

We made our way to the Big Top Tent to wait for the ceremony. The area was more crowded than the area near the Hall of Illusions and snail races but no one else had started to wait for entrance into the tent. I had been expecting a queue. When we had lined up for meals at Ilmater's Home for the Unfortunate we arrived as soon as we could, hoping there would still be enough porridge left. Those of us whose work went too long often went to bed hungry because we couldn't make it to line up at the kitchen door early enough. Would we miss the ceremony if we didn't stand here waiting?

It didn't matter. There wasn't much else for us to do. Several clowns darted back and forth, but I didn't see the mime who had chased after the kincue. Everyone seemed subdued. Careful almost as they went about their play, whispering to one another.

"We'll wait here," I said, turning towards Thynol. He wasn't there. He was heading towards Earnest and Marigold next to the musical wagon with Conna on his shoulders.

"Welcome back, you big flirt." Marigold said when she saw Thynol and they began to dance. Conna bobbed up and down patiently on his back.

"Or . . . I'll wait here." I looked around nervously, suddenly self conscious of being alone in a crowd. The townsfolk cast glances at me as they passed. They looked surprised mostly. I didn't usually wander through town unless I was one my way to or from a job. A carnival wasn't where they expected to see the zombie witch gravedigger. Some of them remembered to glare at me before moving on with their merrymaking. At least the children were too distracted by lollipops and rides to throw stones at me. Mary and Marcus Callaway strode past, still holding hands but less cheerful than they had been when I had first entered the carnival.

I ducked out of sight, abandoning my spot at the door to the Big Top tent to avoid them. 'Unhygienic' Mary would call me and Marcus would ask why I had brought my shovel to the Witchlight Carnival. 'One must be tasteful, girl.' he would say. He called me 'girl' even though I was well past thirty as if I would be a child until he was dressing me for burial.

I edged away from them, taking cover in the thickness of the crowd.. When the Callaways were out of sight, I found myself facing a group of onlookers cheering half heartedly at something behind me. I turned around to see what it was. Ulric the tavern owner blinked at me as he released a ring towards a wooden bunny with a gold unicorn horn inside a small arena full of sand. The ring soared through the air and hovered over the bunny but the wooden figure disappeared. The ring clattered onto the empty ground.

Ulrich swore as the next person in line stepped up to take his place. He joined me on the sidelines.

"I'm sorry." I said, realizing I had distracted him just as he was taking his aim.

"Not your fault." Ulric said. "These things are rigged."

"The bunny did move." I said.

Ulrich swore again. "It did, didn't it? Them charlatans fix it so we just can't win at anything in this place."

"Conna won the poetry game." I said.

"Conna?" Ulric's big bushy eyebrows furrowed. "Who's Conna?"

"Over there." I pointed to Conna holding on to Thynol as he bobbed up and down to the music with Marigold. "The goat girl on the furbold's shoulders."

Ulrich's brow scrunched even tighter but his eyes glinted. "Kate, are you making friends?"

Friends? My own brow furrowed as I turned back towards the pair dancing by the musical wagon. Thynol splayed his arms out as he swayed awkwardly and out of rhythm. Conna seemed unphased by his antics as he bobbed her up and down. I remembered how glad I had been when they had found me in the Hall of Illusions. I had been so afraid that they had gotten lost forever like Dyrla had said. That didn't make them my friends . . . Did it? "They're helping me with a job." I said uncertainty.