Cirque De Sem'ya

Chapter 5 -Retaliation

The new delay had pushed any further performances in the foreseeable future. The very idea was unheard of to the company, to stay longer than the show required. For only so long could they stay cramped together; a change of scenery was decided to be an old warehouse down on the wharf which seemed fairly suitable for their tastes.

The Ambassador returned from her meeting with Officer Rafferty to find the Trapeze Artists taking use of the building's height advantage. The youngest, a slim blonde girl, stood at the highest point and fell backwards, timing the act perfectly for her eldest brother to swing under to catch her.

"Madame Ambassador, you have returned!" One of the Trapeze Artists shouted when the angle was exact for them to see.

"Good evening my darlings! It is good to be home again!"

The three continued their practice as the Ambassador made her way to the stacks of crates that the Ringmaster had stationed himself amongst.

"Hello dear, and how did our little meeting go?"

"He believes we are tied with the murder of Billy Kulton, which I denied, like any sensible person would."

"If he gets too out of our control, we always have an adoring sharpshooter who loves to do favors for his family."

Drowned away by the sound of the acts, a rifle was fired, shrouded in darkness. The bullet was shot with such precision, many a man could barely fathom a recreation. The Ringmaster merely chuckled and turned to admire the bullet hole behind him; pieces of his hair was severed by the tight proximity that the bullet was fired at, just barely missing his skin.

"My point exactly. Unfortunately I am not in the need of a haircut, but thank you none the less, my boy."

"I wouldn't consider the Officer much of a threat. There is a war raging in his soul: he wants to bring further peace, but judging by the injuries I saw, the Devil doesn't want to let this one go." The Ambassador concluded,. Her eyes keep on the present but her mind wandered back to the meeting, and the Officer himself.

The Ringmaster leaned backwards against the crates, humming in agreement to her words and letting them settle into his mind, slowly and carefully.

"That is truly interesting...it is not every day that we stumble across someone quite like that, one that the Devil seems to take a liking to, even in God's hands. Let him continue in his little chase. One day, he may prove useful to us."

Their conversation ended on that note, the note of playing God with a man's life, deciding his fate and future like a play thing for a child. The attention of the two was soon captivated by the company before them. Night had crept upon them, causing the activity to dwindle with the setting sun. Many had taken the opportunity to rest on stable ground with no schedule hanging over their heads.

The wild cats of the Lion Tamer lounged around as if they were house cats with their owner. As well as the noble horses, too, that were being pampered by their riders. The Ringmaster's own protégés sat together, surrounded by blades of a varying length and width, all sharpened to perfection. From the rafters above their heads, the Sharpshooter stepped down a rickety ladder with a Winchester across his back. He was a small man, near the size of a regular woman, but with the skills of a military riflemen. The Ringmaster came across his prized Sharpshooter in the Western areas of the United States. His home was left in ruins as the settlers and pioneers grew more restless in their Eastern homes. Before joining the company, his skills were based around that of an archer, but he made a promise to the Ringmaster, that he could grow to the be what the company needed of him. To this day, his abilities had gone undefeated, with no sense of an end to what he can do.

For many, the CIRQUE DE SEM'YA had proven to bring a shred of light to their lives. The Ringmaster remembered every single one of them. All of their fear and hatred and guilt when they first met. They traded one life of darkness and fear for another, but this one, they had complete control over. The world before the company was off limits to the group, if it was not mentioned, it was not discussed. It had been years for many who had been in the effort of trying to forget all that had happened to them in years past. Through lies and running, new lives were created and bonds were forged. But everything the world comes with a price, the new lives they had come to have could collapse under any circumstances. The Ringmaster knew how fragile the bonds could be, he made a vow to himself to do anything in his power to keep them in the peace and safety that wretched world had denied them.

"I must ask another favor of you, my dear. And I have full knowledge that Sebastian would be willing to aide you. He enjoys that sort of practice. I need you to dig into this Officer Sean Clyde Rafferty. Leave no stone unturned: I want everything," The Ringmaster all but ordered to his Ambassador.

His eyes were trained ahead, but there was the undeniable glint of mania that showed. It was a known fact about the fragility that was the Ringmaster's mind. He generally had a strong hold over himself and let it slip ever so slightly during performances, but sometimes, that was just not enough. When any member of the company was in duress or in the line of danger, something within in mind would simply snap like a twig in a storm.

The most notorious event was no more than a year ago. A group of men surrounded the Sharpshooter, willing to prove if he bled like the white man, joking with the blades in their hands. Only one was found alive while the others had never been accounted for since. The circus had never returned to that city.

Although he claimed that the Irishman proved to be no worry to them and could in fact prove himself useful, something in his mind must have thought differently. The mind of the Ringmaster was the very similar to the CIRQUE DE SEM'YA: where fear ran rampant, all controlled by the darkness and what lurked, waiting in the shadows. His mind was the very thing the world should fear.