Dancing on Strings

Defying Reality

The acrobat fell from the sky, her costume and mask dazzling with diamonds.

The silk she held grew taut at the last moment and jolted her to a stop, everyone starting to clap while Mai's hands flew to her mouth, sure she was about to witness someone's shoulder dislocate.

The acrobat seemed fine however as she reached for the second length of red silk that tumbled down beside her and began to dance and twist and fold herself into specular shapes in mid-air, everyone clapping at each of the stunts as she twisted herself up or flared the silks out around her like wings or span faster and faster and faster until it was watching a column of fire.

Flickering on the stage floor made Mai blink, yanking her gaze away from the performance to see two pots with raging fires in them had been pushed onto the stage – when had they appeared? And how had she missed that coming on stage?

And why were they on stage?

The silk of the acrobat flew far too close to them to be safe.

No sooner had she thought it, the bottom of the silks caught and burst into flames.

People shrieked, recoiling at the flames that started to clamber upwards towards the dancer – who didn't seem in the least bit worried as she continued to spin and fly.

Mai shot to her feet – staring, horrified by the sight and, just before she said anything, the acrobat wrenched at the silks, which ripped from their moorings above and tumbled to the ground.

She let go of them, they fell in the flames before and...

And she stayed hovering in the air; arms out like an angel, or a phoenix as the flames danced on the marble below her.

Everyone stood or sat, frozen, stunned and staring.

Then the acrobat took a flamboyant bow and the crowd burst into applause, cheering and whistling.

Mai slowly sat down, staring at the woman who smiled a white smile as dazzling as her mask that hovered above them, turning away to bow to the other side of the audience.

The music that had been accompanying her started to fade away and the lights went out, swallowing her into the darkness.

The applause started to fade away until there was only one slow, deliberate clap resounding above them, making them look up as a spotlight clicked on and they saw The Black Rabbit sat high above them on one of the trapeze platforms, one foot resting on the platform, supporting his elbow, the other dangling lazy over the edge as she smiled down at him.

It was the first proper look at his face Mai had seen but he was so far away and with the ever-present shadows from his hat.

But she could just make out what appeared to be curling black hair poking out from under the brim, standing out against his pale skin.

He also appeared to wear a mask over the top half of his face, something simple and black. It wasn't much to go on – though she could be fairly certain that he wasn't, as she and her brother had decided, an old, overweight, shadow of a once possibly handsome man.

His claps only stopped once everyone was watching him.

"Not bad for an opening act, huh?" he said and everyone laughed like he was the wittiest person in the room – which he wasn't; that title was shared between Lord Andrews and Lady Greyson. "I trust we didn't scare anyone too badly with our little stunt, just a dash of fun, you know?"

More laughter, this polite, as if everyone was trying to convince everyone else they hadn't been worried.

"I must thank our dear princess, the only one who rose to the occasion out of concern for my colleague, she seemed to feel the threat was very real," he added and Mai's face began to burn as a spotlight suddenly blazed in her direction.