Lorelai Eville had traveled with the Magical Menagerie for years, using her fortune-teller’s booth and scrying abilities to spy on the kingdoms. There she became friends with Bravado and Amaryllis, the owners of the eclectic show which included many unique acts and fae animals. In truth, they were spies under the guise of performers, using their gifts to get into places no one else could, and then keeping Lorelai in the know with updates on the seven kingdoms.
It was pure coincidence that the Magical Menagerie had been commissioned by King Leonel himself for the next few weeks, including private shows and tours for the royal daughters themselves. Saphira had even traveled with the menagerie once as a contortionist. She used to squeeze herself into impossibly small spaces. Saphira introduced me to Bravado, and explained her plan to get me into the palace.
Bravado was immediately on board with the charade, and Saphira was convinced I could do her old contortionist act. She proudly brought out a box the size of a small dog and set it before me.
“I can’t fit in that,” I exclaimed.
“Nonsense. In our line of work, we have to squeeze into small spaces to avoid detection. You should easily be able to handle this.”
“Maybe if I didn’t eat for a week. And you’re an elf. I think your bone structure is different.”
“Try it.” Saphira pointed at the box.
“I’m not going to fit.”
She tapped her foot. I rolled my eyes and stepped into the box and tried to sit. I felt like an oversized toad squatting on a small mushroom.
“No, you need to sit, then pull your leg over your head.” She pushed my back down, and I slipped into the box, my hips barely squeezing into the sides.
“I think it helps if she’s double-jointed,” Bravado said, as Saphira tried to lift my leg above my head.
“Ouch,” I hissed. “I’m stuck.”
Saphira grunted as she let go of my leg, obviously out of shape as she tried to make me her protégé. “I don’t know what else she can do.”
“Let me help,” Amaryllis said. “First, we need to make her look like one of us, then we will figure out her act later.”
Except the costume was not what I was expecting at all. If they had shown me the skintight outfit first, I would have run the other way. But now I was committed to the plan and excited about learning a routine. I wasn’t scared of hard work or a few bumps and bruises.
Amaryllis was almost an exact replica of Eden, except with more smile wrinkles around her eyes. Just being near her made me homesick for my sister.
Amaryllis’s mouth was full of silver pins, and her hands flew with practiced ease, tucking, pinning, and adjusting. “Eden could use glamour to change her appearance into another, or transport using a fire circle. Can you do that?” Amaryllis asked. She removed one of the pins and adjusted the fabric, taking it in and pinning it even tighter than it was before.
“No.” I sucked in my breath.
“What about reading minds like Aura?” Bravado called out from behind the colorful partition between his half of the room and ours. Eden’s father was a talented glassmaker who could enchant memories into glass. “That would give you close contact with each of the nobles? Madam De La Cour would even be willing to help you.”
“No.” I winced as I felt another prick of a pin. How much tighter and shorter can this costume get? I wondered. I pulled on the back of the hem, trying to tug further down over my backside.
“Stop fidgeting,” Amaryllis said.
“And before you ask, no, I can’t shapeshift like Maeve, or control water like Meri, or charm objects like Rhea, or be all powerful like Rosalie.” I could feel the bitterness build within my heart after I spouted off each of my sister’s names.
“Then really acrobatics is your only option,” Bravado called out. I could see his shoulders shrug as the sun highlighted his figure on the other side of the screen. “In fact, it’s the only option for you.”
“But does it have to be so tight?” I pulled at the fabric again and winced in anticipation of the slap.
“Done.” Amaryllis got up and turned me to face the full-length mirror in the tent.
Immediately I reached to cover my chest as every curve of my body was outlined by the tight-fitting and colorful material that left very little to the imagination. The leggings were red and white stripes, my leotard was covered in skintight shimmering blue, red and yellow triangles, and my arms were bare.
There was nowhere to conceal a weapon that didn’t involve swallowing it. If I thought swallowing swords would work, I would try it, but it was nothing more than a glamoured blade.
“Oh, I almost forgot the jacket.” Amaryllis dug through a trunk, and I felt a sigh of relief until she pulled a mere scrap of material and slipped it over my arms. The jacket was just a vest with puffed sleeves.
After the jacket came a pair of slim boots with the thinnest layer of leather on the bottom.
Bravado came around the screen and looked me over from head to toe. He nodded and rubbed his chin. “She looks the part, but now can she act the part?”
“I can do whatever needs to be done,” I promised. “As long as it’s not being shoved into small boxes, apparently.”
“We will see.” He grinned, and I didn’t trust the twinkle in his eye. “I have another idea.”
Bravado led me out of the tent and into a small clearing just outside of the caravan. The rest of the troupe had gathered there, and they were rehearsing until it was time to go to the palace. Thirty or so wagons had circled up, and I could hear the squalls, growls, and cries from some of the larger wagons that were holding animals.
As we walked through the camp, a female ogre gave me a wave before heading into a larger tent. I craned my head as we passed the tent opening.
“That’s Ogress, our seer,” Bravado spoke up.
“I know,” I said in awe, slowing to take a closer look at the tent. “She works out of the tent that my mother enchanted.”
Bravado called out. “Keep moving. There’s no time for gawking.”
As I walked, I could feel the material sliding up my back cheek and I pulled it down, walking awkwardly. “Are you sure I couldn’t just get a job taking care of the animals?”
“No, the menagerie and workers are confined to the grounds and are not allowed into the palace. The troupe has more freedom as we are doing shows throughout the palace and can be called upon at any moment for private bookings.”
Sorek, a heavily muscled man with a bald head, was working a winch and clamp and had two sets of striped wooden poles set up in an X, and a thick rope was strung between them about four feet off the ground.
“Up you go!” Bravado tapped one of the poles.
I jumped up between the poles with ease and settled my weight on the thick cord. Now I understood the need for the soft leather shoes as I felt my feet form around the two-inch rope.
Without being told, I started to walk the tightrope. It was actually easier than walking along the tree branches when I trained with Lorn, where one end was always weaker. When I got to the other side, I raised one hand in the air.
“Well, she’s got balance,” Sorek commented. His voice was deeper than I’d expected.
Bravado’s mustache twitched, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a weighted ball. “Catch!” He tossed it to me, and I easily caught it. Rapidly firing, two more came my way. He made a motion with his hands. “Now juggle.”