The Island With No Parallel

Qundi

When Lord and Lady Fas invited them to the Qundi, Manuel wasn't sure what to expect other than the fact that they said it would be a show. Whatever he imagined a Qundi to be, it was a far cry from what it really was.

The show was held in a huge tent with hundreds of seats that circled the center stage, where lean and extremely toned performers showcased their unique talents, doing flips and bends that Manuel never imagined possible.

And then they started setting things on fire.

Men juggled sticks that flew into the air and tossed them to each other, then proceeded to light the ends of them and continue juggling. A third man caught the stick that was thrown to him and shoved the fiery end into his mouth, soliciting a collective gasp from the entire audience.

Next came women that swung flaming hoops around their hips, performing amazing dance routines without so much as a singe. While they danced, men came out and joined the routine, swirling flaming sticks that burned on both ends. They ended the dance with the women whirling their hoops around their wrists, and the men stepped in front of them, grasping a cup of liquid and holding its contents in their cheeks. Manuel didn't understand what it was for until they emptied their cheeks and blew on their torches, fire blazing from their mouths and into the air.

The audience raved. Jahlro and Kindi were absolutely enthralled at his side. Even he had to admit, the performances were pretty amazing. As he moved to give a standing ovation, he stopped as a hand grasped his arm, nails digging into his flesh.

Yunara looked absolutely petrified. She didn't even seem to notice she'd grabbed his arm, her eyes locked on the stage in horror. Then her eyes dropped to her hand and she snatched it back.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't notice," she quickly apologized.

"Don't be." He kind of wished she didn't move her hand at all. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just– AH!"

Manuel hadn't noticed that in the time they were talking, the performers had laid out what looked like a bed of nails, and just when Yunara screamed was when a man laid himself on top of them, the crowd applauding loudly while Yunara's eyes filled with dread.

"Oh, don't mind any of this," Kailu had to shout over the crowd. "None of it is hardly real."

"Oh, but it is," Jahlro corrected her. "In Elven country, the Qundi performers are professionals that have trained for decades to perform their arts. It's all very real."

Yunara looked like she was going to be sick.

"Maybe you should get some air. I can come with you if you like." Manuel offered his hand.

"No, that's really not necessary. I really am fi– AH! Let's go!"

He barely had time to look at the stage to see that a woman had started walking over the back of the man on the bed of nails before Yunara snatched his hand and was leading him away from the seats and out of the entertainment hall.

Once they were out of the building, she breathed out like she'd been holding it in since the show started.

"I suppose excitement and thrill isn't exactly the kind of thing you like."

She shook herself, as if the mere thought of going back in made her relive it all over again. "Not at all. I've had enough of it in real life to satisfy me plenty, thank you. That's why I moved to Ecencia, was to be away from so much excitement all of the time, not dive right into the middle of it."

"What do you mean? If you don't mind my asking, of course," he added quickly. The last thing he wanted was to bring anything up that would make her upset. He still couldn't get over seeing how she got in the prison cell of Luca's ship.