Finvarra's Circus

18- For The Pixies

The circus hummed with a strange energy that met Leanna when she stepped out of her tent and headed toward the Big Top. Though a somber cloud cloaked the performers heading to and away from the massive tent, the air stirred with awareness.

One day until opening day.

Leanna hauled in a breath—one more day until she appeared to the world, and perhaps to her sisters, as the magnificent Leanan Sidhe. This was enough to cause any stomach to tighten. But Leanna barely felt it. The butterflies fluttering within her were much stronger.

Finvarra had kissed her, and it had been heavenly, his every touch patient, every sigh heartfelt. Leanna pressed fingers to her lips, a gradual smile curved there. He'd also come to see her as she'd slept. Of all of Yelena's help, Leanna was most grateful for her disclosing of Finvarra's frequent visits and furtive caresses as she slumbered.

Then there were the books he'd left at her bedside. Upon awakening, Leanna found the thick books stacked on the nightstand, beside a vase of snow white vanilla flowers. One on top of the other were, "The History of Faeries" and "Pixies, Goblins, Elves, and Other Magical Beings." The top book, however, had been the greatest gift of all. It was "The Kings of Forever." A small sprig of vanilla peeked from in between the pages. When Leanna flipped to the page, she found it marked to "King Finvarra."

Remembering the previous night, how he'd opened himself to her like a book, a knot swelled in Leanna's throat. Shyly, she darted her gaze around the field. Maybe she would see him?

All thoughts muddled when closer to the Big Top now, a familiar voice boomed from inside.

"One more time, Vicente," Kioyo called, "From the top!"

Within moments, a violin, and then a harp. Leanna sucked in a quiet gasp. Kioyo's performance!

Her heart pounded, propelling her feet forward. Dashing into the Big Top, she froze beside the gallery seats, shielded by the shadows there.

A clown—not Kioyo—rode a unicycle around the ring, performing marvelous tricks. From standing on the seat, to riding it around the wooden embankment of the ring, he was flawless. Still, it wasn't Kioyo, and Leanna frowned. Surely she'd heard his voice...

She moved forward, touring her eyes along the seats. The sight of another clown gave her steps and her heart pause. Kioyo sat in the gallery seats, his painted eyes open wide as he gazed at this rider full of awe... and yearning. His hands gathered greedily at his mouth as if he could taste the routine.

The rider stopped in the middle of the ring and dismounted. Wiping the sweat from his brow with a dramatic flourish of his hands, he walked away, vanishing behind a curtain. Kioyo stood up, and at once, the music changed. It slowed, enough to weave itself around a heart and pluck at the heartstrings. It was not booming music, not the type she'd expect from a clowns act. The tune was gentle and soothing. Flutes and xylophones were favored over drums and cymbals, and to accentuate emotion, the trickling notes of a piano like raindrops on the keys.