Carnival Souls

Crescendo

Owen crouched behind a tent, the rough canvas scratching his face as he peered around it. In front of him was one of the strangest sights he had ever seen, and he had thought his capacity for strange sights had been exhausted long ago.

From the carousel platform, Lira held court over a crowd of bristling, snarling spirits. They swayed together to and fro in time with the rise and fall of Lira's music, all coiled with claws and teeth bared. Owen could feel the tensity, the pulling taught of muscle and sinew, the rise of adrenaline and panting of hot breath, waiting, waiting for the note that would unleash them. He felt sweat break out on the back of his neck, and he gripped the carving knife in his hand more tightly. He did not know how he and Jacks were going to make it through that even with the help of kelpies.

Lira's gaze was trained hard on something farther up and Owen craned his head to see Zabaria and Bebinn facing each other, their respective armies at their backs.

The reigning forest spirit looked different then she had at her Garden. Her dress of water had been replaced with a tight chainmail of leaves reinforced with plates of bark. The flowers that had once adorned her hair were now vicious red thorns and in her hand she held some sort of staff that was taller than she was. Zabaria was dressed for battle, but at the moment, her expression was guarded and her stance was loose. Her lips moved as she said something to Bebinn and Owen crept several tents closer so he could hear.

"...put aside this folly, send the children home, dismantle your carnival, and I will let you go into the spirit world freely," Zabaria was saying.

Bebinn's red lips curled into a smile that was half a sneer.

"How very generous of you, Zabaria," she said in mocking formality. "However, it seems to me that as we are not in your vermin-infested forest, you have no jurisdiction here."

Zabaria passed her staff to her other hand. "My authority concerns the laws of nature," she returned. "Which you are in violation of by altering the course of natural death."

Bebinn laughed, a high cruel sound that raised goosebumps along Owen's forearms. "What would you know of human death, Zabaria, when our lives are no more than shooting stars to you? You lord over your Garden of Souls without the faintest idea of how human souls feel or what they yearn for. Well, let me enlighten you. They yearn for life. Even more so for those of us who had our lives taken prematurely for no reason, who had our 'natural deaths' altered. And if we cannot have life, we yearn for justice and the peace that comes with it."

"Have you not already achieved your own justice?" asked Zabaria.

Bebinn's blue eyes flashed and at her side her long fingers curled. "Justice is a long, dark road that has no end for me," she said. "I am here to guide others down it."

Zabaria took a step forward, the bark armoring her body creaking. "And what if you had a chance at your own peace?" asked the forest spirit. "Would you set aside your sword and shield and let yourself rest?"

"I accepted long ago that there will be no rest for me."

"What if I told you there was a way?" continued Zabaria as though Bebinn hadn't spoken. "A way that you could end all this? A way that you could move on. Far beyond the Forest of Sorrows lies Mount Desider and beyond that the ruins of Paen. It is said that should you come through the trials that lie along the Broken Road, you may be forgiven. No matter the deed, no matter your sins. It is a hard path and long, but should you prevail, you could leave this behind you."

Bebinn's face was expressionless for a heartbeat and then it contorted so that every line and angle oozed malice. "I do not need to be forgive, forest fool," she hissed. "My husband deserved his fate as did the rest. I have no desire to move on, and even if I did, I would not trust your word that that is the way. Do not presume to understand me, do not presume that my purpose here is inconsequential or without reason. I was not given a choice in life, but at least in death I can offer one to others. Now, I will give you a final chance. Remove your horde from my carnival and do not trouble me again and we can both continue on in peace."