During one night’s performance of the Celestial Menagerie, a commotion arose from the audience. An outraged upper-class member of the audience accused Toby of short-changing him. While the clowns performed, Mistress Dusklight herself went into the stands to settle the conflict.
“Mistress Dusklight! This ginger fool can’t even count! I gave him a platinum and he gave me change for a gold! Are you simple, boy? I demand the rest!”
“Sir, we will resolve this matter,” Mistress Dusklight replied, “but please let’s not disrupt the performance. Now, Toby—”
“Stuff and nonsense!” The portly patron reached out toward Toby. “I’m taking my platinum back now!” The man grabbed at Toby’s change purse, tearing the fabric and scattering coins about. In the cascade, a few earrings, bracelets, and gold coins ricocheted onto the floor. “What? My antique watch! How did you lift that from me, boy?”
Some of the surrounding audience, also seeing their stolen property, started an uproar, stopping the clown act altogether.
“Intolerable, Dusklight! Scandal! Disgrace!” The overweight man turned several shades of red not usual for human skin. “What kind of operation are you running here? No. I will not stand for this. Friends! Let us leave and never patronize this establishment again!”
Audience members scrambled to retrieve their stolen valuables, taking all of the coins Toby had collected in payment for tonight’s concessions as well. As a good third of the audience left the tent, loudly clamoring for refunds, Mistress Dusklight turned to Toby, her ears pointed out sideways and her eyes practically incandescent with rage. She simply said, “My office. Now.”
Having heard the ruckus from midway, and since the crowds had long since left to fill the big top for the show, Midori locked up the booth she had been running all evening and followed Mistress Dusklight and Toby, moving stealthily in the shadows to avoid anybody’s notice. Arriving at her quarters, Mistress Dusklight greeted Mazael, her new aasimar bodyguard. The lovestruck young man stood at attention as the two approached, smiled at Dusklight fawningly, opened the door, let the two inside, and then closed the door, standing guard.
Midori sneaked around to the open window in the back, escaping Mazael’s senses. She could hear everything from that vantage point.
“Toby, Toby, Toby!” Mistress Dusklight exasperated. “What went on back there?”
“Mistress Dusklight, ma'am!” Toby snapped to attention like a soldier addressing his captain. “They have so much and we have little. So I take a bit from those who can afford it. You know we all do it. I’ve done this for years and never got caught in the act. Never. Nobody gets caught. But that fat guy, it was dark in the stands. I couldn’t see his coin was platinum. Nobody pays in platinum. Usually silver. Sometimes gold. If he just said ‘gimme change for a plat,’ I woulda known and that whole scene wouldn’t'a gone down. Honest mistake. Won’t happen again, ma'am!”
Mistress Dusklight’s ears flicked backward for a split second. “For years, you say?” She began pacing back and forth. “You are damned right that won’t happen again! Tonight, we lost nearly half of the audience.” She pivoted and took a few steps away from Toby, her anger clearly growing by the second. “They all wanted refunds.” She turned on her heel and leaned forward toward Toby with her arms spread out as if in explanation. “REFUNDS, Toby! And they won’t be coming back! This is going to set the Celestial Menagerie back quite a bit. We will have to tighten our belts.” She turned away again, stepping past her desk, her right hand skimming the desktop and picking something up off of its surface that Toby could not quite see. She spun around and took four quick steps, closing the distance between herself and Toby, her tail puffed and flicking furiously from side to side. “But do you know the worst thing, Toby? The thing that you’ve done in all of this that hurts me the most?” Toby, surprised, shook his head quickly. “You’ve been pickpocketing for years, and YOU’VE! NEVER! PAID! ME! TRIBUTE!” She emphasized every one of those last words with a thrust of her dagger into Toby’s ribcage.
Toby looked down at his chest, aghast, then back up to Mistress Dusklight until his vision faded and he collapsed onto the floor with a weak, wet groan.
“I’m afraid, Toby, that your services are no longer required. Good day, sir.” Dusklight tossed her bloody dagger onto her desk. “The Celestial Menagerie wishes you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”
Hearing Toby collapse, Midori panicked and jumped through the window to come to his aid. The bottom fell out of her life as she saw him on the floor, lifeless. Midori fell to her knees and looked up into Mistress Dusklight’s startled face.
“Mistress Dusklight?” Midori pleaded, “What happened?”
Mistress Dusklight chuckled. “Midori, I know Toby was an…attachment…to you. But in this business, there is so much workforce turnover that it’s best not to get too close to anyone.” Her eyes glowed gold and her pupils dilated as she pulled at her web of magical influence to manipulate Midori’s emotions, staring unblinkingly into her tear-brimmed eyes. “Forget him.” Her voice took on a honeyed, purring quality. “He is nothing. Go back to your post. Do not react. I am your mother. You will obey me. Good carnies follow orders.” Dusklight grinned evilly as her power surged.
In Midori’s head, there was practically an audible snap as her rising emotions overwhelmed Mistress Dusklight’s spell. In a moment of clarity, all of the memories of all of the times in which Dusklight mistreated her or one of her fellow Celestial Menagerie members came flooding into her mind. Not only had Dusklight’s cruel treatment caused people to leave the circus, but she had killed other performers before! Dusklight simply convinced everyone that her victims had left on their own accord. Nobody ever dared to question her.
Dusklight felt a twinge of feedback from her spells breaking; she knew that further manipulation would not be possible. Midori jumped to her feet, her boiling rage washing away her sensibilities. She raised her hands at Mistress Dusklight, her tiny, dull claws barely visible, and managed to force out coherent words: “Dusklight! Why I oughtta…!”
Dusklight snorted out a derisive laugh. “Oh, little kit! You could hardly open a letter with those. But still, my hands have gotten dirty enough tonight.” She changed her voice to sound sweet and vulnerable, but could not help sounding sarcastic. “Oh, help! Help! There is an intruder in my quarters!”
Almost immediately, Mazael launched himself through the door, drawing his sword as his shiny plate armor clanked. “Fair Mistress! Someone threatens thee? This tiny vixen, mayhap?”
Seeing the sword drawn on her forced Midori to come to her senses, at least somewhat. “Whoa, whoa, Maz! Keep it in your scabbard! Mistress Dusklight and I were just having a friendly discussion.” With no immediate threat to Mistress Dusklight, Mazael lowered his sword somewhat. “Turns out, I was just leaving, see? I’m outta here, leaving for somewhere better, and I just came to say goodbye.” Midori drew a deep, calming breath. She redirected her murderous rage into the only other channel she had available: song. She cleared her throat, drew another breath, and turned to Dusklight. She began to sing:
🎵🎵🎵
You think you own me, you think you can cage me
You think you can abuse me and not enrage me
But you don’t know me, you don’t see the real me
You don’t feel the fire, the desire, that frees me
🎵🎵🎵
Mistress Dusklight arched an eyebrow.
🎵🎵🎵
I’m a wild soul, I’m a fox in the night
I’m a star in the sky, I’m a spark of the light
I’m a wild soul, I’m a dreamer of dreams
I’m a seeker of wonders, I’m a maker of schemes
I’m a wild soul, and I’m leaving you behind
I’m a wild soul, and I’m going to find
A place where I belong, a place where I can shine
A place where I can be myself, a place that can be mine
🎵🎵🎵
With the circus show over, other circus folk heard Midori’s song and wandered by. Some came in through the open door. Others gathered by the windows. A few security bruisers came to stand behind Mistress Dusklight. Some of Midori’s friends, seeing Toby dead on the floor and not knowing what happened, came over to stand by Midori.
Seeing that she had an audience, Midori used the trick that Myron taught her to amplify her voice, carrying it throughout the circus grounds and into the big top. She poured her soul into her song in an effort to reach out to everyone in the Celestial Menagerie and break as many of Mistress Dusklight’s spells as she could.
🎵🎵🎵
You call us freaks, you call us monsters
You call us tools and fools and bothers
But you need us, you want us, you fear us
You need our charm, our skill, our talent
You say you’re an artist, you say you’re a star
You say you’re a master, a leader, a czar
But you’re a tyrant, you’re a liar, you’re a cheat
You’re a coward, a traitor, a thief
You can’t stop me, you can’t hold me, you can’t control me
You can’t hurt me, you can’t break me, you can’t erase me
You can’t keep me, you can’t have me, you can’t own me
You can’t change me, you can’t tame me, you can’t claim me
I’m a wild soul, and I’m leaving you behind
I’m a wild soul, and I’m going to find
A place where I belong, a place where I can shine
A place where I can be myself, a place where I can be free
I’m a wild soul, and I’m saying goodbye
I’m a wild soul, and I’m ready to fly
A place where I belong, a place where I can shine
A place where I can be myself, a place that can be mine
🎵🎵🎵
Seeing that she was rapidly losing support, Mistress Dusklight stepped into the metaphorical spotlight with her rebuttal:
🎵🎵🎵
You think you’re free, you think you can escape me
You think you can betray me, desert me, and forsake me
But you owe me, you serve me, you belong to me
You owe me your life, your loyalty, your destiny
You’re a lost soul, you’re a fox in a trap
You’re a speck in the dark, you’re a stain on the map
You’re a lost soul, you’re a dreamer of lies
You’re a seeker of trouble, you’re a maker of cries
You’re a lost soul, and you’re making a mistake
You're a lost soul, and you’re going to break
They call me the boss, they call me the queen
You call me a coward, a bully, a fiend?
But they love me, they admire me, they envy me
They love my art, my fame, my glory
You say you’re a star, you say you’re a hero
You say you’re the leader, and you say I’m a zero
But you’re a puppet, YOU’RE a liar, YOU’RE a cheat
YOU’RE the coward, the traitor, the thief
You can’t fool me, you can’t outrun me, you can’t defy me
You can’t hurt me, you can’t beat me, you can’t deny me
You can’t leave me, you can’t forget me, you can’t ignore me
You can’t change me, you can’t resist me, you can’t oppose me
You’re a lost soul, and you’re making a mistake
You’re a lost soul, and you’re going to break
You’re a lost soul, and you’re saying goodbye?
You’ll stay with me or you’re GOING TO DIE!
🎵🎵🎵
Not to shy away from a challenge, Midori replied in a way that she knew would hit Dusklight right where it hurt:
🎵🎵🎵
Your ex-boyfriend Thunder, he’s upset
You know he left you because of something that you said
And he didn’t like the way you treat everyone like trash
He was a father to me and all the rest
So, more than you, we all love him the best
And we’re leaving here to go to a show with more panache
We’ll be in the back seat of Papa Thunder’s wagon
He’ll be driving to the Circus of Wayward Wonders
And I can’t help but think that this is where we belong
'Cause we’ve been dreaming of joining him all along
Oh, I remember you taking me away
In the middle of the night
You said you wanted me to be your star
But you never treated me right
You said I was a member of your family
But you lied, you lied, you lied
So Mistress Dusklight, can’t you see
That you can’t control me
No, no, you don’t control me
And we’ll be on the stage with Papa Thunder’s crew
We’re putting on a show that makes the crowd go wild
And I can’t help but smile, 'cause this is what I love
And I know that he loves me too
🎵🎵🎵
Mistress Dusklight stood still, arms crossed, with a scowl on her face and her left eye twitching. “Hmph.” She snapped her fingers. “Guards! Kill her!”
Mazael and the two security guards stepped toward Midori, who raised her fists and wished that she had a rapier or dagger so that she could at least take one of them down with her in the impending battle.
Brondin Stonehammer, an armored dwarf with a blood-red beard who worked in crowd control, stepped between Midori and Dusklight’s minions. He slammed the haft of his greataxe onto the floor with a resounding boom. “Do not touch her! She’s done nothing wrong.”
Stefano, one of the circus riggers, stepped in next to Brondin, his fists raised in a fighting stance. “Is this really how you treat family, Mistress?”
More of Midori’s friends looked at each other, nodding, and moved in between her and Dusklight with shouts of “We quit, Dusklight!” and “We’re with Midori!”
“FOOLS!” Mistress Dusklight thundered. A team of heavily muscled goons in clown costumes and whimsical greasepaint entered the room to stand behind Dusklight, armed with clubs, maces, brass knuckles, and the like. “You are hopelessly outnumbered! Even if you were able to fight your way out of my chambers, you would never survive running the gauntlet of my minions to escape the circus grounds.”
Bufurug, Midori’s favorite cook and resident druid, piped up meekly in his raspy, high-pitched voice,
“Don’t worry, folks, I’ll get you out of here safely.” Everyone in the room, including Mistress Dusklight, turned to look at the little shoony doubtfully.
A goblin in the back jeered “Whatcha gonna do, bite our ankles?”
Bufurug replied, “Um, no, well, I was actually thinking….” and quickly transformed into the ferocious shape of a tyrannosaurus rex, breaking through the ceiling and outer wall, sending wood-and-glass shrapnel throughout Mistress Dusklight’s trailer, knocking Dusklight and her flunkies to the floor. Bufurug let out a thunderous feral bellow that Midori swore sounded like his voice shouting “Run!”
And run they did, hidden in the wake of the rampaging dinosaur. They soon ran safely away from the circus grounds and toward Abberton, the outskirts of which hosted the Circus of Wayward Wonders.
Meanwhile, Dusklight and her minions picked themselves up from the rubble on the floor in her destroyed office. She caught the eye of Ruanna Nyamma, a flame-red-haired half-elven carnival barker who had done a significant amount of dirty work for her in the past. “Ruanna! Form up a team with two others. I have a job for you….”