Demon's Excursion

Lilac’s eyes were wide with wonder at the busy streets in front of her. Crowds of humans strolled the avenue, stopping at various storefronts or hurrying on their way like ants. Beside her, Emmalyn hummed a happy tune, swinging her arms by her sides in a playful walk. Vance walked next to the cheerful girl, his eyes scouring the street as if he was hunting someone.

“Are you looking for something?” Lilac asked him.

“No,” he shook his head. “It’s a habit. My family has long been a part of the Royal Guard, so I’ve been trained to be vigilant.”

“Oh, that’s cool!” Lilac said.

“What about you? How are you enjoying your first time in the city?”

“It’s amazing,” she breathed. “There’s so many people… so much to do!” Her eyes darted to the market, where people traded silver and gold for various goods. Then her attention shifted like a hyperactive child to the mix of stone and wood buildings around them, and again to the humans moving through the street.

“The theatre is right up ahead,” Emmalyn paused her humming to announce. “The owners are adept in fire and wind magic and have perfected a unique way to keep the inside of a crowded room bright yet cool at the same time!”

“That makes it sound like any other building is either dark or hot,” Vance laughed.

“But the way the theatre does it is so perfect!” Emmalyn argued.

“Speaking of magic…” Lilac interrupted the two. “What kind do you two have?”

“Hehe, take a guess,” Emmalyn turned her head toward Lilac and grinned.

Lilac glanced at the sky, running through different options and what suited Emmalyn the best. “Could it be… water magic?” She guessed.

“Close! It’s actually nature.” Emmalyn skipped ahead of the group and twirled around to face them. Her legs continued, keeping her moving in the same direction as before. “I infuse the tea I serve with magic to make it more satisfying to the senses.”

“So that’s why it smelled like flowers…” Lilac said, recalling the tea party earlier in the week.

“Golden rose, to be exact.”

Lilac turned to Vance, who had returned to streetside reconnaissance. “What about your magic?”

“Fire,” he replied.

“What about yours, Lilai?” Emmalyn leaned her head to the side out of curiosity.

 “Dark magic,” Lilac answered.

“Oh, wow! I’ve never actually met someone with dark magic before. I’ve heard–” Her heel bumped a stone that jutted out of the earth, sending her spiraling downward with a yelp.

With the speed of a spreading forest fire, Vance jumped forward and grabbed Emmalyn’s flailing arm, saving her from her fall. He pulled the startled girl back to her feet. “Are you alright?”

Emmalyn looked as if she had seen a ghost. She took a moment to calm herself before she answered. “Y-yes. Thank you for saving me,” she lowered herself into a slight bow of gratitude.

“Don’t mention it. I would hate to see harm come upon an innocent maiden like yourself,” he said.

“Innocent maiden…?” Emmalyn paused. It took a few seconds for her to regain her usual composure. “And what if I’m not innocent, hmm?”

“Then I’ll have to let you fall next time.”

Lilac watched the scene, enthralled, like it was her favorite scene in her favorite romance novel. Sparks were literally flying between her two friends. At least, that’s what she visualized. A quiet chuckle almost betrayed the thoughts that were forming in her head.

They were going to see a romantic play. Just the three of them. As friends. Unless… Lilac became a third wheel. This outing could be used to set them up together. She salivated at the many ideas and fantasies racing through her head.

“Oh, there’s the theatre!” Emmalyn pointed at a large, dome-shaped stone building on their side of the street. Camellis Theatre was carved into the stone in massive lettering. She ran up to the archway of an entrance and disappeared in an instant.

“She’s all over the place, isn’t she…?” Vance shook his head and followed after her.

Lilac hurried to his side and walked beneath the arch with him. On the other side was a thin hallway made of the same grey stone as the building’s outer shell. Black fabric hung from the ceiling, blocking the view of what lay beyond except for the tiny sliver of firelight that escaped through the slit in the middle.

Vance brushed the thin material to the side, parting the two halves. He stopped to allow Lilac to enter before him.

A man with a very thick mustache and combed back hair stood in a booth off to the side. On the visitor side of the desk was Emmalyn. “Welcome to the theatre,” the man said as he handed Emmalyn three slips of paper.

“Thank you,” she dipped her head and waved the white slips at Lilac and Vance. “I got the tickets!”

Together, the three of them walked deeper into the theatre. The hallway opened to a large semicircular room. Black dominated the scene from the padded seats to the oversized curtain shielding the stage to the walls around the room.

To their right was the stage. It was as quiet as the silence before a storm. The curtain was formed by two thick drapes that met in the center of the stage. Just like the rest of the room, the stage was in the shape of a semicircle.

On the left were rows of seats, each one staggered slightly higher than the previous. A large chunk of seating was already taken.

The only lighting in the room were a few torches hanging on the walls burning a tiny spark of fire that struggled to ward off the darkness. Though there weren't any strong winds outside, a cool draft soothed Lilac’s skin inside the theatre, evidence of the magic Emmalyn mentioned earlier.

Emmalyn led them to the third row from the front and squeezed past a couple that were seated in the first couple chairs.

Lilac uttered an apology as she passed the couple. Just as she passed another person halfway down the row, Emmalyn and Vance sat down. She paused at the seat next to Vance and relaxed onto the seat.

“I hope you don’t mind me sitting here,” she turned to whisper to the person sitting beside her that she had squeezed past.

“You’re fine,” he shifted to meet Lilac’s gaze.

In the darkness, the two paused. She couldn’t tell before but being this close allowed Lilac to see his features a little clearer. Lilac jolted back in her seat. “A-Alan? What are you doing here?”

The hero blinked. “I thought I could use a change of scenery for once. What about you?”

“A friend invited me. Are you into romances?” Lilac leaned forward, holding her breath in hopeful expectation for his response. How she wished she had someone she could chat with about her favorite romance novels. She could go on for hours and hours, but no one back home was interested enough to sit through her tangents.

“Not particularly,” he said.

There went her hopes and dreams. Crushed. Demolished. Utterly obliterated by two simple words. Inside her soul, Lilac curled into a fetal position and teared up at the missed opportunity. “Oh… okay. Then why choose to come here of all places?”

Alan glanced toward the stage. “I suppose I was curious? I’ve never seen a play before.”

“Me neither,” Lilac related. “To be honest, I still don’t really know what a play is.”

“Well,” Alan started. “It’s basically just a story people act out in front of you.”

“Really? Wow, that sounds amazing!”

The stage’s curtains recalled, revealing a well-dressed man holding a cane in one hand. His other hand held the brim of his top hat, tilting it down on his head. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Camellis Theatre!” He threw the top hat into the air above the audience, and it burst into tiny dazzling explosions of gold and orange, earning some claps from the audience.

“I am Hulam Camellis, the creative director. We have a fascinating show for you today that I hope you all will love. Everyone has worked tirelessly to perfect this performance, so please show them the appreciation they deserve after the show. The play that you will witness tonight is called A Mystic Fairytale. It is a sweet romance between a wandering swordsman and the princess of a fairy kingdom he stumbles upon. Now with that being said, I think it’s time for me to stop talking before I ruin the plot for you all,” he winked with a charming smile. “Please, enjoy the show.” Hulam bowed low and disappeared in a flash of fire.