Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

H ow did he tell someone else that they could very well be a destructive force, that if they didn't trust Bel and listen to him, they could destroy an entire world? He desperately hoped Errante had the power not to allow things to go so far, but he couldn't risk a world on a hope. But Lio didn't know who or what he was, which put everyone in danger.

How could Bel balance darkness? His parents declared him a Lux from an early age, a legendary being of light. His aura shone brighter than others unless he willfully dampened it, as his parents taught him to do. Otherwise, he was the same as anyone else. Lux were considered non-threats, mostly, so the council didn't come for him, unlike Tenebris. Still, Bel's parents pleaded with him to keep his nature a secret. They wouldn't risk losing their spawn to an overzealous council member. He'd never so much as heard of another living Lux.

Udeall had known—and had been way too vague about all the ramifications. In Domus, two compatible beings bonded. Kevin had said he had a husband. Humans must have a similar custom.

Domus also had a class system. Choosing a mate from a lower tier would be frowned upon by people from the elite of society, of which Bel was a member. Then again, Domus society had ceased to exist. Their rules might also be a thing of the past among those who'd escaped to Terra.

There was so much to think about and little time to do it. Every moment he and Lio failed to bond made the likelihood of destruction more real.

Udeall implied urgency, but Errante suggested patience. Bel walked a fine line between the two, and he couldn't afford to fail.

He watched Lio for signs of injury, but all visible wounds had healed, leaving the occasional faint scar. The memories of Bel's host body indicated that this wasn't normal among humans, just as Bel's own healing had been something to arouse suspicion in his caregivers.

Lio was nice to look at. His short, dark hair, golden skin, and dark eyes were a startling contrast to Bel's eyes and hair. Lio's body was lithe like a dancer Bel once watched in the Big Top. Standing, he only reached Bel's chin. Beautiful in an unknowing way, ethereal. He was, in a word, breathtaking.

And oh, so vulnerable, bringing out all Bel's protective instincts.

But also dangerous.

Bel and Lio finished their coffee and returned the cups to the mess tent to be washed. Based on their surroundings, they seemed to be in a more primitive world than Bel had seen before. Every morning, he hoped for a world more like his own, or perhaps Domus itself, that somehow miraculously escaped destruction.

Each night, he sternly told himself not to wish for the impossible, and yet each morning, when he opened his eyes, the lack of dual purple lights outside hit him like a blow to the heart one more time.

The Carnival and Errante likely had many more Paths of concern than Bel's and Lio's. Still, not knowing what came next caused a low-level churning in his stomach and made Bel startle more easily and rest poorly. He was born to be a leader and had gained a position on the council at a young age. Those like him determined the course of Domus and were always in control. This helplessness and insecurity were new and quite unpleasant.

A single glance at Lio calmed some of Bel's fears, even with all the uncertainty. Though they'd just met, Lio might be a familiar taste of home, and if Udeall spoke the truth, Bel's and Lio's fates twisted together. Fate. Was that what Errante meant by Path?

Maybe.

Today, Bel and Lio were free to get to know each other and hopefully jog Lio's memories of who he'd been before arriving in Terra. What might Lio want to do? There was so much to see here.

"Want to watch the Flying Galliers practice in the Big Top?" Surely Lio would find the family of aerialists entertaining, and most visitors to the Carnival watched their show at some point. "They're one of the Carnival's star attractions."

"Sure." Lio glanced around with wide eyes as they made their way down the main thoroughfare of the Carnival, past the strongman and rides in various stages of construction. This early in the morning meant coffee and this world's take on doughnuts instead of peanuts and popcorn in the air. But even after only a week, Bel had begun feeling at home here—or as at home as he could be outside of Domus.

He recalled his own sense of adventure when first arriving there, reflected now in Lio's wide-eyed wonder. Then he recalled how injured Lio had looked when Bel had first found him. "How are you feeling this morning? Do you need to go see Madame Persephone?"

Lio paused, head cocked to the side. "I'm fine. I want to go see the Flying Whatevers."

Bel's chuckle was equal parts relief and amusement. "Galliers."

They met a few folks along the way, some who spoke, others who merely waved or inclined their heads. While they might be curious, they'd get their information from Amelia or other notorious gossips during breaks.

Cheery music grew louder the closer Bel and Lio moved to the Big Top. Bel wasn't sure how the Carnival handled amplification without electricity, but he had learned to accept all he saw and heard without question. The Carnival was the Carnival, in whatever form.

They passed through the flap of the big red and white tent at the center of the fairgrounds and paused while their eyes adjusted to the lower light. A few other people sat in the spectator seats in pairs, alone, or in groups of three. Bel found a place away from them all, wanting Lio to himself for as long as possible.

If they bonded, they'd spend the remainder of their lives together, a Tenebris and Lux pairing.

Lio sat beside Bel, close enough for Bel to want to reach out and touch. But no. He couldn't. He was here to help, not further Lio's confusion. The urge remained, though, the pull of light to dark.

Lio gazed overhead, where a woman worked her legs while holding a trapeze bar, flying higher and higher in the air. Bel's back itched where the wings of his former body should be. Ah, to be airborne again. Maybe one day, the Galliers would allow Bel to fly as they did.

When the woman swung near the top of the tent, a man with another trapeze bar in hand watched her from a platform, legs bent. He launched himself into the air, using his body to fly higher and higher, and then he turned upside down, feet wrapped around the suspending ropes. The woman released the bar suddenly, flipping and turning in midair.

Lio gasped, clasping his hand to his mouth. Bel had reacted the same way the first time he'd watched the act.

The man caught the woman effortlessly by the wrists. She turned in his grasp, let go again, and returned to her own trapeze.

Was that how a bond worked? One person trusts the other completely, and together, they fly.

Lio raised his hands as if to applaud, but Bel stopped him. "Don't clap now. They're good, but we don't want to risk breaking their concentration."

Horror appeared in Lio's wide eyes. "Oh, right!" He continued watching, occasionally emitting a shocked gasp, a delighted "ooh!" or a relieved "ah!", totally caught up in the performance with joy on his face.

Bel felt the same joy while watching Lio.

Errante waited outside the tent flap, speaking in low tones to the Ringmaster. His smile, when he noticed Bel and Lio, didn't reach his eyes. He turned from Rafe with a look of regret.

"Bel. A word, please," Errante said in a calm voice that belied the concern in his eyes.

"Go on, Lio," Bel said. "I'll find you later."

After a long, searching look, Lio nodded and strode off.

"Walk with me," Errante said.

Bel fell into step beside Errante. A bit of sun peeked out from behind gray clouds. "What can I do for you, Errante?" Bel kept his voice steady, though he trembled inside that this powerful man wished to speak to him.

"I told you some of Emilio's nature."

"Lio. He wants to be called Lio." As soon as Bel said the words, his cheeks flamed. No one corrected Errante.

Errante's expression didn't change. "Ah, yes. I can understand the need to distance oneself from their host. I believe you use your name from Domus."

"Yes, sir."

"And your host was polite, as you have adopted his speech patterns. Still, I am just Errante."

"You were saying about Lio?" Bel prodded.

"Remember what I told you about a ticking bomb? Regardless of how pleasant he is, he is still a danger to us all. As you get to know him, you need to keep that fact in mind."

Bel's chest constricted. He had to resist the urge to push the Tenebris threat to the back of his mind to get to know Lio as a person. "What are you going to do?" He'd just met Lio, but already, he'd come to like the guy and sympathize with him.

"The darkness within him already dims the light of the Carnival. Together, you must discover a way to balance the darkness in his soul."

"But not here." Bel couldn't restrain the disappointment in his voice.

Errante shook his head. "No, not here. Here would be too much of a distraction, and the Carnival has its own purpose to fulfill. It is my belief that you will find things in the next world we visit to help you accomplish your goals—the world your hosts came from. You should have little trouble adapting. Tomorrow morning, the two of you must leave."

Ice shards formed in Bel's insides. He took in the brightly colored tents and cheerful carousel music and inhaled the scent of roasting peanuts—things he'd come to find comforting and familiar. "You're kicking us out?"

Errante canted his head. "No. We can start you on your Path, but you must travel it yourselves. We shall meet again in time."

"Where will we go? What will we do?" Two strangers in a new world. How would they cope?

"When there is need, there are always those willing to assist." Someone called his name, which Errante answered with a wave of his hand. "I am afraid I must go. Meet me at the main gate tomorrow morning."

Errante strode away, leaving Bel with questions, few answers, and a heavy heart. He kicked rocks all the way to his wagon, though with the power of his mind, not his foot.