Free Castle Walls by D Jordan Redhawk Page B

nearly a whisper so as not to disturb the nearest villagers. "Perhaps you and your men would like to sit? The show is not quite half finished."
    The apparent leader looked her up and down. "No," he responded. "We'll stand." With a glance and a nod at his comrades, he sent them to look through the audience.
    With great skill, Ros refrained from scowling at the unwelcome visitor. "I'm the owner of this circus. Is there something I can help you with?"
    Eyes narrowing as the soldier's interest piqued, he asked, "How long have you been in this area?"
    His tone brooked no argument and Ros was hard put not to respond in kind. "I'm not at liberty to answer your questions right now. As I said, we're halfway through our performance." She gestured behind her to the stage where Cristof had his tiger balancing precariously upon one of the barrels. "This act is nearly over and I must introduce the next."
    "You'll answer what questions I put to you when I ask them," the soldier growled taking a half-step forward.
    Holding up her hand to forestall her companions looming forward, Ros' eyes raked over the man before her, her face stern. "Do not forget yourself, captain. I doubt the queen of Dellenri would appreciate hearing of the Invader's soldiers rousting citizens within her borders." Before he could respond, the blonde continued smoothly, "I will be most happy to answer any questions you have once this performance is over. Feel free to post your men as guards; once our guests have left, we will speak."
    Studying her closely, searching for any subterfuge, the captain nodded stiffly. With a jerk of his head he recalled his men and the trio stepped outside.
    Turning away, Ros sighed in frustration. The question is, did they track us? Or stumble upon us during a sweep? She gauged how far along Cristof was in his act, not surprised to find that the ending had long since passed and he was improvising. The crowd appeared to be getting restless, instinctively knowing something had changed.
    "Now what, Ros?" Willem asked.
    The blonde sighed again and adjusted her sleeve. "Let's get this finished. We've got a far more important performance tonight. Inform the others." She barely heard their responses as she strode toward the stage to introduce the next act.
     
    All too soon the performances were over. Standing center stage, Ros looked out over the audience, catching the telltale glint of torchlight on chainmail, and gave her closing speech. A welcome cheer met her invitation for all to return the next afternoon for one final show. Bounding forward to accept their accolades, entertainers bowed and waved before dashing out of sight into the darkness. Katerin and Ilia lit torches around the stage before capping the braziers, giving better illumination for their guests to leave. About them, the hubbub of a satisfied crowd rose and fell.
    Normally, after all had left, their next chore would be to put out the torches and make certain that the braziers were properly extinguished before going to bed. Samheer had come round earlier, however, to inform them of the unwanted guests and that there'd been a change of plan. Looking towards the main entrance, fear fluttered in Katerin's throat at the sight of three guardsmen.
    "Katerin."
    Flinching in surprise, the dark woman turned to find Sati, the remains of clown makeup smearing at the edges of the woman's face.
    Reaching out, Sati laid a calming hand on Katerin's forearm. "I'm sorry I startled you," she said softly. "Ros sent me."
    Katerin placed her hand over the older woman's. "It's all right. What did Ros need from Ilia and I?" she asked, smiling in reassurance at her handmaiden.
    Sati nodded at the shy blonde before returning her gaze to Katerin. "We've been through similar situations as this. Ilia, you're to clean up and go to your wagon. The soldiers will want to know who sleeps where."
    Swallowing heavily, Katerin's heart sank as she realized where this was heading. "I as well?" she asked, forcing her