the judges. “Why don’t we hear out every opinion amongst this esteemed group … ah, Demarco! How about you?”
Daron’s face flamed instantly when all eyes drew to him like spotlights. The girl’s, in particular, were beams of fire scorching his skin.
“Aside from myself, you out of everyone here can see the potential and worth of a true performer. Care to weigh in?”
Nope. Absolutely not.
He’d become so accustomed to shutting himself off in private since he’d stopped performing. If only Eva could see him now, she’d be cackling. The hard worry lines of his brow always amused her, and they carved around his head as he tried reviving the parts of the Daring Demarco in him that everyone else sought.
No, he did not take part in Erasmus’s avid enthusiasm, nor the mayor’s disapproval. No doubt she would bring in crowds and raise them to their feet, but she also favored chaos with her magic. Danger. One wrong move, and she’d probably hail the attention of the Patrons.
And yet, she was the most interesting person to walk through those doors. No one could deny that, least of all him.
“Your magic.” He finally lifted his gaze, delivering the same question they asked everyone who crossed the stage. “Born or acquired?”
Her gaze boldly met his for a lingering moment. “What do you think?”
Daron ignored the thump of his pulse, the smattering of laughs and ticking tongues around him. Whether it was doubt or denial, the answer was obvious. Not even the strongest acquired magician who’d crossed the stage performed with a fraction of what she’d displayed. A great trick instead of a good one.
The jeweled tassels of her skirt slowly clinked as she cocked her hip, waiting.
“You’ll have no problems filling the seats with this one, that’s for sure.” Daron finally nodded his assent. “But I can see why you’re all wary.”
“And why is that?”
When Daron looked up, sure enough, she was watching him. A sharp scowl paired with viper eyes, still studying him. Unable to properly pin him down, as she had all the others in the room, which gave him a small bit of satisfaction.
“Read the room, twenty-four,” he said, clasping his hands on the table. Mask on, voice cooled. “And there’s your answer.”
8
“Zarose, they really did not like you,” Aaros remarked as they walked down the steps of the Alastor Place. The hotel key ring Kallia twirled between her fingers halted with more aggression than necessary. Easily threatened men always acted like fools. From the older, stuffier top hats, the reaction was to be expected. But even the youngest of them had come off like a stiff sod who hadn’t seen daylight in years.
Demarco, they called him.
And Erasmus Rayne, the overeager ringleader of the circus.
Together, they made up the dubious force whose favor kept her in the competition, and she could not have asked for a more uncertain pair of supporters.
Especially Demarco, with his uneasy praise. Seemingly kind eyes, narrowed in doubt. He certainly didn’t act like a strong show magician, yet must’ve been highly regarded to be invited as a judge. So young and already in such an esteemed position.
Glowering, Kallia tightened her coat around her. “Who is he, anyway?”
“Daron Demarco?” Aaros supplied. “Some young, big-time stage magician, but I heard he stopped performing a few years back. Stopped using magic altogether.”
A shocked grimace sharpened her lips. “Why?”
“No clue. Hadn’t heard of him until today. Soltair news and gossip don’t usually circulate to these parts of the island.” Aaros popped up his coat collar at the next brush of wind. “A few magicians backstage were fawning about him. Apparently he’s no ordinary performer, his family runs the Patrons of Great. As in Keepers of the Gate, Patrons of Great.” His face lit up in wonder.
Kallia groaned inwardly. “Of course.”
The first time she’d heard about Zarose Gate was through her lessons with Sanja. Even if her tutor hadn’t been real, the facts were true. The history behind Zarose Gate had rooted through time, and grown into something of a legend. That magic came from the earth. The life it bred in the beautiful trees, plants, and flowers could not have been possible without a strange power from below. But when the magic tore open the earth, like a gate loosed open, a terrible flood of power unleashed.
While others grew mad, Erik Zarose grew powerful. A magician. One of the rare few affected so, to forever be revered as a Great when he alone closed the gate. Zarose Gate, as it was