to go to even the mayor’s head. The show must go on, they each said in turn. Nothing grated Daron’s senses more now than that phrase.
“Stop looking so worried, Demarco.” Mayor Eilin settled into the seat beside him, fanning himself with a program. “We have audience members and a show on our hands!”
Unfortunately, Daron soon found the chair to his other side occupied by Erasmus, donning a suit brighter than the fresh velvet of the new seats. His smile, even more glaring. “By next show, we’ll have a full house. Guaranteed.”
“I like the sound of that,” the mayor said.
Daron couldn’t have felt any more awkward than if they were clinking champagne glasses directly over his head. Both men soaked in the success. In the audience, the mayor witnessed a city coming together; the proprietor, a city of eager, new customers to entice.
“Then again, why wouldn’t anyone want to be here?” Erasmus posed. “Everyone is positively itching to see Kallia’s next act. Especially after that first night.”
At that, the mayor’s pleasant demeanor fell flat. “She’s not the only contestant in Spectaculore. We have plenty of others who don’t need to clutter their acts with a parade of circus musicians and silly dance moves.”
Daron bit his tongue as the judges down the row chuckled, eavesdropping.
“You old goats wouldn’t know entertainment if it danced right in front of you,” Erasmus snapped. “Case in point.”
“Please, it was a cheap act.” The mayor gave a dismissive wave. “And what a way to cheat. We have grounds to pull her from the competition altogether! We clearly stated there were to be no other performers on the stage aside from the magician and the assistant.”
“Right, on the stage,” Daron muttered with a hard glare. “Her musicians did not interfere. She performed each trick on her own.”
“Well, when you put it like that, it was an unfair advantage to receive additional help. Another way of cheating.” Judge Silu sneered, reaching into his coat. No doubt for his flask. “Don’t let a pretty face fool you, young blood. It’s poor form for a judge.”
If all of Glorian weren’t currently in the show hall watching from their seats, Daron would’ve decked him. Fire built in his fist, his breath. It was like magic, blazing within him, looking for a target.
Daron seethed at the irony, tuning out the bickering between Erasmus and the mayor to focus on the closed scarlet stage curtains. His right foot twitched restlessly beneath the table, the anticipation of the show like a storm brewing inside him. He thought after he’d told Kallia his intentions in the ballroom that his discomfort would dissolve. It had only risen higher, stifling every part of him.
The theater warmed from the bodies packing in and the lit glass-encased candles adorning the walls. Fans were drawn and papers folded to wave against necks and faces. The buzz of excitement plunged into weary complaints. For the first time since he’d arrived in the coldest city he’d ever known, Daron was sweating.
Before long, he recognized one of the stage managers approaching their table, clipboard in hand. Always efficient and ready, though even the woman’s cheeks appeared red from exertion.
“Is it showtime?” Erasmus asked, somehow appearing cool and collected despite the heat.
“Not exactly.” She pushed her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. “There’s a problem backstage—”
“Can’t it wait until after?” Mayor Eilin demanded. “The audience is expecting that curtain to rise. We can’t keep them or our magicians waiting any longer.”
“That’s the problem.” The manager flipped over the papers stacked on the clipboard. “Three of the magicians haven’t arrived.”
“Ridiculous.” The mayor scowled, gesturing for a look at the list. Daron snuck a hurried glance, finding question marks bolded beside the names Ives, Constantin, and Farris. Their faces flashed in his mind, along with glimmers of their first acts. After Kallia, these three ranked among the most solid performers. Off the stage, the most solid partiers.
With a long sigh, the mayor crossed his arms. “Are they on their way? Can’t anyone fetch them?”
“I-I don’t know. A couple of the contestants arrived here in a group, but no one remembers if they were among them. It’s as if they’ve suddenly—”
“Vanished.” Erasmus tapped his chin. “Out of thin air.”
Daron’s blood chilled at his fascinated tone.
“This is not a joke, Rayne.”
Mayor Eilin dragged the list of names over for the proprietor to see, but Erasmus barely spared it a glance. As long as Kallia’s name was counted among those in attendance, the man would have his show. “We