Gifted by the ongoing wind and added rain, Ruby's trip to the carnival was cold and uneventful. Although she didn't expect to pass anyone on the street, she still made it a point to stay in as thick a shadow as possible. It has been years since she'd had to hide and even then she wasn't always successful. While most of the shutters of the homes were closed against the horrific night, on occasion one would fly open, bang on the side of the house and bring the owner swiftly to close it. Unwilling to be spotted even by those random folks, Ruby leapt from one deep shade to the next until she saw the festive lighting.

  Another whole world opened before Ruby as she approached the circur dispy of tents and wooden stands covered in a kaleidoscope of colors to attract one's eyes. Due to the inclement weather, the grounds themselves were devoid of any families milling around the different sights, making it easier for Ruby to make out the different sections. Other than the noise coming from the main tent, the park was dark and silent. None of the festive lighting was flickering, the upbeat music from the band wasn't pying and the hallmark callers that announced upcoming events and shows weren't walking around.

  Along the outside ring held all of the different food oddities with names like ‘snake cakes’ that were intermingled with normal stations that sold warm pretzels. A few steps beyond that were the starting attractions such as the hall of mirrors, fortune telling and little game stands like ring toss or a bean bag throw. Working further inward came the circle of strange. Attractions like Siamese twins, the normal bearded dy, a human frog and finally a blind Medusa.

  Dead center of the ring was the main tent. Easily the size of a small city block, the tips stood high in the air and had brightly colored fgs that were currently whipping in the chilled wind. Stripes of red, orange and yellow encircled the canvas and emuted fire, with little designs of what someone would see. Rings of fire, tightrope walking with fire bance beams, animal tricks and finishing up with the grand finale of the amazing fire-breathing dragon-dy.

  Circling the premises a few times to get a better feel for the area, Ruby finally came up with a pn other than a tussle among the pirate captains and their crew. Initially content with creating a mild fight as a diversion, it was only after Ruby saw the size of the main tent that she knew her pn was fraught with problems. It assumed that all of the captains would be sitting together, or in a group and that group by fighting would cause enough fear for both the entertainers and commoners to run and flee. More than one occasion she’d witnessed the complete opposite inside a normal tavern with a brawl that used both pistols and knives. People simply stood by and watched the events unfold or even go get a guard, but it took a bigger fear for them to run and scatter like Ruby needed at this moment.

  Listening to the Ringmaster the best she could, Ruby heard the announcement that the acrobatics show was soon to start and followed behind the ringmaster the faint sounds of the vendors taking orders for more food and drink. While Ruby suspected that she had roughly fifteen minutes before the dragon-dy named, ‘Avanora’ would begin her act, she made her way to the lovely wooden structure that the dragon-dy called home.

  Choosing to break open the door rather than try and pick the lock due to time, Ruby slipped inside and saw the modest living space that Avanora called her own. A single bed, a vanity to prepare her look and a myriad of costumes all with a hint of some kind of fuel that Ruby couldn’t quite identify. Along the furthest wall was another small chair with a small metal pte attached to one of the arms. Within that pte were a few bottles of dark ink along with a few bright peacock feathers used to apply Avanora’s second talent, henna art.

  Quickly searching the entertainer’s drawers along the vanity and under the mattress of her bed, Ruby finally found a rather good-sized pack full of kyanite.

  {“Ner-Ner, I got the goods sweetie. This dragon-dy isn’t a dragon at all, based on the amount of kyanite in this pack she is like you.”}

  {“Tanya, take the bag and let's get out of port, heading south…or even back to the Mediterranean. We haven’t been there in years, this might be the right time for a return.”}

  {“If others hadn’t taken some pity on Paralee, then you and I wouldn’t have met. Some of those women hid me from guards. Some just provided…moral or well immoral support. Either way, they didn’t let me get captured and used as a sve. These captains will certainly turn this dy into something other than the artist she looks to be. Just trust me on this Nerice.”}

  {“Darling, I trust you with everything I am. Just be safe and get to the ship, Tanya…Oh, Medusa is here with about half the crew. I think we have enough to get down to Virginia and pick up more from some of the friendly towns. Just waiting on you, my dear.”}

  Their conversation finished, Ruby slung the backpack over her shoulder and after a few seconds decided to fold up some of the ink and feathers in a small rag. She ripped down three of Avanora’s costumes and jammed them into the pack and left the small dwelling.

  Without any further dey, given that Ruby could hear the collective rise and fall of the crowd’s awe in conjunction with the acrobatics, she set her pn in motion. Collecting a few buckets that she’d seen stacked in neat piles all over the grounds for cleaning and spot fires, Ruby went to each unlit ntern and collected all the kerosene that she could. Slowly and methodically, Ruby spread the petroleum on all of the ropes and the bottom of the tent until she’d covered the full circumference and then used most of the leftovers to cover the rger panels on the tent. Using what small amount of gunpowder she had on her person and mixed with a small amount of kerosene, Ruby cut a piece of rope and pulled the twists apart to make her fuse and waited out of sight at the entertainer’s entrance of the tent.

  Almost to the minute, Ruby heard the cheers and cps of the audience rise for the acrobats and the announcer began his speech for Avanora. “Behold dies and gentlemen! We searched the heights of the mountains and the depths of the Earth for the one legend that started them all. These majestic creatures are revered all over. Some as gods, some as trophies to be hunted. Yet, no one has been able to find, let alone bring you a living and fire-breathing dragon! Yes, look upon our fire-eater, fire-breathing, bck-scaled dy dragon! A round of appuse as this one-of-a-kind woman marches in and we douse the lighting for a full and proper performance. Introducing the one and only, great dragon-dy of fire, Avanora!”