“I swear, I didn’t see anything. I saw everyone come in and out, and I was in my office all day. I can’t keep track of all the people here.” The carnival manager sighed and started walking back to his office. But before he could do that, Fashi grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“Get your hands off me, wizard,” the manager snapped. “I’ve got work to do!”
“Then you won’t mind me and my apprentice here taking a look around,” Fashi replied. “If you didn’t see anything, then there’s nothing to hide.” He let go of the manager’s arm.
“Fine, but you won’t find anything here,” the manager said. “Get on now, the smell of sorcery is making me sick.”
Huo glanced at their master, who shrugged as the carnival manager walked away.
“I wasn’t looking to solve a mystery, but if children are going missing, then it could ruin the carnival’s reputation,” they said. “I’m a little suspicious of that manager, though, he seems to be hiding something, and-are you even listening to me?”
Fashi didn’t acknowledge them and instead stared at the Hall of Horrors, seemingly in deep thought.
Huo waited in awkward silence until he replied. Just as they were about to walk away, Fashi said something, startling them.
“I’m also suspicious of the manager, but I have an idea,” he said.
Just as Huo was about to reply, two enforcement officers walked up.
“Sir, we’ve staked out this place for two days, and nobody’s seen anything. We also can’t find any evidence of foul play anywhere. We even stayed all night last night,” one of them said.
Fashi raised his eyebrows in thought, then his face morphed into a grin.
Huo caught on and shook their head, knowing full well what that smile meant.
“No, you’re not planning to do what I think you’re doing, are you?”
Fashi’s smile grew wider.
“I sure am, child. Say, officer, didn’t you say that the carnival was having one of its shows tonight?”
“It’s a late-night showing; we’ve already been to those shows more than a few times,” the officer said.
“Who said anything about attending as a guest?” Fashi asked. The officer raised his eyebrows and glanced at his partner.
“You want to go undercover?”
“Tell me how to do it,” the mage replied.
“But master, what about me?” Huo cut in.
“You can look around to see if you find anything,” their master replied.
Huo tried to protest. But their master was already walking off with the enforcement officers.
Frustrated, they shook their head. Why does he always do stuff like this? Guess I can try to find clues to unlock the witch’s book in the meantime. Don’t really feel like solving a mystery if my master is already on it.
Walking around the carnival proved to be a waste of time because Huo found nothing they were looking for. No one claimed to know anything about magic, nor did they sell any magic books. The only piece of information that the latter found was a tour map of the circus. Huo glanced over it briefly before deciding to go home. But before they did, something on the map caught their eye. It was a Ferris Wheel and a house they had never seen before. Ugh, I want to find my father, but why is it so hard to do that? I guess I’ll check these places out tomorrow. With a sigh, Huo walked towards the exit where their master was standing, still talking with an enforcement officer. The snowfall increased heavily as the sky darkened. Huo stood awkwardly, holding themselves until their master noticed.
“Oh, Huo, you’ve returned! Did you find anything? “
“No, let’s just go home, I’m cold,” Huo replied. “I want to make something warm.”
Fashi nodded and said something else to the enforcement officer.
“We’ll see you tonight, sir?” the officer asked. The mage nodded.
The walk back was cold and silent, with snowflakes falling gently.
Huo wrapped their arms around themselves, cursing the lack of adequate transportation. Or really, it’s the fact that I was trying to find answers and just opened another mystery. Fashi tried to say something to them, but Huo pushed past him and walked upstairs to their room. I need to figure that spell out for my father, they thought.
The wind howled outside over the fireplace, crackling in Huo’s bedroom. The snow was coming down harder this time, much colder and fiercer. Closing their book, Huo decided to see if their master had left yet for the carnival. They tiptoped downstairs to see if they could catch a glimpse of him. The big fireplace had been lit. Sparks of fire and heat filled the room. The smell of fresh coffee hung in the air. Seems he already left, Huo thought. Hmm, might’ve left a note. Then they felt bad. Well, I was rude to him. They felt a bit guilty. In the kitchen, there was a cup of something hot and a note next to it.
My young apprentice,
Apologies for not seeking your counsel before acting, but I assure you it will be all right. I know you went looking for clues about your father instead of the missing children, but that’s all right, too. I assure you that we will increase your lessons so you may go out and find him as soon as possible. I lit the fireplace and closed all the shutters and doors; the storm is fierce. Do not worry about me, the storm should pass in a few hours, and I will return before you know it.
Your master,
Fashi.
Huo shook their head and sighed. Not fast enough, master. Not fast enough. They picked up the cup, took a sip, and promptly spit it out. It was black coffee. I don’t know how he doesn’t add anything to this; it tastes awful.
Rising from the chair, Huo decided to look for books in the library to help with their cause. Passing by Fashi’s study, a thought came over them. Huo shook their head and wanted to continue forward. But something just drew them towards the door. If I don’t mess anything up, he won’t notice. Taking a breath, they gently turned the knob, and the door opened slowly. As they expected, it was a total mess. Books everywhere, papers stacked, and a blackboard written with words Huo couldn’t read. Carefully walking inside, there was a huge bookcase. But what drew their eye was a section with a bolted lock. Forbidden knowledge. Huo walked over and tried to open the lock with their magic. It did nothing, of course. The bolt’s appearance didn’t change. After a few attempts, Huo shrugged and decided on another section. In that moment, they noticed they could no longer hear the wind from outside. Confused, Huo closed the door and walked over to the clock. 1:30. Huo wiped the frost off the window to reveal snow-covered ground, but no heavy snow or wind was present.
They breathed a sigh of relief but wondered how the time passed so quickly. It seemed that they were only inside Fashi’s study for ten minutes. They went to sit down at the kitchen table with a cup of cocoa and a book, waiting for their master to return.
Two chapters in, Huo checked the time. 1:50. Three chapters in, it was 2:15. By the time Huo had finished the fifth chapter, the wind started picking up outside again. But their master had not returned. Maybe he just got caught up, Huo assured themselves. He can handle the cold just fine; he has heat spells. But as time wore on, and as they finished their drink, the wind began to howl. Snowflakes began to fall. 2:45. He should be back by 3am, Huo thought. If he’s not, I’ll see if he got himself stuck out there. 3am arrived, and there was no sign of Fashi. Concern began building in the young mage’s mind. He should’ve been back by now. Grabbing their coat and boots, Huo stepped outside, shutting the door behind them. Once they did, the concern began to evolve. It was snowing, and the wind had picked up, but the visibility was still crystal clear. There’s no way he could have been lost out here. He always comes back before 2am most nights.
Huo couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. It’s so late, he’d want me to stay inside, they thought. But he’s my mentor and showed me so much kindness, and I still haven’t been able to tell him where I came from. I can’t run away now.
The fear building inside them, Huo grabbed enough warm clothes to handle the weather. Stepping outside, they looked at the house as they slowly began walking towards the road. I’ve got to find him.
Helenmollybooks 