Chapter 5: How to make enemies and mislead people
Smoke was drifting lazily through the branches, doing that slow, elegant dance that only smoke knows how to do. I crept forward, silent and cautious. Dry leaves crunched under my feet, and I kept low, alert — if this was a trap, now was the perfect time to turn me into barbecue.
I stepped into a small clearing. There was a makeshift campfire, built from twigs and... thin bones? Yep. Lovely.
But my attention wandered to what was on the other side of the fire: an old, crooked cart, painted in faded reds, golds, and purples. On top of it, barely visible letters read:
THE GRAND CIRCUS OF MAGIC AND MIRACLES OF MORDREK
And that's when I got caught completely off guard — something moved near the fire.
"AAAAARGHHH!" screamed a man, chucking a pot at my face with enough force to kill a small horse.
I ducked by pure reflex. The pot flew over my head with a sad clang as it bounced off a tree.
"DAMNED MONSTER! I HAVE NO FOOD! ONLY BROKEN DREAMS!" he yelled, swinging a twisted cane like it was a holy sword of vengeance.
"Chill! I'm not a monster!"
"BUT YOU'RE UGLY ENOUGH TO BE ONE!"
"I'M NOT A MONSTER! I'M JUST HUNGRY!" I yelled back, now hiding behind a tree, no idea why I was also yelling.