Smoke crawls low under the door as the healer’s hut crackles around them. Through the back seam of the wall, Young Dave can see the circus camp beyond, half-lit by fire and rain. A torn ribbon of light, the portal home, flickers near the ring, but shadowy figures are already fanning through the tents.
The Healer
Go now. The fire is masking you, but not for long.
Kaelo
Take the side lane. If my kin find you in the open, you are finished.
A shape hits the outer wall, hard enough to shake the hanging herbs. Outside, a harsh voice calls in the rain, and another answers from deeper in the camp. The door begins to bow inward.
Young Dave.
The portal is near the ring.
Young Dave moves for the side opening as sparks whirl past his boots. The healer ducks back. Kaelo stumbles after him, clutching his wounded hand, while the hut behind them groans and spits flame into the dark.
The Healer
If you reach the ring, run straight through the light.
At the threshold, the burning camp opens ahead like a trap, with the portal wavering at its center and Kaelo’s kin closing in from both sides.