“Gather around! Gather around. This is a show you must not miss,” the carny said, “This is a show that will change your lives forever. And for the better. Look around, boys and girls, and you will see that you are not alone. Be not afraid! Come closer.”

The man danced on stage as he called out to vagrant children. He caught their curiosity with colorful ribbons pulled from hidden places. And the children gathered around. The long war halted the flow of visitors and there was now little to distract the children from the harsh reality of the world they occupied. The city lacked empathy for them, no food or water given, and certainly no entertainment—and so the allure of the mysterious man was too great of an enchantment.

“Yes, my dear children. So sweet but so rejected. Today, will be a very special day and a special day just for you.” The man bowed as more than a hundred children huddled together and sat. “For today I bring a gift… a brief moment of respite to help you through your troubled days… And now, we begin.”

The man pulled back the curtain hanging over the stage and disappeared into the evening shadows cast onto the caravan by the surrounding buildings. Behind the curtain, a robed figured stood silently, its face covered by a tribal mask painted white with merlot stains around sunken, black eyes. White cloth draped over its body, concealing a hunched back and gangly limbs, the robe’s ends flowing freely in the light breeze. The children turned to one another for reassurance, their faces marked with unease as the creature’s gaze bore into their psyche. Tears flooded the eyes of younger children not yet inured by years of vagrancy.

The sudden beat of drums snapped the children to attention and the creature began to move. A devil’s dance. It moved with unnatural precision as its body shifted and morphed beneath its robe, hidden limbs tearing at the cloth in an attempt to free itself. A dance practiced by witches and necromancers of the olden days. The children squirmed but remained seated, drawn into the performance by unseen forces. The drums stopped. And the creature froze.

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Its mask cracked and ash spewed from the fissures, coating the crowd in soot. The children silenced and their bodies stiffened. From the dark recesses of the stage, a crusader stepped forth. His armor shined brilliantly in the firelight. The children cheered for their hero, a knight sworn to defend them from the evils of the world, a warrior they’ve only glimpsed through crowded streets during parades celebrating their return from conquest. The children leaned forward, delighted to witness the champion’s power.

The crusader unsheathed his sword and readied the blade above his head as the creature coiled itself to strike. The creature launched and the crusader swung. Blood stained its once white robe as it fell to the ground and a black mist erupted from the wound, shrouding the stage and children in darkness. A voice called out to the children.

“My dear children, witness the power of your hero! Know that you too can be a hero. The devils have invaded your city. You must rise up and defeat them as you have witnessed your hero do so today. Now go.”

The last light of the sun dipped below the distant mountains and dark clouds blotted out the stars. The black mist dispersed, revealing an empty stage and bewitched children. They rose in unison and marched out into the city.

***

The door to the caravan opened and the crusader walked in, joined by the creature. “Is this really necessary? They’re children. Unwanted ones at that. Why not let, at least them, live in peace?”

The carny looked up from his mirror as he removed his makeup, his clothes already changed from his earlier performance. “Do not forget what these people have done to ours. You wear the armor of a fallen crusader not their faux badge of honor.” The carny stood from his chair to face his comrades. “These children have been abandoned by their own people. Let those people die at the hands of their repudiated. The children will die regardless—at least they will die heroes of their own mind.”

The crusader paused for a long while. “Then let us leave, this city will be gone come dawn.”