A Song Of Time [II]

"How wonderful," Kaerin said. "It will be a fine tale. Clear the stage! Places!"

The lute player vanished. She reappeared a breath later, without her lute and wearing a black cloak. She flipped her hood over her face and joined the rest of the troupe assembling at the back of the stage. They were all dressed identically, their clothes and features covered by the cloaks.

Kaerin jumped onto the stage, taking his place at the front of the assembly. "Who will play the lead?" he asked. He put his hand theatrically to his ear to hear the response of the crowd.

"Kaerin!" they cried on cue.

"Yes, and don't you forget it," Kaerin said. "Tonight, I will be playing the part of the boy lost in another world, the boy named Ju Feng." He swept an arm up, and suddenly he was swathed in black too.

Ju Feng sat forward, his jaw muscles rigid. "What are they doing?" he said.