Chapter 11. Theatre

He found the inn quickly, and the wheat soup seemed to be the most delicious meal he had ever eaten. 

After thanking for the meal, he hurried up to the second floor, where the rooms for rent were. 

When he entered the room that had been prepared during his meal, he immediately threw off his robes and rushed to the full barrel of warm water. 

Only when he had thoroughly wiped off the dust of the journey and rinsed his hair, which had grown even longer during the journey, did he calm down and begin to think about what he should do. 

He hadn't planned to stay here for long, but losing his wallet hadn't been part of his original plans, and with a long journey ahead of him, touching a part of the desert, he couldn't stay without money. 

Just then someone scratched at the window. 

"Stipa?"

He got up from the barrel, put on only his underwear and opened the window. 

But instead of a pestering cat, he saw a man whose eyes were as white as mountain peaks and whose short, shining hair was as black as pitch.

 "That's what I thought, you're a handsome man to look for, the owner of such a captivating voice can't be a freak."

Cornflower jumped away from the window and assumed a fighting stance.

"Oh! So you're not only as handsome as a deity, but you also know something about the art of fighting, splendid!"

The stranger exclaimed and jumped into the room without asking.

Without waiting to see what the stranger would do next, Vasilyok entered into combat with him, but after a few dozen blows he realised that his opponent was more experienced and superior in the art of close combat without the use of energy. 

The young man was already preparing to release his energy when the stranger suddenly retreated:

" Enough, I didn't come to fight you, I came to offer you a job."

Cornflower lowered his head in disbelief. 

"I am the manager of a section of the Five Elements Theatre," said the white-eyed man. 

"One of our actors is ill and won't be able to perform on premier. When I heard your voice today, I realised that you are definitely a good temporary candidate for the role. Especially since you're obviously in need of money."

 When he said that, he threw up his hands.

"You'd be willing to give a few performances with my company? I'll pay you handsomely. "

"Yes, I agree."

Cornflower replied without hesitation, after all he had nothing to lose. 

"Great, take the deposit."Said the stranger and threw him a bag of jingling coins. 

"You'll find me tomorrow in the building near the Goddess Fountain on the third floor. If anyone asks, tell them you're here to see Korbu and they'll show you in."

The stranger waved goodbye and disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a lingering scent of pine.

"Miaow!" rang out at the feet of the young man, frozen like a statue.

"Stipa! Where have you been?" he exclaimed.

In reply, the cat just rubbed at his master's legs. 

Rolling his eyes, Cornflower threw up a purse of money, caught it skilfully and decided to be more careful and attentive to his belongings and surroundings. 

The next day, as soon as the sun touched the young man's cheek through the ajar window, Cornflower put the snoozing cat in his pocket, ate breakfast, paid the innkeeper and went looking for the man who had hired him. 

After asking a few passers-by, he found the designated spot. 

To his unpleasant surprise, it turned out to be a brothel. 

Leaving Stipa to go for a walk, he approached the main entrance of the building.

Two broad-shouldered guards looked suspiciously at the young man, who was wrapped in a cloak from head to toe. 

"I'm here to see Korbu," he said as he approached.

With a silent nod, one of the guards motioned for him to follow. 

The brothel smelled of incense, perfume, powder and tobacco. 

The interior and exterior were lavishly decorated, screaming of the wealth and debauchery that had reigned here during the night not so long ago. 

The hour was early and the sleepy atmosphere was heavy. On several occasions, Cornflower encountered visitors in a hurry to leave the establishment, or employees who stared at him. 

When they reached the right room, the guard knocked silently and, after waiting for an answer, opened the door for Cornflower and left without waiting for him to enter.

"And here you are, you're an early bird." 

Cornflower saw a picture of the stranger from yesterday, stretched out on the couch with a long pipe in his hand, smoke billowing from it. His hair was shiny from a recent shower, and his lean, naked body stood out against the background of the dressing gown pulled down to his elbows.

"Come in, don't be shy, we have a lot to talk about."

Korbu took a long drag on his pipe and let out a cloud of smoke. 

The young man entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. 

The room smelled of pine mixed with tobacco smoke.

"Over there on the table," the man waved his free hand towards the wide desk.

"You'll find the text of the play. Your part is highlighted in yellow. All you have to do is sing a few songs, as well as you did on the street. I hope that won't be too much trouble"

When the young man walks towards the table, the man gives him a look and continues with a chuckle:

"Why are you dressed in those rags? It looks disgusting, to be honest. My assistant will find you something more suitable. Oh, good, there he is."

A young man came out of the next room with a slightly wobbly gait and walked smoothly over to Korbu with his arm around his shoulders, wearing only his underwear. 

His eyes were sleepy, his raven hair dishevelled, showing that he had only just got up from the bed.

-Shuka, look who's here." Korbu said, blowing out another puff of smoke. "It's the young man I told you about yesterday."

Raising his icy white eyes towards the stranger, he seemed to notice only his presence just now.

"Haah... Is this the one?"

He stepped away from the man and walked smoothly over to the frozen Cornflower , who was mesmerised by the couple and looked him over from all sides. 

The sight of the inappropriately dressed man near him made Cornflower shiver.

 For a second it seemed as if he was being indecently enveloped by threads of energy power.

"Yes, he's very good. A worthy replacement for our ailing friend. Truly, the manager knows how to spot a pearl among a thousand closed oysters."

Korbu let the praise pass him by, but thoughtfully let out more and more puffs of smoke.

Seeing that his words had made no impression, Shuka asked Cornflower to wait outside the door until he was properly dressed, to which Cornflower reacted with too much vigour, rushing out of the room rustling papers as if stung by bees. 

As soon as he had closed the door behind him, Shuka asked:

"But still, won't we have trouble with the Lord? He can't stand people being brought into the troupe, even temporarily, without his personal involvement!" 

There was a note of concern in the young man's voice.

The man got up and went to the window, looking out at the waking neighbourhood next to the brothel - here and there shops were beginning to open, and the first barkers were already shouting slogans.

"I doubt very much that Lord will visit the Steppes at this time of year, especially with what is happening in the south. "

"But this is the opening night of the play, he'll never..." 

Shuka had no time to finish before he was grabbed by the chin, and Korbu, who had been standing at the window a moment ago, was already leaning over his face.

"I know better what the master will like and what he won't. Your worries are unnecessary. Believe me, even if by some miracle he should appear, this nugget will be to his liking. At these words, the man's eyes glittered coldly." 

And without further reasoning or bickering, they both gave into the passionate impulse to reduce the distance between their lips to zero. 

Meanwhile, Cornflower sat down on a small but comfortable couch not far from the room he had come from and immersed himself in reading the text.

On the whole, he liked the play. It was a dramatic love story an ordinary sailor and a castle warrior who, despite all the circumstances and obstacles that fate had thrown in their way, remained true to their feelings and to each other.

The only thing that bothered Cornflower in this story was that he was given a female role. 

Of course, there was nothing unusual about men playing women's roles in the theatre, it was quite common. 

But it was still not to his liking.

If it hadn't been for the desire to make easy money, he would never have agreed to it.

After all, judging by the content of the play, there would be no inappropriate behaviour on stage, and the lyrics were truly heartwarming. 

Korbu's assistant left the room a quarter of an hour later, during which time Cornflower had managed to read his part a few times. 

His neat hair framed his lean face, silk clothes made his rough figure look thinner and more elegant, and pencilled eyelids made his eyes look more expressive. 

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the main cast. The premiere is in a week, so you'll be rehearsing at a fast pace. I hope you won't let us down."

He added: "Don't worry about getting paid, the manager is as generous as the owner. Our hard work is always rewarded with interest.

As they walked through the corridors of the brothel, Shuka watched the young man look around wildly, and grinning to himself, he said to him:

"Is this your first time in a place like this? No, no, you don't have to answer, I can see it on your face," 

He smiled to Cornflower.

 "Don't take it the wrong way, it's just that the best stage in town belongs to the owner of this brothel and is in the building next door. And since it also has the best beds in the entire capital of the Steppe State... It's quite obvious for the manager to rent a room here instead of hanging around in bald inns." 

 With that, he winked at him and pushed open the massive door. 

"Here we are."

In addition to the main entrance from the street, the stage room and its adjoining rooms were also connected to the brothel by a small corridor, for the convenience of some patrons who bought a ticket for both establishments at the same time, when a certain type of performance was being staged.

The Five Elements Theatre Company was currently performing there, and as the manager and some of the cast had taken rooms in the adjoining building, the door between the two buildings was not closed.

A large stage, tiered grandstands for the audience and a few prominent balconies for guests of honour were exquisitely integrated into the solemn surroundings of the hall. 

With a whistle, Shuka drew the attention of those standing on the stage and announced loudly:

" Friends, due to the serious illness of one of our main characters, I hasten to introduce our new glorious warrior, er..."

Lowering his voice, he asked:

" What did you say your name was?"

"Cornflower."-said the young man modestly but firmly.

"Cornflower!"

Shuka said loudly and continued with a dramatic wave of his hand: "Welcome, Cornflower, let yourself blossom on this stage!"

And after such a colourful performance, Shuka retired smoothly to the costume room, leaving Vasilek alone with the people on stage.

With a slight sigh, he came closer and said hello personally, to which many people greeted him kindly, and some even came down to get a closer look at him.

 But as his robes hid more than half of his face, even on closer inspection, after a few brief words of respect, everyone went back to rehearsal and he was asked to go to the costume room to change and at least join them in reading from the page.

The wardrobe was as lively as the stage. 

As soon as Cornflower entered, he was grabbed by the elbow and led to the shelves and hangers.

"I've chosen a costume for your rehearsal."

Shuka took a beautiful sky-blue caftan and light trousers to match from one of the racks. 

"Put them on quickly and run to the rehearsal."

But Cornflower was in no hurry to undress, and Shuka hissed:

"Why are you acting like an innocent virgin, come on, hurry up, stop poking around. Or shall I change you myself! You're delaying the whole process."

There was no time for bickering, and Cornflower hastily stripped off his cloak and face cloth, revealing a mop of gleaming golden hair that spread gently over his slender shoulders. 

All the costumers, make-up artists and a few actors who had overheard their conversation held their breath as the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan, except for Shuka, who nodded in satisfaction. 

After waiting for the young man to change, he called the make-up artist over to help with the hair, despite Vasil'ko's remarks that he could do it himself.

When everything was ready, he brought the young man on stage and, requested the other actors to stop rehearsing, asked Cornflower to read from a sheet of paper to reproduce some passages of his role standing on the stage, while he himself went into the hall.

The other actors also gathered in the hall and looked at the newcomer with all their eyes. 

Many of the actors belonged to different races, but they were all refined and beautiful, each in their own way. 

Nevertheless, many looked at the newcomer with the astonishment of people who have suddenly seen a beautiful flower blossom in the shade of weeds. 

Standing on the stage, he caught the eye. And when this flower began to read the role, albeit with a slight stammer, the ears of the audience were filled with a melodious voice. 

As he moved on to the singing part, his voice betrayed a silvery melodiousness that seemed to come from the unknown depths of his soul.

As soon as he finished, the hall opposite was filled with whispers.

"Good, very good." said Shuka to him from the front row. 

"Everybody on stage, let's practise from the beginning."

And like a tiny anthill, the stage came to life, changing scenery, faces and actions. 

Cornflower liked the process so much that the whole day flew by unnoticed. He was blown away by the performance of the other actors, and some of the acrobatic stunts performed during the epic scenes were absolutely thrilling. 

The smooth use of personal energy by the people backstage to change scenery or for the general support of some individual scenes made him believe in the magic happening on stage. 

He didn't leave the theatre until late in the evening, as the stars lit up the sky. 

Wrapped in his cloak again, he felt much more comfortable. 

One of the actors playing a supporting role caught up with him at the door. 

"Cornflower, right? I'm afraid we didn't have a chance to introduce ourselves properly, my name is Noralf. I come from the Northwind Clan."

"Nice to meet you, Noralf."

Cornflower was very tired and not inclined to make close acquaintances, but he couldn't say no. 

Noralf was a very green young man, not even fifteen years old. His dark blond hair was tied back in a tight braid that set off his pointed ears.

"Is this your cat?"He asked, pointing to the cat rubbing against Cornflowers's legs.

"Yes, it's mine." 

Cornflower, who hadn't seen the small, affectionate cat all day, had forgotten about it. 

"I've seen her try to get into the building several times, but she's always been thrown out. You'd better warn one of the managers about her," Noralf said, reaching out to Stipa and stroking her head. 

It was the first time in Cornflower's memory that a cat had let itself be petted by a human.

"Where do you live?"

 Noralf asked, turning to Cornflower.

"I'm new in town, I'm still looking for a suitable place."

"Well, come with me, there's a hotel nearby that has rooms available for our troupe who can't afford to sleep in a neighbouring building. "

He smiled at these words, but the smile was crooked.

On the way, Noralf peppered Vasil'k with questions, which he answered evasively, without going into detail and avoiding direct answers as much as possible. 

Briefly, he told him that he was a penniless traveller and that the manager had offered him a job when he came across him.

"Ah, we have a fine theatre, I'm sure you won't regret joining us. Of course, the circumstances are not very fortunate, I feel sorry for Elving, he also has a beautiful voice, it was necessary for him to catch sand fever, well, at least the peak of the disease has passed and he is on the mend. And after a successful premiere here, we are sure to have a triumphant return home! Once a year, all the departments of the theatre gather at the residence of our patron and Lord, the head of a once mighty clan of an ancient family."

And in a whisper of reverence he added:

"You may have heard of him; his unspoken name is the Scarlet Demon of the East... "

Briskly continuing:

"Than that's when the real fun begins!"

But the young man's reaction disappointed him- he had never heard of living demons. 

And he wasn't particularly interested in the nobles who ran the theatre. 

Cornflower needed to earn money as quickly as possible and continue his journey. 

Subconsciously he could feel the impulses of evil energy from the south-east, which for some unknown reason made Cornflower's heart ache. 

He began to understand his teacher's words that he was firmly connected to the vortex of energy masses of this world.

Instead of continuing the conversation about the powers of this world, Vasilek asked:

"What does the tattoo on your wrist mean? "

He had noticed earlier that almost the entire theatre company had the same tattoo in the same place, including the manager and his assistant.

"Ah, that one? " Noralf raised his hand, revealing his wrist, and smiled sadly :

"It means we were all slaves once."

"?!!!" Cornflower stopped abruptly, his eyes wide. 

Actual slavery was something he was hearing about for the first time.

Noralf continued, looking down at his feet.

"It is nothing to be proud of, of course, I was taken into slavery as a baby. But I was a little more fortunate than the others - my mother was very skilled, and she managed to keep us from being separated at once, passing on the knowledge and traditions of our clan as best she could. Until she died from the hardships of life, I was better off than the other children. After that, I was once again a commodity on the black market, and it was then that I and all the others were rescued by Lord and the Manager. You should have seen how the scoundrels were thrashing and screaming as they burned in the black fire!" 

Noralf's eyes glittered angrily at these words. "After the release, Lord gave everyone the choice of joining him or going their own way. I chose to follow him, of course. Then I passed the theatre selection, and here I am."

He smiled warmly.

"I'm very sorry you've had to go through so much."

"Oh, no,no!"

The young man waved his hands.

"I'm very glad it turned out this way. The theatre is the best thing that could have happened to me!"

After this dialogue, they walked on in silence, each thinking of his own thoughts.

The hotel was clean and comfortable. After a leisurely dinner, with light and quiet conversation, the young people agreed to meet in the morning and went to their rooms.

The following days passed like the blink of an eye. 

Cornflower had no trouble learning his role by heart, and the theatre staff accepted him as one of their own. 

Everyone liked this modest and likeable young man. Some, not shyly, wondered why such a talent had not previously been associated with the theatre. 

Of all those who surrounded Cornflower in those days, only Stipa remained dissatisfied, because she was still not allowed to run in the hall, and had to spend the whole day guarding the front door, when she was not busy with her cat business, lazily warming his side in the autumn sun, waiting for her owner.

On the day of the premiere, there was a real buzz in the hall. 

Everyone had heard about the Five Elements Theatre, famous for its wonderful actors and musical accompaniment. 

As the audience filled the hall, Cornflower was visibly nervous backstage. He was used to the attention of the theatre company, but performing in front of so many people and in women's clothes - no. 

Shuka approached the young man and patted him gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, it's normal to be nervous. Even if you get it a bit wrong, don't worry, I think the audience will forgive you."

And with a gentle smile he went off to cheer up the other actors.

Then there was the sound of drums and brass bands announcing the start of the performance.