A commotion up the aisle turned our attention that way. The entire Sparrow Syndicate swaggered down the hall, grinning from ear to ear as they waved at the other patrons.
“Hiya!”
“Anybody wanna buy some wallets?”
“Where’s the food?”
A stifled snort escaped me, and Marc cupped half his face in his hand. Henry sat up and glared at his companions, raising his voice so the whole amphitheater could hear him. “Keep your voices down, you idiots! You wanna get us kicked out?”
“We was only trying to sell some stuff,” one of the boys protested as they reached the row at our backs.
Pandemonium erupted as they all tried to be the first one through. The boys climbed over each other and even the chairs above and below their row. Their efforts resembled a messy wave of humanity as they tumbled over to us. A few even crashed into Henry in their attempt to crowd around him.
He clapped his hand over their faces and shoved them away. “Watch it!”
Marc smiled at the crowd as they fought over the chairs and nodded at the doors leading into the auditorium. “You might want to sit down before you’re sitting down in the street.”
I saw what he meant. The burly guard from the front door had appeared at the top of the aisle. His arms hung at his sides, and his scowl had deepened. A faint red light came from his palms.
The boys shrank beneath such a sight, and they scurried into the nearest chair. Henry fell back into his chair and grinned. “So, ever been to one of these, sir?”
“All the time,” Marc replied.
“Really?” Ben wondered.
“Of course!” Jimmy chimed in as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Seastorm can blend in with anyone and any place, and he’s not afraid to spend a dime on it, either!”
“So not you,” one of the other boys piped up, and the rest of the group burst into laughter.
Their outburst earned them more dirty looks from the rest of the audience. Ben sneered at a gaggle of five girls just behind them. “What are you looking at?”
One of them smirked at him. “I don’t know. Magic has yet to explain it.” Her friends giggled at the quip.
Ben’s friends were so empathetic to his plight that they joined the girls in their merriment. Ben sank into his seat, red-faced and pouty-lipped. The rest of the seats were soon filled, and the lights dimmed so only the stage was lit.
A handsome gentleman walked to center stage and bowed low to us. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are grateful to every single one of you who has come out to listen to the beautiful voice of Lady Dolios. She has performed many times on this stage, but she never tires of seeing all of your eager faces-”
“Just bring her out!” someone behind us shouted.
The corners of the man’s mouth tensed, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, well, as I was saying, I am proud to announce the fantastic talent that is Lady Iris Dolios.” He clapped as he backed up off stage, and the rest of us followed suit.
The lights dimmed to a single spotlight that zeroed in on stage right. The curtains rustled before a woman slipped out from behind them. The room erupted into cheers and thunderous clapping.
My eyes widened as I beheld her flawless skin, her perfectly kept raven-black hair that trailed down her back and swayed from side to side as she walked toward the front of the stage. She wore a silky white dress with strips of glistening jewels in a snake-like coil around her body. The gemstones sparkled beneath the light as she stopped only a few feet from us.
She bowed her head, and the room quieted. “Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you coming out to see me, and hope I won’t disappoint.”
“You’ll never disappoint us, Iris!” someone yelled.
Her smile widened. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now allow me to give you what you’ve all paid for.”
She opened her mouth wide, and a melodious voice floated out. The notes dipped and rose like a softly running stream. The words reverberated in my soul. I felt lifted up. Alive.
And maybe a little bit envious, too.
Marc leaned close to me and spoke in a whisper I barely caught. “You sing better.”
“And you’re not so loud,” Ramaro chimed in.
