"Hey, I'm Lily," Leo heard her speak. He smiled and stopped for a moment, "Lily, see you around." He then turned around and walked away disappearing into the crowd that was now gathering awaiting the arrival of the circus that was to be in town in a matter of minutes now.
The number of the townspeople continuously increased as many kept gathering at the square chattering with excitement. Not much happened in this small town but when it did it was grand and it was something that brought people together.
The circus always went around towns and could always make stops in between towns. They especially loved coming to Umbra Town and not more than three other towns close by. This was so since in Umbra Town, there was the freedom and diversity of all kinds of people living different lifestyles, people who practiced old magic.
Of course these people did not expose themselves and publicly claim to have these kinds of abilities. That was a reality that they had to guard with their lives. Consequently, it was pretty difficult to find or run across any individual that flaunted with magic publicly.
Lily was somewhat perturbed by the fact that she could not follow up what was happening by the shore. She however dismissed this as a small disruption and something that she could easily take care of later on.
After all, it would not be a difficult task for her to be able to look at whatever it was with the help of Titus. And at the thought of him, she was quite thrilled to inform him of the newest development she had that afternoon.
Earlier they were to go and look for a woman whose whereabouts were disclosed. It sure wasn't going to be an easy task to locate the woman and this they were well aware of.
However, to her surprise it was rather going to be a lucky day for them.
She was not sure about the information but she had a gut feeling that this would be the same woman they were supposed to look for that evening. Standing aimlessly amidst the townspeople in the square made her blend in perfectly with them.
In no time at all, the group quickly began arriving making their way through the crowd and in front of them where there was a clearing that was supposedly their performance arena. Everyone started cheering as the crowd got even tighter.
The performers set up their stage since they moved around with their props. Children ran around ecstatically, many of them getting paintings on their faces and arms. This was the most people Lily was seeing for the first time.
Lily nonchalantly focused on the approaching gentleman within the crowd. Titus made his way through the crowd approaching Lily who was now moving to the farthest end of the crowd. The picture of Titus walking amidst people looked so real yet it was just Lily who could actually see him at the moment.
"My lady," Titus gave a slight bow to Lily. "Our target might just be here," Lily echoed in Titus's mind. Titus glanced back at her and smiled contentedly. He was aware of how powerful Lily was but still he was very impressed.
"I hope you didn't take it off," he noted looking at the pendant that Lily wore around her neck. He figured the only way Lily would have been aware of the presence of the sorcerer was by using her powers.
"Nothing to worry about, you would have felt it if by any chance I took it off," Lily stated walking away from the crowd and into the street blocks. Titus tagged behind and whispered closer to her with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice, "They will be here all night and perhaps travel again by sunrise tomorrow, so we might just be in luck."
Lily thought of her grandmother's concerned nature and how she would eventually get worried if she did not go back to the house for all that while. She had to find a way to ensure that her grandmother stayed safe and did not set out to look for her.
Lily decided to use the best idea she could have in mind at the moment. Chris was the perfect solution for her little worry. "Do you perhaps mean him?" Shifting his gaze towards the crowd they were leaving behind, Titus signaled Lily to one particular person in the crowd.
Chris was standing amongst the people who were watching the circus team perform, and beside him was his mother. She was a very big fan of such events, she never missed one ever since the circus stared coming around the town.
Lily went ahead and made her way back into the crowd. Chris did not at all notice Lily approaching them until she spoke up. It had been a few hours since he saw Lily and she was here right now at the square with them.
Chris was so thrilled to see Lily, and so was his mother. They wondered why Lily was here all alone and not in the company of her grandmother Tabitha. Christopher was most inquisitive since the Lily he remembered was not quite tolerant with big crowds.
"You still like paints right?" Christopher questioned Lily almost embarrassed of what he just said. Before he could go along with his idea of getting his face and Lily's face painted, Lily interrupted him.
"Chris can I ask for a favor?" Lily looked at him uncomfortably. Christopher smiled sweetly at Lily and responded, "sure anything." Lily went ahead and excused herself to step away for a minute with Chris.
Christopher hearing that, looked like there was nothing better to do than go anywhere with Lily. He was excited that Lily was finally warming up to him without him feeling like he was pushing it. There was nothing he wanted more at this moment than to rekindle their old friendship with Lily once more. To him, she was the truest and only best friend he ever had.
"Can you please check on my grandmother, I don't think I will be able to accompany her today if incase she will want to come to the square," Lily continued. Christopher paused as if trying to find perfect words to say.
"Sure why not," he paused and carried on. " And you probably want to...." he hesitated looking at Lily cluelessly. Lily stared back with a more clueless look than Christopher's because at this very minute she had to mould an excuse. After a little hesitation she spoke at once as though she was trying to suppress those words, "...do lady stuff yea."
There was a very awkward interaction after that with countless nodding from Christopher. His expression mirrored his regret of asking a follow up question. He walked away embarrassed shouting from far towards Lily, "I'm going right now," Lily embarrassingly smiled back at him as he disappeared.
"Easier than I thought, he really has a soft spot for you," Titus denoted. Lily didn't say a word and instead eyed the few tents that were constructed temporarily in a curved shape aligning to the wall blocks enclosing the square.
"Patience my lady, it's a little too bright for a visit don't you think?" Titus placed his hand on Lily's shoulder calming Lily who was now wearing a serious look. "I have a bad feeling, we have to act now. There is something by the shore and I fear it might be from the passage I used to get here."
Lily paused and proceeded, " I need you to find out what it is and why it is here. That could be very dangerous for us at the moment." Titus nodded in agreement scanning the crowd with his eyes.
They made their way through the crowd and approach one tent in particular. This tent had a symbol of knitted eyes and a ray of sun above it. They got inside and further inside the tent was a young woman who sat across another woman who was more older than her.
The young woman's voice silently echoed in the tent with a sense of desperation in it, "will he choose me as his bride?" The older woman sitting across her held a crystal ball in her hands on the table between them and had her eyes closed at the moment.
Trails of smoke rose in the air above their face. "You are the fortune teller," Lily's voice sounded from in front of the tent. The woman did not open her eyes at all and answer Lily back," step outside and wait for your turn."
"She doesn't seem to be very welcoming," Titus appeared and stood beside Lily. The fortune teller immediately opened her eyes and gasped with horror in her eyes. The fear she suddenly felt reached her face. "Leave us," she ordered the lady sitting across her.
The lady looked so disappointed and turned around looking at Lily with a mixture of displeasure and sadness at the same time as she ran out. Lily didn't at all follow her with her eyes and instead remained standing on the same spot with a little sarcastic smile on her face.
"Well well I guess I can have my turn now," Lily flashed a sweet smile to the fortune teller. The woman swallowed hard and kept switching her glances from Lily to Titus. "What do you seek from me, I do not think I can be of any service to you. I am just a mere fortune teller," the woman interjected fearfully.
Lily slowly took a single step at a time approaching the fortune teller. "Ooh are you now, just a simple fortune teller?" She smiled at the woman as she spoke. "You might be in possession of some information that might prove very useful to me," Lily bent a little lower towards the table where the woman sat across.
"And you can see him, so you sure ain't as simple as you claim," she continued. The fortune teller amidst glancing back and forth at Lily and Titus froze at the sight of the pendant around Lily's neck. "You are...," she didn't get to finish the statement as she got from the chair she sat on and dropped, kneeling on the ground with her face down. "At your service my lady," she voiced without lifting up her head.