On This Unworthy Scaffold by Heidi Heilig

Author:Heidi Heilig
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: 2021-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Act 2,

Scene 13

Back at the Royal Opera House. TIA and ELLISIA sit cross-legged on the stage, playing a card game. There is a small stack of Aquitan bills between them, as well as a much larger stack in front of Ellisia.

ELLISIA: I win again.

She puts down her cards with a flourish and adds the smaller stack of money to her own.

I’d say we should play double or nothing, but we’re already there.

TIA: It was your money in the first place.

ELLISIA laughs, handing the entire stack of bills back to TIA.

ELLISIA: Aquitan money. It’s worth as much as you paid for it, these days. At least winning it back passes the time.

TIA: I’m definitely grateful for that.

Chewing her lip, TIA glances at the door, the way she has two dozen times over the last few hours. With a sigh, she takes the deck of cards to reshuffle. She is dealing when she hears the creak of the stage door. Cards scatter as she springs to her feet.

Oh, thank the gods. There are only so many times I can lose at cards.

CAMREON and CHEEKY slip inside the theater, followed by AKRA. He shuts the door behind them, leaning heavily against it, his hand over the wound at his side. CHEEKY sinks down into the nearest velvet chair, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. But TIA looks at the door, then back to CHEEKY.

TIA: Where’s Leo?

AKRA: He’s caught up in the cordon with the rest of the Aquitans.

TIA: You left him behind?

CAMREON: He wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place!

CAMREON stalks down the aisle as CHEEKY glares at his back.

CHEEKY: He needed to find Xavier.

AKRA: We found him, all right.

AKRA pushes off the door, wincing, then follows CAMREON to the stage.

Can I borrow your knife? I have to get this bullet out.

CAMREON hands over the blade, and AKRA climbs the steps toward the stage. CHEEKY’s expression shifts from frustration to worry.

CHEEKY: Do you need help?

AKRA: I can take care of it. There’s a needle and thread in the costume shop.

He vanishes into the shadows in the wings. Meanwhile, CAMREON starts to pace. TIA glances from him to CHEEKY, wide-eyed.

TIA: What happened out there?

CAMREON: My brother isn’t dead.

ELLISIA: You sound surprised.

CAMREON grits his teeth.

CAMREON: I thought he’d been brought back to life by Le Trépas. But it turns out he’s in the grip of something worse.

TIA: What?

CAMREON: Jealousy.

He sits on his heels, running a hand over his face.

ELLISIA: Well, I could have told you that.

Looking up, CAMREON glares.

CAMREON: I’m all ears.

ELLISIA: What about my concert?

CHEEKY stands, incensed.

CHEEKY: They have Leo! Anything you know could help us get him back!

ELLISIA: My livelihood is made selling what I have. Leo would respect that. So should you.

TIA: What about collateral, then?

She reaches for the violin case, but CHEEKY snatches it away, glaring at ELLISIA.

Cheeky.

CHEEKY holds the violin close for another moment, but ELLISIA raises an eyebrow.

ELLISIA: You’re Cheeky? Raik has plenty to say about you, as well.

CHEEKY wavers, then looks at CAM.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.