The Merman & the Firebird
The most common name on the flyers was The Carnival at the Edge of the World. The most common name among the troupe was The Cobweb.
But to Argo it is always and simply Here.
Seven years ago, a half-mer snuck out of the waves and ran away with the circus. It was less than a fortnight before he discovered the circus had – in fact – run away with him. Now Argo is one of Ringmaster Verdandii’s prized exhibitions, trapped within a lonely oasis in the largest desert in the world. Within the colourful tents Argo and his fellow menagerie of creatures and human freaks alike quarrel, bargain, ally, and betray in hopes of unlocking their ringmaster’s mercurial and closely guarded combination for freedom.
But then the firebird arrived.
Beautiful, vicious, and only an animal. No chance to have walked, no debts to pay.
A home to return to.
A home on the other side of a desert, littered with the bones of those who tried before.
