The middle worlders left to shadow me are doing an abominably bad job of being circumspect. They stalk me as I meander from one food stall to another, though I have no intention of eating anything. The night is full of lights, colors, and scents, and I am alone. This is the first time I have been truly alone in a long while. I don’t dislike solitude, but I am wary of how close it skews to loneliness.

“Are you buying?” a stall owner asks me hopefully. I shake my head, give him a smile, and move on.

The red-bearded middle worlder is so close that I could turn around and scream into his ear if I so wished. I don’t, though. That would be too easy and too messy. You need not always bloody your hands to win a fight.

Three quarters of an hour pass by with them tailing me around the food stalls. Do they think I am unaware of their presence? Maybe they simply don’t care. Maybe they want to intimidate me. Hmm. What do they see when they look at me? Prey? And if they catch me, what will they do? Drag me to their master? And what will he do? Force me to give up the star embedded in my palm? How? Will he torture me? The same way he tortured Taraana?

I turn and look at the red-bearded, not-human man. He is surprised by my gaze for a second, and then he smiles at me. In his smile, I see another man. One I thought I never would see again. I guess it is true what people say. You never forget the shape of your monster, no matter how much time passes since the last time you saw him.

The fear I feel is bigger than I am. It is darker and more malicious. But I am stronger than it is. I will always be stronger than it is.

I smile back at the red-bearded man and show him all my teeth. His smile withers at mine. Heh.

I could stretch out this strange play, build it up before letting the cards fall into place. But the night is aging and my girls will worry if I take too long. So, I plunge into the crowds, abandoning caution entirely, and lead my pursuers on a merry chase before I emerge out of the area where the food stalls are and into the space belonging to everyone else. Musicians, storytellers, entertainers, and a vast array of other entrepreneurs have set up shop in all available space here except one.