“What are we going to do Wainwright?” Lilly unbuttoned her jacket and dropped it onto the stage. She started to limber up.

“Find Leopold and Duffy and bring them on stage.” The leading man scratched his head. “Then you get everyone else off the stage, take the back entrance and get down into the sewers.”

“But…”

“I’m not asking.” He stared at the seamstress. “Get them to the hideout and bolt the damned doors.”

Lilly nodded, hesitant, but ran off stage shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Do you mean for us to stay and fight?” Liza checked the balance of her rapier and gave it a satisfying swish.

“Who else can?”

“Arden knows to help people get away if trouble breaks out. We can hold them off until the square’s empty.” She nodded in agreement.

Duffy and a man in a top hat and gold threaded waistcoat burst out from behind the portcullis curtain, panting and panicking and unsure of themselves. They stopped a few feet away from Liza and gave her an expectant ‘what’s happening?’ frown.

“Wraiths. Someone’s attacked the royal box.”

“Shit me,” Duffy clicked his back. “I heard rumours something was happening tonight, but Hammertongue thought it’d be a riot or some gang showdown.”

The troupe stared at one another, trying to drown out the screams from beyond the curtain and compose themselves. Wainwright flexed his fingers and channelled magic into his hands. Liza waved the rapier left to right gently. Leopold unholstered his pistol and slowly loaded the chamber with six silver bullets, and Duffy began to mutter a verse under his breath.

“Wind’s grace guides me, flow through space, lift my heart and win the race.” A breeze rolled over the stage and the actor began to float, ever so slightly off the wooden planks.

“Are we ready?” Wainwright steeled himself.

They all nodded in unison.

“Duffy, do the honours.”

The bard raised both hands and cupped them together. His clothes began to flap as the breeze gathered around him and when he parted his fists, the curtains blew open and peeled back on the brass rail holding them aloft.