Arla took another deep breath. On the up side, the gate hadn’t opened that she’d noticed. It seemed Rayth had at least taken her threats to heart. Or, at the very least, hadn’t deemed her worth coming after.
	[i]Unless he’s taking a less direct rout.[/i] The thought crept into her mind. She looked behind her again, half expecting to come face-to-face with the red-eyed boy. But, of course, only empty field met her.
	Legs itching for action, she stood and moved to step back around the train cars toward the fence. But the motion made it feel like someone had tilted the ground under her feet. Scowling, she put a hand on the metal of the car to steady herself.
	Whatever she did, she’d have to wait for [i]that[/i] to wear off first.
	Keeping one hand on the car as much as possible, she moved around to the side of the train facing the fairgrounds. She took deep, slow breaths, hoping the clear air would help chase out the effects of the smoke.
	She walked along the train, trying to get a feel for the size of the fairground. Further ahead, she could make out where the fence turned at a corner of the grounds. Its wood turned into mesh fencing to keep intruders off the train tracks, marking where one area ended and the other continued.
	She turned to head back toward where she’d started. With the way she’d acted, she suspected getting Rayth away from the others now would be difficult, especially if he had stayed at the afterparty. If she couldn’t get him out, then somehow, she needed to get a message to the ringmistress. She had to warn her that…
	Arla paused and ran a hand down her face with a soft groan. [i]Warn her of [u]what?[/u][/i]
	She doubted telling the woman that she had a vampire in her circus would do anything besides have Arla dubbed as certifiable. As quick as she’d come to accept it, she knew how difficult it would be for anyone else to swallow.
	Maybe, if she diluted the truth just enough, leaving out the vampire bit, she would have a chance of getting through to Frieda. But then, if they were really all like family, all it could take was a single appalled denial from Rayth to overrule her accusation. She had, after all, just shown up out of nowhere, while Rayth had had his place among them established for who knows how long.
	But she had to at least [i]try[/i] to warn Frieda, even if she wouldn’t take her word for it. Which meant she’d need another way back in. That, and a way to get the woman alone without going back to the afterparty.
	She glanced up to the tent tops rising well above the fence. The Big Top was an option. Perhaps she could find a worker somewhere around there willing to request Frieda’s presence for her. 
	All the thinking was starting to make her head ache. Though, she supposed, it could just be an aftereffect of the incense. Hopefully from her reaction to it starting to wear off. 
	She passed the gate she’d come through. All she had to do was find another entrance. Another gate fairly close to the Big Top would be nice, but she supposed if she absolutely had to, she knew a spot where she could make it over the top.