Beyond Illusion Sherri L. King Prologue “I need you to fly to Vegas this afternoon and catch the opening of Vincent Darque’s new touring magic show. Then I’ll need the final review from you no later than press time tomorrow.” Ellie Waterhouse looked up from her cluttered desk to meet the eyes of her editor-in-chief. She winced at the look of pure determination written across the older woman’s features. “Lindsey, why don’t you send Jon? He’s really into the whole magician…thing. I bet he’d love to go.” “That’s precisely why I’m not sending him. I’ve heard that this show of Darque’s is going to be one of the best of its kind ever performed before an audience and I want to send my most down-to-earth, jaded and cynical—that would be you—reviewer out there to see it. I want our readers to know exactly whether or not this Vincent Darque is all he’s cracked up to be. If he can convince you that his illusions are real, then you’ll give him a fair review. Jon would just gush praise all over him and waste our readers’ time.” “You sound like you already expect me to give Darque a bad review,” she said, while quickly gathering her things. Ellie knew it was hopeless to try to talk her boss out of the trip, when the woman was so clearly bound and determined that she should go. “I don’t expect anything but that you write your review fairly and with your usual panache. Whether you like this show or hate it, it’s one of the biggest events this year, and our readers will listen to you before they decide to part with their money to go and see this guy. You’re all that stands between our readers and what could be a big waste of their time and money. Their fate is in your hands, my dear.” Lindsey wiped away an imaginary tear. Ellie laughed. “You always get delusions of grandeur when you drink too much coffee, Lindsey. Okay, I’ll go. As if I have a choice. But could you please try to keep Jon out of my office while I’m away? The last time you sent me out he came in here looking for—well, he says he was looking for some paper clips—and he left my office in such a mess it took me the better part of a week to get it back to normal.” Lindsey looked around the room, at the paper-cluttered desk, the overflowing trash can and the various books and magazines that littered the area. “Yes. I can see how that type of thing could put you off your stride,” she said, her voice laden with sarcasm. “ Don’t be cute, Lindsey. This is my mess. Mine. In this delicately balanced ecosystem, I know where everything is and where everything goes. But when Jon or anyone else comes in and rearranges the ecosystem, it takes a lot of hard work to get it back this way.” “Oh, how my heart bleeds for you,” Lindsey quipped cheerily. “Now, here are your tickets for the flight and for the show. Your flight leaves in an hour and forty-five minutes. You’ll land in Vegas around eight o’clock. The show is supposed to start at nine, but I suggest you go straight from the airport to the hotel where the show is playing because there’s bound to be a line a mile long. I’ve booked a red-eye flight for you out of Vegas at two in the morning, which, if you sleep on the plane, should afford you just enough rest to come in promptly at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. And don’t forget—I want this review on my desk before the magazine goes to press tomorrow afternoon. Got it?” “I got it, I got it. Sheesh, you’d think I’d know the procedure after working here for four years.” “Enjoy the show.” “ Wow, thanks.” Sarcasm fairly oozed from her, but she hurried out the door just the same. It was nearly rush hour, and in the middle of Atlanta, Georgia, that could be an adventure all its own. Chapter One It was ten after eight when Ellie stepped out of her hired cab, and sure enough, there was practically a mile-long line that led into the Pharaoh’s Tomb, Hotel and Casino. On the billboard situated above the entrance to the casino, in gigantic neon lettering, the Pharaoh’s Tomb proudly announced the opening show of Vincent Darque, Illusionist Extraordinaire and his new show, Darque Dreams. Though it was well past sunset, Vegas seemed as bright as noon with all of the flashing lights of the strip twinkling down on her. The electric wonderland of Vegas had a magic all its own and Ellie suddenly found it difficult to tamp down on the rising excitement within her. She was about to see one of the most famous magicians in all the world, and even her skeptical heart raced at the thought. In these moments before the show began, all things were possible. Purse and briefcase in tow, she crossed the busy street and joined the throng of fans that meandered out of the casino lobby. The crowd was like a living, writhing thing, moving to and fro with the shifting of thousands of appendages. After being jostled about for several moments, Ellie was more than eager to make her way into the casino’s amphitheater, where the show would begin. There were a few disadvantages to being only five feet three inches tall, and one of them was the surety of being swallowed up in a large crowd of people, bumped and nudged around by those that were lucky enough to be taller than she. She rubbed at the sudden ache in her temples and tried to overcome the urge to snap at the people crowding around her. It was total chaos as the doors to the indoor amphitheater finally opened and everyone rushed to their seats. Ellie glanced at the ticket in her hand and was relieved to see that the seats were assigned and that she would have a decent view of the stage. It took several long minutes for her to find her way to her seat, and by the time she did she was chagrined to find herself situated behind a much taller woman with very large hair. Luckily, hers was an aisle seat, and by leaning a little to her right she would be able to get a better, if somewhat crooked, view of the performance. Ellie blew a stray lock of limp hair out of her eye and lamented the fact that she hadn’t put her heavy tresses up before the show. The temperature of the monstrous room was a little warm thanks to the thousands of bodies that crowded within it, and not even an army of climate-controlling air-conditioning units was going to change that. She fanned herself with the program flyer she’d been given at the entrance, hoping that she would manage to cool off during the show. The audience members chanted for their god of the hour, repeating the name Vincent over and over again like a mantra. Adults and children alike were anxious for the show to begin, and unashamedly vociferous in their demands. The noise was like thunder, beating its way through the theater. Ellie could feel it in her chest like a giant heartbeat, heady and thrilling. Then the lights went out, and a deep swell of darkness swallowed the room. The audience quieted and held themselves in a collective state of readiness. The show was about to begin. The sexy, erotic play of a double violin thrummed into the quiet stillness. The orgasmic release of music made the audience members gasp collectively, and Ellie was no exception. It was a greeting, a welcome into another world. A world where the rules that governed reality need not apply. The violin played for the audience, warning them to leave their skepticisms at the door and open their hearts to the magic that was to be revealed. Ellie could have listened to the ethereal music all night. But the show was only just getting started. The music swelled. The stage was flooded with lights and the audience was whipped up into a frenzy of cheering voices. Never before had Ellie seen such a spectacle. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to encounter at this performance, but it surely wasn’t the mass hysteria one would normally find at a rock concert. The crowd rose from their seats, stomping their feet and clapping their hands, almost drowning out the beautiful, mournful wail of the violin in their excitement. Suddenly there came murmurs of awe from the crowd and, as one, they raised their faces skyward. Ellie couldn’t help it, she too looked up and was shocked to see the figure of a man shoot through the air overhead. He was flying! Ellie tried and failed to see any harness attached to the man, though she knew that it was surely impossible that there wasn’t some sort of suspension cable keeping him in the air. The man flew at the stage, neatly turned a double somersault in mid-air, and dived toward it. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet as the crowd roared its approval, and bowed gallantly. When he rose, Ellie got her first clear look at his face. She caught her breath. It was Vincent Darque. His name, Darque, fit him as no other ever could. He was tall, at least six-five, with black hair and black eyes. He was powerfully built, leanly muscled with strong, broad shoulders, a narrow waist and long legs. Dressed all in black, with shining calf-length boots, tight pants and a flowing poet-style shirt, he looked a lot like a pirate. The rakish silver hoop in his ear only added to the effect. His black hair was short, but unruly, and a thick lock fell over his right eye, making Ellie’s fingers itch to run through it. She’d seen pictures of him in various magazines and on television specials, of course, so she’d expected him to be an attractive man, but nothing could have prepared her for the powerful presence he commanded on the stage. Vincent raised his hands and motioned for silence. The audience immediately fell still and took to their seats once more. “ Thank you all for coming tonight. I am Vincent Darque and I’ve got some special things to share with you. Some of you have been to my shows or seen my television specials, while others of you are here with me for th...
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