February turned to March, but outside of the calendar, one could hardly tell. The days remained cold and they had some snow in the swamp where the swamp remained half-frozen with ice. Giovanni thought there was no time like the present so he first taught Leonora, that is, he taught Harley the expression that March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. He trusted her completely to know when to use that expression. She had proved her sense about that sort of thing as well as her comedic timing was much better than his.

The second week in March was not much better than the first, so again Giovanni thought there was no time like the present. He gathered Gabriella, once he got her away from the cooking fires, and he got Constantine, Madigan, Baklovani and Titania together with Madam Figiori and said he did not know how long his errand might take.

“What errand?” Constantine asked.

“Where are you going?” Titania wondered.

“You found a new act?” Madigan guessed.

“A new act. Yes,” Giovanni said. “And I need you people to keep things together while I am gone.” They all laughed a little because when did everything stay together? “Constantine. Seriously. You need to keep Nicholi, Gregori, and Rosa working on the swings, but under no circumstances are they allowed up there unless the net is beneath them.”

“I understand.”

“Madigan…”

“They fly through the air with the greatest of ease. I think Marci has the song perfectly.”

“She has a lovely voice,” Titania agreed.

“Just keep Sir Brutus in sight if he wakes. Don’t let Vader cut anyone and tell Rostanzio that he may be magnificent but he still needs to practice, and maybe come up with something new. Don’t let Rugello burn down anything while I am gone and watch out for Piccolo’s practical jokes. Tell Leonardo and Marta not to worry. I suppose it was inevitable that Marta’s mare should become pregnant. Leonardo and his stallion have a few tricks still, so we will make it work.”

“But where are you going?” Titania wondered.

“Far away,” Giovanni said as Leonora grabbed his arm.

“Not without me,” she said and gave him a hard stare.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said and stared right back at her. “And I’ll be taking Oberon with me. Does Needles have the tent ready?” He asked Oberon.

“All set, and Sibelius has the reinforced fence up,” Oberon said. “ But it is going to take some extra work to carry that fence around with us.”

“Understood,” he said and dismissed the group, though he kept Oberon with him and asked Madam Figiori to stay. Leonora was not going anywhere without him. Madam Figiori kindly did not say anything until Giovanni seemed to have a hard time finding the words.

“Will you be traveling as Nameless or Junior?” she asked, referring to the gods he had once been.

“Junior,” he said and took Leonora’s hands. “I’m going to borrow someone from the past to transport us instantly to where we need to go.”

Leonora looked at him and trusted him completely, but she shook her head. She did not understand what he was saying.

“This is not my first rodeo,” he said, and she grinned, knowing the expression. “In the past, I lived as different people, though still me” He paused. He honestly did not know how to explain it.

“You lived before?” she asked. “You have other lives—lifetimes?”

“I have. And I can borrow them sometimes when there is something that needs to be done that I cannot do myself.”

“I don’t understand that part. How do you borrow other lives?”

“Still my lives. Still me, just a different me, if you follow me.”

Leonora looked down at her hands in his. She shook her head again. “I am not aware of having other lives.”

“No. Most people don’t. It is once to die and after this the judgment.”

“But…”

“I don’t die. Well, I get old and die, but not all the way. For some reason I get put into a new womb and nine months later I get born all over again.” he looked at her hands and when he raised his eyes she raised her eyes with him and looked deeply into his eyes. “Very disturbing when it happens, too,” he said.

“But… You are not kidding are you?” She looked at Oberon and Madam Figiori and asked them. “Why are you not saying anything?”

“We know all about it,” Oberon said.

“Our people have known the Kairos for thousands of years,” Madam Figiori said.

“Kairos? Wait. Your people?”

“I’m an elf,” Madam Figiori said plainly and removed her glamour of humanity so her ears and all could be clearly seen. Leonora surprised them. She merely nodded like it was something that now made sense to her.

“And Needles and I are dwarfs,” Oberon added.

“I know you are little people…”

“No. Dwarfs.”

“But you don’t have a beard. In all the stories, dwarfs are bearded.”

“To my shame,” Oberon said and stuck out his chin. He rubbed it. “See? Smooth as a baby’s bottom. I can’t grow a beard. My fellow dwarfs asked me to leave.”

“And you sometimes glimpse the future,” Leonora said. Her eyes shot to Madam Figiori as she thought things through. “I bet the other elves did not like that.”

Madam Figiori looked down. “It is true.”

“And Sibelius?” she asked Giovanni and he answered.

“Half human. three eighths troll and one eighth ogre.”

“I thought so,” she said. “And you have lived before?”

“Lord Giovanni is our god,” Oberon said without thinking. “But he doesn’t like the G-word so it is Lord or Lady when he lives as a woman.”

“You have lived as a woman?” That shocked Leonora.

“Yes,” Giovanni said and turned on Oberon. “I wasn’t going to tell her that part right now. And as for the G-part, sometimes you need to keep things to yourselves,” he scolded Oberon and turned to Leonora. “It isn’t what you think.”

“You don’t know what I am thinking… Do you?”

“No. No idea what you are thinking,” he said and she grinned. “I just did not want to scare you off, er, because of how I feel about you.”

“Yes. You should explain that part, about how you feel.” Giovanni shook his head so she continued. “Anyway, given the way I feel, it is going to take a lot more than strange tales to scare me off. I’m not leaving… but I do have a question.” she paused to think it through. “Why are you telling me this? I mean, is this something everyone knows? Who else knows?”

“Only you, as far as I’m aware. Of course the little ones know.”

“Little ones? Oh, you mean the elves and dwarfs.”

“And others. Not going into details right now. Anyway, I wanted to tell you so I can take you with me to India.”

“The faraway place,” Leonora said and smiled at the idea.