Three Rings of Chaos: An Abigail Everlaine Mystery

by Candra Kylar

  “Are you done?”

  “You’re letting me get away with that? Marvelous! Let’s talk about your aversion to commitment and how it’s likely rooted in the dysfunctional marriage of your parents. How your brother became a woman more beautiful and elegant than you could ever hope to be. Oh! How your best friend is a decoration piece and still has more respect than you can rummage up”, she went on in elation.

  I resisted the urge to zap her where she stood, “I need your special skills. Think of it as a merger of two witches who could both use the business.”

  “Do we need to go back to the aura of complete failure that surrounds you? There’s nothing you could offer that I would want”, Cecilia flicked me on the nose, “now run along and spread your legs for someone’s ex-boyfriend.”

  “I’m not talking about your lackluster magic. I’m talking about your...other job. A high profile client that could give you more gold than you could dream of. He has a deep pocket and you love those.”

  “Go on”, she dared.

  “Vander Voldini makes a lot of money and has a circle of investors who could use your...talents...to unwind. We both know how much you love using a paddle on a rich man to humble him. I can make the introduction and get you into the circus with me”, I offered, “but I need you to grab a note that he has.”

  “So I get thousands of gold in business in exchange for a free freak show performance and some crummy note? How do you gain in this?”

  I went on, “That note has some magic I wouldn’t recognize. It’s a binding stone. I’m sure you’ve come across it and you proved with Derek that you can manipulate a man to get forbidden knowledge. Put your skills to the test.”

  “Mmmm but that would end up helping Dimples and I hate her. Seeing her mocked for eternity makes my missing back tooth that she kicked out feel such relief”, she rubbed her cheek, “and it’s solid revenge.”

  “Ethan is having a rough time under Braeden’s care and has been escaping to Dimples for a few months now. It’s his safe place and she helps him become more confident”, I countered.

  This melted the ice, “He really misses her?”

  “He’s trying to research her origins and has been personally invested”, I said, “and I don’t want him trying to become some internet vigilante to smear the circus. He’s already using the back web which I’m not thrilled about.”

  Cecilia leaned on her doorframe, “I’ll meet you at the circus tonight. No way am I being caught dead in your company for longer than I have to be. If you’re lying about the potential client list I could gain…”

  “I’m not. You’ll have happy whoring for years with the investors he has built up.”

  “Dominatrixing with a side business of pleasurable release”, she corrected me, “and our business is done. I’ll see you there at seven before the performance starts.”

  I wanted to shake on it, to put a caster’s honor on the deal, but she refused. Cecilia didn’t play by the rules and wouldn’t hold up her end of the bargain unless something was in it for her. I couldn’t understand her compassion for Ethan considering she once used him to barter with the local court of vampires. Still, it had worked and she would be fulfilling the end of her bargain. If she was successful in her pursuit, then I could walk away with the formula to undo Dimple’s binding. All I would need is that one slip of paper to erase the control that he had on her. Ironically enough, this plan could save Dimples from a fate no one deserved. It was a saving grace on the wings of a greedy prostitute.

  Eight

  I was playing with fire dangling Cecilia Blaine in front of a powerful circus tycoon. Even worse, they could both choose to team up and really deliver a hard arcane punch my way if the mood fit them. There wasn’t much I had going for me in this case. If I wanted to deliver Dimples from that twisted performance every weekend for eternity, I would have to deal with the fire. I’d even have to flash a smile to convince Braeden that everything was under control. Abigail Everlaine, witch turned werewolf, private investigator with all of her swans in a row. I could see each one poof away into a princess before me and leave the lake for greener pastures. Cecilia had a motive and it wasn’t just her benevolence for Ethan.

  Braeden had worn a simple button down and jeans for that night’s performance. He even reluctantly agreed to forego his motorcycle and allowed me to drive my understated car. Roaring in on his wheels would only give us unwanted attention. For a real change of pace, I had on a simple pair of khaki dress pants and a silky pale pink blouse on the conservative side. A pair of flats adorned my feet and I was comfortable enough to run yet still look good. Vanity would never evade me. Braeden was sullen the entire ride to the circus, to that town which had that great learning center no one would shut up about, to our rescue attempt of a dear friend. Hopefully, this would be it.

  Elizar had tried to convince me to stay home and wait for reinforcements. Namely him. He didn’t like that I could dangle myself in front of danger without his backup powers to keep me safe. I brushed that off quickly with a sharp reminder that I was fully capable. He held back any comment. As much as he cared about me, I had to be able to stand on my two feet, even if I was struggling the whole time. The credit card he gifted me remained locked at home with a stubborn refusal from myself to only use it in a dire emergency. I still had a roof over my head and a call would come through any day for a complex enchanting job. Gold would come and go.

  I thought about the power of money and how easily it has swayed the investors of Voldini’s circus. They were willing to look the other way on morality so long as their pockets would be lined with a sizable payout. What money they put in, they surely got back tenfold. I noticed how the show was packed and how many people cared little about possible enslaved performers so long as there was a good spectacle. A freak show. They wanted to feel better about themselves by laughing at others. I put a stop to that frame of thought, remembering a time when I would have went to the circus and enjoyed every second of the spectacle. There was a time when I cared about nothing...but here I was. Dimples. Those feelings were real. I may not be a good girl with altruism part of my daily practice, but I was working on it.

  “You’ll let me maul Voldini, right?”, Braeden asked.

  My eyes went wide, “I’m hoping we can expose him as a fraud and get him arrested. No need to let the culprit die during EVERY major case of mine.”

  “Yeah but this one’s personal.”

  “They’ve all been personal to me, Brae.”

  He growled, “Sorry. I forget that this has been a shitty year for you.”

  “That isn’t true”, I dared a sidelong glance, “a lot of good things happened after my premature death. We became friends.”

  “Then I betrayed your feelings and misled you into a pseudo mateship because I’m an idiot”, Braeden remarked, “and then dragged you into my pack drama.”

  “Ethan is family to me, too. You’ll sort things out with him so long as you keep your mouth in check.”

  “I haven’t changed my stance on that. I won’t”, Braeden grumbled.

  “And why the hell not?!”, I pulled over quickly, frustration in my voice, “Why do you care so much if Liam had the binding with Ethan and they have a ceremony to celebrate that with everyone? You can’t be that backwards!”

  Braeden chuckled, “That what you think?”

  “I don’t know WHAT to think about you anymore, Brae.”

  He ran a hand over the scruff along his chin, “Ethan is my responsibility. I didn’t sign up to be his father-substitute and I’m too damn young to be that anyway. I’m less than a decade older than him! This wasn’t what I wanted, to have this kind of a duty to fulfill. I just wanted to mend, run my clinic, and let the whole community just leave me the fuck alone. Then Ethan came along…”

  “Don’t you blame him for your frustrations and lack of life goals.”

  “I’m not! I wouldn’t trade knowing Ethan for anything. The kid is a real Gods-send and keeps me settled wh
en patients get my blood boiling”, Braeden said, “and then along came Liam with his damn inner wolf that bound right to this shining beacon of stability in my life. Then they’re fucking, swooning over each other, and Liam takes on all of these jobs so he can be the big man and get them a house.”

  “You’ve helped Liam buy into the auto shop. I remember that. Aren’t you happy that he has such a strong work ethic?”

  Braeden pounded his hands on my dashboard, “They’re fucking eighteen years old! They’re kids! What the hell is the Godsdamn rush? Why do they have to get married right now when they have their whole lives ahead of them? They could be stuck on our shit territory forever because of this!”

  It all sunk in. Braeden wasn’t homophobic or disapproving of a wedding between Ethan and Liam because they were a gay couple. I felt ridiculous to even assume that knowing how open minded and rational he was. It was more of a guardian thing. He felt responsible for Ethan and, in a way, Liam as he also didn’t have a father around. He wanted them to embrace their youth and travel, to experience things before settling down. I could understand that. I felt relieved that one of my closest friends wasn’t a complete asshole. Deep down inside, he had a heart of gold that bled for Ethan and Liam. He wanted the best for them and just didn’t have the right words to say it.

  “Why don’t you tell Ethan and Liam this?”, I asked, thickness is my voice.

  He ran his hands over his face, “Because I suck at words. I suck at any kind of emotional one on one. I don’t like having the talks, it’s why I didn’t want to be alpha, and I’m cool with people thinking I’m a dick. Ethan usually knows better. He just hasn’t given me the benefit of the doubt with this and…”

  “It hurts”, I finished for him.

  “Time should sort this out.”

  “When we get back to Crestwood, let’s all sit down and have a talk. I’ll help. That’s what friends are for”, I said soothingly, “to be your words when you don’t have them.”

  “That’s...thanks, Abbie. I don’t deserve you.”

  “I’m a real blessing. Now let’s go steal Dimples and destroy a circus.”

  We pulled up to the big set of tents and I noticed a few vendor stands in the background. What looked to be a few carnival rides, include a rickety roller coaster, skimmed the back area. This wasn’t there before. In just one night, the look had changed. Even the stripes on the tent had went from a strange green color to a screaming red. I nearly jumped at the sound of laughter and the piped in music. Vander Voldini knew how to please a crowd. A fire eater, most likely a caster, entertained the masses as they all filed into the grand yet expensive spectacle. Rynna giving us these tickets saved me from using that credit card of Elizar’s I kept locked away. As soon as the show ended, we would head to the residential tent.

  “Look who made it”, called that sickeningly sweet voice I loathed so entirely, “Abbie the talk of Crestwood. You’ll excuse me if we don’t exchange pleasantries. I met the nicest man in the parking lot. Sitting in the private investor’s box instead of the nose bleeds some unemployed mess like you could afford. Enjoy the show from the common area!”

  Cecilia was putting on her role, slutted up in a dress that was practically transparent, golden hair near platinum in the light. A fumbling man full of sweat and adorned in a suit that was too tight for his body had an arm around her shoulders. Her greed and her mission kept Cecilia from shrugging him off. She did this job all too well. Braeden looked at me as if to comment and I put a finger to my lips. We didn’t need to put all of our cards on the table when Vander could have plants anywhere in this crowd. I was happy enough that Cecilia showed up and would do her part. Whether she got me the formula from his office or not was another thing. I just needed to have that hope to get up my nerves. What was I so afraid of? I felt ready to crawl out of my skin lately and I couldn’t explain why.

  “Abbie! Dr. Stedwell!”, cried an all too familiar voice from the crowd, “I came with Amaris! Family time!”

  No, it couldn’t be. Not after I had promised Rynna that it would just be Braeden and I. Out of everything that could have happened, I didn’t expect my mother to tag along with my sister. How she had gotten tickets when the show advertised as sold out was beyond me. Still, there she was pulling Amaris in tow, Ian flickering in and out behind her. My traitor guardian spirit who had ditched me when I needed him most. I really wanted to lay into him. He took one look at me, whispered something to Amaris, and then disappeared before I got the chance. One of these days, I’d give Ian an earful that not even an escape into the spirit world would save him from. As usual, Amaris looked smug. She always had that look.

  “I didn’t think we would find you in this crowd”, my mother took in a breath.

  Amaris looked around with disinterest, “Yay, a circus full of slobbering people chancing their life on badly assembled rides. Stupidity reaches an all time low.”

  “Nice to finally meet your sister”, Braeden held out his hand to her, “Braeden Stedwell. Your sister saved my life.”

  She looked at his hand, rolled her eyes, and shook, “And you had copious amounts of sex with her, right? Not a good standard to set for a first client. I never have sex with mine.”

  “That’s because they’re dead, right?”, Braeden asked.

  Amaris managed a smirk, “Let’s hope they stay that way. I take it you two are here to retrieve your friend? Good luck. Vander may be a two-bit carnie turned capitalist but he’s got powerful magic behind him. Elder Fae. The really dark kind.”

  “I’ve been up against Elder Fae magic before”, I reminded her.

  “You shouldn’t make a habit out of it”, she said dismissively, “we’re going to find our seats. Watch your prostitute friend. She’s getting too comfortable with that Council member and isn’t nearly bright enough to talk her way out of that entanglement.”

  “We’ll find you after the show”, my mother squeezed Amaris’ hand, “have fun, kids!”

  Fun wasn’t going to be in the cards for us. I would have to sit through another show where my best friend was put on display for the amusement of others. She would be ridiculed and I couldn’t make a scene if I were to get her out. Braeden was already waiting to tear a few throats out himself and wouldn’t be as patient. I knew his blood was boiling from the encounter and each setback would only press the wolf inside of him to do some damage. Rynna didn’t need that. She was sticking her neck out to help us, to give me that moment with Dimples, a chance to convince her that this wasn’t her future. I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt in this investigation. Too many of my big cases ended in blood shed. Braeden kept close to me as we piled into the tent. I didn’t like how familiar it had all felt.

  On the high rise in the investor’s box, Cecilia had circled her arms around an investor while he placed kisses on her breastbone. I could see her working in the shadows as she kept her eyes alert for Voldini to appear. She had a big fish on the line and would toss off the investor that got her into that prime seating. Amaris had been too quick to discount my rival’s talents. One didn’t weave their way through the top brass of the Council, get a lenient jail sentence for an Elder Fae possession, because they weren’t clever. She had walked away unscathed from something that could have led to her execution. More than one man in power had heard her plea. I was hoping that she’d have no trouble pulling the wool over Voldini’s eyes.

  The show started with the sea muck, sliding around in his goo as he honked away a greeting to the crowd. His teeth were sharp but he was amusingly friendly. Clapping his fins together, he bounced a ball expertly on his bear muzzle as coins were tossed down. There was something almost adorable about the bear/seal hybrid. It was much better than the cat with the spider’s limbs that sent a chill down my spine. I could actually watch a sea muck play with mild enjoyment, despite the trail of slime he left in his wake. After his performance, Max the werewolf sharing two personas, came out for his fight. It made Braeden tense next to me. I knew what he was thinkin
g: this could be either of us if we didn’t have the family support. Max was a victim of being packless and without options. He fought like he was in a corner.

  It hurt to see him mumble and plead to his inner wolf, a separate being, someone he couldn’t control and was terrified of. There wasn’t an easy friendship there. I hoped that Rynna would come out early to calm him but, sadly, she was nowhere in sight. It made sense that they would change up the show a little after the last performance. It would make returning visitors feel enlivened. It would give them some new thrill that they kept chasing. For each summoned portal beast that Max fought valiantly, the crowd cheered. For each blow he was delivered, they gasped. Then he shifted and it got brutal. People looked away, Braeden leaned forward.

  “You can’t jump down and help him”, I said quietly.

  “I could level those beasts with the rage building inside of me. Just you watch”, he promised.

  “We can’t make a scene. You know why we’re here. If this works out, we can come back for Max”, I looked away, “although I’m not sure he’d be willing to leave. Something about what Rynna said. You know, how society wouldn’t give them a chance.”

  “Society gave us one.”

  “Because we fought tooth and nail for it”, I countered, “and it still isn’t easy. I’ve lost my share of clients along the way.”

  “If you need some kind of financial help…”

  I held up my hand, “Don’t. Elizar already stubbornly passed off a credit card which I’m refraining from using unless starvation comes knocking.”

  “I may not have his money but you’ll never go hungry so long as I’m alive”, Braeden stared at me intently, “and I’m not stupid enough to wait for you to ask. I’ll lock you in my kitchen and won’t let you leave until you eat.”

  “Business will pick up.”