Le Cirque Navire

by Chele Cooke

  He knew the look in his sister’s eye, the way she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. He lowered the gun as she took the flask from Jack and turned it over in her fingers before handing it back. He’d spent his entire life making sure nobody looked at him like a criminal. Yet here was his sister, the disbelief as plain as anything he had ever seen.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she announced. “Look, Lachlan, the man who took you is coming. We need to get out of here. They’re not going to let you live knowing what you’ve seen.”

  Lachlan raised the gun and pointed it back at the man, shaking his head. He wasn’t about to run away. He was the victim. He’d taken that stuff because he was tricked, because he was forced. He’d done nothing wrong. People would understand that.

  They had to understand.

  “No, we’re not going anywhere.”

  “Lachlan…”

  “No, I told you. We’re taking down that cirque. The orders came through. They’re attacking at dawn. I’m taking this murderer in and then I’m leading them straight back to that ship.”

  “Lachlan, please listen to me,” Hadley cried. “The cirque won’t be there at dawn. They’re leaving. The ringmaster announced it when he opened the gates. It’s shutting at…”

  Jack checked his watch.

  “Now,” he said. “It’s closing now. It’s midnight.”

  “They’ll be gone before you get there, Lachlan.”

  “I don’t care what you say, Hadley.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. You’re hurt!”

  “I’m not weak!” he shouted, the gun trembling in his grip. “No one will ever look at us sideways again once I do this!”

  “Is that all you care about?” she cried back. “How people look at us?”

  “That’s all I’ve ever cared about! Keeping you safe from them!”

  Lachlan screeched as Jack grasped Hadley by the shoulders and pulled her back. Fury screamed in his head in unintelligible rage. It was not this deserter’s job to protect his sister. It was his job. It had always been his job.

  “I’m glad they left!” he snarled. “I’m glad I didn’t stop them from going! They were criminals. I won’t let the same thing happen to you.”

  Blood thundered in his ears, breaking the silence as Hadley stared at him. She pried herself from Jack’s grasp, stepping closer, never breaking his gaze.

  “You… you didn’t stop them?” she asked.

  She was so quiet and cautious that for a fleeting moment all he could see was the little girl he’d watched sleeping that night. She had been so innocent. He’d sworn he would protect her from anything that would take that innocence away, whatever it took. Lachlan gulped.

  “Lachlan?”

  Lachlan lowered the gun.

  “I was awake,” he said. “I knew.”

  “Knew?”

  “That they were leaving. I heard them talking about packing. It was planned.”

  She took half a step closer, seemed to think better of it, and rocked back on her the balls of her feet. Opening and closing her mouth, she stared past his head at the doorway into his bedroom.

  “They were criminals, Hads,” he said. “They’d been hiding out here. When the coalition realised who they were they ran. The transport wouldn’t take children and so… and so they left us.”

  Lachlan wasn’t sure he could take the silence. His body itched with it, the weight of it too heavy against his skin. He wanted her to scream. He wanted her to hit him. Anything would be better than this.

  The deserter stood up straighter, keeping his position in the doorway as he met Lachlan’s gaze over Hadley’s shoulder.

  “I’ll go with you,” he said. “If it gets you both away from this house, I’ll go with you to the station. They won’t follow you there. They’ll need time to strike the show. If we hurry, you might be able to get troops to the ship before it leaves.”

  Lachlan looked back at Hadley. She stared at the floor, tears creeping down her cheeks. Gulping, he nodded.

  “Fine, we’ll go.”

  A thwack made him jump and Jack crumpled before them. He hit the floor with a heavy thud and Lachlan lurched for Hadley as a tall man appeared in the doorway.

  His dark red hair fell in a long ponytail over his shoulder and he held the gun as if he’d been born with it in his hand. When he smiled, Lachlan was sure he’d seen it before.

  “If you don’t mind,” he drawled. “I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere just yet.”

  Jack touched his head. Bringing his hand in front of his face, he reassured himself that at least he wasn’t bleeding, and sat up slowly. Pain thumped past his temple, nauseating him. He rested his shoulder against the doorframe as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It didn’t do much good. Nausea rose into his throat as he gagged and forced the bile back down.

  Marcus stood above him, the gun in his hand. He swayed it idly between Hadley and Lachlan as he glanced down.

  “Still with us, Jack?” he asked. Amusement wove through Marcus’ voice and the vile taste that tried to push its way into Jack’s throat wasn’t pain, it was anger.

  Grasping the doorframe for support, Jack pulled himself up a few inches. Marcus took a step to the side and planted a foot against his stomach.

  “Why don’t you stay down there? Wouldn’t want you getting any more stupid ideas.”

  “Stupid ideas?” Jack asked quietly. “What stupid ideas would those be?”

  Marcus chuckled, soft and throaty. His gaze didn’t waver from Hadley and Lachlan and his grip on the gun tightened.

  “That you thought you could walk away,” he said. “No one walks away.”

  “Who are you?” Lachlan demanded.

  The soldier had moved forwards, pulling his sister behind him. He kept a hold on her arm behind him as he straightened before Marcus.

  “The illusionist,” Hadley murmured. “He tricked us when we went to get you.”

  Marcus brought three fingers to his forehead and swept his hand out in a mocking salute.

  “Marcus,” he corrected. “It is my job to let people see what they want to see, young miss.”

  He paused and glanced at Lachlan before looking back to her. He smiled in a way that Jack didn’t like, though he couldn’t place exactly what it was that shuddered through him.

  “For you, that was incredibly difficult. I hope you appreciate the effort that went into it.”

  Hadley stepped out from behind her brother and, though Lachlan tried to hold her back, she swept his hand aside and stood in front of him instead.

  “Difficult? Why?” she asked.

  The mocking smile faltered. He stared at her and rolled his head back, stretching out his muscles.

  “Because, above everything, you want the truth,” he said. “Most want lies. Pretty lies, I grant you, but still lies.”

  Lachlan, it seemed, had had enough. He grasped Hadley by the shoulder and yanked her back towards him. Marcus’ aim shifted immediately, pointing the gun between Lachlan’s eyes.

  “What do you want?” Lachlan demanded.

  “Well, certainly not you,” Marcus replied. “It’s your sister I came for.”

  Jack grasped the doorframe again. Watching Marcus to ensure that his attention didn’t waver from the Tack siblings, he slowly pulled himself up. He wasn’t stopped as he got to his feet, still clinging on for balance. His head throbbed and complained.

  “I’ve already said I’m not going,” Hadley said, her gaze flickering to meet Jack’s. “He said I could choose, and I choose to stay.”

  Leaning forward, Marcus smirked. He indicated to Lachlan with the gun.

  “And I choose whether you live or die, Miss Tack,” he replied. “A choice that will depend very heavily on your own decision. You choose to stay here and you will die alongside your brother.”

  A flush of anger coloured Lachlan’s neck and cheeks at the same time as the blood drained completely from his sister’s face.

  “I believe Mr.
Hatliffe made his decision not to free your brother very clear.”

  “You can’t,” she breathed. Her hand shook as she reached for her brother.

  “I can.”

  It was too much. It had all gone so wrong. Jack had never seen Hatliffe react to a problem like this. He’d known through rowdy jokes around the cookhouse that Marcus could be vicious if he wanted but he’d never thought him capable of murder.

  “Marcus, stop,” he said, pushing himself off the doorframe and stepping further into the room. “What are you doing? This isn’t you.”

  “Shut up, Western. I was told to bring you back but, if I have to, I will take you in a body bag.”

  “What the hell has Hatliffe done to you?” Jack asked. “He’s destroying all of us. Annalise died because of him. He doesn’t care.”

  Marcus gaze flickered to meet his for a fraction of a second. He raised an eyebrow.

  “Is that what’s happening?” he asked. “Or is all this magic stuff an illusion? Prone to paranoia, I’ll bet. Isn’t that right, Western?”

  “Marc—”

  “Just shut up, Jack,” Marcus snapped. “It’s time for the girl to decide.”

  Hadley gulped and clung to her brother. She looked so young as she stared at him desperately, as if he could give her the answers. He couldn’t think of anything to say to her. She looked like the child he’d seen in the photos. She was innocent and she wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready to die.

  With no further distractions, Marcus glared at Hadley and moved the gun to point at her.

  “Well?” he asked.

  It was horrible to hope that she’d change her mind, that she’d decide to save herself. He’d only known her a day, he didn’t know her well enough to even begin to tell her what to do. He stayed silent, hoping that she wouldn’t throw her life away.

  “I’m not leaving my brother,” she said.

  Jack’s heart sank.

  “So be it,” Marcus said. He cocked the gun.

  Jack waited, cringing against the crack he knew would come. Hadley stared back at him, defiant for a fleeting moment before fear set in. Marcus didn’t shoot. Lachlan wrenched his hand from his sister’s grasp and turned in a slow circle.

  His gaze didn’t land on anything or anyone. Swiping his hand in front of his face, he peered blankly across the room.

  “Marcus,” Jack asked quietly. “What are you doing?”

  “Lachlan?”

  Hadley touched her brother’s shoulder and he either didn’t feel it, or he paid her no mind as he moved away from them, making his way around the couch.

  “Marcus!” Jack snapped.

  Marcus barely looked away from Hadley.

  “Nobody will be suspicious.”

  “What?” Hadley asked. “Suspicious of what?”

  “The captain is rather rigid in his beliefs about how people should act,” he said, grinning and tapping his temple. “He couldn’t handle the fact that he slipped and let it tarnish his perfect reputation, so he took his own life. Sad, really, that people put so much stock in what others think of them.”

  Hadley stared at Marcus, her mouth open. She shook her head.

  “You can’t!” she breathed. “What… what are you showing him?”

  Marcus waved the gun in Lachlan’s direction.

  “What he wants to see,” was all he said.

  “Marcus, stop, you can’t do this. Don’t make her watch this!”

  “She made her decision. Devastated by the loss of her brother, she’ll follow him soon enough.”

  Hadley screamed and launched herself forwards, a slew of obscenities streaming forth. The gun pressed against her chest as she clawed for Marcus’ face. Jumping forwards, Jack grabbed Hadley around the middle and pulled her back.

  “I’ll kill you!” Hadley screamed, struggling against his hold. “If you hurt him I’ll—”

  “I won’t hurt him,” Marcus snarled. “Weren’t you listening? He’ll hurt himself.”

  Jack glanced over his shoulder at Lachlan as the man continued to wander through his own living room as if lost. He swept at the air in front of his face, trying to clear it away. It didn’t take much to know that Marcus had created something that blocked the rest of them out. They could have jumped in front of him and he wouldn’t know they were there.

  “What about when you come back without me?” Hadley snapped. “What will your boss think then?”

  For the first time since entering the house, something that resembled pity settled on Marcus’ face. It didn’t last long and he gave a dismissive shrug.

  “We’ll find another. We always do. Do you think you’re the first to deny your gift?”

  “He’ll kill you for causing a problem!” Hadley hissed back. “Just like you’re killing Lachlan!”

  She twisted against him again, trying to wrench herself from his arms. Jack held her tight. He wanted to tell her to calm down but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. How could he ask her to be calm as her brother searched for his death, the very thing she had seen?

  Jack’s gaze flickered to the gun and up to Marcus’ face. Had that been the gun she had seen? She’d called it beautiful before, and this one didn’t look special in any way. She’d said… Jack blinked and glanced over his shoulder at Lachlan. She’d said that someone else had shot him in her vision. If Marcus truly intended for Lachlan to take his own life, then either her vision was wrong, or this was not the time the captain would die.

  “I have only done what I was told!” Marcus snarled.

  Lachlan rounded the other side of the couch, coming up behind them. He went to the doorway and paused. They all watched with bated breath as Lachlan finally seemed to see something. He crouched. His fingers brushed against the smooth metal of the hipflask. He lifted it and turned it over in his hands, all attention fixed on it.

  This wasn’t right. Jack had seen the tattoo spread across Hadley’s skin. She had Annalise’s gift and he’d never known Annalise to be wrong in a prediction. This couldn’t be the way Lachlan died. Would he survive Marcus’ intentions only to discover his sister had been killed? Jack’s grasp on Hadley’s waist loosened.

  “You said you wouldn’t leave your brother,” Marcus continued. “I gave you your choice.”

  “Stop!” Jack cried. “Marcus, stop!”

  Marcus looked at him, his eyes narrowed. Lachlan got to his feet and unscrewed the cap of the hipflask. Lifting it to him, he sniffed the contents and let out a sigh.

  “Marcus!” he cried again. “Please, listen to me. You don’t need to do this! You shouldn’t be doing this.”

  Whatever hesitation Marcus had felt at his plea disappeared again and he rolled his eyes.

  “She said she won’t leave him!”

  Lachlan took another sniff, longer this time. His expression melted into a dead bliss.

  “Don’t kill him!”

  “Shut up!” Marcus snapped.

  “No, listen to me.”

  Jack shoved Hadley out of his grasp and went to Marcus’ side. He laid his hand on his shoulder. Marcus jerked his arm out of his grasp and took a step away.

  “She won’t leave him,” Jack repeated desperately. “So don’t kill him… Bring him with us!”

  Hadley lurched for her brother and grabbed his wrist, wrenching the flask from his hands.

  “What?” Marcus asked.

  Jack took a steadying breath. It was a long shot, he knew, but what were the chances they’d find someone else like Hadley within the next few jumps? What happened to the gift when the carrier died? Hadley had already been experiencing hints of it before Annalise died, what if there was no one else? He had to hope that Hatliffe would realise that keeping her was more important than losing her just because he hadn’t suggested it.

  “Hatliffe wants Hadley, right?” he asked. “She never said she wouldn’t come. She said she won’t leave her brother. Keep him alive and we get both of them.”

  “He doesn’t want the brother. What can
he do with him?”

  Straightening up, Jack gave Marcus a sneering smirk.

  “Well, for one thing, before the next hitch, I’m pretty sure you’ll have a position on the Advance team free.”

  Hadley screwed the cap back onto the flask and slotted it in her back pocket. If Marcus tried to make Lachlan go for it again, he would need to show her to her brother, which would hopefully help her persuade him to stop. She had no idea whether it would work but at the moment it was the only thing she could think of. Stepping close to Lachlan, she touched his shoulder and tried to catch his gaze.

  Lachlan brushed her off easily. He didn’t look at her or even seem to acknowledge that it was her hand he had brushed aside. Wisps of fog appeared and disappeared around him and as he turned in another circle, brushing the mist from the air, Hadley suspected that it was how Marcus was keeping him incapacitated while he listed to Jack. She’d seen his tricks before, flicking in and out of existence as she somehow slipped past the veils of his manipulations. As Lachlan took a step away from her, Hadley dragged a chair from his path and placed it against the wall. She could at least stop him from hurting himself accidentally whilst he was lost in the fog.

  “Even if Hatliffe wants another Advance man,” Marcus said, lowering the gun. “Why would he accept a soldier? He already knows too much.”

  Jack glanced at them. When his gaze met Hadley’s he gave her a small reassuring smile that, while before would have warmed her stomach, did not comfort her in the slightest. She looked away from him, turning her attention onto her brother.

  There was a pause and she could still feel Jack watching her. He let out a frustrated huff and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn back to Marcus.

  “He’s coalition,” Jack said.

  “Yes, Jack, congratulations on that fine deduction.”

  Hadley glanced over to see Jack roll his eyes.

  “If we have someone coalition, he can help you avoid trouble,” Jack explained in exasperation. “Think about it. You get checked on a fuel stop, he can talk to the soldiers. He joins the Advance and all he needs to do is pretend he’s from one of the other areas of a city.”

  “Hatliffe will never go for it,” Marcus said.