by Trudi Jaye
“Please, Rilla?” His voice was low, but there was urgency in his voice that made Rilla look directly into his eyes.
There was a flare of heat, but she brutally stamped it down. “Just so we’re clear, I will do anything you need me to, if it relates to the Carnival,” she said sternly. “I will teach you to be the best damn Ringmaster in the world. But don’t expect me to forgive you or forget what you’ve done. Okay?”
Jack smiled up at her, small dimples on the sides of his mouth flashing in the light from the caravan. “I’ll take it. When do we start?”
Rilla had to remind herself to breathe.
***
“Thanks for this.” Jack glanced at Rilla as she strode along the hospital corridor next to him, her expression stern. “I know this wasn’t quite what you meant when you said you’d help me.”
Rilla shook her head but kept walking, her frown creating a straight line across her elegant features.
Something about the geometric lines of her haircut, matched with her high cheekbones and startling eyes, meant her frowns served only to make her seem mysterious, not unattractive.
Jack shook his head. He didn’t understand how she did it, but she was utterly intriguing.
It had hit him like a ton of bricks after he’d kissed her, and since they’d made love, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. Unfortunately, since then, he’d also managed to do everything possible to make her hate him.
His father was right. He’d gone for so long without dating that he was out of practice, and it showed. He was going to have to work hard to get Rilla to like him again. Or even look at him without scowling.
His plea for help wasn’t entirely untrue. He did need help. But from his perspective, he was more concerned about getting back into her good graces. So far, it seemed to be working.
But instead of their first lesson in Ringmanship, for which she’d been studiously punctual, he’d requested she visit Blago with him. His father had been sending increasingly agitated text and voice messages to his mobile phone and being mysterious about why.
Jack needed to go sort it out, and he needed another voice to add to the calming influence. Rilla had raised her chin and reluctantly agreed, the fire in her eyes blazing for a moment before it was banked beneath her studiously calm exterior.
Jack stopped at the entrance to Blago’s room and indicated Rilla should go first. She hesitated then walked into the hospital room ahead of him.
Blago was sitting up in his bed, a tray of food on the hospital table. He still looked pale, his eyes dark wells in the middle of a pallid face. But it was the stiffness in his posture that put Jack on the alert.
His heart kicked up a beat. “What is it, Dad?”
Blago glanced to the corner of the room behind the door, and Jack followed his gaze. An attractive older woman sat on the hospital-issue chair, her tanned legs peeking out from under a bright blue dress that matched her eyes. She had a self-assured expression on her face, and her long, blonde hair flowed in perfect waves over her shoulders.
Whoever she was, she had upset his father.
The woman smiled up at Jack, her eyes sharp in the fluorescent light of the hospital room. “You look just like our father,” she said. “Right down to those brown eyes of yours.”
She stood and held out her hand. “I’m Lucietta. Your Aunt Lucietta.”
Jack froze in the middle of putting out his hand. “My what?” he said, startled. He shook his head. He must have heard wrong.
Lucietta smiled at Blago, who had tried to put up a warning hand.
“She’s my sister, Jack. My little sister,” said Blago.
“I can see my brother is still ashamed of his family,” said Lucietta sharply before smiling at Jack. “I heard about your attempts to become Ringmaster and thought I would come see for myself.” She glanced back at Blago. “And to make sure my brother was okay, of course.”
Jack looked at his father, trying to understand what the hell was happening. Where had this woman come from?
Blago cleared his throat, looking at Rilla standing next to Jack. He raised a hand in her direction. “Lucietta, this is Rilla. Abacus’s girl. The one I told you about.”
Lucietta turned her gaze on Rilla, her pupils sharpening slightly. “Abba’s girl, eh? Who was your mother?”
“Luci,” said Blago sharply. “Give it a rest.”
“Just making small talk,” she said with a shrug. She held out her hand to Rilla. “Always lovely to meet anyone from the Carnival. And to meet Abba’s girl, well, it’s an honor.” Her tone implied it wasn’t much of an honor at all, and Jack felt his hackles rise. He could see why his father hadn’t mentioned her.
“Lovely to meet you, as well,” said Rilla, her voice firm and no-nonsense. Jack almost smiled. She’d never be intimidated by such a weak attempt at an insult.
Lucietta turned to Jack and held out her hand. Finally putting his hand in hers, Jack gave her a firm handshake. “Glad to meet you,” he said.
“I bet you are. We share a secret, I hear.” She winked at him with an unnatural kind of joviality that made him uncomfortable. It was like she had studied hard to learn how to be friendly but was about half a beat off in the delivery.
He was having a hard time keeping the frown off his face, and alarm bells clanged inside his head. “And what secret would that be?” he asked.
“Your blocking. Blago says you’re showing all the signs.”
Jack eyed his father. He’d forgotten about the claims they’d made after Kara’s wish. “What signs?”
“Not hearing the wish was a big one. Drake’s boy Frankie coming out of his caravan is another. He couldn’t do that unless there was a blocker around, no matter that the others are probably blaming poor Rilla here.” She sent a little parody of a sad face in Rilla’s direction before continuing. “You’re probably feeling surges of emotion and perhaps times where it feels like your whole body is being run through with electricity, correct?”
Jack tried to ignore his racing heartbeat. He didn’t want this woman to be right. Her sharp edges and nasty comments were grating on his nerves. Even worse, his body was itching, an irritation emerging all over. He was barely restraining the urge to scratch at his arms until they bled.
“Oh, and that feeling you have right now?” she said, a smirk emerging at the corner of her mouth. “The one where you feel like you’re one big flea bite? That’s what happens when two blockers get together. It’s like we’re two negatives unable to be in the same space for long.” Lucietta tipped her head to one side. “I’ve never been this close to another blocker before, but I’ve heard about it.”
“He’s not fully functioning yet, Luci,” said Blago.
“If he’s not, then he will be soon. I can feel it.” Lucietta looked back at Blago. “I can barely control the urge to scratch his eyes out, let alone my own.”
Jack took an involuntary step back, trying to rid himself of this woman and her stories.
Lucietta laughed. “That won’t fix it, boy. We’ve got to be much farther apart for us to feel better.”
Rilla stepped forward into the gap left by Jack. She positioned herself between them, as if she could protect Jack from his aunt. It didn’t make the itching stop, but it did make a countering warmth spread through his body.
“You’re a blocker? You can tell us about what will happen to Jack if he becomes one, too?” Rilla focused all her attention on Lucietta.
“Oh, he’s going to become one, all right,” smirked Lucietta. “And all he needs to know is that he can kiss the Carnival good-bye. It’s lucky he didn’t want to be there in the first place.” Lucietta flicked her hand at Jack. “People will become angry and resentful because you make them ordinary again. They don’t realize how much they rely on being special until they’re not anymore.”
Jack caught a glimpse of an inky well of sadness and grief inside his aunt before it closed up and hardened over. “When did you come into your talent?” he asked
. Perhaps she was only like this because of her talent.
“I was your typical Carnival teenager. I turned sixteen and it emerged right away. Everyone was so good.” She turned to look at Jack. “They tried at first.” Then she stared at Rilla. “Abba especially.”
“But?” There was always a but.
“It just got harder and harder as my powers grew. Instead of looking forward to turning eighteen, I was dreading it. Happily, I was thrown out because of my darling older brother before that ever happened.”
“What happens at eighteen?” Jack glanced at Rilla, then back at Lucietta.
“Your full powers come into force,” said Rilla, absently answering Jack’s question.
“Why didn’t I get my full powers when I turned eighteen?” asked Jack.
“You have to be part of the Carnival. You have to be involved in the Gift, participating in weaving the magic.” Rilla turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed. “If you really are a blocker, you’ve been with us long enough that your full powers will emerge soon.”
“And what will that mean?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met a full blocker before today.” Rilla shrugged her shoulders.
Lucietta laughed, a mirthless scuttle across her throat. “I can tell you what it means, Jackie. It means you will take away everything the Carnival means to everyone who lives in it and leave them ordinary. And believe me, they will hate you for it.”
Jack felt as if the once-secure ground beneath his feet was starting to crumble, yet again. Would he really become a liability? Would it all be taken away from him just like that?
He stiffened. When had he stopped wanting to leave? When had being part of the Carnival become so important to him?
This was crazy. He was more than this, more than the Carnival. He’d survived his whole life without it. And he would do so again if he needed to. “So, what happened? Where did you go?”
Lucietta glared at Blago, a bitter twist to her face. “I was foolish enough to help my brother. I believed in true love back then, and when he came to me and begged for help, I gave it to him.”
“You helped him break the Gift?”
She nodded. “I thought we’d be forgiven because it was the right thing to do.” She gave a harsh bark of laughter. “I was wrong.”
“I didn’t know, Luci.” Blago put his hand out, then let it fall again. “I thought it was my burden to bear. I didn’t know you and Mom and Dad would suffer, too.”
“So you said. Over and over.”
“So, you left? You didn’t want to be around Dad?” guessed Jack.
She nodded. “I got the hell out of there. I couldn’t bear the lovebirds. I’d been ripped away from everything,” she paused, glancing at Rilla, “and everyone I loved.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“We’ve searched almost all the cars in this lot, Rilla.”
“I know. But we have to be thorough. We can’t stop now.” They’d been searching for three days now. It was a long, arduous process, but she’d been so sure they would find what they were looking for among the cars of the Carnival.
“Maybe I was wrong about it being someone from the Carnival.” Kara stood with her hands on her hips, looking out at the cars.
Rilla brushed her hair off her face and tried not to focus on the cars they still had to search. “As much as I don’t want to find out it’s someone I know, it makes sense.”
“Have we checked all the cars from the Nine?” Kara asked the question softly, her expression kind. She knew how hard it was for Rilla.
Looking down at her list, Rilla frowned. “Alfie, Viktor, Tami. It’s not Jack or Blago. It’s not me. Frankie we’ve checked. That leaves Christoph and Garth.” Her heart skipped a beat. Garth, her closest friend, or Christoph, her second father. “It won’t be either of them.” She flicked a grin at Kara. “But I don’t want you accusing me of favoritism.”
She glanced around, looking for their distinctive cars.
Kara just watched her. “What do they drive?”
“Garth has an old Beetle. Bright red. He likes to live the clown stereotype, says it makes him feel more normal.”
Kara smiled. “Somehow, that fits.”
“Christoph is a little more traditional. He has an old blue pickup truck. He usually parks over…” Rilla walked along the lot and paused near where Christoph had been parking his truck. The space was empty. Tapping her foot, she considered the spot. “He could have gone to visit Blago. They were getting on well, and everyone has been trying to keep Blago’s spirits up while he’s in the hospital.”
Kara nodded. “Will Blago be out soon?”
“I think so. Jack and I were there this morning, and the hospital staff talked to him about it.” They’d left soon after meeting Lucietta. Jack had been shell-shocked, and had withdrawn into his thoughts on the way home. They’d found out more about blocking in five minutes with Lucietta than they had from anywhere else. None of it had been good.
“What about Garth’s car?” Even as Kara asked the question, a little red Bug turned into the makeshift driveway behind the Carnival.
Rilla lifted her arm in greeting to Garth, and he pulled up beside them.
“You wanted to see my car?” he asked through the window. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, but his mouth was a thin line and his hands were clenched on the wheel. Rilla swallowed. He was very angry.
“Where have you been?” she asked, trying to smile at him.
“I was in town, picking up a few supplies,” he said, his voice grim. “I decided to come back and see what you and Kara were up to.”
Rilla felt like banging her hand against her head. Of course he knew something was going on. She hadn’t thought this through properly. It couldn’t be him. He was too connected to the Carnival and the Mark to do anything that would harm it. But now he knew they’d been suspicious of him. No wonder he was so angry.
But, not knowing of this connection, Kara had the opposite reaction. His words had clearly made her suspicious. “How come you knew we’d be here?” She glanced at Rilla, her thoughts clear on her face.
Garth shrugged, and Rilla saw his hands clench tighter to the steering wheel. “A hunch.” He knew immediately that Kara was suspicious of him. It must be burning at his insides. Rilla cringed.
He’d been annoyed that she was spending time with Kara, but now he was livid.
“We’re just checking to see that everyone is properly registered,” said Kara. She flicked a quick look at Rilla. “I’m friends with Deputy Fordham, and he asked that we do a check. Regulation.”
“Does he often deputize civilians? That sounds illegal.” Garth’s voice held a dangerous edge and if Rilla didn’t step in, he was going to say something he’d regret. Kara lying to him would be grating on his nerves like a violin solo being hacked out by an amateur.
“I’m sorry, Garth. I’ll sort it out later. Don’t stress.” She grabbed Kara’s arm and dragged her all the way back to her caravan, refusing to answer Kara’s attempts at questions. As soon as they arrived, Rilla slammed the door behind them.
“What was that about?” asked Kara.
“Do you want a coffee?”
Kara nodded. “Sure. Now tell me why we raced back here.”
Rilla took a deep breath. “I don’t think it’s Garth, but if it is, he was acting suspicious of us,” she said, improvising madly. “He’s one of the Carnival leaders. If it’s him, we can’t let him know we’re hunting him, and if it’s not, he’d be pissed if he knew what we were doing.” Rilla poured hot water into their cups and handed one to Kara, then sat down opposite her at the table.
“Maybe—”
The knock at the door made them both jump.
Rilla stood and walked cautiously to the door.
Jack stood at the bottom of the steps. “Hi, Rilla,” he said. “May I come in?”
Rilla glanced at Kara. “I have company.”
Kara immediately stood and came to the door. “But
I can leave, if you guys have something important to discuss?”
“It involves your investigation. You should probably stay.”
Rilla hesitated then stepped back, allowing Jack to climb the stairs. She didn’t want to let him in, but his words were enough to pique her interest. Kara moved to one side, letting Rilla and Jack stand in the center of the narrow space.
“I thought you’d want to know,” said Jack. “I’ve just been talking to Barbarina.” He hesitated. “Christoph’s gone. He left a note saying he was leaving, that he wasn’t good enough for Barb. She’s beside herself.”
Rilla blinked, not understanding what Jack was saying at first. Then it hit her. “You think Christoph could be the saboteur?” It felt as if someone had punched the air out of her lungs.
Jack hesitated then gave a small nod. “It looks like it might have been him. He asked Barb to forgive him.”
“It must be a coincidence,” she said. It couldn’t possibly be true.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” whispered Kara.
Rills shook her head, trying to understand it. Her father and Christoph had been best friends. They had spent hours together every day, had grown up together.
“You think he did it all? The glow writing?” she asked in a low voice. Her whole body thrummed with tension. “Martha? The food poisoning?” A vision flashed of a deeply upset Christoph watching as Barb, only just recovered from the food poisoning, helped Kara up on the ribbons. Rilla felt bile rising up her throat.
“We really don’t know anything yet, Rilla. Maybe it’s not even him,” said Jack quietly.
“What did you say to Barb?”
“That we’d try to find him.”
Rilla swallowed hard. “I have to talk to her.”
Jack glanced at Kara. “I said you would go and sit with her while I talked to Deputy Fordham. Whether it’s Christoph or not, we need to find him.”
Rilla nodded. “Kara, do you mind? I think it will be better if I do this alone.”
“Of course. I’ll head home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kara grabbed her bag and headed out the door, taking the steps carefully. Rilla watched until Kara lifted one arm to wave before she disappeared around the corner of a caravan at the end of the row.
