by Trudi Jaye
“In the meantime, we’ve got a whole heap of logistics to work through. Henry’s been working hard, and we think we’ve got the lighting situation sorted. We’re going to create another layer of ice over the current level and freeze lights under there, giving us that extra glow we were after for some of the acts. We’ve got the generator sorted. He’s used super-light metals and the new plastic he created where he can. So that’s all a go. Now we just need to work on our midnight moonlight theme. Does everyone know what they have to do?” Viktor looked around at the group, who were all nodding.
“Have we got enough material to create a blackout in the tent?” Missy looked curiously at Tami, who had volunteered to project manage the decoration as well as the food.
Tami smiled. “Sure we do. We found an old black tent, kept in storage from the turn of last century. Never been used since but packed away so carefully we don’t even have to make many changes. The inside of our Winter Spectacular tent is going to be black as night.”
They all grinned at each other, knowing how good it was going to look against the lights.
“And the food?” Viktor looked at her expectantly.
“Even better. It will be cold, even colder in the tent, on the ice. We’re selling only hot food, soup in a cup, hot chocolates, roasted chestnuts. I’m thinking of having a fire out front to do s’mores.” She paused and looked around uncertainly. “Jack also asked us to look at merchandise for the show. He gave us a budget, so I sure hope he comes back with the money. We’ve got scarves along with matching gloves and beanies. All in black with the moon looking down over a solitary female figure.” She glanced over at Missy. “No pressure, Missy.”
Missy rolled her eyes. “Not hardly. Geez. I feel the need to go and practice again.”
Garth smiled, knowing she’d just come from a three-hour session. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t muck it up.”
Everything was going well with the planning for the performance. Garth closed his eyes. If only they had the money to pay their creditors. Their bankers. Anyone. He felt a headache pushing up from the base of his neck and rubbed his face. If Rilla and Jack didn’t come back from Vegas alive and with the money they’d gone there for, they were completely screwed.
***
Maddy looked at Garth again, but the dark glasses clasped firmly to his head still blocked any sense of what he was thinking. Last night he had been… eager. Intense. He’d wanted her to stay. Now he was distant, remote and… kind of mean.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked hesitantly.
He glanced at her, the mirrored surface of the wraparound sunglasses reflecting her image in duplicate. “No. I’m fine. Viktor just wants to show you the Carousel. To test it out.”
She did a half run, trying to keep up with his longer stride. She’d never noticed he walked so much faster than her before. He’d always matched their strides so perfectly.
“Is it a special carousel?”
There was a long pause, and again it was like Garth didn’t want to talk to her, like he was struggling with some new feeling of dislike. Maddy felt her stomach twist. She didn’t understand what was happening. It was like he wasn’t the same person.
“It was built by one of the original Nine. It’s very special to the Carnival.” His voice was flat and clipped.
Maddy frowned. Was he bipolar? Maybe he had another personality hidden under that calm exterior? Had he stopped taking his medication? She shook her head. None of it fit. Garth was just backing away from her, running in the opposite direction with a speed that was disconcerting.
She didn’t bother trying again. She’d already been rebuffed several times. She knew when to take a hint. She pursed her lips and skip-hopped beside him, trying to understand why the hell he was insisting she ride the Carousel, at the same time acting like a jerk.
The main street of the Compound called to her the way it had the first time she’d walked it. She loved the way the houses were tucked into the trees, some almost invisible from the outside. It created a whimsical atmosphere that fit the natural surroundings.
They rushed along the main street, Garth lifting his hand a few times in silent greeting to those they passed. Most people looked at them with a kind of expectant expression, and Maddy started to feel like a goldfish in a bowl. What did they know that she didn’t?
“Is this some kind of practical joke? Are you going to try and make me sick on the carousel?”
Garth raised his brows in her direction, momentarily distracted from his bout of surliness. He snorted out a laugh. “What on Earth makes you say that?”
“The looks we’re getting. Your grumpiness. Making me ride a carousel. None of it makes sense.”
Garth came to an abrupt halt on the footpath. He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself. He flashed a crooked smile that was somehow sad at the same time. “It’s actually a kind of a treat… to ride the Carousel. It’s an antique. I don’t remember a time that we’ve ever pulled it out during a winter season, but Viktor wants to test it. I’m rushing us over because he wants to start at a certain time, and knowing Viktor, he’ll start without us.” He looked at his watch. “We really need to hurry.”
He gestured for her to precede him down the path, but his longer strides soon overtook her smaller ones, and she found herself dawdling along behind him again.
She was lost in contemplation of his big, thick skull when they came over the rise that lead to the practice field, so she didn’t immediately see the Carousel.
When he stopped, she looked over to where he was staring before flicking her gaze back to him. And then she looked back again to catch another glimpse of the most beautiful mechanical Carnival ride she’d ever seen. It was the colors of the sea, from the frothiest greens to the deepest blues and everything in between, with dancing figures roaming around a central stem coated in multicolored reflecting mirrors. She didn’t know where to look first, on which creature in the middle to place her attention, which mural on the outside to capture her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
She felt rather than saw Garth’s surprised glance in her direction, but she was already walking forward, lost in the awe she felt for this wonderful creation. “More than beautiful. It’s magnificent.” She felt an immediate connection with the antique creation, a desire to be closer to it.
It was tempting to run toward it, down the grassy hill, but she managed to walk at a relatively sedate pace, Garth behind her now. When she arrived at the Carousel, she reached out a hand and reverently touched the outer ring. It showed a night storm, violent and lethal, with a ship and passengers being thrown about in the freezing waters. She shivered. “Did they die, all these people?” she asked.
“Not all of them. The survivors were our ancestors. They started the Carnival after living to tell the tale of the hundred-year storm.”
“It must have been terrifying,” she whispered. She could almost hear the screams, the cries… the tears.
Garth nodded. “It was. We have a few records from the original Nine who wrote down their experiences.”
Maddy flicked a glance in Garth’s direction. “Really? That’s amazing. How long ago was it?” Her hand touched the bright-blue railing closest to her. She gazed up at the intricately carved sea creatures that sat frozen in time above her.
“Three hundred years.”
Again, Maddy brought her reluctant gaze back to Garth. “And you still have the records? Shouldn’t they be in a museum or something?”
Garth shook his head. “We take care of them here. We have a fully functioning paper storeroom for delicate documents. Top of the line.”
Maddy frowned. Just when she thought she had a handle on the Carnival, Garth would say something else that confused her. Why on Earth would they have all those old documents saved? It hinted at a history that was far more organized and particular than she would ever have dreamt for a traveling carnival. “Why?”
He shrugged lightly. “Why not?” The light glinte
d off his dark glasses, and Maddy felt a surge of anger. Who the hell did he think he was? Hiding behind a pair of dark glasses was a teenage trick. She turned her attention back to the Carousel, determined to ignore him and his stupid antics. As she was examining the delicate painting on the side of the Carousel, Viktor came around the corner and waved at them.
“I’m going to start it up. The music comes first, then the lighting. Once that’s all up and running, Garth’ll show you where to get on.”
Maddy nodded. “Thank you so much for letting me ride. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
Viktor grunted, nodding his head. “It’s a beauty all right. Even better once you’re on board. Just step back while I get her up and running.”
Maddy heard the sound of voices and saw a few people coming down the hill in clusters of two or three. “Are they all going to ride it as well?” she asked, trying not to sound disappointed.
Garth lifted one side of his mouth in a half smile. “No, this is just for you and me, Maddy.”
“Then what are they doing here?”
“Just because they’re not allowed on doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy it. The Blue Carousel is a spectacle, whether you’re on board or watching from a distance.”
Maddy nodded, blinking at the newcomers. She started to feel jittery, like she was somehow on show. The feeling of being a goldfish reemerged, and she shifted from foot to foot. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.
“Don’t worry. You won’t even notice they’re there. They’ll get their turn later on. They know I promised you a special ride.” Garth spoke to her more kindly that he had all morning, and Maddy felt her fears ease slightly.
A clunking noise, followed by the chugging of an old-fashioned engine, started up somewhere in the middle of the Carousel, and the internal sphere began to spin slowly. The noise of the engine died away, and then the bottom of the Carousel started to turn as well, but only very slowly, almost like it was being brushed by the wind.
Then overhead, a sparkling of lights came on, creating a glow over their heads that she would have sworn was impossible in the bright afternoon light. Flashes of light and a rumble of thunder let her know she was supposed to be in the storm, probably the same one depicted on the outside of the Carousel. She closed her eyes and lifted her face to the brush of air from the turning ride and felt a salty touch of moisture on her face. Her eyes whipped open, and she looked around to see who could have thrown the dusting of water in her face. Garth was the only one nearby, and he was staring mechanically at the Carousel as if it were the bane of his life. Perhaps it was. Sometimes, if you’d seen something as many times as he had probably seen this Carousel, you lost touch with how amazing it was.
But she really couldn’t imagine that being possible.
“Come on. Let’s get on. Viktor’ll rev up the speed soon.” Garth led the way to a small barrier next to the moving Carousel. “Just step on quickly and move with the flow. Then once you’re on board, find the creature that most appeals to you and hop on.”
His voice sounded flat, and Maddy frowned. She really didn’t understand what was wrong with him. Perhaps this was his normal personality. Had she just caught him on a good day every other time? She followed him to the edge of the Carousel and, when he gestured, stepped onto the slow-moving ride. As soon as she stepped on board, it was like time stood still. It was another world, one that was brighter, better, and more exciting than the one she usually inhabited. She ran one hand over the side of the beautiful seahorse, admiring the detail in its spiny back and the eyes that seemed to follow her as she wandered along the aisle.
Every time she found another creature, it seemed to be more amazing than the last. A dolphin danced through imaginary waves, its fin a bright bottle blue that shone under the lights of the Carousel interior. A mermaid beckoned with one elegant finger in her direction, one eye closed in a saucy wink, her hair flowing around her body, glittering with gems.
Everything seemed dazzling, lights and mirrors reflecting each other to infinity.
And then she saw it.
An icy blue light bathed the ride in its glow, adding to the silvery reflections of everything else on the Carousel. She moved toward it, caught in the strangeness. It was the weather, the sea, the wind, the rain, all caught up together in some kind of exotic dance. Large looming thunderclouds swathed around the pole, sleet riding along their edges. Jagged lightning strikes crashed into the air, their silver glow somehow fizzing and sparking even in the daylight and creating an ethereal energy around the ride. Underneath, waves rolled and charged, the deepest blue mixing with bubbling white crests, a whirling pool of activity.
It all gave off a fizzing energy that made her feel alive.
“It’s a storm,” she whispered.
Reaching out one hand to touch the nearest wave, Maddy felt a freezing dampness under her fingers and heard the rush of water. She snatched back her hand.
She glanced around but couldn’t see Garth. She refocused on the tantalizing creation in front of her, unable to keep from moving closer, taking a deep breath. The tang of salt air filled her lungs, and she closed her eyes for a second.
What was she getting herself into? She knew there was something going on, and it was starting to scare her. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for what she was experiencing on the Carousel. But at the same time, the adrenaline was pumping through her body and she felt more alive than she ever had before. There was no way she was going to run from this.
She ran another shaking hand over the shape of the storm. The lightning itself was actually silver, or at least some kind of metallic substitution that gave off a hissing electrical energy, raising the hairs on her arms.
Looking up, the clouds overhead seemed to have changed position, roiling and churning as if their mistress, the wind, were really pushing them around. For a moment, it almost seemed like her face was whipped by a cold blast of sea-laden rain, chilling her bones and sending a thrill right to her core.
They had created a ride that somehow called to her like a siren’s song.
“Go on. Get on it.” Garth appeared at her side, his face unreadable.
“Its amazing. How do they get it to do all that?”
“All what?”
“The lightning, the smells of the sea, the salty taste in my mouth.”
Garth looked at her a moment, his face unreadable. “I doubt Viktor would tell us. He keeps that kind of thing close to his chest.”
“I almost feel like I shouldn’t ride on it. A force of nature shouldn’t be a ride.” Maddy gazed at the storm in front of her, fingers running along the edges of the lightning, wanting to touch and know every part of it. It seemed to hum with life, the energy flowing into her body through her fingers.
“You should very definitely ride this. I’ll help you up.”
Maddy didn’t even look back at Garth, too focused on what she could see before her. “I think I can do this myself.” She put one foot carefully on a low curl of water and then pushed herself up and over the back of the biggest wave. Her body slid in between one swell and the next, seeming to fit perfectly. She held a lightning fork in one hand and the edge of a storm cloud in the other, like she was joining in on some exotic dance with the very forces of nature. A low sea mist emerged from between the other rides, coating the Carousel and creating an eerie, ethereal atmosphere.
The music commenced, and the Carousel slowly began to turn.
As soon as she connected fully with the storm ride, a shudder went through her, reaching to her core and turning her inside out. She felt like her very being was exposed, on show for all to see, and it hurt so much that she gasped out loud. If she hadn’t been held so securely in place by the swell of the waves, she might have slipped to the ground, stunned but intact. As it was, she remained in place, open and vulnerable, trying to breathe through the terrifying experience of having her innermost thoughts on show to… someone. Everyone. She didn’t know who or what it was, bu
t there was something there with her on the ride, other than Garth.
A feeling, a wish, a need so strong burst into her head with the intensity of a gale-force wind, making her shudder with the pain of releasing a desire concealed in the innermost depths of her soul.
I want to be loved, hard and strong, by someone who will never give up on me.
A pain so bright and sharp that she gasped out loud cracked through her skull.
Then just as quickly, the pain disappeared and was replaced with such a feeling of contentment, of glowing and loving support, that she almost forgot those moments of searing agony.
She was bathed in a silvery light, warm and secure, as the Carousel wound its way round and round, never missing a beat.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hugo watched from the backseat as Lucietta drove the SUV along the highway. They’d left Las Vegas over twenty-four hours before and hadn’t stopped since. The mess Rilla had created made him put their plans into high gear. Stupid girl. It made him angry every time he thought about it. He’d had no choice but to shoot her.
He had his gun stashed close to him. He’d shot them both now, Rilla and Jack, and hopefully this second time, it would actually take. Her body had certainly looked still and broken as she lay on the floor.
He sighed.
He’d only had time to grab Blago and head out the door with Lucietta in tow. It had been a damned mess, not at all how he planned it, but he knew he could make the old man crack, especially if he felt any softness for Lucietta. If he didn’t, Hugo had seen enough of Jack and Blago to know he could just threaten the old man’s son, still locked up back at his mansion, to make him do what he wanted.
He shivered.
He knew how it felt to love his son, to do anything he could to keep him safe. Even to do something that might hurt the boy in the short term but save him long term. He knew he was doing the right thing by Simon. The boy would be out from under the legacy of the family vow once he succeeded in destroying the Jolly Carnival. They both would.
