by Trudi Jaye
“What?” Milton moved forward in his chair. “Chris wouldn’t do that. He loves the Carnival.”
“He did. And once it came out, he was banned. Barbarina decided to go with him.”
“So who’s Showmaster?”
“Missy.”
“Missy!? She’s barely out of diapers.” Milton put his hand to his head, rubbing at his forehead.
“It’s fine, Dad. Everyone knows what they’re doing. You’ve been gone a long time. People have had a chance to learn.”
Maddy watched Simon and saw him taking in everything that was happening. He didn’t look happy. She had to try and change the course of the conversation, or they were going to distress the boy. Garth was obviously too distracted to notice, and Milton didn’t seem like the kind of person to take it into account.
“So what was it like in your day, Milton? Tell us a little about that.” She was sure he could pull out some stories that would enchant them all.
Milton glanced over at her, his face considering. His eyes flicked to Simon and then back to Maddy, and she knew he understood what she was doing. With a small nod, he settled back in his chair. “Well, for a start, Abacus Jolly was the best Ringmaster on any circuit anywhere. He could pull in the crowds, and he had a personality bigger than anyone I know. People loved him. Right, Garth?”
“Yes, they did love him. We all did.”
“He was always like that. Even when we were younger. When he took over as Ringmaster, the first thing he did was inspire us all to create a bigger, better, more exciting Carnival. It wasn’t like we were putting out a bad product either. He just felt we could do it even better.” Milton paused and took a sip of the steaming coffee in his hand. “He was right.”
“What did you do? How did you make it better?” asked Maddy.
“I don’t even know how we did it. But it was like we were possessed. Abba would watch a show and come back with suggestions. Nothing huge, but they always made an impact. He was like a glittering star, allowing us to benefit from his brilliance. We all felt privileged to be there.” Milton leaned back and smiled. “We knew it was a golden time.”
Garth leaned forward. “Was that before I was born?” he asked.
Milton nodded. “Yes. But it continued long after. As long as I can remember. Your mother’s death was the first time anything bad happened to us for many years.”
“Bad things happen all the time,” said Maddy. “It’s a fact of life.”
“Not when you’re in the Carnival. At least it doesn’t have to. When it’s working at its best, the Carnival will keep harm from everyone, hold us all close and keep everyone alive. When the Carnival flows smoothly, when the times are golden, no one dies except for old age, no one gets ill, and we can do no wrong.”
A chill stirred inside Maddy’s chest. “That’s not possible, Milton.”
He laughed, a loud noise in the otherwise still space. “Anything is possible, Maddy. My recovery from stasis should tell you that. Something is happening. The Carnival is fighting back, and it’s decided I’m important; that I have some of the skills it needs to survive. It’s brought me back from the dead—where it sent me, mind—with the expectation that I will bow to its will and do whatever it wants.” The bitterness was evident in his voice.
Maddy frowned. “I think we should take you back to the home, Milton. We need to do some tests.”
“I’m not crazy, Maddy. I’ve just had time to think. When I started to lose my memory, I was a dangerous alcoholic, I wasn’t coping with my wife’s death, and I was neglecting my son. As Giftmaster, I was in a position to damage the Carnival, so it did something about it. It promoted Garth.”
Garth looked at his father, a dawning expression of horror on his face. “I’m sure that’s not possible…” he said in a low voice.
“I’m pretty damn certain it is. I’m living proof.” Milton turned to Garth. “So tell me what has been happening that the Carnival brings me back from the brink?”
Garth paused, glancing over at Simon. “We’re just a little bit weaker, Dad. Nothing we can’t handle.”
Maddy stood up. Milton might not worry about talking in front of Simon, but clearly Garth was having issues. “Simon, can you show me your latest origami masterpieces?”
Simon nodded. He wasn’t stupid, and he knew when to leave. “I made some of the glow-in-the-dark ones that Garth bought me. We hung them up earlier, but I haven’t seen what they’re like in the dark.”
Maddy grinned. “Then I think we better go see.”
***
“Okay, then. They’re out of the way. Now tell me what’s happening.” Milton’s voice was soft, some of the bitterness smoothed out.
Garth nodded, glancing at the door where Maddy and Simon had just exited. He wished he could go with them, to see the glow-in-the-dark fish Simon had made earlier lighting up his room. He had a feeling it would look amazing.
“There was some sabotage. A man called Hugo Blue was behind it all, and he was using Christoph to do it. Hugo’s family was thrown out of the Carnival soon after it started for using curse magic, and banned forever. They’ve been after revenge ever since.”
Milton whistled beneath his breath. “That’s a mighty long time to hold a grudge.”
“It gets worse. He attacked the Carnival, on the last stop of the season, created a curse-storm against us, using power gained from harming his son.” Garth paused and looked again at the door Simon had just exited. “Simon’s injuries are from his father, Hugo Blue. But Simon doesn’t remember. He’s blocked it all out, and you will not say anything to him.”
Milton leaned forward, his hands on his knees. “My God, Garth, you’re harboring the enemy. That’s why the Carnival bought me back. You need to cut the boy loose. Otherwise, that crazy fella is going to come after us again.”
“He already has. He shot Rilla in Vegas a couple days ago. She’s in the hospital, and Frankie and Jack are there with her. He’s on his way here, and he kidnapped Blago to help him find us.”
Milton rocked back in his chair, blinking rapidly as he took in the information. “But if he’s banned, how is he going to even see us? How did he see us last time?”
“The sabotage, and Abba’s death, weakened the Carnival. Lucietta, Blago’s sister, helped him as well. Because Rilla’s been shot, I think as long as he has someone leading the way, he’ll be able to find the Compound.”
Milton frowned, looking toward Simon’s room. “How come the boy can be here? Shouldn’t the Carnival have kept him out?”
“We brought him with us. He was a defenseless kid with no memory of the events and a father who’d gone nuts. We couldn’t just leave him.”
“You should have.” His father stood and started pacing across the small space. “You’ve endangered the lives of everyone here. I’m disappointed in you, Garth. I thought you had more sense than this.”
“I will not leave a young boy on his own. That’s the kind of thing you do, Dad, not me.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Garth regretted them. Even more so when he saw the hurt on his father’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Milton stopped pacing. “You obviously did or it wouldn’t have slipped out. I’m sorry, son. I don’t know how many times I have to say that.” He paused, looking out across the lake. “I’m tired. I think I’ll retire for the evening. We can talk more in the morning.”
“Dad—”
“Just leave it, Garth,” interrupted Milton.
Silently, Garth watched his father walk back into the house. He’d been so long on his own, without family living in his pocket, that he’d lost the ability to keep quiet about things. It wasn’t that he was still angry with his father. After all, he’d been given the opportunity to become Giftmaster, and it had moulded him into who he was today.
But there was a small corner of his heart, some remnant of that young boy, who thought his father should have been there for him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
; “Just look at them, Maddy.” Simon lay on his bed, looking up.
Maddy nodded from her seat on the floor. The waves of fish, multicolored and patterned, flowed across the room, mostly darkened shadows without the lights on. Garth had done an amazing job of placing them close enough together and in a wave of different lengths that they seemed to dance together, their movement adding energy to the small space.
The glow-in-the-dark fish were sprinkled across the room, giving off just enough light to provide shadows to the standard folded fish on either side. The effect was ethereal and spooky—and quite simply spectacular. “I don’t know how you’re ever going to sleep, Simon. You’re just going to lie here looking at the fish all night.”
He smiled over at her, then looked back up. “I don’t know. It’s kind of soothing, don’t you think? Reminds me of being at the beach, the waves coming in over the sand. That kind of peaceful movement, you know?”
Maddy nodded. Yes, she did know. “You’re right.”
They just sat and watched the small movements of the waves of fish over their heads for a while, Maddy occasionally glancing over at Simon to make sure he was still awake. He looked so calm and rested that she almost wondered if she’d imagined his distress at the turn the conversation had been taking.
“I can feel it, you know. My body healing.” Simon’s voice was soft, but in the still night air, Maddy heard every word.
Maddy took a breath, unsure what to say. She didn’t want to foster a false belief in a young boy, but the truth was she was coming to believe it too. There was already far more going on here than any normal person should have to deal with. Milton coming back from his stasis seemed the least of it in some ways.
“I don’t know what to believe, Simon. Only you know what it feels like to be healing from your injuries. They were pretty severe.”
“You should have seen that doctor.” Simon sniggered, sounding like a boy his age should for once. “He was horrified to see I’m practically healed up. He said the only reason he put a new plaster on my leg”—he pointed to the offending ankle—”was ‘cause he couldn’t believe it could’ve healed in that time and he wanted to make sure I didn’t have some kind of strange disease that meant I would revert as soon as I left his office.”
“Really?”
“Well, close to that. He admitted I didn’t really need it but refused to consider not putting another one on.”
“That’s a little strange.”
Simon shrugged. “Alathea says things like that happen to them all the time. People are weird about their differences, even the people who’ve been living next to them in Madison all these years. They try not to talk about it with outsiders.”
“I wouldn’t either, I suppose.”
“But that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
“No, I guess not.” Maddy recalled her ride on the Carousel. It had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life. She thought of Garth’s eyes, dark and intense, filled with promise. She’d accepted those things, perhaps because she had Garth there with her to make it seem more real, more normal. So she could accept these other things too, couldn’t she?
Garth poked his head around the doorjamb at that moment, and Maddy jumped a little. He looked up at the ceiling and gave a low whistle. “This is incredible, Si.”
“Yep. And I have both of you to thank for it.” Simon’s face was firmly staring upward.
Maddy tried to keep her voice light, to not bring down the tone, but she felt a flutter in her heart at the thought of the young boy thanking them. “We both had fun doing it with you, Simon. Thank you.”
Garth nodded his agreement. “It was a pleasure, Si.” He cleared his throat. “But now it’s your bedtime, and as your guardian, I have to say having women in your room after 9:00 p.m. is a definite no-no.”
Simon grinned as Maddy stood. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Simon, you’re a delight,” she whispered.
He kept grinning as she waved good-bye and followed Garth down the hallway and into the kitchen.
“How’s Milton?” she asked.
Garth frowned. “I upset him. He went to bed.”
“It’s a big deal. Despite the fact he says he feels fine, it’s a big thing to handle, getting his life back after all this time. He won’t be fine straightaway. I don’t care that he thinks otherwise.”
Garth rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses with one hand. “It’s hard because he’s pushing my buttons too. Things that I thought I’d dealt with years ago are coming back to haunt me.” He slipped off the glasses and Maddy held her breath. He didn’t seem to notice that he’d stopped trying to hide his eyes from her. He held the glasses absently in one hand as he looked down at her, seeking comfort.
“That’s completely reasonable, Garth. This isn’t a normal situation.”
Garth’s eyes flicked to her face, suddenly cautious. “Nothing is ever normal around here, Maddy. I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed that by now.” His dark eyes glittered in the dim light.
Maddy smiled. “Simon and I have been talking about it. We’ve both noticed it’s kind of different around here. He’s not blind, despite being young. He’s been raised in an unusual environment as well, and it makes him older than his years.” She paused, considering the brightly colored magnets on the fridge for a moment. “You need to be careful, especially now that Milton’s in the house. I have a feeling your father wasn’t known for his tact.”
Garth rolled his eyes. “I’ll keep them apart as much as possible, I think.”
“I’m not even sure that’s the solution. If Milton spends time with Simon, sees what a great kid he is, then perhaps he’ll be more likely to support him staying here?”
Garth shook his head. “Hugo’s due here any day now. We can’t wait for my father and Simon to bond. I have to plan fast, to figure out what we’re going to do.”
Maddy put one hand on Garth’s arm. “Just don’t forget he’s a young, wounded boy. He’s vulnerable. He needs you to be there for him.”
He looked down at her hand on his arm and blinked, then looked up at Maddy. She could see the heat in his gaze, and suddenly the air between them seemed thicker, more difficult to breathe. Her heart thumped in her chest and she became aware of the sinewy muscles in his arm. She swallowed against a suddenly dry throat.
“I need you as well, Maddy,” whispered Garth, his voice low and uneven.
She lifted her hand from his arm to his cheek, softly holding the roughened jawline. “I’m here,” she said.
He lowered his head slowly, inch by inch, until their lips almost touched. She could feel his soft, warm breath on her lips, and even that small sensation sent heat rolling down her body. She curled her hand in around his neck and pulled him down, their mouths meeting in a crash of awareness.
It seemed to go on forever, but soon enough, Garth pulled away. “I’m sorry, Maddy. I can’t. This isn’t a good idea.”
She sighed. It had become a regular occurrence, Garth’s hot-and-cold routine. “I have to go. Let me know if you have any problems,” she said, pulling away and turning her back on him.
“It’s not you, Maddy. It’s me,” he whispered.
She almost laughed. “That’s the oldest breakup line in the book, Garth. Don’t worry. I won’t bug you again.” She kept her back straight and walked directly out the door, not looking back.
***
“What are you talking about, Dad? Garth told me you’d asked him to look after me.”
Hugo shook his head, keeping his eyes on Simon. “I’m sorry, son. That was a lie they told you. They stole you from me at the hospital, and I’ve been searching for you ever since.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday? I don’t understand.” Simon’s face was scrunched up, clearly trying to figure out whom to believe.
“I didn’t know what they’d told you. I didn’t know you still had amnesia.”
“But why didn’t you know that? What happened to me?”
Simon’s voice rose, and Hugo glanced around them.
They were in a secluded corner of the main square of town, but a child’s distressed voice might still call attention to them. “Son, I’ve been set up. I’m on the run, blamed for a crime I didn’t commit. I couldn’t be there in the hospital with you because they would have arrested me. I would be in prison now, instead of here with you.”
“Who set you up?”
Hugo paused for effect. He had to do this the right way or Simon wouldn’t believe him. “Garth set me up. He and the others at the Carnival framed me for something I didn’t do.”
Simon shook his head. “No, Garth wouldn’t do that.”
“How long have you known Garth? And how long have you known me?”
Simon was silent a moment. “Why did he frame you?”
“I challenged them for the rights to their Carnival. Our family was part of the Carnival too, a long time ago. We were thrown out because they were threatened by us.”
Simon frowned, and Hugo could almost see the thoughts running across his face. “I know it’s difficult to believe. I didn’t believe what they’d done at first either. I thought they would welcome me, like a long-lost family member. But instead, they tried to destroy me, and they hurt my only son.”
Simon’s eyes whipped to his father’s face. Hugo had to hold in the triumphant grin begging for free rein over his face. As far as he was concerned, it was the stupidest thing they’d ever done, not telling Simon what happened. And it left him the opportunity to take control of the situation.
“What are you talking about?” Simon’s voice quavered in the middle.
Hugo gazed into Simon’s eyes, letting a little moisture show in his own. It wasn’t difficult; the thought of how Simon had looked bruised, cut, and beaten still had the power to make him cry. But he’d had no choice—just as he had no choice now.
“You asked me yesterday what had happened. They did this to you, Simon. That’s what happened. They took you and threatened me. I did everything they asked, and still they hurt you, just to teach me a lesson. Then when they realized you had amnesia, they took you from me and set me up for murder.”
