by Colin Forest
“Vampiress, go after him.”
The mist seeped past the gates and blended into the darkness.
“As for you, give me the stone.”
“No.”
Icarus lifted Kenneth off the ground and held him fast against the gate.
“That stone has caused more than enough trouble. I will see it destroyed, even if I have to kill you to do it.”
The anger in his dead face brought no doubt of his intentions to Kenneth, and he relented. He pulled the stone out of his shirt and handed it over to Icarus. Icarus opened a compartment somewhere in his body and stowed the stone inside. Kenneth looked longingly at it even as the compartment closed with a loud clang.
With the battle over, the administrator of the asylum emerged from inside. He looked tentatively at the hulking mess that was the Automotivator propped against the wall of the building. He then cast his look at the still burning tree and let out an audible sigh of outrage.
“Look at what you’ve done! I’ve called the authorities. They’ll haul you away for good, you and the rest of you never-do-well ruffians. And as for you,” he said, casting his eye over Kenneth, “you’ll be punished for this brazen attempt at escape.”
“Shut up, you pompous twit,” cried Icarus. He raised his hand to silence the man when he saw him on the verge of opening his mouth. The sight of electricity running up and down Icarus’s arm convinced the administrator to comply.
The Automotivator staggered back to the circus. Kenneth went with Icarus without any objection from the administrator. The man could only nod his head when Icarus suggested that to him. Smoke and steam escaped from shattered parts to wreathe Icarus and Kenneth in a pall of greyness, and what would normally be a reasonably short journey stretched interminably.
“Did you see the look on his face?” Kenneth asked Icarus, beaming. “I’d pay anything to see it again!” he exclaimed.
Icarus did not answer him or look at him. He kept his sight on the road ahead. Kenneth noticed the brooding silence and after a while, ceased to bother him with any more chatter. He stole quiet glances at the area where Icarus had the stone kept. Once or twice, when he found his hand creeping in that direction, he pulled it back quickly.
When the outline of the big tent appeared before them, the sky was already a slightly lighter shade near the horizon.
“Tell me, Mr. Monckton. Is this stone really a fallen star – like in the poem you wrote?” Icarus asked.
“Yes, it is,” he replied in a small voice. The sight of Icarus filled him with trepidation. And the sight of Icarus angry petrified him.
“And what did you mean when you wrote that it brings wisdom from on high?”
“It improves your memory.”
It more than improves your memory, thought Icarus. “And that’s how you use it in your act.”
“Yes. What’ll you do with it?”
“Haven’t I told you back at the asylum? I will destroy it of course.”
Kenneth looked crestfallen.
“Have you got all your memories back?” Icarus asked a moment later.
“As far as I know. I don’t understand. What did the Ringmaster do to me? One moment, my mind was clear, and the next, it was like I saw things through a haze.”
Icarus did not answer.
The Vampiress was there waiting for them as Icarus rushed into the big tent.
“I lost him,” she said.
“How!?” he said with his arms flailing in the air.
“He broke into a church. I stayed as long as I could but I had to get back before dawn.”
“Broke into a church? You mean you let him know you were following him? Damn! Damn! Damn, Vampiress! In times like these, I wish you could control that damned necklace of yours. Then Mrs. Frankenstein could be around to lend her intellect and we wouldn’t be subject to this kind of stupidity.”
The Vampiress narrowed her eyes and stalked off without a further word.
“Wasn’t that a bit harsh?” asked Kenneth. “After all, she did help you with the spiders.”
“You stay out of this!” Icarus yelled. “And follow me. We can’t have you wandering around touching things you shouldn’t be touching.”
Kenneth trailed after Icarus, who led him past hallways to a room.
“Here,” said Icarus. “After you’ve had your rest, we can arrange to get your things back from the authorities.”
Kenneth wanted to thank Icarus but he had retreated from the room. He dropped himself onto the bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. In the big tent, a figure lurked high in the shadowed and vaulted spaces. He had watched the exchange between Icarus and the Vampiress, and Icarus leading Kenneth to the sleeping quarters. He descended without sound and headed off to find the stone.
Chapter 5: Confrontation
Kenneth felt a sudden pressure on his chest and he woke up gasping for breath. The blood drained from his face when he opened his eyes to see the Ringmaster looking down on him.
“No,” the first word escaped his lips.
“Where’s the stone?” asked the Ringmaster.
“Not with me,” said Kenneth. “It’s with him.”
The Ringmaster’s face darkened at that.
“You gave it to him!? He’ll destroy it.”
“I had no choice. He would’ve killed me if I hadn’t.”
“And you think I wouldn’t if you had?”
The Ringmaster’s hands went for his throat and started to squeeze. Kenneth thrashed around in bed, but the Ringmaster’s grip was too strong.
“I’ll – I’ll help,” he struggled to get the words out.
The Ringmaster loosened his hold.
Kenneth’s words came in quick succession. “I’ll go to him. Create a diversion. You can get it then.”
The Ringmaster released him and the look on his face softened.
“Don’t try any treachery. Remember. It’s mine.”
Icarus held the stone aloft.
How can a tiny thing like you cause so much trouble? And yet, you don’t seem to have any effect on my mind. Is it because you only affect the living, or is it because I’m now mostly machine with just a few bits of attached flesh? Now how do I get rid of you? Can I use you as fuel, or will that harm me?
A shadow crossed his path and he looked back, startled.
“How did you find your way here?” he demanded of Kenneth.
“I – I need a word with you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the Ringmaster. He’s here.”
“What?” His grip tightened and bits of the stone crumbled to the floor. “Where?”
“I saw him going round the corner outside my room.”
Icarus cocked his head to one side and gave Kenneth a hard, penetrating look.
“Really?” he asked, his voice dripping with ice. “Didn’t he notice you watching?”
“No. He just rounded the corner.”
“He didn’t come back?”
“No.”
Icarus grabbed Kenneth suddenly. “Liar!” he said. “The Ringmaster would’ve known you were watching. Why are you really here?”
“He was telling the truth, Icarus,” said the Ringmaster. “He’s here because of me.”
The Ringmaster stepped into the doorway and with a wave of his hand, Icarus was flung backwards along with Kenneth. The both of them hit a shelf and boxes of tools fell to the floor. He made another wave and the stone flew through the air into his grasp. From his position on the floor, Icarus shot a blast of electricity at the Ringmaster. It hit him and he let the stone go with a yell of pain. The Ringmaster dropped to the floor and reached for the stone but was thwarted by Icarus who had jumped on top of him. As the two of them fought, Kenneth scrambled on all fours to where the stone lay. When he had it in his hand, he made a dash for the door and disappeared.
The hallway seemed to go on endlessly. Kenneth felt relief when he made a turn and saw the stage in front of him. Light spilled into the big tent from the
opening. He could see some people outside carrying things. The sound of their conversation grew louder, and he scurried off into the dark to hide. Behind the stage, he could see other arenas: there was a large tank filled with water, an area strewn with cages and another area with adorned with pipes and all sorts of machinery. It reminded Kenneth of Icarus’s laboratory. He steered clear of it and headed for the water tank.
The sounds of shouting reached his ears. He crouched low behind the water tank. The sound grew louder and he knew that the Ringmaster and Icarus were now just around the corner from the main stage. Something from the tank caught his eye, causing Kenneth to peer intently into the waters within it. A blur of darting movement flitted from place to place. Kenneth jumped back when a face appeared pressed against the glass. He suppressed a desire to scream at the countenance of the monkey. Its face had the dead quality that Icarus’s had.
“Mr. Monckton,” the Ringmaster called out. “I told you not to betray me and still you could not help yourself. I’m very disappointed in you.”
Kenneth suddenly realised that it was quiet, that the sound of fighting was ended. He pulled himself into a ball and pressed his body against the tank. No sound escaped from his lips. He dared not even breathe, in case it gave his position away. All of his efforts were to no avail for the Ringmaster appeared before him moments later.
“The Fiji Mermaids are very social and friendly creatures. Too social sometimes,” he said. Placing a finger against the glass, he made a series of soft taps against it. That attracted the attention of the mermaids, who congregated around it. “You should have picked a better place to hide. You told me once that people said I was sublimely persuasive. Do I need to persuade you to hand over the stone?”
Kenneth held out his hand to the Ringmaster. “Here’s the stone. You can have it.”
The Ringmaster accepted it.
“Thank you. But Mr. Monckton: what am I going to do with you? You’ve proven yourself to be entirely untrustworthy. If you were a more honourable man, it would most likely have turned out more favourably for you. As things stand, I might have to liquidate you.”
“No. Don’t. You have the stone now,” said Kenneth with quivering lips.
The Ringmaster looked at all that water in the tank smiled at himself. “Liquidate.” He licked his lips as he said that word. “What a choice of a word.”
Kenneth suddenly found himself floating into the air. He screamed out loud but no one seemed to have heard. He wondered where the people he had heard earlier had gone to. And also, he wondered what had happened to the formidable Icarus. These thoughts swirled in his mind as he found himself in the water tank. He fought to reach the surface but something held him down. The Fiji mermaids swam around him, cavorting playfully and chattering amongst themselves. Through the glass, he could see the Ringmaster’s face. He wore a smile. The harder Kenneth struggled, the more he felt the burning sensation in his chest. He felt his strength depart and his limbs went limp. Darkness engulfed him.
The Ringmaster saw the body going slack. He also saw, in the reflection cast by the glass, Icarus charging and then hurtling through the air at him. With cat-like reflexes, he dodged to the side and Icarus plunged through the glass. Water spilled out, washing over everything in its path. The Ringmaster was thrown off his feet by that ferocious burst of water. The tiny Fiji Mermaids were sucked out with the spout to land flopping on the floor of the arena. They clawed the floor and pulled themselves against the tide of water. The cracks in the glass spread and more water came rushing out. The struggles of all against the water ended abruptly as electricity flooded into them. Everyone was out cold: the Ringmaster, the Fiji Mermaids and Icarus.
When Icarus opened his eyes, he found that he was the only one awake. The Ringmaster was prone on the floor and the Fiji Mermaids lay motionless. He hoped that he had not caused the Ringmaster’s death. Icarus crawled out of the tank and went to him. Turning over the Ringmaster’s body, he placed a finger below the nostrils to feel for a breath. He was relieved to feel a tiny flutter of air against his finger. The stone lay just a short distance away. He went to pick it up.
Nothing but trouble. Can’t risk people getting their hands on you, he thought.
He turned it over slowly so that the crystals sparkled in his hand. Then, he opened the compartment to the furnace in his body and placed the stone in it.
You won’t know if you don’t try.
The furnace within him blasted into life.
The Ringmaster’s eyelids fluttered open to see Icarus’s face above him. He was still at the arena, wet. He pushed himself up on his elbow, scanning the floor intently.
“How are you feeling, Del?” asked Icarus. “I was afraid I’d kill you.”
The Ringmaster tried to push Icarus off, but he was too weak.
“The stone.”
“Destroyed.”
“You shouldn’t have done that,” said the Ringmaster. Although weak, his voice trembled with anger.
“I did what was necessary for all our sakes. You’ll get over it.”
“And Mr. Monckton?” asked the Ringmaster. The memory of Kenneth’s body in the tank hovered in his consciousness. “Where is he now?”
“In the tank. Dead. I’ll let the clowns take care of it.”
The Ringmaster started to nod, but then said, “No. I killed him. I owe him a decent burial.” But underneath his breath, he muttered, “But he forced me. He forced me.”
“As you wish,” said Icarus.
“How did you destroy it?” asked the Ringmaster.
“Burned it in my furnace as fuel.” As an afterthought, he added glibly, “No side-effects.”
The compartment clicked shut. The furnace burned. A jolt surged through Icarus. It was heady excitement. He felt powerful. He wanted more. He felt alive.
Icarus tucked that fragment of memory away. He remembered the words of Kenneth’s poem and felt hopeful that there would be other stones in the future.
The End
