Nadine drew in a quick breath when Nix and Gesler whispered back and forth. Gesler rose from his seat as his eyes focused on the box in which they sat in. Nadine tugged on Mal’s sleeve. “We have to go. Now.”
Hiddle protested, “We can’t leave Xoey out there.”
“Bran,” said the ringmaster. “Let’s bring out the Tinkertons!”
Gesler limped through the seated crowd. Ramos grabbed Nadine as Decyl grabbed Mal. Mal squirmed. “No!”
Xoey snatched the microphone from the ringmaster’s fingers. She dodged his attempt to retrieve what was his. Roe and Nell Tinkerton were escorted from the back. She dropped the microphone at the sight of Bran, her father, standing beside them.
Hiddle ran up the bleachers, attempting to avoid stepping on people, but it was not an easy feat. He screamed a battle cry and jumped on his father’s head. Ramos carried Nadine over his shoulder. He tightened his face as she wailed with her feet and hands. Decyl had an easier time. Mal moved forward with the glowing weapon pointed at his chest. “Find that Wonder-Vac. Whatever it takes,” He said then ran off.
Xoey raced toward her father. Roe and Nell shook their heads. “No, Xoey!” She didn’t hear them. She didn’t care that her white hair fell loose as the hat tumbled down to the ground. She just wanted to hug her father. Someone grabbed her from behind and the next thing she knew she was flying backwards.
Gesler grabbed Hiddle by the back of the neck. He squeezed until his son let go of his head. A woman beat Gesler with a purse. “How dare you hurt that boy!” Gesler pushed her to the ground and tossed Hiddle like he was yesterday’s garbage.
Ramos set Nadine down. “Help him.” She pointed to Hiddle’s crumpled form between two sets of bleachers. Ramos unsheathed the sword that the Shinobi had given him. He pointed the tip of the blade at Gesler’s chest.
Gesler smiled a grave smile. He removed his long black jacket, carefully folded it, and set it down. “I have no qualms fighting a child,” he said as he held his palms facing out to indicate he was unarmed. “The question then becomes, do you have issue fighting an adult?”
Ramos stared at the dark-haired man with shady eyes. “No. This is my path.”
With speed, Gesler retrieved an extending baton from behind him. He gestured Ramos forward. Nadine comforted Hiddle. He was alive, but likely in a lot of pain. Ramos pointed his sword at his target. He was far from an expert, but the Shinobi taught him a few things. Patience was, above all, most important.
Gesler moved forward only to find that Ramos disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He looked around for his opponent and when a tip of a blade touched his side, he knew Ramos was behind him. While the child had bravery, he lacked brutality. Gesler swung around and whacked Ramos across his face with the tip of the baton. Blood spewed from his mouth. Ramos pushed the sword into his side an inch or so. Gesler knew it was not a grave wound.
He slammed the baton down upon the shoulder of the boy. His opponent dropped the sword. Ramos did not cry out. A warrior never revealed their pain. Tears, however, could not be stopped. Gesler grinned down at the whimpering boy. “A pleasure.”
He turned to continue his agenda. Ramos stood up behind him, picked up the sword in his off-hand, and slammed it through Gesler’s stomach. “The pleasure is all mine,” said Ramos.
Xoey moved in the air, hoping to land without breaking a bone or slamming head first into something not worth hitting. She tumbled into the harsh landing which created a cloud of sawdust to unearth around her. She held her breath at the sight of Nix running toward her. Unarmed and smaller than her opponent, she pulled herself to her feet and ran to her left. She spotted Ramos in trouble. If he died, everything would be lost. He sought to keep her true on her path. He was her friend. Xoey ran up the stairs with Nix hot on her heels. She was surprised at how fast he could run with a cane. Xoey spun to her right, grabbed the cane out of his hand, and swiped it behind his knees. The cane shattered at the impact. Nix grinned at her discovery.
The gnome pulled dark goggles over his eyes. Nadine looked everywhere for Mal. They didn’t have much time.
Wylar had said that the Wonder-Vac was in the heart of the circus. Mal kicked the sawdust, hoping to find a trap-door. He wiped his brow, uncertain of how he would save them all. Mal looked over at his lingering parents, but they were nowhere in sight. His heart dropped. They were so close. They could have just taken their parents and escaped. Why go through all of this? His hand slid across something metal. It was a copper ring attached to a box stuffed into the ground. He heaved and pulled, but it did not budge.
“Come on!” he shouted at it.
He stomped his feet in frustration. “This is…” He tugged and pulled until his palms were raw. “Stupid box.” His foot slid out from under him and he fell. His head slammed into something hard. Mal rolled over on his stomach and pushed the straw to reveal a box with a green button. He smashed it and the distinct sound of gears could be heard from underneath. He turned to see the box had lifted from the ground on an elevator lift. He pulled the box down and pulled up the lid to see the marvelous invention, the Wonder-Vac. It was to be strapped to the arm and shoulder. The hose extended from the arm and was meant to be held in both hands.
Xoey spotted Mal’s discovery. Nix gripped his fingers deep into her jaw, forcing her to look at him. She winced at the pain. “You have caused me quite a bit of trouble.”
“I could say the same for you,” she said through squeezed cheeks
He laughed in her face. “I will enjoy killing you.”
A red hot pain shot up and through her rib cage. She blinked. Her shirt suddenly felt wet and warm. She looked down to see her own blood pooling to the floor and a knife held fast in Nix’s hand. Xoey fell to her knees.
“No!” she heard someone shout. A bloodcurdling scream of horror echoed through the circus tents. It howled ghostly and mad.
Decyl shook Nadine. “Now!”
Through tears, Nadine radiated a pure white glow. Every ounce of remorse, pain, and frustration surfaced. Mal aimed the vacuum hose toward Nix. Ramos crawled toward Xoey. He pulled her up the steps away from the blinded Nix. She swore she heard him say, “You’re going to be okay.”
The crowds of men, women, and children lacked organization running out of the circus. For every few fallen, dozens would make it to safety. She closed her eyes at the brightness. With his good arm, Ramos fumbled through his knapsack.
Nadine held out her hands and an intense beam of energy shot out from her palms. Nix levitated in the air. Mal didn’t understand why or how she could do that. Nadine was too focused on her goal to notice. They watched as the heart rattled from under the bleacher where Ramos had left it. It stirred and shook violently. Mal took a step back. He was waiting on his cue to turn the device on.
The heart danced in the air until it stopped next to Nix. His screams were muted by the deafening roar that radiated from the stone. Decyl pointed to Mal. “Go!”
Mal flipped the switch. The machine whirred to life. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put his arm down. It pointed to the sky, but it needed to be pointing in Nix’s direction. He dropped down on his side, using the box to give him the angle he needed. His arms ached and his hands vibrated with such intensity that it was all he could do to hold on. Even his teeth rattled. Nix was pulled forward, as though he was a speck of dust, and he was sucked into the vacuum. Mal quickly turned off the device. He dropped his arms with a sigh of relief and rolled on his back. “I’m never leaving my house again.”
Nadine collapsed as the white light vanished. She wiped the sweat beads from her forehead as she caught her breath. The she and Decyl helped Hiddle to his feet. “I’m okay,” he said. He limped, but reassured them he was able to walk on his own. The three of them rushed over to Xoey. Ramos cradled her head with one hand, attempting to stop the bleeding with the other.
Hiddle stood there in h
orror. Xoey wasn’t moving. They all cried. Mal perked his head up at the sound of mourning. He could see the group surrounding Xoey. “No…” he said.
“Need not worry, you’ll save them all.”
The heart twirled in the air. The Brashine had said he never had the Wonder-Vac, but what if Wylar was right all along? What if they were meant to work together? Mal gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and lay back down. He flipped the switch and focused it on the heart, except this time, he reversed it, to where it blew out the trapped creatures. The Djinn reformed as they shot out of the hose.
They slammed into the stone and bounced off of it. Mal’s heart dropped. He was wrong. It was the only solution that made sense. In his despair, a crumpled form shot out of the vacuum. He looked at Nix as he flew end over end into the air. The heart-stone vibrated as he neared. The Djinn inside ripped from his body and were sucked into the stone.
Nix hit full impact against the stone and slid down into a disheveled mess. The floating stone radiated an eerie multi-colored glow and shot the light into Xoey’s wound. She did not move. The group backed away at the sight. All around her, the released Djinn bowed their heads to their saviors. Nadine gasped. Hiddle waved. The light vanished, the Djinn disappeared, and the stone dropped to the ground with a thud.
Ramos brushed Xoey’s hair. She opened her eyes and the group cheered in victory. Ramos wiped his cheeks as he helped her up. Xoey lifted up her bloody shirt to find the wound healed. “What happened?”
Mal pulled the vacuum off of his arm and dropped it in the box. They’d deal with it later.
Nadine ran to Mal. “I knew you could do it!”
Mal chuckled. “Say it.”
Nadine rubbed her brother’s hair with glee. “You are smarter.”
He grinned a very prideful grin.
She looked to where their parents were and found that they were gone. “We should find them.” They all ran into the center of the circus and stopped at the sight of the red-headed woman who they saw sitting next to Nix earlier.
Rochelle moved forward. “Oh, my dears. It’s so fortunate that you have won for Grittle!”
Xoey wiped her brow. She knew better than to believe the girl of a bad guy. Rochelle’s red hair was fashioned to roll back from the brow. Her locks were then twisted in marvelous curls. Her ruby lips curled in a snake-like fashion. The green eyes transfixed upon Xoey. “Little one. You have my deep appreciation for our freedom.” She pressed a button at the end of her cane.
A loud bang came from the canopy above them, followed by a whirring sound, fast and deafening. Nadine stepped away from the bars. The canopy lifted up in the air. Every metal stake shot up toward the blue and yellow tarp forming a humanoid subject. A groan erupted from the exit of the canopy. Xoey turned to see her father hunched over. “Xoey, don’t!” Nadine cried out. It was too late. The pirate ran toward Bran.
The mechanical being landed behind her father. Xoey screamed. She tried to run faster in the boots. They caused her to stumble and fall right at the feet of the industrial beast that had her father in its hands. “Give him back!”
Rochelle laughed. “Oh, I think not.”
Mal crept behind the red-haired vixen toward the Mechanical Room. Rochelle turned her emerald-colored eyes upon the others. “It would be less than fair for the pirate to have all of the fun.” She pressed the button again. Soon, Nadine, Ramos, and Hiddle all had canopy covered beasts of iron to fight.
Xoey held out her sword toward her enemy. “Let him go.”
The metal thing of seven feet tall shook its head. She wasn’t certain how she’d be able to beat a creation that was taller than her. It rattled her father like a rag doll, crushed him, and tossed him aside as if he was trash. “No!” It laughed at her grief.
Nadine focused on her powers. She could feel the low vibration within her, but it was not enough to force outward. She’d drained everything she had upon Nix.
Hiddle looked back at Decyl’s crumpled form. He was up just a minute ago. Underneath his little pot belly was a familiar gun with a blue button. Rochelle was nowhere to be found. Neither was the Wonder-Vac. Hiddle used his size to his advantage. He ran under the legs of the creature. The slamming of metal on metal resounded behind him. Nadine watched Hiddle’s offensive maneuvers. She smiled. The beings were restricted by their size and not made for speed. “Run!” she cried out. “Run like the wind!”
Xoey zigged and zagged throughout the circular room. Nadine ran through the high rise seats. Hiddle rolled Decyl’s body over. His hand was tightly clasped onto the weapon. “Come on, Decyl. Let go!” Hiddle ran from him, leaving the gun behind to avoid being stepped on. Fortunately, Decyl’s head missed being crushed by mere inches. The beings stopped midstride and began to contort in a fashion that was, at first, misunderstood. They shifted, grinding in an annoying fashion.
Xoey covered her ears. “What is going on?”
Hiddle dodged past the one after him, and managed to grab Decyl’s gun. He must have loosened the gnome’s grip, as this time it was too easy. Nadine cried, “They’re evolving!”
Xoey barely managed to avoid the swift swipe of large clawed hand. When she ran, it was faster and more agile. “We have to think of something!”
Hiddle reared back and pressed the blue button on the gun. A large volt of electricity shot out and hit the beast right in the center of its chest. The being took a step back and the sharp metal points in its mouth grated together to form a growl. Nadine shook her head. “Metal is a conductor, Hiddle!”
He dodged a blue charged swipe from his opponent. “I don’t even know what that means!”
Nadine sighed. “Think of a…” She ran down the steps. “Ship’s deck. Every piece of wood upon that deck is tight. If you slide a ball across that deck, it simply moves from one side to the other with no issue. The ball is the electricity, the deck is the metal. If it wasn’t a conductor, the ship’s deck would be filled with holes and the ball would fall. So whatever you do, do not let it touch you. You are not a conductor!”
Hiddle dropped the gun with an, “Oh.” He wasn’t about to question why. Decyl was still on the ground, but clearly he had moved a few feet.
Mal dashed through tent to tent searching for something, anything to help. He ducked under the covered table at the sound of voices entering the room.
“I care not about the prisoners. The children won’t survive long enough to release them.” He peeked out from under the cloth to see Rochelle carrying the Wonder-Vac. He considered fighting her for it, but then he saw the large group of men with her. One of the guards was carrying the bodies of both Nix and Gesler. She grabbed a bag filled to the brim with cans of oil. “The ship is out back.”
They walked out of the tent. Mal groaned internally. He needed to stop them from leaving and save his friends and family. He crawled out from under the table. “What would dad do?” he asked. That’s when he spotted the Wind Tunnel in the corner.
Xoey climbed up to the web of the trapeze artists instruments of nets, poles, and cables. She stood on the thin wire that stretched from one end of the circus to the other. The cable swayed slightly at her weight. The mechanical beast jumped in a desperate attempt to reach her. Xoey kicked off one boot followed by the other. She wasn’t too scared being this high up. She was used to climbing riggings and shrouds. She wasn’t scared until the beast began to shift. It was slowly pushing itself up to match her height.
Nadine stumbled as she jumped over raised circular platform. It was meant for large animals to stand upon. The metal creature stomped and shattered it to pieces right as she landed. She plucked her suspenders off and threw them up on the wire that Xoey stood upon. “Slide across!” Nadine zigged past the creep chasing her and held out her hand. A beam of white energy shot out at the one taunting Xoey. It whirled around and gnashed its long teeth, and its chest began to melt. The hot metal oozed down, melt
ing all in its path.
Xoey grabbed the suspenders, hoping that they would hold long enough for her to get to the other side. She wiped her hands for good measure before setting the suspenders evenly across the wire. The beast below her screeched in anger and in its anger, it hit the large pole holding up one end. Xoey reeled forward, swung under the line, and held tight to the suspenders as she slid down the wire. The pole crashed and she was thrown into the air right before she reached the platform of the other pole. one minute she was airborne, and the next she was clinging for dear life on the edge of the small platform.
Ramos dodged the attack of his opponent. His shoulder ached and throbbed in the worst way. He couldn’t lift up his arm past his waist. Exhausted, Ramos paused as the opponent pulled its fist out of the soft earth. He saw a flash of white above and there was Xoey. She struggled to pull herself up over the platform, but her feet couldn’t reach the pole for a boost.
Hiddle threw wood, metal, and water…whatever was necessary to try to pull the electricity from the beast that towered over him. He saw Xoey hanging for dear life. “Hang on!” he called out. With a quick adjustment of his boots, he jumped up on the platform. “Grab onto my hand.” She reached for his and he pulled her up just enough so she could bring her knee upon the platform and pull the rest of her weight.
Mal dragged the wind tunnel across the floor. It rested on its side, and he adjusted the lever for the proper angle. He set the knobs one for north and the other for east, and the number two. He picked up the microphone that was connected to all of the speakers throughout the circus. “Hold on the something!” With a long pole, he reached past the bars of the empty holding cell of some creature, and flipped the switch. The long cylinder machine roared to life. Bright blue lights lit up on the inside as the metal blades whirred with such an intensity. It was deafening. Mal covered his ears and pressed up against the makeshift wood that he placed on top of the iron bars as the wind sucked out from around the machine.
Adventures of Captain Xdey Page 17
