Circus of the Dead: Book 4

by Kimberly Loth

  “I’m going to find a solution to all of this. That includes saving you and your family, making sure the ghosts are happy, and destroying the island.”

  “But what about Tyson and Juliette?”

  “That’s my biggest challenge. I need to bring them back before I do anything else.”

  Benny moves closer to me. “We’ve got this. We’ll stick together.” He stares out at the small crowd as if he’s daring them to argue with him. They don’t. At least they’ve been warned about what’s going on at this point.

  I grab Benny’s hand. “Can we talk?”

  He nods, and we leave the rest of the islanders with Ruth. The air is warm, and the smells of funnel cakes and popcorn surround us. The sky begins to lighten. I take him into the woods, away from all the circus goers, and kiss him deeply. I inhale, wanting his scent, and not the circus’s, to follow me as a ghost.

  He grins. “I didn’t realize that’s what you wanted to talk about.”

  “I didn’t. But I wanted to make sure I did that before I disappear. It’s more important than what I have to say.”

  He leans his forehead against mine, and I have to resist the urge to kiss him again.

  “So what’s up?”

  “I need you to do what you can for the islanders. I know you’re not a witch, but you understand more of what can be done than any of the others. Keep an especially careful watch on Amy’s kids. Please.”

  “Yeah, of course. No question. Not only will I keep them safe. I’ll keep them entertained.” He winks at me, and I grin. I love this man.

  He looks up at the sky and gives me another quick kiss. “See you in two weeks.”

  Almost as soon as he says the words, the sun peeks over the top of the trees, and I can no longer feel his hand in mind. He sighs and walks back to the medical tent. I want to follow him, but I have other things to do.

  I go pay a visit to my friend in the middle of the island.

  “Long time no see,” Reken says.

  I ignore the irritation in his voice. Maybe he lied about not being able to feel emotion.

  “I was spending time with Benny, but that’s beside the point. Lorena knows what I’m doing. How do you think she knows?”

  The skull bobs up and down. “I have no idea. You think I’m doing it?”

  I cross my arms. “It makes sense. No one else knows what I’m doing. Well, they do now, but before tonight, you were the only one. Who else could tell her I freed the islanders and was planning on destroying the island?”

  “It wasn’t me.”

  “Right. Well, I’ll take my chances on my own, thank you very much.” I turn to leave, hoping he gives me a reason to stay. I want answers he wasn’t willing to provide before.

  “Wait,” he says.

  “What?” I stop but don’t approach. I want him to think I’m still leaving.

  “I know how you can destroy the island.”

  I knew it. I glide closer.

  “And why didn’t you tell me this before?” I keep my voice low and a little angry. I can’t believe he kept this from me.

  “Because I didn’t know before. I had to call upon others. It’s possible Lorena found out what you were doing because of what I was doing.”

  “What others?” I ask. How can there be others?

  “Other, uh, iterations like me.”

  “I don’t understand.” Up until this moment, I thought Reken was unique, but I guess it makes sense that there would be others like him. Otherwise, how would Lorena know what to do? She must’ve met other witches who had skulls like Reken.

  “There are other places like this in the world. They are not always watched over by skulls. A few are, but there are also statues. I can talk to them, and they can talk to me. We are connected. I can feel when a new one is created. But as each one also talks to their witch, they could’ve passed on information that would get back to Lorena.”

  My mind reels a little. Other people are trapped in nightmares just like our little island.

  “How many are there?”

  “A few dozen.”

  Holy flip. That’s a lot. “When did the last new one come about?”

  He pauses, bobbing back and forth. “A few weeks ago.”

  I bet Lorena made a new one. No, that would be dumb because then she’ll be trapped somewhere else.

  “Are they all circuses?”

  A few birds flutter above him. “I thought you wanted to know how to destroy the island.”

  I should not be that easily distracted. “Oh, right. Enlighten me.”

  “Somewhere on the island, Lorena would’ve buried her first victim. Most of the time the skull or statue is created with the death of the victim, but Lorena created me later, so I was not aware of this practice. I learned many new things discussing this with my comrades. Anyway, find him, and fill his body with salt. His spirit will move on, and the island will collapse.”

  I let out a breath. It seems so simple and yet so difficult. I can’t exactly tear up the island looking for bodies. That would take forever, and I can’t waste time against Lorena. “Any ideas where she would’ve buried him?”

  “No. Like I said, this happened before I was created. But you’ve been successful thus far. Perhaps you will find it on your own.”

  “But I can only search when I’m corporeal. It could take years. We don’t have that kind of time.” I want to kick a tree or something, but that’s less satisfying in this form.

  “Perhaps a spell that reveals a grave would be sufficient.”

  Sometimes, I want to smack myself for my stupidity. I’m a witch, and that should’ve been the most obvious answer to me. Though, I don’t know if I can find a spell that gives me a specific grave, or if it will show me where any bodies are buried. I need to know how many there are. A lot, probably.

  “Thank you. I will do some research.”

  “Will you sit and talk with me for a while? I’ve been lonely.”

  My first thought is, heck no. I’ve got stuff to do. But he actually has been helpful, and even though he doesn’t supposedly feel emotion, I do. And his words tug at my heartstrings

  “Yes, of course. What happens to you if I destroy the island?”

  He hesitates again. “I’m not sure. Because the skull or statue is usually a construct of the first victim, then it perishes with its island. But as I am not the first victim, I do not know what will happen to me.”

  Out of nowhere, a scream pierces the silence. The circus goers are all gone, and any scream now is a cry for serious help. I fly through the trees and out into the circus.

  The ground is covered in alligators. They crowd around the medical tent like rabid dogs. Ruth stands at the door of the tent, beating them off with a broom, but more and more come, and she’s struggling to keep them at bay.

  I soar into the tent. All of the islanders are there, including Benny. Amy makes sure all her children are on the high surfaces, and they hold each other and tremble. Benny fights off the gators with Ruth, but there are too many. They’ll never get them all away.

  This I can help with. If Benny could physically affect Samuel with no magic, I can affect the alligators.

  I focus on them like I did Giselle and wave my hand. They sail away from the tent. Comprehension dawns on Benny’s face. I’m grateful he caught on so quickly.

  “Thanks, Callie,” he says. He turns back to the rest of the islanders. “We have to get off the island. Lorena won’t stop. I know you love it here, and this is your home, but no home is worth our lives.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Amy says. “I promised Callie I’d help her.”

  The gators creep closer to the tent, and I sweep them away again. I wish they’d stop talking and get out already.

  “Callie will have more success if we aren’t here for her to worry about. If this is the beginning of what Lorena is sending to the island, we’ll never survive.”

  Benny’s right. I’ll be able to concentrate more once they are gone. I
also suspect they can’t leave for two weeks, but I guess it’s worth a shot. It’s better than sitting here waiting to be alligator food. I know from experience that standing on high surfaces will do no good. The gators will climb up on top of one another.

  Amy and Benny argue for a good ten minutes, and I have to sweep the alligators away at least fifteen times. It’s as if they’ve forgotten they’re being chased by vicious monsters. Finally, Amy relents. Benny looks off into space.

  “Callie, keep the alligators away while we run to the ferry boat.”

  I’m glad they are at least trying. Something will work.

  They huddle together and creep outside. Rain falls, which makes their trip all the more perilous. The gators zone in, and I sweep them away, but they come back quickly. It takes a lot of effort to keep everybody safe, but I’m able to do it.

  Benny ushers the little group to the dock, and they all climb onto the ferry—Franny and Frank arguing the whole way. Elias starts the engine and eases the boat into the open water, but then it doesn’t go anywhere.

  It sits still like there is an invisible barrier. Elias shifts the rudder around, and the boat goes sideways, but when he tries to go forward, it won’t go.

  “Dammit,” he says. “I think we’re trapped.”

  The gators all crowd onto the dock, a few falling into the water. At least they haven’t headed for the boat yet, but they might.

  Amy sighs. “Let’s go back to my houseboat. Perhaps we can untie it from the docks and get away from the alligators. I’ve got space and food. We’ll be fine for a few days until Callie can figure out how to get rid of them. For good instead of just pushing them away.”

  Benny hesitates and then nods. “That’s a good idea.”

  They have a lot more faith in me than I do myself. I hope I can actually succeed in driving away the gators.

  Elias shifts the rudder, and the boat moves around the island toward Amy’s place. I leave them alone and fly through the middle to reach her boat long before they do. I’ll set up a barrier so I don’t have to constantly fight the alligators. It’s a lot like the one I created for the ghosts, but this is easier because it’s physical creatures instead of spirits. Thankfully, this takes words instead of ingredients.

  I quickly set up the barrier, protecting both the boat and the dock, but there are no gators, so I can’t tell if it’s working or not.

  The island is eerily quiet. Usually, there are a bunch of ghosts all over, but it’s as if they left the second the sun rose. I’ll have to ask Juliette and Luke if they know anything about it. Though, they might still be around here somewhere. No, if they were, they’d be here with me. I wonder why they abandoned me.

  I wait until what feels like forever and see the boat creeping through the water. I don’t know why it’s moving so slowly, but then I see the alligators surrounding it, making the water nearly impossible to move through.

  Dang. I thought they’d be okay in the water.

  I blast the alligators away from the boat, and it shoots forward. Frank falls over, and Franny rushes to help him up. Benny waves a hand, and I know it’s a silent thank you. The boat gets closer to Amy’s and finally docks.

  The alligators try to follow but can’t. Phew. It worked. It’s actually kind of amusing watching them crash against the barrier, gnashing their teeth and whipping their tails around.

  Benny notices the alligators. “I think Callie did something to your boat, Amy. Look, the alligators can’t get close to it.”

  She nods. “Then we won’t untie it. I wasn’t sure that would work anyway after the ride over.” She wrings her hands and looks over her kids. I know she’s worried about them. I am too.

  The small band of haggard islanders huddles in Amy’s living room. The kids sit on the floor, and the others collapse onto couches and chairs. I stand near Benny even though he can’t see me. I want to touch him and reassure him I’m here, but of course, that doesn’t work.

  Amy disappears to the second floor. I think about staying and helping, but there is nothing else I can do here. I have to find that body and destroy the island.

  Reluctantly, I leave them and head back to my own boat. I need to focus on the task at hand now that Reken has told me how to destroy the island. There are alligators everywhere. I don’t know what Lorena did, but it’s a doozy.

  I find my three books and say a silent prayer of thanks I have them. They’ve been more help to me than anything else I’ve had on this island.

  Well.

  Except Benny.

  I flip through the books quickly, knowing this is a spell that is probably in all three of them. The voodoo love their dead, and so finding a body should be something they all want to do.

  The first spell I find requires the name of the soul. I think on that. There could be any number of bodies buried on the island, and I’ll have no way of knowing which one is the first. There won’t be any way to find out. The current islanders wouldn’t know because it was so long ago.

  Wait. Holy flip. I do know. It was her husband. I wrack my brain for his name. It was a weird name. Sileas. Yeah. That’s it. I look over the spell and realize that though I can cast it, I need to be physically present because it requires a number of talismans and a voodoo doll. It probably won’t work because I feel like Lorena would’ve accounted for this. But it’s worth a shot.

  I keep flipping in the hopes of finding another spell that has just words, and I stumble upon another interesting spell.

  If two spirits remain on Earth, and one wants to move on, and the other would like their body back, the spirits can be mutually beneficial to one another. A talented Obeah can use the one who wants to move on to reanimate the one who wants to stay.

  I look quickly over the spell. How could I have missed this before?

  I can use this to save Juliette, Tyson, and Luke. Even myself. All I need to do is find three ghosts who want to move on. It’s a complex spell though and involves a number of ingredients I don’t know how to find. Plus, this spell requires me to be physically there. I can’t do any of this until the new moon. I earmark the page and continue searching for the other spells I need.

  Suddenly, a huge burst of thunder rocks the boat. I try to ignore it, but another one comes just as quickly. I fly outside and look around. The wind has picked up, and the whole swamp is in turmoil. The rain comes down in sheets, and I can barely see past my porch.

  Lightning comes fast, and the thunder quickly follows. This could be Lorena’s doing, or it could just be a big storm. But it doesn’t matter because I have a spell to find. I go back into the boat and pick the book up again.

  The spell I need is on the second to last page.

  Identifying burial spots of the dead.

  The spell looks easy enough, but again, useless while I’m in ghost form. I’ll be busy on the new moon. That’s for sure.

  I need to have Benny help me too. I wish there was a way to communicate with him. There won’t be a spell for that because I’m a ghost looking to communicate with the living, not the other way around. Reken might know.

  I float back outside and am grateful I’m not corporeal at the moment. The rain would drench me in two seconds flat. I make my way to the middle of the island, and I can barely hear myself think over the thunder.

  The skull glows green in the midst of the rain.

  “Where did this storm come from?” I ask.

  “Lorena. This is definitely a magical storm,” he replies. “She seems to be pulling out all the stops. Did you find the spell you need?”

  She has to know what I’m up to. I wish she’d stop.

  “Yeah, but I need Benny’s help, and I can’t talk to him. Do you know if there is a way for me to communicate with him?”

  “If you could get him to come here, I could be a liaison between the two of you.”

  “That won’t work. For one thing, I have no way to talk to him, which is the whole point. Plus, the swamp is too dense for a boat but too wet to walk.”


  Reken doesn’t respond. I pace in circles around him, thinking.

  “Wait, why is it that I become corporeal only twice a month? Is it possible to make that more often?” Everything on the island always happens on a full or new moon.

  Reken doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “I suppose it is possible. But only at night. I could make it happen tonight.”

  “You know this would have come in handy before. Can I do this whenever I want?”

  “Yes. But I don’t know the consequences, and so I won’t. I’m reluctant to even do it once. With my power, there is always an adverse reaction, so I avoid them at all costs if I don’t know what the reaction will be. You might become corporeal and decide to kill Benny. I don’t know.”

  “I’ll take my chances. This is too important.” My stomach flutters a bit with anxiety, but I shove it away. Reken didn’t say anything about it having to be on the full or new moon, so I can do this whenever I want.

  The skull doesn’t know it, but I only need one night. Tomorrow, I’m getting my body back for good. I just need to find a ghost who wants to move on.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I spend the next day summoning the ghosts to me one by one. The clouds and rain make it seem like it’s still night though.

  I ask the first ghost why they all bailed on the island, and he responds that they can feel the magic in the air and no one wants to be around that. I talk to each of them about what they want. It is about half and half, those who want to move on versus those who want their bodies back. This is good. I’ll be able to secure both Juliette and her father their bodies back as well as the rest of them who want to stay.

  One ghost named James is particularly eager to move on. He’s antsy and angry that I summoned him back to the island.

  “Would you like to move on tonight?” The only reason I can do it tonight is because Reken is letting me become corporeal. If I wasn’t, I would have to wait until the new moon.

  He pulls at his hair. “Yes. Can you make that happen?”

  “I can. But I need you to stick around for the evening. You can’t leave the island. I’ve never cast this spell before, and so I don’t know how it will work.”