Circus of the Dead: Book 4

by Kimberly Loth

  “I’ll be fine. I won’t be able to kill her without that, so we’ll both be better off if you go get it. I can only fight her for so long.”

  He lets out a sigh and sprints away. I’m so glad he listened to me. Hopefully, he has a hard time finding a stake of cypress wood. I don’t want him anywhere near Giselle.

  Though, I need it to kill her.

  Giselle cocks her head. “Oh, is the pretty boy running away? I thought he never left your side.” She cackles again.

  I roll my shoulders, ready to fight her. I dig deep for my magic, though it might be useless. She’s not an ancestral witch, so she’ll struggle to use whatever ancestral magic Lorena taught her.

  At least I don’t think she’s an ancestral witch.

  I wave my hand to knock her off her feet. She blocks it easily.

  Dammit.

  “I told you your tricks won’t work now.”

  She moves slowly toward me in her unsteady walk, her eyes never leaving mine. She hasn’t tried to shift into a rougarou yet, and I question whether that’s because she can’t do magic in that form.

  “Where’s your dog?” I ask, baiting her.

  Her face twists into a snarl. “I’m not a dog.”

  I laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Her skin shudders, and her head twitches. Then her eyes turn red.

  Here we go. I really hope she can’t use magic, or I’m in trouble.

  She takes a few deep breaths, and her eyes change back to the purple-blue of before.

  “What’s the matter? Scared I might kill your dog?”

  She trembles again. “Shut up.”

  I take advantage of her distraction and wave my hand. She goes flying and lands in the water with a splash. I rush to the end of the dock. I need to see where she surfaces.

  But she doesn’t.

  That was way too easy.

  The dock shakes, and I wobble a little bit. A hairy paw reaches over the edge of the dock.

  Bingo. Dog time.

  I stomp on the paw, and a snout comes up and snaps at my foot. I jump away, and another paw comes up. I take a few steps back, wait for her to be almost on the dock, and blast her with another dose of magic. She falls into the water.

  “Zombies, get her,” I yell. The waters bubble and hands and faces pop up all around her.

  She tries to get out again, but zombies drag her into the depths. Hopefully, they can keep her down there long enough that Benny can get the weapon I need and bring it back.

  I slowly move from the edge of the dock to see if I can spot her.

  Strong arms wrap around my torso. “You little bitch,” she snarls into my ear.

  She’s human again, dammit. My zombies aren’t as effective as I’d hoped.

  I won’t win this fight until Benny gets back, so I just need to stall her. I duck quickly, flipping her over onto the dock. She jumps up.

  “I won’t fall for your tricks again.”

  “You can’t beat me as a dog. I get that.”

  She rushes into my face. “Yes, I can. I’m better with magic.”

  Footsteps pound behind me.

  “Oh, look, your pet has returned. Maybe I’ll turn him into a rougarou before I kill you.”

  “You won’t kill me. Lorena needs me alive. She needs this island alive, or she’ll die.”

  “No, she doesn’t. I’m taking your place.”

  My blood runs cold. This whole time, I banked on Lorena needing me here, but if she thinks she can just replace me with this thing, then I’m in trouble. I don’t think it will work because Lorena said it needs to be a daughter, but maybe she’s found other ways now that she’s on the mainland and has access to other resources.

  Giselle sneaks around me to go to Benny, but I shout at him. He jerks his head at me. I hold out my hands, and he tosses me the cypress stake. I catch it easily and spin on Giselle.

  Her eyes widen, and I stab her before she can even register what I have in my hand. She grips at the wood protruding from her chest, and panic forms on her face.

  She doesn’t say anything as she falls to the dock, but her skin goes ashen, and her body limp.

  “Is she dead?” Benny asks.

  “I don’t know. I think so.”

  Benny pokes at her. “Looks like it.”

  He picks her up, walks to the edge of the dock, and drops her off the side. She sinks deep into the water.

  “There goes Giselle,” Benny says.

  “She won’t be missed.”

  Benny wraps his arm around my back. “No. She won’t.”

  “Come on, let’s see what we can do about those ghosts.”

  “Yeah. Let’s.”

  Benny and I make our way across the circus. It’s too quiet.

  “Do you hear that?” I ask him.

  “Hear what?”

  “Nothing. I don’t hear anything. Shouldn’t the ghosts be clamoring for the islanders?”

  Benny meets my eye. “They should.”

  We run past the empty tents and forgotten stages. No cotton candy smells or funnel cakes sizzling in oil. The circus has died. Part of me is sad, but mostly, I’m relieved. The island is rebelling against the changes. Nothing is working as it should. I just hope the islanders are okay.

  We come around the corner and spot Ruth’s tent. No people or ghosts in sight.

  “Do you think they went somewhere other than her tent?” I ask Benny.

  “Where else would they go? Nothing else would protect them.”

  “Amy’s boat maybe. It has a barrier over it.” I bounce on my toes. This is not good.

  “It’s too far away. Amy would’ve taken the closest thing.”

  Unless the tent didn’t work and the ghosts got to them anyway.

  We approach the tent cautiously as my hands shake. I don’t know what I’ll find behind the door.

  “Let’s go around to make sure the ghosts aren’t hiding out, ready to ambush us.”

  “Good idea.”

  We search around the tent, but nobody is around. “Where did they all go?” I scan the circus around me, but not a soul is to be found. A few of the tents have collapsed. It looks worse than it does on non-circus days.

  Benny takes my hand and pushes the flap open to Ruth’s tent.

  “Wait,” Benny says, trying to hold me back, but I move around him anyway.

  “No!” I scream.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I rush into the tent. All of the islanders are there, but they’re lying on the floor, their bodies still and faces frozen in expressions of horror. I fall next to Amy, and the tears fall. How could I have let this happen? I grasp her hand in mine.

  The air smells funny, like incense and smoke. I don’t know what happened here. Maybe the ghosts were able to kill them after all.

  “I’m so sorry.” Her kids surround her, Jeffery gripping her arm and Collette holding tight to the baby. Oh, I’ve failed in the worst possible way. I should’ve known things were too easy. This is awful. I don’t even understand how this happened.

  Benny crouches next to me, putting a hand on my back. He kisses the top of my head. I know he’s trying to comfort me, but it’s not working.

  “How can they all be dead?” I ask, my voice shaking. Ruth’s arms are raised up like she is about to fight, and her mouth is opened in a scream. So much death. If I had been a good little girl and let Benny kill me when I got here, none of this would’ve happened. Amy and all her kids would still be alive, including Juliette.

  Benny moves away and hovers over Amy. “I don’t think she’s dead.”

  I jerk my head around. “What do you mean?”

  “Look. She’s still breathing.”

  Sure enough, her chest rises and falls slowly. A lump forms in my throat, and I can hardly breathe. “Are they all alive?” I ask. This is still bad. Really bad, but not as bad as dead.

  It means there is still hope.

  We check all the islanders, and each one still breathes but has fallen int
o a coma of some kind. We slap their faces, yell at them, and tug on their feet, but we can’t wake them. But I know they can be woken up eventually.

  I just have to kill Lorena first.

  I scratch my head. “What do you think caused this?”

  “Magic,” Benny replies. “Lorena, probably.”

  That much is obvious.

  “But how was she doing it from far away?” I can’t fight her if I can’t see her. Except, yes, I can. I can destroy the island without her here, and she’ll die.

  Benny shrugs.

  “Why would she do this? What does she have to gain by putting them into a coma?” I’ve tried to understand her motivations ever since I learned she was my mother, but I truly don’t get them. Maybe I’ll never understand why or how she does things. But then if I can’t understand, then I might not be able to defeat her.

  Benny wipes the hair out of Jeffrey’s eyes. “It gets them out of the way? Maybe easier than killing them. Also, it makes it so you won’t destroy the island. She knows you won’t risk their lives.”

  Benny’s right, and that means I have to fight her one-on-one.

  “Do you think she might be close?”

  Benny paces in between all the bodies. “I would say so. Maybe even on the island.”

  “Maybe.” The idea of her here both thrills and terrifies me. The time I’ve been waiting for has arrived. She and I will finally have it out, and I will win. She has no idea how powerful I am now.

  “But for all intents and purposes, you and I are alone on the island. I don’t even know where the ghosts all went.”

  None of that matters.

  What matters is where Lorena is.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Should we leave them alone?” I ask, shivering. I hate not knowing where my enemy is or how I’ll find her. I don’t even know how I’ll defeat her.

  Yes, I do. I’ll use my badass magic to kill her.

  “I think so. The tent is protected from the ghosts. If we stay here, we’ll lure Lorena or whatever she sends. We don’t want that.”

  “Good point.”

  We make sure the tent flap is firmly shut behind us. I wish I could leave someone behind to watch over them, but Benny and I are it. I wonder why she left Benny alive with me.

  “Why don’t we leave the birds here?” I ask, watching them float in the air around us.

  “What if we need them?”

  “They need them more.” I nod to the tent.

  Benny looks at the birds who follow us. “Stay here. Protect that tent.”

  The birds all land either on the roof or on the ground next to the tent. I feel a little better leaving now.

  Benny and I walk through the circus, looking for any kind of life. We stop at the big cats, but they are all sleeping as well. Benny runs his fingers along the bars of Fiona’s cage. It’s so eerily quiet. The island has never been silent.

  He takes my hand. “It’s scary how much power she has over everything.”

  It’s true. She has an enormous amount of power, but then again, so do I. I don’t know how to use it all, but because I’m both Obeah and ancestral, I have more power than she does. It’s my only hope of defeating her. But I can’t defeat an unseen enemy.

  I imagine what it will be like when we come face-to-face. Obviously, I’ll fight her until the end. I will use all the magic Cecilia taught me. My biggest fear is that it won’t be enough. I don’t tell Benny any of this because he wouldn’t let me face her. I can beat her. I have more incentive to win because I have people I love that I’m protecting. She doesn’t. Love conquers all.

  At least, that’s what all the songs and stories say.

  Real-life might not work that way.

  “You know, I have more power than her because she’s not Obeah.”

  “But those require thought out spells. I don’t know how you’d use them in the middle of a fight.” He squeezes my hand tighter.

  I worry that he doubts me. “You’d be surprised.”

  He pulls me close to him. “Do you have a few tricks up your sleeves?”

  “Maybe.” I feign confidence. I can’t let him know that I’m doubting myself as well.

  He gives me a quick kiss. “Then let’s find that witch and end her.”

  I let out a breath. I hope I’m not the one who’s ending.

  Chapter Twenty

  We hold hands as we walk away from the big cats. Lights pour out of the big tent. I swallow. My fate lies in that tent. That is where we’ll find Lorena if she’s here. I think at least.

  Benny points. “You ready?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “No time like the present. Come on, let’s see what she has in store for us. No point in trying to hide. That will make it worse in the end. Besides, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.”

  I hold his hand a little tighter. “If we don’t make it out of here, please know that I love you, and I’m sorry I wasted so much of our time together being mad at you.”

  He looks at me for an instant before he crushes his lips against mine. “I love you too. Together we’ll get through this.”

  I take a deep breath. Together. Benny has no magical powers. The chances of him dying are pretty high. I try not to think about that. Tonight, there will probably be casualties, but Lorena must be stopped. If not by me, then I don’t know who could be strong enough to kill her. I have to step up and do what is necessary.

  Benny holds back the tent flap, and I move past him. The ghosts fill the stands, all 114 of them. If they were killing tonight, they’d take three souls to get back to 117. Who knows, they still might. This night is young, and I’m at a disadvantage. The ghosts answer to Lorena right now, not me.

  The ghosts snarl and whistle as I walk past them, hand in hand with Benny. I don’t give them the satisfaction of reacting. Instead, I march to the center of the tent.

  I’m not surprised to find Lorena standing in the middle of the rings. I’m still not a hundred percent sure what she’s planning.

  “You shouldn’t have returned,” I say.

  The lights in the tent flicker and fade, and she gives me a simpering grin. “But you wanted me to.”

  I let out a sigh. “I did because I have to kill you.”

  She cackles. “Oh no, I’m afraid I’ll have to subdue you. You killed Giselle, so I still need you alive, but let’s see what we can do about making you more obedient. Benny, dear, bring her here.”

  He grips my arm, and I try to shake him off. I can’t have him trying to protect me. He won’t let go, and I’m afraid he’ll pull me right out of the tent, but he drags me right to her.

  I’ve been betrayed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Trust me,” Benny whispers in my ear.

  “Not likely,” I snarl back. I can’t believe he’s taking me to her. He’s not a ghost anymore, so he can’t be compelled by her. He’s doing this all on his own.

  Lorena claps her hand. “Oh dear, did you think Benny was on your side? Hardly.”

  I try to shake Benny off, but he grips me harder. He finally shoves me in front of Lorena and lets go. I don’t have time to think or worry about what Benny did to me. I do the only thing I know how to do.

  I jump on her, figuring this is the only time I’ll have the element of surprise. I find the magic deep in my stomach though I’m not sure what I’ll use. Fire? Water? Air? I’m best with fire. I pull all of my fire into my stomach, and I thrust it at her.

  She holds up a hand rather lazily and tosses water at it, leaving only mist in its wake. Dammit.

  “Silly girl. Did you think that’s all it would take?”

  Fine. I’ll go around her. I gather the fire and throw it at the ghosts. Her eyes widen for a second, and then she sends air to the flames and casts it high above us, burning a hole in the top of the tent.

  Lorena looks down her nose at me. “Would you calm down? We have to talk.”

  No. I will not calm down. We’re long past the s
tage of talking. I concentrate on her clothes, setting them on fire, but she puts it out easily. I fling objects at her. Anything I can find in the tent in the hopes that one will hit its mark.

  She deflects every one. Benny stands back, watching the whole thing. I want to rip his face off. So instead of slinging a tiger’s stool at Lorena, I hurl it toward Benny. It hits him in the head, and he goes down. Good.

  Cords wrap around my body. Dammit.

  I send a loosening spell to them, but they don’t budge. I struggle against the bonds, but it’s useless. I think through all my magic. I try to disintegrate them, but that doesn’t work either.

  “Dear, nothing is going to work. Those are undefeatable bonds.”

  I remember the last thing Cecilia taught me. The power to stop hearts. I’ve never used this before. I’ve only healed, and I had to use physical touch for that, but here goes nothing. I focus on Lorena’s heart. I see it stilling and then stopping. She clutches her chest and falls.

  Did I do it? The bonds holding me still haven’t budged, so she can’t be dead. She stirs and sits up, fear in her eyes.

  “I’ve not seen that magic in a very long time. While I don’t have that ability, I do have the ability to turn spells against you. Try that again, little girl, and I’ll send it right back at you. Now, stop fighting and listen.”

  “You’ve got nothing I want to hear.”

  She levels her gaze at me. I hate her.

  “Oh, but I think I do. Benny dear, come here.”

  She looks around me. Benny is still out cold on the ground.

  She gives me a small smile. “Did you hurt the pet? Shame.” She snaps her fingers, and he comes to.

  He gives me a look when he passes, and I can’t figure out if it’s an “I can’t believe you knocked me out, you bitch,” or “Good job” look. All this talk of staying behind if everyone else left. That was so he could help her, not me. I shudder when I think of how much I loved him. Love. I can’t turn it off.

  “Benny, why don’t you be a dear and tell Callie here who you are?”