“Though, I zuppose zere’s nozzing stopping us from exacting our own revenge?” Valida added with a nasty smirk.
I blinked, slowly realizing her suggestion. “No, I—I’m not the kind of person who seeks revenge.”
“Zey vronged you,” Valida pressed.
I sighed. “Despite what they did to me, I can’t think about revenge. You said it yourselves, Laurent and Rex are the ones punishing them and seeking revenge just continues the vicious cycle. One I’d rather not be caught in the middle of.”
“But zey started it!” Valida countered, shaking her head as if she couldn’t understand my attitude.
“I’m not going to keep our feud going.” I sighed tiredly, offering Valida a quick embrace. “Let’s just… leave them be. It’s like Halfrieda said—Rex’ll make sure they don’t bother me again.”
Valida shrugged as I pulled away, clearly upset with my choice. “Fine. But if you change your mind, you know vhere I’ll be.”
“I do,” I promised her. It would’ve felt good, quite frankly, to give the twins their own medicine, sure. But after nearly getting drowned, which was officially their first offense, it terrified me to think how far they’d go if we exchanged blows. We had plenty of dangerous props around the grounds too, things that could easily kill someone.
And the twins obviously had no moral compass. They were willing to do whatever it took to get rid of me. I knew I could never be as vicious as they were.
***
Time seemed to move faster in the little town of Guineesville.
Being such a small place, you might assume there was nothing to do to pass the days. We were the only entertainment for miles, so all we could do was, quite literally, watch the grass grow.
My mind, though, was teeming with curiosity about everything but the slowly waning hours. Regardless, we’d reached the very last day of our engagement in this small, do-nothing town. One last performance before tearing down the circus and boarding the train again.
Some of our newer curiosities seemed perfectly at home in the Cirque. They displayed a sort of confidence that belied their one day of experience, as if they were born for this life—as if they’d been born into the circus. And for all I knew, maybe they had been. As much as I tried to ignore it, the new curiosities seemed even stranger and more fantastic than any of the others I’d met before. I was more than astonished by their bizarre talents and appearances.
The plant woman was scheduled to go on stage before me and, this time, the twins would also appear as they were now officially released from their suspension. The horned teenager was paired up with our resident fire-eater—Chiardha. Whenever we passed each other, he inclined his head, and I did the same, as if we shared some odd kinship since he’d assisted in my recovery. Strange and frustrating as this place could be, I was always grateful for any friendly face.
Mariah and Maleah were careful to stay far away from me for the rest of our time in Guineesville. Rex had obviously been quite explicit in his instructions for the two of them (and Robb) to leave me alone. Maybe the punishment he’d devised for them had had a serious impact. I didn’t know, but what I could say was that whenever the twins and I caught each other’s eyes, they quickly turned away. Something was different about them, too. Their cheeks were a little gaunter, and the circles under their eyes seemed darker. As for Robb, I hadn’t seen him around the grounds once since the incident. It was almost as if he’d been spirited away.
When I asked Laurent what had happened to Robb, he replied that he’d advised Robb to leave the circus. And that was that. Laurent tended to dodge my questions, and I still didn’t know if Robb had left the circus or not. After all, Laurent had never actually said that Robb had left, only that Laurent had advised him to leave. I thought about pressing the issue, but Laurent was soon swallowed up by circus people who had their own questions or were awaiting instructions from him.
The hour eventually approached midnight again, meaning the final show in Guineesville was upon us. The small populace that lived in the town gathered together to witness our grand finale. Some of the acts were depicted on the posters that were now plastered all over town. Gesso had done a wonderful job, as usual. He’d featured me crouched in a birdcage while the twins swung above me on their trapezes. It was like every other poster in Laurent’s office and The Dark Room, only now I knew for a fact that my face was on one.
“Ya sure ya still wanna perform with those two twits?” Halfrieda asked, checking in on me. “I wouldn’t trust ‘em as far as I could throw ‘em.”
I nodded, glancing back through the tent’s flaps as the plant woman’s act wrapped up. She was more remarkable than I expected. Upon dousing her head with water, a riot of fresh flowers bloomed, sprouting from the stems growing out of her ears. It was extremely impressive, and I had no idea how it was possible, but that was beginning to be a theme where Cirque du Noir was concerned. “I can’t let the twins think they’ve scared me into submission. When we perform together, they’ll see I’m not easily chased off. They’ll see I’m a strong woman.”
“No one’s gonna think yer weak fer not performin’ with ‘em, love,” Halfrieda added. “Ya practically drowned! Yer lucky ta still be here.”
I shuddered when I recalled the incident, but I ignored the sensation. I had to get over it and move on. “I’ll be fine, Halfrieda. Besides, if anything does happen, hundreds of witnesses will see it. There’s no possibility the twins could get away with anything in front of such a large group of witnesses. They may be nasty, but they aren’t idiots.”
Halfrieda let out a huge breath as applause sounded inside the tent. “All right, hon. Just know that I’m right here if things turn bad.”
We exchanged a quick hug before I passed the plant woman. I was sneaking through the darkness as Laurent introduced me and my routine. Most of the set pieces—the small gilded cage, the hollow birdbath—were taken away, leaving me to perform below the twins as they twirled through the air. The idea was to focus less on the props and more on the “craft,” as Laurent explained it. I didn’t mind. It was nice just to move freely without worrying about following a routine. Plus, I could finally dance alongside Valida, instead of fleeing from her as ‘Balthazar’s prey’.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen,” Laurent’s voice had a strange, otherworldly cadence as I settled into place. “Our next act is one I’m sure you’ll find very enticing. Our little bird is still quite tired from her trip overseas, and she has brought some companions with her from distant shores!” No surprise… Laurent was great at speaking in riddles.
Cymbals clattered from the orchestra pit, mimicking the ocean waves crashing against the rocks.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, for the very first time, a spectacle of flight and fancy that no one has ever seen before!”
The lights flickered on above me, bathing my simple, black leotard in glimmering yellow. I’d added a bit of face paint since my initial performances, enhancing the illusion of avian charm. I took a bow, lowering myself further with each passing second before weaving my lower body through my legs, holding it briefly and tumbling backward onto my feet. The crowd roared in delight, a level of praise I hadn’t expected from such a small group.
The spotlights clicked on above me and there, on either side of the trapeze, stood Mariah and Maleah, their hair pinned back with feathers. They looked beautiful, clad in white-and-blue sequined leotards created just for this night. They smiled and waved, showing no fear at being so high up; I almost believed their innocent façade.
The music began, cymbals clattering as a pair of hand rings appeared before the twins. Each took hold of one as I flattened into the splits, raising my hands to direct the audience’s eyes to the scene above me. Fearlessly and without any hesitation, the twins swung out into the void, the spotlight riveted on them as they spun, twirled, and exchanged sides.
The applause was thunderous.
I hated to admit it, but Mariah and Maleah really were the best acrobats I’d ever seen. The way they flew through the air without fear was truly marvelous. The confidence they shared with each other was also something to behold. Exchanging swings and catching each other, there was never a moment of hesitation or doubt on their faces.
“And look here, ladies and gentlemen,” Laurent laughed as he indicated the opposite side of the tent with his hand. “Even our devilish snake has come to make sure our little bird is feeling better.”
A flash of green came from the other side of the tent before smoke began to billow. I spun and stretched outward, ready to catch Valida’s hand and pull her and her pet under my spotlight.
But that never happened.
Instead, a horrific shriek rang out from above me, followed by a sickening splat on the ground beside me.