High Flyer (The Magic Carnival Book 4)

by Trudi Jaye

  Missy frowned as she sat opposite him. “And you were going to leave me to it?”

  Christoph shook his head. “Of course not. I just didn’t know what to do about it yet. I figured you’d be safe enough while you were useful to Veronica. But if she knows we’re both not under…”

  “She knows. I think she’s testing me. And Dad… I don’t think I’ll pass.” Missy twisted her fingers together. “I know she’s watching everything I’m doing. And she’s set one of her henchmen to be my partner in a flying act.”

  “Just tell her you won’t do it. She can’t make you.”

  Missy smiled grimly. “But she can. If I don’t comply, she’ll hurt you and Mom.”

  Her father’s face went white. “No. You need to get out of here. You aren’t responsible for us. I’ll show you where the gap in security is. You can go now.”

  It was tempting to say yes. Everyone else was happy, or at least here for their own reasons. Missy was the only one who didn’t want to stay. But then she thought of Zeph when he came out from under Veronica’s influence. He didn’t want to be here either. He was simply susceptible to whatever kind of magic Veronica wielded. “No. You’re all coming with me. You and Mom. Zeph and his mom.” She paused. “And Kitten.”

  “Kitten? Oh no, Missy. You have to leave that child here. Veronica and Daphne will never stop coming after you if you take Kitten.”

  “Did you know Kitten’s going to be the bait in a spinning knife act? She’s about to start practice.”

  Christoph shook his head. “Veronica would never let anything hurt Kitten. She’s the child of her most loyal supporter, and she’s able to communicate with Veronica’s brother. No one else can do that now.”

  Missy frowned. “Marco?”

  Her father nodded. “Veronica uses up most of her power keeping him alive. And Kitten is her only method of communication these days.”

  Missy nodded, although it didn’t change her mind about the girl. She didn’t think Veronica had her best interests at heart, no matter what she needed her for. She leaned forward and put her hand on her dad’s arm where it lay on the table. “You can’t stay here, Da, not when she knows what you’re up to. She’s testing you, and she’s going to start testing your resolve by hurting Mom. This isn’t a good place for you.”

  He put his head in his hands. “But where are we going to go?” he asked. “Your mom was so unhappy last time.”

  “She’s not happy here. She’s just a shell.” Missy sighed. “I’ll be with you this time. You won’t be all alone. We’ll find another circus to join. But we need to leave this place.”

  Christoph nodded. “Okay.” He paused. “When are you thinking?”

  “First I need some information. I need to know when Mom comes out of the magic. You said she did occasionally?”

  He nodded. “The last time was when she had an accident on the high wire. Broke her arm. Luckily, Veronica can fix injuries like that if she wants to.”

  “What happened the other times?”

  He scrunched up his face in thought. “There was one time when she cut me too much and they had to bring the doctor in to fix me up. She came to at that as well.” He tapped his finger on the table. “Times of stress, I suppose. When something bad happens.”

  “But probably mostly fear, right?” said Missy softly.

  Her father’s sharp eyes went to Missy’s face. “Mississippi, just what are you planning?”

  “We need a distraction, something that takes up Veronica’s time while we all escape.”

  “What kind of distraction?”

  “I don’t know yet. But it has to be big and scary.”

  He shook his head. “No. You could hurt people.”

  “We need to do something, Dad. We can’t just stay here.”

  Christoph’s face was more lined than she’d ever seen it. “I can’t have the death of more people on my conscience, Missy. I just can’t.”

  “We’ll figure something out where no one will die. But the alternative is to stay here. Veronica will make me do this act and use curse magic. She’ll make me hurt Mom. I’ll eventually get swallowed into her persuasion spell and won’t be able to think for myself. And until then, she’ll keep making me do stuff and threatening you if I don’t.” Missy swallowed. “If I don’t hurt Mom, she will.”

  Christoph took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You just promise me you’ll get your mother out safe.”

  “I’m getting both of you out safe, Dad.”

  “But just in case. Promise me.”

  Missy’s heart was racing, but she saw a look in her father’s eyes that she recognized. He wouldn’t give in until she did what he asked. “I promise, Da. Now tell me where this escape route is.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Zeph watched Missy striding toward him across the practice arena, her strong legs eating up the distance. She was so beautiful, so determined. It was hard to think about anything else when she was around. He smiled. “Hi.”

  She gave a quick smile back and glanced behind him. “No ball of fire?”

  He shook his head. Veronica had told him they were fixing the ball so it wouldn’t swing while it was in the air, and it would be fine. He’d felt a little shaky as she said it, but he knew Veronica wouldn’t lie to him.

  “You okay?” Missy asked.

  His heart leaped and a small part of him said, Hell no! But it was overwhelmed by the rest of him, which was floating in a happy bubble. “Veronica is very excited about me taking over the Ringmaster role,” he said.

  He watched Missy’s face tighten and wondered why she was so angry. He still couldn’t quite believe what Veronica had said about Missy, although he was reporting back on her as requested.

  Missy was watching him closely, her eyes narrowed. Zeph smiled. That never failed to work on the ladies. When Missy’s expression didn’t change—in fact, she looked more annoyed if anything—Zeph accepted she wasn’t like other women.

  “What is it?” he said.

  “You don’t remember anything. It makes it really difficult for me.”

  Zeph felt a flash of anger. “Don’t talk to me about difficult. I’m working my ass off here to make sure I don’t screw up as Ringmaster. You’ve been doing this since you were a kid. I’ve been doing it for two days.” He clamped his lips shut, surprised at the vehemence of his words. He wasn’t angry. At least he hadn’t thought he was. It was great here. He didn’t mind learning a new act, and Veronica had promised they were fixing the burning ball.

  But his words soothed Missy, who was looking calmer already.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I know this is hard for you too. I just…” She paused, staring into his face again. “I just wish I knew whether the real you was hidden in there somewhere. Or if it’s all just Veronica.”

  “Of course it’s me. Don’t be silly. I might be Veronica’s friend, but that doesn’t mean I’ve changed. I just admire her and the work she’s doing here.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” Missy sighed and looked around. “Do you have to go anywhere else, then? If you don’t have practice?”

  “No. I was thinking I might watch you practice.”

  Missy smiled. “How about you come up with me? Alphonso sent word that he’s going to be late, so I’ve got a spare half hour. I could show you some of the basics.”

  Zeph looked up at the platform above their heads. It was tiny and didn’t look very stable. But the idea of trying out the trapeze was intriguing.

  He wavered for a moment.

  “You’ll be fine. We’ll have the net below us the whole time.”

  A surge of excitement swept through Zeph, and he felt a little more like his old self. This was the kind of thing he liked to do. Push the boundaries, get the adrenaline racing. He’d been a little distracted since he’d been here, but he’d never said no to a challenge before.

  “Damn right I do,” he said with a grin.

  “Take off your shoes and follow me.”

  At fi
rst as they climbed the narrow ladder to one side of the trapeze platform, Zeph was distracted by the sight of her bottom wriggling above him. But as they went higher, he became aware that the ladder was less stable. His breath became shallow and ragged. And his hands became slippery on the rungs. He wiped one hand on his shirt and then the other, but he didn’t stop. This was a challenge, and he wasn’t going to back down.

  Finally, they arrived at the platform and Missy squeezed over to let him on.

  “I’ll have a go first and you just watch. Then I’ll give you a go.”

  Zeph nodded, but part of his attention was on the fact they were so high up on such a tiny platform. He didn’t know how Missy did it so casually. His own heart was pumping a million miles an hour. He remembered the tree and realized he always would have lost. Because if Missy was used to being up on a platform like this, then climbing that tree was probably child’s play.

  Missy grabbed the bar and paused, closing her eyes. Zeph could literally see as she curled into herself and created a steady flow of energy around her body. Then she took a breath and leaped off the platform into the swing of the arc. Her body was one fluid motion in flight, and Zeph held his breath as he watched her sailing through the air. She seemed part of the arc’s natural movement, rather than fighting or trying to change it.

  It was just a simple swing out and back, but Zeph could appreciate how difficult even that modest show of skill actually was.

  As she landed lightly next to him, he grinned at her. “Show-off.”

  She smiled back. “Your turn,” she said, pushing the bar in his direction. “Hold here and here. Follow the swing and you’ll be fine.”

  She stepped to one side to give him room to move. He grasped the bar in both hands and took a deep breath, trying to center himself the way he’d seen Missy do it.

  It was difficult; whenever he thought he was close, random thoughts started crowding his mind, like another personality was fighting to get out. He shook his head to clear out the noise and gave up on centering himself. He just breathed in and then let himself go.

  At first, it was like falling, and Zeph only just held in a yell. The downward flight of the arc was terrifying and his stomach lurched, his heart beating double time. But then the movement picked up and he was flying toward the top of the arc.

  He gripped the bar for grim life and pushed his legs out as Missy had instructed. He made it to the highest point, and for a brief second, he felt relief. Then he was flying backward, unable to see where he was going, and it was far, far worse than anything he’d experienced so far. He tried to look back, but it was too fast, and he just unbalanced himself and made the trapeze motion unsteady. His hands were slippery on the bar, and he couldn’t see where the platform was or even understand how he was supposed to land on it.

  His heart pounded and his vision blurred. And then he felt himself at the top of the arc on this side. The platform hit his legs, and he felt the briefest of touches from Missy. Then the motion pushed him back away from the platform again.

  He’d missed it.

  “You’re doing great, Zeph. Just let go. It’s okay. The net will catch you. Then climb back up,” Missy’s voice called out to him.

  He looked down and tried to think about letting go. But his fingers tightened on the bar instead. The swing was still strong, and he was moving quickly toward the far side of the arc. He might be able to land back on the platform this time. He didn’t want to let go and fall all that way if he could manage the proper landing back with Missy.

  But his fingers were getting slippery and his arms had started to shake. As much as he tried to hold on, he could feel himself slipping. He tried to look back at Missy, to let her know he didn’t want to let go, to make her help him in some way. The motion of trying to look behind made his left hand slip off the bar, and he dangled one-handed for a moment before his other hand slipped off as well. And then he was a falling toward the ground.

  For a moment, he flashed back to his accident—the tumble down the ramp, the fall mixed with knocks against the hard surface. But it was different enough that he could push away that thought. His arms went wide and he grinned.

  It was terrifying but exhilarating at the very same time. This time Zeph couldn’t hold in his yell, but it was the sort he’d give when he was on a particularly difficult part of a black ski run and needed to expel the adrenaline and concentrate on getting the job done.

  He landed on his back and bounced up again a couple times before finishing securely in the net. He let out a breath and looked around. For the first time in a while, the fog had lifted and he could see things as they really were. The bitter taste of Veronica’s magic still lingered around the edges, and he had a panicked moment when he realized he would go back under, his free will yet again lost. But for now, he needed to take advantage of having escaped.

  He needed to talk to Missy.

  Glancing up to where she was standing on the platform, Zeph wondered what he could shout that would let her know to join him in the net.

  She saw him watching and waved at him to come back up. He sighed and rolled over. It was probably more private up there anyway.

  The second time climbing the ladder, he was more nervous because he knew what to expect. And he didn’t have the protective coating of Veronica’s magic to keep him calm and happy.

  When he finally stepped onto the platform, it was only Missy’s familiar face that kept him from turning around and climbing back down.

  “Missy, I’m out of the magic. We don’t have much time,” he said.

  Missy smiled like she was truly glad to see him and wrapped him in a big hug. “I’ve missed you,” was all she said.

  “How are you doing?” he asked when she finally pulled back.

  “I’m fine. Listen, Zeph, I think I have a plan.” She put her hands on his arms and stared up at him with serious eyes.

  He shook his head. “Don’t tell me details. I don’t know how much I’m telling Veronica, but I have a feeling it’s everything.”

  She nodded slowly. “Okay. But I need you to be prepared. And there’s some stuff I need you to do when the time comes.”

  Zeph nodded. “You’ll have to get me out of the magic.” He looked around, his glance sliding to the ground so many feet below them. “Did you bring me up here on purpose?” he asked.

  Missy nodded. “I needed to talk to the real you.”

  Zeph gripped her against his chest. “You take care of yourself, okay, Missy? Veronica’s a piece of work. I don’t always have a solid grasp of what I’m doing when I’m under. It’s like I’m looking through a thick fog. But there’s enough of me there to want to stop her. While the rest of me just wants to serve her in any way I can.”

  “I know I can bring you out now. That helps.”

  “Yeah, but you won’t be able to get me onto the trapeze all the time.” As he spoke, Zeph could feel himself being pulled back into the curse magic. “I’m going back under, Missy. I don’t have long. I’m sorry.” He leaned down and gave her a hard kiss on the lips.

  Missy’s mouth was soft under his, and he deepened the kiss. But the fog was descending too quickly. He pulled back. He didn’t want to kiss Missy when he was under Veronica’s control. He’d wait until they got out of this place.

  “How about we go higher into the rigging? There’s more to hold on to up there, and I can talk you through some of the techniques.”

  Zeph glanced upward. “You want to go higher?”

  Missy grinned. “Come on, Zeph. You afraid?”

  Zeph smiled back. “Of course not. Let’s go.”

  ***

  Missy grasped the rigging pole and pulled herself up. This was probably a bad idea, but the platform had no space, and she’d often taken breaks sitting high up in the rigging. It was just Zeph who’d never done anything like this before.

  A small part of her wondered if climbing higher by itself would be enough to get the real Zeph back to her again for a few minutes. Would
he be scared enough to continue the reprieve from Veronica’s hold?

  She climbed up and along, coming to a stop at a secure point where there were several metal bars connecting together. Turning, she sat back on a bar and waited for Zeph to join her. He looked determined, without the dopey-happy look that had been his constant expression recently. Her heart leaped in her chest. He was so gorgeous. His face was flushed with the exertion of the climb, but his body was in fine form, his muscles bunching in all the right places. Missy swallowed.

  She looked around to distract herself. There was no one around up this high, and the people below were just tiny specs. Her body quivered for a moment at the thought of how accidentally private it could be up here. No one ever looked up this high. But they wouldn’t be doing anything. Aside from the fact that Zeph was a newbie and needed all his attention on holding on up here, he wasn’t his own person; it would be like having a threesome with Veronica.

  Zeph squeezed into the small space next to her on the rigging, and despite her misgivings, Missy didn’t complain. It was good to feel his body against hers. At least she could have this small thrill.

  “You do this all the time?” he asked, his voice sounding raw.

  Missy glanced down below. “Yeah.”

  “It’s high.”

  Looking at his face, Missy tried to see if he was the real Zeph or not. “Sure is. You scared?”

  He scowled at her instantly. “Of course not. I’m a freaking adrenaline junkie.”

  “Adrenaline junkies feel fear. It’s the whole point. It’s how they get the adrenaline.”

  Zeph’s hand where he was holding the bar over their heads was going white it was grasped so tightly. He scowled at Missy. “How can you be so calm?”

  Missy shrugged. “I’ve been up here my whole life.” She paused, looking around. “This is nothing. When Hugo and Lucietta attacked us, I had to fight her up in the rigging, up this high. And the net below us was half broken, so if I’d fallen, it would have been over.”