“So, Luther tricked you and trapped you in a pony’s body and—”
“And ran off with Marge Shamansky’s carnival. I feel for that poor woman, but that’s a whole other story.” The pony bobbed his head.
Val walked up to Estele with his eyes shining. “Hi, I wondered where you went. I wasn’t expecting to find you at the petting zoo.”
She turned. Val’s face radiated warmth, like he was looking at something that thrilled him. No one ever looked at her that way, and it felt great. “What are you doing over here? Last time I looked, the line for the truck was long.”
He smiled a slightly crooked, charming smile. “It’s still long and getting longer. You won’t believe what hap—”
“Hush.” She glanced at the pony. Was it wise to talk in front of this poor bewitched creature? Better safe than sorry. She patted the pony’s head. “See you later, Blackjack.”
Val appeared confused. “Who names a snowy-white pony Blackjack? Or were you being ironic?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Taking hold of Val’s sleeve, she led him away. “So what are you doing over here? Who’s rolling enchanted burritos?”
His gaze was riveted on Estele. “My primary job is to be your protector. I should never have allowed you to walk off on your own, even for a moment. Especially not in this environment.”
“And our job,” she countered, “is to protect innocent people. Who’s helping Tio Bruno to make and distribute the enchanted food?”
In daylight, Val’s eyes were not as dark as she had originally thought. When sunlight hit the irises at the right angle, soft cinnamon tones appeared. “Don’t worry. Bruno is getting plenty of help.”
They walked past a vendor making cotton candy. The slightly burnt but sweet scent of spun sugar filled the air. “Who’s helping him?”
“Witch Griselda.”
“What?” Could this be dangerous? “You let old Grissy work your food truck?”
He reached for Estele’s hand and held it as they strolled. “Griselda insisted. She climbed aboard the truck, mumbled an incantation, and turned into this willowy red-haired fox in front of our eyes. Bruno was dazzled. The two of them seemed to click. I’ve never seen Bruno react to a woman this way. They set up an assembly line: Bruno made food, and then Griselda enchanted it. She has another trick too—she cast a multiplication spell on some of the good stuff and now we have more than enough of everything. Miss Dahlia is walking around the fair handing out free samples. So they don’t need me, and I would rather be with you anyway.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he led her down the midway.
Wow. They were strolling hand in hand around the fairgrounds, and except for the potential of evil bubbling up and ruining things for everyone, all seemed right with the world. This must be what other people felt like all the time. They fell in love and planned futures that looked bright. How great would it be to wake up one day and discover she was just like anybody else, and she too could have what they had. The only difference would be she’d never take normal for granted.
In the arena, speakers began to blare Johnny Cash songs as the first of the tributes began.
Val led Estele toward the Ferris wheel and stood at the ticket gate. “Let’s do a little recon.”
She glanced up. A giant spinning machine, rocking in the ocean breeze, perched on top of a bubble of malevolence? “Wait a minute. You want to ride a Ferris wheel assembled by a crew who were under the thrall of an evil djinn when they did the work? Are you sure about that?”
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“Not really.” Other things scared her more. It would be bad to fall twelve stories from a broken Ferris and land on a creepy clown. That was just about the worst-case obituary scenario she could come up with. Early reports claim Miss Esposito fell from the teetering Ferris wheel onto a roving pack of feral clowns. “Except in certain circumstances.”
“The Ferris wheel’s not the problem—it’s what’s under our feet that’s going to give us a hard time. Besides, from up there we can see things we might otherwise miss.”
He had a point.
The wheel stopped to allow two riders to disembark. The operator opened the gate and motioned for them to board. “I remember you!” He pointed to Val. “You forced me to drink coffee, and you were damn pushy about it. I’ve been caffeine free for two years. Now I’m jonesing for more. Thanks a lot, buddy.”
“You’re welcome.” Val waved any negativity away. He gently placed his hand on Estele’s back and guided her aboard. “Ladies first.”
She and Val sat and the operator locked the bar across their laps. His thigh pressed against hers and he made no attempt to move it. They sat squeezed together though the seat could have accommodated three. The operator pulled the brake and the wheel swung into the air.
Her stomach dropped and the breath rushed out of her. “I hope we don’t die up there.” The initial rate of speed was surprising. Did Ferris wheels always go so fast?
“This wheel has some serious horsepower driving it.” The innocent joy on Val’s face softened his strong features. “I love being next to the ocean and seeing a view. Look at that odd fogbank creeping up on the surf. Wait, it’s not just fog. There’s an old square-rigged schooner sailing along the coast.”
She closed her eyes and clutched the bar. Who cared about ships? In her childhood memories, Ferris wheels were slow, easy rides that even Grandma Lena had been willing to take her on, but this wheel was fierce and not for the faint of heart. A stiff gust of wind blew off the water, making the entire structure shudder. “Whoa! Was this a good idea?”
“Fate had the right idea in pairing us as allies.”
She opened her eyes. The emotion in his gaze stunned her.
Val touched Estele’s chin and drew her toward him. His expression morphed into something more subtle and hard to define. “You’re so beautiful. I have to kiss you.”
Her breath caught. Did he really think she was beautiful and not just cute, kooky, or worse, “that weird girl who tries too hard”? How wonderful would it be to have something like this work? Without thinking, she cupped his face and pulled him near. The first moment of contact was hers to offer and she made it count by allowing all the excitement surging through her to transfer to the kiss. His hands tangled in her hair, capturing her against his chest as he brushed his lips against hers. She shivered as chills not caused by the cool breeze passed between them. A psychic flash of knowing that Val was essential to her future happiness and what they were sharing might not end followed. As sensations built between them, the thought, this is true alchemy, shot straight to her heart. What a breathtaking kiss.
A wall of mist swirled through the air and congealed around them. A second later Captain Manx crowded beside Val. “Whee!” he squealed with delight. “What is this thunderous conveyance we are perched upon? This circular romp is as soul-bracing as scurrying up the mast in a storm. I like it!” The Ferris wheel crested its arc and made a swift descent. “There goes me stomach! I feel as floppy as a beached walrus, burping up fish.”
She drew away from Val. The beautiful kiss had been ruined. “Captain, you won’t throw up because you don’t have a stomach.”
“Right you are, miss.” The captain’s eyes glittered with enthusiasm. “So many people here! Where do they all hail from? Who are all those men, standing on the stage dressed in black singing sea shanties? They look like undertakers. I see Miss Dahlia over there handing out treats! I wish I’d met her when I was alive. I’ve always had a sweet spot for a bold lass who’s not afraid to wear a big bustle under her dress.”
“Captain. Miss Dahlia is not wearing a bustle. That’s her…. Never mind.” Estele’s tone was sharper than she’d intended. “Why are you up here?”
The captain thrust his arms to the side and flapped like a bird. “I came to tell you that while scouting for the ghosts of my lost crew, I’ve serendipitously located the subterranean source of evil.”
She nodded. “Yes, w
e already know the bubble of malevolence is beneath the fair. We were just waiting for something more concrete to—”
“Not just below the fair.” The captain pointed to a brightly painted ride that had a grotesque gaping mouth as its entrance. “It’s directly below the funhouse.”
Her gaze focused on the somewhat shabby exterior of the funhouse that looked creepy as hell. The sunbaked paint had peeled in places and read “UNHOUSE.” A posse of clowns loitered in front. George Romero should take notes. “I don’t like the look of it.”
Suddenly the clowns burst away from the funhouse like birds startled from the brush. She knew the answer before she asked, “Why are the clowns running away?” Half a dozen clowns shoved their way through the crowds, knocking people down and trampling them with flapping shoes as they fled toward the parking lot.
“Something wrong. It’s starting!” Grabbing Val’s hand, she pleaded, “We have to get off this ride! Make the barker stop the Ferris wheel.”
“Hey!” Val cupped his hands to make his booming voice even louder. “Stop the wheel!”
One glance revealed no one was operating the ride. The wheel swooped into the air for another turn while they remained trapped.
Nervous as hell, she looked around. What could they do?
Captain Manx pointed out to sea and gulped. “Bless my barnacled ballocks! Are my withered eyes deceiving me? Avast, look into the fog. It’s my old ship, the Lady Alice, and she’s going to run aground. I can’t allow that to happen. Not on my watch! All hands on deck, your captain is coming!”
In a poof of mist, the captain disappeared.
Chapter 14
Estele stared at the chaos on the midway as the clowns ran through the crowds shouting and knocking people over. She held on to the safety bar with white knuckles. “Holy crap, what’s going on?” Was it her imagination or had the Ferris wheel sped up as well? “Val, the guy isn’t standing at the brake. How are we going to get off this ride?”
Val stared at the machinery around them as if looking for a switch that would turn the whole thing off. The wheel lifted them once again into a huge arc.
“Help!” she screamed at the top of her voice, but the hum of the carnival’s many generators drowned her out. What could they do? Unzipping her purse an inch, she peered inside. The Heart of Hecate flashed fiery red like a silent alarm. “Pagans in peril! Things are bad. What are we going to do?”
His dark brows met and he looked at her with a grave expression. “Do you trust me?”
“Please don’t tell me you’re some sort of condor shifter who can sprout wings and hang glider us out of this situation, because I can’t handle a hard, fast drop from a speeding Ferris wheel. I will soak my pants!”
“I’m your shield, Estele. I won’t let you get hurt.” He unzipped his hoodie and drew her against his chest. “Wrap your arms around me.”
She reached inside Val’s hoodie and wrapped her arms tight around him. The warm fleece fabric was falsely reassuring. “What are we doing?”
He soothed her with the gentle stroke of his hand on her back. “When the wheel reaches the bottom, we release the safety bar, leap to the ground, drop, and roll. Don’t look up or stand until we get a few yards away or else you’ll be a head shorter than the way you walked onto the ride.”
That made an icky mental image. “Got it.”
“I’ll do the rolling. You just tuck your head and hold on to me like we’re duct taped together, okay?”
“Is this going to work?”
He kissed her lips. “I’m not a condor shifter and you didn’t bring a second pair of pants, so it has to work.”
The wheel started its steep descent. She braced against him. “Give me a kiss for luck. I don’t look good in bruises.”
He brushed his fingertips against her cheek. “We’re going to be okay.”
With Val’s arms locked around her, she began to hyperventilate. “Who releases the bar?”
“I will. The timing will be easier if I do everything. You just hang on tight and go with it.”
The wheel swooped toward the ground. The asphalt came toward them fast.
Val unlocked the bar And curled his body around her. “Jump!”
They leapt from the carriage seat. Val hit the ground first. She landed hard on his chest and got the wind knocked out of her. Together they rolled along the pavement until they reached a safe distance.
Val burst into laugher.
Her leg ached, but otherwise she was fine. “What’s so funny?”
“There’s some ticket stubs stuck to your cheek.” He brushed them away. “Are you okay?”
She shifted her weight from underneath him and checked to see that her purse was still with her. “I’m all right.” She stood and when she did, her knee buckled. “Ouch. Maybe I’m not all right. Give me a minute to walk it off.” She hobbled in a circle. Where was everyone? There was no one near the Ferris wheel. Had the clowns chased everyone away?
The ground trembled and a gust of wind howled through the midway, filling the air with an intense static charge. The tiny hairs on her nape stood. “What’s going on? I feel like I’m standing on an electrified metal plate. Something’s happening.”
The Johnny Cash impersonators became silent before bursting into the next song. She listened to the first notes and gasped. It all became clear. A psychic vision unlike anything she’d ever experienced burst into her thoughts. Power had been building beneath their feet and waiting for the proper signal that all the players were in place and it was free to cut loose. Luther was communicating a signal to someone or something else that now was the time to strike. “No! Not that song. Someone tell them to stop. This can’t happen.”
“Love is a burnin’ thing….”
She grabbed her knee. “Val, I can’t run. Get over to the stage and make them stop singing! Unplug the amps if you have to.”
Val looked at her with confusion. “Why?”
“Just do it. Get over there and stop them before they get to the chorus.”
To his credit, Val didn’t argue. He turned and took off at a sprint.
The deep voices of the many Johnnies boomed across the fairgrounds. “And it makes a fiery ring….”
The ground shook violently and cracked beneath her feet. “Too late!”
Screams rang out near the Brujo Tacos truck. A mob of terrified people waiting in line turned and ran as Bruno tossed the steel pressure cooker out the back door and it blasted a hundred feet into the air with the ballistic force of a cannon ball. As it fell, the top twisted open midair and a whirling black tornado of smoke burst free and swooped over the fairgrounds, knocking over machinery and people in its wake.
“No!” she shouted, but no one heard her. This was bad. An enraged Luther was on the loose, causing havoc. Along a distant fence, a row of blue porta-potties wobbled like dominos threatening to topple. Several startled people thrust the bathroom doors open and fled with their pants around their ankles. A muffled roar that sounded like the blades of a crippled helicopter dropping from the sky deafened her. One by one the portable toilets exploded into the air like Roman candles that flew high, spewed their foul contents, and tumbled back to earth with a plastic-splintering crash.
“Oh shit!” She limped in the opposite direction. The breeze carried the disgusting stench her way. “Really, oh shit! Get me out of here.”
“Mommy, help me!” A child’s panicked cry got Estele’s attention. A little boy was trapped on a ride. An eight-armed whirling octopus ride had seemingly come to life and taken its riders hostage. Its high-pitched chattering motor sounded like a menacing cackle. Its lights flashed like angry red eyes, and one empty spinning car behaved like a grabbing hand, reaching out to knock over barricades and trash cans. Once the obstacles were out of the way, the hulking octopus crept forward on its elbows, scraping shallow furrows into the asphalt.
The Hammerhead ride came to life. It wrenched itself free of its footings and stomped across the midway like a s
talking dinosaur, with riders trapped inside.
The Zipper ride turned onto its side and slinked down the midway with its riders screaming to get out.
Estele glanced around in horror. This was worse than anything she’d been expecting. Everywhere she looked the carnival had taken nightmarish form. The ghost ship, Lady Alice, had run aground and translucent ghostly crewmen were floating from the beach to the fairgrounds.
Where was everyone in the enchantment community? Why weren’t they fighting back against this bizarre attack from below? Everywhere she looked she saw panic and not a single familiar face. Was there anybody there to help her?
“And it burns, burns…”
Estele covered her ears. Why were they were still singing the damn song? Couldn’t they see from the stage what was happening on the midway?
Maybe not.
Was she the only witch on duty? Clutching her purse under her arm, she dodged screaming fairgoers and rides gone berserk and limped toward the epicenter of chaos, the funhouse. As she got closer the mood got creepier. The clowns had returned and now stood near the head of the midway, throwing pies at the frightened crowd flooding toward the exits, and laughing as people slipped and fell.
“Fuck you, clowns!” She kicked a pie tin aside. “You picked the wrong side!”
The gaping mouth of the funhouse brought her to a halt. The salt air had beaded the red lips with moisture and the huge teeth appeared ready to snap the bones of anyone foolish enough to walk near it. Dare she go inside and face whatever it was she had to face alone? She peeked in her purse and the Heart of Hecate throbbed a deep crimson. “You want me to go inside?”
It brightened and pulsed like a beating heart.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” She took a tentative step inside the gaping mouth.
Whoahahahaaaa! A maniacal laugh rose from the ground. The vibration was felt in her chest and almost strong enough to squeeze the air from her lungs. Whoahahaha! The sound vibrated through her again. The mouth of the funhouse filled with black smoke, and then the smoke took the shape of a massive horned head. “Estele!” the voice thundered. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
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