Shadow Prophecy (The Magic Carnival Book 6)

by Trudi Jaye

  She’d fainted.

  “I didn’t go back into the hospital,” Sam said apologetically. “I figured I could treat you back at the Carnival just as easily.”

  “Thank you,” she said weakly.

  He turned into the back entrance of the Carnival camp and parked the truck back in its place. He turned in his seat. “Now tell me what it was that made you faint like that.”

  Celestine blinked, trying to think. “Nothing. I... It was just another reaction to the MRI.”

  Sam shook his head. “No. You were recovering from that just fine. You were looking at that poster. Is that your old circus?”

  Celestine held her breath. Sam was so quick, she sometimes couldn’t keep up with him. “What makes you think that?” she asked.

  “You told me about your brothers. I assume they’re still out there, working the circuit.”

  She nodded slowly. “Yes, they’re out there. Which is why it’s such a gamble for me to be out here too.” She took a breath. “Do you know, in all the time I’ve been with the Carnival, I’ve never so much as caught a whiff of my brothers? And now, when things are going all haywire and my power is doing weird things, I suddenly find them.”

  “You don’t think that it’s a coincidence?”

  “There’s no such thing as coincidence.”

  “What about the MRI?”

  “I knew I didn’t want to go in there from the moment you mentioned it. I’m not afraid of small spaces. I don’t have claustrophobia. Some part of me just knew what was going to happen in there.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was hit with all the negative emotions of every single person who’d ever gone into that damn machine. It hit me all at once. I think I made it explode somehow.”

  Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Celestine held up her hand. “Don’t you dare tell me it’s all in my head, and that it was my own fear and terror. It wasn’t. Somehow my abilities are getting stronger, and I’m reading the emotions not just off the people around me—I don’t even have to touch them anymore—but also from the places they’ve been.” Her voice wobbled. She didn’t want her abilities to get stronger. It was bad enough that she could see the future and read people’s emotions.

  She didn’t want more.

  A figure sprinted toward them, waving his arms. “Sam! Sam! Come quick. There’s been an accident in the big top. Jack says to come quick!” Celestine recognised Joey as he arrived at the door of the truck, his breath coming in gasps.

  “Who’s been hurt?” said Sam, opening the door and slamming it shut. “Come on, Celestine, I might need your help.”

  Celestine sat for a second, trying to figure out what kind of help she could possibly be to Sam when she couldn’t touch anyone. But she had to do whatever she could. She jumped out of the old truck, slammed the door, and raced after Joey and Sam.

  It was late morning, and the show proper wouldn’t be starting until early evening. The three-ringed big top had been set up, but many of the thrill rides were still in the process of being put together. Celestine caught a glimpse of Sam and Joey racing into the big top and followed through moments later.

  Inside, it was chaos. The rigging above the high wire was still being set up, and in the air high above, one of the building crew was hanging upside down, his leg caught in a dangling rope. Celestine saw the problem immediately. The safety net wasn’t in place; if he fell, he would die.

  “Who is it?” asked Celestine.

  “It’s Davos,” said Joey.

  Celestine gasped, putting one hand over her mouth. Davos was one of the Nine, the leader of the build crew, and one of the most experienced men in the Carnival. How had he gotten himself into this mess?

  Before she could say another word, Sam had disappeared in the direction of the rigging ladder. He was halfway up before Celestine thought to object to him climbing. She glanced around. Viktor was preparing a safety net, to be held by the remaining members of the build crew, and Jack was issuing orders to members of the crew who were spread out high up in the structure above.

  She ran forward, trying to get a better look at what had happened. The crew members still in the rigging seemed to be trying to get close to Davos, but the structure was rickety, whole sections not quite in place yet. Wood and rope groaned against each other every time one of them tried to move closer to their leader.

  “Don’t move,” yelled Jack, gesturing with his arms to the men. “It’s going to come down on everyone.”

  Celestine crept closer, pulling off her gloves and putting one hand on the base of the ladder that lead up into the rigging. Emotions flashed through her head. Mainly determination to get the job done. But there was also an underlying sense of eagerness, of excitement. Of revenge.

  It had been set on purpose.

  A shout high overhead made Celestine glance up. She gasped along with everyone else in the room, as Sam swung across the top of the tent on a rope, his foot wound through a loop at the bottom. The rope was tied to the far section of the rigging that seemed more stable, and Sam had swung out into open air, rather than relying on the unstable rigging.

  He grabbed hold of Davos, who reached out with his arms. The ropes swayed and jerked as they connected, but the two men managed to stay together, held in place by the two ropes. Sam helped Davos pull himself upward, so he was at least upright, despite his leg being snarled up in the rope. Sam leaned down and started cutting at the rope around Davos’s foot with a small Swiss Army knife.

  It felt like everyone down below was holding their collective breath, all eyes on Davos and Sam. The rigging creaked and grated above them, swinging a little as the other men in the rigging now worked to steady the rest of the structure.

  Sam was hacking at the rope, but he was having trouble cutting through the thick material around Davos’s feet with his small knife. Davos reached down and grabbed the knife from him and took a turn attempting to pull the blade up through the rope. The older man’s huge muscled arms bunched as he worked. Taking turns, they managed to weaken the rope, and eventually began pulling at it, trying to fray the edges. Their efforts slowed, and Celestine could tell, even from a distance, that both men were weakening.

  Sam was leaning out, his rope on a long angle, only attached to Davos and his rope because they were holding themselves together. Sam held the knife and yanked it across the rope; it came apart in his hands.

  The movement jerked Sam backwards, and his foot slipped out of the loop in the rope. Above him, Davos, who had both hands firmly wrapped around Sam’s rope, swung back towards the stable rigging, his heavy weight dragging the rope out of Sam’s hands.

  For a moment, it was as if Sam hung in the air, stunned. Then he plunged toward the hard-packed earth, a yell forced out of his throat.

  Celestine screamed and ran forward.

  Chapter 19

  As Sam fell through the air, Celestine felt like the air had been punched out of her lungs. She locked her eyes onto his falling body as she ran, as if she could stop his wild descent through sheer force of will.

  But nothing could stop Sam from falling.

  He came crashing down to earth… and landed in the middle of a jury-rigged safety net that sprang up from the ground just as he was falling. It was held in place by more than twenty muscled Carnival crew, including Jack and Viktor; their faces were tensed, the straining muscles in their necks and arms showing how much effort it cost them to hold the net in place as Sam bounced back up into the air and came down again.

  While she’d had her eyes locked on Davos and Sam in the air above, Viktor had been working tirelessly with the remaining crew to pull out the safety net, preparing for the worst.

  There was silence for a moment and then a whoop of relief from members of the building crew. They lowered the net to the ground, and two men raced forward to check on Sam, while others ran over to where Davos was climbing down the rigging. His strong arms and legs were making short work of it, and it wasn’t long before he l
anded on the ground, and Celestine could see his face close up.

  She shivered. His jaw was clenched, his eyebrows were lowered into a deep scowl, and his face was flushed. He looked livid. His long strides ate up the ground as he strode over to where Sam was lying on the ground. Celestine took a step forward, meaning to protect Sam from Davos’s obvious anger.

  But as soon as he arrived, the big man helped Sam to his feet, and enveloped him in an enormous hug.

  “You damn well saved my life,” Davos said. He slapped Sam on the back.

  Sam grinned sheepishly. “I almost got us both killed.”

  “Not on your life. I was a goner. That was a deliberate trap.” Davos shook his hand, then hugged Sam again. “Thank you, son.”

  At Davos’s words, Jack’s expression darkened. “I think we need to talk,” he said grimly to Davos. The Buildmaster nodded and gestured to a couple of his crew to start the clean up without him. He followed Jack and Viktor out of the tent.

  Celestine watched with trepidation. Did Davos think someone else was trying to sabotage the Carnival? She glanced at Sam. Would he think she had something to do with it? He’d seemed worried that she was up to something in the vision with Frankie.

  There was nothing she could do about it, if he did. They wouldn’t find any proof; the worst that could happen would be that they might throw her out of the Carnival. The thought chilled her and sent goosebumps up her arms. She was happy here; she didn’t want to leave.

  She waited in the shadows, trying to avoid the worst of the crowd. Now that they were back at the Carnival, she didn’t seem to be taking on the emotions of everyone around her in the same way. Perhaps the Carnival itself was protecting her from it? The thought was tantalizing. It meant she was connected to it just like everyone else. That it considered her one of its own. Her skin tingled as she considered what that might mean for her.

  She studied Sam as he stood talking to some of the other build crew. After the initial thank you from Davos, he didn’t look as elated as he should. He seemed grim and received the thanks with a measured expression. She caught his eye after a while, and he gestured with his head toward one of the exits. She nodded.

  Celestine cautiously moved around the edges of the tent, trying to avoid contact with the crowds. She made it to the exit first because Sam was stopped several times to be congratulated for what he’d done. Anger started to boil inside her as she watched him make his way to her. He’d done it without thinking and with people far better suited around him, who knew how to safely climb the rigging and who worked with ropes every day. Jack had called him to come quickly, but not for his skill on the high ropes. It was because the Ringmaster had feared a serious accident was about to happen and he wanted Sam’s medical expertise.

  Sam had recklessly risked his own life by climbing up there, and she knew why.

  Because he didn’t care about dying.

  Veronica had done such a number on him that she’d convinced him that he was worthless. He thought he deserved everything that was coming his way. It made her insides churn with anger.

  When he finally arrived next to her, he didn’t say a word, just held the canvas aside for her to go through. She ducked under his arm and strode off, leading him along the alleyway back to the trailers. She didn’t say anything, but her anger was simmering just below the surface. She didn’t know who she was more angry at—Sam or Veronica.

  When they arrived back at her place, Celestine paused outside her door. “Do you want something to drink?” she asked.

  Sam shook his head. “I would come inside and do a check up on you, but I don’t think I’m thinking clearly myself. I might have to come back later.” He gave an exhausted half smile.

  Without thinking about it, Celestine reached out and put her bare hand on Sam’s arm. She had to see if his future had changed after what he’d done today.

  Time froze, the rainbow colors were so bright they hurt her head, and then she saw Veronica again. She was standing over the bodies of Sam and Rilla, a smoking gun still in her hand. They were outside the main tent, and people were running all around them.

  “I wanted you for my own,” murmured Veronica, gazing down at Sam. “But if I can’t have you, no one can.” She looked up and smiled at someone, and Celestine saw herself. She had ripped clothing and blood dripping from a wound on her arm.

  Veronica raised her gun directly at Celestine and fired.

  Celestine jerked awake in Sam’s arms, on the grass in front of her trailer.

  Chapter 20

  As the last tremors stilled from her seizure, Sam lifted Celestine into his arms and carried her into the trailer. His adrenaline high from saving Davos was long gone, and he was left with just a throbbing headache and a feeling of nausea deep in his stomach. But he managed to get her onto her bed.

  “What did you do that for?” he asked softly, brushing a strand of her curly golden hair from her face.

  Celestine didn’t ask him what he was talking about. She looked up at him, her violet-blue eyes swirling with mystery. “I needed to see if your future had changed.”

  Anger rushed to the surface. Her belief in her abilities felt like an insurmountable barrier between them. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know,” he growled.

  He stomped to the kitchen area and grabbed a cup from the shelf, pouring water from the fridge into it. He was sick of the pretence, of the way she believed in something so clearly false. He’d hoped the MRI would show something conclusive that would prove to Celestine that she couldn’t see the future; that it was just her brain deceiving her.

  “Thank you,” she said softly as he handed her the cup. Her eyes looked bruised and her skin had a transparent look to it. His anger collapsed between one breath and the next. She’d been through so much, he couldn’t hold it against her. He longed to run his fingers down her arm, to soothe away the aches and pains, and make her forget all about the future.

  “I’m going to my place to sleep now,” he said abruptly, unable to stop himself from wondering what it would be like to kiss her soft lips again. He turned and stalked away from her. He was almost out the door when Celestine spoke again.

  “Sam.”

  “Yes?” He stopped but didn’t turn around. His carefully erected control was close to the breaking point. If he looked at her right now, he might just break all her rules about no touching.

  “Take care of yourself,” she whispered.

  He nodded. “You too.” And then he almost ran out the door.

  He didn’t know where he was going, and he expected to end up at the door to his clinic, so he could sleep off his raging headache. But moments later he found himself knocking on Frankie’s door.

  Frankie answered with an annoyed frown on his face. “What is it now?” he asked. “You’re practically moving in.”

  “I just wanted to check how it was going.”

  “And crow about your performance in the big top?” said Frankie, holding the door wider.

  “How did you—”

  Frankie waved one arm vaguely toward the computer screen behind him. “The cameras. They’re everywhere.”

  “Even so, you’d have to be watching them all the time to pick up everything.”

  “The algorithm, remember? It finds the unusual occurrences and movements on the camera feeds for me.”

  “Did you figure out why it didn’t pick up Celestine?”

  Frankie narrowed its eyes and held up two fingers. “Two possibilities. One is that the Carnival is messing with me, which is a likely option. The other is that the program considered Celestine’s night time activities a normal occurrence based on previous surveillance.” Frankie moved over to his computer and brought up a series of videos on the screen in a montage. Each one showed Celestine walking around in the middle of the night. “She’s been doing her midnight walks regularly since we left the Compound.”

  Sam looked down at the screens, trying to figure out what she was doing. It seemed to involve a lot of t
ouching. She had her gloves off and stroked her fingers over all the equipment. It was blurry and black and white, but Sam was mesmerised by watching her move around the silent Carnival.

  A knock on the door interrupted their contemplation.

  “It’s like Grand Central Station in here today,” grumbled Frankie as he went to open the door.

  Jack stood on the grass below. “I came to see if you wanted to get out for a while,” he said. “I need your take on something.”

  Frankie didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed a pair of dark glasses from the counter beside the door. “Come on, Doc, we’re outta here.”

  “I didn’t realize you could leave your trailer,” said Sam. “I thought you were agoraphobic?”

  Frankie shook his head. “Only when the magic is working. It’s something the damned Carnival cooked up to keep me here. But Jack can absorb the magic around me, and get me out of here.” He clapped Jack on the back. “My savior.”

  “My pleasure, Frankie.” Jack gave a mocking bow. “At least my absorbing works for someone.”

  “You’ll figure it out, Jack. It’s just a matter of time,” said Frankie, his expression serious for the first time.

  Sam nodded. “We’re already making progress. Did you talk to Rilla about the ‘hour of power’ idea in the mornings?”

  “Yes, and she’s happy for us to try it out. We can have a quick gathering post-show tonight to get everyone on board. Then I’ll try it in the morning.”