by Trudi Jaye
And so, for the first time in years, Celestine told them precisely what she’d seen. When she’d finished, they looked shell-shocked.
“You’re sure about all this...?” said Rilla hesitantly.
“As sure as I can be.” Celestine paused. “Sam made a really good point. His futures have changed in the four times I’ve touched him. Nothing is set in stone.” She glanced at Sam. “Although the last two times were the same.”
“But if we make changes to the way we were going to do things, we can change the way it happens, right?” asked Rilla, leaning forward.
“What if the changes we make are the changes we were going to make all along, and it leads us along the same path again?” Garth’s voice was as sharp as a knife.
“I’m not an expert at this,” said Celestine, just as sharply. “I’ve never tried to change someone’s future before.”
“What gets me is why Veronica is so determined to get Sam back,” murmured Rilla thoughtfully. “Why isn’t she just trying to kill him like the rest of us?”
Jack’s gaze sharpened on Rilla. “You think he’s special in some way?”
“I don’t know.” She turned to Sam. “Is it likely she’d go to all these lengths just to get even with you?”
Sam went still, his warm hand resting on Celestine’s back. She turned so she could see his reaction.
His mouth was open as if he had something to say, but then he closed it again. He tried again. “All I can say is that in the past she’s been content to kill people.”
“Did she ever say you had a talent? Why did she keep you at her side all those years? Why you specifically?”
Sam looked from Rilla to Jack. “It’s never occurred to me. I don’t know. She could have had me killed any number of times, and sometimes I saw in her eyes that she wanted to. But she never did.”
Celestine felt a ripple of power go around the room. “It’s important. What you just said. I felt it,” she said. She hesitated, thinking hard. “I think Veronica mentioned your powers in one of my visions. She said you were more powerful than you realized.”
Rilla nodded. “I think Sam has some kind of latent talent that she was secretly using. Something that helped her. Otherwise, why would she be so determined to get you back?”
Sam nodded slowly. “That actually makes sense. Doctors like me are a dime a dozen. She could have replaced me at any time in the last few years. But she didn’t.”
“You don’t have any idea what it might be?” asked Jack.
Sam shook his head. “No clue.” He hesitated. “What if I have a power I could have used against her all this time?” Celestine could see the thought upset him.
“We need to figure it out,” said Garth. His skin was ashen and his lips a hard slash across his face. Their possible future had unnerved him more than any of the others.
Rilla nodded. “What kind of talent would be invisible to Sam but valuable to Veronica? Something that gives her an edge.”
“Wouldn’t we have noticed his talent? Or the Carnival itself?” asked Jack.
“He has to become connected to the Carnival first. He’s only been here a short time.” Rilla glanced at Celestine. “We’ve had Celestine here for three years, and this is the first time we’ve realized she was hiding her talent.”
“But that’s because the Carnival is only just getting its full power back,” said Jack. “Maybe in a few weeks—”
“We don’t have a few weeks,” interrupted Garth, his voice filled with raw emotion. “Veronica is an immediate threat to the Carnival and everyone in it. We need to know now.”
Jack put one hand on Garth’s arm. “We’re going to be fine, Garth,” he said calmly. “We won’t let it happen.”
Garth nodded, his movements jerky, but didn’t say anything.
“Perhaps the Carnival could tell us what Sam’s talent is,” suggested Rilla. “What if we attempt to force Sam’s connection?” She looked expectantly at Garth.
Behind Celestine, Sam’s hand tensed on her back.
“You checked on me when I first arrived, Garth,” said Jack. “Can’t you do the same?”
Garth’s black eyes swirled as they all turned to him. “I checked with the Carnival to see if Jack had good intentions toward us. It didn’t tell me what his talent was. Forcing the Carnival connection to learn where Sam’s hypothetical power lies could be dangerous. Mostly for Sam.”
Celestine held her breath. Their current path meant Sam would die, but if he died while being bound to the Carnival, wasn’t that the same thing? “How dangerous?” she asked.
“I don’t know what his talent is. I can’t predict how it might affect him.” Garth pushed one hand through his hair in agitation.
Rilla looked at Sam. “Do you want to be part of the Jolly Knight Carnival, Sam? We’d be happy to have you, but I understand if you’re reluctant after what happened with Veronica. It’s up to you.”
Sam paused. “I want to bring Veronica to justice. If that means bonding to the Carnival, so be it. Hopefully my ability involves being able to destroy her where she stands.”
Celestine turned to look at Sam. “That’s not the right reason to be part of the Carnival. You should want it in your bones.” She put her hand on his arm. “To be part of something greater than yourself.”
“Is that really how you felt when you arrived? Or were you just so scared to death that you would have agreed to anything?” said Sam, his expression grim. “There are many reasons to join, and this is one of them. Let’s do it, Garth.”
Celestine sat back, stunned by his harsh words. For the first time, she realized just how deep his hatred of Veronica went.
“Fine,” Garth said. “No time like the present.”
“What? Right now?” said Celestine, her voice almost squeaking. It was all so rushed. “Shouldn’t we discuss this a bit more?”
“My decision is made,” said Sam, nodding to Garth.
“And so is mine,” said Garth. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
Celestine held her breath as she watched. Nothing happened at first, and she wondered if the Carnival had rejected Sam. Then the trailer started filling with power like a bathtub fills with water. It was as if they were floating in it, buoyed up by the sheer energy that emanated from Garth.
Celestine had never felt anything like it. It was luminous and thrilling; they were soon completely immersed in the magic of the Carnival. It sparkled and shone around them, filling the small space with a dream-like essence.
Her own process of being connected had been gradual, with never one moment where she could pinpoint being unjoined and then joined. She had a feeling Sam was going to have a very different experience.
Between one moment and the next, she found herself in another place. It was made up of light and air and power. She could see four bright lights standing next to her. She recognised them as Rilla and Jack, who were the colors of a rainbow, Garth, who was the brightest, and Sam, who was an unusual purple color and was standing off to one side. She looked down at herself and saw bluey-green swirls where her body should have been.
Garth moved toward Sam, his glow pulsating with power. Sam’s light dimmed momentarily and then glowed a little brighter. Rilla and Jack moved around to the other side of Sam, so the three were surrounding him. Celestine knew, without knowing how, that Garth wanted her to join them.
She glided across to stand next to Garth and Rilla, with Sam in their center.
Garth moved forward, closer to Sam. Celestine and the others followed, until they were standing so close to Sam, their light was almost touching.
Then Garth took the final step, merging his light with Sam’s, and again they all followed.
Suddenly it became a screaming furious mix of color and images; Celestine wanted to step back, away from the overwhelming mass of visions that were infiltrating her mind, but she couldn’t move. She berated herself for not realizing this might happen. She was experiencing a vision here, in this place
. But it was the kind of unreadable vision that was useless to them all, because she saw everything and nothing, every possibility that might happen, and other possibilities that would never happen. There was death and destruction, happiness and joy, babies and marriage, loneliness and old age.
She was seeing the Carnival’s future, but it was multiple futures, in different worlds on different levels. It meant everything and nothing. The images took over her mind, and she couldn’t see what was happening to the others, until suddenly they were back in the trailer, everyone looking like they’d just been hit by a train. Her head was swimming, and the room was swaying around her like she was drunk. Her breath rasped as she tried to get enough air into her lungs, and dots appeared in her vision. She felt like she’d just run a marathon—backward through thorn bushes.
Celestine lay her head in her arms on the table in front of her and tried to breathe calmly through her nose, so she wouldn’t throw up on them all, then and there.
It was a few moments before she realized that she had something heavy leaning against her.
Sam.
She tried to turn around, but he was slumped against her, his body limp.
Chapter 27
Sam came slowly awake, blinking his eyes open. He was lying down, his head on a pillow. He felt someone’s hand holding his; his vision was blurry, and he couldn’t see who it was. But he knew. Celestine.
“He’s coming to.” Celestine’s voice was soft and musical. It sounded perfect to his ears.
He tried to squeeze her hand, but his body was filled with lead and he couldn’t move. His head ached like he’d taken a knock from a championship fighter.
“Wh—” he cleared his raw throat. “Where am I?”
“You’re still in Rilla’s trailer. We put you on the bed. You passed out.”
“How long?” Had it been days? A panicky part of his brain immediately went into overdrive.
“About ten minutes. We were starting to get worried.”
Sam nodded, then wished he hadn’t when a shaft of agonizing pain sliced through his head. He groaned.
“Garth says it was successful. You’re part of the Carnival now.”
Sam’s heart rate sped up. He searched inside himself for some kind of physical thing, some feeling like when he’d had Veronica’s block inside him. But there was nothing. He didn’t feel any different.
“He says it might feel terrible because you’ve essentially sped up a process that normally takes weeks, sometimes months.”
He blinked again and turned his head slowly to look at Celestine. She looked tired too. Something had happened to her as well, but he couldn’t remember anything after he agreed to do it and Garth closed his eyes.
“What did the Carnival say?” he croaked out.
“About your talent?” Celestine glanced back toward the other end of the trailer. He followed her gaze and saw Rilla and Jack talking quietly in a huddle with Garth.
“Yes,” he said, feeling impatient.
“Garth didn’t actually tell me.”
“Get him over here. I need to know.” He knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t help himself. Blinding uncertainty had taken over his thoughts. He needed to know what it was that Veronica wanted from him. Then maybe he could figure out a way to bring her down.
Celestine nodded and went over to Garth and the others. Sam watched her out of hooded eyes. She’d had just as much of a revelation today as he had. She’d been told that she could get out from under her brothers’ domination, but only by submitting to another person. The thought of the amount of trust it would require to let another person have that kind of control made him shudder.
He hoped Indigo could help her instead.
Garth and Celestine came back to stand beside his bed, leaving Rilla and Jack talking in low voices on the other side of the trailer. Sam didn’t say a word, just looked up at Garth.
“The Carnival knows why Veronica wants you so badly,” said Garth. He hesitated.
“Just out with it. It can’t be that bad.”
Garth shook his head. “It’s not bad at all. You have the ability to amplify the power of those around you.”
At first, the words didn’t make sense. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear. “I make other people’s talents stronger?”
Garth nodded. “While we were in the Carnival dimension, I learned that part of the reason the Carnival has been getting more powerful so quickly is because you were already starting to make the connection. Now you’re fully joined to the Carnival, its magic has increased exponentially.”
Sam thought through what Garth was saying. “I don’t actually have a talent of my own?” he asked. Part of him felt cheated. He’d risked everything because he’d been sure it would help him end Veronica, and now he found that it didn’t make a damn bit of difference.
Garth was shaking his head. “Your ability is very rare. By being connected to the Carnival, you make us stronger in the fight against Veronica.”
Sam clenched his hand into a fist; it wasn’t enough. They didn’t understand the burning desire that churned in his gut. Veronica had kept him like a caged animal for ten years, forcing him against his will to harm others, leaving him broken and guilt ridden.
He didn’t want to help others finish her off. He wanted—needed—to be the one to personally destroy her.
His face must have shown his inner thoughts because Celestine put one gloved hand on his arm. “You couldn’t do it on your own, Sam. She beat you every time. I saw it. This way, we all work together to bring her down.”
Ghosts formed at the edge of Sam’s vision; all the people he’d seen her kill or who’d been harmed by Veronica. His stomach churned, and for a moment, he thought he might throw up. He blinked a few times, trying to make the faces disappear, but they weren’t real, and his mind wasn’t ready to let go of them.
He clenched his fists. The only way he could make up for what he’d done while he was chained to Veronica’s side was to bring her down personally. This ability wasn’t going to help him do that.
He nodded shortly. There was nothing he could do about it right now. Except he couldn’t lie still any longer. Pushing himself up onto his elbows he attempted to sit up. The room swayed, then righted itself. Celestine leaped forward to help him, her gloved hands soft on his skin.
“You need to lie down again, Sam. You’re not ready to be up so soon.” Celestine looked like a broody mother hen as she told him off, and Sam smiled. She probably wouldn’t appreciate the comparison.
Ignoring her words, he kept moving to sit up, but was breathing heavily and sweating by the time he was fully upright.
Just as he was seriously considering taking Celestine’s advice and lying back down, there was a knock at the door. He straightened his spine and looked toward the door.
Missy and Viktor entered the small trailer, their faces grim. They nodded briefly to Garth, Sam, and Celestine before going into a huddle with Rilla and Jack. They talked with the Ringmasters—presumably about the latest developments—in hushed voices.
Sam leaned over his knees, putting his forearms on his legs to hold himself in place. He glanced up and saw Celestine looking at him with a frown. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.”
Footsteps announced Jack’s arrival at the bedside. “I’m going to start doing double sessions of my absorbing practice beginning tomorrow morning. Five o’clock to seven. I need to get it under control in case Veronica makes a play for us. Any early risers need to be aware that their magic will be unavailable until then. I need all the members of the Nine to go out and spread the word.” Jack looked at Garth who nodded.
“I’ll start now.” Garth looked down at Sam. “Don’t move too far or too fast, Sam. You’ll be weak for a while yet, I think.”
Sam grunted, unable to think of anything smart to say to Garth, who nodded and headed out the door.
“How are you feeling?” asked Jack.
“Like crap,” said Sam.
Missy came to stand at the end of the bed as well, her long dark hair floating down around her face. “I hear you’re one of the crew now,” she said.
Sam nodded.
“You’ll have to learn to fight better,” she said with a grin.
Sam gave a tired half smile in return. “Feel free to teach me.”
Beside him on the chair next to the bed, Celestine gave a small cry and started shuddering violently. She fell forward onto the bed, in the middle of a full seizure.
“What the hell’s happening?” said Sam, trying to keep Celestine from tumbling off the bed. “She’s not touching anyone!”
Adrenaline surged through his body, and he managed to pull her onto the bed beside him. She trembled against him, her body shaking uncontrollably.
“What’s going on?” asked Jack.
“This is what happens when she’s seeing the future,” said Sam.
“Is it safe?”
Sam shook his head. “It’s what I keep trying to tell her. As far as her body is concerned, she’s having a seizure. Neurologically, it can’t be good for her. She tells me I’m worrying over nothing.”
They all waited in silence, watching as Celestine shuddered beside him. Sam wanted to tell them all to leave, to let this happen in private, but he understood their desire to know what she was seeing. It could be something important.
Eventually it stopped. Sam smoothed one hand down her hair, waiting for her to come around.
Celestine opened her eyes; a deep violet color spread over her whole iris. It made her look eerie, otherworldly.
Time hung still for a moment. The room was silent.
Celestine blinked. “I saw Missy fall and die,” she whispered. “Sometime really soon.”
Chapter 28
Celestine shook out her hands, trying to convince herself everything was fine.
But it wasn’t.
The vision she’d had earlier had been jumbled with images overlapping each other until she couldn’t tell what was happening or when. It felt like she was seeing every possible future, thereby negating every single one of them. But one thing had stood out to her. Missy falling from the trapeze at tonight’s show into a broken safety net.