Vagabond Circus Series Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  Over her she felt someone move but her senses weren’t operating right. The pain was too great for her to do anything but convulse from the tremors now raking through her body, which was simultaneously shivering and sweating.

  “Oh, poor girl seems to have grown suddenly ill,” Knight said. “Titus, you should really take better care of your performers. They are your bread and butter, you know? Well, actually now they are mine, since I own Vagabond Circus.”

  Zuma’s teeth were locked down right against each other when the pain finally melted into something manageable. She felt a hand under her arm. It sought to pull her up from the ground where she lay. Shaking, she rose as Titus’s arm slid around her shoulder to steady the girl. “It’s all right,” he said in her ear, a new gentle tone to his usually serious voice. “I’ll help you.”

  She blinked the stars from her eyes to discover Finley was just staring at the ground, his hands lifeless by his side. At first she’d thought he was the one helping her, but he looked helpless now.

  “I’m taking you and Jack to see Fanny,” Titus said, his back to Knight, his eyes on Zuma. “Can you walk so that I can push Jack?”

  She slid her gaze to Jack, whose eyes on his pale face were bemused, like he was stuck in a nightmare. Zuma nodded. “Yes, let’s go,” she said, not daring to look directly at the man holding his arms across his chest with a satisfied expression written on his face. Knight, she knew, was responsible for the headache still making her feel close to exploding with pain. This was what he could do. This was how he maintained control. This had been why Finley had dared, for just a split second, to take down his shield to warn her. She knew it wouldn’t be safe for him to keep down the wall as it was the only thing that protected him from Knight. Zuma saw Knight in her peripheral, still not daring to look straight at the new owner of Vagabond Circus. Something in Zuma told her that she should never again look at him directly, if she wanted her head to remain pain free.

  Chapter Two

  A chill slid over the backs of Finley’s hands and inched over his arms, raising every hair as it took its path to his bunched up shoulders. He hadn’t followed Titus, Jack, and Zuma out of the office tent. He knew better. You didn’t leave Knight’s presence until he dismissed you unless you wanted to be punished at the next meeting.

  A morbid laugh almost spilled from Finley’s mouth as his current reality sunk in. How had he thought he could beat Knight? Finley stupidly had believed at the compound that he could teleport into Knight’s quarters and negotiate for Zuma’s happiness, for the curse to be lifted. Not only had he been unrealistic, but he’d been unwise not to see all this coming. He cursed himself for not seeing that Knight would come after Vagabond Circus. Of course that’s what he’d been after. That had been the other motivation behind Knight’s revenge. And now Knight had won. He’d killed Dave, taken his circus and with it any chance Finley ever had of freedom or happiness.

  Finley sensed the two figures approach behind him and he knew immediately that even if he wanted to teleport, he couldn’t. If he wanted to move at super speed, he couldn’t. Power-Stopper was behind him, in close enough proximity that she was robbing him of his dream travel skills. What Finley didn’t know was that Power-Stopper had graduated and now was named Gwendolyn. What Finley did know was that if he did try to run, Sebastian, the other person behind him, had every chance of catching him. Touching him. Killing him with a single hand clasped to his arm. As he had been his entire life, Finley was trapped. Again, he laughed to himself, this one also reeking of no humor. How did he think he could escape? Knight would never have let him get away for good. Now the only advantage Finley had was that Knight couldn’t get into his head to create mind-numbing headaches. But Knight didn’t know that, which was also in Finley’s advantage.

  “Tell me, Finley,” Knight said, his gravelly voice bringing that familiar dread to the acrobat’s mind. “You escaped from my compound. But I don’t understand why. I brought you into this world. I fed you. Taught you. Gave you everything you ever HAD!” Knight boomed on the last word. Finley knew from his peripheral that the older man’s face had suddenly blossomed into a fire engine red but he didn’t dare look at him directly. He knew better. “And you left me,” Knight said now in an urgent whisper. Oddly he sounded almost hurt.

  “How long?” Finley said, his voice even quieter than Knight’s.

  “Excuse me?” Knight said.

  “How long do you plan to make me serve you, Master?” Finley asked, his chin nearly touching his chest.

  Knight’s loud laugh was soon joined by smaller ones behind Finley. “We are a family. Family is forever. What we do is a family business. And you have your name. You have a rank. Why would you want to leave that?”

  “That’s why I escaped. You were never going to let me go, Master,” Finley dared to say, all the while his eyes on the ground.

  “Where did you want to go when you left me?” Knight asked, but Finley knew he wasn’t supposed to answer. “You went to Vagabond Circus. I was about to take you there, as you can see now since I’m the majority owner. When are you going to see that I’m always a step ahead of you? I’ve always known what you wanted. And I’m now in the position to give my kids whatever they desire for serving me. Sebastian and Gwendolyn, tell me what you two want.”

  “Power,” Gwendolyn said without hesitation.

  “Power and freedom,” Sebastian said.

  “And guess who now has the privilege to run freely and do whatever they want at Vagabond Circus,” Knight said to the kids at Finley’s back.

  “We do, Master,” they said in unison.

  The idea that Sebastian could run around and do whatever he wanted terrified Finley. He didn’t know the boy well, but knew he was obsessed with creating pain.

  “And Finley. You wanted to be a star in this circus and if you would have just been patient you would have known I was about to give that to you. But your haste and show of disrespect has earned you my forever contempt. Sebastian tells me that you seem to care for these people at Vagabond Circus. The ones who now work for me.” The threat was as heavy as lead in Knight’s tone.

  “Master, punish me,” Finley said, his voice a raspy plea.

  “I’ve always respected you, Finley,” Knight said, ignoring his request. “You were my first named kid. The one who was relentless, always doing what I asked. You were so strong you never went any further than round one of the punishments. I’ve always found this strange because usually the pain I create inside my kids’ heads makes them pee their pants before any physical threats start, but you weren’t ever weakened. Strange really.” And the insinuation flanked the last two words, bringing instant panic to Finley’s mind.

  “Master, I can explain,” Finley said, his voice an urgent whisper now.

  “Can you? CAN YOU?” Knight said too loud. “Sebastian?”

  “Yes, Master?” the younger boy said.

  “Tell me how this feels,” Knight said.

  A deep guttural scream ripped from the boy’s mouth. Finley didn’t dare turn around. The groan dissipated over a long few seconds.

  “And Gwendolyn?” Knight said when Sebastian had quieted.

  “Yes, Master?” the girl said.

  Again a wail of pain filled the tent, this one high-pitched.

  “And Finley?” Knight said when he’d apparently released Gwendolyn from the torture. “Do you want to fake a yelp of pain as you always have? Because I targeted the pain at you when that girl made her accusations since I saw you holding her hand when I came in. I thought torturing you would be a better punishment for her since I know assaulting the people others care about is most effective. However, you didn’t even flinch. And now I’m targeted on you but there’s no effect. For how long has my mind torture not worked on you?” Some of Knight’s words were quick and others drawn out, like he was alternating his delivery for amusement.

  “Always, Master,” Finley said in a low voice.

  A chuckle that sounded nothin
g like one slipped out of Knight’s mouth. “Then you’ve given me no choice but to give your punishment to the ones you care about.”

  “But Master—” Finley almost jerked his head up.

  “Silence! You want to hurt them and also be cursed? Do you, Finley? Oh, and I realize you figured out you can dream travel. So do it. Escape again, but note that I will find you and when I do I will destroy you after I’ve cursed or murdered every last person at this circus. IS THAT CLEAR?”

  Finley nodded, unable to manage anything else.

  “You are a part of this family whether you like it or not. You will stay, you will serve, and you will be an example to my kids and the people of Vagabond Circus or next time I won’t let up on the girl with the pink stripe in her hair. I’ll make her head hurt until it hemorrhages.”

  “Yes, Master,” Finley said on the tails of Knight’s words, hoping to cut him off, to make him stop. Finley couldn’t believe how flawed he’d been in thinking he could save Zuma from the curse. That was impossible. And now he was going to have an incredibly difficult time just keeping her alive. His only hope was that she’d leave Vagabond Circus and that hope was worthless. The girl would never abandon Dave’s circus. Especially now that it was in drastic need of saving.

  Chapter Three

  The stuffy air in Ian’s truck was starting to make him feel like he was suffocating. He’d been sitting in the old teal Chevy for three long hours with the windows sealed shut. He’d been in the truck’s passenger seat when Zuma, Finley, and Jack had arrived. She had cast a relieved glance at the truck, but since it was dark she hadn’t noticed him in there. He was grateful she looked relieved to see the truck, grateful she felt better knowing he was still there at Vagabond Circus. Ian had no disillusions. He actually was the one person at Vagabond Circus, and one of the few in the world, who really saw things for what they were. His divination and clairvoyance made his realities always clear. Ian’s heart was only lightened that someone with a spark as pure as Zuma’s cared about him. He went unnoticed by most by choice, but he wanted to be thought fondly of by the girl, especially once he was gone.

  Ian hadn’t been surprised to see Jack’s legs stretched in front of him, hadn’t been surprised to see him in a wheelchair. He’d known that if Finley and Zuma had followed his directions, they would save Jack, but not from his fall. Some futures were unavoidable. And in the case of Jack’s paralysis, it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. In truth, Jack living his life without the challenges he was going to face would have delivered him a much worse future. Now Jack had the chance at real happiness.

  Ian opened the glove box and stared at the blackness inside it. He knew what was in there, although he couldn’t see it directly. He’d bought the item last week. Now he sat in the passenger seat wishing he would have run away from Vagabond Circus last week instead. That’s one reason he’d chosen to sit in the passenger side instead of the driver’s side of his truck. His constant visions of the future made him feel like a passenger to what was going to happen to Vagabond Circus. He would have little involvement in the things Knight would do to his people, but still he’d be forced to watch one way or another, either in person or in his head. And that’s why he hadn’t run away. One way or another he’d be cursed with the visions of the future.

  Ian would always see the horrible no matter where he was. So he didn’t run even though he wanted to. Soon most at Vagabond Circus would want to run away too, but none of them would. For most, they would stay with the faith that they were in the right place at the moment, or that they were protecting Dave’s circus. For those who didn’t instinctively believe this, they would once Ian spread his well-crafted rumor.

  He threw his hand through his light-colored curly hair. He didn’t like to lie. The man had never had a reason to lie before; withholding information was as close as Ian ever came. But now he’d have to tell the Vagabond Circus members that if they stayed and endured the torture Knight would put them through, then they would overthrow his leadership and run him away. He would also tell them that if they ran away then Knight would ruin Vagabond Circus, forever tarnishing everything Dave sought to do. Knight would make all those who believed in magic, believe in something sinister. Knight would spread evil if the Vagabond Circus members left the big top. That’s what Ian would tell them.

  This actually wasn’t the future that Ian saw. Not at all. What he saw had forced him to lock himself away in his truck, almost hoping to suffocate in the small compartment. However, Ian knew he couldn’t give up yet. Except with the first vision he ever saw, he never tried to change the vision in his head. But now Ian had to. If his gift was to be considered that at all, then in this case it had to be employed to make things right. And after he’d told his lies and set up a different path for Vagabond Circus members then he’d finally be done. He would free himself of the torture of being a prisoner to the unrelenting tragedies of the future playing in his vision.

  Ian reached into the dark glove box and removed the pistol he had bought last week. He had no doubt that when the time came he could raise the gun to his head and fire. No doubt at all. Ian had already seen himself doing just that in a vision of the future.

  Chapter Four

  “He can’t get away with this,” Zuma said to Titus in a hush. Her head was still pressed between her palms as she walked beside the older man.

  Titus pushed Jack’s wheelchair. The acrobat seemed to be in a silent state of shock. He hadn’t said a word since he’d confronted Knight. Now Jack just stared at his outstretched legs like he didn’t believe they were real. It was his current reality he was doubting. It didn’t compute and he regretted that he hadn’t said more. Charged Knight. Confronted him. Accused him. Attacked him. But how could he? He was powerless. And trying to convict Knight of attempting to murder him was ridiculous. Jack had jumped through a skylight. That’s how the authorities would see it. He’d broken and entered. Trespassers had no rights. Finley had once said that Knight’s crimes were untraceable. Now Jack fully understood why.

  In the background Jack heard muttering. Titus and Zuma were talking. To decipher their words would take more focus than his shocked state would allow so he just stayed locked on the unmoving legs in front of him.

  “Titus, what is he doing here? How can we stop him? We have to do something,” Zuma said, her voice low, her tone frantic.

  Titus halted and spun to face the girl. “Don’t you think I know that?” Just as Zuma pulled her hands from her still aching head Titus had her face cupped in his fingers. It was an urgent gesture, but still full of gentleness. It spoke so eloquently of the fear inside of Titus. For him to reach out, to grab her, meant he was bursting with panic. “Zuma, get this straight, we are doomed. There’s nothing we can do. And therefore you have to leave Vagabond Circus. You and Jack and everyone have to leave. Without you all here, Knight has no circus.”

  Zuma’s dark eyes narrowed and she stepped back out of Titus’s hold. “No.” She said that one word sharp enough it could cut. “I’m not letting him have Dave’s circus. I’m—”

  “It’s his circus now,” Titus said. “He has a legitimate claim to Dave’s share of fifty-one percent. That’s why you all have to leave. There’s nothing we can do and Knight will destroy Vagabond Circus now and turn it into something sinister.”

  “That’s exactly why we have to stay and take it back,” Zuma said, wanting to stomp her feet into the earth.

  Titus was already shaking his head before she was done speaking. “No, Zuma, you don’t get it. There’s no beating Knight. Even Dave knew that. That’s why he only banished him from Vagabond Circus using a curse. He knew he could never get rid of him, although I’m not sure he would have tried.”

  “So what? You’re just going to allow him to have your shares and abandon everything you’ve worked for for twenty years?” Zuma asked, shaking with anger.

  “What choice do I have?” Titus said, and the defeat in his voice attempted to crawl into Zuma’s heart and hiberna
te there.

  She shook this off, rose up higher on her long legs. Stared up at the creative director. “You can stay with me and figure out a way to save things. This can’t be over. Because if we leave then Knight will just find new performers. He’ll enslave his kids to perform. At least if we stay we can protect people. At least if we stay we have a chance of taking Vagabond Circus back,” Zuma said.

  Titus shook his head and looked away from the girl, off into the dark where he could see nothing. But when Titus spoke, he was talking to Zuma. “So you won’t leave then?”

  “Not even if my life is at stake,” she said, her voice full of conviction.

  “Well, if you stay that’s exactly what’s at stake, Zuma. I want you to know that.”

  “Titus please,” she said, reaching out and taking the creative director’s hand. He’d known Zuma her whole life. Had been there when she was born in the big top. And like Dave he knew she carried a special magic in her, a power to change things. “Please, Titus. You have to believe we are strong enough to stop this. You have to believe you’re strong enough,” she added.

  “Okay,” he said, his eyes on the petite hand clutching his.

  Before he could say more the phone in Zuma’s pocket rang, clanging like the loudest sound in the world inside the silent dark circus grounds. Zuma shuffled hastily for the phone. With a quick glance at the screen she turned and rushed for Fanny’s trailer. “It’s Dr. Chang,” she called over her shoulder. “Bring Jack,” she said to Titus. “Hurry.”

  Chapter Five

  Fanny had been trudging the same path out in front of her darkened trailer when she heard the approaching footsteps. Her three charges were finally asleep inside. Fanny had tried to lie down, knowing if she was exhausted tomorrow she wouldn’t be able to care for the kids with the affection they deserved. However, the multiple attempts at rest had been met with defeat. A nervous hum buzzed in the older woman’s chest and the only thing that made it bearable was pacing. Back and forth. Again and again.