Vagabond Circus Series Boxed Set

by Sarah Noffke

  ***

  The next morning Finley was awoken by the sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains. The warm beam of sun streaked across his face and gave light to the best sight in his whole life. Lying curled beside him was Zuma, already awake and staring at him. She lay on her stomach, her head rested on her hands. Finley reached out and pushed a piece of tangled hair from her face so he could see her better.

  “So it wasn’t a dream,” he said.

  “Definitely not,” she said, sliding in closer to him, a slight smile on her face. She slid her nose against his and then her mouth kissed his once. “I love you, Finley.”

  He blinked down at her with a tamed look.

  “Is this what normal people do?” he asked. “Do they wake up every day next to someone they love and receive affection?”

  “I wouldn’t know what normal people do,” she said, and curled her head down until it was resting on his chest, his heartbeat music to her ears.

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Everything is about timing. Everything. Dave knew that. Ian had been taught that early on. And he had made it his mission to find the right timing for the events at Vagabond Circus.

  Things have to happen now, he thought to himself as he crossed his meaty arms in front of his chest. Then he waited for the figure he knew was about to appear to walk out in front of the big top. From Ian’s vantage point, twenty yards away, he could barely make out the details of the man. However, Knight’s features were unique enough that he was recognizable from twenty stories up or twenty yards away.

  Okay, Ian thought, I’ve orchestrated this. Now I sit back and watch. My job is done. He then slipped his eyes closed, to watch the events of the near future as they played in his head.

  ***

  Knight approached Gwendolyn, who was surprised to see her master. She halted on her path between the big top and the trailers. In her hand she held a Styrofoam container. It was hot on the bottom and she used her hand under it for extra support even though it was slightly burning her skin. Gwendolyn, who was always by Knight’s side lately, had stepped away to grab his dinner since Bill, the circus chef, was strangely too busy to deliver the meal as he usually did for the owner of Vagabond Circus. The red-headed girl dropped her eyes to the straw-strewn ground.

  “Master, was I not quick enough? I hurried as fast as I could,” she said, vibrating with anxiety. The idea of disappointing her master was tantamount to cutting off one of her limbs. Gwendolyn had only suffered from the headaches a few times. Her skill as a power stopper didn’t work on Knight, which was typical of skills like that. Gwendolyn couldn’t stop powers like Sebastian’s, since his skill resided in the physical makeup of his body, and she also couldn’t stop clairvoyance, telepathy, or empathy. Her ability worked on skills that were physical, like blocking people with telekinesis, levitation, super speed, pyrokinesis, and teleporting. If it affected the user’s body then she could stop it but if it affected the mind then she was powerless.

  “No, you weren’t quick enough,” Knight said, his hands clasped behind his back. “Toss that in the trash. I don’t want cold food.”

  “But Master, it isn’t—”

  “Throw it away,” Knight said in a quiet voice. Gwendolyn would have expected him to yell one of those words but he didn’t. Still she stepped three feet and deposited the steaming box of rice and vegetables into the trash can. She then turned, head down to her master. Gwendolyn expected to be punished with a headache but instead Knight said, “I actually need you for a job.”

  “Oh, yes, Master. Thank you, Master,” Gwendolyn said, realizing the mind-stabbing pain wasn’t about to riddle her brain.

  “Open the flap of the tent,” he said and from Gwendolyn’s peripheral she noticed Knight pointing at the big top which stood beside them.

  She didn’t question this odd request, only took off at once, pulling one of the two flaps of the entrance back. The big top was dark and empty since they were in between shows. Knight marched through at once and as dutiful as ever, Gwendolyn took the position behind her master. She stayed three paces behind him, her eyes on his long back, watching for the sign that he was about to stop. The young girl didn’t want to run into him since he always stopped so abruptly. The man she’d known all her life, who had bestowed incredible wisdom and discipline on her, whom she’d follow through fire, led her to the curtain at the back of the ring. He didn’t stop abruptly as usual, but rather slowed a degree before halting. She arched a suspecting eyebrow at him but halted in her mark, three feet beside him. They stood staring at the teal blue velvet curtain. She wondered what this job would include. Knight had such an impressive hold on the people of Vagabond Circus that her help hadn’t been as necessary as it was in the beginning. She longed to block someone’s power again, and watch the aftermath like she did when she stopped Padmal’s telekinesis, sending the sharp blade into her foot, pinning her to the ground. Her master always came up with the craftiest ways to use her skill, like when she blocked Jack’s levitation skill, making him fall to what should have been his death.

  “Go and stand by the curtain,” Knight said.

  “Yes, Master,” Gwendolyn said, her stomach giddy with anticipation.

  He was positioning her so she was in place for his next stunt. She couldn’t wait to find out what it was and what insubordinate would suffer for not complying with her master’s every demand. She kept her eyes low once in place, the curtain barely brushing her back.

  “Move two feet to the right, so you are in front of the seam,” Knight ordered, his words not alternating between slow and an urgent rush, like they usually were. He spoke with an even pace. Gwendolyn almost jerked her eyes up to look directly at her master.

  “Don’t you dare look at me. You move into place now or suffer,” Knight said and this time his voice was right, fast at first and then slow. And he, who knew how to study people, knew she was raising her eyes. All paranoia skipped out of her as she sidestepped to the right, directly in front of the curtain’s seam.

  “Good. Now close your eyes and remain completely still. This won’t take long,” Knight said.

  Close my eyes? she wondered, but did as she was told. Her blood drummed in her head as a smile wrapped around her mouth. Gwendolyn could hardly wait to find out who would be punished, and how. She felt the curtain behind her swish softly against her head. Her eyes popped open and Knight stood still in front of her.

  “I said keep your eyes closed. Now you’ll be punished,” he said, in that same way she was used to. Quick then slow words.

  Gwendolyn expected her head to explode with blood vessels threatening to split. Instead there was a different horrible threat. From behind her, hands clapped down on her throat, cutting off her esophagus and therefore her air supply. Her first reaction was to grab the hands. She tried to rip them off her but they were strong. Calloused. Unrelenting. She dropped her knees, hoping to use her body weight to pull the force off her. But the strong arms didn’t give up. This actually made the cinch around her neck worse. Her head felt like it was about to erupt and still she could see the feet of her master in front of her, not caring about the punishment. She’d never looked directly at him, not since she was a baby and had learned not to. Now she raised her eyes, intent on finding a solution to this mystery. From her oxygen-deprived state she could still make out the sharp features of his pale face. Crooked nose. Thin lips. Small dark eyes. And a forehead that stretched up a long way to a pointy bald head. And although he was standing, watching her struggle and die, he was still beautiful.

  Spots popped into her vision. Bright spots. Black spots. So many they took over. Her head was hot with blood. Her heart slowing. And still the hands tightened, and wrung slightly. Gwendolyn pressed her fingernails into the hands but she knew that was doing little damage. She had little left. Her feet were now not under her because she couldn’t hold herself up. The person behind her was strong though. Steady. And held her up by her neck, choking out her air, unaffected by any
of her attempts to fight. She hardly even questioned her master but her last thought was, Why? Why are you doing this?

  “I’m sorry, Gwendolyn,” Knight said. And she could barely hear him over the beating in her head. “If there was another way. But we can’t win with you alive.”

  We? she thought and then her eyes slipped shut and her last remaining oxygen reserves depleted, making her heart go out, never to beat again.

  Knight’s form flickered and then disappeared.

  From the side of the curtain Oliver stepped out. He looked at the girl’s limp figure hanging loosely in the hands protruding through the curtain. He flinched from the sight of the dead girl, but didn’t look away. Zuma stepped out beside him but didn’t flinch. Her expression remained stone.

  “It’s done. She’s dead. No more consciousness,” she said, having stolen a link into the girl’s head. It was how she’d been able to make corrections and communicate suspicions Gwendolyn had when interacting with Oliver’s illusion of Knight.

  The hands dropped the girl and she crumpled to the ground. Then the curtain pulled back and Jack looked down at the girl, the one he’d strangled. He didn’t kneel but he did drop his head slightly.

  “I forgive you, Gwendolyn.” And then he stepped around the body and with a confidence Zuma had never witnessed before, he walked forward. He didn’t hesitate. Every step was strong. Deliberate. Full of grace only Jack possessed. One unique to him. He walked until he was just in front of Oliver and her. “It is done. Good work.”

  Zuma slid up next to him. She looked up at her friend. Cupped his face. “You, Jack Fuller, did the right thing. Thank you.”

  He nodded, his head in her hands. The burden of taking a life already lay across his heart. “I know you’re right,” he said.

  She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

  He smiled at her. “Thank you.”

  And at their back they heard the two crew members picking up the girl’s body. She would be deposited in a respectful manner, but no reports made. She was one of Knight’s kids and they, as far as the government knew, didn’t exist. Zuma hooked her arm through Jack’s and with Oliver in the lead the three walked out of the big top.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  “I thought I might find you here.” Knight’s voice made Sebastian jump to attention. The boy had been leaning against the trailer beside Zuma’s, which was empty because it used to belong to Jasmine and no one wanted a dead girl’s trailer.

  Knight always moved with a silent grace so Sebastian wasn’t surprised that he snuck up on him from behind. What surprised the boy was that Knight was there at all. His master was regimented. He always ate meals at the same time. This was his dinner time, which was why the boy had taken the hour to stalk his favorite prey. Zuma had gotten away but next time Finley wouldn’t save her. Hell, next time Finley would go down with her. He was looking forward to the things he’d do to Zuma when she was dead. He didn’t mind dead bodies. Actually, before his kiss from Padmal, dead bodies were the extent of his knowledge when it came to intimate experiences.

  “Yes, Master. Here I am. Is everything all right? Do you need me for something?” Sebastian said, snapping to attention, jerking his eyes to the ground.

  “Of course I need you. Why else would I come and find you?”

  “Right, Master. My apologies. What can I do for you?”

  “Follow me, Sebastian,” Knight said and pivoted at once and walked through the space between the trailers. Nestled behind that row of trailers sat a strip of forest. It was unmanaged since the city of Thousand Oaks had strict regulations regarding interfering with the wild agriculture. Knight marched through the thicket of trees, having to duck several times due to low-hanging branches or curtains of vines. Twice he almost tripped on thick roots camouflaged by clumps of leaves. On Knight’s second stumble Sebastian watched his master with a renewed interest. Yes, managing the forest was hard for even Sebastian, who was close to two feet shorter than Knight. However, Knight was used to his stature and also moved without error, no matter what. Sebastian’s master was not a clumsy man. Not ever.

  “Master, are you all right?” Sebastian said the third time a hard-to-see vine caught Knight up. They were deep into the thick trees now. The Vagabond Circus couldn’t be seen behind them.

  Knight whipped around and Sebastian darted his eyes away so he wouldn’t be caught looking at the man. “How dare you ask me a question of that sort. Of course I’m all right.”

  “It’s just that you—”

  “Do you want a chance at Zuma or not?” Knight said, cutting off the boy.

  Sebastian paused. Was Knight going to give him a gift? He had said that he was on his way to earning something. Sebastian thought that meant more money or more freedoms. More of a rein, like the opportunity to actually leave the circus at night and put his hands on people out late. Knight had always forbidden this but he was giving Sebastian more privileges since he showed him so much loyalty.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Knight said, his voice that unmistakable tone, like a record scratching. “I’ve ordered Gwendolyn to detain her out here. Zuma thinks she’s meeting with Finley. He told me she scheduled the meeting to figure out how to take me out. Can you believe she was so naive to not realize my son would turn her in?”

  “Yes, that’s very noble of Finley, Master,” Sebastian said. Too loyal, Sebastian thought. It was hard to believe the guy who had just saved Zuma from his touch a few days ago would turn the girl in. That didn’t sound in accordance with Finley’s past behavior. What was more likely was Knight was being set up.

  “Master, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Sebastian said and again Knight, who had continued the trek through the forest, stopped and turned, making the boy drop his eyes.

  “Are you telling me you don’t trust my judgment?” Knight said.

  “No, not at all. I don’t trust the people at Vagabond Circus, Master.”

  “What is it that you want to do? I’m offering you full access to Zuma. Touch her. Take her off my hands. Get her away from my son.”

  “I’ll do it. But I don’t think you should accompany me. What if it’s a trap, Master?” Sebastian said.

  Knight narrowed his eyes with satisfaction, but Sebastian didn’t see it since his gaze was averted. “And if it is a trap?”

  “Well, then I’ll take down the attacker. None of them can beat me. They can run but then at least we will know who you should punish.”

  From Sebastian’s peripheral he spied Knight nod. “Very well. You will walk to the end of this forest. There’s a clearing there. Cross it and you will find Zuma waiting for you. The trees are too dense in that spot so she’ll be trapped. And Gwendolyn is stationed close by so Zuma won’t be able to use her combat sense on you.”

  “Okay, I’ve got this,” Sebastian said, his eyes a little higher than usual when facing Knight. “I’ll go now.”

  “Very good.” And Knight turned and walked back the way they’d come a few paces.

  Sebastian hadn’t moved off yet. “Oh, and one more thing,” the boy said, feet apart, head held high.

  Knight turned and Sebastian was looking at him directly. “You’ve always punished me for not calling you Master in every address. Which means you aren’t my master.”

  The fake Knight stumbled back, his large feet catching on a root again. Sebastian lurched forward, hands out.

  Because the shape shifter was granted all the skills of the person he took on, Benjamin shot Knight’s cognitive torture at Sebastian and the boy dropped to a crouch, the intense pressure making him cradle his head. Seizing his opportunity, Benjamin pulled Knight’s oversized frame back up and ran for the clearing where they’d been headed. He had only one more opportunity to fix this but he’d have to move without error. He leapt over logs and knocked Knight’s wide shoulders into unseen twigs. Then to his horror he heard another set of footsteps behind him. He dared to look and realized that his focus on g
etting away had released Sebastian from the headache he’d hit him with. Benjamin considered giving him another one but the adrenaline racing through him made it impossible to focus enough to be successful. All his efforts were on getting away. Sebastian was now just behind him. He could feel the boy reaching out for him and in his large body he moved so much slower than the boy. Sebastian’s hand was almost on Benjamin when he made the impromptu decision and morphed instantly back into his ten-year-old figure. Suddenly he was sprinting at twice his previous speed.

  “What the hell?” Sebastian said behind him.

  Benjamin dared to look over his shoulder. Sebastian was still after him but the shock of watching his master’s form slide into Benjamin’s tiny body had slowed him considerably. Benjamin raced until he was on the other side of the clearing, hidden back inside a thicket of trees, and only then did he turn and see Sebastian halt.

  The boy laughed. “Nice try, Benjamin. And nice trick. Now that I know you’re a traitor you’re really dead. You’ll have to come out of there and when you do I’ll be waiting.”

  Benjamin looked up at the figure beside him and nodded. Her hair made it hard to really see her but he could make out her pale face nod back. “I’ve got this now, Benny,” Sunshine said. “You may want to look away.”

  “No, I want to watch,” the boy said.

  She nodded and then stepped out into the clearing. The empath was dressed all in black as usual, which made it hard to see her standing in the woods. “You won’t be waiting, Sebastian,” she called across the clearing. Sebastian was twenty yards away, closer to the other side of the opposite forest.