by Chloe Adler
“Ahhh.” She brought me a steaming mug of coffee. “I added some cocoa to help with your blues.”
“You always know what I need. What would I do without you?”
She bent down to peck my cheek as Alec entered the kitchen, clearing his throat. She looked up, unsurprised. “Well, hello, handsome,” she said to him, smiling.
“Burgundy.” Alec nodded at her and approached me with furrowed brows. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really. My sister. She bailed.”
“Where’d she go?”
“No clue.” I picked the note up off the table and handed it to Alec.
“Coffee?” Burgundy asked him.
“Please.” He sat down beside me, scanning the letter, and placed his arm around my shoulders. “Anything I can do?”
“Being here is enough.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Awwww,” Burgundy said as she placed Alec’s coffee cup in front of him and sat down with one of her own. “Hey, what about a spell or asking one of the sisters to scry? Maybe we could find her that way.”
I looked up. “Great idea. Now?”
“Chrys is at the art academy, and Sadie’s out on a bid. She’s bringing Iphi here later to help spell the house but we could send one or all of them an emergency text.”
Crap. The last thing I wanted to do was disturb Chrys’s art time or tear Sadie away from her newfound business, especially because I knew they’d both drop everything to help. If I asked them to. Which made me the one who should suck it up. For them.
“Nah. Sam obviously left of her own volition. Trackers don’t do anything quietly.” I waved the note. “Let’s wait till later.”
“Okay. Wanna get out of here for a while then? The girls will spell up the mess later and scry after that. When we come back from work tonight, it’ll be clean and hopefully we’ll know where your sister is.”
“Perfect,” said Alec, smiling broadly.
“Work. Crap. That’s the last thing I want to deal with right now.” My sigh sounded like a defeated cougar. “Right, I’ll go change and . . . where should we go?”
“How about the boardwalk?” Burgundy suggested. “We can bring Rex and sit outside at the cafe there.”
“Sounds good. Nothing we can do here that isn’t frustrating anyway.
Chapter Ten
We all walked hand in hand down the boardwalk together. It had been a nice stroll from our house, about a mile, and Rex was the best dog. Burgundy only had to use the word heel once and he kept consummate pace with us. They had me walking in the middle and it was almost a perfect moment. If only I knew where Sam was. I was angry she’d abandoned me after one day of reconnection, but more than that, I was concerned for her safety.
Maybe I could find her. The last thing I wanted was to ask my friends for more help. They were already going to clean up our entire house, but that’s what friends did for friends. Right? If they needed a ride, I hoped they knew I’d fly them anywhere, all the way to Europe if need be.
“When are the girls coming over exactly?” I asked Burg as we came upon a circus tent at the end of the pier.
Cute, colorful clowns fastened balloons to the poles outside while some of the performers walked around in sparkly outfits, performing magic tricks for the crowd. Burgundy stopped and squeezed my hand. “In a couple of hours,” she said, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking skyward.
“And the Council meeting is when?”
“Two, I think. Benedict said he’d call me right after. Wanna watch a bit of the show?”
“Yeah. Alec?”
“Oh, sure.” Alec’s hand went limp in mine, and he was looking at his feet.
“I’m sorry.” I turned to him, taking his other hand and waiting until he raised his head. “I’ve been utterly absorbed in my own problems. Your world has been turned upside-down too. I thought maybe watching a performance would help take our minds off things.”
He attempted a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I do want to watch. I love the circus but it also hits a little close to home right now, you know?”
“Let’s not then.” I tried to pull him away from the tent but he held fast. Burgundy stood aside, giving us some privacy.
“No, I want to,” he murmured. “It’ll help me form a new association. I don’t wanna lose my appreciation for all of . . . this.” His hands moved in a circle.
“I’m here to support whatever way you need to process.” I touched his arm.
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
I let my hand slide down his arm to grasp and squeeze his hand. He squeezed back.
The three of us entered the tent, which was lined with bleachers, the center left open for the show. It wasn’t exactly a big top, but it could hold a few hundred people. The tent itself was white, glinting in the afternoon sun. We could see it from Casa Mañana. Inside, the bleachers were also white and the vendors wore white too. When I’d asked Iphi about the monochromatic color scheme once, she’d said it was so the patrons could focus on the colorful performers and acts, which made sense. If there were too many contrasts and colors drawing the eye, the patrons and performers would be distracted. Plus the tent was in a public place, and keeping it minimally decorated deterred thieves.
Alec released my hand and walked to one of the bleachers, sitting down in the front row. We followed him, and Rex sat next to the bleachers in perfect form. When more people began filing in, the dog repositioned himself down at our feet. Vendors came and offered popcorn, cotton candy and coffee for sale. We all chose coffee.
“Are any of Iphi’s students in this show?” I asked Burg. I hadn’t seen the show since the circus opened up again in April, and the performers rotated quite a bit. Who knew what had changed in the past four months?
“I’m not sure.” Burgundy bit her bottom lip. She was so lying. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
I grumbled into my coffee and reached for Alec’s hand. He pulled me close and we kissed tenderly for a minute. I was surprised and pleased that he wanted to show such affection in public, especially after last night.
There was a short horn blast, and two clowns emerged in front of us, one small, the other one large. Luckily, the Edge circus clowns were not scary. They were proper funny clowns with mad skills. The first one started juggling eggs while another played music on a saw. At the end of the juggling act, he cracked all the eggs to show us they were real.
Another guy came out spinning in the center of a large metal disk. This was no hula hoop, even if it had the same shape.
“What the heck?” I turned to Alec.
“Cyr wheel,” he responded. “Super impressive, no?”
“I’ll say,” my mouth gaped.
The acrobat remained in the center while it spun around in front of us, jumping out to grab it and swing it around. One wrong move and the guy would have been toast. Everyone clapped as the music died down and the stage was cleared.
The music surged again and people oohed and aahed, staring skyward. Hanging from the center of the tent were two conjoined pieces of purple fabric cascading to the ground. On a platform about thirty feet above us, a tiny girl appeared in a sequenced dress. She pulled one of the long purple pieces of fabric toward her and climbed on.
It took me less than a minute to realize it was Iphigenia and I leaned over to whisper to Alec. “This is a real treat,” I whispered to him, excited. His smile broadened. “She’s incredible.”
I looked back at Burg, who looked smug.
“You knew.”
She shrugged, her smile giving her away. “Maybe.”
Iphi held onto the fabric with both hands and flipped herself upside-down, hooking one leg. Looking like a graceful bird in flight, she wrapped the tail around her waist, lowering her body down, slowly spinning like the whirling tops we used to play with as kids. We’d wind string tightly around them and pull. Whoosh. When she was in the middle of the silks, she stood up, grasping onto each long trail with a
toe and stretching effortlessly into the splits. People hooted and clapped.
Wrapping the silk around her hips, she inverted into another split, reaching behind and pulling her head to her feet. More applause. Everyone was riveted while she swung and hoisted her agile body, performing trick after trick. Some of the tricks she did I hadn’t seen her perform before and I, like the rest of the audience, was dazzled and proud.
“What a fantastic act,” Alec turned to me, breathless. “Maybe I could approach them about adding Chinese pole.”
“I’m sure they’d be open to it,” I whispered. “I’ll introduce you to the owner.”
“Oh thank you.” Alec squeezed my hand as Iphi wound up for her final trick, a spinning drop from the very top. I remembered when she’d first started perfecting that drop. She’d explained how challenging it was, and I’d never seen anyone else attempt anything like it, especially at that height.
As she spun down the silks with everyone gasping and about to stand and applaud, the fabric started ripping away from the ceiling with an ominous scratching sound. Iphi’s body, still attached to the silks, dropped a short way at first, and all eyes trained upward. We couldn’t make out what was happening exactly, only that the fabric was tearing away from its hold at the top. Watching Iphi plummet to the ground from half way up turned screams of delight into shrieks of terror. She tumbled through the air, down, down, down, flowing tails of purple billowing out above her. Burgundy and I were on our feet, running toward our friend, who thumped into a heap on a pile of purple silk and thick mats below.
Blocking our way like a human wall was a large group of people dressed all in white. They wore grotesque animal masks and brandished guns. People scattered as more shouts lit up the tent. Rex leapt to attention and tried to lunge at the one closest to us as he released a spray of red liquid from the gun barrel. Water guns. The spray hit us at the same time the others released their guns. Red paint hit our face and clothes, drenching the audience.
“Signum scum,” one of the crazies screamed.
“You will never be safe from us,” screamed another.
“We know who you are,” yelled a third.
“Rex, zadrish,” screamed Burg and our dog, who had been pulling at his leash, lunged forward and latched onto the hand of the guy in front of us.
He roared in pain and the group of Trackers scattered, leaving their downed man behind with a torrent of screaming obscenities.
Burgundy and I pushed through the throng, trying to reach Iphigenia. When we got to the stage, I was relieved to see Iphi trying to push her way out of the fabric. It was wrapped thickly around her torso from the drop. She’d fallen on professional circus mats, but the extra thick cushioning from the silks had probably saved her life.
The three of us dropped to our knees and pulled it all away from her, but when I touched her leg, she shrieked. Silk was still covering her face as her arms windmilled wildly.
“Iph, it’s us, you’re okay now.” Burgundy had stopped trying to pull the fabric away and was just holding her tightly.
“Burgundy?” Iphi’s voice came out in sobs. “What happened?”
“Trackers. They must have cut the top of your silks.”
“We’re so glad you’re okay,” I murmured, still trying to free her little body. It was wrapped up so tightly, I hardly made any progress.
“Stand back,” came a booming voice from behind us. Serlon, the circus owner, had arrived. He knelt down in front of Iphi, talking quietly. She stilled, the sounds of an ambulance filling the still air.
He turned to us and said, “You shouldn’t move her. They’ll cut her out. It’s the safest way in case she has any internal bleeding or broken bones.”
Iphi sobbed and sniffled into my cotton jacket. The sound wrenched at my soul, filling me up with hate.
Chapter Eleven
The police station was located in the center of town across from the water. Like everything else in the Edge, it had a small-town look and feel. The front of the building was simple and unassuming, a mustard yellow topped with a terra cotta roof, arched and shuttered windows piercing the cool adobe at regular intervals. Two mission-style benches flanked the entrance. The quaint Southwestern architecture and the historical feel of the desert town were two of the many reasons I’d chosen to settle here, having grown up in small-town Alaska. But the main reason I’d chosen Distant Edge was because it was a town built to keep Signum safe from the outside world and from Trackers. That safety was now shattered.
The chief of police, Sheldon, sat behind a large wooden desk in his office off the lobby, taking our statements. The three of us had piled in but remained standing since our clothing, bodies and hair were all covered with red paint. It had mostly dried and was starting to flake off. And itch.
“Thanks to your dog, we’re hoping for a full briefing on why the Trackers are here.”
“Where is Rex?” Burgundy asked. She sure had taken to that dog. And I’d always thought she was a cat person.
“He’s in the back. We’ll bring him out for you.”
“Oh good,” I said, “you don’t need to hold him.”
The chief chuckled. “He won’t answer our questions or we would.”
“What’s going to happen with the guy he caught? Can he be charged with Iphi’s fall? Attempted murder?”
“This is what I need to talk to Aurelia about.”
“Aurelia?”
“Iphigenia asked us to turn the matter over to her. She said she can’t make that decision herself,” said Sheldon, looking down at his notes.
Burgundy and I exchanged looks. Involving Iphigenia’s mother in anything was never a good idea.
“If we charge him with aggravated assault, I suspect the judge will deny bail and he won’t be allowed to leave the county until after the trial, if it goes to trial. Which means . . .”
“That the Trackers will remain here, to wreak more havoc,” Alec finished for him.
Sheldon nodded gravely. “Of course we can warn them and keep an eye on them, but they are a slippery bunch. We all know what they’re capable of.” He was looking directly at me and I did not want to be singled out just then.
“There’s another alternative.” He spread his hands on his desk.
We all waited, not saying anything.
“I’m going to advise Aurelia on this, but ultimately, it will be her decision.”
“The suspense is . . .” Burgundy cut in, her tone verging on sarcasm.
“She can choose to drop the charges, and we can officially banish them from our town. We’ll need to devise a new way to physically keep them out. Another spell, perhaps, or we can set up sentries for a while. A new task force made up entirely of Signum. I haven’t worked out any details and will be bringing it up at the Council meeting in,” he looked at his watch, “two hours.”
“Is the meeting public?” I asked.
“No, it’s closed,” Sheldon said. “Council members only. This is a major issue and we want to get it resolved quickly.”
“You’ll call us after?” asked Burg. “And let us know what’s happening?”
“I will.” He gave us all a stiff nod and then held his hand out to shake each of ours.
There was a short knock on the door before it opened and Rex bounded inside, jumping on each of us and licking our hands.
“Good boy,” Burgundy fell to her knees, trying to cradle him in her arms.
He was too excited to sit still for her but licked her face. His tail wagged so hard it whipped against my leg. That hurt!
“And Iphi?” I asked as the distraction continued. “Is she to remain at the hospital?”
The chief glanced at his pad again before shaking his head. “She’ll be released to Aurelia later today.”
Burgundy rolled her eyes and I put my arm around her shoulder to keep her quiet.
“We’re glad she’s well enough to go home,” I said to the chief, and he nodded.
“Yes. We all are. Keep on your
toes, these people are running rampant in our town. I’ve issued a town-wide alert. Businesses are talking about shutting down.”
Alec sighed, shaking his head. “I lived with them in Hangzhou for many years. Mostly they focused on intimidation and petty vandalism, but about six months ago, the murders began.” He shivered. “There must be some reason they’re here. Everyone knows they don’t touch the three Signum communities. There have been two attacks and both had to do specifically with them.” He pointed to Burgundy and me. “They need twenty-four-hour police protection.”
Sheldon shook his head. “I wish I could do that, Alec, I really do, but right now I don’t have the manpower. I’m also not convinced you’re right. It could be a coincidence, but either way, the department is on it. Good thing you got that dog.” He gave us a wave to indicate our time was up. We all exchanged glances, mumbled our thank-yous and filed out of his office.
Standing outside the police station, I blinked into the bright light. So much had already happened today and it was just two p.m.
“I don’t know about you two but I don’t want to go back to our house,” I said, shaking my head.
“The girls were going to spell it clean this afternoon, but with Iphi’s broken leg that may not be possible,” agreed Burgundy.
“Maybe the other two can do it alone?” I suggested.
“Maybe. I’ll find out later. This is more important right now.”
“Let’s go to Sadie’s. She can scry in her crystal ball and we can find out what these assholes are up to. And maybe even locate Sam.”
Burgundy walked toward her car and I followed. Alec hung back, looking around.
“C’mon.” I motioned for him.
“I don’t know.” He looked confused.
“Are you okay?” I asked, going back to him and putting my hands on his waist.
“Watching her fall like that. It really shook me up. I’d like to . . .” His eyebrows creased.
“What? You can tell me.”
“I’d like to go back to the circus. On the pier and volunteer to help clean up.” He rolled his eyes. “I know that sounds kind of crazy.”