She’d asked her Papa to heal him as he’d healed the knife wound she’d suffered during the confrontation with the Pale Man, but Bam was unable to heal most humans. At best he could induce a sense of peace by the laying of his hands on a person. No one knew why he had been able to heal Hailey, but he and Fig suspected it had been some combination of his strong love for her and her closeness with the animals he healed on a regular basis. Still, it could be none of those things. Every person on the show had some sort of ability, and none of them was an exact science.
Hailey made her way through the caravan town what would be the circus’s back yard if they’d been set up to show. Approaching the far end, she was comforted by the sight of the behemoth motor coach owned by her Uncle Fig and Aunt Florica, the circus’s fortune teller and her sort of adopted mother. She and her Papa usually stayed in their teepee like hut that sheltered in the shade of the huge caravan, and sometimes Hailey would stay with one of Florica’s three daughters. Pani and Calliope were both married, Calliope to Jakob Schreiber the rubber eel man, and Pani to Ambrose Thessalia, the sword swallower. Thalia Vadoma was unmarried, and ran the slanging buffer act, or performing dogs to the non-circus person. Thalia was twenty-eight now, and her mother despaired of marrying her to a nice Romanian boy, and her father despaired of marrying her to a nice Greek boy, and her sisters despaired of marrying her to any type of boy at all, but Thalia held firm to her convictions that the right man would come along or not at all, whichever one suited her fine either way! She and Hailey spent a lot of girl time together, especially since Hailey had turned fourteen and entered puberty, and it was from Thalia that she learned about womanhood, eye makeup, and the proper way to flirt should the occasion arise. Unbeknownst to her family, Thalia dated a few of the young men from the seats in various towns, but none had been able to pass the inspection of her pack of performing border collies. The alpha male, Mojo, was getting along in years, and his approval of new people waned more and more as his age progressed.
Tito was given a bunk in the giant caravan, as he’d had no place to go once he’d been found wandering in the swamp. Several people had wanted to turn him over to Florida’s child protective services, but Fig shamed them by pointing out that his monster of a father had been the problem from day one. He’d only accepted them on the show for the boy’s sake in the first place. Were they monsters, too, to turn out the boy now that he had no one, not even that pitiful excuse for a father? Bam and Florica had agreed with him, and as the principles of the circus, they had the final vote. Any who refused to work with the boy on the show were welcome to draw their final wages and depart for other circuses or carnivals. Florida was the wintering town of many such outfits, a few miles away in Gibsonton (known as Gibtown). Anyone who wanted to jump the show could likely find employment elsewhere. Though there was grumbling, no one left and Fig remained vigilant in his efforts to acquire new acts. His circus was made up mainly of misfits anyway, people who possessed certain talents that were either unappreciated or that they preferred remain private. The Labyrinthian was crafted in such a manner that these gifts and abilities were a help, rather than a suspicion or hindrance.
Hailey knocked blithely on the door to the caravan and opened the door without waiting for an answer. Any who wanted to be alone inside would be in their allotted bedroom, and it was starting to get warm outside. Hailey wanted to wash the lion’s stinky mane from her hands and grab a bite to eat before starting on a new trick with the tiger. Tito, of course, followed her inside the dark interior, while Shardul placed his magnificent self on the bright green grass just outside the door, waiting patiently for his mistress to return. He did not say anything to her as she went in, and she didn’t say anything to him either. Their bond was very deep and required very little conversation. He felt, more than heard, that she would return soon and he was happy to remain here for that brief time. When Hailey first arrived, the stubborn creature wouldn’t even acknowledge her existence. But when the Pale Man had attacked Hailey in the menagerie tent, and killed her beloved Charlie, the tiger had finally broken his silence and commanded her to open his cage door. Without hesitation, she’d done so, and Shardul killed the Pale Man easily, in spite of having knives thrown telekinetically into his striped flesh.
Hailey was delighted to find Fig and Florica at the enormous mahogany table in the very center of the caravan, separating the kitchen and living quarters from the front living space. The entire thing was operated by a spacious cockpit, where Hailey sometimes rode with Ephraim, their driver and the best roustabout on the show. She threw her arms around each in turn, exchanging merry greetings. Tito waited patiently behind her for his turn to greet his benefactors, before quietly excusing himself and heading off to his room. Hailey knew he would be firing up his iPod and blasting music for the next couple of hours. They didn’t have homework until evening time. Fig, Florica, and Bam all agreed that the two children would have the very best education possible and the pair worked for several hours in the evenings on various correspondence course to obtain their high school diplomas. It was Fig’s greatest wish both Tito and Hailey would further their education in spite of their assured roles and continued success with the circus.
However, he had another wish that superseded even Hailey’s college degree, and that was the topic of conversation Hailey and Tito interrupted with their arrival. Grabbing a juice box from the fridge, Hailey gracefully fell into one of the ornately carved seats at the glorious mahogany table and regarded the conspirators with an unnervingly jaundiced eye for one so young.
“What are you guys up to, Uncle Fig?”
“Now, Hailey, my dear, whatever do you mean?” was the rejoinder.
“Come on! You both look pretty pleased with yourselves. What gives?”
“We will wait for your father, Miss Ames, if you please,” Fig replied, his voice stern but his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. Her own anticipation ratcheted up a notch; usually when Fig was excited about something, it had to do with the show, and Hailey’s turn on the show. Whatever had he cooked up now?
She sighed and leaned back in her chair. He was never going to tell her until her Papa arrived and who knew how long that would take. With an exasperated look at two of her most beloved and cherished and obnoxious family members, she got up from her seat, tossed her juice box in the trash under the sink, and prepared to help train horses.
“Sheyorra, do not forget to wash your hands, you know Rocinante does not like the stink of lion on his precious hide, for you yourself haff told me this many times,” chided Florica gently.
Grumbling a bit, Hailey did as she was told, knowing the gypsy was right. The vain herd stallion to their prized ring stock horses was every bit as prideful as the lion. While there were no real rivalries among the circus animals, but centuries of instinct still meant the horse disliked it when she stank of predators.
She kissed them both on their cheeks, proclaiming loudly that she would return as quickly as possible with her father in tow, and made her exit. Jogging lightly down the path to the stables and paddocks, her inner shield was opened just enough to hear the tiger’s oddly metallic voice chuckle in her head. He had, of course, heard every word and relished her forced patience. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Those that wait are often rewarded. UGH!”
Hailey continued down the path to the barn and corrals, lost in her own thoughts, shields firmly in place. She mused idly about the many new structures that had been built on the plantation compound over the last few years. Coco and Fig decided this swampland out past Gibsonton and Egypt Lake, FL was private enough and purchased the house, the land, and several surrounding miles of acreage to ensure they would not be bothered. Once the purchase was final, they immediately began planning and building, and now the sprawling grounds contained several smaller houses tucked into the trees as well as a large, permanent barn and practice arena for the animals and circus performers to practice during the short winter months.
Hailey approached the entran
ce to the barn, still musing on the changes around the place, when Shardul surged ahead of her and leaped in front of the barn entrance, snarling at her in warning. She dropped her shield instantly, seeking his mind with her own.
“What is it?"
“Go! Go back, and seek the bearded one!” His tone was urgent and unyielding.
“What? NO let me pass! I want to see!”
“GO NOW!”
Hailey turned and ran back the way she’d come, legs pumping hard and her lungs burning. She felt in his mental signature that he would not yield and time was of the essence. She knew the ‘bearded one’ was Fig, so she sprinted to the travel trailer and wrenched open the door.
“Shardul is blocking the barn and won’t let me in, I think something has happened, please hurry up Uncle Fig, come NOW!” she shouted at the astonished faces of Fig and Florica. At her urgent pleas, Tito flung open his door and rushed down the hallway, pushing her out the door in front of him. He grabbed her hand and they ran back to the barn as fast as their legs could carry them, Fig following as quickly as he could but lagging badly. Florica raced to the main house to seek reinforcements, meeting her daughter Calliope at the door. Calliope had finished her training with the horses and returned to the big house to shower but at the sight of her mother’s frantic face she dropped her towel and ran for her husband Jakob. Florica found Coco and they both headed toward the barn, meeting up with Calliope, Jakob, and Florica’s other daughter Pani, her husband Ambrose, and several roustabouts. They converged on the barn entrance, where Fig finally caught up with the two teenagers and a very agitated tiger.
“He says no one can go in there except for the bearded one, the rubber man, and the red devil,” Hailey cried in exasperation. Jakob, Ambrose, and Fig exchanged a glance, and eased past the tiger, who began to pace back and forth in front of Hailey. She opened her shields farther, to see if she could hear or feel any animals in the barn who could tell her what was going on, but there was nothing. Shardul was shielding her tightly, and she was unable to crack his defenses. She knew her Papa had been in the barn with Calliope, and she turned to the elegant woman in despair.
“Calliope, where is Papa?” she cried.
“I don’t know Hailey! He said he was going to work with the convicts, the zebras, for some new turn on the show!”
Hailey used mind speak to reach out to the convicts in the stables but there was nothing. She was too far from them to hear much but she’d had to try.
By now, the rest of the troupe gathered near the barn door, anxiously asking one another for details they didn’t have. The sight of Fig at the entrance raised the tension level, as his face was grim and bore no good news.
“Thalia, Calliope, and Pani please fetch some hot water, plaster, and bandages.” He turned and addressed Coco. “Old friend, we will need some pain alleviant. Go, quick!”
“Uncle Fig, what’s going on? Let me in!” Hailey begged.
“Not yet, Hailey, please be patient.” He disappeared back into the barn. There was no sign of Ambrose or Jakob.
Tito was still clasping Hailey’s hand tightly in his own. He gave it a little squeeze and dropped it. She smiled distractedly at him and went back to pestering the tiger with her mind. Suddenly, she cried out, falling to her knees in the dirt, gasping with sobs, her body wracked with pain and grief.
Tito bent down, put his arm around her, and tried to gather her close, to hold her and share her pain no matter what it was. The tiger disapproved of his nearness to her and hissed menacingly, sounding like an enormous and deadly tea kettle. Tito let go of Hailey and backed away slowly, but did not leave for once. He stood his ground in case Hailey needed him.
“Sheyorrah, what is it my sweet? Tell me!” Florica implored, taking Tito’s place at Hailey’s side and sliding a comforting arm around the girl’s slender shoulders. Shardul stopped his pacing and crouched down in front of Hailey, waiting for her to need him.
Her voice choked, Hailey responded. “Shardul dropped his shield so I could see. I saw Papa lying on the ground, and there was blood, and his eyes were closed. Both Olo and Tiko are dead! I could see them lying in the dirt, their stripes gleaming under the floodlight, their heads bent too far backward and their legs broken. Oh my god, what happened?” she directed this last at Shardul, placing her hands on either side of his massive head and placing her forehead against his wider one, her tears wetting the orange velvet of his hide.
There was murmuring among the troupe at her words, and several roustabouts took the opportunity to slip past the tiger to enter the barn. He growled at them absently but remained where he was, focused on Hailey.
Inside the barn, the scene was as Hailey described. The giant African lay sprawled on the ground, blood covering his torso. One leg was bent in an unnatural angle, and his normally dark chocolate skin had an appalling grey cast to it. Off to the right, the indoor arena was set up with the boom line, an apparatus which allowed the trainer to hook up horses, or in this case zebras, and train with them for various acts. The two zebras still lay in the traces of the boom line, but they would no longer run and caper under the lights of the Big Top. Their beautiful and elegant necks were bent backward nearly touching their tails, and all four legs on each zebra was broken in numerous places. Blood congealed slowly in the sultry Florida afternoon, pooling in their nostrils and drying stiffly in their stand-up manes. Ephraim, the head roustabout, removed his cap and made the sign of the cross at the sight of their shattered bodies.
Fig, Ambrose, and Jakob all huddled around the massive form of Bamidele Jones, the circus Equestrian Director and Hailey’s adopted father. Ephraim approached, asking his boss if there was anything they could do.
“Yes, my good man, go and have your men build a very long and very large litter so we can carry Bam into the big house. Do it quickly!”
Ephraim bobbed his head in acknowledgement and beckoned to his men. They raced out of the barn through the back, searching for lumber to make a makeshift litter that would be strong enough to hold Bam.
The three sisters and Coco arrived then, everyone’s arms laden with the items Fig had specified. Calliope placed a cool hand on Bam’s chest and was relieved to feel his heart beating, much slower than it should have, but beating nonetheless. With a sorrowful glance at the mutilated zebras, she ran back out to the entrance where Hailey sat huddled with the tiger and her mother, motioning to Florica to come near. “Here, Tito, come sit with Hailey and don’t you give him trouble you great brute,” she scolded to Shardul. He did not respond with even a whisker twitch.
Calliope and her mother whispered together for a brief time, then Calliope went back inside to see what she could do for Bam. She often served as a nurse for injured circus troupers, but when she arrived back at Bam’s side she saw Thalia had beaten her to it and was applying field dressing to Bam’s cleansed wounds according to Coco’s direction. She began to clean more of the blood away, seeking injuries which might need stitching or other attention.
At the entrance, Florica gently pulled Hailey up from the ground, the tiger rising with her. Two sets of eyes regarded her, one pair yellow and calm, the other pair blue and hurt, swimming with tears. “Sheyorra, your Papa, he lives. Do you hear me? He lives.”
Hailey dissolved into grief. Florica hugged her tightly, closing her own eyes against the tears that threatened. The last thing this young girl needed was another loss, she thought. When Hailey came to them all those years ago, she was an odd paradox of strength and fragility. She’d endured so much, and had lived through both an evil stepfather and an even viler biological father. Bam was the only positive father figure she’d ever known, and with Fig and other male members of the circus proved to Hailey not all men were created equally badly. She was at a tender age in a young woman’s life, Florica knew; the loss of the only father she had ever loved would be devastating. Florica sent a prayer out into the universe, vowing to read the cards that evening and see what she could about Bam’s recovery, if any.
> “Tito, take Hailey and Shardul to the big house. They need quiet now. Hailey, don’t worry my sweet, they are bringing your Papa to you soon.”
Hailey nodded and allowed Tito to take her hand once again. She plodded listlessly along next to him, Shardul’s massive body a forlorn shadow on her other side. For once, he did not grumble at Tito’s presence but merely lent his own.
Florica returned to the barn to oversee the loading and transportation of Bam to the main house. Calliope and Pani followed after the teenagers, to prepare a room on the ground floor near the entrance. At nearly eight feet tall, Bam weighed about three hundred and twenty pounds and it would normally take several men to carry him. However, this was no ordinary circus and no ordinary circus performers. Heinrich and Klaus, the two strongmen, possessed a unique ability that only worked when they were together. Together, they had joined the throng outside the barn entrance, waiting to see if they could assist in some way. Fig trotted over to the entrance and gestured them inside. Neither twin had ever spoken that anyone could recall within living memory, but they bore eager and determined expressions as they followed Fig into the barn.
Fig explained what he wanted them to do, and with Ephraim and the other troupers supporting various parts of Bam’s body, the pair lifted him as though he were made of feathers and placed him gently on the litter. Florica and her daughters rushed to cover him with blankets, as they’d had to cut away his blood-soaked leather workpants to apply bandages to various lacerations. At Fig’s count of three, the two strongmen each lifted one end of the litter and made their way carefully to the main house.
Hailey watched from the front parlor as they carried in the oh-so-still form of her father. She could see them lower the litter to the floor, and then Heinrich and Klaus lifting his body onto the bed, really two beds shoved together and tied in order to be long enough for him. She watched from the couch, paralyzed with fear, as Florica, Calliope, Pani, and Thalia set about making him comfortable and finishing the cleansing of his wounds. The men all went back outside, leaving the women to see to Bam, while Fig made his way back to the caravan to find his cell phone. He knew someone who might be able to help them recover their Equestrian Director’s good health and he wished to reach that individual straight away.
Conspiracy of Ravens Page 14