The Nightingale Circus Read online

  By the wall, Rake let the man drop and turned. “You should have said this before I was done with him.” He wiped his hands methodically on a silk cloth that used to cover a tray with torture instruments. His knuckles were bruised.

  His victim didn’t move.

  “Well…” Spinner scratched the back of his head. With a little luck, the girl would live, but it was unlikely she would be comfortable dancing on the pole again.

  The door slammed against the wall, and another man burst in. His eyes bulged at the sight of the person lying on the floor, and he pulled on his hair. “What did you do? Do you know who that is? He’s responsible for half of the concrete production in the country!”

  “Not anymore,” Rake said.

  “I’m ruined! They’re going to close my club.” The club owner pulled on his hair again.

  “They should,” Spinner said. “This is no way to treat your girls.”

  “Who are you people?” the club owned asked. “How did you get in here? The police will look into this!”

  Nicholas stepped forward and raised a hand.

  The club owner sputtered, stumbling backward.

  “There was a fight in the club, and he got caught in it,” Nicholas said. “We were never here.”

  The eyes rolled back inside the club owner’s head, and he collapsed in a pile on the floor.

  Nicholas looked up. “What?”

  Spinner suppressed a shudder. It was the first time he’d seen Nicholas use his telecharger skills on another human being so openly. “Nothing.” He sighed. Unlike Cielo, at least this one could control himself. “So what do we do with her?” He nodded at the girl.

  Rake bowed over Serioja and helped him pick her up. Nicholas handed them his coat to cover her with it and walked ahead, leading the way.

  “Oh, man, Big Dino is going to be pissed,” Spinner said.

  * * *

  “Who’s paying for this?” Big Dino paced inside the factory car between the workbenches.

  Spinner wisely kept his head down, focused on fixing the client’s injuries. A client who couldn’t afford their services. No wonder their charity annoyed Big Dino so much.

  From his half-lying position in his chair, Nicholas waved a weak hand. He was generous with his money when he had any, which didn’t happen often. Magic didn’t pay well, and he wasn’t all that skilled as a magician. But that wasn’t the reason he traveled with the circus. He should have been the one to pay Big Dino for allowing him to hide among his people.

  “He should pay.” Spinner gave the tall aerialist a glance. “He insisted on fixing her.”

  A cheap shot since Serioja wasn’t going to protest. Technically, it was true. He had asked. And he was above trivial banter.

  Serioja stood in the corner with his arms crossed. He hadn’t moved since they got there. He nodded once in acknowledgement, but other than that, he didn’t say anything.

  “Well, I’m not paying him enough to cover all this.” Big Dino gestured towards the operation table.

  “She can work for it,” Rake said.

  A ghost of a smile flew over Serioja’s face.

  Big Dino stopped pacing and turned his massive body around. He narrowed his eyes, but Rake kept his gaze lowered, busy wiping the blood off the redhead’s thigh.

  When the silence became heavy, Rake looked up. “She’s got a nice body.” He shrugged.

  “So we’re kidnapping her now?” Spinner asked.

  “At least we’re not forcing her to do her second job,” Rake said.

  Spinner nodded. He couldn’t actually imagine her enjoying the time spent in the torture chamber. He handed Rake another sponge. “Are we going to ask her first?”

  “Don’t get cute. Of course we are going to ask her.” Big Dino huffed and pursed his lips. “Don’t get me started on you. And you…” He turned to Nicholas. “You should have known better than to get involved.”

  Nicholas answered with a bleak look. “Guys? Remind me never to go drinking with you again.” He slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes. He was still pale, but the tremors had subsided.

  Big Dino shook his head. “Fine. Start patching her up. After you numb her, wake her so we can discuss the terms of our agreement.” He paused. “Is she any good?”

  “Oh, she’s good!” Rake said.

  * * *

  Riella came back to her senses, startled by the loud beating of her heart. She didn’t open her eyes right away. If the nightmare wasn’t over, she didn’t want the attention of her torturer to return. A moment of respite would be nice. She tried to move and test the resistance of her restraints despite already knowing it was useless, but she didn’t feel them. The pain had also shifted, becoming a dull throb, its locations not exactly matching the ones she remembered.

  “She’s awake.” Someone chattered nearby with an affability that couldn’t belong to her torturer, so she dared peek through heavy eyelids.

  The peek turned into a full blink when faced with the giant toad head. Black eyes blinked at her, and the man with a green complexion moved out of her range of vision. The following second, Riella wished he hadn’t because his absence let her see herself in the mirror pinned to the ceiling. Her show costume was torn, and two scarred men dug with scalpels and tweezers through the holes in her torso.

  Another type of nightmare.

  Riella screamed and screamed and screamed until she couldn’t hear her thoughts anymore, though no sound left her lips.

  “It’s all right. They’re fixing you,” someone told her in Russian, and presumably the same person squeezed her hand.

  Riella’s eyes darted to the right in search of the owner of that voice, desperate to focus on anything other than the horrific sight in front of her.

  The tall blond man she vaguely remembered seeing at the club smiled at her. He hadn’t left a tip, but there was absolutely nothing threatening about his appearance despite his big, muscled frame.

  “Over here, sweetheart. You can ogle Serioja when we’re done.” The toad snapped his fingers, bringing her attention back to him. “Don’t be scared. You are going to be fine. How fine is up to you.”

  Riella wanted to ask who they were, where she was, and what had happened. The inability to speak was frustrating.

  “First thing first, let’s make the introductions,” the toad man said. “I’m Big Dino, and your attendants are Spinner and Rake.” He pointed at the men covered in scars who each looked at her when his name was mentioned. “You’ve already met Serioja. You’re at The Nightingale Circus. You might have heard of us,” he added with a grin. “Are you with me so far? Two blinks for yes, one for no.”

  Riella blinked twice.

  “Your condition is stable,” Big Dino said. “We managed to stop the internal bleeding, and we’re working on fixing the worst of the injuries. It was bad, but when we’re done, you’ll be functional. Dancing, however, might not come as easy to you as it used to. Both your legs and spine have been affected, and basic fixing won’t solve those issues.”

  Somehow, the back of her throat remembered how to work, and she heard herself whimpering.

  “Now, now, there’s no need to panic.” Big Dino raised one hand with short, thick fingers. “We can provide additional fixing. Our prices aren’t as high as in regular hospitals, but it’s still expensive. Is that going to be a problem?”

  Yes.

  “Well … we also have a solution for that. Is there anything keeping you in Sofia?”

  No.

  “In that case, you can work for us until your debt is paid. It will take a while, but we’re in no hurry if you aren’t. We offer boarding and meals, plus a full healthcare plan and 100% protection within the circus grounds—”

  The word “protection” stirred something in her brain, and she whimpered again.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about your client,” Big Dino said. “He won’t be anyone’s client … ever again.”

  A relieved smile stretched Riella’s lips.


  “Since he’s a big shot around here, it would be good for you to lay low, but you don’t have to concern yourself with this right now.” Big Dino clasped his hands. “Back to our business … you also get a share of the profit like all of us. It will be split in the beginning, still, we can renegotiate your contract when you finish covering the expenses. We’ll have to remove your scars and enhance your muscles and flexibility for the act I have in mind, but if you’re as good as they say you are, I can make you the third headline, right after The Nightingale and The Swan. Do you have a problem with heights?”

  No.

  “Great. Let’s get to work then.” Big Dino gestured with his hand at Spinner, and this one reached for the machine behind him.

  Riella’s eyelids lowered. The last thing she heard was Rake saying, “Let’s fix her ankle, too.”

  * * *

  Nicholas joined the line inside the cafeteria car. He’d been too exhausted after using his telecharger ability to eat anything, and that had left him with tremors and an upset stomach. He ignored any of the traditional strong-scented foods—the chef tried his hand at local cuisine each time they stopped in a town—and filled his bowl with chicken soup. The noodles floating in the hot liquid reminded him of the creep’s entrails after Rake had been done with him, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Nicholas didn’t enjoy violence. The thought of leaving the club owner with brain damage was troubling enough, but they couldn’t risk going back to check on him.

  Stifling a curse that joined the growl of his stomach, Nicholas turned his back to the unappetizing trays loaded with food and looked for a table. All of the seats were occupied, and he didn’t fancy eating outside.

  From the end of the car, Anya waved at him. “This isn’t a costume. It’s a handkerchief,” she was telling Cielo when he approached them.

  Sketches lay spread on the table among glasses with water, and Nicholas had to agree there wasn’t much of a costume to begin with. Cielo pushed the sketches away to make room for his soup, greeting him with a smile. There couldn’t have been more contrast between the two girls, Anya with her chin-length, dark hair, fair skin, and sophisticated look, and Cielo, blonde and tanned and still looking in her teens. Still, both brown and green pairs of eyes betrayed them as being older than their years.

  “You don’t look well,” Anya said, though she’d barely glanced at him.

  Nicholas leaned back in his seat and stirred his soup. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You don’t deserve to be fine.” Anya glowered at him.

  “Anya!” Cielo gasped, her eyes opening wide.

  “Not for saving her,” Anya muttered with a roll of her eyes. “We all need to be saved at some point.”

  That struck a chord because she had brought Nicholas to the circus and possibly saved his life back then. Nicholas lowered his gaze.

  “But did he have to bring her here?” Anya stabbed the table with a long finger.

  “That was not my call,” Nicholas said quietly.

  “And now she gets the third headline, and Serioja follows her around like a lost puppy.” Anya tossed her hands up in the air. “She’s ruining everything!”

  Cielo fiddled with her glass. “You can have my headline if you want.”

  “It’s not about the headline!”

  No, it was about Serioja, the lost puppy who used to follow Anya around until recently.

  “She’s going to hurt him,” Anya said, lowering her voice. “I know her type. She doesn’t want him, but it’s convenient, so she’s going to take him. And then she’ll dump him, and he’ll hurt because he doesn’t understand her game. And it will be on you.”

  Anya’s dark eyes pierced right through Nicholas’s soul. Ever since joining the circus, the Russian ballerina and aerialist had been an item. Riella’s involvement was going to disturb that, but Nicholas found he cared more about Anya’s grief than her brain-damaged boyfriend’s. Unfortunately, it was too late to help either of them. He’d seen Riella and Serioja together, and Anya had good reasons to be concerned. Riella had stuck her claws into Serioja, and she was not going to let go. Just like Anya’s eyes wouldn’t let go of him.

  “Anya…” Cielo said in a pleading voice.

  “Right.” Anya straightened her back without looking at her friend. “Don’t mind me, I’ll be fine.” She sniffed theatrically and got up. “Please make sure she doesn’t get better costumes than me,” she told Cielo before leaving the table.

  Nicholas followed her progress along the length of the car, and a small sigh left his lips once Anya passed through the door.

  “She didn’t mean it, you know,” Cielo said, stacking up her sketches.

  “She kind of meant it,” Nicholas said.

  “Okay, maybe a little.” Cielo laughed. “But it’s not truly you she’s mad at. She’s just frustrated she can’t protect him.” She paused. “Your soup is getting cold.”

  Nicholas could have stirred the molecules and brought the liquid to a boiling point, but it would have been a waste of his power. Besides, Anya’s speech had cut what was left of his appetite. He tilted his head. “Is this what you are doing? Protecting?”

  “The circus protects me, and I protect the circus.” Cielo rolled a shoulder. “This is how it works. Now eat. Don’t make me make you.” Her smile was playful but also challenging.

  They had been sharing this life for a couple of years, but still, they had never come to blows. What would have happened if they had? This wasn’t a good time to find out, so Nicholas picked up the spoon.

  It felt strange to be taken care of by a girl who most of the time still looked like a child while he was a grownup—granted, not one as well adjusted as her. “Does it ever get easier?” He meant the remorse. Attacking was easy, what came after though…

  “No.” Cielo crossed her arms. “But you get used to it.”

  She stayed with him until the last drop of soup disappeared.

  * * *

  Each day, it was getting better. The pain hadn’t bothered Riella much, except for the constant itching once they had inserted the mask underneath her scalp. As it turned out, she was allergic to it. The stiffness in her joints gradually disappeared. The scars were gone, even the ones unrelated to the recent injuries and fixing, and the strengthened muscle resistance and flexibility promised to improve her act a great deal. All in all, Riella was satisfied with the result. So what if it still ached from time to time?

  “What’s wrong?”

  Riella winced and glanced at Rake from the corner of her eye. “Nothing.”

  She finished buttoning up her blouse and tossed her hair back. It was supposed to be a last checkup before receiving a clean bill of health. She wouldn’t risk being thrown out if they still found something wrong with her. She liked her new life at the circus. It wasn’t ideal, but she would make do.

  “If you don’t tell us, we can’t fix it.” Rake stepped behind her and placed a heavy hand on her back. “Here?”

  “Lower,” Riella murmured and guided his hand to the small of her back. “It’s not bad, just a tug from time to time…”

  Rake ignored the plea in her voice and brought over a hand-held scanner. He ran it up and down her spine. “It’s a pinched nerve. Lay on your stomach.”

  Grimacing, Riella climbed on the surgery table and did as told. More to add to her long list of debts to them.

  “We might have touched something when we fixed your back,” Rake said while he pulled her blouse up. “This one’s on us.”

  Riella hid her smile in the crook of her arm as she rested her head on it. Spinner might have protested against the extra expenses, but Spinner wasn’t here. She closed her eyes.

  Coldness hit her in the middle of her back when Rake used a spray to numb her. Thank God she faced the table and couldn’t see him in the mirror cutting her open and digging inside her for the—she’d lost count how many times.

  Minutes passed, but Riella stayed conscious, aware of the knife thrower’s imposing presence
looming over her. She’d come on purpose while Spinner was out to find Rake alone. Despite the common web of scars, they didn’t share many other traits. Spinner was chatty, friendly, harmless at first sight, but Rake’s gruff and quiet persona appealed to her more. Still, he hadn’t made a pass at her yet, and it had been several days. She would have found it insulting if it hadn’t been for Serioja’s attention constantly surrounding her.

  More coldness hit her on top of the numbness as Rake sprayed another substance over the incision. She didn’t feel anything except for the skin pulling tight and sealing over the wound.

  “Done. The nerve should regenerate in a few days. Come back if it bothers you again, but it shouldn’t.”

  Riella gingerly pulled herself up. The diffuse ache had faded, and no sharp tugs appeared as she moved. She turned around and took a step towards Rake. A proper thank you was in order, and not one consisting only of words. Perfect timing since they were alone and the door was closed.

  Rake stood still, watching her approach him. He made no sign he was going to reject her, but his hands flexed by his sides.

  She reached out to touch his arm.

  Then Spinner’s cheerful voice echoed in the factory, accompanied by a deeper, lower voice with a faint Russian accent.

  “He’s a good man,” Rake said.

  Riella let her hand drop and bit her lip. Serioja was indeed a good man. He was gentle and calm, and he would never hurt her. And she needed time to heal. She stepped back in time for the door to open.

  Spinner peeked inside. “Your silks have arrived.”

  * * *

  Like every time a new act was rehearsed, Nicholas stood in the aisle next to the front row and watched the performance, prepared to interfere if something went wrong. So far, his help had only been needed once, when a prop malfunctioned and risked hitting someone in the audience.