The skeletal creature never took its gaze from Kenzie. “Don’t flinch,” I heard it whisper as it drew one of the knives on its belt. “I don’t see very well, anymore.” Slowly, it raised its arm, the knife gleaming between its talons, and my stomach twisted so hard I felt nauseous.
Oh, God, I can’t watch this. I’m so sorry, Kenzie.
“Wait!”
Kenzie’s voice cut through the tense silence, making the knife thrower pause. Surprised, the ringmaster turned, a slight frown on his face, as Kenzie looked over at him. “I’ll make you a deal,” she said clearly. “One that will be even more entertaining than what you’re having Bull’s Eye Pete do.”
The knife thrower glared at Kenzie as if offended, but the ringmaster raised his gloved hand, halting him. “A deal, you say?” he repeated. “Well, this is an interesting twist. What are you proposing, young lady?”
My heart pounded. I hated making bargains with faeries, but in this case, if Kenzie came out unharmed, I wouldn’t complain. Making any kind of deal, even one to save your life, was risky, but Kenzie knew that just as well as me. She knew what she was doing.
I trust you, Kenzie, I thought, relieved that I wasn’t watching a creepy knife-throwing faery impale my girlfriend. I know you can handle this. Just...be careful.
Kenzie took a deep breath. “Let Ethan do this,” she said, making me start in surprise. “If he can hit the target three times without hitting me, you let us go. If he misses, then we’ll stay and watch the rest of the show, for however long you want us to.”
“Intriguing,” the ringmaster said slowly. “And if you get hit?”
Kenzie shrugged. “Then I get hit. And there will probably be a lot of blood and screaming from me, and a lot of angst and guilt from Ethan. Either way, it’ll be entertaining, right?”
The ringmaster scratched his chin for a moment, thinking, then beamed a smile and whirled, holding out his hands. “Ladies and gentlemen!” he called. “We have a new participant! Please, give a warm welcome to our wonderful volunteer who will take Pete’s place.”
My mind was spinning as the clowns cut me loose, dragged me to my feet and shoved me toward the circle. Yanking out the gag, I stumbled forward, trying to think, to form some sort of plan. I was good at knife fighting, sure; kali taught us how to be proficient with all blades, not just swords. But my knife skills were more defensive, focused on disarming a person trying to stab you, not hurling the blade like a ninja star. Guro didn’t advocate throwing knives, because even if you didn’t miss, you were now weaponless. I’d never thrown a knife at a target before, certainly not at a real person. I didn’t know what Kenzie expected me to do, but my hands were shaking as I stepped into the ring.
The ringmaster loomed over me, grinning from ear to ear. “Ah, here we are,” he announced, clamping steely fingers into my shoulder. “Welcome, young man, welcome! Are you ready to show us what you’ve got?”
No, I thought, my mouth dry. I don’t want to do this. I’m not sure I can throw a set of knives at my girlfriend and not want to kill myself if I hit her. But the ringmaster was giving me no option to back out. “Pete!” he called, and the skeletal thing sidled up, glaring at me with empty eye sockets. The ringmaster didn’t seem to notice. “Give the young man your knives,” he ordered cheerfully, “and let’s start the show!”
Pete grabbed my wrist, yanked my arm up and smacked three copper, slightly curved throwing knives into my palm. They were about six inches long, edged along both sides, and razor sharp. A thin line of blood welled up from where one knife edge parted my skin, but I barely felt it.
In a daze, I let the ringmaster lead me across the circle and stop about thirty feet from where Kenzie was strapped to the giant target. A pair of clowns waited for us as well and silently flanked me as the ringmaster stepped away.
“Whenever you’re ready, my boy,” he said, gesturing at Kenzie. I looked numbly at the knives in my hand, then at Kenzie, facing me across the circle. Okay, I can do this. I just have to hit the target and not her. No big. My stomach twisted, and my hands shook as I picked up one knife with a hollow clink. God, Kenzie, you have way too much faith in me.
“One moment, my boy.” The ringmaster raised his hand before I could pull my arm back. “I have an even better idea.” Striding up to Kenzie, he beamed a smile at her, then turned to the “audience.”
“Ladies and gentlemen!” he called, raising his arms. “We have a special treat for you!” Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a bright red candy apple, waved it around for effect, then placed it atop Kenzie’s skull. Kenzie froze, eyes going wide, and the ringmaster beamed. “This brave young man will attempt to throw a knife and spear the apple right off this girl’s head!”
My stomach dropped all the way to my toes. “No!” I protested. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Oh, come now, it’ll be fun.” The ringmaster strode back to me, a warning in his bright grin. “You don’t want to disappoint everyone, do you?” He waved back to Kenzie. “Hit the apple, and you and the girl can go. You get three tries. It shouldn’t be that difficult, right?”
“And what if I refuse?”
“Then I will be disappointed, but I certainly cannot make you participate if you are unwilling or scared. But worry not.” He nodded to the skeletal thing standing behind me and smiled. “Pete will do it. The show must go on.”
Swallowing hard, I looked back at Kenzie and the tiny red target perched atop her head. I can’t hit that; there’s no way I’ll be able to pull this off. Not without killing or maiming her in the process. Dammit, Kenzie, this can’t be what you were thinking. The clown thugs stood silent and motionless at my sides, and the ringmaster looked on expectantly, gripping his cane. I could feel him getting impatient, though, and my mind whirled, trying to think. If could just get to my swords. I’d stand a chance against these guys if I were armed...
Oh.
Mentally, I kicked myself. Kenzie didn’t volunteer me to throw knives at her; that hadn’t been her plan at all.
Ethan, you’re an idiot.
Spinning, I stabbed both clowns, sinking a knife deep into one’s chest, then the other’s. They gave a startled bellow, and as I yanked each blade out, seemed to deflate in on themselves, hissing like a balloon with a slow leak.
Grinning savagely, I turned on the ringmaster, but he gave a shout and sprang away, long legs carrying him half the length of the circle. “No!” he yelled, as I raised the knives and started after him. “Young man, please, sit down! You are ruining the show! Security!”
Three clowns rushed the circle. I turned to face them just as something bright whizzed by my face, cutting a stinging gash across my cheek. Glancing over, I saw Bull’s Eye Pete silently draw another knife from the dozens on his belt and raise his arm to hurl it at me.
With a screech, something tiny and dark landed on his head, green eyes flashing. Razor snarled and dug his claws into the thing’s bony eye sockets, making him howl and flail at his head, trying to dislodge the gremlin. I didn’t think Razor would be able to stop him, but at least he was a great distraction.
The first clown reached me and lunged, trying to grab me in a bear hug. I ducked beneath the huge limbs and jabbed him in the gut with the knife. There was a squeaky hiss, and the clown staggered away, folding in on itself. As the other two barreled in, I flipped one knife in my hand, holding it by the tip, and raised my arm.
Sorry, Guro, I thought, and hurled the knife at the massive bulk of the clown. Even if I was the poorest shot in the world, it was like hitting the broadside of a house. The blade struck him right in the center, sinking deep, and the clown pitched forward, his body shrinking and losing form as it deflated in the dirt.
The last clown bellowed with rage and plowed into me like a bull. The breath left my lungs in a painful expulsion, and I fell backward with the clown filling my vision as it came down
, as well. Hitting the ground, I stabbed up with the knife, bracing myself to be crushed. There was a pop, and the clown shuddered as it deflated on top of me like a giant air mattress.
Shuddering, I kicked myself clear and rose, one knife still clutched in my hand. I saw Razor, clinging to the side of the tent, dodge the knife Pete hurled at him and scramble farther up the wall, buzzing insults at the furious knife thrower. At least the gremlin was keeping him busy. But where was the ringmaster—
Something hit me from behind, making sparks explode across my vision. I tumbled forward, managing to use the momentum to roll to my knees, though the world still spun dizzyingly around me. Dazed, I looked up to see the ringmaster, his huge mouth bared in a scary snarl, draw a sword from his skull-headed cane and raise it over my head.
“Not today, Ethan Chase,” said a familiar voice out of nowhere, and the Thin Man turned into existence, appearing behind the ringmaster. His own blade flashed, almost too quick to be seen, and the ringmaster froze, his sword a few inches from my face. I scrambled back, lurching to my feet, as the ringmaster’s head toppled forward and hit the ground with a thump. His body slowly collapsed, folding into weird angles like it was made of stilts, as his top hat rolled forward a few paces and hit my shoe.
I tensed, wondering if the ringmaster’s death would cause this whole crazy reality to start fragmenting and falling apart, but nothing like that happened. Pete, however, let out a wail that set my teeth on edge and fled the ring, ripping through the tent and vanishing into the darkness.
I ran to Kenzie, cut through the leather straps and pulled her into my arms. She clung to me, heart pounding, and I hugged her tight, feeling my own heart race against hers. Razor landed on us, bouncing up and down and buzzing with excitement and fear, but I barely felt him.
“Quickly, Ethan Chase!” The Thin Man was suddenly beside us, with my swords and Kenzie’s backpack, which he tossed to her. “There is no time. Take your horrid iron weapons before they ruin my gloves.” He thrust my swords into my hands and yanked his arms back, shaking them like they stung. “Hurry, before the entire rest of the freak show arrives. We still have to find the anchor and destroy it.”
“Humans.” And Grimalkin appeared, perched atop a barrel, his golden eyes slitted impatiently. “This way, if you would. While you were wasting time, playing circus with the ringmaster and the clowns, I found the location of the anchor. Follow me.”
A roar interrupted us. The Bearded Lady monster had flung aside the entrance flaps and stomped inside, her huge mouth gaping angrily as she saw us. More shadows appeared outside the cloth walls, deformed and twisted, starting to rip through the canvas with claws and teeth.
We ran, following the cat as he bounded to the cloth wall and slipped beneath. I slashed through the wall, and we fled back into the maze of tents.
As we ran, trailing the near invisible cat through shadows, mud and the mist that coiled around our feet, I started to hear the music again. Bright and cheerful, and definitely closer this time. The cloth walls suddenly fell away, and I stumbled into the open. A wide, muddy street stretched before us, lined with booths and carnival games.
At the end of the street, maybe a hundred yards away, a carousel spun in a slow, lazy circle. Unlike the game booths and the Ferris wheel, it glimmered with dozens of twinkling lights, though the creatures that made up the ride were definitely not child-friendly. Horses bared bloody teeth as they spun around on their poles, many twisted into unnatural positions of agony, their eyes mad and white. The other “mounts” were just as horrific. Slavering wolves, giant spiders and a bear with a small child in its jaws were a few of the nightmares frozen in plaster, all spinning around to the cheerful tune I’d heard before.
Kenzie, following my gaze, drew in a sharp breath. “That’s the anchor,” she said quietly. “The very center of the carnival.”
“Yes,” Grimalkin agreed. “Destroy the carousel, and this reality will disappear. Without the anchor, everything will fade back into the Between. You will have to do it quickly, though. The denizens that make up this world are none too pleased with you.”
“Great. So, how do we destroy it?” I asked, looking down at the cat. Only to find that he was gone.
Something moved in the corner of my eye. I looked into the nearest game booth...as one of the teddy bears dislodged itself from the wall, crawled onto the counter and bared sharp little teeth at me. And then I noticed that all the toys, dolls and stuffed animals had turned their heads and were staring at us, eyes glowing like hot coals in the shadows of the booths.
I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life.
High-pitched voices shrieked and babbled at us as we fled down the fairway, and several things leaped off the walls, trying to grab us as we ran. A porcelain doll with a cracked face staggered into the road in front of Kenzie, holding up its arms; Kenzie kicked the thing away like it was soccer ball and didn’t slow down. A red-eyed clown doll sprang at me from one of the counters, miniature butcher knife in one gloved hand. I smacked it away with my sword and kept running.
We reached the carousel, and as we got close, the animals came to life, snarling and thrashing against their poles, trying to bite us. I dodged a kick from a horse’s hoof and slashed my sword at a giant, blood-drenched white rabbit as it came around. The blade hacked through an ear, causing it to clatter to the floor, but it didn’t seem to affect the carousel itself.
“Get to the middle!” the Thin Man ordered, pointing through the mob of shrieking, hissing animals. Our reflections stared back at us from the mirrored center, a dozen Ethans, Kenzies and Thin Men, gazing out of gilded panels. “Smash the mirrors,” the Thin Man called, leaping onto the carousel. “The mirrors are the very center of this world. Destroy them and—” A dragon lashed out and clamped its jaws around his arm, and the Thin Man disappeared as he turned to deal with it.
I swore. “All right, guess I’m going in. Kenzie, maybe you can find something to throw at them? Maybe grab some baseballs from one of the booths?”
“Um, Ethan?” Kenzie said, her voice slightly strangled. “Not a great idea.” I looked back and saw a flood of stuffed animals and dolls staggering down the road at us, their eerie red eyes like a swarm of ants. Beyond them, and closing from all directions, was an army of clowns and circus freaks, twisted, deformed and looking pissed as hell.
My blood went cold. “Okay, then,” I gasped, turning back to the carousel, trying to find a break between snarling, writhing creatures. Spotting a hole between a leopard and the rabbit I’d smacked earlier, I grabbed Kenzie’s hand and yelled, “Jump!”
We leaped onto the carousel. The rabbit screamed and clawed, gnashing long front incisors, but thankfully couldn’t reach us. “Wait here,” I told Kenzie, as the other animals eyed us balefully and bared their teeth. I winced. Getting through unscathed was going to be difficult, but I’d rather I be the one gored by that evil-looking unicorn than Kenzie.
Without waiting for a reply, I started toward the center. A wolf snapped at me; I dodged aside. A tiger raked its claws at my head; I twisted just enough to catch it on the shoulder rather than the face, though it still tore a chunk from my arm and made my eyes water with pain. The last few feet to the mirrors were blocked by the unicorn and the bear, and I paused, trying to find a good time to dart through.
Kenzie let out a yelp. I looked back to see a clown, its painted mouth gaping to show jagged fangs, grab for the carousel, miss and stagger away. But as we spun around, I could see more things leaping onto the edges, clinging to the poles as the carousel whirled ever faster and the animals roared with rage.
“Dammit.” I spun, braced myself and dived through the opening, wincing as the unicorn’s horn jabbed me in the back. Rolling upright, I charged a panel, raised my sword and brought the hilt smashing down on the surface as hard as I could.
The glass shattered. And so did everything
else. My reflection exploded into a dozen fragments and collapsed, just as the carousel, the carnival and the sky overhead did the same. Shards of reality rained down on us, as I staggered back to Kenzie, yanked her to me and covered her body with mine as best I could. I didn’t know what was happening with the clowns, the freaks and the killer toys; I just hoped we wouldn’t be cut to ribbons in the blink of an eye. Shrieks and screams rang out, and the air filled with the roar of a million chandeliers crashing all at once. And then, dead silence.
Cautiously, I looked up.
The carnival was gone. The tents and clowns and eerie booths were gone. Kenzie and I stood at the center of an ancient, run-down carousel, plaster horses cracked and peeling and definitely not alive. Around us, the Between stretched out, dark and misty and endless.
I looked down at Kenzie. “You okay?”
She nodded, and I slumped in relief. “Well,” she said, as Razor dropped onto a horse’s head, buzzing, and the Thin Man wove his way through the mounts toward us, looking annoyed, “that was...horrifying. At least I can cross one more thing off the list of things I want to do before I die.”
“Survive the clown apocalypse?” I guessed. She grinned at me.
“Nope. Join the circus.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. Relief that we were out of that crazy place was making me kind of giddy. I was even thrilled to see the dark, empty creepiness of the Between. That’s how glad I was. “You’re a strange girl,” I told her. “Brilliant, but strange.”
She beamed. “That’s why you love me.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. She sobered, gazing into my eyes, as I pulled her closer against me. “Though if you do ever join the circus,” I murmured, holding her gaze, “promise me you won’t volunteer for the knife thrower’s assistant? I think I had at least three minor heart attacks tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kenzie said, a wicked look crossing her face. “It was kind of exciting. The two of us could perfect an act and take it on the road.” At my mock horrified look, she smiled and brushed back my hair. “I trust you, tough guy,” she murmured. “Even tonight in the ring, when I wasn’t certain if you would throw the knife at my head or use it to stab the ringmaster, I trusted you. I know you would never hurt me.”