Circus of The Darned (20 page)
Read Circus of The Darned Online
Authors: Katie Maxwell
- "No picking up women."
- "In fact, no picking up anyone!"
- "Hail, Ljot," Eirik called to his buddy. "The goddess is giving us orders."
- The Vikings yelled their war cry. I squatted next to Soren and asked him if he was OK.
- "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little windy," he said, rubbing his ribs.
- "I can geld stallions with just one hand," one of the Vikings said. The others looked impressed.
- "Ew!"I said, giving him a glare. "I don't know who you are—"
- "His name is Isleif," Eirik said helpfully, strolling over to stand next to me.
- Eirik raised an eyebrow. "You'll what?"
- "What is she talking about?" one of the shorter Vikings asked another.
- "We're supposed to be good," the second Viking answered with a disgusted look on his face.
- "That sucks," the first answered.
- I raised an eyebrow at him. "Sucks?"
- The Vikings looked disappointed, a couple of them pouting, but they did as I asked.
- "A thing?"Eirik frowned, scratching his chin with the handle of his sword. "What sort of thing?"
- I sighed. "Yes, I'm going on a date, a real date."
- "The kind where you—" he waved his hands around vaguely—"do things?"
- "Ahh," the Vikings all said, looking at me like I was a boar about to be roasted.
- "I appreciate the offer for advice, but I don't really think I need—"
- "Twelve?" Soren interrupted, looking shocked.
- "Daft." Ljot nodded. "No brains whatsoever. He got that from his mother."
- "Um," I said, not wanting to insult him. The other Vikings were nodding their agreement.
- Soren shot me a questioning look from the corner of his eye. "You're joking, ya?"
- "I thought you and Benedikt already looked for him?" he asked, socking me back.
- "You touched the hobble," he pointed out.
- "Yeah, but that didn't tell me much. I'm going to see if Tallulah can tell me anything."
- "Tallulah has Sir Edward. She says he can see everything from the Akashic Plain."
- "The what?"Soren's nose scrunched up in confusion.
- "Sure, if I have my chores done."
- Mom frowned. "I thought he gave you his card? What happened to that?"
- "It disappeared."
- She gave me a look.
- "Now, about you leaving the circle last night—"
- Fran, the wind whispered.
- "Honestly, Fran, I have no idea what you thought you were doing—"
- I tuned her out to listen as hard as I could for the elusive sound.
- Fran.
- Ben?
- Fran.You… help…
- "Francesca Marie Ghetti—"
- Here, afaint voice whispered in my head.Left.
- Chapter Seven
- "I'm never going to forgive you for this," I said, throwing a pillow down onto the floor.
- The man-shaped lump on the bed grunted.
- Ben opened his eye again and looked at his sister. "She's picking on me."
- Ben looked at me. "You were that worried about me?"
- "Maybe not directly, but he was pig-headed enough to get himself ambushed."
- "Pig-headed!"Ben sputtered around the mug.
- "Yes."
- The silent, stony look I received was a familiar one.
- He closed his eyes for a minute, his fingers tightening around mine. "I was helping my brother."
- My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You have a brother?"
- Imogen shook her head.
- "Oh. What exactly were you helping him with?"
- He shook his head."That I cannot tell you. I swore an oath of secrecy to him."
- He said nothing.
- "Yes."
- "I'll be fine by tomorrow night," he said, giving me a feeble smile.
- "Uhhuh."
- "I will. I should be back to normal tonight, as a matter of fact."
- "What about it?" I asked.
- "It's just… you've never been on a date before, have you? I seem to recall you telling me that."
- "Yeah, but it's not like I have to pass a test or anything to do it."
- She met my smile with one of her own. "No, but I thought you mightn't mind a little advice."
- "Tea?"She bustled around the tiny kitchen area.
- "Just a fast one.I have to visit Tallulah, and then give Tibolt his necklace back."
- "Uh…" I thought about Ben arguing with me.
- "That is not a problem with Benedikt, as you are his Beloved."
- "Absolutely.Sparkly.Smile. No whining."
- She beamed back at me. "It'll be a lovely date, Fran. I just know it will."
- "Yeah, if you don't mind.I know you're about to leave, but I promise it won't take long."
- "Tesla," I said, sighing.
- "Sir Edward is with us," she said suddenly in a singsong voice.
- "Oh, good.Hi, Sir Edward."
- "Sorry about that. I'll try to be less… er… troubled."
- "Uh… oh?"
- She shook her head.
- I swallowed back a big lump in my throat and croaked out the next word."Dead?"
- "No. Fran, do not weep. I do not know how Tesla is—Sir Edward could not see him."
- "Why?" I felt slightly better, although my worry level increased a few hundred notches.
- My skincrawled, I swear it positively crawled up my arms. "What sort of a being?"
- Chapter Eight
- "Maybe Benedikt is in on the theft," Soren said, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe that was a setup."
- Soren shrugged and looked away. "When are you going into town?"
- "Ja.What did Tibolt say about the necklace?"
- "Snarked?"Soren's face wrinkled as he tried to figure out the word.
- "No, I don't think so," I said, smiling.
- "Ah?Why not?"
- "Ah."
- "I thought most girls liked to shop?" he asked as we followed Imogen to the parking area.
- He snorted as we approached Imogen's white car. "You can say that again."
- I punched him in the arm.
- "Goddess!Where are you going?"
- Imogen raised her eyebrows as we approached. "You gentlemen are all coming with us?"
- "You may sit on me," Isleif said. "You are big, but I am bigger."
- "I am not sitting on anyone!" Soren said, backing away as Finnvid tried to grab him.
- "Kärleksgrottan?"I asked.
- Soren snickered.
- "It sounds like you guys will be busy for a while buying all your stuff."
- "Buying?" Finnvid asked. "We do not buy. We are Vikings! We pillage!"
- He frowned. "No. We will barter."
- "A dress?"Eirik asked, his head swivelling around to look at me.
- "For your date with the Dark One?"Finnvid asked.
- "Yeah, but—"
- "Finnvid, fetch the slave—"
- "I'll be outside," he said quickly, dashing for the door.
- "Er…" the sales woman said, her mouth hanging open slightly.
- "Er…"
- "Eh…" The sales lady looked like she wanted to bolt.
- "Erm…"
- It was beginning to look like I was.
- Chapter Nine
- "It looks like a clown car," Mikaela said as she strolled past swinging two chainsaws.
- "Goddess, you are on my hand—"
- "Sorry. Isleif, my shirt is caught on the edge of that bow. Can you—ow! That was my head!"
- "Torswhat?"I asked, brushing off myself as I stood.
- "Oh. Thanks. You speak Swedish?"
- "Yes. You're late," he said again.
- "So was it Swedish Mr. Laufeyiarson was speaking to you the other night?"
- Ben looked surprised for a moment. "Yes, it was. Why?"
- Ben walked beside me, holdinghimself stiffly, as if he still hurt. "I told you I would be fine."
- "Was that before or after you died?"
- How is it going?a voice asked me a couple of hours later.
- Yes. Do you mind?
- The former.
- Then I don't mind.
- Do you need a break, or a drink, or something like that?
- I smiled. Iwanted to know if you're all right .
- Sir Edward didn't say what sort of being the thief was? Ben asked when I was finished.
- Ben gave me a look.Being a Dark One is not synonymous with omnipotence, Fran .
- I love it when you talk with big words. OK, so how do we hunt him down?
- I will try to talk to Sir Edward and meet you in an hour, when you are finished.
- He pointed past me. "They just finished their act."
- "Hullo, Fran. Have you come to see Tib?"
- "Yes, if he's not busy."
- "Sure.Tib? Fran is here for you."
- "Regardless, theVikingahärta is dead to me now. It has forsaken me for you."
- "I know that, you stupid witch!"
- Mikaela gasped. Ramon stood up and said, "You will not talk to her that way."
- "Um, guys? Can I get by, please?" I asked.
- "That's awfully nice of you," I said, touching the valknut. "But how are we going to do that?"
- "Close enough. Queen of the Valkyries is Freya, goddess of love."
- "Oh?" I wondered what the goddess of love had to do with dead Vikings.
- I looked at Ramon. He took my arm and hustled me after Mikaela.
- Chapter Ten
- Crash!
- "I was at a party!"
- Bang!
- "A very nice party!"
- Kerwhang!
- Crack. Tinkle, tinkle,tinkle .
- "Goddess Freya, I am sorry for disturbing you—"
- "Hi. I'm Fran," I said politely as she stalked over to me. "I'm not a priestess or anything."
- "You are a Beloved? You do not look like a Beloved."
- "Well—"
- "Uh…" I snapped my mouth shut as soon as I realized it was hanging open. "I must?"
- She hissed and took a couple of steps back."Vikingahärta!"
- "Bah," Freya said, using Mikaela's mirrored scrying bowl to check her reflection.
- "But you're the queen of the Valkyries, right?" I asked.
- "But—"
- "CSI?"Ljot asked, adjusting his swim goggles.
- "TV show."
- "You do not know Loki, god of mischief?" Gils asked,disbelief plastered all over his face.
- "Nope.I'm not really hip to all the gods. Who is he? And why didn't Freya like him?"
- "Who's Asgard?" I asked, taking my seat again on the tree stump.
- "What a creep," I said before realizing I was talking about a god. "Er… nice creep, of course."
- "No, he was not nice," Ljot said grimly, shaking his head.
- I stood up and stretched. Even though it wasn't yet midnight, I was tired.
- "The rabbit was on the stringy side," Gils said, picking his teeth.
- "And McNuggets," Gils added."With dipping sauces."
- "Yes, McNuggets as well," Eirik said with an "are you happy now?" look on his face.
- "Good night, goddess," they called to me as I headed for the Faire.
- "What is?"
- At least I thought it had closed. "Ben?"
- What's wrong? Ben asked, his eyes watching me carefully.
- Oh, like you don't know.
- Are you going to be jealous every time I'm next to another female?
- I didn't know until I was there.
- Annoying? Annoying! Oh! I'll give you annoying, buster!
- "Soren is a child. He doesn't have the hots for me."
- "Kurt and Karl are having a fling with Absinthe," I said, backing up another couple of steps.
- "Doesn't matter.They could still be attracted toyou, and you likewise."
- "Peter is old enough to be my dad."
- I bumped up against the door that led to the tiny bedroom at the end of the trailer.
- And?
- His lips curved against mine in a smile.
- But you could tell her hands off, you know! It wouldn't hurt.
- He pulled away enough to laugh. "Ah, Fran, you never fail to delight me."
- "That's me, good ole entertaining Fran… oh.Hi, Mom."
- Ben turned back to me for a moment, caressing my cheek.Good night, sweet Fran. Sleep well .
- "Hey, wait a sec—Ben! You don't have to leave."
- "What agreement?" I all but yelled, so frustrated I wanted to scream.
- My mother has gone insane, I told Ben.
- She's concerned for you.
- Did she tell you that you couldn't come to our trailer?
- I grabbed the doorknob. "You can take your goddess and stick her up your—"
- "Fran!"Mom shrieked, her face black with anger.
- "You foolish, stupid girl," Mom said.
- Chapter Eleven
- "Mom and I had a fight over Ben."
- "Ah," she said, nodding.
- I flicked a piece of orange peel from my breakfast into the nearby trash. "You're not surprised?"
- I giggled at the way she phrased her plans for Tibolt.
- "No. And she'd better not," I said, thinning my lips.
- "Well… I'm a bit worried about the Vikings."
- "Why?" Imogen asked. "I haven't seen them attack anyone lately."
- I looked at Imogen.
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