Broken People (21 page)

“Nick, I’ve heard …” Her voice trailed off.
“They shouldn’t have made you do that.”

“They didn’t.” This was his own doing, like
all of the screwed-up events in his life.

“Still …” Anya stepped into the room and let
out a small sigh.

“It’s done, okay?” He snapped. And he had to
live with it. He’d always wondered how long it would take him to
cross over to the dark side. No need to wait for the answer
anymore. Big Dino would be proud—another freak added to his growing
collection.

Anya drew in a long, calming breath, and her
features recomposed themselves into a concerned mask. She was in
full damage control mode. “Are you all right?”

Nicholas held out his right hand. It wasn’t
shaking. Dealing with small things didn’t consume that much of his
strength, yet another reason his ability was more frightening. “I’m
fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Anya took his hand in hers
and cradled it against her chest. The pump that had replaced her
heart years ago hummed softly against his fingers.

Her touch distracted him. He
needed
a
distraction, so he gazed into her pale, heart-shaped face and those
chocolate eyes that searched his, looking for signs of distress.
Oh, they were there, he didn’t doubt it, regardless of how hard he
tried to hide them.

But Anya possessed the keen ability to see
through his layers of disguise. She’d seen his desperation that day
at the café when she discreetly pointed him in the direction of the
circus. From that day forward, she had felt responsible for his
fate for some reason when, in fact, she’d probably saved his life.
He always found it ironic to be protected by a woman whom he could
break with one thought.

Nicholas squeezed her delicate fingers and
pushed some of his anguish aside. “I’ll be fine.”

That was a promise he intended to keep.

“Nervous?”

Dale glanced at Aurore as they walked into
the Hrad’s yard. Her high heels clicked on the macadam. There were
many visitors, so the car access had been restricted to outside the
main gate. In the light coming out through the long row of
rectangular windows, her legs glowed faintly.

For the first time since he’d met Aurore,
her cocktail dress stopped above her knees, and she didn’t wear
boots, which put her golden legs on display. The short gloves left
her wrists and part of her forearms bare, too. So she wasn’t always
hiding. Or maybe she did it to distract attention from what was
going to happen later tonight. Well, it worked. People turned their
heads more often than usual.

“I don’t have a mayor for an uncle to save
my hide if this goes wrong,” he said.

“Oh, he won’t be saving my hide this
time.”

The hint of dark amusement in her voice
worried him. They were approaching the entrance, and she still
hadn’t told him what she wanted him to steal from the vault for
her. Dale took a step closer and leaned in to whisper, “Well?”

Aurore needed a moment to figure out what he
meant then replied in a similar whisper, “Cryo boxes.”

Cryo boxes were used for storing body parts
for later use.
Four.
Dale’s eyes involuntarily jumped to her
hands. Did she mean limbs? Why would anyone hide them inside the
Hrad? And whose limbs were they?

Aurore sustained his inquisitive gaze
without flinching, and Dale nodded in acknowledgement. That secret
was hers to keep.

They entered the building and admired the
galleries. Many people stopped to talk with Aurore, so Dale worked
on being a socialite. Being a thief or an enforcer was much easier.
But most conversations revolved around war, and that was one topic
he knew a lot about. The most difficult part was not showing
exactly
how much
he knew. Keeping his mouth shut and letting
Aurore do the talking was not a problem, though.

She made an effort to appear more
approachable, and people took the time to bow to the golden queen.
Several men threw Dale envious looks as he stood by her side, while
women envied her for the gracious way she carried herself and her
flawless look. If he hadn’t been on the job, Dale would have taken
a moment to enjoy it, too, but he couldn’t let that appealing sight
distract him, no matter how close she was. The arctic cold still
lay between them.

Aurore’s eyes met her uncle’s with a warm
smile. Mayor Ternchiev treated Dale to a familiar up and down look
as if surprised to see him still there, and grunted his approval.
“I’m glad you came. There’s a temporary Pre-Raphaelite painting
collection worth visiting, and you must see our prehistoric Venus
of Moravany.”

Dale wasn’t an art expect, but he imagined
any prehistoric statue must have lost some limbs over the
centuries, and he wasn’t sure that needed to be mentioned in
Aurore’s presence.

“I’m more interested in the Hungarian crown
jewels,” she said.

“I know, my dear.” Ternchiev gave her an
indulgent smile. “Unfortunately, they left the castle in the
sixteenth century and haven’t returned since. Now, what I’m
proposing is—” he rubbed his hands, “—explore the exhibitions,
catch the concert in the Music Hall, then a late supper in The
Castle restaurant, followed by a moonlight walk in the Baroque
garden.”

“Or we could make our own schedule,” Aurore
said with a sweet, but challenging grin.

“Or you can do that, too.” The older man’s
defeated nod proved he knew when to pick his battles. “But you
mustn’t miss the circus! They should be here soon, and Renard
assured me it’s going to be stupendous.”

Aurore’s hand clenched Dale’s arm. She
relaxed her hold the following second, but the damage was done. She
was nervous, too. A crease appeared between her blonde
eyebrows.

Pretending not to notice, Dale covered her
hand with his. “We’re looking forward to the show.” He brushed his
fingers against her wrist. Her artificial skin was smooth and
warm.

Aurore shivered, the smile frozen on her
face.

“Good, good! I’ll see you later then. I need
to talk to …” Ternchiev walked away, heading towards the most
elegant group of people in the hall.

“He’s as excited as a kid, isn’t he?” Dale
commented.

“Oh, don’t let that appearance fool you,”
she said. “He’s as shrewd as a fox. And speaking of foxes …” She
turned in the direction of the entrance.

Renard had just stepped into the hall, and
seeing them, walked towards them. He tipped his top hat at Aurore,
and shook hands with Dale. He wore the regular tailcoat and white
gloves, even though he wasn’t going to perform tonight.

“Ready for the show?” Aurore asked with a
pleasant smile.

It had become clear she didn’t find the
magician threatening. Odd, since he was the most dangerous person
in the room.

“We’re always ready.” Nicholas grinned. “The
crew is filling the yard right now, preparing to make a big
entrance.”

Dale checked the time. The show was supposed
to last forty minutes, with a fifteen minute song set meant to keep
the audience calm and less curious when part of the crew
disappeared. Hopefully, it would be enough.

Trumpets broke the eerie silence in the
entrance hall. The visitors started and turned towards the
exit.

The doors opened.

“Listen up, people! The Nightingale Circus
is here!”

With his back against a pillar and his arms
folded across his chest, Nicholas watched the audience’s reaction.
Surprise, followed by curiosity, then excitement.
So far, so
good
.

Being too cold outside to perform anything
outstanding in the yard, and having a special reason not to do it
as they needed an excuse to be inside, the circus crew invaded the
main hall. At first, the audience pulled back when confronted with
the loud and colorful invasion, but soon, people relaxed as they
realized there was no danger. Dancers spread through the crowd,
tickling the visitors with their feathers, while the clowns juggled
shiny balls, and the stilt men reached up to the ceiling.

As usual, waiting for the proper moment,
Anya made her flashy entrance. Even her costume exuded drama with
black-and-white contrasts, and a mask that emphasized it with a
visage of a slightly aggravated Swan. Nicholas made a note to
congratulate Cielo on the seamstress work. Anya winked as she
passed him.

He might have been bold and blown her a kiss
at the circus, regardless of how much trouble it would have gotten
him into later. But here, he was a respectable circus owner who
couldn’t risk such a gesture. He smiled at her instead.

At the end of one of her signature
pirouettes, the gymnasts smoothly pulled attention to their act.
Their jumps and somersaults culminated in one giant human pyramid.
Riella climbed on it, all the way to the top, to reach a wide, red
ring hanging from a metal bar the stilt men held on their
shoulders.

Her routine lasted for a few more minutes,
and then the doors opened again. In an orgy of lights and sounds,
Cole maneuvered his transporter in, coming close to scratching the
plaster off the walls. Rake and Skinner had painted the vehicle in
rainbow colors, so instead of soulless white, it sparkled in shades
of red and purple with yellows and greens splashed in between. The
arms and legs moved with confidence, and they spread enough to
allow the audience to see the swirl of pink and blue fur trapped in
a wire cage below the body of the transporter. Excited by the
presence of so many people, the menzataxor didn’t stand still for a
second.

Positioned on either side of the
transporter, Rake and Spinner threw knives at each other between
the machine’s legs, occasionally skewering flying balls in the
process.

Like a spider on its web, Riella lowered
herself until she grabbed one of the mobile arms and hung onto
it.

Not about to let her take the spotlight,
Anya emerged from the crowd and glided in a series of graceful
moves up next to Cole. Once she effortlessly climbed on top of the
transporter, she opened her mouth and sang. The Nightingale’s voice
came out through her lips.

The audience stared in awe, and no one
noticed Cielo and Rosie entering the hall. Cielo, in her sequined
dress and a scarf wrapped around her neck, slipped into the back of
the crowd. Her golden mask was frozen in an elusive smile, but her
lips moved behind it, producing the most enchanting notes. Getting
the mask to freeze had been almost as difficult as re-growing
Cole’s nerves, but Spinner had somehow managed it.

With an armful of roses, Rosie circled the
hall and offered every woman in the audience a strongly-scented
flower. She’d cleaned up for the occasion and had put on a cute
little pearl-gray dress, and her sandy blonde hair had been styled
into a mass of soft ringlets surrounding her pretty face. No one
could resist that angel face with big gray eyes. All she had to do
was remember to smile with her lips closed.

Nicholas gave her a small nod, his eyes only
leaving the Swan’s act to investigate the people’s faces. Was it
too much? Who overreacted to the singing? He didn’t like putting
Anya in danger, but having her impersonate the Nightingale for a
short while was a risk they had to take. Maybe it wouldn’t be so
bad with the circus leaving the city in the morning and not
returning for a long time, whether they succeeded or not.

When the last song ended, he walked up to
the transporter and offered his hand to help her down. Anya took it
and descended without looking at Riella, who hadn’t finished her
acrobatic number. She was the star, more now that she’d sung, and
deserved all the attention she got. That was why what he was going
to do next would hurt her so much.

Slipping an arm around her waist, Nicholas
tapped his fingers on her rib cage. The panel slid open, and he
pushed his hand inside, looking for a switch that wasn’t there.
Anya froze, turning into a beautiful, lifeless statue.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “The
Nightingale couldn’t be with us tonight, but she lent us her
voice.”

He picked Anya up and moved her to the
window, giving the established signal. His fingers lingered on her
waist before releasing her, and he made sure to close the panel in
her chest. Feeling the pump pulsate against his hand had been
unnerving this time.

Small, prearranged explosions, sounding like
gunshots, filled the yard with colorful smoke, and the visitors
rushed to the doors to see what was going on. Few stayed behind,
glued to the windows and not paying attention to the activity
behind them.

Rosie crawled under the transporter and
released the menzataxor. A smile split her face the instant the
furry animal curled up against her chest, purring loudly like an
army of drunk cats. Everybody around her would be smiling as soon
as she introduced them to her colorful friend.

“Walk him around when they get back inside,”
Nicholas told the little girl. Even with her in this happy state,
he didn’t make the mistake of patting her head.

Rosie giggled, and her laugh echoed inside
the deserted hall.

Nicholas glanced one last time around the
place. Riella had taken her position in the doorway. The cold air
rushing in made her shiver, but she would provide enough of a
distraction if needed. The stilt men guarded the access to the
grand staircase, and Rake and Spinner were already heading that
way, waving at Cole to follow them.

“Let’s go,” Nicholas said with a nod to
Dale.

Serioja stood by Cielo’s side, his muscles
flexing in anticipation. She would be safe with him around.

In the yard, Fei Lin performed an aerial
ballet, consisting of a series of vaulted jumps. She had better not
make holes in the pavement with her hard landings. Big Dino
wouldn’t be pleased if they had to pay for repairs.

“Wait here,” Dale said to Aurore and rushed
after them.