but I was certain it was harmful to him. Madame never did anything without a reason, and her reasons were never benign.
Crawling back to the place where the hose was connected to the bottom of the stand, I unscrewed it from the tank.
Smoke puffed from the hose rhythmically, and I half-expected a gush of water from the tank, but none came. Sticking my fingers through the opening, I found a rubber valve blocking it.
Squeezing between the back wall and the tank, I hid the end of the now disconnected smoking hose under a corner of the rug covering the floor, making sure it appeared as if the hose was still attached to the tank from where the black canister stood. This way whoever would come to replace the incense inside it would be less likely to notice that the hose had been disconnected.
Since it appeared like the Madame’s menagerie was staying in this location for some time, my tampering might not be discovered until possibly the next time it was moved. A lot could happen between now and then. Meanwhile, Zeph would remain in water no longer contaminated by the smoke.
A loud noise from the corridor outside the room made me crouch behind the tank. The sound of heavy footsteps, several pairs of them, moved in the direction of the room.
Everything inside me dropped with fear at the possibility of being discovered in the room where I wasn’t supposed to be. In my mind, I feverishly went through a list of possible excuses for my being here—all of them pathetic.
“Take it to the second VIP room.” I recognized the voice of one of the bracks. Nid, I believed his name was. “The one after this one.”
Another VIP act?
I remembered Radax talking about some new arrivals a while back. Madame appeared to be expanding her show, and that apparently didn’t apply to just the unanimated objects and animals.
When the sound of the footsteps moved on, I climbed from behind the tank and tiptoed to the exit.
With the bracks occupied in the next room, I had a chance to sneak back into my cage undetected. I threw a longing glance at the metal door upstairs. With the second VIP room between it and me, it was too risky to go that way, even if I just wanted to check if it was locked.
Instead, I padded down the hallway, in the direction of the storage room with my cage. If discovered missing, I would get both Amira and me in a lot of trouble.
I kept an eye on what was happening behind me, ready to bolt at any sign of a brack exiting the second VIP room.
Focusing too much on the hallway behind me, I failed to pay enough attention to what was going on straight ahead of me. As I turned around the corner, into the small corridor with the door to my room, I bumped right into Ulg’s broad chest. He must have been on his way to join his buddies in the second VIP room.
With a shocked squeak, I twisted away from his hands before he had a chance to grab me. Blinded by panic, I dashed back toward Zeph’s room.
“Hey!” Ulg yelled, recovering quickly. His heavy footfalls thundered close behind me. “Get back here. You sneaky fucking human!”
“What’s going on?” Nid poked his head out of the second VIP room down the corridor.
I turned into the one with the water tank again, realizing I was now trapped. There was no way out of here but through the door I had entered. Two bracks stood there now, blocking my way.
“Come here, I said,” Ulg growled, grabbing the hood of my sweatshirt and yanking me back.
I choked and coughed as the neckline cut into my throat.
“How did she get here?” Trez entered the room, and my heart sank. Of all the bracks in Madame’s employ, this one had been the most ruthless and cruel. “She should be in her cage.”
“I...” I coughed, squeezing the words through my throat, tight from the hoodie cutting across my neck and from fear. “I was on my way there.”
“Who was supposed to be watching her?” Trez ignored my speaking.
Ulg heavily shifted foot to foot. “I left her with Amira.”
“That useless girl!” Trez sharply spat through his teeth. “She is definitely dead, now.”
“Amira has nothing to do with this,” I croaked. “Just let me go...and I’ll go back to the cage. I don’t want any trouble.”
“Oh, you’re not getting out of it that easily this time.”