Blame it on Simon. Say they were plotting against you, and last night was proof of it.”
Turk grunted. “It’s a loophole.”
Amanda smiled sadly. “But it’s also the truth. It breaks my heart, but I can’t lose you. I won’t let them hurt you.”
He shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. She was so much smaller than he was, that sometimes he felt like he was holding a stuffed animal. And he had called her his teddy bear many times. “I suppose it is the truth. I had not considered framing it that way. There is honor in that.”
“You and your honor.” She chuckled. “It’ll get you killed someday.”
“It will. But I can die knowing I did so as the better man.”
Amanda draped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck and kissed him gently. “I’ll go get Jack. We’ll take them to the tower now, before everyone else wakes up and expects a trial.”
Ringmaster nodded faintly. He did not want to do this. But he saw no other way.
Simon was a monster and deserved every ounce of pain that was ever paid to him. But Cora…she was a victim of Harrow Faire. Aren’t we all victims of our circumstance? All that remains is to decide whether we wish to rise above or sink below what is done to us.
Cora had destroyed that man. Simon helped. She had chosen a side.
If I were to leave them to their own devices, they would destroy a hundred thousand more. They must be stopped. Harrow Faire must be stopped. For the good of all mankind.
He kissed Amanda tenderly. His little voice of reason, able to see through his whirling thoughts like a lighthouse calling a ship to shore in the night. “Go. I will retrieve the Key. We will have to be quick about this.”
Cora woke up slowly. She cracked her neck from one side and then to the other, hearing it pop. She cringed as she did. The memory of seeing Ringmaster’s huge fist coming toward her face was going to be something that lingered with her for a long time. At least it had only taken the one punch. He hit hard.
“Morning, cupcake.”
She lifted her head and went to turn toward the voice but discovered she couldn’t move. She was tied to a post, sitting with her back to it, the ropes securing her to the wood. Ropes. Not invisible strings. She twisted her head and saw a bit of crimson suit with black stripes behind her. “Simon?”
“Last I checked.”
She rolled her eyes. Always with a smartass response. “What happened? Turk came into my tent and knocked my lights out.”
“They grabbed me first. Did you think we were going to get away with what you did to Duncan?” He chuckled. “You’re so adorably naïve. There are rules against killing patrons.”
“But he’s technically alive. We didn’t kill him.”
“Oh, no. That’s true. But we did something far worse, Cora dear. You showed Ringmaster in no uncertain terms that you were no longer afraid to use your new gift. Last night you made it very clear whose side you’ve chosen.”
She shut her eyes and sighed. She knew there would be fallout from what she had done. And Turk was right. She had picked a side. “What happens now?”
“We stand trial in front of the Family. You will have your chance to defend yourself. I’m eager to see the looks on their faces as you explain precisely who that little piece of shit was that we sent out of Harrow Faire on a stretcher. Moreover, this is your chance to make your case, cupcake. This is your chance to look the Family in the eyes and tell them that Ringmaster is dooming us all to a slow death.”
Cora rested her head against the wood. “I guess we should have done something last night. It was probably stupid to just go to bed and pretend nothing happened. I just—I wasn’t thinking clearly.” She had felt drunk after killing Duncan, to put it lightly.
“What precisely could we have done? Even if we went and fetched Rudy last night, the three of us couldn’t stand against the rest of the Family. The others would have seen it as a revolt, and you would never have had your limelight. No. This is going perfectly, and exactly as I planned. You need the chance to speak to them. You need to tell them the truth, and they need to hear it from you. This trial is the perfect