behind for Solo to stay warm. Her father grabbed her by the arm and jerked her outside, slamming the door shut behind him.
“I’ve been too lenient with you,” he said, tugging her forward. “I realize that now. I’ve let you waste your time with the animals when I would have been better served using you in the ring. Perhaps then you would have appreciated all the work I’ve done for you. For you and you alone. I even considered killing Matas after what he did to you, and how do you thank me?”
“Daddy—”
“Silence! I’m taking you to the seamstress. The two of you will have to work all night, but whatever it takes, you will ensure you have the best costume or you will know my displeasure.”
“Y-yes. Of course,” she said, wanting to look back at Solo but not allowing herself the luxury.
I have to find that key. It’s our only hope.
Twenty-two
The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs.
—PROVERBS 14:14
JECIS HADN’T LIED ABOUT the petting zoo.
Vika gazed at it with growing horror.
Early this morning, Matas—whose arm had mysteriously healed from Solo’s abuse, though the skin was now veined with a sickly black—had drugged each of the captives, rendering them unconscious. He then dragged them into the tent Jecis had had his employees set up. There, the two men had stripped the captives to the skin and bound them to giant spinning wheels with thick iron bands.
Solo never had a chance to fight, his muscles paralyzed by the sedatives. And now, he wouldn’t have a chance. He couldn’t even use his teeth. A muzzle covered the lower half of his face.
The circus had kicked off a short while ago, and humans had begun to parade in and out, allowed to touch whichever otherworlder they desired, in whatever manner they desired.
It didn’t help that they peered at the captives with wonder in their eyes.
It didn’t matter that they didn’t try to hurt a single one.
The otherworlders were humiliated. Defenseless. Helpless.
The tent was warm, encouraging the sale of ice cream in the corner, despite the frost outside. Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate melted as the humans studied and petted the otherworlders one by one, discussing their “magnificence.”
Jecis had escorted Vika here a few minutes ago, and they now stood at the edge of the tent. She wanted to run from him. She wanted to attack him. How dare he allow this?
“There isn’t a key to the cuffs, you know,” he said. “Years ago, I destroyed the only one that was ever made.”
The words penetrated the dark shroud around her mind and nearly sent her to her knees. He wasn’t lying. He couldn’t be. There was too much glee in his eyes.
No key, she lamented, her insides hollowing out. There was no key. All this time, her search had been for nothing. Forget the money she wanted to save. If she’d found the key, she would have freed everyone ahead of schedule. If she’d known it couldn’t be found, she would have still freed everyone ahead of schedule. Yet staying to aid the otherworlders had been for nothing.
They were doomed. They had always been doomed.
“Your beast will wear the cuffs to his grave,” Jecis said with an evil grin.
He meant to remind her of Solo’s fate. He rallied her determination instead.
He was a nasty, hateful man and he would never change. He would only ever cause more hurt. And Matas, too. He had been demoted to hired hand while off duty for his actions against her, but one day, he would snap. He and her father would fight for rights to the circus. Once, she had thought her father would always win against him. Now, after Matas had “healed” his arm? She wasn’t so sure. But she did know only one of them would walk away—and she didn’t want to be around to find out who it was.
She was leaving tonight, Vika decided. After the performance, when everyone was too drunk or too tired to notice her actions. There would be no more waiting. She would gather up as many of her jewels as she could carry, free Solo and all of the others, and she would run. Run and never look back, just as Solo had said.
Finally.
If Jecis found her, well, she would rather die than come back. And there were ways to ensure that happened.
• • •
“Welcome to the amazing, spectacular Cirque de Monstres!” Jecis’s voice echoed through the darkened tent. Vika stood on the sidelines.