The Ringmaster (Harrow Faire #4) - Kathryn Ann Kingsley Page 0,53

afraid to move, and not brave enough to stand her ground.

A giant red tail smacked against the bars. That startled her out of her frozen shock. It was a giant snake tail. She screamed and fell over, hitting the packed dirt, and looked up at…Rudy.

From the waist up, anyway.

From the waist down, he had turned into a goddamn snake.

“Holy…holy shit.”

Rudy hissed at the gorilla, baring long, wicked fangs. The end of his tail rattled loudly. The undead-skinned-gorilla thing shrank back against the wall, ducking its head in submission.

Cora scrambled to her feet, putting more distance between her, the cage, and the snake-man. Not like it mattered. The tail end of Rudy was easily a dozen feet long or more, coiled around him. She didn’t know much about snakes, but she knew he’d catch her in a heartbeat if she ran and he wanted to chase.

He watched her sternly. Wolf eyes were now snake eyes, orange and slitted. “Are you going to scream again?”

She hesitated. “No?”

“Are you going to run?”

“No…”

“Good.” He smiled. Just barely. It didn’t last long. “You have some bravery, then. Come.” He turned and…slithered away from her.

This whole thing was getting dumber and more dangerous by the moment. But yet, like every foolish decision she had made so far, she doubled down. She walked after him.

A snake-man.

At Harrow Faire.

When in doubt, lean into the crazy. “Does this mean I can get a pet dragon?”

He laughed. A real laugh. He looked back at her, smiling. “I’ll see what I can do, Contortionist.” He paused. “You are full of surprises.”

“It seems we all are.”

“Indeed.”

Seeing him as a snake had knocked her off her feet. Seeing the skinned gorilla monster had shocked her. But his next words scared her.

“So,” he began after a pause, “have you decided to kill Ringmaster?”

14

Cora’s steps hitched to a stop. She stared at Rudy, wide-eyed. She wondered if she could run for her life fast enough to get away from him. She wondered if she was going to try anyway. “Who—how—”

“Clown told me.” Rudy stopped to turn and watch her. “He and I spoke frequently. We were…friends.”

“You knew he wasn’t really mute?”

“Who am I to judge his actions? His secrets were his to tell.” He lifted a shoulder dismissively in a half-shrug. The thin strips of scales on his arms shone as he did. They were an orange-red color. The underside of his tail, and the front of his body where his legs should have been, were white. Almost opalescent. He was beautiful in a weird and dangerous way. He watched her as she clearly stared at him. “Do I scare you?”

“Of course. You’re a giant snake.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly, his scruffy and too-long red hair falling in front of his eyes. “I can be many more things than this, if snakes bother you. How do you feel about spiders?”

“Worse.” She chuckled. “And no. No, it’s not that.” She still couldn’t help but stare. The tip of his tail looked like that of a rattlesnake. “You could snap me in half. And probably swallow me whole. And…you know.”

“Simon can hurt you just as easily as I.”

“I know.” She wrinkled her nose. “I just don’t think it’d be as crunchy if he decided to kill me.”

“Crunchy.” He chuckled again. “You are smart to fear a predator. But you are brave to stand one down. I don’t plan on hurting you.” He looked off toward the cages. He gestured a clawed hand toward them. “These are my wards. I care for them. This is my family within the Family.”

“Are you going to feed me to one of them?”

“No.” He began to slither away again. She had to keep a pretty decent distance away from him to keep from getting smacked by his tail. And she was perfectly fine with that.

“How much did Clown tell you?”

“He told me about Turk’s betrayal years ago. That Turk took the Key, but not the burden. That he plans to starve us all. That he is starving us all.” Rudy grimaced, baring his fangs. “He told me that Harrow Faire has chosen you to replace them both.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“Anyone who can tame the Puppeteer is a force to be reckoned with.”

“Have you met him?” She snickered. “I don’t think anybody can tame him.”

Rudy watched her curiously. “Tell me, Contortionist. Does he pin you down and have his way with you? Or do you press him to his back and ride him instead? Do you submit to