The Ringmaster (Harrow Faire #4) - Kathryn Ann Kingsley Page 0,83

I knew what half of that meant.” She stepped inside, looking around the Ringmaster’s boxcar curiously. It was old, like all the others. The walls were covered in photographs and sketches. Of Family members she recognized, and many she didn’t. It looked almost like a museum. She stepped up to a few to examine them. Turk and Rudy, posing with a huge elephant behind them.

“It means a lot of nonsense. I wouldn’t worry about it. Cora…have you decided what you plan to do yet?” Turk sat in one of the chairs at the kitchenette table. It creaked under the weight but held.

She took a moment to study him. He was all broad lines and square shapes. His brown eyes were tired. Not old, but…weary. But still firm and unflinching. “Were you a soldier?”

He smiled broadly and let out a deep laugh that shook his stomach as he did. He sat back, his eyes twinkling in warmth. “I was, Cora. I was. How could you tell?”

“Something about you. You’re exhausted, but you won’t give up the fight.” She looked back at the photos. “Even after all this time, you’re going to hold the line.”

“I was raised to understand that there were some causes worth dying for. That sometimes we have to lay down our lives for the greater good.” He pushed up from the chair. “Coffee?”

“Sure. Thank you.” She paused. “I don’t want to be enemies, Turk. I don’t. I don’t want any part in any of this.”

“I know. And I am sorry you’ve been put in this terrible position.” He began pouring them both a cup of coffee. It smelled rich and strong. Definitely not American style. He handed her a small cup that looked ridiculous in his giant hands before he sat back down and resumed speaking. “I saw you last night. Smiling. Laughing. Enjoying the company of the Family. I see how you smile at Simon, and how he smiles at you. I know you want to protect them.”

“I do.”

“We are monsters, Cora. But we are not without beauty. There is a wealth of love to be found in this place. Happiness. But it comes at a terrible cost.”

She sipped the coffee. It was strong. But surprisingly not bitter. She looked down at it and hummed.

“Never had real coffee, have you?”

“Apparently not.”

He chuckled and gestured for her to sit across from him. “Cora. I don’t want to start a war. I don’t want to split this Family in two. I want us to go quietly into the night as we should always have done. I want to protect them all from the pain that would come from knowing the truth.”

“You want them to die quietly in their sleep, never knowing it was coming.” She pulled out the other chair and sat across from him. The table was clear except for a few little knickknacks arranged close to the wall. A couple of golden camel statues nestled around salt and pepper shakers.

“Exactly. I don’t want them to be afraid. I want them to go to sleep, content in their lives, and to simply not wake. I…care very deeply about all of them.”

“They look to you like a father. I can see why.” She took a drink from her coffee again. It was damn good.

Turk placed his hand on the table, palm down, and leaned closer. “This creature is a parasite. A dangerous demon that has come from the depths of creation. It should not be here.”

“I know.” She shut her eyes. “But…”

“We must love the world more than we love our Family. We must love humanity more than we love our tribe. We must put selfless things above our own needs and wants. It is only by such deeds we can salvage our world. Only by such deeds can we rise above our own foolishness.”

“I…I know you’re right. I know you are. I know letting this place die is the right thing to do. But I…it’s…so hard.” She set the cup down on the table and leaned her elbows on the surface.

“No one understands that more than I do.” He took her hands in his big ones and held them together in the center of the table. “No one knows your strife more. I feel it every day. Every moment I think…just ten more years. Ten more with Amanda. With my Family. With the people I love. But it is selfishness. It is weakness. You are strong, Cora. I’ve seen it. Be strong. The devil tempts us with sweet