Skycircus Read online

  Malkin bared his teeth at the boy, and Lily felt a sudden flash of panic.

  She grabbed the fox’s scruff to stop him attacking.

  “Why are you here?” Luca demanded, stepping closer with a face like thunder.

  Lily shuffled back towards the door, the end of her scarf dragging in the dust. She felt lost for words. The sight of Luca, with his clattering claws and his deep blue angry eyes, didn’t fill her with dread – it only made her confused. They were so alike, her and him, but she wasn’t sure how to explain it.

  “We’re here because Madame took us…” she said haltingly. “Kidnapped us…last night…after the show.”

  “Fox-napped, in my case,” Malkin added through his teeth.

  “Her and Slimwood’s ruffians…I mean, the circus men,” Lily continued, “they trapped us in the hold then spirited us away.”

  “I tried to warn you,” Malkin groused. “But you wouldn’t listen.”

  “We couldn’t understand you, Malkin, you had a muzzle on.”

  “This is your fox?” Luca pointed a claw at Malkin. “And I assume you’re an orphan?” He gestured at Lily, his face softening on that last word.

  “I think you mean she’s my human,” Malkin said. “Tell me, how do you live in a place like this? It stinks to high heaven.”

  “Shush!” Lily grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. If she wanted to persuade what she guessed were the other two hybrids to come down, and convince all three of them to help her escape, she’d need to stop Malkin causing any trouble.

  “Yes,” she said to Luca. “He’s my fox. Papa gave him to me as a present. He’s a mechanimal. His name’s Malkin and mine’s Lily… We’re awfully pleased to meet you,” she added, for she’d been taught to be polite, and though she wasn’t always, in this case she felt like she should try to make friends.

  Malkin didn’t seem to agree. “I’ve yet to decide if I feel the same way,” he said with a low growl, raising his hackles and pulling back his lips to reveal his yellow teeth.

  Luca laughed. “Very sensible. And what home are you from?”

  “Brackenbridge Manor. It’s in the town you visited yesterday.”

  He looked confused. “I’ve never heard of that one.”

  “Weren’t you listening, Luca?” said the high-pitched voice from above. “She said she had a papa. She’s not from an orphanage. She’s from a real home.”

  The girl who’d spoken peered over the side of her bunk. Her face was round and friendly, with doughy cheeks and a warm smile. She shifted awkwardly and began to climb down and Lily saw her mechanical legs. It was Deedee – the wire-walking hybrid from the show.

  Surely that meant the third figure, up in the top corner bunk, had to be Angelique? Lily darted her a glance, but she was still huddled beneath her blanket.

  Deedee jumped to the floor. “Do you have a mother and father?” she asked, hiding nervously behind Luca. Her mechanical legs whirred beneath her when she moved. They were a little too long in proportion to her body, and made her look delicate and stork-like, as if she was perched on miniature stilts.

  Lily shook her head. “Only a father. I never knew my mama well,” she added hesitantly. “She died when I was quite young… Although lately you might say we’ve started talking again.” She felt for the torn pages in her pocket.

  Luca looked at her as if she was mad, but Deedee didn’t seem to have noticed her odd comment.

  “We three are from different orphanages,” she explained to Lily. “We were taken years ago. Not by this circus, although this is where we’ve ended up.” She had a habit of holding her arms away from her body when she talked, as if she was thinking about balancing all the time.

  “We weren’t always hybrids,” Luca added. “We were human once too, like you. An evil doctor called Droz plucked us from our orphanages, changed us in a lab, and sold us on to the circus.”

  “That’s terrible!” Lily felt sick. In her notebook Mama had mentioned being taught by Dr Droz. Lily hated to think that her mama had had a connection to such an awful man.

  Then, for the first time, Angelique spoke. “Droz only takes children no one will miss,” she explained quietly. “Children like us.” She had shifted to the edge of her berth and was peering down at them.

  Her hair was pinned in two thick dark bunches, and her brown eyes were set wide apart under wispy eyebrows, the left one marked by a cut.

  “You were at the show last night,” Angelique said. “Sitting next to a boy I recognized. Bartholomew, his name was.”

  “Tolly, you mean?” Lily asked.

  “Is that what he’s called now?” Angelique’s eyes brightened. “I remembered his face. There was something familiar about it.”

  Lily recalled what Tolly had said last night at the show. “He told me you were at an orphanage together, in London,” she said to Angelique.

  “Yes, the Camden Workhouse for the Infirm and Physically Incurable. I was taken. He wasn’t.”

  Angelique jumped from her bunk, flapping her wings. Her feathers scraped the metal walls of the cell as she wafted down to float a few inches from the floor. Finally she seized her stick from where it leaned against the edge of the screen and came to rest fully on the ground. She moved with concentration, like the slightest misstep or loss of control might bowl her over. As if gravity might sneak up on her from behind and tip her off her feet. Lily thought it a strange ballet, but rather beautiful.

  “I never spoke back then,” Angelique said. “Fear made my words dry up inside me. Tolly changed that. He was the only one who ever showed me any kindness.” She smiled at the thought of him.

  On the ground, she looked slighter than the other two, though her wings made her seem grander. And her demeanour towards the pair, like an older sister, made Lily sure she was the eldest of the three – older than she’d looked on the ticket; perhaps sixteen or seventeen?

  “He would send up my lunch in the basket every day, and, when I returned my plate to him, I would send him little gifts and notes, and he would do the same. Is he with you? I would dearly love to see him again. I heard there was a new boy brought aboard too. Is that him?”

  Lily shook her head. “No, that’s my friend Robert. Tolly managed to escape. He’s back in Brackenbridge. He’ll tell Papa what’s going on, and they’ll come and rescue us.” She didn’t know if this was true or not, but it sounded reassuring.

  “They’ll have to find us first,” Deedee said. “We’ve travelled a long way since last night.”

  “Did you hear where we’ve landed?” Luca asked.

  “Madame told us Paris,” Lily said. “Only it didn’t look much like it when she took us out of the cargo bay. More of a wood really, with some buildings behind it on the horizon.”

  “Paris again?” Deedee whispered, and the three of them shuddered.

  “That’s a long way from home,” Luca said.

  “Yes, it is,” Lily replied, although she wasn’t sure if they were talking about her home or theirs. “But Tolly will get a message to my father,” she added again, more to reassure herself than them.

  Malkin nodded wisely. “He’s a good pup.”

  “If he’s a friend of yours,” Angelique said, “then I think we can trust you.”

  “I’ve another question,” Deedee interjected. “If you weren’t kidnapped from an orphanage or sent by Dr Droz, then why’s Madame put you in here with us?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Lily said. The secret of her Cogheart had already led her into this danger, and the thought of more people knowing about it filled her with an itching anxiety.

  “Can’t or won’t?” Luca said, peering at her. “You’re a strange one, Lily. Neither fish nor fowl. You look human, but Madame put you in Room Thirteen with us, so I’m guessing you might be a hybrid.”

  “If she doesn’t want to tell us, she doesn’t have to,” Angelique admonished Luca softly.

  “That’s right,” Deedee agreed. “She’s scared, poor dear, and she’s
no idea what’s what. One moment she’s in the audience, enjoying a show, the next she’s imprisoned here.” She put out a hand and touched Lily’s shoulder.

  Lily realized the hybrids had no inkling of Madame’s plans for her, or who she really was. To stand any chance of breaking out of this place, she would have to gain their trust. Yet the thought of speaking to them about the Cogheart sat heavy inside her, like a giant immoveable boulder that was not ready to be rolled aside. She glanced at Malkin.

  He said nothing.

  Should she tell her secret? Was it safe? In the past Papa had used silence to keep the truth hidden, even from her. It hadn’t worked. She’d found out about the Cogheart. And so had others: three evil hybrid men, named Roach, Mould and Silverfish, who’d tried to kill her for it. Since then it always took her a long time to trust people.

  But these hybrid children were different. More like her. Last night at the show they’d looked sad and downtrodden – as frightened of the rest of the circus folk as everyone in the audience had been of them. But here in this room, they were friendly and attentive. Deedee’s expression was placid and neutral, while Luca wore a concerned frown. Angelique’s eyes were wide with anticipation and intrigue.

  There was something about her that made Lily believe she could be trusted. Perhaps she would understand? Perhaps they all would. If Lily opened up to them, told them the story of her heart, maybe they would open up to her in return? Because truth mattered. And so did what you really were. Mama had said so, hadn’t she? Whereas Papa’s lies had only caused their family trouble.

  No, to survive here, Lily realized she would have to be like Mama. Suddenly she remembered Mama’s exact words, written in the red notebook: What would you do if you weren’t afraid? She looked round at the hybrids, all watching her expectantly, and just like that, she knew she would tell them her truth.

  Robert stood alone in the freezing clearing, waiting for the Lunk. He rubbed his hands together, feeling rather sorry for himself as he watched the progress of the circus folk who were busily attaching lengths of rope to two large tent poles the size of tree trunks.

  The clothes Slimwood had given him were threadbare and covered in big splatters of mud. If Mrs Rust or Miss Tock could see how scruffy he looked, they’d probably blow a gasket each. He did miss them. Brackenbridge Manor too. He would so dearly love to be there now, with John, and all the mechanicals jittering round the house. Even Rusty telling them off for sneaking out would be better than this. Anything would be better than this!

  He wished he still had the Moonlocket. It reminded him of his ma and gave him hope – that is before Slimwood took it. It seemed to Robert that Slimwood and Madame had similarly stolen everyone’s hope in this place, and he’d need to keep a hold of his if he wanted to get his locket and the rest of his things back and find Lily and Malkin.

  “HEADS UP! COMING THROUGH!” came a shout from behind.

  Robert turned to see the two horses trot round the stern of the sky-ship. Dimitri was riding the black horse bareback and ducked under the engine prop. Silva followed, riding the white horse.

  Dimitri and Silva circled the horses about. Then Dimitri jumped down from his mount and handed its reins over to Silva. Someone threw him a length of rope that was attached to one of the poles and he tied it to a harness hanging over his horse’s back.

  “Oi, you…flattie!” Silva called down at Robert from where she sat. “Don’t just stand there goggling at everyone like an owl in an ivy bush, lend a hand!”

  “You talking to me?” Robert asked.

  “Who else would I be talking to?” Silva replied. “Flattie – means landlubber. Get over here, would you?”

  “I can’t.” He shook his head. “I’m supposed to wait for the Lunk to allocate my chores.”

  “That creaking calamity!” Silva spat. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Come with us instead. We’ll give you a job, make sure you look busy.”

  “Thank you.” Robert advanced anxiously towards them, unsure about the shifting horses. “Have you seen my friends? They were taken to Room Thirteen. I need to get a message to them. Oh, and I need to get my clothes back from the laundry.”

  Silva jumped down from the back of her horse and took its reins. “No, I haven’t seen your friends. As for your clothes, it’s wash day tomorrow – if you sign up for tub duty you might be able to find them then. Otherwise you’ll discover they get absorbed into the outfits for the show.”

  “But they belong to me,” Robert exclaimed. “They have my things in!”

  “Valuable things?” Silva asked.

  Robert nodded.

  “Then the best you can hope for is that Slimwood doesn’t find them.” She gestured to Dimitri, who was busily harnessing a rope to the back of her horse now. “I’m Silva, by the way, and this is Dimitri.”

  “My name’s Robert.” He nodded at Dimitri, who had the same coal-black hair and brown eyes as Silva. “Is he your brother?”

  Silva laughed. “No. I suppose we do look alike, but he’s nobody’s brother. He’s got no folks.”

  “I may be nobody’s brother…” Dimitri replied, with a soft Russian accent, “but I’m everyone’s son. I belong to the whole Skycircus.”

  “What’s that mean?” Robert asked, intrigued despite himself.

  “Fourteen years ago,” Dimitri explained, “when old Slimwood senior – Slimwood’s father – was navigating the circus through the Steppes of Russia, he found me hidden behind a hay bale in the horse stalls. I’d snuck aboard when they’d stopped at their last atchings—”

  “That’s polari,” Silva interrupted. “Traveller speak for—”

  “I know,” Robert said. “Place to land, make camp.”

  “Very good, flattie.” Silva looked impressed. She led both horses forward until the ropes behind them stretched and grew taut. The tent poles gradually began to rise, pivoting from the base as the horses strained to pull them upright.

  Dimitri lent a hand, pulling on the rope along with the horses, trying to make it easier for them. “One of the old rousties, Ted,” he explained, “was a horseman in the show—”

  “Roustie means roustabout,” Silva said, interrupting Dimitri again. “Which is to say, people who do the put-up and take-down of the circus, but who aren’t your actual acts. There are quite a few rousties on this crew.” She nodded at the men who were pinning out guy ropes now to hold the poles in place. “They work for Slimwood and Madame and aren’t to be trusted.”

  “Can I continue?” Dimitri asked, amused. “Ted took care of the horses and me, and the circus became my family. Then, when I was big enough, I looked after the horses too – they were always my favourites – and when I wasn’t in the stables, everyone took turns to care for me. But that was before…” He paused.

  “Before what?” Robert asked. “What happened?”

  “Old Mr Slimwood died – just eight months ago.” Dimitri nodded at the juggling clubs that hung from the side of the sky-ship’s gondola. “Those are his clubs right there, and those are Ted’s stirrups. Now Slimwood’s son’s in charge, along with that awful Madame. Circus doesn’t mean family to them – only money.”

  More circus folk were laying out strips of canvas beneath the newly erected poles and lacing them together. Slimwood paraded among them, wielding his whip on anyone who wasn’t working fast enough. He was a horror show. Robert couldn’t believe that this was his family circus, his father’s, and he’d turned it into such a miserable place.

  “Grab hold of that horse, will you, flattie?” Dimitri called, bringing him back to the present. “Silva can’t manage them both on her own.”

  Dimitri began untying the hauling ropes and harnesses from the white stallion. Robert did as he was told. He stood behind Silva and took up the reins of the black horse, stroking its steaming flank to try and calm it down.

  He could feel the animal’s ribs beneath its fur as it breathed in and out.

  “Why’s he so thin?” he asked Silva.
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  “Slimwood doesn’t feed them properly,” she explained. “And they’re made to do all this heavy lifting, just like us.”

  “Did he really kill all those people?” Robert stared at the line of trinkets hanging from the ship.

  “He got rid of them somehow,” Silva said, stroking the muzzle of the white horse. “Him and Madame. Acts that’d been here years. They said they were leaving. Promised to write. But we never heard from them again. So, yeah, for all we know they could be dead.”

  “After Slimwood Senior was gone,” Dimitri continued, “Madame and Slimwood took over his quarters and the office and the comms room on the top floor.” He nodded at the highest row of windows in the gondola. “They stopped anyone going up there. Pretty soon that part of the Skycircus ship was totally out of bounds. Private, for their use only. Then they hired new roustabouts to guard everyone, put up fences and locked us all in our berths.”

  Silva gestured at the high wall around the site. “Before we knew it, the place became a prison.”

  The black horse whinnied and pulled away from Robert.

  “Hush, Zampano,” Dimitri said softly to it, as he finished unyoking the white horse and started in on the black.

  “Don’t let him go,” Silva whispered. “If you do it’ll be bad news for him, and for us.”

  Robert could feel his feet slipping. The rope chafed against his palms, coarse against his skin. He gritted his teeth, locked his fingers together and stood firm, until his shoulders ached from grasping the rope.

  “Thanks for your help, flattie.” Dimitri took the reins of the black horse from Robert and tied him up to a ring on the gondola.

  Silva tied up the white horse herself next to him. It appeared to be called Mr Kite.

  As Robert watched them talking to the animals, he realized things might not be quite as bad as they’d seemed. He’d made new friends.

  PRIIIPP! PRIIIPP! PRIIIPP!