The Burning Chaos Read online

  The magician’s face was pale, his eyes wide with shock, but he managed to regain enough of his composure to shout, “Boo!”

  The crowd roared with laughter at this, which quickly turned to cheers. Parnaby roughly grabbed me by the wrist and we began making our way to the stage.

  “What happened?” I yelled in his ear.

  He shook his head and continued to wave to the crowds with his free hand as he smiled broadly. “Later.” His grip on my wrist was like a vise, betraying his nervousness. Whatever had happened, it had scared Parnaby.

  And that, in turn, frightened me.

  Elyse met us at the foot of the stairs, her blue eyes glassy with tears. “Parn—”

  “I’m fine. Smile and wave to the crowd, Elyse.”

  She did as he ordered, and the three of us gathered in the center of the stage, coins raining down around us as we bowed to the crowd again and again until we finally escaped behind the curtain.

  Elyse threw herself into Parnaby’s arms. “Parn!”

  “I’m all right,” he murmured in her ear, his face uncharacteristically kind. Catching me watching, he scowled.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and asked again, “What happened?”

  “The spell didn’t work.” Parnaby shook his head. “No, that’s not right. It worked, but then it…” He spread his arms wide, helplessly. “It froze.” Fear darkened his brown eyes.

  The hairs on the back of my neck rose. “Where did you go, when it froze?”

  “I don’t know,” Parnaby said. “I just knew I wasn’t here, where I was supposed to be.” He fell silent, pressing his lips together tightly. Still in his arms, with her head buried against his neck, Elyse couldn’t see how badly his hands were shaking, and how hard he was fighting to regain his composure.

  Despite everything, I felt a stab of pity for Parnaby. Whatever had happened must have been awful. “Has your magic ever froze before?”

  “No!” Elyse answered for him. “Never. The spell has always worked. Always!”

  “Maybe the circle was drawn incorrectly?” I didn’t know much about magic, but I knew every line had to be perfect in order for the spell to work.

  Parnaby’s lips curled into a sneer, making him look more like his old self. “Impossible. I triple checked the spell. It wasn’t anything I did.”

  I remembered what Jaegger had said about the scent of magic in the air. “What if someone else blocked your spell?” I asked. “Is that possible?”

  “The magic—” Parnaby cut himself off, staring at something over my shoulder.

  I turned around. Not something, but someone. Leonid was making his way over to us, trailed by Aden and Vernen. It was Vernen Parnaby was focused on, and my body turned to ice. No. He couldn’t possibly believe Vernen had cast the magic to freeze Parnaby’s teleportation spell!

  “Parnaby,” I started to say, knowing I was treading into dangerous territory. But I didn’t care. I would protect Vernen. I had to. I was the only one who knew what Parnaby would do if Vernen showed even a spark of magic.

  “Leonid!” Parnaby said loudly, drowning me out. “How did you like the show?”

  “I have to say, I rather like your new assistant,” Leonid said, staring at me unabashedly with a smoldering look in his dark eyes. Despite everything that had just happened, I found myself blushing. “Can I borrow her?”

  Parnaby waved a hand dismissively. “Go ahead. Stop by tomorrow. Both of you.”

  “Yes, sir.” Leonid took me by the hand, leading me away from the others before I had a chance to protest. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Parnaby was still regarding Vernen coolly, and I wished I could tell Leonid to stop without arousing Parnaby’s suspicion. But then Leonid tugged me behind a large prop covered in a dusty drape cloth, pressing my body against it as he kissed me long and hard on the lips.

  When he pulled away, I was breathless. “I take it you liked today’s performance?”

  “I have no idea what happened, or what tricks Parnaby performed, because I was too busy staring at you,” Leonid murmured, his eyes roaming from my head to my toes. I shivered, not from the cold, but from the intensity of his dark gaze. “I like this dress.”

  “Don’t get used to it. This is for the stage only.”

  “You mean you wouldn’t wear this at home if I asked you to?” He dipped his head to my neck, kissing a slow and steady line down to my shoulder.

  And then he sneezed.

  “This glitter is everywhere!” Leonid pulled away from me, silver sparkles coating the lower half of his face. I started laughing; he looked as though he was sporting a glittery beard! Scowling at me, he said, “I’m glad you find this so amusing.”

  “What’s the matter, Captain?” I cooed, looping my arms around his neck. “You don’t like a little bit of glitter?”

  “It’s not a little bit! You’re wearing so much of it, you’re practically glowing!”

  “Yes, I know.” I frowned. “It’s going to take me forever to wash it off.”

  Leonid’s scowl vanished and he leaned forward eagerly. “I can help you wash it off.”

  I pushed him away, laughing again. “No. Now let me go change into something warmer. And don’t say you can warm me up, either!” I quickly added as Leonid opened his mouth.

  He heaved a great sigh of disappointment. “Fine. I’ll just stand here and suffer while you change.”

  “Poor Leonid.” I kissed him on the cheek, frowning when my lips came away coated in sparkles. “You might want to do something about that glitter. Your men won’t be able to take you seriously.”

  “I won’t be seeing my men, so it doesn’t matter,” Leonid said. “I’m taking you out to eat—or did you forget?”

  I had forgotten. Between my nerves about the show and Parnaby disappearing, dinner with Leonid had been the last thing on my mind. Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, I felt awful. “Of course I didn’t forget,” I reassured him, the lie tasting sour on my tongue. “I won’t be long. Promise.”

  He grabbed my wrist before I could walk away, bringing it up to his mouth so he could softly brush his lips against the inside of it. “You were amazing today, Lark.” His voice was low and throaty as he held my stare.

  It took all of my self-control to walk away from Leonid. Lately, walking away had become harder and harder. Leonid, who had been so controlled and stoic when I first met him was now passionate and fiery whenever it was just the two of us. With him living across the hallway from me, it was very often just the two of us.

  That’s not to say Leonid crossed any lines. No. Despite the dark looks he sent my way constantly, Leonid never ever pushed me to do something I wasn’t quite ready for. For all his teasing, he was still a gentleman, and I appreciated that.

  But it was becoming harder and harder to stay on my side of the line.

  I allowed myself a sloppy grin as I entered the small dressing room I shared with Elyse. It was empty; I imagined she had no problem traipsing through Dusk in her skimpy dress and glitter galore. I, on the other hand, could not wait to get back into my comfortable pants and shirt.

  Scrubbing the cosmetics off my face and the glitter off my skin took far longer than I anticipated, and I worried Leonid would eventually barge in to see what was taking me so long. After pulling the last pin out of my curls, I grabbed my long, heavy coat from where it hung by the door and went to find Leonid.

  “Ready?” he asked, reaching over to tug one of my curls before I pulled my hood up. He offered me his arm and I took it, smiling at him.

  “Ready.” We left the darkened backstage, blinking at the gray sunlight. It looked like snow was coming, but I hoped not. Snow was rare in Dusk, but it did happen. And when it did… I shuddered, thinking of the people in the slums, the ones who lived on the streets. Many of them froze to death in the frigid temperatures. I’d only lived in the slums up to the age of four, but the horrifying sight of frozen corpses remained with me to this day.

  “Where are we going?” I asked
, forcing such bleary thoughts from my mind. Now that I’d become one of Parnaby’s spies, I asked him to focus on the people of the slums. Just because I no longer lived there didn’t mean I’d forgotten about them. If there was something we could do to make their lives easier, then we needed to do it.

  Take today, for example. All of the coins we earned from today’s performance were going toward a shelter for the homeless. It was a small act of kindness, but it was a start.

  “It’s one of my favorite places,” Leonid said in answer to my question as we navigated the busy streets of Way. “Candlelight, delicious food… You’ll love it.”

  “Is there tea?” I teased. When I’d been a prisoner in his jail, Leonid had given me tea any time I was stressed or upset.

  He nudged me with his shoulder. “No tea. Wine tonight.”

  “Are we celebrating something?”

  When he didn’t answer, I looked up to see him swallowing hard. My heart started beating faster. Why did he look so nervous? What did Leonid have planned for tonight?

  “Yes,” he finally said softly. “We’re celebrating you tonight.” He pulled me closer and I leaned my head against his shoulder, sighing contently.

  Tomorrow we would meet with Parnaby, no doubt discussing what had happened today in greater detail, but for now I would concentrate on my happiness. No, our happiness. Growing up, neither Leonid nor I had had easy lives. We’d both lost our mothers, and we both struggled to find our places in this world without them to guide us along. Somehow, despite all the odds, we’d survived, and fate had brought us together. Yes, Captain Grimace had driven me crazy at first, but now I was simply crazy about him.

  I would be a fool to waste a single second with Leonid.

  Maybe he had something big planned for tonight. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, an evening with this strong, handsome captain was something a girl from the slums, a girl who’d never imagined she would ever have this sort of happiness in her life, would grab hold of and never let go.

  OUR FEET CARRIED US THROUGH the winding roads of Way, the sun dipping low in the sky. We were headed northwest, and for one brief moment I wondered if Leonid was bringing us to Rise. But he wouldn’t. He knew how I felt about the glittering part of Dusk. It was too extravagant, too fine for someone like me, who fancied the simpler things life had to offer. Leonid felt the same way, although he did venture there once a week to visit his half-brother and half-sister. I’d been invited to join him, but I always declined. The only time I’d been to the manor, his parents and siblings were away. While I was curious about his siblings, I had no desire to meet his parents, especially his stepmother, who had forced Leonid’s mother to return to the slums. In my eyes, she was as responsible for his mother’s death as the men who had robbed and killed her.

  Such bleak thoughts again. Why was I dwelling on such things today? Forcing a bright smile on my face, I asked Leonid, “And what shall we do after dinner?”

  Before he could answer, he was jerked wildly to the side as someone plowed into him, making me stumble in the process. “Watch it, mister!” A boy with dark skin and a cap pulled low over his eyes had spilled onto the street in front of us. Getting up, he flexed his wrist while sticking his tongue out at Leonid.

  Leonid growled. “You ran into me, and you’re telling me to watch it?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m doing. You can’t hear, mister?” The boy made a rude gesture with his hand before running down the street.

  “Damn street urchin!” Leonid ran a hand through his hair as he turned to me. “Lark, are you all right?”

  I swallowed my giggles at the frustrated look on Leonid’s face. A boy getting the best of Leonid? I never thought I’d see such a thing. “I’m fine. What about you?”

  He patted down the front of his coat. “I’m fine, I just—” Trailing off, Leonid’s eyes widened. He reached into his coat’s pocket, desperately searching for something.

  “Leonid?”

  Foul curses rolled off his tongue and I stared at him in shock. “That boy! He stole something!”

  Before I could even ask what Leonid was talking about, he raced after the boy, leaving me standing in the middle of the street with my mouth open.

  Never one to stand about doing nothing, I followed, albeit at a slower place. Still, I was grateful I was wearing my boots instead of those accursed heels Elyse had shoved my feet into before the show.

  As soon as I turned the corner, I halted. We’d stumbled upon the marketplace, and a large crowd clogged the streets as vendors hawked their wares in loud voices. Leonid was standing in the middle of it all, his head darting from left to right as he searched for the thief. Standing at the edge of the crowd, I did the same, but it was too late. The boy was gone.

  Giving up, Leonid turned around and stalked through the crowd, rejoining me. His hands were clenched into fists, and his face was dark with fury. “I’m going to keep looking for him,” he told me. “Are you all right with going home by yourself?”

  “What?” I blinked. “What about dinner?” When he didn’t answer, I reached forward and wrapped my hand around his wrist. “Leonid, what did he take?”

  “Something important,” he said softly. Surprising me, he pulled me into a brief hug before stepping back, his eyes already scanning the streets. “I’m sorry, but I have to find him. I’ll see you tonight?”

  Without waiting for me to answer, he walked away, melting into the crowd. Hurt and confusion raged inside of me. Why was he being so vague about what had been taken? And why hadn’t he wanted me to help him find it?

  I started to follow him. I was my own person, capable of making my own decisions, and I was certain Leonid would have a better chance of finding the thief if he had help.

  But then I stopped, irritation replacing my wounded feelings. Why should I help if he didn’t want me to? The day had been long, my feet were sore and my head pounded with a headache, and suddenly, all I wanted was to collapse in my bed and go to sleep.

  Which is exactly what I did.

  I AWOKE TO THE SOUND of footsteps on the stairs. Pushing my messy curls out of my face, I squinted at the sunlight that flooded my room. I had only meant to sleep a few hours, and yet somehow I’d slept the night away. Guilt flooded my stomach. The moment I’d returned home, I’d felt awful for abandoning Leonid. Clearly whatever had been taken from him had meant something. Why was I getting angry? Because he had dismissed me so curtly? Given the circumstance, I think he was allowed to be abrupt.

  The footsteps stopped outside my door as the person on the other side rapped softly on the wood. I swung my legs out of bed and crossed the room, opening the door to see a disheveled and miserable-looking Leonid on the other side. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was mussed and standing up in spots, no doubt from him running his hands through it nonstop throughout the night. There was dirt on his boots and pants, and he carried the heavy scent of winter on his clothes. It filled the hallway, making me shiver.

  “I’m sorry,” we said in unison as we reached for each other.

  Leonid paused, his hands hovering over my shoulders. “What are you sorry for?”

  I ducked my head, embarrassed. “I was thinking mean things about you again.”

  “Again?” He groaned. “Although I suppose I deserve that. I should have never left you like I did. I’m an idiot, Lark.”

  “Did you find the boy at least?”

  He shook his head, frowning deeply.

  “Oh, Leonid, I’m sorry.” And I was. Whatever had been taken was important to him, and it wasn’t fair that it had been stolen like that. One time, as a child, I had brought a precious doll to one of our shows, only to have it taken from me during the performance. I’d searched the courtyard, crying the entire time, but it was gone. Bantheir telling me it was my fault hadn’t helped matters, either.

  “The boy vanished,” Leonid continued. “Like Parnaby at the end of yesterday’s show.”

  My brows rose up at the mention of Parnab
y. “I forgot; we have to go see him. He’s probably waiting for us right now.”

  “He can wait a little longer,” Leonid said. “I’m exhausted. Let me nap, and then we’ll go. Later. After breakfast. Or lunch.”

  It was unusual for Leonid to disobey Parnaby like that. He really must be exhausted, I thought. “Fine. Get some rest, and we’ll go when you’re ready.”

  His lips twitched. “You’re not going to join me?”

  “Why?” I smiled innocently at him. “I slept fine last night.”

  “Really.” His small smile turned into a scowl.

  “Like a baby.”

  The scowl grew. “I think I’m taking back my apology.”

  When I laughed in his face, he stalked to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him firmly. One heartbeat later, it reopened and he was crossing the hallway in two strides. Grabbing me by the shoulders, he kissed me fiercely on the mouth before turning around and going back into his bedroom. The door shut quietly behind him.

  Vernen’s bedroom door opened and he joined me in the hallway, looking confused.

  “Did we wake you?” I asked, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry, Vernen.”

  “No, I was awake.” He fell silent, staring straight ahead at nothing.

  I watched him, biting my lip as my heart sank. Poor Vernen. Two months later, and he still hadn’t returned to his former self. I would never say this in front of Leonid, but I feared we would never get the old Vernen back.

  But at least he’s alive, I told myself for the thousandth time. That was all that mattered. Vernen was alive, and Bantheir was dead.

  And Parnaby was wrong. Vernen would never turn into another Bantheir.

  “Come on,” I said, hooking my arm around Vernen’s. “Let’s let the grumpy captain sleep and go make ourselves some breakfast.”

  The small smile that played on Vernen’s lips was enough to send my heart soaring.

  PARNABY FROWNED HIS DISPLEASURE WHEN Leonid and I showed up at his mansion around noon, but he waved us into his office, indicating that Leonid should shut the door behind him. It was just the two of us today; I’d convinced Leonid that Vernen should stay home, and I hadn’t seen Elyse around, although something told me after what had happened the day before, she wouldn’t venture too far from Parnaby’s side.