Lightfall Four: Risk, Rise, Rebel (Lightfall, Book 4) by Taylor Jordan

Author:Taylor, Jordan [Taylor, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adoxography Books
Published: 2015-02-08T08:00:00+00:00

Sixty-Sixth

Freaks

“Always wanted to see a freak show. Reckon they’ve got the Apewoman?”

“Are you referring to poor Julia Pastrana?”

“It had a name?” Melchior looks around from the small queue before them at the ticket office, raising his voice over hawkers drawing attention to the show.

“She died twenty years ago,” Ivy says, “and exhibiting human beings with out of the ordinary medical complaints is as ignorant as it is—”

“Your idea to shift here!”

“Our hostess said it was mostly talent exhibitions and spiritualists. All their advertising looks like rare diseases and tricks to lure the gullible.”

Melchior rolls his eyes. “What spiritualists are.”

“Those wretched people should not be subjected to such treatment. Like beasts in a zoological garden.”

“Ivy, it is a legitimate means for these people to earn a living,” Sam says, though his attention seems focused on the crowd around them. “How else could they?”

“You as well? They should be undergoing treatment and overcoming their condition before worrying about such matters. The scientific community could compensate them for their time.”

“’Spect some freaks don’t aim to ‘overcome their condition.’ Who they are, ain’t it? Make a dandy living by sitting around. Who’s to say they’re after ‘treatment’?”

“These shows should be raising funds for medical awareness and research then.” Ivy watches a young woman in a yellow gothic dress with enough feathers in her hair to stuff a pillow and enough brass on her bodice to rivet a steamer as she passes out stage cards.

“When I was a boy, Angus Muckaskill and General Tom Thumb were still on,” Melchior says, his own gaze following a chained monkey hanging upside down from the tent awning over the ticket man. “Never got to see them. Heard he was eight feet tall.”

The monkey sticks its tongue out at them, making Melchior grin. Feather-hair shoves a stage card with lurid paintings of two-headed men and bearded women in his face.

“Have you heard about our Hall of Human Curiosity, ladies and gentleman? Have you experienced the thrill of the Viper Man? Half-man, half-snake, he will astound with every twist and turn. Or be bedazzled by Mr. Sebastian Pneuma. Witness the world-famous spiritualist who holds council with the dead.”

“Magic lantern show!” a man, also clad in yellow, shouts from a nearby tent as the woman moves on. “Be amazed, be astounded! Watch pictures move!”

“Miss Ruiz?” Sam glances to Rosalía beside him. “You were looking for Grip?”

Ivy follows his gaze to see Grip, not in the sideshow crowd, but stepping from a narrow alley. He walks to the next corner and looks along it, then up the opposite road toward Canyon Street.

“Who is he searching for?” Ivy asks. “The ABCs?”

“That cur?” Melchior suggests. “Haven’t seen it again.” He reaches the ticket man’s counter and fishes in his pocket. “Four.”

“Two dollars.”

Melchior laughs. “Starting entertainment early?”

“Rose, did you say you saw someone you wished to tell Grip about?” Ivy asks.

Rosalía, who has said nothing since they left The Copper Key, shakes her head, watching Grip.

The ticket man, below a violently yellow suit and hat adorned in stuffed chipmunks, also dyed yellow and with scarlet glass eyes, grins back at Melchior.

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