The Grandmother Paradox by Wendy Nikel

Author:Wendy Nikel [Nikel, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: time travel fiction, 19th century historical fiction, time travel adventure, time travel romance, 1893 Chicago world's fair
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Published: 2018-07-10T06:00:00+00:00

Viggo’s words echo in my skull as I watch the magician perform his act. The edge of the stage digs into my spine as I lean back, trying to get a better view of the crowd. Saginaw’s a larger city than the others we’ve been to thus far, and the crowd here is boisterous. Some have undoubtedly already been sampling the products of the city’s breweries, despite it only being early afternoon.

Just before the show began, I caught a glimpse of Dr. Wells, wandering on the edges of the crowd with a large, colorful lollipop in his hand. He caught my eye and tipped the candied sweet in greeting but didn’t approach.

Now, my mind’s torn between thoughts of Viggo, Juliette, and him. What was the old man doing in this era anyway?

Onstage, Juliette assists Viggo with a card trick—the latter barely managing to mask his disdain for the “safe little parlor trick.” Juliette, on the other hand, beams and flourishes each card with such enthusiasm that the audience doesn’t even seem to notice the bored edge in the Amazing Velés’s voice.

The next trick is supposed to be the trunk escape, but instead of dragging out the heavy trunk, Viggo stands before an empty stage, a sly smile upon his face. My hatred for him reaches a boiling point—212 degrees of pure loathing—because even before he speaks, I have a sneaking suspicion of what he’s up to. And if he tries, I swear I’ll jump right up on that stage and strangle him.

Juliette looks around him pointedly—her smile never breaking—but he doesn’t acknowledge her. Coward.

“Our next trick is a test of daring… a dangerous escape from certain death. Only the bravest and most skilled would dare test themselves in such a way. Yet today, that is just what you will see here. I give to you… the underwater escape!”

The curtain whips open and the tank is revealed, filled with clear, crisp water.

I nearly leap to the stage right then, except that Juliette is already gliding over to Viggo and whispering something to him, her smiling lips barely moving. I take a breath. Let her try to work it out with him. He whispers something back in a tense growl, something that sounds like, “Of course I inspected it.”

She shakes her head definitively.

“Fine. Then I’ll do it.” He turns to the crowd and raises his voice. “Yes, ladies and gentlemen! I, the Amazing Velés, will escape from this underwater prison.”

I take a step back and cross my arms over my chest. Doing the trick without any practice in the tank is an idiotic idea all around, but I have no loyalty to Viggo, and as long as he doesn’t put Juliette in harm’s way, he can do whatever dunder-headed thing he wants. Besides, according to Juliette, Viggo was the one to teach her the escape tricks; he ought to be fine.

Unless… Unless there was more to this mysterious “investor” of his.

Juliette beams out at the crowd, but I’m close enough to see

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