Page 33 of Magic for Nothing

“That’s the beauty of this particular assignment,” said Reginald. “She doesn’t need the stomach for anything. She just needs eyes, and a quick mind, and the ability to blend in. She’s already demonstrated all those things. Margaret will be accompanying her, and can handle any actual conflict. Annie merely needs to observe.”

“Um,” I said. “If I’m not going to be doing anything, why do I need to go . . . ? I mean, I want to prove myself, but this doesn’t seem like proving myself. It seems like making Margaret babysit me.”

“Ah,” said Reginald. “Yes, I suppose we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Timpani, when someone becomes a full member of the Covenant, regardless of whether they were born to it or trained, they customarily complete a trial suited to their particular skills. Now, we’re not offering you full membership yet, but we are willing to remove your probationary status if you’re willing to undertake a trial now. One that’s particularly well-suited to your skills and background. I don’t want to rush you into anything you don’t feel prepared for, but this is something we didn’t expect. An opportunity for all of us to gain ground in an area where we’ve traditionally been unable to break through.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“There is a carnival.”

I went cold. If he said the word “Campbell,” I was going to have to run, and if I got caught, at least I could tell Mindy: at least I could send out a warning. “Where?” I asked.

“North America. Wisconsin at present, although carnivals move. Our sources say that this carnival harbors several inhuman creatures, concealing them among the performers. Not uncommon, we’re afraid: we’ve found quite a few monsters hiding in plain sight.”

I did my best to look shocked. “I never knew.”

“Some shows are still human in origin. You were fortunate to belong to one of them. This particular corruption is so endemic that we haven’t traditionally pursued it . . . unless.”

“Unless?” I asked warily.

“Unless there have been reports of disappearances in the vicinity of the carnival or circus. Three teenagers have been reported missing by their parents following this show’s appearance in their area. We suspect foul play. That, my dear Timpani, is where you come in.”

It took me a moment to find my voice. “You . . . want to send me back to America so I can infiltrate a carnival for the Covenant?”

“Yes,” said Reginald. “Exactly. You won’t be unsupervised, of course: Margaret will be nearby at all times, and you’ll be able to contact her if you feel you’re in danger or find proof that the carnival is behind the disappearances.”

“Why not just send in a field team?”

“Several reasons. We don’t know if the children are still alive. You might be able to find them. We don’t know whether the reports of monsters are accurate, or simply people seeing performers in costume and letting their imaginations run away with them. Most of all, you’re already part of the carnival community. If you can make contact here, if you can convince them, we may be able to use you as the lever through which we pry open their pretty painted tents and let the light shine through. Show us you’re loyal. Show us that you want this. And show us that you’re worth our time.”

I stared at him. Margaret and Robert continued to watch me calmly from their chairs, while Leo, by the window, looked miserable. I swallowed hard.

“Well,” I said, in the lightest tone I could manage. “No pressure, huh?”

They were going to transfer me and Margaret to the London house for three days while our travel arrangements were made. We’d be flying separately to Madison, Wisconsin, where she’d take up residence in a furnished apartment rented off Airbnb, while I’d spend a night in a local Motel 6 before heading out to find the carnival. It was a good plan. It was a solid plan. It was a plan that hinged entirely on my actually being Timpani Brown, former carnival brat, and not Antimony Price, undercover cryptozoologist.

Boy, wasn’t the Covenant going to be surprised.

In a way, this was a good thing: they were getting me back to North America. Once I was there, I’d be within shouting distance of dozens of allies, contacts, and honorary family members who could bail me out if necessary. But I was going to be accompanied by Margaret Healy, who hated my family more than anything in the world; and more, I was being sent to a carnival that was already on the Covenant’s radar. If I walked in, announced myself, and ran, they’d all wind up slaughtered. No. That wasn’t acceptable. I needed to do what I was being sent to Wisconsin to do, at least within reasonable limits. I needed to look for the missing kids and determine how much of the carnival was or was not human.

Once I knew whether they were innocent targets or killers, I could figure out how to tell them they’d attracted the attention of the Covenant—and whether I also needed to notify my parents. The peace between the humans and cryptids of North America can be a tenuous one. Humanity can’t know that the cryptids are there, because our response is all too frequently “here there be monsters, kill them, kill them with fire.” But that means that when something is actually dangerous, there’s no way for the humans to know they need to be taking care of themselves. In our efforts to protect one community, we can inadvertently put the other in harm’s way.

There was a knock behind me. I turned to see Leo standing there, collar unbuttoned and hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks, a frustrated expression on his face.

“Annie, I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried to talk them out of sending you, but once my grandfather makes his mind up, he’s not overly interested in changing it.”

“It’s okay.” I turned back to my suitcase, picking up the next sweater to be folded. “It’ll be nice to be back in the States. Halloween is next month, and you people don’t even have candy corn. How can you exist in a world without candy corn? It’s criminal, I tell you. So this will be good for me.”

“I know you’re not ready for this.”

“Way to show faith in me.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You’ve been here less than two months. Sending you to America half-trained, with only Margaret for backup, and into a situation that’s going to remind you so much of your family—it’s not fair. It’s more than we have the right to ask of you.”

“I promise I’m made of sterner stuff than that.” I smiled at him. “I made it this far, didn’t I? I tracked down the mythical Covenant of St. George and convinced you to let me in the doors. I can handle a carnival. It’ll be like a vacation after dealing with Margaret’s idea of ‘light training.’”

Leo laughed. “She can be a bit aggressive, yeah. But you understand why, don’t you?”

I shrugged. “I know she shares a last name with those traitors your grandfather was teaching me about. I figured she’s probably related.”