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IF THAT ISN’T MAGIC
The next morning, the circus readied to move out of Cooperstown. Elephants and horses pulled the beautifully painted circus wagons up a ramp and onto the special railcars. The acrobats, wire walkers, animal act trainers, sideshow performers, and clowns alike scurried aboard with their traveling trunks, filled with everything they’d need on their tour of the country—greasepaint, makeup, costumes, shoes, and props. To Evie, it was as if a small city were being transported on the spine of a lumbering beast that floated from town to town.
“All aboard that’s coming aboard,” Zarilda called.
“You ready, Baby Vamp?” Sam said, sneaking a kiss from Evie.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. Come on.” Sam helped Evie onto the train and led her down the corridor through the performers getting themselves situated. He escorted her into an empty compartment and shut the door. Then he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
“Missed you last night,” he murmured, and kissed a trail down Evie’s neck to her collarbone. When her eyes fluttered open, he smiled mischievously at her. “I admit, I was kinda hoping for a little midnight visit.”
“I was dead to the world last night,” Evie said.
Sam’s wolfish grin disappeared. “Don’t say that.”
“Just an expression.”
“Kinehora, poo, poo, poo,” Sam said and spit.
Evie raised an eyebrow. “Why did you do that?”
“Keeping away the evil eye,” Sam explained.
Evie stroked a hand down Sam’s cheek. “You look beat, Sam. Are you sure you’re copacetic?” She’d been worried about him since his trials with the Eye. There were definitely things he wasn’t telling her.
“Sure,” Sam said. But he wasn’t convincing.
The Diviners sat in their train compartment watching the countryside roll by. They’d wave back to the people who’d wandered down to the tracks, excited to see the circus train zooming past. It was exciting, and Evie wished they could enjoy it without having to worry about Shadow Men or Jake Marlowe’s machine or facing ghosts or whatever the King of Crows was up to now.
“Say, Isaiah, you want to try to talk to Sarah Beth, see if she can tell us anything more?” Theta asked once they’d had their breakfast and settled in for the ride.
“Okay,” Isaiah said. He shut his eyes and tried to let himself relax. But he felt funny with the others watching him. “Sarah Beth,” he said. “Sarah Beth, it’s me, Isaiah. Can you hear me?” He waited, but when nothing came, he shook his head. “Sometimes I gotta have something that belongs to the person. Or I gotta be touching ’em, like when I held Sister Walker’s hand.” He frowned. “Is Sister gonna be okay?”
“We’re gonna make sure she is,” Sam said.
“Did she really kill the professor?”
“Naw. ’Course not. That’s bunk,” Sam promised.
“You sure going to Bountiful’s the right decision?” Theta asked once Isaiah had gotten up to wander the train. “We haven’t even heard from this girl since that first time.”
“I just hope the Shadow Men haven’t gotten to her.
If Jake Marlowe finds out she knows how to stop the King of Crows, he’s gonna want her,” Sam said.
Evie watched the day brightening over the sweet green hills. “I just hope we can get there in time.”
The train crossed the state line into Pennsylvania. The conductor tooted the whistle as the circus’s first stop came into view. Like turning the crank on a well-oiled machine, the performers hurried into their costumes while the roustabouts began unloading. Everything was taken from the trains and put onto the wagons for the trip through town. It was quite something to see the caravan parade down Main Street. First came six dapple-gray horses in plumed harnesses pulling a bandwagon of drum, banjo, and trumpet players, and in the wagon behind that one, an organist playing a rousing tune on the calliope. Stilt-walkers lumbered down the street, towering over the spectators lining the roadway. Acrobats followed in their wake, turning somersaults that defied gravity. Equestriennes in jeweled headdresses waved from the backs of cantering show horses whose manes had been braided with colorful ribbons. From behind bars, the lions and tiger roared at the crowds, pacing the limited length of their cages. The elephants’ thudding footsteps sent up clouds of road dust and made the fringe on their red satin capes sway to and fro. On a practiced cue from Giacomo, the elephants lifted their mighty trunks and let loose a trumpeting bellow that thrilled the children watching from the sidelines. The throngs of spectators roared their own approval in return and waved their tiny American flags.
“Doc” Hamilton spoke through a megaphone from the back of his Traveling Medicine Show: “Folks, there is absolutely no charge for this show—it is that important! You must try the curative powers of this patented vitamin vitality tonic, guaranteed to smooth your skin, grow you a full head of hair, put some pep in your step, and keep you forever young. You owe it to your health! Just a sip of this elixir will fix what ails you!”
In the sideshow wagon, Johnny the Wolf Boy howled and beat his chest while Arnold flexed his muscles, showing off his many tattoos. Bella the Strong Man lifted Polly onto his right shoulder so she could wave to the crowds with one hand while stroking her beard with the other. Isaiah walked beside Billy, the goat, grinning at his good fortune. Sam performed several impressive backflips in a row. He looked back, pleased with himself, and winked at Evie, and she laughed in delight.
The clowns were up next. With three others, Evie jumped from their wagon and ran up to the children, who were squirming for a view of the parade. She pulled a long line of colorful scarves from up her sleeve and used it to skip rope, pretending to stumble. The children laughed, and Evie thought it was a wonderful sound. It was a far cry from the glamour she’d enjoyed as the Sweetheart Seer, and, if she were honest, she would hate for anybody to know how far she’d fallen, from radio star to traveling circus clown, but Zarilda was saving their lives and getting them closer to Bountiful. Besides, being a clown was still attention-getting, and Evie loved few things more than that.
Decked out as Miss Liberty, Theta kept pace with Isaiah as they walked side by side, waving to the crowds. Isaiah’s grin was one hundred percent real—he was clearly having the time of his life. Theta’s was pasted on. She couldn’t help looking out into those crowds of people and wondering if anybody recognized them. Was the magic of the circus enough to hide them, or was there somebody out there right now, rushing off to make a telephone call to the authorities? Were there Shadow Men watching from under the brims of their gray hats, just waiting for nightfall and a chance to pounce? Could Roy be here somehow?
