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The snake’s scales shimmered as he undulated beneath the moonlight streaming from an open section in the tent above. His tongue darted out inquisitively.
Valida nodded curtly, two fingers gently stroking the serpent’s head as she crooned. “And ee eez a lovely danzing partner.”
“Then you dance with him, too?” I asked.
Valida’s dour face brightened in a way I didn’t think possible. “Oh, dahling, it eez zo much more zen zat! Vat Balthazar and I provide eez an’ experience! Look…” She shifted Balthazar’s weight to one side of her shoulder, pulling the hem of her neckline farther down to reveal a trail of glittering green scales that appeared within her own skin. “He eez not zee only one vith scales.”
Taking in the iridescent green scales that covered her collarbone, I gasped, shielding my mouth with my hand. Thinking I was probably appearing rude, I said, “How beautiful, Valida.” I didn’t even know how it was possible for a human person to develop snake scales but decided it probably wasn’t proper to ask.
“You appear much zmarter zen zome of zee ozers here.”
I sat a little straighter, pleased at her approval. “Rex said I was part of the curiosities now. Do they include you and the snake?”
“They include all of us, love.” Halfrieda shifted seats, dropping down one row so she could sit level with me since she was so much taller. “It’s a lot nicer than callin’ us ‘freaks,’ ain’t it?”
I nodded as I frowned in wonder at the term. Is that what Rex thought of everyone here—of me? That we were freaks? “Yes, I suppose it’s a nicer term than ‘freaks’.”
“Aye, instead o’ freaks, they call us curiosities.”
“Zertainly looks better on zee posters.”
“Right, ya oughta see Valida’s posters, Bindi. Pure works of art, they are.”
Valida clapped her hands together excitedly, and Balthazar’s head bobbed as she spoke. “Ooh, zey are vorks of art, abzolute perfection! Gesso has such a vay vith zee paints and zee brushing—zimply fantastique.”
“Gesso?” I asked.
Halfrieda pointed to the opposite side of the tent, where a trio of “curiosities” sat around a circular, wooden table. The first was a woman who seemed barely contained in the chair, she was so enormous. She almost appeared swollen—that if you took a needle to her, she would simply pop into nothing but air.
“The fat lady,” Halfrieda explained.
She was playing cards with an armless man who held his cards between the toes of one foot while he expertly maneuvered a bottle of something that appeared to be beer to his mouth with the other. I decided not to question the legality of some of the circus’ practices. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like whatever I learned.
“The one without any arms, that’s Gesso,” Halfrieda continued. “An’ the large woman is Mildred.”
“Edgar eez probably off in zee forest to get into heez volfman character. And over zare eez Robb, zee giant—Rex likes to use Robb to set up zee heavier props. He iz very strong.”
Sure enough, the largest man I’d ever seen was rapidly hefting multiple bales of hay and trailing behind Rex. Rex was a big man in his own right, but Robb towered over him and had to have been more than seven feet tall!
I watched Robb work for a few moments, amazed by the size of his hands as he gripped the heavy bales. His hands looked bigger than my head. As fascinating as he was, my gaze kept flicking back to Rex, who was rather grumpily telling Robb where to put the hay bales.
There was something special about Rex—I didn’t know how I knew that or why, but I felt it, all the same. There was something elegant but dangerous in the way he carried himself. An air of authority that forbade any disobedience to his orders. Rex was a handsome man, certainly. Not pretty like Laurent. No, Rex was all masculine lines—chiseled and angular. There was nothing soft about him.
“You’d better keep yer eyes off ‘im,” Halfrieda warned, shaking her head as she expelled a long sigh. “Rex is ‘bout as emotional as a rock.”
“I’m not interested in him,” I countered immediately, almost too quickly. “I think he’s one of the most unfriendly people I’ve ever met.” I stuck my nose in the air for good measure, just to make sure Halfrieda believed me.
She chuckled. “That he is. That he is.”
“Laurent mentioned he runs the business side of the circus.” It was pitiful to dig for information about Rex, but I needed to know more. Though as to why I needed to know more, I didn’t know. It was just this driving… urge.
“Ee’s quite intelligent. Calculating, never zee one to ztart converzation, but uzually the one to feenish it.”
“He ain’t one fer empty pleasantries, neither,” Halfrieda added, nodding. “Very centered on all the technical aspects an’ makin’ more money. If Laurent’s the heart o’ Cirque du Noir, then Rex is the brains.”
“I’m not even sure Rex azz a ‘eart.” Valida snickered as she turned to face me. “It eez best to zteer clear of him venever you can.”
“He ain’t nothin’ but darkness, that one,” Halfrieda agreed with a quick nod.
