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“Whatever she needs to improve can wait for now… until she can stretch her muscles out again. Right now, she needs to relax… both her body and her mind.”
Laurent looked at me, and I could see the disbelief in his eyes. “There you go.”
“I don’t know when Rex crowned himself leader of the performers,” Laurent insisted, eyes narrowing on his brother.
“It’s just a break, Laurent,” I said.
He nodded. Then taking a careful glance around as if to see if anyone were nearby and possibly listening, he lowered his voice and said, “After our last meeting with Mr. Grey, I have every reason to be extra careful.”
“Give her just a few minutes,” Rex repeated. “Surely you aren’t worried about her attempting another escape...” He pointed towards the tent wall. The sun shone through well enough to outline Ned’s distinctive silhouette as he meandered to the other side. Several other stagehands were doing exactly the same thing.
Laurent also assessed the situation before he shook his head and grumbled, “Oh, very well.” Then he held up one finger at me and added, “You must promise me to rehearse your routine once more in no less than twenty minutes.”
“Assuming I’m feeling better by then, I will,” I replied. I was actually feeling better already. “Now, may I go?”
“Yes, but not alone,” Rex answered. He gestured towards the entrance and said, “Lead the way.”
My soreness and pain accompanied me on our walk from the tent. Rex followed a few steps behind me and seemed to be watching my progress with a discerning eye, like a rancher assessing the lameness of a horse. Eventually, we ended up next to a gap in the spectator stands. The darkness it provided from the sun was welcome.
“Does it hurt to walk?”
“The stiffness in my back and shoulders is still bothering me,” I told him truthfully. “But the pain in my legs seems to be gone.”
Rex grunted, and a second later, stepped closer to me. Then, before I could figure out what he was going to do next, he brought his warm hands to my arms. His strong fingers penetrated my sore flesh and gently rubbed the tension away. With each caress, a jolt of electricity seemed to come from Rex’s fingers straight into my nerves.
“Better?” he asked with genuine concern, as he continued to rub the soreness out of my arms and now, my shoulders.
“Better,” I answered. “I think… I think I can head back soon.”
Even though it had been nowhere near twenty minutes, I felt uncomfortable with Rex. There was just something there, between us, and whatever that something was, it was on fire. And that sort of passion, that sort of desire, would burn me if I wasn’t careful.
Chapter Thirteen
A sharp whistle interrupted our conversation, coming from the birdcage area.
“Rex? A word, please?” Laurent called out, gesturing to him.
Rex shook his head in irritation, before going over to see what his brother wanted. Now was as good a time as any, so I stepped into the shadows provided by the spectator stands. Through the slats of the bleachers, I peered at my fellow performers while they practiced.
I could see Samuel tenderly polishing Jiang’s nail, revealing a gold color that lay beneath the silver he was rubbing off. I spotted a new person I’d not seen before. He casually dipped a lit torch inside his mouth, cupping the flames when he pulled it out. The others were preparing for the last night of the tour, so of course, their routines guaranteed that no one noticed me as I stealthily walked by. I wondered which of them had already spoken to my friends. As well as who would collaborate with us in the revolt we’d planned. I hoped none would dare to betray us when the time for our rebellion arrived.
The dark thoughts that curled their way into my mind coincided with the dark shadows cast by the bleachers. The jingle-jangle of Ned’s spurs were audible once more, further exacerbating my sense of gloom. My mind flashed to The Dark Room.
Then I spotted something in my path that didn’t belong anywhere but inside my personal wardrobe trunk: Amelia. She was sitting there, looking up at me in eager anticipation. After plenty of effort to make sure no one saw us, I leaned down and picked her up.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered in alarm. “Don’t you know how dangerous—”
“Ah, don’t get too mad at your little friend, Bindi,” Lady Liberty said as she suddenly emerged from the shadows. “Neither one of us would be here if it weren’t extremely important.”
“Shouldn’t you be with the others practicing for tonight?” I asked, pointing toward the big top.
“I have other plans I’m working on,” Liberty answered.
I nodded. “Did you manage to recruit any other allies?”
“I’m working on that, but it ain’t why I’m here.”
“Then?” I asked with a frown.
