An angry tiger snarled viciously at Luca as he strode past, but he showed no outward reaction. The beast was securely locked inside the cage. Likely, it was not angry with him specifically, more the gawping children who screamed in excitement at seeing the exotic creature up so close. They were full of sugar and the thrill of being up well past their bedtimes.

  He couldn’t blame the beast, he’d be pissed off too if he had to live in a cage, only getting out to be poked and prodded, and commanded to jump through rings of fire. Yeah, that would piss him off.

  He took a drag of his cigarette and glanced around at the chaos surrounding him. He remembered having fun at the circus as a kid, but as a man fast approaching thirty-seven, those days of such innocent excitement were far behind him.

  It didn’t matter. He wasn’t here for the fun of the circus; he was here on business.

  But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take advantage of expenses paid while working. He approached a vendor, their cart a veritable assault on the senses - surrounded by bright, helium-filled balloons, vibrant streamers, and the heavy scents of popcorn and cotton candy. It wasn’t often Luca Nico treated himself to such things, but as they say, when in Rome.

  As he handed over the cash and took the cotton candy on a stick, he leaned in closer.

  “Have I missed the show?” he asked, trying not to shout, but wanting to be heard over the commotion of joviality around him.

  “You just missed the acrobatics, sir,” the vendor responded, “But if you’re in the mood for magic, the next show starts in five minutes.”

  Luca nodded and turned to face the Big Top. he took one more drag on his cigarette before throwing it to the ground and extinguishing it underfoot.

  If the acrobats had finished, then perhaps his target would still be inside. He strode towards the enormous tent; a sign propped there announced The Great Hector Fontaine as the next act.

  The Big Top held a full crowd, with only standing room remaining. Families eager for a memorable show took the seats up. Ready to be delighted and spellbound with tricks they would struggle to explain to friends and family. The atmosphere really was delectable. There was sweetness to the air, not quite the result of delicious treats.

  Luca kept himself to the back, keeping his eyes on the rear of the tent, where through the gap he could see the commotion of the carnival folk running back and forth in readiness for the next show.

  He had a description of the woman he was looking for but not much else. He would know her when he saw her.

  His client had referred to her as “that carnival floozy” - dreadfully thin, short, with black hair and “no tits”... The client spoke that last part especially viciously. Luca wondered why the old bint was angry at the girl and not her cheating husband. But it wasn’t his job to ask those kinds of questions. So that’s what he was looking for, and so far his investigations had led him to believe this particular ‘floozy’ came in with the circus and was an acrobat.

  Despite his focus, he couldn’t spot anyone beyond the curtain matching that description - maybe she was somewhere else?

  Before he could leave, the lights dimmed and out stepped the man himself, The Great Hector Fontaine.

  “Ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to the show,” Fontaine exclaimed loudly for all to hear. His voice was that of a veteran performer, not the slightest tremor upon his tongue. The crowd erupted in applause.

  He didn’t look great to Luca. In fact, he looked like an incredibly unassuming man in his early fifties - ridiculous even in his fancy get up. The only thing that stood out was not the man himself, but the strange book he carried in his right arm, a shade of black Luca had never before seen. It appeared to swallow light in its own palpable darkness. An icy shiver ran up Luca’s back if he kept his eyes on it for too long.

  “Tonight, I regale you with sights and sounds from worlds beyond our own,” Fontaine continued with grand gestures and confident strides about the ring, making eye contact with every audience member “I bring you wonders from outside the scope of humanity's limited spectrum, and I invite you to explore universes heretofore unseen by human eyes.”

  Adults and children of all ages leaned closer, literally on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what would follow. Even Luca found himself caught up in the theatrics of it all.

  Hector Fontaine opened the enormous tome in his grasp. “Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you fire.” A mess of words came from the illusionist, words that Luca had never heard in his life. It was not a dialect he could name, or even hazard a guess on its country of origin. It almost sounded as though the words were reversed. And the more he focused on it, the more it made his head swim to hear it.

  Enchanted gasps came from the audience as the air above them glowed with the light of hundreds of tiny, glowing embers. They materialised seemingly out of thin air and hung above the crowd. At the command of Fontaine, these beautiful, glowing lights of flame swayed and danced in the air. It was beautiful, even Luca had to admit that. Was it mirrors? Perhaps an optical illusion created by smoke and cleverly concealed lighting. Luca even wondered if it might be some form of skilled puppetry. He'd never seen anything like it before. No strings could have achieved the flawless movement of the glowing embers through the air, swirling around each other. Luca, like everyone else in the crowd, watched, transfixed, bewitched by the playful fairy lights.

  A father in the audience lifted his infant child up high, and the little boy reached forth his tiny hand to grab the ethereal dancing flame.

  In a blinding flash of light, the child combusted into flame the instant they made contact. There was no scream, no cry of pain. The child simply evaporated in a ball of searing furious fire.

  No, that can't be right, can it? Surely that wasn't part of the show.

  The previously enthralled gasps turned to confused panic, followed by hysterical cries as the burning embers descended upon the crowd. Spectators hastily rose from their seats and began pushing one another aside in their hysteria. As each ember merged with flesh, a new spontaneous combustion occurred.

  As Luca fled to avoid the inevitable stampede heading his way, he spotted the great Hector Fountaine, his eyes wide in panic as he retreated backwards from the approaching burning lights.

  The Big Top erupted in flame with many patrons and performers still trapped within. Their screams carried on the breeze the same way the sentient glowing light's did. They fell with abandon onto people, animals, carriages with the same awful result. It stank. The smell of a pungent, awful roasting of flesh, blood and hair.

  Panic spread to every corner of the circus. People's distressed cries, the frightful cries of the trapped in their pens. Swears, shouts, and dying gasps surrounded him.

  Caught in a sudden feeling of disarray, Luca spun, trying to assess the situation and determine the safest escape route, and in his frenzy, he spotted her.

  Short, with dark hair, and dreadfully thin. Dressed in a sequined leotard of red and black, there was no mistaking her. This was the “floozy”. Damn his luck that she should show up now.

  Her agility was impressive, effortless. She avoided the glowing embers as they fell as though it were part of some choreographed routine. She didn't run away; instead, she ran toward the corralled horses.

  Being careful not to fall victim to the fiery lights, Luca pursued her.

  As she struggled with the reins tethering the horses in place, she glanced back and spotted him.

  "Well, don't just stand there, sir. Help me,” she said in a heavily Southern accent but too broad to pin down.

  Luca did not hesitate, and set about assisting the young woman with her endeavour to free the poor animals from their certain death. Despite their best efforts, a single ember landed on a white stallion’s mane. It took mere seconds for the creature disappear in a fiery ball, screaming as it did. The other horses bucked and neighed against their restraints, while the girl and Luca worked tirelessly to free them. She smacked each horse on its rear as soon as it was freed to make it bolt as far as possible. After saving the surviving horses, the two of them, surrounded by flames, exchanged an awkward glance.

  Luca was lost for words. So much had happened so quickly. He struggled to say anything as he caught his breath.

  He did not have time to speak. The girl's face dropped gravely as she looked through him.

  “Oh God.” she said in a breathless whisper, “Lonnie!” she shot past Luca, not caring that she ran her shoulder right into him.

  Luca turned and watched as she ran towards a figure lying prone on the grass. He almost didn't recognise the charred remains of Hector Fontaine, who was quite literally half the man he was five minutes ago. The girl ran to him, lifting him up to cradle him in her slender arms.

  Luca ran to her side.

  “Lonnie?” she asked in a panicked tone. "Lonnie, you stay with me, you hear.”

  Much to Luca's surprise, the great Fontaine was not dead, but by God he was not far from it judging by the smouldering pieces of him still in existence. If searing heat hadn't cauterised his abdomen, the man would have bled to death. It was horrific. The man's entire lower body was simply gone. Luca choked back the lump of bile that had risen in his throat.

  Christ knows how, but not only was the man still alive, he spoke.

  “Camilla,” he managed through bloodied lips, "I'm sorry, darling. I guess things didn't go so well this evening.”

  “What the Hell have you done, Lonnie? What did you do?”

  “A stupid mistake, my dear. I’m so sorry…”

  As they spoke, Luca kept his eyes upward, looking for any approaching flaming orbs. When his eyes fell back to Fontaine, his vision became transfixed by the sight of that menacing tome Fontaine clutched in his charred arms. Again, as though a sense of vertigo came upon him, his vision tunnelled in on that pitch blackness. It scratched at his brain, behind his eyes.

  The conversation next to him dulled and deadened, swirling into white noise and unrecognisable gibberish for what could’ve been seconds or minutes.

  Somehow, the words reached him, and Luca broke free of the enchanting sensation overcoming him. He watched as Fontaine reached a horrifically burnt hand to the young woman’s face to cup her cheek and wipe her tears as she cried.

  “Don’t you talk nonsense, now, you hear,” she pleaded with him, “You’re gonna be fine. It’s not even that bad.” She lied. Luca couldn’t tell if the lie was for her benefit or Fontaine’s.

  “No, you listen. You get out of here. You make something of your life away from all this. Start anew…” he trailed off a little, “Take it. Take it and destroy it.” With what little energy he still had, Fontaine placed the book in the young woman’s hand. “Do it for me, Camilla.”

  She protested, but they fell on deaf ears. The Great Hector Fontaine slipped away into death as his hand fell from her cheek.

  “No, you don’t leave me, you son of a bitch.” She cried, “You can’t leave me alone.”

  There was nothing else she could do, and Luca knew it. He grabbed the girl’s arm with force. “I’m sorry to break this up, but we gotta go. He’s gone. There’s nothing you can do. Let’s go.” He wrenched her from the corpse and although she gave some resistance, she did not persist.

  They ran to the edge of the flaming grounds, to where the night sky was illuminated with the flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles. The fire department was already working on extinguishing the inferno while the paramedics dealt with a variety of burns. Luca noticed that oddly, the bizarre flying embers were easily eradicated by water’s touch.

  Luca pressed forward, making sure the girl kept pace and direction with him. He thought about taking her to get checked over by a paramedic, but that idea came to a halt once he saw a police officer staring intently at the girl. No, not at the girl. At the book, she held tight to her chest.

  “I think we should leave. Quickly.” He said, “Come on, we’ll take my car.” He began to lead her away.

  “Hey, you two. Stop.”

  “Shit,” Luca snarled before turning back with a half smile, “Evening Officer, can I help you?”

  The policeman approached, running to catch up with them. “You two know anything about all this?”

  Luca gave a confused look. “Us? No, we were just here and the place went up like a Roman fucking candle. You want my opinion, looks like something went wrong with the pyrotechnics, but hell, it’s not my job to figure it out. Leave that to the fire department. Now, if you don’t mind, I think this young lady needs to see a doctor.”

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  As the officer came closer, Luca instinctively moved himself between the girl and the threat heading towards her. Two other policemen followed, forming an imposing wall of bodies.

  “We need statements from both of you,” he said harshly.

  “Can’t it wait? Look, I can come by the station later and I’ll bring her with me, okay?”

  “Alright then,” the officer replied smugly, “Get them. You have the right to remain silent-”

  “Wait what?” Luca interrupted as one policeman grabbed him by the elbow, bending it backwards and handcuffing him all too quickly.

  The other policemen went straight for the girl, who could not move quickly enough to escape. She cried out as he tore the book from her hands and handcuffed her.

  Luca checked his watch again. Two hours. How the fuck had he been here for two hours? They’d sat him in this interrogation room, asked him some meaningless questions about the events of the night and his involvement, and left. He’d been as honest as was necessary, but they didn’t need to know everything. They didn’t need to know why he was there, nor what his connection to the girl was.

  Speaking of her, they refused to answer his questions either. Was she okay? Had they hurt her during the arrest? Why did he even care?

  After what felt like an eternity, they came back to the room. They said little and took him to the seating area. They instructed him to wait, and so he did as they precinct bustled about in noisy chaos in the aftermath of the circus slaughter.

  Another five minutes went by before the police brought out the young woman and sat her beside Luca. They gave her the same instruction and walked away.

  Her eyes were ringed in red and moist with tears. She shivered, she was still dressed in her skimpy leotard and not one person had thought to offer her any covering. He hadn’t noticed until now that her feet were bare and dirty - had she not been wearing shoes earlier? She looked defeated, and more than a little scared. Her mascara cascaded down her cheeks.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. They aint got nothing on us.” Luca attempted to reassure her as he reached for his beaten up trench coat.

  The circus performer did not respond. She didn’t even turn to look at him. Either she was playing hardball or she was very far away. Either would be plausible, given the circumstances. He suspected it might be an amalgamation of the two.

  He leant forward, and reached out his arm with the coat towards her.

  Her eyes finally moved in the direction of it and she looked a little confused. Luca nudged it closer to her, raising his eyebrows as he did.

  She relented and took the jacket, placing it over her slender shoulders and wrapping herself up tight. Her fingers were long and delicate with the remains of bitten off nail polish.

  First step, make contact. Second set, start up idle conversation -find a common interest.

  Luca reached for his cigarettes and tapped out two fresh cylinders, which he offered her.

  Gingerly, with the same hesitation a mild animal might have when approaching a suspected trap, the girl took a cigarette and allowed Luca to light it for her. She took a long drag before exhaling violently, her shoulders slumped visibly as she did.

  “I’m not worried about that, sir,” she whispered. He couldn’t quite place the accent, but it might’ve been Mississippi or Texas based.

  Keep her talking, get a rapport going, “What’s the problem kid, you got a rap sheet?” he lit his own cigarette as he spoke, it did not leave his lips as he spoke.

  She took a cautious look at him, as though trying to gauge if he was a threat. “A couple of misdemeanours in different states, but nothing in Denver,” she answered.

  “Well then, they can’t hold you on anything. We’ll be out of here in no time. This is just a bunch of red tape. In fact this ain’t even read tape. I think they’re just looking for something.” he said with the confidence of a man much accustomed to this scenario. “By the way, the name’s Luca.” he extended his calloused hand to her.

  “Camilla,” she replied, taking his hand in hers. Despite her size, she had an exceptional grip. “Camilla Mantiis.”

  “Is that your real name, kid?” Luca asked.

  “What do you think?” she replied with a wry smile. “It’s the only one anyone here’s getting from me.”

  Luca had no time to speak further. A clearly frustrated looking police captain approached them.

  “Well, Mr Nico. If you and your compadre here would like to escort me. Your lawyer’s arrived.”

  “My lawyer?” Nico queried. He didn’t have a lawyer in this state.

  “Did I stutter?”

  Back in the interrogation room, they went. The captain closed the door as he left the two alone and within a few minutes it opened again and in stepped a man around Luca’s age, but not as rugged in appearance. He wore a white button-down shirt, and grey trousers. He wore the look of a man who had seen a lot of awful stuff but hid it behind hardened blue eyes. He took a seat opposite them, placing a folder on the table between them. When he spoke, it was much softer than Luca anticipated.

  “Good evening, both of you.” He opened the file in front of him. “Mr Nico. Miss Mantiis. I hear it’s been quite the exciting evening for you both. My name is Artemis Heap. I just want to assure you that I’m working on getting you out as we speak.”

  “Hey, wait a second. The cops said my lawyer was here.” Luca interjected.

  “I’m here to help you,” Artemis replied, his eyes becoming darker somehow, “And unless you insist on taking issue with it, I suggest you play along with that. Now I don’t want either of you to worry. We should have you out of here in no time. They have no legal reason to hold you?”

  “There you see, kid. What did I tell you?” Luca nudged Camilla softly with his elbow.

  Camilla licked her dry lips, and raised her reddened eyes to meet those of the man sat in front of her, “Will we be getting our stuff back?”

  Artemis addressed her directly, saying, “You will have all of your possessions returned to you at the earliest convenience. Ten minutes and we’ll be out of here, but I insist that you accompany me.”

  Luca shifted uncomfortably. “Why?”

  “I will explain everything in due time. Just be ready to leave in ten minutes.” With that, Artemis Heap left the room.

  He was as good as his word. Within ten minutes, someone escorted Luca and Camilla to the collection point. Artemis was waiting for them there. Luca received his gun back in exactly the same condition. Loaded safety on.

  Camilla stepped up to the gate. They handed her an assortment of blades. Luca couldn’t help but wonder where’d she’d hidden them before. She slipped them into the pockets of the trench coat she still wore and waited.

  “That’s it,” the officer said.

  “That’s not it, sir.” her voice became elevated, indignant. “You still have something of mine.”

  “No, the only things logged are the blades. Five in total.” He read from the catalogue in front of him.

  “You’re lying. I want it back. It’s mine.”

  “Ma’am, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Before Camilla could argue further, Artemis stepped in, grabbing her by her shoulders to make her face him, “Not here. Not now,” he said.

  “But they have my book. I promised…” Camilla’s voice was riddled with frustration.

  “Not now,” Artemis repeated to her softly. “I promise you, we’ll get it back. I promise, okay?”

  It was clear that Camilla wished to protest further.

  Luca leaned into speak quietly, “Look, I don’t know what the deal is with that book, but I agree. Let’s just get out of dodge while we have the chance.”

  She glanced back and forth between the two men. Outnumbered, she was helpless. She sniffed and pulled herself back from Artemis’ hands.

  “I think everyone needs something to eat before we do anything else. It’s been a long night.” Artemis said as he led them out.

  “Hey, what about my car?” Luca asked.

  “Your vehicle will be collected and delivered to you by the morning, Mr Nico. For now, let’s just get out of dodge as you said.”

  Despite stopping for something to eat, no one ate much. Camilla picked at her meal, preferring the milkshake over anything solid. Artemis didn’t even order anything, and Luca struggled with the burger. An uncomfortable silence escorted them. They were exhausted and barely spoke even while Artemis drove them to an unknown location.

  After many silent miles, they approached a fancy-looking hotel, one that would be well out of Luca’s pocket. Camilla craned her neck to look up at the giant building with its bright lights, as though she had never seen such a thing before in her life. Her eyes glistened with wonder.

  After parking, Artemis led them through the lobby, not once stopping in his stride. The hotel shone in a soft golden glow, every surface polished to perfection, including the floor.

  Luca and Camilla kept pace, keeping their eyes down from the strange and confused looks that came their way. The rugged looking private investigator with his tie half undone, and the barefoot young woman, with running makeup beside him wearing a trench coat that swamped her tiny frame - they must’ve looked quite the sight. Did the hotel patrons suspect something illicit? If any of them said a damn thing, they would soon regret it.

  They rushed to the elevator where Artemis waited, and once inside, he pressed the button for the penthouse suite.

  Luca spoke as the elevator doors closed and they ascended. “Okay, we followed you, no questions asked. But I think we’ve come far enough. How about a little give, Mr Heap?”

  “My apologies for all the secrecy, Mr Nico. As soon as we reach the penthouse, my employer and I will answer any questions you have.”

  When the elevator doors opened, Luca was met with the sight of pure opulence. The penthouse suite was the image of luxury, with similar warm lighting to the lobby, but with exceptional decor choices. The walls were a contemporary mix of beige, purple, and gold. Luca made a point of observing as much as possible on his way to the lounge. The space contained multiple spacious bedrooms, a games room, and its own functioning kitchen that shone so brightly it had perhaps never been used. Even the smallest bedroom was smaller than his entire apartment. That observation stung.

  “Artemis?” a voice called out, “Is that you?” a mature woman emerged from what looked like a study. Her sense of style was impeccable. Judging by the quality of the long dress she wore, Luca theorised she was rich enough to have stylists and tailors who manufactured any item she desired. Her voice gave a similar impression of a high-class background. She came from old money and was very much accustomed to the finer things in life.

  “Yes, and I’ve brought our guests.” Artemis replied. “Mrs LaMont, let me introduce you-”

  “No need, Artemis, dear. I already have the details. Miss Mantiis, how lovely it is to meet you, my dear.”

  Camilla visibly grew tense as the older woman approached her with her hand outstretched. Despite her unease, Camilla extended her own hand to take Mrs LaMont’s.

  “And Mr Nico, thank you ever so much for coming.”

  Luca shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like we were given much of a choice.”

  “Yes, and I must apologise for all the secrecy until now, but please believe me when I say it was a necessity. Please, do make yourselves at home. Drinks?” She turned her head towards Artemis and gave a quick nod, to which he appeared to understand what she meant. “Following tonight’s events, you both could probably use a stiff drink. I heard about your poor friend, Camilla. I’m truly sorry.”

  Luca took a seat on one of the large beige sofas. He lit a cigarette without asking and accepted the offered whiskey.

  Camilla didn’t sit. Instead, she paced back and forth slowly by the large sliding glass doors that led out to the balcony. The skyline was a glow in the distance and she appeared more enthralled by that than the conversation. He couldn’t blame her.

  “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Margaret LaMont. Perhaps you are familiar with my late husband, Henry LaMont? He owned this hotel, as well as many others across the state.”

  The name did not ring any bells for Luca.

  “Henry LaMont?” Camilla’s soft voice broke its long silence. “The occultist?”

  Margaret smiled, “Why yes, my dear. He had an exceptional interest in the paranormal and all manner of unexplainable things, for example, what happened to you both this evening. My word, if he were still with us, he would’ve loved to meet you both and hear your stories.”

  Artemis walked over to Camilla, offering her a large whiskey on the rocks.

  “Your husband’s reputation precedes him, Mrs LaMont. Spiritualists and illusionists alike spoke of him.” She kept the trench coat held shut with one hand while she drank with the other. She shuddered at the harsh taste.

  “Wait a goddamn second,” Luca interjected, “Occultist? What in the hell?”

  “I know it must be very hard to understand, Mr Nico, but I assure you I am not a cooke and neither was my dear Henry. I am very serious.” Margaret said with a hint of authority on her tongue, “And it’s precisely the reason why I requested your company this evening. I would very much like to invite the two of you to join my employment as paranormal investigators. You survived a terrible tragedy this evening, and I do not count that as mere luck. I see it as tenacity. You’ve been given a more than abrupt introduction to what lies outside the scope of human minds.”

  Luca felt his fingers tremble at hearing words so similar to Fontaine’s grand announcement, but he kept his apprehension to himself. “So what kind of ‘paranormal’ shit did we witness?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Fire vampire,” Artemis answered.

  Luca laughed, “You guys are joking right?”

  “Alas, no, Mr Nico.” Margaret responded sadly, “I’m not sure how your friend was able to summon such a monstrosity, Miss Mantiis, but it cost him dearly.”

  Luca angrily placed his empty glass back on the table, “Bullshit. I’m not chasing fairy tales and smoke and mirror bullshit. I’ve got better things to do.” He stood up indignantly.

  “I’m in.” Camilla’s voice spoke sternly but quietly as she removed the coat from her slender shoulders and placed it on the arm of the sofa. “It’s not like I got anywhere else to go. On one condition.”

  “By all means, ask away my dear,” Margaret said, gesturing to her to take a seat. She refused again.

  “My friend, Lonnie, Hector Fontaine, was his stage name. He asked me to destroy something, a book, the same one he used to summon this awful creature. The police stole it from me while I was in custody.”

  “Is this true?” Margaret asked, turning her attention to Artemis.

  “They didn’t have a record of a book. I suspect someone already removed it from the precinct, and it's somewhere far away now. Fortunately, I have contacts. There’s still a chance we might be able to acquire it.”

  “All I ask is that I get that book back. The idea that it could fall into the wrong hands. Hell, it might already be in the wrong hands. Look at the carnage caused even in Lonnie’s hands… damn fool,” she trailed off.

  “We’ll do everything in our power to get it back, dear. It might take some time, but I trust my dear Artemis here. Nothing gets past him quickly. And as a gesture of goodwill, I insist you let me pay for your friend’s funeral, too.”

  Luca grabbed his coat and turned for the elevator. He’d had quite enough of tonight and these delusional people.

  “Mr Nico,” Margaret called to him, “If you take up my offer, I can provide with pay and board. We will provide housing in the penthouse for you and Camilla, covering all expenses, and will pay you a sizeable salary for your efforts.”

  Luca took a moment to contemplate the situation. He pictured his damp, paper-thin-walled apartment, where he could hear his neighbours' screaming breakups, only to be followed by their equally loud reconciliations later that night. He thought about the carton of takeout food sitting in his fridge having to last another night.

  He took a long drag on his cigarette and let out a long plume as he exhaled. He turned back to face the entourage behind him.

  “One question,” he started, pointing at Camilla as he did, “Do you know a guy called Harold Lewis?”

  Camilla could not have looked more confused. “Who?”

  Brilliant. His one lead had turned into an abrupt dead end.

  “I’m in. I don’t buy any of it, but to hell with it. I’m in.”