Circus of the Dead: Book 2 Read online

  “But I am responsible for a lot that happened, and I won’t quit until I stop Samuel. He’s a monster.” I mean it. I’m going to end that man or die trying.

  Benny lets out a breath. “Every time you try to stop him, you kiss him.”

  I laugh, and it echoes amongst the trees. Benny growls.

  “I never thought of that before. That’s kinda funny, actually. You know I have zero feelings for that man. Okay, maybe a lot of feelings, but they are all in the vein of hatred.” I search Benny’s eyes in the hopes I’ve convinced him.

  “You’ll end up hurt or dead.” He clenches his fists and searches my face.

  “And would it be that bad? If I die, then I get to be with you.” I’m testing the waters here. He’s acting distant, and I want to know how he really feels about me.

  “Don’t talk like that. I don’t want you to die.” His voice has risen a few notches. Note to self: don’t tell Benny I want to be a ghost. Not that I really want it, but it has crossed my mind.

  “That’s not what you thought even a month ago.”

  He tenses. “That’s because I didn’t know you.”

  “You once told me that you normally don’t kill. That you lure people to the island but that others kill them.”

  He looks out over the swamp. Frogs croak, and birds chirp. A fish splashes in the water. Or maybe that is a foot. It’s hard to tell.

  “Why is that?” I finally ask.

  “Because I struck a deal with the devil as well.” His voice drops to nearly a whisper.

  “You have a contract with Samuel?” I didn’t realize the ghosts could make deals or why they would even want to.

  “Sort of. It’s complicated.”

  “Why did you sign something?”

  He lets out a breath. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because. I don’t want to move on. Each full moon, one ghost moves on. I didn’t want to, so I tried to get my kills. I managed to get the kill for twelve months in a row and only needed one more.”

  I know what that means. Lorena told me that if they kill thirteen souls, they come back to life.

  “So you’re just one kill away from resurrection.”

  “Yes.” He sighs.

  The prospect thrills me. What if Benny could come back to life? But for that to happen, he has to kill someone else. I don’t want that.

  “I signed a contract thinking it would keep me from moving on, and it does. It also forbids me from killing, and so I can’t be resurrected, either.”

  “What about me?”

  He creases his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “You were supposed to kill me.”

  He gives me a crooked grin. “An addendum was made to the contract. I was allowed to kill you, but only you.”

  I suck in a breath. “Which would have given you your life back.”

  “Exactly. I chose to stay a ghost to keep you around.”

  I gulp. He sacrificed his life for me.

  I hold his gaze. I want to reach out and hug him, but something in his eyes stops me. “Thank you.”

  His face becomes serious. “Now, please don’t make my sacrifice be in vain. Quit trying to stop Samuel. Life on the island is twisted, but it’s our life. Learn to live with it.”

  I swallow. “I’m not making any promises.”

  He sighs. “So, what have you been doing these last couple of weeks?”

  He’s obviously trying to change the subject. I give him a flirty grin. “Like you haven’t been watching me.”

  “I haven’t, actually. Not much, anyway.”

  I flush and drop my eyes. “Oh. Well. I got some books that I’m hoping will help me understand Samuel’s power a little better, but they are hard to read.”

  “I can’t help you there. That’s Creole, and I never learned how to read it. I can speak it a bit but only a little. I might be able to find something that will help you. Wait here, I’ll be back in a few.”

  He takes off down the docks, and I can’t help but feel disappointed. Obviously, kissing stories for Juliette are not going to happen tomorrow.

  Fifteen minutes later, he comes back and drops a book in my lap. “All in English,” he says.

  I pick up the book. History of the Obeah.

  It’s not a spell book, but I have a feeling it will definitely help me. I pick it up and start flipping through the pages. I stop when it talks about souls.

  An Obeah is only as strong as his soul army. If he chooses to have an army, he starts with thirteen ghosts. Then, he can build in multiples of thirteen. Most Obeah have thirty-nine or fifty-two. It’s risky to build an army much larger than that as the Obeah is at risk as long as his army is not a multiple of thirteen.

  An Obeah man is always weaker between the full, and new moon since certain aspects of his magic do not work when his army is not a multiple of thirteen.

  I look up at Benny. “It says the Obeah is weaker between the full and new moon.” Something Lorena said comes back to me. She told me that if I wanted to kill Samuel, I had to do it between the full and new.

  Benny shrugs. “Samuel is no ordinary Obeah man. With 117 ghosts, the weakness is probably so small that most wouldn’t notice.”

  “Still. That’s good information.”

  I read late into the night, and Benny reads over my shoulder, but he doesn’t move or touch me. I’m aware of him, but I’m also engrossed in the book. I learn a lot of useless information, but at least, I understand a little better the history of the Obeah and how Samuel operates. The sun comes through the window, and Benny disappears. I have only one chapter left. My eyes are closing, but I want to finish the book.

  Obeah who create soul armies are usually immortal, though there are two documented cases of Obeah who have lost their power. In both instances, their ghost armies have lost the desire to kill, which means souls were not replenished on the full moon. This does happen from time to time, and a simple spell will usually fix it, but if the Obeah doesn’t realize what is going on, and if his army has been diminished by thirteen, the rest disappear, taking his Obeah power with them.

  I sit up.

  If we can bring his ghost army down by thirteen, his power will go away. That would take thirteen months, and we’ll have to somehow keep them from killing on the new moon.

  If the whole island was willing to help out, this might work. And after their new contracts, they will be.

  Holy smokes.

  We might be able to do this.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I manage to get a few hours of sleep, which I needed, and make sure I have all my thoughts in order before I talk to anyone.

  After I shower, I pick up the book and read the last chapter again to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Preventing the ghosts from killing will be difficult, but we can do it. The books talk about ghosts losing the desire to kill. We’ll be working against the strong desire these ghosts have.

  A light knock comes on my door. Samuel stands there, the blinding sun behind him.

  “I brought breakfast. And then, we can start our day together,” he says, waving to the little table on my porch. It’s been set up with a tablecloth, strawberry crepes smothered in whip cream, and tall glasses that look like they have cream soda in them.

  I put on my best fake smile. So much for meeting up with various islanders and seeing if they’d help me. Looks like I have to spend another day with Samuel. “Wow. Fancy. What’s this all about?”

  “I just wanted to have breakfast with you. Is that a crime?”

  Yeah, sort of. I’d rather it be Benny standing there, but that’s wishful thinking on my part.

  He motions for the chair, and I sit because I really don’t have a choice. Plus, it looks good. Of course it is. Ruth probably made it.

  He sits across from me and makes a big show of putting his cloth napkin in his lap.

  I take a bite of the crepe and moan a little. It’s heavenly.

  “Your f
avorite?” Samuel asks.

  “It is now.”

  A smile creeps over his face. “Good to know. What would you like to do today?”

  I falter for a second, and a couple of dogs run down the docks, their nails clicking on the wood.

  “I was about to practice my fire dance since I’ve been neglecting it, and then I was going to have Lorena help me with magic. I might visit Amy tonight.”

  Actually, I’m spending the day trying to find a way to take away your power, but you don’t need to know that.

  He nods slowly. “Well, I’ll have to change before we practice, and I think I’ll be able to help your magic more than Lorena. Also, a visit to Amy won’t happen. She probably still doesn’t want to see me.”

  Geesh. He could not take a hint. I’ve been spending every evening with him, and suddenly he wants my whole day.

  “I kinda want to practice on my own, and there are a few things Lorena has been meaning to teach me. But, maybe tomorrow you can teach me what you think I should learn about magic. As for Amy, I’ll go see her on my own.” I rub my stiff neck. I didn’t sleep well last night.

  He wipes his mouth with his napkin and doesn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m changing. I’ll meet you at the practice tent.”

  He brushes his finger along my shoulder and saunters away. I push away the rest of my crepe. I don’t know how I’ll shake him.

  I take my time getting ready and hope he gets tired of waiting for me, but he’s there already, spinning fire, and he has music playing.

  I want to try something more complicated, so I pick up the stick and practice as far away from him as I can, but he inches over to me anyway. The smell of the flames almost reminds me of car exhaust. I miss driving.

  I falter for a second. If we succeed in taking his power, we can all leave. I can drive again. Surf the waves. See Maddie.

  I shake my head. I can’t think too much about that. It will be at least another year. It’s too painful.

  I lose myself in the fire, and eventually, we’re dancing together, and for some strange reason, I don’t want to set him on fire.

  He gets inside my fire circle and presses his body against mine, and the spell breaks. I move away from him as quickly as I can without setting myself or him on fire. I drop my sticks into a bucket of water and race from the tent.

  He chases after me and catches my arm. “You ready for a magic lesson?”

  He stands there looking like an innocent man who doesn’t understand the girl he’s pursuing. I drop my eyes and notice he’s wearing bright yellow shoes. How odd.

  “With Lorena,” I say.

  “I get the feeling you don’t want to hang out with me. You know, if we aren’t together, I might forget to keep your secrets.”

  No, he can’t do that. My mouth goes dry.

  A few of the acrobats pass us, and Jane sneers at me. Samuel watches them walk away. After a few moments, he calls Jane’s name. She slowly turns around.

  “What?” she asks.

  “Please be in my bed at ten tonight.”

  Her whole body stiffens. Edward clenches his hand, his red face staring at Samuel.

  “Why don’t you have Callie tonight instead?” Jane says in a quiet voice. “I haven’t been feeling well today.”

  Samuel shakes his head. “Callie won’t sleep with me, which is a shame for you because if she did, I wouldn’t want any of the rest of you. Since you aren’t feeling well, tell Margaret it’s her turn.”

  Jane’s face goes ghostly white for a moment. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be there.” Margaret is her little sister and can’t be older than sixteen.

  “I don’t want to risk getting ill. I haven’t had the opportunity to be with Margaret yet, and I’m rather looking forward to it.” His eyes sparkle.

  Jane looks at me with pleading eyes, but I won’t sleep with him. I clench my fists. “Would you like to come to Lorena’s with me?” I ask Samuel.

  I don’t want to be with him at all, but at least at Lorena’s, it’s not just us alone. Plus, I can get him away from Jane and Edward before either one of them does something dumb.

  Samuel nods, and we turn and walk away. They don’t follow.

  Lorena is sweeping her porch when we arrive. Her eyes narrow at Samuel. “What are you two doing here?”

  “I’m here for a magic lesson.” I point at him. “He’s just tagging along.”

  Samuel gives her one of his grins. “I thought maybe you could teach me as well.”

  Lorena snorts. “You know way more than I do.” She sets her broom aside and folds her arms, looking at me. “In fact, if you want to learn real magic, Samuel is better than me.”

  I rub my forehead. This did not go as planned. He’s like the car that tails you around every corner.

  “That’s exactly what I told her, but she insisted on coming to you.”

  “Especially with your magic.” Lorena purses her lips and looks at me. “Samuel’s better than me. He knows the dark stuff.”

  “Fine.” I storm away from the boat, and Samuel chases after me.

  We spend the afternoon at his house, and I’m sorry to say that he’s an excellent teacher. Better than Lorena for sure. He’s even polite enough to not make things awkward and romantic. For a second, I think that maybe he’s done with his tricks. Then I dismiss it. That’s stupid. This is Samuel we’re talking about. He threatened to tie me to his bed and rape me every night for eternity.

  He sends Jeffery into the kitchen for lemonade and a snack, and I can’t stop thinking about the fact that we can defeat him.

  “On the new moon, how do you choose who dies?” I ask.

  He takes the lemonade from Jeffery and hands one to me. “Most of the time, I leave it up to my ghosts, but sometimes I make the choice for them.”

  “How?”

  He cocks his head. “You know, between the books you took from my library and the questions you are asking me, I’m beginning to wonder if you want my job.”

  “No. I’m just curious.” I laugh nervously, and he gives me a skeptical look. “Okay, what if I do?”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t. Trust me. It’s not in your nature.”

  “You think you know me, but maybe you don’t. Maybe I’m really bloodthirsty.”

  Samuel guffaws. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

  “How do you do it? Influence the ghosts?” Cat’s out of the bag now. I might as well push for as much information that he’ll give me.

  “Now I know you’re fishing. Nice try. You can keep trying to find a way out of this, but it’s not going to happen. People will still die each new moon, and I will continue to grow stronger. Your friends will die, and there is nothing you can do about it. Give it up.”

  “No. I’ll never give up until you are rotting in a grave.” I clench my fists, and my chest tightens. I’ve revealed too much.

  “Then you will be waiting for a very long time.” He stands and saunters away.

  “Don’t be so sure about that,” I shout after him. It sounds petty, but I so want to give him a piece of my mind. The fact that he is calm about everything is infuriating.

  I escape out the door. I can’t stay there anymore. I don’t know which end is up, and I keep getting tangled up with the devil. I wish I could take back the last several months. Redo them completely.

  I’d never come to this cursed place.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I slowly make my way down the path to the house of the woman who would hate me if she knew the truth. But I can’t help myself. She’s the best person in the world to help me, and for the first time in a long time, I’m hopeful. Maybe together, we’ll be able to hatch a plan to defeat Samuel once and for all.

  Plus, I want to make this right even if she has no idea I did anything wrong.

  Shortly before I reach her porch, a small hand slips into mine. I look down. Jeffery stands there, smiling at me in shorts and a t-shirt.

  “What are you doi
ng here?” I ask him.

  “Samuel told me I could have the afternoon off. He said it was because of you. Thank you.”

  He wraps his arms around my legs, and I wonder what on earth he’s talking about. I don’t know what I said or did that made Samuel give him some time off, but I’m not going to complain.

  Amy’s on her porch, peeling potatoes. A grin lights up her face, and Jeffery runs up to her and flings himself into her arms. She ruffles his hair.

  “Normally I don’t see you until bedtime. How did you get here now?”

  He looks back at me.

  “Miss Callie convinced Master Samuel to let me go play.”

  I don’t correct him. I wonder if I should be suspicious, if there’s a catch I don’t get.

  Amy gives me a genuine grin and watches Jeffery go inside to grab his toys. “How was your date with Benny last night?”

  “Not much of a date. How’d you know about that?”

  “Juliette. I swear. I think I’ll see that girl more now that she’s dead.” Amy is smiling, but it’s strained.

  “Ha.” I chew on my lip. I want to ask for her help, but I don’t know if I have a right to it. But Amy is my best ally on the island. Lorena and Luke are, too, but Amy has more friends than they do. Her chickens squawk from her floating coop.

  “I want to stop Samuel,” I say.

  “That’s nothing new.”

  I sigh. “I know. But I want to try to do it by brute force, not magic.”

  Amy creases her eyebrows. “What do you mean? The only thing that is ever going to stop that man is magic.”

  Jeffery runs inside and comes back out with a handful of seed. He tosses it at the coop, and most of it flies into the makeshift cage. The chickens go bonkers. The rest falls into the swamp, and my birds chase after it.

  “That’s not true. Benny gave me a book last night, and it got me thinking. It said that Obeah are weaker between the full and new moon because he only has one hundred sixteen ghosts instead of one hundred seventeen.” Something drips on my head, and I look up, afraid it’s bird poop, but it’s just water.

  “Interesting.”

  “What if we can make that one hundred fifteen instead of one hundred sixteen?”