Calico Thunder Rides Again

Glossary

Advance man – A circus employee who travels ahead of the show to put up posters publicizing the circus’ arrival

Announcer – The person who announces the acts to the audience during a circus performance

Baggage Stock – Animals used for hauling and transporting (as opposed to ring stock)

Big Top – The main tent of a circus used for performances

Caster – A magic user who can cast charms and jinxes, either directly onto a person or through the use of specially crafted potions

Charm – A form of magic that enhances a certain characteristic or ability of a person; charms may be cast directly but are more commonly infused into special potions that activate once a person consumes them.

Clem – A fight

Cookhouse – The place where circus personnel eat

Enchanter – A magic user who has the ability to enchant inanimate objects, thereby giving them special properties

Enchantment – A form of magic that gives a special property or effect to the targeted inanimate object

First of May – A worker or performer in his/her first season. Shows usually played the season’s opening spot on May first, so the term refers to someone who is new to circus life

Glamour – A specific type of illusion that changes the appearance of the wearer

Grease Joint – The grill or concessions trailer

Healer – A magic user who has the ability to heal illness and injury, often supplemented through the use of potions

Hey Rube! – The traditional battle cry of circus people in fights with townies

Hippodrome Track – The oval area between the rings and the stands/audience

Illusion – A form of magic that creates a distortion of senses; illusions may affect any or all of the five senses

Illusionist – A magic user who can create illusions

Jinx – A form of magic that dampens a certain characteristic or ability of a person, or otherwise produces a negative effect; jinxes may be cast directly but are more commonly infused into special potions that activate once a person consumes them.

The March – The street parade, often from the train yard to the performance location

Menagerie – A collection of captive animals on display for the public

Patches – Circus workmen whose job is to smooth things over with the townies (usually when they wanted their money back) so they wouldn’t cause problems

Ring – The circle in which circus acts are presented. Strickland’s Circus is a three-ring circus, with a large center ring and two smaller rings on either side.

Ring Stock – Circus animals that perform in the show

Roustabout – A circus workman or laborer

Route – The show’s annual itinerary, a schedule of towns to be played

Route Book – A journal containing notes about each stand, such as location, conditions, attendance, anything noteworthy about the performance, etc.

Sidewall – The canvas wall that hangs below a canvas top. A circus tent is made up of the canvas top with its sidewalls attached.

Sledge gang – A crew of workers who pound in tent stakes

Spectacle (Spec) – A colorful pageant or grand entry which is usually the opening number of a show. All circus performers and animals are presented in full regalia along with the band.

Stand – Any town where the circus plays, as in one-night stand

Townies – Townspeople; any outsiders

Trouper – A circus performer; anyone who has spent at least one full season with the show and is accustomed to the life and demands of the circus

Winter quarters – The location where a show stays during its off season

Prologue

A Night at the Circus

They sat in the front row of the grandstands under the canvas of the big top, just two ordinary spectators in a crowd full of smiling faces. The boy was wide-eyed and silent, but Harvey found himself humming along to a familiar, bouncing tune as the rich tones of the brass band filled the air. A half-eaten bag of roasted peanuts lay on the bench beside him, and occasionally, a whiff of their warm, hearty smell found its way to his nose, evoking memories of his own childhood visits to the circus.

Ah, to be a boy again, if only for a day. Inside the tent, none of his problems mattered, and just being here made him feel decades younger. At his age, despite the circumstances had brought him here in the first place, that was good enough.

He glanced down at his companion, who reached for a handful of peanuts as he craned his tiny neck to watch the agile trapeze artists soaring overhead. The lithe man hanging upside-down from a swinging bar caught his partner by the arms and held her for the space of a heartbeat before sending her flying again.

The center ring below them suddenly ignited with dancing purple flames, and the crowd let out a collective gasp. The hanging trapeze artist continued to swing back and forth like a pendulum as the flames reached higher, lapping at his dangling hands.

His female companion timed another swing and leaped from her raised platform. She passed right over the fire once…twice…then launched herself into the air and pirouetted so fast it seemed impossible for her partner to catch her.

Harvey gripped the edge of his seat and leaned forward, certain the poor young woman was about to plummet to a fiery death in the flames below.

At the very last second, the man caught her. As her body swung down through the heart of the fire, the violet flames burst into hundreds of white flower petals that fluttered harmlessly toward the grandstands and drifted down, carrying with them the sweet scent of caramel and vanilla.

The petals disappeared before they hit the ground, but the magical illusion had ignited the crowd. Harvey applauded and whistled with the rest of the onlookers as the trapeze artists finished their act and bid them all farewell with waves and a few blown kisses.

Beside him, the boy shoved another handful of peanuts into his mouth. His wide eyes scanned the canvas sidewalls of the tent, but when he didn’t see who he was looking for, he turned his attention back to the center ring for the next act.

Harvey shifted uncomfortably in his seat and loosened the tie around his neck. The boy seemed like such a sweet, endearing child. A shame that, like the circus, it was all just an elaborate act.

The spotlight fell on the announcer in the center ring. His magically-amplified voice boomed through the tent like thunder. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for our final performance this evening, Strickland’s Circus is proud to present a thrilling spectacle unlike any you’ve seen before. He paused for a few moments as if to let the audience soak in his words. Everyone give a warm welcome to the fearless queen of the center ring and her extraordinary winged beasts. I present to you, Grace Hawkins!

He dragged out the vowels of the name as the crowd broke into applause. A young woman in a short red dress with glittering gold accents entered the ring. Contrary to the popular bobbed style of the times, her long hair flowed free behind her like a dark cape. She flashed a radiant smile at the audience and raised both hands in a wave, then turned around and signaled to the four black-clad men standing just at the edge of the lit area. They stepped forward into the light, and a wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Harvey sucked in a breath of his own and watched in awe as two griffins and a dragon were led into the ring. An actual dragon! He hadn’t seen a dragon in any circus for decades, much less one as magnificent as this. The beast’s body was roughly the size of one of the elephants that had performed earlier in the night, though with her tail and long neck, she was considerably longer and not quite as bulky. Orange, brown, and cream-colored scales covered her entire body, and each of her toes ended in a giant, hooked claw that could tear a man open in seconds. Thick ropes—presumably enchanted—bound her wings at her sides to keep her from flying off, but Harvey could imagine how powerful and majestic they might be spread out to their full span.

He looked down at his companion. The boy was equally mesmerized, if perhaps for other reasons besides sheer enjoyment of the spectacle. Harvey could practically see the cogs turning in his mind, plotting, scheming. It made him nauseous, but he shook the feeling off as he again turned his attention to the center ring.

The trainer ran the beautiful creatures through a series of increasingly-complex tricks. The griffins leapfrogged over each other in an almost-complete circle around the ring, then took turns flying through a metal hoop the dragon held in its jaws. When they weren’t performing some trick, they stood regally, eagle eyes surveying the crowd like predators considering their next meal. Their cat-like tails lashed back and forth, and occasionally, they tucked their heads to preen the feathers on their chest and wings.

The trainer placed three metal stools in the center of the ring and directed each beast to stand on one. The center stool looked much too small for the dragon to perch on, but she somehow managed to balance there with ease. All three animals then stood up on their hind legs and clawed at the air before them as if to catch the applause of the delighted crowd.

Harvey smiled in spite of himself. Such magnificent creatures. Seeing a dragon this close made the whole night worthwhile. Or it would have, were it not for his unfortunate part in the events that were sure to come.

The boy elbowed him in the side. There’s our man. Time to go introduce yourself.

Can’t it wait just a few more minutes? The show’s almost over, anyway.

Do I need to remind you why we’re here in the first place?

Harvey sighed and reluctantly donned his fedora. Where is he, then?

By the entrance, the tall man in the cowboy hat.

He spotted the man standing with crossed arms near the end of the big top. His eyes were shadowed under the wide brim of his hat, but he was younger than Harvey had expected, probably in his mid-twenties. His worn blue jeans and muddy boots would have been more appropriate attire for one of the circus’ workmen than for its owner.

Are you sure that’s him? he asked the boy.

Absolutely. He looks just like his old man. Let’s go.

Harvey stood and led the way, apologizing to those he walked in front of as he went. When he reached the end of the big top, he glanced back to make sure the boy was right behind him. He was, and they approached the man in the cowboy hat together.

Excuse me, sir, Harvey said. You wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Jacob Strickland, would you?

The man stood up a little straighter. Call me Jake. How can I help you folks?

It’s such an honor to meet you. This is a phenomenal show you have here. Absolutely phenomenal.

I really appreciate that, Mr.—

Oh, pardon me. Malone. Harvey Malone. And this young man is my grandson.

Strickland nodded to the boy. Pleasure to meet you both.

Likewise, Harvey replied. I regret that we have to leave before the show’s over, but when I saw you, I just had to come and introduce myself. I’m so impressed with everything I’ve seen here. Frankly, I haven’t seen a show this incredible since I was a boy.

That’s awful kind of you, Strickland said, but I can’t take credit for that. We’re lucky to have such talented performers.

Oh, you’re too modest. I’m sure it takes a great deal of skill and intelligence to manage all this. I’m impressed, truly. He pulled a small, cream-colored card from his pocket and handed it to the circus owner. Listen, I run several businesses in Ravington and the surrounding area, and I’m always looking for new opportunities to invest. If that’s ever something you’d be interested in for your show, you let me know. All my information is on that card.

Strickland glanced at the business card and stuck it in his back pocket. I will. Thanks for coming out to see us.

Harvey grinned and shook the man’s hand. Oh, I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world. He glanced down at the boy beside him. Ready to go?

Yes, Grandpa. There was only a slight sting of contempt in his voice.

They exited the tent and stepped into the cool evening air. Harvey set out across the circus lot at a brisk pace, and even though his companion had to hurry to keep up with his longer strides, he didn’t slow down.

You remember what to do when he contacts you, right?

Harvey nodded. As long as the magic in that card works like you say it will.

Don’t you worry about that. He’s forgotten us already. The memory enchantment will activate once he gets desperate, so all you have to do now is wait. If he has any more good sense than his father, you may not even have to lift a finger.

Harvey wasn’t sure which outcome he should hope for.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, and as they went, he could almost feel the magic of the circus fading away. Maybe it had just been his own delusion all along, but he no longer felt like a decades-younger man. Age settled back into his bones like rust on iron, and the farther they got from the big top, the more intensely guilt gnawed at his thoughts.

When he couldn’t take it anymore, he spoke up. Are you sure this is the only way?

The boy laughed. The dissonance between the snide maturity in the sound and the childish tone created by the body that uttered it was unnerving in the dark. Of course it isn’t. But it is the best way, which is why we’re doing it.

I just thought, maybe you don’t have to…. He stopped himself, suddenly remembering who he was talking to. Well, never mind.

The boy sighed. Look, pops, I don’t need you telling me how to run my business, okay? Do your part, and all your problems go away, just like we talked about. It’s that simple.

Of course.

They kept walking, and as the last sounds of the circus faded away behind them, Harvey tried to stifle the quiet voice of his conscience, whispering that he had just brought about the destruction of something incredible.

Chapter 1

The Dragon’s Escape

By the time Jake donned his hat and exited his private sleeper car to greet the day, the rosy glow of dawn was already fading, the train cars had all been unloaded, and bright-eyed townies stood by chattering eagerly amongst themselves as they waited for the parade to begin.

He’d slept later than he’d meant to. The tracks on this stretch of the show’s route were rough, and the constant jostling had aggravated his three-year-old spinal injury, making sleep almost impossible. Normally, he’d ask Grace for something to curb the pain, but after their most recent argument, he wasn’t quite ready to go sulking through the troupers’ sleeper cars to beg for her forgiveness.

Too proud and too stubborn for his own good, just like Ma always used to tell him. If he’d picked a bad time to dig up an old dispute with the one person who could help him, he only had himself to blame.

The parade was already lined up, and Jake made his way toward the front of the procession. Bruno sat atop the gilded red ticket wagon, its sides emblazoned with bold lettering that spelled out Strickland’s Circus. He wore the iconic top hat and red suit of a circus announcer, and he motioned for Jake to hurry up with a white-gloved hand.

Jake broke into a jog, trying to ignore the pain that lanced up his back with each footfall. He hoisted himself up onto the wagon beside his friend and took up the reins.

I’m glad you could finally join us this morning, Bruno said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Late night?

Jake grunted. Not for the reasons you’re suggesting.

The dwarf raised one thick eyebrow. I take it you still haven’t resolved your little lovers’ quarrel, then?

Are we ready to go?

Bruno chuckled at his avoidance of the question and snapped the reins. Yes, I believe so.

The pair of draft horses hitched to the wagon shook their manes and started forward. Behind them, the band struck up a lively marching tune, and the townies cheered as the procession of wagons, animals, and costumed troupers made its way to the performance lot.

Bruno passed the reins to Jake and stood up on the bench, one hand atop the wagon for balance as he waved to the onlookers with the other. A natural showman, as always. His beaming smile was contagious, and the townies grinned and waved back at him without even seeming to notice Jake.

That was just fine by him. It was his show, but he’d never much liked the idea of being the public face of Strickland’s Circus.

It didn’t take long to reach the lot less than a mile away from the train yard. When they did, Jake passed the reins back to Bruno and hopped off the still-moving wagon to survey the area. It was a decent spot for a show, and one they’d performed at many times before. The surrounding area was less populated than some of their stops farther east, and according to the notes in his father’s old route book, ticket sales had been inconsistent the last several years. Some seasons, the show was sold out. Others, they barely sold enough tickets to justify making the stop at all. Hopefully, today would bear a closer resemblance to the former.

Tents for the animals had already been raised, as had the cookhouse, menagerie, and performers’ dressing tent. The roustabouts had just