The Magic Trick (The Card Game #2)

Ch 10 - Roksana's Tale

CHAPTER X

ROKSANA'S TALE

Viktor's mouth went dry. "You ... you were a part of..."

"Yes, the Bizarre Bazaar. But the story starts long before that." Roksana closed her eyes and let the memories flow, slow and self-conscious at first, but with growing confidence. "Russians have always loved to be entertained by our people, and it was no different in our family ... Cappi, Dukker, and I grew up touring western Russia—a thousand kilometers from here. Our parents belonged to a Romani chorus. I still remember the theatres we would tour—great white buildings with magnificent windows and plum-red curtains. Our mother, Esmeralda, was a beautiful dancer and singer. Every day she spun with me and taught me to sing. Our father, Hanzi, was a great composer. He taught the twins to play instruments."

Roksana wore a nostalgic smile. "Or rather, he tried to. As you know, Cappi and Dukker are more prone to action than practice."

Viktor nodded, but his concern over how the circus entered the story was obvious.

"It happened when we were nine," said Roksana. "I'll never forget the day the Bizarre Bazaar showed up in St. Petersburg. It was rumored to have acts and animals from all corners of Europe, and while our parents had given us a love for the arts, they had also heard dark rumors about the circus. They forbade us from going."

Roksana shook her head. "It only made us yearn to go more. I remember that night my parents' chorus performed for a small crowd. We were supposed to stay in the traveling wagons, but we didn't. We snuck out into the city and found the circus. With no money, we tried to sneak inside too, but guards caught us and brought us to the Daughter of Druids for questioning."

To Viktor, Roksana's eyes looked blacker than coal as she looked up at the stars for answers.

"Funny how children always assume that telling the truth will protect them. But the moment that woman laid eyes on the twins, she coveted them, and once she heard about our heritage and talents and our sneaking off and our parents' ignorance, her decision was sealed. She said she would take us home—she promised—right after we finished a cup of tea."

Viktor shivered against the cold gravestone, his memories like hot lava. "The same tea we drank..."

"But different," said Roksana. "It was always different. Sometimes it put us asleep, other times it was mixed with deliriums or poisons or whatever else she was toying with. For a fortnight it kept us in a trance—"

"What?" Viktor exclaimed.

Roksana nodded. "Presumably so we could be hidden whenever searches were ordered on the caravan. But even if our parents did suspect the Bazaar and got government officials to authorize searches, it didn't matter. The hiding places in that long train of wagons were limitless. Then when we were finally brought out of the trance, we were taken to the Frenchman. He wasted no time in filling our dazed heads with lies about our parents being dead and us being adopted and the circus being our new family."

The image of the broad-chested and dirty-bearded Ringleader swam into Viktor's mind. His jaw clenched in thoughts of revenge.

"The Frenchman said we needed to contribute to the household," Roksana continued, "but of course, the Daughter of Druids had already decided upon our acts. I was to be a dancer; Cappi and Dukker's symmetry and strength was ideal for them to begin training with the acrobat children. But we got off easy. The performances that we came to master were nothing compared to many that were forced upon other stolen circus children."

"The snake-charmer we saw," Viktor said, his eyes widening, "the knife-throwing, the beast tamers!"

"The twins and I only agreed to revisit the circus to see if it was still practicing its evil ... And it is," said Roksana. "There used to be even worse acts. More than a few children died under the Frenchman's watch. Still, others were able to master extremely dangerous feats, and we came to befriend a few of them. That's how we met Arseni. He—"