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A bass drum boomed in the distance at the edge of town, summoning the residents of Waterbridge. A substantial crowd quickly gathered as everyone rushed onto Main Street, eager to greet the oncoming the parade and to catch a glimpse of Théodore Coddlefin. Graham was amongst them, silently observing and watching for the Messenger’s return.
Shortly after, a familiar bird call came from high in the trees above, letting him know everyone was in position at the river. He breathed a sigh of relief, nodded back, then moved to the edge of the crowd.
As the drumbeats drew closer, the rest of the band joined in with a bright circus march. But when the parade finally came into view, the reception was not the usual expected cheers from the crowd. Instead, there were gasps of disbelief. Confused by this, Graham turned to see what was causing the commotion. At the front of the parade, gliding high in the air and leading the way, was a large contraption making a peculiar and very powerful humming sound. Coddlefin’s head was visible, poking out the top of it as he waved ceremoniously. The onlookers gawked and waved back. Rikona and Kano were at his side gripping their swords, standing at attention.
Then came the rest of the circus—a long procession of animals and performers, all dressed in their finest. Graham scanned the line and spotted Alister, Henry, and Wildflower walking in front of a large parade float. His heart pounded, gravely aware that the signal he was about to give would set off an undo-able chain of events. He stepped forward to get their attention with a simple nod. Alister nodded back, then Graham disappeared into the crowd and followed along, keeping them in his line of sight.
“Here we go. Stay on your toes,” Alister conveyed to Henry and Wildflower. At this, Henry threw his head back and howled, and Wildflower trumpeted, setting the plan in motion.
Mudd, who was behind them locked in a cage, responded with a fierce growl, beating his chest with his fists. The crowd reacted just as they had hoped, cheering loudly, making lots of noise. The animals and people who were in on the plan responded with yells, growls, and roars, further adding to the chaos, providing cover for what was about to happen next.
Very quickly and quietly, Nigel, Hector, Stinky, and Lark jumped into action, moving from animal to animal and cage to cage, stealthily picking and unlatching locks, removing shackles, and unbuckling halters. Nigel, who was on the float with Mudd, was able to discretely unlock his cage.
Lark was still wearing the blue woolen cape that Elinora had given to her back at the training ground and used it to hide her actions as she and Stinky darted about together, unlatching as many enclosures as they could, leaving the doors ajar. Many of the sideshow performers, and even circus folk such as the Tall Man and the Elder Man were on display in cages on the floats for dramatic effect. Their locks were systematically picked as well. When finished, they slipped back in line.
Meanwhile, Hector unclipped Alexander’s harness, then dropped back to where his terriers were, trying to keep them quiet as he removed their leads. His hands shook nervously as he worked. He looked around, making sure the coast was clear before moving on, unlatching the cages of the alligators, snakes, and the rhinoceros.
But while he worked, he had failed to notice that his every move was being tracked.
Ghant, as well as Coddlefin’s army, had been on high alert after Leopold had reported mutiny. He had been spying from a position behind the backdrop of one of the floats, hoping to be the one to catch the traitors. “Gotcha,” he muttered when he saw Hector in action. Then he crept out from his hiding spot and followed him from behind, quietly redoing the cage locks he had undone.
At the front of the parade, Coddlefin continued to soar above the crowd on what everyone was now referring to as the mystical chariot. His admirers cheered and followed him to the circus grounds as he waved to them from above.
“He’s flying, mother! How can he do that?” a child asked.
“Why, he’s magic!” was the answer.
It was not magic, of course. It had just required a little thievery of a recent scientific discovery—one that involved harnessing the properties of magnetism. After getting his hands on the invention, Coddlefin had pressed his men to work tirelessly until they were able to create the behemoth, levitating craft for him. He called it The Mosquito. The results were spectacular.
Oliver emerged from the edge of the woods. When he heard the whirring of the chariot in the distance he looked up in surprise.
Ghant spotted him immediately and made his way over to him. “Idiot! Why aren’t you back at camp keeping watch?”
“We saw some kids poking around the site, but they ran into the woods when they saw us. We think they might be up to something. Byron is there making sure they don’t come back. I came to warn you.” He shifted anxiously, scanning the area for Alister.
“What did they look like?” Ghant looked around suspiciously.
“Three boys, all about age ten. Probably Stan Dillon’s bunch, like you said.”
“Dillon’s gotten to Hector, too. I’m not sure who else is in on it, but I’m watching. All right, I’ll find Leopold and let him know, this is a full-scale alert,” he said, then moved on.
Oliver exhaled deeply, then rushed to find Alister. He discretely joined in the parade line and walked alongside him to report what had happened.
Alister looked around, his eyes wide with worry.
Graham saw this reaction and made his way through the crowd and over to them.
Alister met him at the edge of the parade under the guise of shaking hands with the children in the crowd. Then he quietly shared the report.
Graham furrowed his brows when he heard the bad news. “Monkey is there, and he will protect them, but I’ll head back right now to make sure. We’ll be waiting for you. Watch your back, this could go very badly, Alister. If they suspect you’re in on this....”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be all right. Ghant won’t dare interrupt Coddlefin right now. When we reach camp we’ll make our move, and by then it will be too late for them to stop us. Hurry now, and I’ll see you at the river.”
Graham nodded, then dashed off.
Back at the river, Graham cautiously climbed down to the waterfront and found Elinora, Tillie, Lina, and Jamie unharmed and hiding in an alcove they had dug into the side of the embankment just beneath the camp. They were covered in mud, but otherwise safe. The Lady of the Forest was nearby, hiding at the bottom of the river, waiting.
“We saw Monkey, Gray!” Jamie whispered. “He grabbed one of Coddlefin’s men and I helped him! We tied him up in the tent. Monkey’s huge!”
“You saw him? I wish I could have seen that. And I’m glad you’re all still safe. Oliver found us and told us what happened. Alister and Henry are still with the parade...they’ll be here soon, but Ghant saw some cages being unlocked. There could be trouble. And I had time before the parade started so I left a note under Lovii and Lucerne’s shop door telling them about the plan. I don’t know if they’ll get it in time or what they could possibly do, but at least they know what’s going on.” A trombone slide cut the air, not too far in the distance. Graham looked up. “This is it, is everyone ready?” he whispered.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Tillie whispered back as they hunkered down.
A few moments later, the noisy parade rounded the bend and entered the circus grounds. Coddlefin teased the crowd with glimpses of the carousel, the big top, and some of the attractions they would soon be treated to. Then a whistle blew, and he stood up. Rikona and Kano held on as the chariot lurched to a stop. He produced his megaphone, put it to his lips, and shouted into it. “Children and gentlefolk, I welcome you! The best show in all the land will open at high noon tomorrow, when our amazing feats will be waiting for you. Until then, have a good day, and thank you for coming!”
This was met with grumbles of confusion and disappointment.
“No, no, don’t do that!” he said, swatting his hands at them. “We will see you again tomorrow. Be sure to arrive early!” He looked to Rikona and Kano, and they quickly began shooing everyone away. But two members of the crowd hovered nearby, then hid in the woods on the outskirts of the camp.
After he was certain the parade-goers had been cleared out, Coddlefin motioned for his chariot to be lowered. He stepped down and grinned. “I had them hanging on my every...” A loud screech came from the sky above, startling him into silence. He looked up, and for a moment, no one moved.
Then, without warning, an explosion of sound filled the air as all at once cage doors were bashed open and animals and people rushed by in a violent, thundering stampede. Wildflower threw her trunk into the air and trumpeted loudly, declaring freedom as Jazz and Tango roared and led the charge to the river. Lovii and Lucerne re-emerged from the woods and joined in freeing the animals. When they had done all they could, they slipped away, returning to Waterbridge.
Those who were able escape fled quickly—Thunder, Lightning, Earthquake, Caelus, Henry’s family, Mudd, and scores of animals, circus laborers, and performers—all rushing to the safety of the river. But those whose enclosures and leads Ghant had re-secured were trapped and left behind. The animals rattled their cages, and the circus folk screamed for help. Stinky, Lark, Hector, Nigel, and Oliver desperately tried to free as many as they could while keeping out of sight from Ghant and Coddlefin’s hovering army.
“Stop! I command you!” Coddlefin screamed as he surveyed the chaos. He clutched his head in his hands, pulling at his hair, sweat beading on his forehead.
The stampede continued down the embankment toward the river. The sounds of thundering hooves, whinnies, screams, and roars muddled his brain. He stood frozen as the mob rushed past. “Where are you going? Why are you leaving me?” he demanded. His voice was strained and childlike.
But they continued to flee, running for their lives to get away from him, charging toward freedom. He instinctively reached for his pistol and fired blindly. A stray bullet struck a young woman in the leg. She fell to the ground and tumbled down the embankment out of sight. Amidst the pandemonium, he didn’t notice who had rushed to her aid.
Mudd picked her up and carried her to the river, setting her into the current. The river swelled and enveloped her, healing her, then carried her to safety within the center of the swirling mass of water. Flashes of the river serpent’s fins were visible, but they weren’t afraid of her. Scores of people and animals continued to scramble into the river with her.
Coddlefin gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to regain focus. He reopened them. “Rikona! Kano! Call in my guards and stop this mess at once!” he bellowed. He grabbed another pistol from one of his captains then staggered toward the river after the deserters in a rage.
“Guards!” Kano shouted.
Coddlefin’s sentries materialized, armed with tranquilizer guns and quickly they surrounded many of the animals and the circus performers within their proximity. More than half the circus, including Alexander, the giraffe, the rhinoceros, half of Hector’s dogs, the Tall Man, and hundreds more of the circus folk and animals, were darted and hauled away, and held captive.
Down the embankment, Graham, Elinora, Tillie, Jamie, and Lina remained concealed in the alcove, helping escapees into the river as they approached. Alister remained up the hill at the camp with Henry and Wildflower, trying to free anyone else they could get to without being discovered.
Alister could see Leopold off in the distance and hurried to unjam the lock on the cage of a beautiful parrot. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he worked. Finally, the lock popped open and the bird flew off toward the river. Alister turned to Henry and Wildflower. “You have to go now, while you have the chance.”
Henry’s ears drooped.
“Don’t look at me like that, boy, your family is here for you. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Go find them, quickly. You, too, Wildflower. I’ll be right behind you; I just want to help anyone else while I can.”
Henry nuzzled Alister, then put his head down. Wildflower stroked the top of his head with her trunk.
“I’ll be all right, I promise. Quick, I hear footsteps. Go!” he said, nudging them on.
Henry and Wildflower headed down the embankment to the river, reluctantly leaving him behind.
Alister heard someone shouting nearby, and quickly took cover behind Coddlefin’s chariot, which was lying immobile on the ground.
It was Ghant. “Leopold! Find Hector and bring him to me!” he demanded.
Leopold rushed down the embankment, scoping out the area near the woods—an unfortunate location to go searching, as without warning, an oversized, furry arm reached out and knocked him unconscious. He was hauled away and took his place next to Byron in the darkened tent.
Once Ghant was out of sight, Alister scrambled out from behind the chariot and found Stinky, Lark, Nigel, and Hector. “Hurry, head down there and get in the river,” he directed them. Ellis, who had not been part of the escape plan, was with them and followed eagerly, making the split-second decision to defect.
The river continued to swell and churn, and it began to form a protective wall. Alister could see Mudd at the river’s edge, helping others into the water. “Hurry, get in!” he called out.
Mudd shook his head. “I’ve got to help them, as many as I can, first.” He led a water buffalo calf into the river to safety, but when he heard Coddlefin yelling in the distance, he ducked into the brush, out of sight.
“Mudd, where are you?” Coddlefin mumbled almost deliriously. One of his pistols had run out of bullets and he chucked it to the ground.
The wolves, who had been watching over the river and lying in wait, saw him and crept out from the brush. The pack circled, hackles up, drawing in on him. The leader growled.
Coddlefin froze. Seeing his hesitation, the Messenger swooped down, flying at his face. The fish crow joined him, flapping his wings frantically and grabbing at him with his talons. “Mudd! Ghant!” he roared. He thrashed about, attempting to swat them away, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle on the uneven ground. He tumbled over.
The wolf leader was on him instantly, grabbing his leg in his mouth, biting down and holding him in place.
He screamed in pain. “Ghant!” he shrieked again when he saw him in the distance, coming his way.
Ghant came rushing toward him, firing warnings with his pistol when he saw the wolves, accidentally emptying his weapon.
The pack leader released his hold but stood his ground.
“Help me Ghant! Draw these filthy animals away, then get back to camp! Help Alister, Rikona, and Kano hold down the fort and retain order—you’re in charge until I return!”
“Yes, Sir!” Ghant grinned, then dashed off, leaving Coddlefin to his own fate.
“Wait! Help me first, you buffoon!” Coddlefin cursed at him. But Ghant was already gone.
As Coddlefin struggled, Graham, Elinora, Jamie, and Lina were making their way into the river, waiting for Tillie. She was standing at the river’s edge, scanning the shore for any more escapees before getting into the vortex. The water began to swell in preparation for the move down the river. Elinora kept her eyes on the shoreline, frantically searching for Alister.
Tillie was only somewhat obscured by the embankment and hadn’t noticed Coddlefin in the distance, but she did see Alister downriver in the opposite direction, helping a very old man into the water. “There he is!” she yelled.
“Hurry! We’ve been waiting for you!” Elinora called out to him.
“Tillie! It’s time to go, come on!” Graham yelled much louder.
Coddlefin heard Graham’s shout and recognized the name. Tillie. He looked up, scanning the riverbank from his position on the ground, and he saw her. He remembered the girl. Then he glanced to the river and saw Jamie, Lina, and Elinora—with his prized wolfhound. He bared his teeth. Suddenly, his reflexes returned, and with it, his rage. He stealthily pulled out the second pistol from his pocket and fired from a distance. “Tillie!” he roared.
The wolf snapped at his leg again and he shrieked.
Tillie turned with a start and Alister ducked down when he saw what was happening.
“Tillie, come on! Get out of there!” Jamie screamed.
But Coddlefin cocked his pistol again and pointed it at her. The wolf froze, afraid to provoke him. He stood up. “You did this!” he shouted.
Henry came bounding out of the water to Tillie’s side, flashing his teeth in warning. Wildflower followed and rushed past Tillie, charging at Coddlefin.
“Revolting creature, get out of the way!” He fired at her and she stopped her attack. He advanced slowly, limping in pain, but he was now close enough to easily hit any one of them with a bullet. “Call these ugly beasts off or I’ll kill all of you,” he barked at Tillie. He paused in thought. “Or—you can give yourself up and come with me, and the rest of them can run free like cowards. I don’t need them anyway.”
“Tillie!” Elinora cried out. “Don’t listen to him, just hurry and get in the water! Please!” she pleaded.
Coddlefin turned and trained his pistol on her.
“Elinora, it’s all right,” Tillie yelled calmly.
“I warned you last time, young lady, to never come near my circus again. And yet, you are here, helping to destroy all that I have created.” His eyes were bloodshot, he was sweating and lightheaded, and his leg was throbbing. But he was so consumed with rage that, despite his circus disintegrating before his very eyes, all he wanted now was revenge, to punish her, and her alone. He pointed the pistol again. “Call these filthy animals off me. Now!”
Tillie nodded at the wolves and they retreated, but stood protectively around Elinora, Lina, Graham, and Jamie.
Tillie’s eyes remained steely.
“You will pay for what you have done with the rest of your days on this earth, and your friends can’t help you,” Coddlefin said to her. “But if you come with me willingly, I’ll give you a consolation gift and I’ll leave them alone.” He turned to the others. “If you try to help her, I will shoot her right now!” he shouted at Elinora. “I will call my men over, and it will be the end of all of you. Stay back, and she will live.”
“Please, Tillie, don’t listen to him!” Lina begged.
She kept her eyes trained on Coddlefin, his cold gaze eating into her. “It’s all right, Lina. I’ll be fine. Stay with Henry and get his family and Wildflower into the vortex where it’s safe,” she said calmly. Silently, she conveyed to Henry and Wildflower. I will be right behind you. Make sure everyone gets to Kellandale and I will catch up down the river. Trust me, I can do this!
Wildflower ran her trunk along Tillie’s arm. Henry brushed against her, and she stroked his back. But they understood what she was planning and could feel her resolve. Then they reluctantly left her side and returned to the river.
With a start, Coddlefin’s gaze shifted behind Tillie to where Alister was creeping out from the undergrowth.
“Ah, perfect, grab her, Jeffries!” Coddlefin ordered.
But Alister didn’t obey.
“What are you going to do, chop off another one of my fingertips?” Tillie taunted as Alister moved closer to her.
Coddlefin lifted his pistol and pointed it at him. “You’re dead if you try to help her, son.”
He halted. He looked at Tillie, and then into the distance to Elinora.
“Alister, go. Get in the river with the others and help them,” Tillie whispered. “I’ll draw him off while you finish what we planned. I can jump in downriver and catch up. He’s too weak—I’m not even sure he can aim properly. I’ll be all right.”
Alister took a deep breath and put his head down.
She regarded him closely.
Then he peeked sideways at her and winked, quickly slipping something around her neck before raising his hands in the air. “All right, Boss, you win. She’s all yours. Be safe and hurry back,” he whispered to her before backing away.
Tillie reached down and clutched the monkey figurine. “It’s me he wants, Elinora. Go on home. Alister will stay with you,” she called out to her sister.
“Tillie, are you crazy!” She doubled over, crying hysterically. “You monster! Take me instead!” she screamed at Coddlefin.
Alister turned to her, a look of horror in his eyes. He shook his head.
“Elinora, no!” Tillie said, choking on her words. “All of you, hurry, get in the vortex, go on!”
At this, Elinora, Graham, Jamie, and Lina joined Henry, his family, and Wildflower in the rushing spiral of water; everyone was crying.
“Aw, don’t worry, she’ll be just fine. I have good things planned for her,” Coddlefin tutted them as he shuffled closer to Tillie. He grabbed his throbbing leg.
Alister stepped into the river and plowed through the waves, rushing to Elinora’s side. He took her hand in his and she grabbed it. “It’ll be all right, she’s going to draw him off. She’s planning to jump in down river. He can’t catch her; he can barely move,” he whispered. Elinora closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
Tillie quickly surveyed the area, searching for the best exit. Then she eyed Coddlefin’s pistol; it shook under his unsteady hand. She smiled. “All right then, but you’re going to have to catch me first!” she said, then sprinted into the woods along the edge of the river.
He fired erratically, then hobbled after her as fast as he could. He, too, disappeared into the forest.
Just then the river began to swell. “I hope she knows what she’s doing,” Jamie said. His eyes were red rimmed and filled with tears.
Elinora suddenly let go of Alister’s hand. “Oh, no you don’t, not without me, you bloody Queen of Mischief!” she shouted at Tillie, fighting the current and sprinting back to shore.
“Elinora, wait! I’ll come with you!” Alister shouted above the roaring water. Henry howled sorrowfully. “Stay here boy, stay with your family.” He turned to Graham, Lina, and Jamie. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect her,” he said to them, then he chased after her, catching her hand again.
She stopped at the water’s edge and turned to him. “Alister, I can’t let Tillie do this alone, I just can’t. You understand, don’t you? Stay here with the others. Please, I know you can protect them. Go with them, help them however you can. I won’t be gone long, and I will see you in Kellandale.” She threw her arms around him.
He hugged her back. “Promise me,” he said. She nodded and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Be careful, Elinora,” he said, his chest pounding. He fought back tears. “Promise me again you and Tillie won’t get hurt.”
She squeezed tighter. She, too, was crying. “I promise.” She turned to the water. “Henry, help Alister watch over everyone!” Then she pushed away and ran.
“Elinora!” Alister yelled once more as she raced into the woods.
Monkey came bursting out of the river, following her, then vanished into the distance.
The river began to swirl with frenetic energy. Jamie, Graham, Lina, and Henry were pulled into the center of the vortex with the others, and they, along with half the circus, were engulfed in a wall of water. They grabbed on to each other as waves came crashing down around them. Jamie yelped as water battered his face and body.
“Alister!” Nigel yelled. “Don’t you dare get left behind!”
“Alister, hurry!” Lina called out.
He glanced back at the woods one last time, but Elinora was long gone. He turned toward the others, fighting the current, but it was too powerful. Just then a piercing whinny came from the direction of the camp. He stopped and turned.
Wildflower burst out of the river, racing back up the embankment toward the horse’s call of distress.
Nigel, Stinky, and Lark came out of the water, too. Together they chased after Wildflower.
Alister turned back to the river. “Wildflower is trying to help Alexander. I can’t leave them behind!” he shouted. “Nigel, Stinky, Lark, and I will stay back with the others who are stuck here until we can bring them to Kellandale. Tell Elinora I will find a way there as fast as I can. Go now!”
“Alister!” Jamie’s muffled voice rose above the rushing water; within seconds the spiraling vortex washed downriver with a rush.
Alister turned and hurried away.
When he reached the camp, Wildflower had already been surrounded and was bound in shackles. Thankfully, his hand in the escape had not been exposed. “Well then, looks like everything is under control here,” he said to Rikona and Kano, discretely wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’ll just look after this one,” he said moving over to Wildflower.
Oliver appeared from the tent when he heard Alister’s voice. He had been cut off from the river and had missed his chance to escape, so he had stayed hidden. Alister winked at him and he heaved a sigh of relief. Nigel, Stinky, and Lark were there, too, and he took his place next to all of them.
A moment later Ghant reappeared and sauntered over. “Make sure no one else gets away,” he ordered no one in particular. He turned to Alister when he noticed him. “In case you didn’t hear, Alice, the boss put me in charge until he gets back, and who knows when that will be—if ever. So, for the time being, Coddlefin’s show is my show, and you will do as I say.” He grinned in a way that looked more like he was baring teeth, then spit on the ground and fiddled with his pistol, glancing at the river. While he had been searching for Hector he had caught a glimpse of a large, shadowy figure in the water. And with the water swirling around it unnaturally like that...he thought about what Coddlefin had sent them into the forest to find, time and time again, and his wheels began to turn.
Off in the woods, Elinora had skirted out of sight from Coddlefin and eventually overtook Tillie from the side.
She was taken by surprise, but she grabbed Elinora’s hand and kept moving. Together they dashed through the forest, ducking through the underbrush, leading Coddlefin astray as the river serpent and half the circus advanced downriver.
He trailed from behind. His pupils were dilated, his hair dampened and plastered to his head. Now and then he let out a guttural sound. He could see Tillie was running with someone else now, just ahead—too far for his pistol to be of use, yet close enough to continue giving them chase, and so he relentlessly continued to follow.
“Hurry! He’s coming!” Elinora yelled, and they raced on.
Finally, an all too familiar bridge came into view. Beyond it they could see Sir William’s tower rising in the sky. Tillie was breathing hard and stooped over to catch her breath.
“Quick! We can jump in over there!” Elinora gasped.
A rush of sound came from the river, roaring like the engine of an oncoming train. They turned to see as the vortex of water washed past them, the Iveria and the Lady of the Forest carrying everyone back to safety.
Coddlefin jumped out from behind and fired his gun in the air, startling them both. At once he was on them, grabbing Tillie by the arm and pulling her toward him.
Elinora ran toward the edge of the bridge, stopping when she heard her sister scream.
Tillie struggled, trying to free herself from his steely clutches, but he was much stronger than she expected him to be, his rage transformed into sheer brute force. She jerked her arm back, fighting against his tight grasp. “What are you going to do, kill me?” she shouted. “Your adoring crowd would love to find out you’re a cruel, murderous man, wouldn’t they?”
“No, no, you misunderstand, I’m not going to kill you,” he replied evenly, jabbing the pistol into her side to keep Elinora back. “I have much better plans than that. I think it would be far more useful, and rather poetic, if you joined my little family. You will be coming back with me to make up for my losses. Your little accomplice can come, too. It will be splendid. The first order of business will be to pay a visit to my medical staff; they will do a little cleanup on you—some, shall we call them, alterations.” He laughed. “Maybe I will have them take your nose off, or maybe your earlobes this time...and obviously your annoying tongue. You’ll become hideous and mute, unable to yell. The perfect new specimen. What shall I call you? The Earless...no, the Tongue-less Wonder. Perhaps. I’ll have to work on the name first.” He smiled broadly. “We certainly have room for new acquisitions.”
Tillie struggled again. “Amazing Feats,” she snorted. “You try to impress everyone with your bizarre, grotesque ideas. But how many have had to suffer for this? You think everyone adores you?”
He waited to hear more.
Elinora glanced down at the hilt slung around Tillie’s hip.
“Your circus might be extraordinary. But you’re not. It’s all lies, and you’re a liar! Your crowds are silly and stupid for believing in you, and they are ridiculous to not look beyond the lies and realize you’re a crooked, cruel man. Your journal? I read every word. Now that you’ve lost half your circus everyone will see how rotten and wicked you really are,” she said without breaking her stare. “Your own circus fled from you, that’s how much you’re hated. You’re a joke, did you know that? Except you’re not even funny at all.”
Coddlefin would never willingly give Tillie the satisfaction of knowing her words affected him deeply, that he was exploding with rage because of them. But the veins in his neck bulged and sweat dripped from his forehead involuntarily, betraying his innermost thoughts. He trembled and his blackened saucer-eyes returned.
Tillie looked at him and spit, and he flinched, just as Mudd burst forth from the woods, distracting them all.
Coddlefin had been unaware of Mudd’s role in the escape, but considering all he had done to him, he wasn’t sure where he stood. But he saw he had a gun. “Ah, splendid. Shoot the other one first, Ira,” he ordered.
“Oh, it’s Ira again, is it? I thought I was Wildman,” Mudd said, dropping the hand that was holding the pistol.
Coddlefin turned a cold eye to him. “You were part of this, weren’t you?” His face turned purple. “I’ll kill you all!” he screamed, lunging at Mudd and releasing his hold on Tillie. She pulled away and tried to run, but he quickly snagged her by the hand and took aim at her again. She stopped squirming when she heard him cock the pistol.
Mudd, anticipating such a move, jumped in between the two of them, intending to knock the pistol out of Coddlefin’s hand. But he was a split second too late.
Coddlefin fired three times, and in the commotion, Mudd took a bullet. He shrieked in pain and stumbled back; Coddlefin shoved him into the river, and he was immediately washed away in the rough current.
In that same instant, Monkey jumped out of the brush, distracting Coddlefin and allowing Elinora to grab Tillie’s dagger. Coddlefin turned to confront the hulking figure, but Monkey sprang at him, pressing his face into Coddlefin’s. He growled and the vibration shook the ground.
Coddlefin lurched back, reeling from the sound, though he managed to keep his pistol trained on Tillie, desperate and single minded on exacting revenge upon her. He fired again. Tillie screamed, and with all her might, Elinora heaved the tiny jade dagger toward him.
It connected.
He dropped his pistol and grabbed his shoulder, the searing pain taking him to his knees. Monkey charged again, and this time his massive head collided into Coddlefin’s belly with great force. They toppled backwards, and both went over side of the bridge. As Coddlefin fell his head knocked against the edge of the bridge. Then with a splash he hit the water and was pulled into the surging wake of the vortex.
“We need to get out of here!” Elinora screamed in a panic, looking over the edge, searching for him. When there was no answer, she glanced back at Tillie.
She stumbled into Elinora, collapsing into her arms. They, too, tumbled over the edge of the bridge and plunged into the mighty Iveria, drifting back to Kellandale together.