“Nonsense.” He huffed. “Earl and I will accompany you until you’ve met up with your long-lost friends.”

  Unease ate at my insides, but what choice did I have? And they were right. It would be better to travel with others. I didn’t even know where to start looking for the circus. The desire to find Ben, Liam, and Sebastian sang through me. I couldn’t waste time going in circles or journeying to the next town only to find I’d gone the wrong way.

  “All right.” I squared my shoulders.

  “Excellent. Earl, let’s take this young lady to her friend.”

  “Friends,” I interjected.

  “Of course, of course.” He grinned, but it didn’t brighten his eyes at all. “Call me Fred and this is Earl.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I dipped into a quick curtsey and stumbled forward a step, my body threatened to heave forward. That went better than I thought as I didn’t land on my face. Many times, I’d seen women at the edge of town do the move and it had looked easy.

  “This way.” Fred gestured with a wave of his hand.

  A feeling that this was wrong sprang up inside me. “Don’t you want to know my name?”

  Fred blinked at me like I’d said the sky was yellow. Then he schooled his features. “How rude of me. Yes, what is your name?”

  “Pearl.”

  His response didn’t lessen the unease wrapping around my middle. Ben, Liam, and Sebastian had been eager to know my name, yet these two appeared like they couldn’t care less. Perhaps I was reading into things. It was high noon and the sun hung overhead. I hadn’t eaten since last night. Hunger could be making me distrustful of others when I had no rational reason to be.

  “I suppose you’re hungry?” Earl asked.

  “How did you guess?” I asked the shorter man.

  “I can always tell when some poor creature needs food.” He pulled out a chunk of bread and cooked meat. “Gone without myself too many times to count.”

  “Thank you.” I took the bread and tore off a bite offering it back to him but he shook his head. In silence, we walked until storm clouds darkened the sky.

  “Looks like a storm. Let’s find shelter before it pours down on us.” Fred scanned the area. “Looks like a cave up ahead. Let me make sure no critters is in there. You two stay here.”

  I sat down, grateful for the chance to rest. We’d been walking for ages it seemed. Earl handed me the water canister and I drank deeply.

  “How long before we make it back to the circus?” I asked. Hadn’t realized how far I’d run last night. What if we didn’t catch them in time?

  “Should be there early tomorrow, I bet. Even if we have to wait out the storm.” He turned away from me.

  A few minutes later, Fred returned. “The cave looks abandoned. It’s small but has a high roof overhead so we can have a fire to keep us warm until the storm passes.”

  That was good news. I followed him and rubbed my arms against a chill that kept sweeping through me.

  Chapter 11

  Inside the cave, I shared a cooked rabbit with Earl and Fred. Neither spoke much as the storm bellowed outside. This felt like an all-nighter rain. One that as a tree, I’d have adored. It would’ve been so much water that all of my leaves would’ve been satisfied even.

  Smoke billowed along the high cave wall, then drifted outside to join with the rain. Fred and Earl curled up into separate balls on the cave floor and in moments were asleep. Their deep breathing echoing off the walls and merging with the pounding rain.

  I crept up to the low roaring fire. Its head making me want to instantly recoil. But I needed to cover up the gash in my cheek since we were meeting up with the circus tomorrow. I grasped Earl’s water can, the metal giving me a slightly warped view of my face, then I drifted closer to the flames. Heat pulsed at me and I swallowed. Any minute a spark could fly out. My flesh would burn without hesitation. I didn’t want to die—especially not by fire—I wanted to live my life for my loved ones and myself.

  My hand trembled as I reached out and grasped a stick. I pulled it from the fire pit. A flame danced log the length of it. Balancing the metal canister in one hand, I let out a breath, then pressed the end of the lit stick to my gash. Pain shot through my entire face and I jerked the fire away. I panted, pressing my fingertips to the searing wound.

  A glance over my shoulder proved that the two men were still asleep. I lifted the water canister to inspect the result. Only a black blob showed. At least the gash was partially disguised, but I needed to make it into something decorative rather than an oblong smudge.

  Carefully, I picked up the burning stick again, this time staring as I placed it against one side and another. I gritted my teeth from the pain and terror that laced through my face at each brush of the flame. I had to do this. If I didn’t, people would realize I wasn’t human. Word would get out and back to the Puppet-Maker. Even though I’d only known him a short time, I knew he’d never let me go.

  Earl shifted with a groan in his sleep and my hand hovered in the air, a fraction from my face. But his snoring returned. I put the final burn to my wound and inspected my work. A small, black heart now completely covered the gash from the whip.

  The thunder quieted in the distance while the rain moved to a trickle. It was pitch dark outside the cave. I wasn’t tired. Didn’t know if it was because I had been a tree or that the magic that kept me alive made it where I didn’t need sleep.

  I stepped out into the darkness, rubbing my arms from the night’s chill. Funny how I felt human in so many ways. Yet, in others, I felt completely foreign. Like I was half-alive. Half a person. My body needed water and food like every other living thing in Underland. I got cold or hot. Fire hurt me. Except, I wasn’t tired. But I’d slept after falling in the woods when Ben and Liam had found me. Was I more alive when I was with them?

  A different kind of heat rolled through me at the memory of my Ferris wheel ride with Liam and Sebastian.

  Yes. I felt more alive and human when I was with them than even when the fire scorched my face. And I wanted that back. Wanted to be with them more than anything.

  And I wanted to show them that I was a fighter. That I wasn’t afraid of anything except losing them. Which meant mastering the whip so that I didn’t have to worry about the backlash of it showing the men that I wasn’t fully human.

  I could do that. It would just take practice. Even though I didn’t have the whip with me, I could make do. I scavenged the area until I found a long vine that appeared to be the same weight. Carefully, tore off the leaves one by one.

  “Thank you for your sacrifice,” I whispered as I worked, but my conscious was clear. This hadn’t been part of a plant or tree, it had died days ago.

  I stood, testing out the vine. It was a bit firmer than the whip. I could make it work still. I pulled at the end to make it tapered. Best I could do for a makeshift whip.

  Making sure I was well enough away from the cave where I wouldn’t disturb Earl and Fred, I practiced cracking the vine. Often I was struck in the face or arm for my trouble. I kept trying the rest of the night until the sun rose and the two men called out for me.

  The vine gave me comfort in my hand, so I rolled it up, and tucked it in my short, frilly skirt. Static skipped across my skin as I hiked back to them.

  Earl’s shoulders relax when he sees me, but Fred spun around, his face a mask of anger.

  “Where the hell were you?” At my flinch, his features soften. “Sorry, I-I was just very worried about you.”

  Something in his gaze gives me pause. It’s not warmth or even concern but a calculation. Is he figuring out how long we need to travel now to reach the circus?

  “How long before we reach my friends?”

  He blinked hard before scratching the back of his neck. “The storm delayed us some. Should reach them before dusk if we leave within the hour.”

  “As soon as you both are ready, I will be.” Though I wanted to leave now. I wanted to run and leap and do whatever I could to get to Ben, Liam, and Sebastian. If I didn’t need these two for directions, I’d have walked during the dead of night to get back to the circus.

  Both men seemed to move slower than a sloth hanging from a tree. Surely an hour had passed as they gathered up their belongings, refilled their water canisters, doused the few embers that flickered among the soot and various other tasks that made me clench my teeth.

  Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Let me know when we can leave. I’m going down the hill there.”

  “That’s too far.” Fred’s brow pinched and he took a step toward me.

  “It’s downwind, so I’ll be able to hear you when you cal

  “No.” Fred glances around as though he’s expecting something or someone to jump out of the bushes.

  Defeat squeezes my heart in a vise. I’ll scream if I have to stay in this cave any longer. Like a snare that wrapped tighter and tighter the more an animal struggles.

  “What if you need help?” Earl asked, his tone softer than Fred’s had been as he leaned heavily on his cane.

  “I’m pretty fast.” My smile made my cheeks hurt, but I couldn’t stay another second with them unless we were headed out.

  “I’m not sure about this. What if someone grabs you before you’re able to call out?” Fred shook his head. “Too risky.”

  My breath comes out in a huff. “Why aren’t we leaving? It’s not raining and we’re losing daylight.”

  “Didn’t I tell you last night?” Fred shook his head. “We’ve got a ride coming to take us. Beats walking the whole way into town. That’s miles from here. Besides, we’ll cover the trip in a shorter time.”

  “Then why aren’t they here yet?”

  “The rain must have slowed them as it did us.” Fred shrugged. “They’ll be here soon. Trust me.”

  “Fine. Then I’m going down the hill for a change of scenery.” If I stayed one more minute in this cave I would scream.

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “How about I watch after her?” Earl cleared his throat. “She can go down a ways and I’ll stay a few feet from her. You’ll hear my wail if anything happens.”

  Fred’s glare takes in me and Earl. “Fine. Don’t go too far.”

  Before either can change their mind, I take off down the path. At least, for now, I could practice with the vine until the ride came and Fred was ready to go. Something told me that we won’t leave for another hour or more.

  And all I could think of as I struck out the vine at a target was that I’d moved farther away from Ben, Liam, and Sebastian rather than getting closer.

  Chapter 12

  By now, I was getting so good with the vine that I could knock off small rocks I’d set up as target practice. Every once in a while, I’d glance over my shoulder at Earl, he hadn’t moved since we came down the hill. His form leaned against a pine tree with one bent branch that hung lower than the rest. He snored softly, stirring in his sleep occasionally.

  I was tired of waiting for Fred to say it was time to travel. After I tucked the vine away again, I marched up to Earl and lightly kicked his worn, leather boot.

  “Wha—what?” He stuttered.

  “Enough stalling, we leave now.” I marched up the path to Earl. The sun was nearly overhead and we hadn’t moved an inch from where we’d slept last night. I didn’t know what was going on, but it stopped now.

  I didn’t find Fred outside and figured he was in the cave snoozing as Earl had been. Did these two even know which direction the circus left? Why lie to me though? They hadn’t tried to harm me or drag me off somewhere.

  No, we’d stayed here like they were waiting for something or someone.

  As I entered the cave, my skin pebbled at a charge in the air. This was a mistake. All of my muscles tensed at a figure in the back of the cave. Darkness at the back of the cave concealed Fred from my view but he appeared hunched over, counting something.

  A gold coin rolled across the dirt floor toward me. The sun was blocked out as Earl entered the cave. Except his shadow elongated as he drifted closer. His scent hit me then. Woodsmoke and the various sap, a tree’s lifeblood.

  Puppet-Master.

  I spun, my hand going to my vine-whip. It wouldn’t hurt him but maybe it would startle him enough for me to get past.

  His sneer made my heart still. One hand was on the magic book and the other stretched out toward me. My body froze. I couldn’t move my legs or arms. Even my fingertips refused to obey the shouts in my head. The whip was a fraction away but it might as well be a hundred yards from me.

  It was as if I still had strings attached to all of my body that the Puppet-Maker now controlled. I couldn’t move unless he tugged or released on my bonds. Horror slammed into me. I tried to scream, to yell for help but I couldn’t even squeak out a sound.

  He pushed deeper into the cave. His mouth twisting into a harsh smirk. “Do you know how many days I’ve searched for you? How much of my treasures I had to sell to buy trackers to find you and hold you until I got here?”

  His tone promised punishment. It was the same when he’d burned my ankle and then shoved his member into me. If the magic he held over me didn’t keep me from moving, I’d have collapsed onto the ground as hard as my legs shook.

  “What am I to do with you?” He strode forward, walking in a tight circle around me. “My naughty puppet.”

  He clicked his tongue and stopped in front of me. His fingers grasped my chin, yanking my face up to look at him. He turned me to the side. “Looks like whoever gave you these clothes also punished you for what transgression?”

  Even if I could speak, I’d have refused to answer him. No way would I give him any information about Ben, Liam or Sebastian. If he hacked up a woman to make me, what would he do to them?

  Inside, rage and fear twisted like a knife to my chest. No matter what happened to me, at least they would be safe as long as the puppet-master didn’t learn about them.

  “Though we need to get you out of these harlot clothes first. Can’t have you wandering all the way home naked. Where did you get these vile things?” He pinched the edge of the fabric on my corset that covered my breasts.

  Something unlocked in my jaw. “I-I stole them.”

  Earl shuffled into the cave, avoiding my gaze.

  “That true? What did she tell you both?” The puppet-master asked.

  “Nothing,” Earl answered.

  Which he might have believed if Fred hadn’t said at the same time, “She kept talking about her friend at the circus.”

  The puppet-master laughed, the sound filling the cave. “Circus? And here I thought you’d sailed across the seas into one of the other realms or even earth.” He shook his head and tossed a bag of coins to Earl. “Thank you both for detaining her. I didn’t think it would take me this long to get here from the docks. She can be quite a handful.”

  “And she’s just a wooden doll?” Earl didn’t open the bag, but tucked it into his pocket. “She seems so real…life-like.”

  Before I could answer. Warn Earl not to question too much or shout out that the puppet-master had stuffed me with a human woman’s dead heart, something clamped my mouth tight.

  “Of course.” He smiled so much the wrinkles appeared in the corners of his eyes. “I mark all my dolls with the same insignia on their ankles.”

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two dolls and a knife. “It’s my family’s crest. A twirling vine.” He showed the same mark engraved on the items.

  “Take off her left boot and you’ll find it.”

  Earl nodded like he believed him, but shuffled forward.

  “Oh come on,” Fred grumbled, finally rising from the cave floor. “Let’s leave these two. What does it matter as long as we have the gold?”

  “It matters to me.” He bent down, unbuckling my boot. The burn mark still visible as it had been since the day I’d received it.

  “You see, old fool?” Fred patted his bag of gold. “Now let’s go before the last ship leaves for the day.”

  “We must take our leave as well.” The puppet-maker bowed his head. “Come along, doll.”

  Against my will, my legs bent, my feet marching in step with his. I screamed inside with all my strength to stop. To do anything but go with him, but I couldn’t control my limbs.

  Earl’s whispered echoed through the cave, “Her having the same mark doesn’t prove anything. If she wanted to go back with him, why was she so desperate to find the circus?”

  “Don’t concern yourself with silly questions,” Fred snapped.

  “I just think we should wait and find out more before we let him take her.”

  Without a word, the puppet-master whirled and my body followed his movement. The knife he’d shown the men whizzed through the air and struck Earl in the chest. The man wheezed out a breath.

  He fell to the ground and clutched his chest. Blood oozed from the wound.

  No!

  “Is there a problem?” The puppet-master looked from Earl to Fred.

  For a moment, I thought the fox-like man was going to say something or attack. But he did neither. He merely knelt down and removed Fred’s coin bag, then stood.

  “No issues. Nice doing business with you.” He gave us a wide berth and exited the cave.

  “Let this be a lesson to you, doll.” The puppet-master turned away from Earl’s grunts. “Everyone has a price. And you are mine. I will never let you go again. Not now, not ever. I control you and everything you do.”

  We hiked up the path to a horse tethered to a tree. Each step taking me further and further away from freedom. Away from Ben, Liam, and Sebastian. But at least this way they’d be safe.

  As we mounted the horse, the Puppet-Master’s arms circling around me, my tears fell down my face. He could control my body but he couldn’t make my heart or my mind yield to him.

 

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