The Ladies of the Secret Circus Constance Sayers (e books free to read .TXT) š
- Author: Constance Sayers
Book online Ā«The Ladies of the Secret Circus Constance Sayers (e books free to read .TXT) šĀ». Author Constance Sayers
āWellā¦ā Marla laughed sadly, looking down at the courtyard. āIn gazing up at him for approval, I forgot my step and we fell in front of everyone. You have to understand that it was difficult when we fellāwe didnāt exactly move together as one unit, so we struggled on the ground for what seemed like a long, long time. At first, no one moved a muscle. Then the Doros and Hugo came to help us, lifting us back on our feet while Madame Plutard ran to get our chair. Iāll never forget the look on his face, Cecile. It is bored into my memory forever, and it fuels me. Iām so sorry you canāt recall it, because if you did, youād despise him as I do. He was repulsed by his own children,ā said Marla. Small sobs erupted from her, and she stopped speaking until she could regain her composure. āHe told Madame Plutard that from then on we were to be wheeled to him in a chair, covered with a blanket, like dolls in a carriage.ā
Everyone was silent. Lara found the story so horrible, so shocking that she couldnāt breathe. āIām so sorry, EsmĆ©.ā Lara spoke, her voice breaking. āWhat he did to you was simply unspeakable. Iām so terribly, terribly sorry.ā
āThank you, Lara. I appreciate that,ā said Marla. āSoon after the incident, he decided, against the advice of everyone, to cut us in two. It was a terrible thing to endure, Cecile. The pain was unbearable.ā Marla closed her eyes as her body tremored. āEven with magic, we barely survived. You were the worst. Your screams were so loud that Madame Plutard begged Father to take your pain away. So he did. The problem was that the enchantment required fealty, so one of us had to remember to keep the spell up. From then on, I had to keep the illusion of us inside Le Cirque Secret going. But even I made the grave mistake of forgetting that it was all an enchantment.ā Her voice trailed. āRemember when he sent me to the White Forest, Cecile? Oh, of course you do, you tattled on me like some spoiled brat. Do you know what they do to you in the White Forest? There are no illusions there. Dumped off there and separated from you, I crawled on my belly for three days across the forest floor. Defenseless, I had to fend for myself against all kinds of creatures. I ate twigs and sucked on leaves. I recall wondering what I had done to have our Father hate me so much.
āFinally, I got to the gate at Le Palace Noir, thinking I would be safe. I didnāt know then that the other daemons look down on cambions like us, so I was tortured. I endured unspeakable things, until Lucifer found out and put a stop to it. No matter what anyone says about him, Iāll always be grateful to Lucifer. He sent me back to the circus and rebuked Father horribly. Until Iād heard the gossip in the palace, I didnāt know that the other daemons loathe our father.ā
āI never forgave myself for what happened to you.ā Lara could feel Cecileās sobs, causing her own heart to race.
āWell, weāre even. I never forgave you, either.ā Marlaās voice was hollow. The story had taken its toll on everyone, yet it hadnāt made Cecile more empathetic to her sister.
Lara could feel Cecileās anger, mixed with shame, heating up inside her. āIt wasnāt my fault, EsmĆ©,ā spat Cecile. āI didnāt know. It wasnāt my fault that Father placed that unfair burden on you. You cannot blame me for something I didnāt know. And youāre wrong about Ćmile. Father enchanted the painting so youād love him. I gave him up for you.ā
āYouāre wrong,ā said Marla. āHe would have chosen me, if not for you being pregnant with Margot.ā
Marla had walked around behind Ben, and Lara instinctively knew what she was maneuvering to do. She was about to hit him over the head with the shovel. Ben knew it, too, and squirmed and twisted, but inside that hole he was a sitting duck.
āWe didnāt want to be separated from each other. We begged him not to do it. Madame Plutard went to the White Forest for throwing herself on us to try to stop him. Each fortnight the circus ran, I had to kill a man to keep up the illusion he wanted. I had to do whatever was required to get them near. When I first started killing, we were ten and Iād feign being hurt. I felt bad because it was always the kind ones who came over. Then as I got older it wasnāt the kind ones. Yet our father didnāt care about me. He didnāt care about us. Once, I asked if we could send you instead. Just for one night. Do you know what he said? āCecile couldnāt bear it.ā All because you looked like our mother.ā Marla laughed.
Something occurred to Cecile. āIt was you who sent the mirror to me, wasnāt it? I thought it was a trickāsome poor creature was trapped in there.ā
āThat poor creature in the mirror of truth was you, my dear. Thatās why we couldnāt be drawn. We werenāt real. Like the way you
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