The Circus Infinitus - Embers from a Fallen Star Read online

  “No gossip,” Icarus snapped. “Just tell me where they took him.”

  “There can only be one place, I imagine,” the second man replied. “Lockwood Asylum.”

  Chapter 3: Escape from Lockwood Asylum

  “Icarus, why are you being so mysterious?” asked an exasperated Arachnora. “You know I don’t like secrets. And it’s getting close to midnight!”

  She cast Icarus an angry glare from her perch atop the bonnet of the Automotivator. For many minutes they had sat looking past the iron-wrought front gates of Lockwood Asylum at the squat building. It was late at night and the silence of the grounds was occasionally broken by the muffled sound made by someone from inside, whether it be screaming, laughing or crying. The light cast from the lamps on to the stone walls of the building gave a golden glow to an otherwise cold-looking and forbidding facade. Drifts of leaves lay piled on the ground, with more falling from the branches of trees which lined the street.

  “You are here, Arachnora, to find the gentleman who claims to cure memories. It’s as simple as that,” said Icarus evenly, although with each word, his voice seemed to have grown more strained. “Then, we are taking him with us.”

  “You don’t even know what he looks like.”

  “I’ve told you what he looks like. Those men gave a good description of him. Go up there, and find him!”

  “I’m not yours to order around, Icarus!” she said as she scuttled across the street to the walled enclosure. Her shadow mingled with those of the trees, their movements played out on the wall. She disappeared over the wall and after some minutes, Icarus could see her scale the side of the building, her bloated belly hanging like a water-filled balloon as her thin strong legs pulled her up to the nearest window. Holding on to the bars outside the window, she stole a peek inside. She did this at every window she went to, her movements precise, calculated and cautious.

  Kenneth Monckton lay in bed. He stared at the writing on the wall near the bedpost. It was a little thing he wrote, and every night before he slept, he stared at it. Outside, two pairs of hands gripped the iron bars and a dark shape passed over the window unnoticed by him to settle near the bottom-left corner of the pane.

  Arachnora recognised the mole and the moustache from Icarus’s description. She signalled to Icarus to inform him of her find. The lights from the Automotivator flared up and the vehicle moved to just outside the gates of the asylum. The engine whirred softly and puffs of smoke and steam twisted in the air. There was a sudden sound as of gears shifting and pulling, and the Automotivator underwent a transformation; legs and arms appeared and the vehicle stood up wearing human form. It clambered over the walls of the asylum, each movement resounding with the discordant clang of grating metal. Arachnora turned around and tiny filaments of spider silk twirled around the bars of the window. The fine cords twined and fused until they formed a bigger cord as thick as a rope. Without a word, she pushed off and propelled across the air to land on the shoulder of the human-shaped Automotivator.

  “Here,” she said in a surly tone, severing the cord at the tip of her bloated belly.

  The hand of the Automotivator grabbed the end of the cord, and after winding it a few times, began to pull. The cord turned taut and the bars erupted from their supports, bringing a rain of dust and debris to the ground. Arachnora and Icarus paused, waiting so see if anybody heard them. When nothing happened, Arachnora returned to the building towards Kenneth’s window.

  When Kenneth heard the noise, he looked up, eyes wide in alarm. He lay motionless not knowing what to do but after a while, he mustered the courage to scramble to the window to investigate. There, he almost lost his footing as a face appeared suddenly. It was a woman with a demonic countenance, and he groaned in fear and ran back to his bed. He then saw at first, a pair of hands, and then, another pair working to lift the window. The squeaking of the window pane grinding against the frame sent shivers down his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut.

  “Come to the window,” the demon called to him, but he would not listen.

  “You have to come,” Arachnora repeated, but the man shook his head stubbornly and plugged his ears with his fingers.

  “Icarus,” Arachnora hissed. “You have to get in. He won’t come out and I can’t squeeze through the window.”

  Icarus left the Automotivator and clambered up the wall to Kenneth’s window using a cord of spider silk Arachnora sent down to him, cursing under his breath. There was enough space to allow him to just scrape through, and even then the sound of the window pane rubbing against his metal parts sounded too harsh and loud to him. Once inside, he headed towards Kenneth, who still lay with his eyes shut and his ears plugged.

  Kenneth almost jumped when he felt the cold metal touch his skin. He let out a loud expulsion of breath and tried to fight off the intruder.

  “Calm down, man,” said Icarus. “You’re coming with us.”

  “Demons. You two. You must be friends of his,” he said, quaking like an animal. And then, he began screaming for his jailer.

  “Shut up!” Icarus hissed, covering Kenneth’s mouth with one hand and cuffing the side of his head with the other. “Listen! You think we’re demons. Then you’re not far off the mark,” he whispered into Kenneth’s ear. “And do you know what demons do?”

  When no reply came, Icarus said, “Demons torment and torture. Do you want that to happen to you?”

  Kenneth shook his head.

  “Then you have to do everything we tell you to do. Do you understand?”

  Kenneth nodded.

  “Then shut up!”

  Kenneth kept his mouth closed, all the while keeping his eyes on the wall where the writing was. Arachnora followed the line of his sight and noticed what appeared to be a smudge near the bed.

  “What’s that Icarus, near the bedpost?” she asked.

  Icarus leaned in and noticed the writings.

  “It’s a poem. Here, listen.

  Embers from a fallen star

  Scatter across a speckled sky

  Into the corners of an unknowing world

  With wisdom from on high

  “Did you write this?” he asked Kenneth, who nodded. “You seem lucid enough if you wrote this. You’re not completely witless, are you?” Then he grabbed Kenneth’s shoulder, dragged him to the window and ordered him out.

  Arachnora helped pull Kenneth out the window and carried him down to the Automotivator. Icarus trailed in their wake on the same cord he had used to climb up. The engines of the Automotivator still hummed softly as they climbed inside and strapped Kenneth to the seat. Arachnora took her place beside Kenneth while Icarus resumed his position in the driver’s seat. He pushed some buttons and pulled some levers and the Automotivator started to move back to the wall.

  A dark shape fluttered by, fast as quicksilver, causing Icarus to pause. It moved so silently and stealthily that Icarus thought that perhaps he imagined it. But a sense of foreboding descended on him, and the quiet of the night only served to amplify it.

  “Icarus, why have you stopped?” asked Arachnora.

  Before Icarus could answer, there was a loud snapping sound and a tree came flying through the air towards them. Its branches cracked as it hit the Automotivator, which lost its balance and stumbled to the ground. Moments afterwards, lights came on in the windows above them. A face appeared at a window. The man, presumably the administrator of Lockwood Asylum, looked out in alarm at the sight of the tree lying on the grounds of the asylum and the metallic contraption spewing smoke and steam.

  “You have betrayed me, Icarus,” the Ringmaster shouted. He stood atop the wall with his cloak billowing behind him. Kenneth gibbered when he saw the Ringmaster, and struggled against the straps holding him.

  “Arachnora, get him out of here,” said Icarus flicking his head in the direction of Kenneth. On seeing Arachnora’s expression, he said, “No questions. Not now. Just get him to safety.”

  She emerged from the Automotivator with Kenneth in
tow, her expression a mix of anger and confusion. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Ringmaster, what’s the meaning of this?” she demanded.

  “Arachnora, step aside,” the Ringmaster said coolly.

  “No,” she said. “I have had enough of this. I am not a puppet to be played between the two of you. I will not step aside, Ringmaster, and Icarus, my assistance to you is ended.”

  The Ringmaster descended from his spot on the wall and glided through the air towards Arachnora and the Automotivator. His trailing cloak flared open and he looked like a bat which had taken wing. Kenneth fell to his knees and scrabbled to hide behind Arachnora. The Ringmaster ignored them and went straight for Icarus although as he passed, he turned his head slightly to cast a cold glance in Kenneth’s direction. Landing a small distance away, the Ringmaster turned his mind towards the tree and lifted it off the ground. The Automotivator struggled slowly to its feet. The tree swung in the air and pummelled the Automotivator repeatedly. A crackling lightning bolt shot out of the side and set one of the branches on fire. Golden flames painted the grounds in warm hues as more bolts sizzled past.

  Screams from inside the building could now be heard. The flaming tree and the Automotivator continued their clash. The glass from one of the windows shattered under the impact of the tree. The Automotivator grabbed one end of the trunk and tore bits of it off. The tree flew out of its grasp and came flying back like a battering ram. It hit the Automotivator squarely in the chest, pushing it into the wall of the building. Cracks appeared from the impact, rings upon rings radiating from the epicentre of crumbling stone.

  Arachnora could see Icarus struggling inside between working the controls and hurling bolts. The Ringmaster stood to one side, in mastery over his newly increased abilities, triumphing over Icarus. There was a look of elation on his face.

  “Ringmaster! Stop!” shouted Arachnora.

  A jet of spider silk shot through the air and enveloped the Ringmaster’s face. The sticky substance wound itself around his features, gumming the Ringmaster’s lids and mouth shut. He doubled over trying to tear the substance off. It was a tiny moment of distraction, but it was all that Icarus needed. The Automotivator pushed itself from the wall and in a few strides, was within range of the Ringmaster. The strands clung tenaciously to the Ringmaster’s skin, sticking to his fingers which worked to peel off the web. Giant metallic fingers wrapped themselves around the Ringmaster and he was lifted off the ground. The cloak he wore shifted and writhed as if alive.

  This is for your own good, Del, thought Icarus.

  The fingers suddenly refused to obey the command of the controlling levers. Icarus pushed the levers over and over – once, twice and three times – but the fingers would not obey. Then, joint by joint, the fingers opened. The Ringmaster dropped to the ground. Moments later, the Automotivator flew through the air into the wall. The force breached the wall to a few cells. Guards opened doors to watch helplessly as the inmates jumped to their freedom. It brought on a chase. Tiny figures ran in the night among the Automotivator and the tree burning on the ground, little ants weaving around the bodies of giants.

  “I won’t tolerate any more disobedience from you, Arachnora,” said the Ringmaster.

  He approached Arachnora, his hypnotic eyes glowing. Kenneth, who had not moved throughout the chaos, sat transfixed.

  “You know, this incarnation of yours is one of my favourites,” he said with a sardonic smile. “Others might find you horrifying, but there is an attractiveness in this form. Sometimes, I think I would like to ride you,” he said.

  Arachnora struck at him with one of her arms. He caught it easily. He peered deeply into her eyes and for all the resistance Arachnora put up, she found she could not turn away from him. His thoughts became her thoughts, and his feelings of animosity became hers. She turned to the Automotivator and her eyes burned with malice. Icarus crawled out into the open, electricity dancing up and down his arm.

  “Leave Arachnora out of this, Del,” said Icarus.

  “Why? She is as much a part of the circus as you are,” replied the Ringmaster. He hopped on to Arachnora’s back and commanded her to charge. She bore down on Icarus, her form ploughing towards him with bits of leaves fluttering in her wake.

  “You remind me of my Eridonean mount, Arachnora,” he whispered. “So fast and efficient, and always wanting to be in control. I remember clearly the day she was given to me. She was so stubborn and proud.”

  Icarus fired bolts of electricity towards them. One shot hit Arachnora in the chest, causing her to stumble and drop the Ringmaster. She fell on her side, her arms and legs twitching in the air. Unknown to Icarus, two small spiders crawled up his leg, past his thigh and his torso, and squeezed through a seam in his metal body into his mechanical innards. It was too late when Icarus realised that something was awry as his joints began to feel stiff, as if it were overcome by a kind of palsy. He struggled to stay on his feet but he fell to ground on his back. Among the leaves and dirt, more spiders crawled to him, finding their way inside him. He wanted to pry open his body but he was paralysed. He looked up to see the Ringmaster looking down on him.

  “Icarus, I’m afraid your time is up,” he said.

  Chapter 4: Fallen Star

  A brilliant flash of light threw the Ringmaster’s face into stark relief. He turned to look. Where Arachnora had been a moment before, the Vampiress stood tall. The lace of her dress quivered behind her and in the light of the burning tree, her pale skin looked golden.

  “I had no idea that you are so skilled at equestrian, Ringmaster,” she said. Her mouth curled up in a subtle smile. The Ringmaster took in her form, his eyes sparkling with hunger.

  “Vampiress,” he mouthed the syllables of her name delicately.

  Her smile disappeared and she seemed to melt into the night. A mist gathered where she stood moments before. It enveloped the Ringmaster and Icarus.

  “What you did hurt me, Ringmaster,” a voice said from all around him.

  “I’m sorry, Vampiress, but Arachnora’s recalcitrance had to be curbed.”

  “You debased her.”

  “The situation called for it.”

  She chuckled. “And if a situation calls for it, would you let me ride you?”

  Part of the mist coalesced into the Vampiress’s face just above the Ringmaster’s. His eyes still glowed and as he tried to peer into hers, she dissolved back into nothingness.

  “How fortunate that each incarnation sweeps the personality of the old form away. And how lucky too that this form is so resilient against your charms. I can’t imagine what you would do to me if you had me under your control. I have … noticed the way you look at me, Ringmaster.”

  “Don’t feign modesty, Vampiress. I’ve noticed your look when you noticed my looking at you.”

  “Oh?”

  “It delights you.”

  She chuckled some more.

  A hand grabbed the Ringmaster’s neck from behind.

  “I hope you got all the spiders, Vampiress,” grunted Icarus. The mist writhed around him into the crevices of his body and out came more spiders. He squeezed the Ringmaster as much as he dared without breaking his windpipe. “Vampiress, look for a stone on him. And be quick about it!”

  The mist swirled around the Ringmaster, creeping into the pockets and folds of his clothes.

  “I found it,” the voice said.

  A hand coalesced from the mist and reached for the inner pocket of the Ringmaster’s jacket. The disembodied hand pulled out the stone.

  “Get it away from him. As far away as you can. NOW!”

  “No!” yelled the Ringmaster. “It’s mine!”

  He struggled against Icarus’s iron grip. His face contorted in anger. Icarus could feel the Ringmaster’s efforts to repel him. An unseen force pulled at his arm, trying to pry it away from the Ringmaster’s neck. With a burst of strength, the Ringmaster sent Icarus flying backwards. The force also sent the stone hurtling out of the Vampiress’s hand. It spun i
n the air through the mist that was the Vampiress to land near the feet of a figure hunched on the ground.

  Kenneth looked dumbfounded as the stone landed in front of him. With trembling hand, he picked it up. The effect was almost immediate. A brightness appeared in his previously dull eyes. He held the stone close to his heart, staggered to his feet, and ran. The Ringmaster charged after him. The mist hung close to the ground and transformed into a wolf. It bayed at the sky and ran after Kenneth.

  “Come back. It’s mine,” Kenneth could hear the Ringmaster call after him. He could also hear a loud panting behind him. He ventured a look and saw two pairs of eyes: one pair of glowing blue eyes and another pair of shining amber eyes.

  Images flooded his mind. It was as if he had been asleep for a long time and these were the images he saw upon first waking.

  The cloak billowed. He could not move. Eyes glowed from beneath the top hat. A bottle and two broken glasses lay on the floor. A stone fell from an upended drawer.

  The gates of the asylum stood fast before him. The wall of the compound looked too high for his middle-aged, flabby body to scale. The sounds of his pursuers drove him on. He stuffed the stone into his shirt and leaped for the iron-wrought gates. Clutching the bars, he tried to pull his weight up but a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down.

  “That’s far enough, Mr. Monckton,” said the Ringmaster. He struck Kenneth cross the face. The sound of scrabbling reached his ears and he turned in time to see the wolf in mid-air. The weight of the wolf’s body pushed the Ringmaster to the ground. Icarus caught up with them and got hold of Kenneth.

  “Behind me!” he commanded.

  The wolf stood upon the Ringmaster’s chest, baring its teeth. Its hackles were raised and it growled menacingly. The Ringmaster flung it easily into the air. Icarus saw the wolf dissolve back into mist, which crept past the gates to curl and lick at him. Electricity coursed down the length of his arm. It lashed the air like a whip. Every step that the Ringmaster took towards Kenneth, Icarus was there to block him. The Ringmaster growled in frustration and levitated into the air. With a twist of his body, he alighted on the top of the wall and disappeared into the night.