The Gemini

26. The Greatest Show

Jane-Anne Pearce

There was no mercy inside the yuki-onna's eyes as she stared down the ringmaster. He only gloated back, discarding his top hat on the sand that covered the arena. A breeze picked up across the tent, but my hair didn't move. I couldn't feel the sensation of the ground beneath my feet or the sharp chill of the cold either. All of my physical sensations were gone, but I could finally see what was happening.

"This is weird." I could hear Josh murmur. I turned around to see him shocked as I was.

"It's not white," Rowan whispered softly, looking up at the big dome of the tent.

"I don't know how long this is going to last," Flora warned us.

"Who invited the buzzkill?" Rowan asked.

"Guys, you're going to miss the show!" Josh hissed.

As I circled the yuki-onna, I realized that I was wearing a long white kimono that matched hers. The fabric brushed against my legs, but I still couldn't feel it. I was hovering on the edge of existence as I watched an angry blizzard swirl around me.

"Kare o ika sete agero." the yuki-onna demanded. Her voice carried in the wind around her, echoing from each snowflake that flew through the air.

I could feel Rowan's curious gaze turn to me. "Let him go." I translated quietly.

I looked up at Finn, still trapped by the invisible force of the ringmaster. The ringmaster flicked his wrist, and Finn's body fell with a painful-sounding clang against the metal.

The ringmaster extended his arms, almost embracing the gathering storm around him. "Go ahead!" He called to the yuki-onna. "Show me what kind of monster you are."

"What about Finn?" I tried to yell over the wind. "Make sure he's okay!"

"Urusai!" the yuki-onna snapped, tilting her head in my direction.

"I think that was yuki-onna for shut up," said Josh, pulling me further away from the action.

"I know, I can understand Japanese," I said, shoving him away from me. "I need to find him."

Before I could take a step toward the catwalk, the wind fell silent. The snowflakes that were speckling the air began to clump together, hardening into deadly icicles. They hung from the air with a malevolent beauty as the yuki-onna calmly stood in the center. The ice hovered for one more enchanting moment before slamming into the ground with the angry force only a killer was capable of.

As the icicles met the floor, they spread into a thick frost, crawling along the sand like waves greedily devouring a beach. The Forbidden circus performers and ringmaster remained unharmed, the icicles above them held in the air by the ringmaster's silent command.

"How is controlling stuff like that?" I asked. "He has to be Forbidden, right?"

"I actually don't think he is," Flora answered. "I've seen his type before. Human, but not quite. The Ayultri can be unpredictable."

"So what are you saying, that's just some regular guy who happens to be able to do telekinesis?" Josh asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Flora answered nonchalantly.

Celeste was tightly holding on to Hiro, but the two Forbidden boys seemed unbothered at how close they had come to death. They almost looked like they were suppressing a laugh. They were way too confident, like they knew what would happen next.

"He's going to-" Before I could get the warning out, the ringmaster revealed a psychotic grin before making the icicles sweep across the room, aiming for the yuki-onna. Even though we were standing a few yards apart, I cringed for the incoming pain. As the icicles raced towards her, the yuki-onna held up a single spindly finger. The icicles shattered around the room, a million diamonds splintered into space. It felt like we had all been trapped inside a striped snow globe.