Chapter 24

Nightshade's Deal

Taryn rushed through the carnival camp, carrying her load of the camps laundry. Four weeks had already passed since her and Sylvie's "employment" had begun, and they were already exhausted. That hag Halls, she had never given her first name, kept Sylvie training constantly night and day. Nightshade had at first assigned Taryn to the animals, but then had consigned her to general labor. She rushed back and forth throughout the camp, filling water troughs, cleaning dishes, doing laundry, finding makeup for the clowns, and other chores that filled her every waking hour. When Taryn stumbled back to her cell she was too tired to even plot an escape. As soon as her legs hit the floor, she were asleep. There was one good thing about being a common laborer, Taryn mused as she skirted the elephant enclosure and dodged a group of clowns passing a liquor bottle back and forth. Her mental map of the carnival setup was starting to become complete. There were obviously several areas she couldn't get into, the funhouse and hall of mirrors for one, but her detailed knowledge of the layout would come in extremely handy when they escaped. IF we can escape. Nightshade seemed determined to ensure that they would forever be too tired to even think about leaving the show.

The sharp crack of the whip and a pained squeal came from the training area. Taryn cast a pained look at the arena, where Halls was having Sylvie try her hand at barrel racing. Taryn had heard a little about it from a friend who raised horses, but had never really known what it was until she had gotten here. A series of barrels were laid out in an obstacle course around the arena. Sylvie was required to run around them in a tight circle, brushing up against them but never touching or knocking them over. If she did, that bitch Halls would use her buggy whip to "encourage" Sylvie to be more careful. She would also use it to speed her up or slow her down, depending on her moods. Taryn hated that whip, she often saw the painted hide of Sylvie's horse half cut and bleeding when she stumbled back. Sylvie always did her best to shrug the pain of the injuries off. Taryn knew her friend would never give up. She just hoped it wouldn't kill her before she could even make it out.

"Hey! Watch it." One of the other handlers snarled as she stepped in front of him. His face was cut by a nasty scar that ran over one eyebrow. Taryn mumbled an apology and darted out of his way. His coarse voice mocked her as she continued. A final, disgusting comment about her body floated after her as she turned the corner beside the garishly painted bigtop. The circus had been set up only that morning, and was still in the process. It would be another few hours before customers started arriving, and Taryn knew she would be locked back up in her room under the watchful eye of Big John. At least, she mused bitterly, he was polite to her. Most of the people in the circus had the same attitude of the handler, and some were even fouler when she was around. Some of the meaner ones had taken to deliberately finding her and using the lowest insults she had ever heard against her, just to see if she would cry. And some of the things they said! Taryn viciously chopped the thought short. It did no good to think on the stuff said to her, they were distractions. Nothing more.

Still fuming, she dropped the load of laundry at one of the trailers in the back lot. One of them was set up as an industrial washing and drying center for the entire camp. It's funny, she mused as she set the load in front of the doors, He seems to be constantly searching for ways to cut costs or bring in more money, yet he lavishes so much money on his precious carnival. She wondered if that could be a weakness that could be exploited. After all. If he doesn't want to lose his precious carnival, then perhaps he wouldn't want anyone poking around it.

"Hey Taryn," Said Gill, one of the cleaners, "Nightshade is looking for you."

Her heart skipped a bit. "About?" She asked, drymouth.

Gill shrugged. "I don't know. What am I, his keeper?" He almost snarled. The attitude shocked her. Gill had always been at least civil with her while she was rushing around, doing whatever chore Nightshade could dream up for her.

Wanting to question him further, but not daring being late for the summons, she galloped towards Nightshade's command center. It was a large double-wide that functioned as office and administrative center for the entire carnival. While the doors were far to small for her to get inside, she had caught a glimpse while delivering a message, and had seen the banks of computers set up in there. It was an awful lot of processing power for a mere carnival. She wondered what on earth it could possibly be used for. Drugs, maybe? Still, from what she had caught from some of the Chief's conversations, most drug business was conducted with a laptop and encrypted software or chat rooms. It wouldn't require that much processing power. So what was the computer for? Taryn filed it away for another day as she slowed her pace in front of the trailer. Nightshade was already waiting for her.

"Ah, Ms. Taryn. Prompt as usual. I admire that in an employee." Nightshade said by way of greeting.

"What did you need, Mr. Nightshade?" Taryn asked. She found it hard to keep the anger at her situation out from her voice. She was even able to add a little fear to it to keep him satisfied, although she knew for certain that the fear was very real.

"You have been doing very well in your errands, so I thought that I would give you a chance to stretch your legs." He replied.

Taryn was confused for only a few minutes until a pair of handlers walked up with blankets and a saddle. He meant to ride her like some common pony! Taryn wanted to protest, but remembered what Sylvie was doing, and feared she would be taken out into the ring as well. She stood meekly by while the handlers quickly saddled her. Then they attached the reigns to two studs that had been recently added to her collar. The studs, she realized, would pull her head left or right, depending on which direction Nightshade wanted to go. He obviously didn't trust her enough to go on her own! Although, come to think of it, if I was him, I probably wouldn't trust me either. Nightshade elegantly swung up on the saddle as if he had been born there. One of the other handlers tossed him the reigns and he lightly tapped her flank. The pressure made her body respond immediately, and they started off.

Of course, Nightshade turned out to be an excellent rider. They started off at a walk, but a slight squeeze with his knees raised them to a trot. Using the reins, he was able to direct her. A tug on the right side of the collar spun her right, a pull left meant left, etc. Every time she made a mistake, he would correct using a riding crop or spurs. It soon felt to her as if she was an untamed beast and HE was the civilized one. Their course took them through the camp and outside the walls. A wall of vegetation balked her for a moment, but a smack from the crop forced her to plunge through and down the embankment on the other side. A creek on the bottom offered a cooling spray as she splashed through to the other side and began climbing the other side. A rocky trail proved to be their route as Nightshade goaded her up the hill. As she climbed, she wondered if he was ever going to speak to her. His cultured voice had remained silent during their entire journey. The silence was starting to drive her buggy, but she dared not start the conversation.

At the top of the hill, Nightshade wheeled her around and stopped her at the crest, looking down on the carnival. From this vantage point she could see everything, the huge tent of the big-top, the parking lot of trailers and rv's for the performers, the center ring where Taryn could see the moving shape of Sylvie running around, training for her opening performance tonight.

The sight of Sylvie brought back the conversation last night that they had. Sylvie had staggered into the table they shared for their meals, sweaty faced and exhausted. Taryn wasn't much better, having run errands and done chores until she dropped. The girls embraced briefly before lurching apart and began spooning the cold porridge into their faces.

"That woman is going to be the death of me, Taryn." Sylvie whispered miserably. Taryn stopped chewing to listen. "I thought that soccer camp was hard," she continued, "But that woman could make the coaches drop dead. And her whip!" She fell into an uncomfortable silence, as if she hadn't meant to bring up the whip.

Taryn was afraid her friend was being pushed to the end of her rope. "Don't worry," she said a little too hearty. "I'm sure that the first show will be it for us."

Sylvie looked at her in faint surprise. "What do you mean?" She finally asked.

Taryn lowered her voice to keep from being overheard. "Think about it. We're the only centaurs in existence right now, right?" Sylvie nodded. "Well, that means that our first performance will have cameras all over us. The footage is going to go onto the web, there's no WAY that Nightshade can prevent that! As soon as someone back home catches the video, we'll be back home and Nightshade will be in jail."

"Do you really think so?" Sylvie asked a little hesitantly.

"Of course." Taryn said happily as she imagined Nightshade rotting in some dank prison cell, bowed under the weight of failure. "You know we," she gestured to themselves, "are going to be the most talked about people in the world. We'll be famous, and word is sure to get back home. They'll come for us, Sylvie, I'm sure of it."

Sylvie had smiled a little in hope at her, and had left the tent with her human half a little straighter. It hadn't swung shut before the smile slipped off of her face. It was true that Taryn had believed every word that she had told Sylvie, and she sincerely believed that her mother, Sylvie's family, and Chief Gardner were making every effort to find and rescue them. However, Nightshade was too confident, too sure that he had the situation handled. Taryn wasn't sure what plans were in place that made him so confident, and that worried her.

"It is lovely, isn't it?" Nightshade's smooth voice jolted her out of her memory. Taryn hurriedly glanced around and was surprised to realize they had actually moved more than a hundred yards from where they had been. He had apparently guided her movements while she had been in la la land! Embarrassment flamed her face. He could have done or said anything and she wouldn't have noticed! That was very bad.

"Of course, you probably weren't noticing the view," he guessed. "Still looking for that way out? Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll be far too busy to bother trying. Soon, you'll wonder why you had ever tried to in the first place. The circus can be quite hospitable to folk like yourself. Alone, no friends or family that would want someone like you…"

"That's not true." Taryn blurted out before she could stop herself. "My mother loves me very much, and misses me terribly. " Careful, Taryn! Her mind screamed at her. This is exactly what he wants!

"Does she now?" Nightshade's voice seemed to ooze sympathy, infuriating her. "Peace, I'm sure she does. However, she is an invalid, if memory serves correctly. How would you, a centaur, be able to care for her? And food. Just you alone eat enough for two or three people. What kind of strain on her precious income is that? Do you think she could afford to feed you day in and day out? " Taryn desperately wanted to stop listening, to block out the words that filled her ear with poison, but she couldn't. Helplessly, she listened to Nightshade's voice as he continued, one moment sad, the next sympathetic. "And your friends! Just imagine what they would do to you when they found out what you had become! They already tease you about being studious, calling you bookworm and mouse. If they found you now, it would be so much worse for you!"

Much as Taryn wanted to, she knew he was right. She knew Sylvie would stand by her, and she thought that Josh would stand by her, but that horrid Sara would make her life an absolute misery. There was no way she would ever let the opportunity to torture Taryn pass by, and if she got a hold of Sylvie! Taryn quickly stopped her mind from thinking.

Nightshade seemed to sense her thoughts, and refrained from speaking further. The damage had already been done damn him! Taryn couldn't not think about what he had said about their lives if they went back. She pictured all her friends laughing at her body, teasing her and calling her names. "Horse-girl! Horse-Girl! HORSE-GIRL!" chanted in the back of her mind. She reared, trying to toss the images out.  On her back, she heard Nightshade give a startled curse, apparently he hadn't expected her to rear. Her forward hooves slammed into the ground, jolting her and for a moment she froze. Nightshade held on tightly to the reigns, but he didn't pull them or…anything. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for something.

"Finished?" Nightshade asked quietly.

Taryn didn't bother snapping back at him, it was all she could do to keep the chanting voices in her mind at bay. She simply nodded, and he goaded her forward.

As they walked, he continued to speak. "Well, I can't even imagine what life would be like if you returned. Treated like a stranger, or worse, a freak. My point about all this is that We in the circus business understand what it's like to be treated differently. In a way, we are all outcasts here. Where better for you to fit in?" He tugged slightly to make her stop and threw out his hand where she could see it, pointing towards the show. "There is where your home could be, if you just let it." He told her grandly. "Think on it. A place where you are accepted just the way you are, without judgment or reservation. Where your true potential can be achieved. There are no boundaries here, no restrictions but what you place on yourself. Think of what we could achieve together Taryn." His voice dropped seductively, as if he was sharing some great secret scheme with her. "With you and your friend Sylvie, we could travel the whole world, touring all the great cities. Rome, Cairo, Paris, they would all gather to see you perform. Sylvie's efforts are going to be rewarded a hundred fold tonight when she goes out to perform. And when she finishes? She will become an instant celebrity. The amazing cow-girl centaur; people will flock from all over to see it." He leaned forward in the saddle to come close to her ear. "Imagine what your banner could read. You could be the brave Indian Pony, or a pony express rider, or even an English centaur, well-mannered and bred. People would come to see both of you. You could have it all; power, wealth, fame." He then sat upright as he goaded her forward again. "I would like you to think on my proposal, Ms. Grogan. I could make it worth your while. All the money you make would go into your pocket that you could spend as you see fit. Perhaps even send some home to ease the burden on your mother. With no job, and money running out on that fund of hers, she is going to be in sad shape financially very soon."

Taryn planted all four hooves and swiveled around to face him, shocked. How DARE he make such a point about her mother! And how did he even know about their financial difficulties, Taryn wondered. After all, that stuff was supposed to be private.

Some of what she was thinking must have slipped onto her face, because he simply smiled and explained, "I always thoroughly research my prospective employees before I approach them. And in your case, I made sure to be particularly well versed in every aspect about you. Although that still leaves the burning mystery."

"What mystery?" Taryn asked, dreading the question.

"How on earth did you turn yourself into a centaur?" Nightshade leaned forward, suddenly intent.

Good god, he wants to find out so he could turn others. Taryn thought about it, but really didn't see any harm in telling him, after all, if Roland's shop could disappear and appear at will, then it didn't seem likely to her that Nightshade would ever be able to find him. "It wasn't on purpose," She told him  dryly. Facing forward, she resumed walking. "What happened was…"

"…And so we ended up here, against our will." She added pointedly, staring back at him. They were almost back to the camp now, and Nightshade was riding on her back looking thoughtful.

"So, it was a costume shop owner that turned you into centaurs?" Nightshade didn't, quite, keep the incredulity out of his voice.
Taryn bristled at the implications in his tone. "Of course. How else could we have become this?!" She almost shrieked.

"I did not mean to upset you." Nightshade said smoothly. "I simply find it rather difficult to believe that a mere costume shop worker could transform a lovely young lady, such as yourself and your friend, into centaurs."

"Believe me," Taryn muttered. "I've been asking myself the same question."

"Well, if he knows the way to turn you into the centaur, he might know the way back." Nightshade mused. "Of course, from what you described, it would be very difficult to track him down. Certainly impossible for your friends in law enforcement."

"Let me guess," Taryn said sarcastically, "you just happen to have the best intelligence network and will magically be able to find him for us."

"Of course." Nightshade said unruffled at her anger. God, what did it take to get under this guys skin? Taryn wondered. He seemed literally immune to anger. "The enterprising business man, such as myself, maintains many connections. My connections find it much easier to find out information than, shall we say, official sources."

"Thieves and drug dealers." Taryn stated flatly.

Nightshade hesitated. Hah, got ya on that one! "Yes. It is true I have many friends in those businesses. Each of them knows immediately what is going on in their sector. They have to; their very livelihood depends on it."

"They didn't know about the shop before." Taryn countered. Nightshade couldn't seem to come up with a counter argument to that, and they finished the rest of their walk in silence.

Back at the camp, Nightshade brought her to a halt in front of his office. There, one of the handlers was waiting to take her reins. Nightshade tossed them to him and dismounted elegantly. Straightening his coat, he prepared to walk back inside while the handler started to lead Taryn away. She paused when she heard him call to her.

"Ms. Grogan, please consider my offer. It will definitely be worth your while." He turned and disappeared through the door.

The handler finished taking Taryn away, leaving her head whirling with questions and scenarios. It was clearly his plan, to confuse the hell out of her. Make her want to stay with him. But what if he was right? The voice whispered. What if he IS the only one that can help me? That thought frightened her more than anything else. Taryn could practically feel Nightshade's noose drawing tighter around her. My god, she wondered. What am I going to do now?