The Nightingale Circus by Ioana Visan Page A

disappeared.
     
    * * *
     
    Each day, it was getting better. The pain
hadn’t bothered Riella much, except for the constant itching once
they had inserted the mask underneath her scalp. As it turned out,
she was allergic to it. The stiffness in her joints gradually
disappeared. The scars were gone, even the ones unrelated to the
recent injuries and fixing, and the strengthened muscle resistance
and flexibility promised to improve her act a great deal. All in
all, Riella was satisfied with the result. So what if it still
ached from time to time?
    “What’s wrong?”
    Riella winced and glanced at Rake from the
corner of her eye. “Nothing.”
    She finished buttoning up her blouse and
tossed her hair back. It was supposed to be a last checkup before
receiving a clean bill of health. She wouldn’t risk being thrown
out if they still found something wrong with her. She liked her new
life at the circus. It wasn’t ideal, but she would make do.
    “If you don’t tell us, we can’t fix it.” Rake
stepped behind her and placed a heavy hand on her back. “Here?”
    “Lower,” Riella murmured and guided his hand
to the small of her back. “It’s not bad, just a tug from time to
time…”
    Rake ignored the plea in her voice and
brought over a hand-held scanner. He ran it up and down her spine.
“It’s a pinched nerve. Lay on your stomach.”
    Grimacing, Riella climbed on the surgery
table and did as told. More to add to her long list of debts to
them.
    “We might have touched something when we
fixed your back,” Rake said while he pulled her blouse up. “This
one’s on us.”
    Riella hid her smile in the crook of her arm
as she rested her head on it. Spinner might have protested against
the extra expenses, but Spinner wasn’t here. She closed her
eyes.
    Coldness hit her in the middle of her back
when Rake used a spray to numb her. Thank God she faced the table
and couldn’t see him in the mirror cutting her open and digging
inside her for the—she’d lost count how many times.
    Minutes passed, but Riella stayed conscious,
aware of the knife thrower’s imposing presence looming over her.
She’d come on purpose while Spinner was out to find Rake alone.
Despite the common web of scars, they didn’t share many other
traits. Spinner was chatty, friendly, harmless at first sight, but
Rake’s gruff and quiet persona appealed to her more. Still, he
hadn’t made a pass at her yet, and it had been several days. She
would have found it insulting if it hadn’t been for Serioja’s
attention constantly surrounding her.
    More coldness hit her on top of the numbness
as Rake sprayed another substance over the incision. She didn’t
feel anything except for the skin pulling tight and sealing over
the wound.
    “Done. The nerve should regenerate in a few
days. Come back if it bothers you again, but it shouldn’t.”
    Riella gingerly pulled herself up. The
diffuse ache had faded, and no sharp tugs appeared as she moved.
She turned around and took a step towards Rake. A proper thank you
was in order, and not one consisting only of words. Perfect timing
since they were alone and the door was closed.
    Rake stood still, watching her approach him.
He made no sign he was going to reject her, but his hands flexed by
his sides.
    She reached out to touch his arm.
    Then Spinner’s cheerful voice echoed in the
factory, accompanied by a deeper, lower voice with a faint Russian
accent.
    “He’s a good man,” Rake said.
    Riella let her hand drop and bit her lip.
Serioja was indeed a good man. He was gentle and calm, and he would
never hurt her. And she needed time to heal. She stepped back in
time for the door to open.
    Spinner peeked inside. “Your silks have
arrived.”
     
    * * *
     
    Like every time a new act was rehearsed,
Nicholas stood in the aisle next to the front row and watched the
performance, prepared to interfere if something went wrong. So far,
his help had only been needed once, when a prop malfunctioned and
risked