all the banter and jam, the jeering and grins, Ned saw something else. The fate of the world was hanging in the balance, unimaginable evil poised to spring up from the ground and devour them all, but their eyes had never looked as clear or bright. Whatever the world was about to throw at them, the diminished Circus of Marvels would see it head-on and together.
Ned might well have lost his powers, but he had most certainly found his “point”.
“Bene?”
“Yes, pup. Rise and shine – we’ve got a mission.”
“What? I thought you said—”
“I have to say a lot of things when it comes to your parents, Ned. Most of all, I have to not tell them when I ask you to do something dangerous.”
Ned rubbed at his eyes. “What kind of dangerous?”
“The informant’s lead I told you about earlier – its location is not entirely ideal.”
Something of an alarm bell sounded between Ned’s still-waking ears. “And by ‘not entirely’ you mean …?”
“Russia, Siberia, Ned. It’s in the reservation.”
There was a low and rumbling “Unt” from beneath Ned’s bed, followed closely by a “Scree” and some incredibly fast blinking from his mouse.
Ned, thankfully, was able to pick his words more eloquently. “Barking dogs, Bene! Have you lost your marbles?!”
“If we intend to beat this creature, it’s the only way.”
Ned would have gone in an instant but for one glaring factor that the Ringmaster had not taken into account. “Bene, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. The Darkening King is rising because of me and Dad. It’s just that I don’t know how much use I’ll be.”
“It’s not because of you, Ned. And by the way, I know about your Engine – your parents told me everything, just before I drugged them.”
Ned’s ring finger buzzed and there was a slight shimmering in the air, before it fizzled away to nothing. Not even real anger could spark the thing, not any more.
“You did what?!”
“They’d never let you go, with or without them, and our best chance is to sneak in unseen. I can’t say that your loss of power isn’t an issue, Ned, but we really don’t have any choice.”
Another bell dinged behind Ned’s eyes. “And why is that?”
“The creature we are going to see will only help you, not me. Word has spread of your deeds, pup – it wants an audience with you specifically.”
Ned wasn’t entirely sure that he liked the sound of that, and he dreaded the answer before he’d even asked the question. “And this creature … is it a Demon?”
“Oh no, Ned. It’s far, far worse than that.”
“And I suppose you’re not going to tell me what, because you aren’t telling anyone anything?”
“That’s the size of it, pup, but know this: if we do this right, if we get in and out of there without getting caught, and get the information we need, we will have ourselves the key to ending, once and for all, my brother and this monster he wants to unleash.”
Ned sighed. “Not much choice then?”
“Is there ever?”
“I don’t know why I’m doing this. I’m not even sure I’ve forgiven you yet,” started Ned.
Benissimo flinched, very slightly, before flitting back to his old bravado. “Oh, come on, pup, you think I’m brilliant.”
“No, no, I don’t.”
Annoyingly Ned did think Benissimo was brilliant, completely and utterly, but he wasn’t about to let him know.
“You’ll see – you Armstrongs always come round in the end,” grinned Benissimo, which was quite possibly the worst thing he could have said.
“Bene, Mum and Dad had every right to be furious. It’s going to take a lot to gain their trust again and this isn’t the best way to do it. You broke a lot of hearts when you disappeared, mine included.”
“I regret that more than you know.”
Ned stopped. “Then help me understand. This isn’t your personal fight, Bene. You had no right abandoning us like that, not after everything Mum and Dad have had to go through.”
“But it is personal, Ned – extremely. When there’s time I’ll explain, I promise.”
It was then that Ned remembered what Barbarossa had told him on the Daedalus. According to the butcher, it was not just any Demon but the Darkening King himself that had cursed the two brothers and given them their immortality. What Ned still didn’t understand was why. Was that what the Ringmaster meant? Either way, their mission came first. There would be time to talk when they returned. Ned had had the foresight not only to bring his trusty sidekicks but also the Tinker’s perometer. From the look on the Ringmaster’s face, there was little doubt that they would need it where they were going. Finally, at the end of one of the corridors, they came to a staging room lined with several mirrors. Great, thought Ned as Benissimo passed him his gear – a fur-lined coat, goggles and what looked like a small metal stick.
“One of the Tinker’s modifications to BBB tech. It’s a retractable Taser. It’ll give whatever we run into enough of a shock for you to get away. Just twist the top to activate it. And make sure you button up the coat properly – it’s still freezing where we’re going this time of year.”
“Dangerous
