Carnival of Deepest Desire, Part 1
Carnival in Carpinteria
This serial is a sequel to North of Midnight. Carnival of Deepest Desire can be read as a standalone, but if you’d like to read North of Midnight first, click the button below.
If someone had asked me a week ago what I’d be doing right now, I probably wouldn’t have said, “Driving east on California State Route 192 through Carpinteria with someone who is almost a stranger, on a wild goose chase in pursuit of his cousin, who might or might not be a vampire and who I might or might not be in love with.” But that was exactly the situation in which I found myself.
“Any sign of Antonio yet?” asked Carlos, keeping his eyes on the road, even though it just before dawn, and there wasn’t much traffic.
I closed my eyes so I could get the most out of my recently acquired psychic powers. Never having been in Carpinteria, I couldn’t visualize it as well as I’d been able to visualize Santa Brígida. But my mind managed to draw me a vague map, on which I should be able to spot Antonio’s unique magic if he was anywhere nearby.
“Nothing yet. But Carpinteria is where I lost his signal. He could easily have traveled further than this at the speed he was going.”
“Or he could have found some place to lay low,” replied Carlos. “He’s not going to want to be out in the sunlight.”
I nodded, though the truth was that neither one of us had the foggiest idea what Antonio might do. From what I’d been told, he was unique.
Sadly, I’d known about vampires since they’d killed my parents, and I’d had little psychic tingles that guided me toward the undead when I was hunting. But the rest of the supernatural world I’d known about for less than twenty-four hours. Carlos, though a little younger than I was, had much more experience, but even he’d never encountered anything like what Antonio had become.
Despite myself, I shuddered. I didn’t want to think about the details that had led to Antonio’s current situation. A few hours ago, Antonio had been a seemingly ordinary high school senior with just a touch of magic inherited from a distant ancestor who was the priest of Xochiquetzal, an ancient Aztec love goddess. However, he’d lived in Santa Brígida, a town that served as headquarters for a secret group of supernaturals. A mixed force that included vampires and Formorians had attacked his home town shortly after I’d arrived there. Caught in the crossfire, Antonio ended up under a faerie death curse—and with vampire blood in his system. I and some of his friends did what we could to keep him from dying and becoming a vampire.
As a last resort, we’d made a half-assed attempt—which I had to admit was my idea—to raise his magic to its full potential. We did keep the curse from killing him—for the moment, anyway. But he still developed some vampiric traits, which his magic fought against. This conflict left him torn between light and darkness, his condition unstable, his sanity questionable.
I thought he might have run to protect us from what he was becoming, but I couldn’t even be sure of that. Certainty was in very short supply right now.
I still had my eyes closed, and magic flared somewhere up ahead of us, to the right of the road. It wasn’t Antonio’s unusual blend of forces—and it was considerably more intense, as if a number of magical beings had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
“There’s trouble up ahead,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But it isn’t Antonio.”
I told Carlos what I was seeing, and he seemed unfazed by the news, though he slowed. “That could be the others coming to join us, but I didn’t expect they’d be able to get away so soon, considering the town’s security has been blasted to hell. Anyway, they’d have called or texted first, and my phone hasn’t vibrated.
I opened my eyes to look for any visual clues. Clouds on the horizon were reddening with the dawn’s first light. On our left was the largest plant nursery I’d ever seen, with fields and greenhouses that seemed to stretch halfway to the mountains, though I was pretty sure the nursery couldn’t really extend that far. On our right, I saw what looked like it might be a parking lot coming up fast. Whatever area was connected to the lot had to be the source of the magic. I could feel an old familiar tingling as we got closer. It was the same sensation that used to warm me of vampires, but there couldn’t be any around now—the sunlight poking through the clouds would have been enough to force them away.
“Pull into the parking lot,” I said.
Carlos shook his head. “I’m going to do a drive-by first. If there’s that much magic—which could be hostile, remember—whoever it is could probably blast us, even from a distance.”
As we drove past, I looked at the parking lot, which was unsurprisingly empty so early. A short distance further was the driveway, which also served another parking lot that led to a modern building, mostly one-story, with lots of windows. But that structure had nothing to do with what I was feeling. The source of the magic was behind the first parking lot.
I looked carefully with my physical eyes and saw nothing but an empty green space, with a palm and other tall trees at its borders. But shutting my eyes and switching to my magical sight revealed a glow bright as several spotlights. We moved past too rapidly for me to be able to sense much more than the power level.
“It’s the green space,” I said. “Huge amounts of magic.”
“That’s El Carro Park,” said Carlos. “Part of it, anyway. There’s another piece more or less diagonal to that one.”
I closed my eyes again. “It looks like both parts are involved.”
“What kind of magic?” asked Carlos.
“Faerie, maybe,” I said, not really sure of myself. “Dark but not really purple enough to be Formorian, though it looks similar in some ways.”
“I can’t help but think this is bad news,” said Carlos. “It’s not a normal phenomenon for Carpinteria—or almost anywhere. Faeries don’t make mass incursions into this plane of existence—unless maybe something Antonio did drew them out. Any sign of him?”
“It’s hard to tell with that much other magic around, but no, I don’t think he’s there.”
“Our mission is to retrieve Antonio,” said Carlos. “But I know Tal would want us to investigate something like this. I’d bet Antonio won’t move far doing the day. I say we take a quick look-see, just to make sure Carpinteria isn’t being invaded, and resume our primary mission after that.”
My heart, which beat faster whenever I thought of Antonio, wanted to scream, “No! We have to find Antonio first!” But my head knew that Carlos had a point. It was possible that the appearance of supernatural beings in the area was connected to Antonio, who had too little experience with his amplified magic to be able to mask it well, even had he been mentally stable. It would have been easy for someone to notice Antonio, leaving a magic trail like a comet’s as he flew away from us. That someone—and a lot of friends, to judge by the amount of magic—might be here to protect Carpinteria from a potential threat, a purpose that might conceivably lead to Antonio’s death if whoever it was happened to be trigger-happy. Or the purpose could be to hunt down Antonio and find some way to exploit his power.
There was also a third possibility. Despite my not detecting any of our recent adversaries, they could conceivably be hiding their magic signatures behind a more benign faerie mask. They might want to use Antonio as a bargaining chip. Or they might just want some very bloody revenge. Either way, Antonio would be in grave danger.
The only problem was that Carlos, though he had a faerie sword and dragon armor, had no magic of his own. My only magic, as far as we knew, involved detecting magic and potential threats. Neither one of us would be likely to survive long against a full-scale, supernatural attack.
Vanora, a civic leader in Santa Brígida under the alias Carrie Winn, was actually one of the leaders of the sizable supernatural community in town. She’d lent me a faerie sword and given both Carlos and me silver amulets with protective charms on them, though they were intended as a precaution if Antonio turned hostile. They probably didn’t have the juice to save us from a really powerful magic attack. “What if we stumble into hostile forces?’ I asked, keeping my tone as businesslike as I could. I didn’t know Carlos well—but I didn’t want him to think I was a coward.
Carlos nodded. “All we can really do is a little scouting. Once we figure out what we’re dealing with, we’ll pull back and call for reinforcements. I’m sure all my out-of-town friends will be back by now. Vanora ought to be able to spare someone.”
We passed another sizable nursery, this one on the right. Immediately after, we turned right onto Casitas Pass Road. We went south about three blocks and turned onto El Carro Lane.
“How do you know Carpinteria so well?” I asked.
“Sports mostly,” said Carlos as we drove slowly down the street. “We’re in the Channel League, and they’re in Citrus Coast—but the league boundaries are kind of crazy, and we always ended up having some non-league water polo games and swim meets here because Carpinteria High School is closer to us than some of the schools in our league, like Ventura. The extra competition is always a good thing. Anyway, when we went out to celebrate after, we drove around quite a bit, which is why I know where things are.”
For a moment, I got a glimpse of the Carlos who must have existed before he got swallowed by the supernatural four years ago. Even though he was talking about relatively dry detail, his eyes lit up, and he smiled. Then we passed the south entrance to the park, and his few seconds of nostalgia faded. He became again the all-business Carlos whose cousin might be in mortal danger—or be a mortal danger to someone else.
He made a three-point turn, headed back toward the park, but parked across the street rather than in the lot.
“Since neither of us can be invisible, we need to do our best to be inconspicuous,” he said. “Our gear probably doesn’t give off enough magic to be obvious from a distance. How much can you see from here?”
“I closed my eyes, and once again, I saw powerful magic. This side of the park was just as flooded with it as the other side.
“I see power, but it’s hard for me to distinguish more than that. If you want anything specific to report, I think we need to get closer.”
Carlos winced. “We’re going to be more noticeable, so listen carefully. We need to play boyfriend and girlfriend—a couple who snuck out for a private moment before school.”
“I remember enough about being a teenager to know that doesn’t work,” I said. “My boyfriend couldn’t have pried me out of bed with a crowbar this early in the morning.”
That wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t have a high school boyfriend. I’d already been out to avenge my parents by then. I’d already been a vampire hunter. That kind of hobby didn’t mix well with school dances and going steady.
“Anyway,” I added to fill an awkward silence while Carlos chewed on what I said. “You might be able to pass for a high school student, but I certainly couldn’t.
I was twenty-two, but after a sleepless night filled with assorted horrors, I probably could have passed for thirty-five. I’d tied back my black hair, but it could have used a good combing out. My blue eyes were dull from fatigue. As usual, I hadn’t bothered with makeup, and my face was even paler than normal. My dark, loose-fitting clothing—which I should have checked for blood stains—looked nothing like a teenage girl’s school outfit.
Carlos smiled again, this time even more broadly. “I know what this is really about. You’re one of those women who doesn’t know how attractive she is. Trust me, with a little confidence on your part, we’ll look like a natural couple.”
Despite myself, I blushed. Carlos, like Antonio, was the kind of guy I would never have looked like I belonged with. He was a bronze Adonis, a little shorter than Antonio but much more muscular. The girls must have fought over him when he was in high school.
But his brown eyes were warm and sincere. He got out of the car, walked around and opened the door for me, and offered a hand, which I took as I tried to keep mine from trembling.
If I hadn’t already been so in love with Antonio, I think Carlos might have won my heart right then.
Carlos put his arm around me as we walked slowly toward the park entrance. The lot was empty. Both lot and park were bordered by trees big enough to have been there a long time. Everything I could see seemed as if it was a natural part of the park.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered to me. “Close your eyes, and see what you can see.”
His kiss was only a gentle touch on my lips, but if anyone was watching, it would look real enough. It was real enough to accelerate my heart rate, but I dismissed my momentary physical response, closed my eyes, and gasped.
This time, I wasn’t just seeing raw energy. Instead, I saw what looked like multicolored circus tents, bright in the early morning. Around them and beyond them stood a wide variety of booths, some for selling refreshments, others for playing rigged games of chance. There was a clearly labeled ticket booth near the entrance and two poles holding up a sign that said, “The Carnival of Deepest Desire.” The letters were deep scarlet and pulsed like beating hearts against their white background.
I opened my eyes and whispered my observations in to Carlos’s ear. His eyes widened for a moment, but he resisted the urge to look himself.
“This is terrible,” he said, pulling me even closer as if he felt the urge to protect me. “When a supernatural being offers to fulfill your desires, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. That kind of scenario never ends well. And it’s set up in a park. Unknowing people could walk right into it and never realize the danger they were in until it revealed itself. That might well be too late.”
Loosening his grip on me a little, Carlos pulled out his phone and started furiously punching numbers.
“Tal, it’s Carlos. Alexandra and I are in Carpinteria. No, we haven’t found Antonio yet. But while we were looking, we ran across something with a lot of magic in it. It’s called the Carnival of Deepest Desires, and it’s not yet visible to mortal eyes—but it’s set up in El Carro Park like a trap. We need help.”
Looking unhappy, Carlos ended the call. “He said there’s still trouble in Santa Brígida, and so the whole group can’t join us. He’ll send Khalid and Shar as soon as he can, but even then, he wants us to observe without entering the carnival.
“Families use this park,” he said, leaning closer to me. “Little kids. Moms push their baby strollers through it. And we have no way to stop any of that.” He looked around. “We at least need someone who can cast illusions—park closed signs or something, anything to keep people out.”
His usually calm exterior was gone. I’d not known him long, but I had no idea he could get this worked up. Clearly, he wasn’t used to situations that didn’t involve him immediately running to the rescue.
“I’m sure he’ll send more people he when can. Unless, uh, you want to try Vanora.”
Carlos laughed, but this time, the sound was bitter. “Tal’s the easier one to persuade. If he doesn’t think he can spare anyone, Vanora will be even less likely to agree.”
The silver swirl of a portal opened right next to us, though it looked a little fuzzy. Whoever opened it must also have cast a spell around it and us. I didn’t think it was strong enough to be an invisibility spell. Maybe it was designed to make us and the portal inconspicuous, so that an early-morning jogger wouldn’t notice a supernatural event happening nearby. No one would, unless we drew attention to ourselves, or unless someone knew to look for us—like our enemies.
Out stepped Khalid, who I already knew, and someone else I presumed to be Shar. He offered me a hand to shake. His grip was firm, his shake vigorous.
“I’m Shahriyar Sassani. Call me Shar,” he said. “You’ve already met my adopted brother, Khalid.”
Taller than Carlos and more muscular, Shar came close to looking like a body builder. I guessed he was an athlete, but like Carlos, some of his muscle was the result of combat training. He also had a scabbard, no doubt invisible to regular eyes, belted at his waist. What part of the hilt I could see had elaborate patterns on it and gave the impression of great age.
Khalid was younger—fourteen, I think I’d been told. While Shar seemed like the living embodiment of seriousness, Khalid, despite everything, looked smiley but a little twitchy—eager to get into something he probably shouldn’t get into.
“Hi again,” he said, giving me a lazy wave. “Now you’ll be able to see what kind of team Shar and I make. He’s the muscle. I’m the stealth.”
Khalid had his bow and quiver—also invisible to ordinary eyes—strapped to his back. I’d already seen him in battle and knew that stealth was only one of his abilities. Shar ruffled Khalid’s hair and turned back to us.
“It’s great to see you guys, but do you know when everybody else can get here?” asked Carlos. “What Alexandra found is dangerous to this whole neighborhood.”
“Tell me,” said Shar. Carlos quickly repeated everything I’d told him, punctuated by all of his frantic reactions.
Shar looked worriedly over at the park. “This is the place? Tal didn’t tell me. We’d better adjourn this conversation to a safer spot. Viviane set up a don’t-notice-me-spell, but whatever’s in the park might be sensitive enough to notice us standing around here—if it hasn’t already.”
“Sorry,” said Carlos, dropping his voice back to a whisper. “I was just so frustrated by the situation that I—wait, where’s Khalid?”
Shar spun around, but Khalid was gone. “Damn! I should have handcuffed him to me. But it’s been a while since he pulled something like this.” Shar looked out into the park and right through the carnival he couldn’t see. “I bet he turned invisible and went in to see what he could find out. But anyone as powerful as Alexandra is talking about will surely see right through that.”
He turned to me, less a warrior now, more an anxious big brother. “Can you see him?”
This close, I didn’t need to close my eyes to focus on the unseen. The carnival was still there, in all its garish glory. A slight ripple in the air told me that Khalid had indeed gone in to do some spying. I wanted to call out to him, but I worried that would give him away if he hadn’t already been spotted.
The movement of distant figures, more like mist than flesh as far as I could tell, indicated it was already too late.
Someone—or something—had spotted Khalid. Something far more powerful than any of us.
“The Carnival of Deepest Desire” is related to the Spell Weaver series. (The action takes place between the sixth and seventh books, just after the end of “North of Midnight.”)
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