Broken People (Serial)

Six

As he sprinted up the City Hall steps, Nicholas felt more optimistic than he should have about this new adventure. But the beautiful sunny morning resembled spring rather than fall, and the city buzzed with life around him, putting him in a good mood. Even the delicious aroma of fresh croissants failed to make him long for home because, for once, he had other things with which to occupy his mind.

He'd spent the night pondering their predicament, and while the feasibility of the action was debatable, he had to admit it was a bold move. The only downside he saw, besides not being able to do his regular shows, was that some of the acts might require his assistance, but he'd been careful for too long. He could use a change.

If they were allowed to do the show, the locals would see the circus folk were people like them—just with better enhancements. Maybe the next time they stopped by, they wouldn't be forced to pull up on an abandoned track far out of town. The circus could surely use it, as the past few years had been tough because of the war and the population being tight with their money. And what was good for the circus was good for all of them.

Of course, this was all propaganda, part of the pep talk Rake had given him before leaving the train. Rake had been playing with his knives at the time. Nicholas didn't fear him or any of the crew members, but he did want to keep his place at the circus. With Big Dino hibernating and no one else officially appointed in the boss's place, Nicholas needed to tread carefully for a while.

He shifted the small chrysanthemum bouquet to his other hand and, after knocking on the office door, he walked in. "Madame Odette, thank you for scheduling the appointment on such a short notice. These are for you."

The middle-aged, plump woman sitting behind the desk became flustered when Nicholas offered her the flowers. "Not a problem, Mr. Renard. Mayor Ternchiev is eager for news from the east. Real news, not like the media."

"I'll be happy to give him news, though I'm afraid it's not good." Nicholas put on a grim face and took off his gloves. "Is he in?" He nodded towards the heavy, wooden door at her right. "I hope I'm not late."

"No, no, go right in." Madame Odette waved a hand and pushed her glasses up her pointed nose. "He's expecting you."

Nicholas smiled to himself as he entered the larger office. One didn't have to use any special type of "magic" to have people accommodate you. In most cases, it was enough to be nice. A different kind of "nice" was needed when dealing with Mayor Ternchiev, though.

"Monsieur le Maire?" Nicholas cleared his throat to announce his presence to the older man, who was busy reading the headlines rolling across a screen.

Bushy eyebrows rose before small eyes, buried in thick layers of fat, followed. "Mr. Renard, is it that time of year again?" Ternchiev turned off the screen and lowered it back into the desk.

"I'm afraid it is." Nicholas grinned and pulled out a chair to sit. They were not quite equals, but he didn't want to let the mayor fool himself into thinking he held all the cards. Nicholas had a few aces up his sleeve, too. "We've made it here again. I don't suppose the rules have changed since last year?"

"I'm afraid they haven't." Ternchiev raised his shoulders in a half-apologetic gesture. "I lead this city, but I can't force the people to change their minds. If they don't want to see your people, there's nothing I can do. After all, I'm only a servant of the people."

Lies. So many lies. Banning the circus from town had been the mayor's initiative. He remembered the slogans: No spare parts! No corruption! It was how Ternchiev had won his third mandate. The circus crew didn't kidnap children and homeless people to use them for spare parts, but who would listen? After all, they were only circus people.