“No. Me!”
“Give us more!”
One by one, she released the cards in her hand.
“Paloma! Paloma! Paloma!”
Esmeralda’s heart swelled. They loved her.
She flicked her wrists, producing more cards. The enchanted gloves warmed against her skin. Almosttoowarm.
Smiling through her discomfort, she sent more paper doves flying.
The crowd jumped and climbed onto each other’s shoulderslike a ravenous horde. But they were laughing and whistling and calling her name. Everyone in the audience was looking at her now. She was doing it. She was going to pass this challenge.
But the gloves were starting to burn into her skin. And her underarms were throbbing. Surely, Ignacio’s ankles were too.
Yet around and around they spun. The hoop began to whirl faster than she wanted. She couldn’t stop it. The audience below blurred. Dizziness tugged at her consciousness.
She forced her gaze upward to focus on the tent roof, but that was when she saw it. A horrifying face peered through the dark mirrors that hung from the rafters. It looked like an old clay mask. Fractures and cracks littered its strange skin. The thing had a ruddy nose, a sneering grin, and glowing eyes that whirled like a spinning top.
“Pigeon,” she cried out. “Look toward the rafters.”
“Shit,” Ignacio exclaimed.
Her gloves sizzled viciously into her skin, and she sucked in air through her teeth.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I have to get these gloves off.” Desperate, she bit into the fingertip of her glove and tried to tug it free. Her jerky motions nearly sent her sliding off Ignacio’s ankles.
“Hold still, Dovie. I’m going to lift you back up,” Ignacio said calmly.
“I can’t!” She squirmed. “Everything burns!”
“You can do it. You’re so strong. Stronger than you realize.”
The pain was searing. She gritted her teeth and groaned.
“Just focus on my voice, okay? Listen to what I’m saying. I’m going to lift my legs up. All you need to do is try and reach up and grab hold of the hoop. Can you do that?”
Could she? Could she do anything but drown in nausea and blazing heat?
“I’m going to lift you now.”
He grunted. The laces of his boots dug into her armpits. It was a welcome distraction.
“Raise your arms, Dovie.”
She did. His legs squeezed her, holding her in place so she wouldn’t slip. But she couldn’t find the hoop. Oh gods, she was going to faint. Or retch.
“Tilt your arms back,” he commanded. “You can do this.”
She did as she was told. Her knuckles grazed the ring. But she couldn’t quite grasp on to it. Ignacio grunted again. He lifted her a tiny bit higher. Her fingers wrapped around the ring. A shock of pure agony tore through her veins.
A strong arm cinched around her waist and jerked her back. They wobbled for a second. The crowd gasped in terror.
This is it, she thought.I’ve killed us both.
