The Moon Master's Ball (11 page)

She pulled away from him and stumbled from
the dance floor. All her life she had thought she was the only
person who knew of that scar and the horrible story that went with
it. Jasper moved to follow her, but a glistening mass of pink silk
got in his way.

Drosselyn stood before him, gazing up at the
tall man from beneath her dark eyelashes. With the look of a cat
who knew it would get its way in a moment, she held out her hand.
Tilly, watching from a distance, saw color rise to Jasper’s cheeks.
Was he blushing? Or did he flush with anger?

Tilly held back, observing as he began to
dance with Drosselyn, wondering what part she played in Mrs.
Carlisle’s evil, trying to recall details of Caroline’s story. Soon
the clock chimed eleven, reminding her that Caroline had mentioned
something happening at twelve. But her brain felt strangely fuzzy.
Finding her appetite, Tilly sampled the delicacies being served,
hoping food would fill the emptiness she felt when watching Jasper
with Drosselyn.

“Enjoying yourself, darling?”

Hearing Mrs. Carlisle’s voice behind her,
Tilly spun around, barely able to swallow the mushroom she’d been
chewing. “You’re not welcome here,” she stated flatly.

Mrs. Carlisle chortled. “I’d imagine I’m
not
.” She gazed upon Jasper and Drosselyn. “Look at them.
Such a lovely couple, and so completely in love.” The old woman
turned her gloating gaze back to Tilly. “He will be hers before the
night is over.”

She took a glass of dewdrop punch and sipped
it. Then she set down her drink and looked at Tilly with her awful,
rodent-like eyes. “You should leave now if you ever want to lead a
normal life. You can stay with your godmother, Mrs. Gregson, if
ever she wakes up.” When Tilly didn’t move, she snapped,
“N
ow,
before that chance expires.”

A whirlwind of thoughts rushed through
Tilly’s head. Lord Hollingberry counted on her to save his godson,
and she owed it to herself to help a man who had suffered at the
hands of evil. Just as she had suffered all those years ago. And
Scatter . . . the patient little mouse whose death had been
useless.

Just as useless as Jasper’s life would be if
she didn’t save him.

“I’ll never leave,” she said.

Mrs. Carlisle shrugged. “Your choice.”

The silvery chime of the clock rang again,
alerting Tilly that it was midnight. Jasper left the dance floor
and ran towards her. He barely had enough time to reach her and
whisper, “Be brave!” before the lights extinguished all across the
enormous tent.

Pandemonium broke out as people ran into
each other, screaming and frantic without the moonlight or light
from the tent. It was pitch black, but Tilly stayed where she was,
too frightened to move and wondering where Jasper was.

Then she saw a light. Not a familiar golden
or silvery light like the sun or the moon, but a red light. Two red
orbs floating in the air close together. She knew instantly that it
was the light of a rat’s eyes, and she backed away, terror ramming
in her throat.

“
Silly girl!”
a raspy voice uttered.
“
Thinking you could defeat
me!”

Tilly collapsed to the ground, crawling away
backwards in a final attempt to escape the rat.

“
Did you really think he could ever be
yours?”
the rat asked. “
He is Drosselyn’s and only hers, you
filthy little swine.
I should have destroyed you that night
long ago!”

Tilly screamed when she saw the eyes rise up
into the air, imagining the rat pouncing on her as she crouched
defenseless in the darkness.

But it never descended upon her, for a
second pair of red eyes joined the first rat’s; the two beasts
collided in mid-air, grunting and squealing as they fell to the
ground. Tilly scrounged desperately around in the blackness, hoping
to find a fork or knife with which to defend herself, but she found
nothing.

Then and there, although her heart pounded
desperately, Tilly realized that this was her time to free herself
and Jasper from the hateful, wicked godmother who had kept them
both in bondage for so many years. She stood, resolutely bracing
herself.

Taking a step towards the scuffling,
shrieking noise of battle, she saw a faint light peep out from
beneath her skirt. Another step, and the light grew. Tilly’s glass
slippers were glowing! Moving closer and trying not to think of
what she was about to do, she raised her foot, aiming the pointed
heel of the crystal slipper towards the larger of the two creatures
squirming on the ground. With all her might, she plunged the
crystal heel down into the heart of her opponent.

A dreadful squeal sliced through the tent
and echoed throughout the silence of Winslow village.

Slowly, as if afraid to come back too soon,
the candles in the tent flickered to life, lighting up a huge,
hairy rat much larger and uglier than a Dorian Rat. A crystal
slipper was embedded in its chest.

With a death rattle, the rat changed form,
melting from a horrible creature into an even more disgusting
woman. And then the body of Mrs. Carlisle faded away until it was
nothing but dust on the grass. Tilly’s lone slipper, which had slid
from her foot after she stabbed the rat, now sat pure and untainted
by the grotesque godmother’s blood.

Tilly stumbled backwards, tripped, and sat
down hard. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks, and she didn’t bother
to wipe them away. All in one night she had faced and killed her
greatest fear, and the sense that her world would be safe again
flooded her heart with relief.

As her senses slowly returned, Tilly heard
heavy panting. Turning, she saw Mallory crouched nearby with long,
bloody scratches running down his arms and chest. Not bothering to
stand, Tilly crawled over to where he sat and hugged him,
apologizing and thanking him over and over for protecting her in
the darkness.

All around them, terrified townsfolk ran to
escape the Circus, not wanting to be trapped in midnight shadows
again. They flowed past like a brook weaving its way around a
pebble, and Tilly watched them go. Among them she saw the familiar
forms of Ellen and Daphne hurrying away, and, between the girls,
someone she knew all too well. Rodger had a protective arm around
each of her friends. At the entrance he let go of the girls and
ushered them out of the Circus, then turned around to see if anyone
else needed assistance. His eyes met Tilly’s, and he rushed towards
her, fighting his way through the fleeing crowds.

“Are you all right?” he asked once near,
shoving a fallen table away and kneeling down to Tilly’s level.

Finding it hard to look him in the eyes, she
nodded reassuringly. “I’m fine.” Only then did she realize that
Mallory was no longer beside her. How had he vanished so
completely?

Rodger tugged on her hand, encouraging her
to stand up. She rose awkwardly, the lack of a second slipper
disrupting her balance.

“Let’s leave this place.” He wrapped an arm
around her waist and began to tow her towards the exit.

“No, Rodger, I’m fine.” Tilly slipped out of
his grasp and looked sadly at her old friend. “You go on. Take care
of Ellen and Daphne.”

“Tilly,” he spoke her name softly. “Always
you’ve been afraid of the Circus. Now I can’t seem to get you away
from it.”

Tilly smiled sadly at the irony of the
situation.

“You’ve been up to something these past
days. Tell me what it is,” he persisted.

She shook her head. “It’s too much to
explain right now. Go on, Rodger. Leave. I’ll catch up with you
later.”

“What?” He took a step towards her. “No.
I’ll never leave you.”

She thought her heart must be cracking
slowly in two. “I . . . Rodger, I meant what I said earlier.
There’s nothing . . .” She closed her eyes and chose her words
carefully. “There’s nothing between us but friendship.”

Rodger looked down at his boots. “You really
believe that?”

She nodded slowly. “I do.”

He looked up at her, the familiar twinkle
barely visible in his eyes. “Well, then.” He offered her a rueful
smile. “Whatever you say.” He turned to leave, intending to catch
up with Ellen and Daphne and escort them home.

“Rodger!” Tilly called after him and he
turned, eyebrows raised. “I’ll see you at Caroline’s tomorrow
night.” She smiled, hoping he would do the same.

“’Course you will!” he responded. “You’ve
got a lot of explaining to do.” With a roguish wink, he followed
the crowd out of the Circus, a bit of dash returned to his
bearing.

“No! Please, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean
any of it!”

Dreadful wails fell upon Tilly’s ears, and
she turned to see who was screaming so desperately. Drosselyn
clawed frantically at Jasper’s arm. He wrenched himself out of her
grasp, and she collapsed on the grassy ground.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” She buried her
face in her delicate hands.

Jasper looked down at her and sighed. “I
forgive you.”

Drosselyn’s sobs quieted, and she looked up
at him hopefully. “You . . . you mean—”

He cut her off, saying, “I mean
nothing
but that. I forgive you, Drosselyn. That is all.”
When her piercing wails began again, Jasper walked away, pinching
the bridge of his nose and looking downward. His eyes lit up,
however, when he saw Tilly limping towards him.

“Tilly,” he said, reaching out to take her
hands as he met her halfway. “How can I ever thank you for what
you’ve done tonight?”

“I was bound by Mrs. Carlisle as much as
you.” She couldn’t help smiling at his tousled clothes and hair.
Caroline hadn’t lied when she said there was a certain charm about
Jasper.

“That girl really did love me, I think,”
Jasper said suddenly, glancing back at the heartbroken Drosselyn.
“A strange, twisted love. But strong enough that she wished her
fairy godmother would enslave me until I agreed to be hers.” He
shuddered.

Tilly gently squeezed his hands . . . and
suddenly realized that she held
both
his hands. “Your arm!”
she cried in delight.

“Yes, it returned to normal as soon as you
broke the curse.” His eyes, filled with gratitude, no longer seemed
wintry.

The rest of Carlisle’s Circus slaves, also
freed from her magic, rushed from the tent with noisy excitement.
Even Indigo Bromley was running away with glee.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” As Jasper
urged Tilly towards the exit, she took two steps and remembered
something.

“My slipper!”

Jasper followed her gaze to her lonely glass
slipper in the grass and stooped to pick it up. Then he went down
on one knee at Tilly’s feet and looked up at her with a smile. She
obligingly lifted her skirts, and he placed the slipper back on her
foot then tied the ribbon securely at her ankle.

Tilly felt too shy to say anything but
gladly took his offered arm. Together they walked toward the tent’s
entrance.

Glimpsing a shadow from the corner of her
eye, Tilly turned back to find Mallory following close behind them.
“Please join us, Mallory,” she invited him with a genuine
smile.

When Jasper, too, thanked him for
courageously defending Tilly, the rat-man seemed nearly overwhelmed
by the attention. But he did keep close behind. At the tent’s
entrance they all stopped.

The night was pure and fresh, holding no
terror of vengeful fairy godmothers in rat form. It was the perfect
autumnal night, Tilly thought. But when the tall man beside her
snapped his fingers, the moon returned to the sky, making it more
perfect still.

“How do you do that?” she asked, looking up
at him with bright eyes.

He grinned. “Magic.”

Tilly chuckled. “I doubt the people of
Winslow will want more of the Circus after tonight!”

They laughed together, and even Mallory
joined in. But when the three of them stepped out of the tent,
Bromley’s Circus was no more. It disappeared just as it did every
year, although this time Tilly doubted it would ever come back.

“I daresay I’m in the mood for some of
Caroline’s apple cider,” Jasper declared, his voice content. “It’s
been far too long.”

Tilly smiled. “So am I. Although I have no
idea how she makes it so delicious.”

Jasper shot Tilly a look. “You mean you
really don’t know?”

“What?” she asked, peering up at him in the
moonlight. “Do you?”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“She uses magic to make the cider.
That’s
why her inn is so
famous.”

Again Tilly laughed, absolutely brimming
with happiness. As the trio walked home, Jasper held her hand. And
for the first time in many years, she felt truly safe. Lord
Hollingberry and Caroline would be waiting for her when they got
back, and they would recount the night over a warm cup of cider.
She had found a loyal friend in a Dorian Rat and perhaps something
more in the mysterious Moon Master. It wasn’t the normal life she
had dreamed of since childhood.