Upon arriving at the Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus, Alexander jumped out of the car with his ears pricked up, his eyes wide and his nose sniffing the air. He could hear the waves hitting the rocks or just hitting the shore and the air was so different down here. True, there was a lake on the estate, located behind Quebec Castle, but this one was different. What was dubbed "Lake Quebec" had no waves, it was just a place that a river ran into and out of. Lake Ontario on the other hand, was something that defied what Alexander knew of such bodies of water. To him, Lake Ontario might as well have been the sea itself.
Looking in the direction of the circus, Alexander looked upon it as if it were a blight upon the land itself, maybe even something eldritch, something hellish. Hellish… If Herr von Fell was the Devil, then surely his circus was Acheron.
"Timothy, go and see about getting help from the police in Whitby. I know this is out of their jurisdiction, but—"
Alexander did not hear anymore. Walking away from Alan and the car, he and Roxana began to make their way towards the circus. Besides the circus tent, a simple thing of black and white, there were wagons that could be seen. Was Gemma being held captive in one of those wagons? Alexander could only wonder while Roxana worried that she was sharing a cage with the spotted hyenas or the mandrills.
Catching up to the two caracals, Alan stared, wondering just as much as the two felines where Gemma would be kept. The only way to find out was to go and search for her.
Walking towards the circus with Alan and Roxana, Alexander could smell the scents of other animals, creatures whose scents were most unknown to him. He had met a mandrill before and recognized the scents of these baboons who would one day not be baboons.
As the three reached the circus, look less inviting than such a place should have, a scent than was very much familiar to Alexander and Roxana, came to the two caracals. It was the scent of the albino chimpanzee Beelzebub. He was close!
With ears erect and eyes wide, Northern and Asiatic caracal both turned their heads. Their ears moved back and forth, trying to pick up a sound and sure enough, they heard him. They heard his grunting as he was freely wandered the circus grounds, at one point even hearing as he picked up a stone and hurled it at the child of one of the Romani in his employ. This was followed by the sound of the child crying in pain, causing Alexander to take a few steps in the direction of the cry.
Immediately, the door of one of the wagons swung upon and an old man aid sixty-six years stormed out, grumbling: "That blasted brute of von Fell's! Hurting one of the children again!" Upon seeing Alan and the two caracals, the old man paused and asked: "Hello, who are… Roxana?" When Roxana approached the old man and rubbed against his legs, he then said: "You are her…" He then looked at Alan and said: "And you are that boy who was with Captain Smith when he came to take Roxana here away from the Devil."
"Alan Carter, sir, his nephew."
Taking a look at Alexander, the old man asked: "And who is this?"
"Alexander, sir." Answered Alan.
Running a hand through his black hair, the old man said: "Get in the wagon, the lot of ye! I'll go check on the child!"
The three did as instructed and the moment they were in the wagon, Alexander was treated to the sight of Roxana rubbing against the legs of yet another stranger, a woman of forty-seven years. Wherefore? Who was this woman? Who was that man?
Taking a moment to sniff a stool, Alexander found the scent of no one he recognized save for the two strangers he had just met as well as that of others, whom he had not met. Did others live in this wagon?
"Madam…" began Alan, causing Alexander to turn his attention from the stool to his master's nephew. "Who are you exactly?"
"Jane Cortes." Answered the woman, giving a curtsy with her red dress. "I'm the fortune teller and the wife of John Cortes, the head of our community whom you have just met."
"The head of your community?" asked Alan, surprised by this. "What about Herr von Fell?"
"Our employer alone and he favours those who give our people a bad name." replied Mrs. Cortes. "Of course, I would not call Carol one of us. One has to be human in order to be a Romani and she doesn't qualify, while that boxer Eduardo Diego only barely qualifies as human."
"N-Not human? Good lord, what is she?"
"A devil from Acheron, my boy. That the Devil himself would have her in his company is only natural!"
A devil from Acheron, someone who barely qualifies as human, what talk was this? Alexander understood not. Who were these people Carol and Eduardo Diego?
Then the man, John Cortes, entered the wagon with a boy of twelve by his side. "He attacked our son this time, Janey!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "I swear, if Beelzebub does not go, it will be us leaving the community." Taking a seat, Mr. Cortes looked Alan over and then looked at Alexander for a moment before looking to Alan once more and uttering: "Now, young Master Carter, nephew to Captain Smith of Quebec Castle, I take it you and these two grimalkins have come to rescue the poor girl that Herr von Fell ordered Eduardo Diego and Charles Salazar to kidnap."
"Aye, sir!" exclaimed Alan. "That we are. Do you know where Gemma is being kept? Is she unharmed?"
Nodding, Mr. Cortes replied: "She lives, son, and she is fairly unharmed. A little bit roughed up, but unharmed."
"The poor dear has been placed in the mandrill cage!" stated Mrs. Cortes. Alexander's attention was suddenly drawn to Roxana, her eyes wide and ears erect. Alexander may not have understood the reason for worry, but Roxana certainly did. The Asiatic caracal had seen Herr von Fell throw children into the mandrill cage who had dared to so much as walk in front of him, so she could only wonder for what reason the Devil had placed Gemma into the cage.
"And you've done nothing to let her out?" asked Alan. Alexander looked up at his master's nephew, hearing the anger in the boy's tone and seeing it upon his face. He had a right to be angry, especially when Mrs. Cortes spoke of those who gave their people a bad name. Truly, doing nothing to help someone in trouble did little to give one's people a good name.
"It isn't that simple, son." Answered Mr. Cortes. "Von Fell keeps the keys to the cages on his person nearly all the time. You'd have to be a master pickpocket to get them!"
"Where is he now?" inquired Alan.
"Good lord, boy, you can't be serious about going after the keys!" exclaimed Mrs. Cortes, horrified at the very prospect.
"I came here to rescue Gemma!" returned Alan. "She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember and she is as dear to me as Rowena was to Ivanhoe! I love her and I am not going to abandon her to whatever hellish fate that Herr von Fell has in store for her!"
Alexander gave a little nod. He was with Alan and would fight to rescue Gemma, he and Roxana would both fight whatever foes were before them.
Smiling, Mr. Cortes uttered: "That you aren't, lad! We'll help you get her out! I've had some words I've been meaning to say to old von—"
Immediately, the door of the wagon swung open. While Alan hid behind the door, Alexander and Roxana both made their way beneath the table, which Mrs. Cortes then stood in front of. In walked Herr von Fell with Beelzebub following after him.
Herr Ludwig von Fell was sixty-eight years of age and stood at a height of five feet and ten and a half inches. Although Mr. Cortes was just barely taller than him, standing at a height of five feet and eleven inches, he towered menacingly over all. He was fairly athletic in build, deathly pale and his hair still retained its black colouration, not a single one even greying. He was square-jawed with coal-black eyes and a handlebar mustache that was said to have been stolen from Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. When Alexander peered out from behind Mrs. Cortes, he saw that where scars should have been upon his countenance, left by the lion Heinrich, there were none at all, only that horizontal scar upon his left cheek, as if something had slashed him. His attire consisted of his uniform from the Franco-German War, pickelhaube excluded as that was worn when hunting, a monocle that was worn over his right eye and a medal upon the right breast of his uniform's jacket.
His companion Beelzebub stood at a height of three feet and three inches. Being a chimpanzee, it was only natural. As an albino, his skin was pink, his fur white and his small beady eyes red. He was wide-shouldered, with a broad front, fur that was on end and a huge mouth. There was a scar over his left eye and the middle toe of his right foot was missing. To say that he was massive, would be untrue, yet it was apparent that he had been once until something had left him an apology of his former self.
When the chimpanzee turned his head in Alexander's direction, the Northern caracal was quick to hide behind Mrs. Cortes. The sound of Beelzebub sniffing the air could then be heard, sniffing furiously, knowing that somebody was there that should not have been… Three somebodies!
Grunting furiously, the Monkey-Man soon found his master's eagle-handed cane come crashing down upon his back.
"Silence, Beelzebub!" snarled Herr von Fell, glaring at the white-furred brute. Turning his attention to Mr. Cortes, he then said: "Cortes, my knife with the gazelle horn hilt is missing. If you or that brat of yours took it, your countenances will find an elephant's foot upon it."
"Sir, I must protest!" exclaimed Mr. Cortes, understandably angry by Herr von Fell's gall to threaten both him and his son. "With you keeping three individuals who give my people a bad name around—"
"Be silent!" roared Herr von Fell, getting so close that his nose was only five inches away from Mr. Cortes'. "None of those three are thieves. Salazar is merely a puppeteer Diego is simply a boxer and Carol is only a woman."
"With all due respect, Herr von Fell…" uttered Mrs. Cortes, causing the Devil to turn his attention to her. "Salazar, Diego and Carol are all individuals as evil-hearted as yourself. If they were not, you would not have them in your inner circle. Salazar has kidnapped children in the past while Diego himself has killed people and Carol is prone to being moody and violent, it was one of her violent outbursts that resulted in poor Francois' death."
As Herr von Fell stared at the Fortune Teller, he began to get the feeling that there was the presence of others in the wagon. Looking towards the door, he grabbed hold of it with his cane and upon seeing Alan, he said: "Well, Captain Smith's nephew whose head I'd like on my wall… What was your appellation again, my boy? Some barbaric thing, wasn't it? Attila or Ogier?"
"Alan." Answered Alan, an annoyed expression upon his countenance and his arms crossed. "I have come for Gemma, now let her go or I'll—"
"Or you'll what, boy?" inquired Herr von Fell, an amused expression upon his face. "I am a Heidelberg fencing champion, a veteran of the Franco-German War and the greatest big gam hunter in all the world. There is nothing you can do that frightens me." As Alexander and Roxana poked their heads out from behind Mrs. Cortes, Beelzebub's eyes narrowed and he proceeded to hoot aggressively. Not even looking at his companion, the Exiled Herr growled: "Silent, Beelzebub! Another sound out of you and my cane with be coming into contact with your cranium!" Alas, Beelzebub heeded his master not. Charging forward, Beelzebub shoved Mrs. Cortes aside and proceeded to grab Roxana, to which the Asiatic caracal retaliated by biting into the Albino Chimpanzee's arm. Alexander too gave a response, slashing Beelzebub across the chest and growling. While the Monkey-Man backed away for a moment, his blood-red orbs glaring at the two felines, Herr von Fell turned to see the two caracals, while Mr. Cortes helped his wife up. Shoving Alan against the wall of the wagon, the Devil walked forward and commented: "Ah, Roxana, back in my possession and another addition to my circus, this is my lucky—"
Finding himself interrupted by the sudden impact of a stool against the back of his cranium, Herr von Fell went crashing to the floor. All eyes went to Young Cortes, his eyes wide with terror as he realized that Beelzebub was now staring at him with the same bloodthirsty eyes he had for Alexander and Roxana.
Immediately, a feeling of dread fell upon all who were present and conscious. Herr von Fell was incapacitated, meaning he could not cow Beelzebub and it was doubtful the ape would listen to anyone else's orders.
With ears flattened, backs arched and eyes narrowed, Alexander and Roxana placed themselves between Beelzebub, growling at the Monkey-Man. If it was ichor he wanted, it would be ichor he would get and it would be his own.
Alas, Beelzebub did not look the least bit intimidated.