章 229: Surrounded, Part 2

Fatima's face as I escaped her clutches yet again was priceless. Sadly, I didn't have time to gloat, because the Bearded Lady's pain-filled hiss had finally caused a reaction from the statues around us. 

Several of the circus freaks to my left and right were slowly turning their heads in my direction—slow enough to assume that it took them some effort to pry their crimson glares away from the new arrivals—but I wasn't about to stick around for them to catch me. 

So, while reaching into the fancy pouch clipped to my belt, I ducked underneath Fatima's flailing arms and slipped past the Bearded Lady's reach. 

"Give me another second," I said as I moved past Saga.

"A second's all you've got, for real," Saga replied.