The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)

by Evelyn Skye

Vika smiled. “Yes, the tsar’s city planners and engineers are quite talented.” “Oh, no, it isn’t engineers who managed that river fountain. It’s real magic. I know. And so do you and your father.” Ludmila winked. Vika’s smile faded away. “Don’t worry, dear, I haven’t told a soul. I may be the island gossip, but I know when it’s wise to keep my mouth shut. Not everyone would think so kindly of your abilities. It’s the reason Sergei taught you to hide them.” “I . . . But . . . How do you know?” “I grew up in a circus, my dear.” “You did?” Vika perked up in her chair. When she was younger, she’d longed to be part of a circus, moving from place to place and seeing the country. It seemed to be a place where the performers could be themselves in front of entire audiences, no matter how outlandish their talents might be. They had no need to hide in remote island forests. “Indeed,” Ludmila said. “And when you grow up in a circus, you learn early on how to distinguish what is real and what is made of smoke and mirrors. I’ll tell you that most feats in the circus are pure trickery. But you and your father have something about you that cannot be hidden from those who know there is more to this world than what we see.” Incredible. Vika shook her head. She’d gone her entire life concealing who she and her father were, when right in front of her, every single day, someone else had known. She and Father hadn’t even bothered to cast shields around themselves when they weren’t actively usi...