Caraval (Caraval, #1)

by Stephanie Garber

And for the first time, her father looked afraid of her.

Her sister, or the boy Scarlett had almost certainly fallen in love with.

It must have been her grief. Scarlett was seeing things, because Legend now seemed dimmer as well. Duller than he had been in the tunnels or when he’d first arrived at the balcony. As if a glamour had been cast over him, and it was somehow disappearing, making him less of the Legend he had been before. Where his pale skin had glittered in the tunnels, it now appeared dusty, blurry almost, as if she were looking at a rendering of him that had grown dull over time.

one could be more magical than Legend, but despite his tricks with the fire, the master of Caraval didn’t look so magical now.

A slip of paper. Carefully, she unfolded the note. It was dated almost a year ago.

The game was not over yet. And it seemed Scarlett was right: this year’s Caraval really was about more than just Legend and her grandmother. In fact, it appeared her sister had made some sort of bargain with the master of Caraval himself.

“Take me to Master Legend,” Scarlett said.

“Because that’s not my role.” Legend rose from his chair, moving so close to Scarlett he might have touched her. He was back in his velvet top hat and tailcoat. But he didn’t grin, or laugh, or do any of the mad things she’d begun to associate with him. He looked at her not as if he was trying see her, but as if he was trying to show her something about himself.

“You’re not really Legend, are you?” A faint smile.

“My name is Caspar.”

It seemed the game truly wasn’t over.

“Is there really even a Legend?” “Oh yes.” Caspar laughed, as faint as his smile, seasoned with something bitter. “Legend is very real, but most people have no idea if they have met him—including many of his performers. The master of Caraval doesn’t go around introducing himself as Legend. He’s almost always pretending to be someone else.”

On the other side of the oval window, the world had faded even more. Whatever magic held Caraval together was quickly turning to dust, taking all the buildings and the streets with it.

“How could you—put me through that?” Scarlett stammered. “How could you pretend to kill yourself while I watched?”

“Ignore him,” Tella said. “Stop telling me what to do!” Scarlett lost control then, sobbing once more, the sort of hysterical tears that made her hiccup and sneeze.

girlie's been through it

“A wish isn’t something someone can give,” Tella explained. “Legend could give you a little extra magic to help you along, but the wish would only work if you wanted it more than anything.”

“Please, don’t be mad.”

I wouldn't be mad. I'd be furious ngl.

“I did this for both of us. Like you said, Father would hunt me to the ends of the earth if I ran away.”

Scarlett was still tempted to scold her sister for devising such a dangerous and horrible plot, but for the first time Scarlett could see how much she’d always underestimated Tella. Her younger sister was brighter, smarter, and braver than Scarlett ever gave her credit for.

Scarlett got the impression this game was also more than Tella had bargained for. Not surprising, given everything Scarlett had learned about Legend.

Tella nodded. “They did have a romance. It’s true that it didn’t end well because she chose another man, but Legend never vowed to destroy all the females in her line. After Nana went to the Conquered Isles to marry Grandfather, a rumor started that she’d fled there to hide because Legend wanted revenge, but that’s not entirely true either. I’m fairly certain lots of women have warmed his bed since then.”

It's absolutely crazy that she ends up with the same guy her grandma had a fling with in her heyday

“You had him killed.” “Please don’t be upset. I was trying to protect you.” “By having him murdered?”

wtf tella

“I want to know how it works. I need to know what’s real and what’s not.”

I think you already know this, but during Caraval there’s always a bit of real mixed in with everything. There is some free will involved. So, I can’t tell you what was real for Julian. And I probably shouldn’t tell you that his role was supposed to end shortly after he got you to the isle.” Tella paused meaningfully.

“And in case you were wondering, Julian and I weren’t ever really involved. We never even kissed.”

All Tella knew was if one of Legend’s performers was killed during the game, they really died—but not permanently. They felt all the pain and nastiness that went with death, and they stayed dead until the game officially ended.

“I’m not a performer. Regular people who die during the game stay dead. Now come on.”

“I love you, Tella.” “I know you do.” Tella looked up with an indescribably tender expression. “I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”

And then there was Julian. Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight of him. Scarlett had been looking for him since the moment she arrived, and suddenly she couldn’t move or breathe.

Her Julian. Yet, how could he be hers when she didn’t know anything real about him?

“So your name really is Julian?” “Julian Bernardo Marrero Santos.”

“Ouch—you’re wounding me, Scarlett.” He sounded more serious than mocking. Yet all she heard was the way he’d called her Scarlett—not Crimson. The nickname had probably just been part of the game, and it shouldn’t have meant anything, yet not hearing it reminded her once more of who he really was, and wasn’t.

After that, I realized Caraval was no longer the game it had once been, meant to give people a harmless adventure, and hopefully make them a little wiser. Legend had changed over the years, and not for the better. He takes on a part of whatever roles he plays, and he’d been playing the role of a villain for so long, he’d become one in real life.

“I was only supposed to bring you and Tella to the isle, but every time I tried to walk away from you, I couldn’t do it. You were different than I expected.

“Legend is your brother?” she asked. A wry smile curved Julian’s lips. “I was hoping you’d figure it out.”

“I don’t age as long as I’m one of Legend’s performers,” Julian explained. “But I was feeling ready to grow up when I decided to leave.”

“I know I’ve hurt you, but please just give me another chance.”

“I might not be able to die during the game, but all the injuries I receive throughout Caraval leave scars.”

Julian had always been handsome to her, but this very real scar down his cheek made him devastating. It reminded her of his bravery and his selflessness, and how he’d made her feel more than anyone else she’d ever met. Maybe he wasn’t exactly the same boy she had thought he was during the game, but he no longer seemed like a stranger. And he’d done it all to help his brother. How could she, of all people, hold something like that against him? “If anything, I think this scar is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“This time, I really promise I won’t lie to you again.”

he lied ya know like a liar

It tasted like the moment before night gives birth to morning; it was the end of one thing and the beginning of something else all wrapped up together.

She practically fell into the arms of her newest partner. He pulled her closer than the others had. His large hands snaked determinedly around her, bringing with them a new surge of pleasure. Tella liked the confident way he touched her. As he tugged her toward the edge of the party and farther from the crowd, she imagined feeling his hands on places besides her waist. Maybe he could help her take her mind off all of the things she’d been too afraid to share with her sister.

He didn’t look like any of the Caraval performers she knew. When her partner leaned closer, all Tella could see was a shadowy smirk as his hands trailed down.

The object she pulled out fit inside the palm of her hand. Someone had wrapped a note around a thick coin. But it didn’t look like any currency Tella had ever seen. Tella shoved the coin back in her pocket after unwrapping the note.