Steampunk Carnival (Steam World Book 1) by Cassandra Leuthold Page A

Mr. Warden.”
    Katya shook her head. “I don’t know, Mags. He seems so nice.”
    “Even the nicest of men would be driven mad by something like this. If he created all this, he’s a genius, and he deserves the fortune Mr. Warden’s been amassing from it.”
    “Maybe he gave the notebook to Mr. Warden. Maybe he’s a silent partner.”
    “Silence and the Steampunk Carnival don’t go together, Kat. If he were a partner to Mr. Warden, somebody would know about it. He’d be doing what Mr. Lieber’s doing, wearing a nice suit and sitting around the office while the rest of us work for our money.”
    Katya could not argue with Magdalene anymore. Her head spun from the suggestion that the biggest scandal at the carnival was its very existence.
    Magdalene took Katya’s hand between hers. “Do you agree we should talk to him about the notebook?”
    Katya stared at her, petrified. “Mr. Warden?”
    “No, the game runner.”
    “Do you really think he’d talk to us?”
    “Let me do the talking. I’ll figure out exactly what to say.”
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Katya escorted the last of the patrons past the ticket booth and waved to them as they meandered through the gates. The plainly dressed security had already disappeared from the grounds. Katya busied herself until Magdalene finished cleaning up the food stall. She rounded the entire carnival, offering her services to every employee she saw except the bearded game runner. Katya ended up in the other food stall, scrubbing browned and blackened sausage bits from the bottom of a cast iron skillet. She kept an eye on the game runner while he closed up his stall, arranging the toys and souvenirs so they sat straight and welcoming on the shelves.
    The game runner exited his stall, pausing to look over his work. Katya’s panicked heart shook her ribs with its pounding. If he left the carnival, she and Magdalene would have to wait even longer to talk to him. She wiped the skillet dry and set it on the counter. She hurried out of the stall and approached the game runner before he could disappear.
    “Excuse me,” she said breathlessly.
    The game runner tipped his hat, lowering his eyes with self-consciousness. “What can I do for you, Miss Romanova?”
    Katya started. “How do you know my name?”
    “Everyone knows who you are, miss.”
    By the game runner’s tone, Katya assumed he meant this as a casual compliment more than a jab at her reputation. “I’m afraid I don’t know yours.”
    The game runner offered a small, wry smile. “You don’t need to.”
    Katya gestured to the game stall. “I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind showing me the way the game works. Do you have time?”
    “Of course.” The game runner walked over to the stall. He did not sound as accommodating as he was trying to be, but Katya could not let it bother her.
    Katya glanced at the far food stall. Magdalene was still there beside Irina and the Englishman.
    The game runner lifted several glass bottles from underneath the counter and arranged them on the table below the prize shelves. “You’re sure you haven’t played this before?”
    “Never.”
    The game runner held out several painted wooden rings. “It’s simple. You stand behind that counter there and try to toss the rings so they land around the tops of the bottles.”
    Katya leaned toward him. “No, how does it really work? I know the games are rigged. I’m just not sure how.”
    The game runner pursed his lips ruefully and lifted three more wooden rings from underneath the counter. “Some of the rings are a little smaller.” He held the second set out near the ones in Katya’s hand. She might not have noticed the difference if she did not see them side by side. “These are sized to barely fit over the mouths of the bottles. Even a direct hit would be hard to catch around them.”
    The game runner ducked down and rose with a third set of rings. “The ones I gave you are the normal ones. These are sized a little