Page 100 of A Sorceress Comes to Call
And then a voice, familiar but deathly cold, said, “Horse, I know you understand me. Stop where you are, or I cut her throat.”
Between one stride and the next, Falada stopped. His hooves tore great gouts out of the turf and his hindquarters dropped nearly to the ground. Geese shouted and honked, rising to their feet. The short-legged gander was up immediately, hissing like a cobra.
Lady Strauss crouched over the unconscious form of Evangeline, holding a large pair of scissors to her throat. Cordelia recognized it absently as the one from Hester’s embroidery basket. Imogene’s breath was coming in ragged pants and her hair had come out of its bun and fallen into her eyes, but the scissors didn’t waver. “That’s right,” she said to Falada. “Back up. Everyone else is too damn decent, but I’ll kill her with a glad heart. Back up.”
Falada retreated, step by step, to the edge of the woods.
“What happened?” asked Evermore groggily. Hester wiped at the blood on his face and made an unhappy sound.
“Evangeline took over Cordelia and stabbed you, then hit you with… I don’t know what that was. Very unpleasant, if it was anything like mine.” Her voice dropped. “Now she’s unconscious, Imogene’s got a knife to her neck, and we’re trying to figure out what to do next.”
“Why don’t we just kill her now?” asked Imogene. “We’ll throw her in a well and say she never arrived here at all.” She looked from face to face. “If you’re all too squeamish, I’m certainly not.”
“Because we don’t know what kind of spells she’s got on my brother now!” Hester snapped. “Believe me, I’d put a knife across her throat myself if I knew I could do it safely. But I don’t want my brother turning out like Parker, and if that means her magic has to be broken before we kill her, that’s what we’re going to do!”
“I believe we shall have to do the ritual again,” said Willard. He looked immaculate despite the hour, and despite having sprinted across the lawn toward them. Alice, beside him, was staring round-eyed at everyone. “I suggest we do it as soon as possible, in fact. Before the lady wakes up.”
“We don’t have anyone to stand as wine,” said Richard. He clutched Hester’s shawl to the side of his face, the cloth already turning scarlet. “We can’t do it unless someone can be wine.”
They looked at each other helplessly, and then Penelope said, I can.
“It’ll kill you!” protested Cordelia. “You said it felt like you were being washed away!”
It can’t kill me, I’m already dead. Maybe it’ll just send me where I’m supposed to be.
“But—”
Look, I never did anything noble while I was alive. I was vain and shallow and exceedingly lazy. I might as well take one last stab at it.
“Cordelia?” said Hester. “Who are you talking to?”
Oh hell. “Penelope’s ghost,” said Cordelia. She held up a hand. “I know. I know. It’s… look, I wanted to tell you but then I thought she hadn’t followed us and we were so busy looking through the books and then she was here but then Falada dug himself up and there’s… there’s been a lot going on…” She trailed off, aware of how weak that sounded.
“I’d like to yell,” said Imogene, “but this hardly seems like the time, does it?” She grimaced. “Willard, can you take the scissors? My hand is getting a cramp.”
“Certainly, Lady Strauss.”
“And promise you’ll kill her. No gallantry, now.”
“Madam.” He frowned at her. “I am a butler. Do you truly believe that I do not know how to dispatch a houseguest if required?”
Imogene grinned, looking shockingly feral. “I always liked you, Willard. Now, as for ghosts…” She shook out her hand, turning to Cordelia. “Are you sure it’s really Penelope?”
Cordelia listened for a moment, then said, “Uh… she says to remind you of what she told you on your wedding night about the—”
“Right,” said Imogene hastily.
Tell them, said Penelope. I can do it.
Please.
Cordelia swallowed. “She says she can do the wine part of the ritual.”
“Do it soon,” said Willard. “I believe Lady Evangeline’s starting to come around.”
“Already?” Imogene bared her teeth. “Hit her again.”
“It might kill her.”
