Page 99 of A Sorceress Comes to Call
She arrived just in time to see Cordelia slap at him and to see him grab her wrists in turn. It wasn’t until she drew abreast of him that she realized it hadn’t been a mere slap.
Dear god, there was so much blood. She yanked off her shawl and pressed it against the side of his face, trying to stem the flow.
And then the voice of Doom tolled across the grass like a bell.
“I suppose now that you’re both here, it’ll be easier,” she said. “Hester, I’ll need you to stab Lord Evermore.”
Hester spat the filthiest word she knew in Doom’s direction.
Evangeline rolled her eyes and thrust out her hand, and Hester’s world turned the color of pain.
It came from everywhere, burrowing into her skin like shards of glass. It was a sea of agony, and she was drowning in it. She went to one knee, clutching her cane to keep from falling full length on the ground. She did not scream—she had always been too proud, even now that she had so little left to be proud of—but her breath went out in a long hiss and it was gruelingly hard to draw the next one.
“Meddling old spinster,” said Evangeline, turning away. She frowned at Cordelia. “Is this who you want to replace me with? These useless old women? This is how you repay me, for all that I’ve done for you?”
Cordelia could not have replied, even if she wanted to. Her jaws were locked tight, and her muscles shook with strain, but under that, she felt triumph.
For an instant, when her mother had turned and thrown magic at Hester, the obedience had slipped. Not completely, not enough for her to run away, but just enough for her to open her fingers, sending the knife clattering into the ground. In her head, Penelope crowed with delight.
Evermore dropped Cordelia’s wrists. She doubted he’d even realized that she’d dropped the knife. “Hester! Hester, love—” He grabbed for the kneeling woman’s shoulders, missed, and crumpled to the ground as Evangeline flung a hand at him.
The honking of outraged geese suddenly filled the air. A heavy body landed on the grass, then another, both birds hissing in rage but not quite daring to approach.
“Ughh,” Evangeline muttered, massaging her temples. “Why does nothing ever go smoothly? Cordelia, finish the job.”
Cordelia’s body marched toward the downed pair, lifted a fist—and stabbed down with knifeless fingers, hitting Evermore’s shoulder blade.
Evangeline let out a short scream of frustrated rage, like a hawk that had struck for prey and missed. “Really!?”
She’s trying to do too much! Penelope said, her mental voice breathless with excitement. She did something to both of them, but it’s like she’s running out of ropes. There’s fewer on you now, too.
Cordelia tried to fight back against the obedience and actually managed to take two steps away from Evermore. Her mother snarled and the obedience tightened on her again. “Where is that damn knife?”
Of course, Cordelia thought, almost dreamily. If she wants to make it look as if Hester stabbed Evermore, she can’t just have Falada trample them.
I’d rather no one got stabbed or trampled. I have decided that the fashion this season is for being flung off balconies, thank you very much.
Evangeline froze abruptly. “What is that?” she hissed. “Is that you, Cordelia?” She spun in a circle. “Something’s here. I feel you. Are you another sorcerer?”
I think she finally noticed me.
Cordelia flung herself against the bonds of obedience again. Her mother shook her head like a horse trying to rid itself of a fly. “What—how—no, I killed you, I know I killed you—”
Something moved behind Evangeline. Cordelia jerked her chin up an inch, trying to see.
“You think a little pain is going to stop me?” rasped Hester, and brought her cane down on the back of Cordelia’s mother’s head.
Cordelia’s muscles went slack as the obedience broke. She managed to keep from falling on either her mother or Hester, but only just.
“You hurt?” asked Hester gruffly.
“Yes,” said Cordelia honestly, “but it doesn’t matter. We have to get out of here now. Before—”
Falada erupted from the trees, accompanied by the screams of geese. Cordelia spun around, saw the headless horse charging her, knocking birds out of the way like matchsticks. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hester lift her cane, standing over Evermore like a protective bird herself.
This is it, Cordelia thought. He tramples everyone but Mother and me. She might have had something fancy planned, framing Hester for murder, but it’s just going to be hooves.
She stepped in front of Hester and Evermore, wondering how long she could keep them safe.
