These Ruthless Deeds

by Tarun Shanker

  “No. We won’t do this.” Even as I said it, I was wondering how quickly I could get to Catherine, how we would keep our friends safe. But we couldn’t do this. We couldn’t torture and kill people out of fear.

  Mr. Redburn flashed to anger before settling on smug amusement. “Fine. I’ll tell Miss Harding you said good-bye.” He looked at Mr. Hale. “I guess your wife will have to do.”

  I lurched forward, a scream in my throat, but before I could reach him with the dagger fan, and before he could cut too deep, the knife cracked into a hundred pieces, raining to the ground. Miss Chen. Her hand outstretched, she looked as stunned as I was to see what she had done. Before any of us could move to help her further, the old woman used surprising strength to break free, spinning around, grabbing Mr. Redburn’s face, and pressing it in the strangest, most chillingly familiar manner.

  He managed to shove her away, but something was wrong. He stopped, his eyes widened, his hands frantically moved to his throat and then his face, which he felt at first, and then started clawing desperately at his skin.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  No response. Mr. Redburn opened a portal and landed right by my feet in a heap. As he looked up at me, I found my answer. Skin was pulled over his nostrils, and his lips were fused into one.

  He couldn’t breathe.

  “Don’t help him,” the woman rasped at me, clutching her bleeding throat.

  Mr. Redburn crawled closer, slower, looking up at me in desperation.

  “He’s going to die,” I said, skin goose-pimpling with anxiety.

  “It’s the … only way,” she said.

  “The only way to do what?”

  No response from either the woman or Mr. Redburn. He’d fallen unconscious.

  “To do what?” I asked her again. When she didn’t respond I cursed and knelt down to take his hand, the act warring within me. “I’m going to need a better answer than that. Even for him. Mr. Kent!”

  “This is the only way to do what?” Mr. Kent asked her.

  The woman looked at the girl next to me. “To protect Miss Wyndham’s sister.”

  A nasally, tart, familiar French accent.

  I dropped Mr. Redburn’s hand.

  A groan came from Mr. Hale’s direction. He climbed to his knees and opened a portal below Mr. Redburn.

  There was only time to see him fall into the ocean before it closed.

  Chapter 14

  MISS WYNDHAM’S SISTER, the woman had said.

  It was the heat. The heat was making me feel very confounded. The oppressive heat had me convinced this woman had been talking about Rose. That my sister was here looking nothing like she ever had. Snub nose, freckles, dark hair, no mouth. At the very least, I remembered Rose had a mouth.

  And yet.

  The older woman staggered to us, pressing against her cut with one hand and moved her other over the girl’s absent mouth with a distinct painterly motion. A motion that reminded me of Camille, the woman who had disguised me as a man last year, who had betrayed me to Dr. Beck.

  “Dearest? Are you all right?” she asked.

  The girl didn’t respond. Except to shrink away from the woman’s grasp as soon as her mouth returned, and grab at me with a strangled yell. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my dress.

  “Ev,” she said with a sob, peering up at me. “Y-you found me.”

  That voice. Those blue eyes. It was impossible.

  “Ev, please, it’s me, Rose, it’s—” The girl’s sobs cut off.

  I could hear Miss Chen beginning to ask what was happening while Mr. Kent shushed her, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t know how I remained conscious or how my legs were still working or what legs even were, for that matter.

  “No.” I shook my head stiffly in the girl’s grip.

  My heart was aching and I didn’t—I wouldn’t—believe her. I couldn’t believe her and find it to be another awful lie, another awful dream. I tried to pull away, pry her off, the world moving too quickly and hope rushing up faster than I could tamp it down. This couldn’t really be her.

  “No,” I croaked out, stumbling back. “Please, please, this is a horrible trick.”

  “It isn’t,” she said, shaking her head madly. “It isn’t.”

  “You aren’t here—Rose is gone.”

  “Ev, you have to believe me—this woman, Camille, she just made me look this way, I swear—I swear it on—on Pegasus, our pony that died when you were nine and I made you give him a proper funeral and you didn’t laugh when I asked you if he was going to the Pony Elysian Fields.”

  There was a moment of soft quiet. I dared not move, dared not believe it could be true, worried she might turn to sand or shatter like glass. But she was there with me, still holding tight, still going, trying to catch her breath between sobs.

  “Ev, please, your—your favorite part of any ball—the only part you like—is the cake. And the last time we were together—we were going to convince Mother to give us more freedom, and—and—”

  I was sagging against the roof’s edged wall, hope and pain lancing me from either side.

  Her voice lowered so there was no chance of anyone overhearing. “And you love Lord Byron.” She began hiccup-laughing through her tears. “You will mock him forever, but I once found a dogeared, underlined, worn volume under your bed and will never tell a soul, I promise.”

  I had nothing left. I broke. I was on the ground without quite knowing how I got there, desperately holding Rose with me. Her hands felt like Rose’s. She smelled like Rose—like home and Bramhurst. I decided I didn’t mind if it was a trick. It would be worth it for this small moment in time to feel her arms around me, hear that voice that I had loved as long as I could remember. Whether it was magic or the devil himself, I would worship it for the rest of my days.

  Infuriating tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision when all I wanted was to see her face. My choking sobs made it impossible to say anything I wanted to say to her.

  I did, however, find the words I needed to say to Camille. “Turn her back. Now.”

  Camille’s throat was dripping blood at a steadier stream—perhaps Mr. Redburn had managed to cut deeper than I thought. “Turn her back or I will see just how long it takes you to bleed out,” I growled, and looked at Mr. Hale clutching his leg on the ground. “Him, too.”

  With a pained snarl Camille marched forward and ran her hand over Rose’s face. As Rose appeared before me it was all I could do not to cry out.

  “Rose,” I whispered, and she pulled away from Camille, back into my arms.

  “This was reckless, ma cherie,” Camille said gently to Rose, her face softening. I hesitated to heal Camille, knowing I might regret it, wanting to let her suffer a little longer. But finally I reached out and grabbed her arm with more strength than I needed to. The cut at her throat slowly closed.

  Mr. Kent interjected, looking from Rose to Camille and Mr. Hale. “This is a trick,” he snapped. “Are you Evelyn Wyndham’s sister?”

  “Y-yes,” Rose said, her perfect nose scrunched slightly, a wrinkle appearing between her brows. My heart stuttered at seeing the gesture I thought gone forever.

  “I thought Miss Wyndham’s sister was dead,” Miss Chen said loudly, looking at us suspiciously.

  “We all did.” Mr. Kent began pacing. There was tension in his body like I’d never seen. He’d almost hurt her on Mr. Redburn’s orders.

  “Were you dead?” he asked.

  “I—no, no, of course not.”

  “Then how—how are you here?”

  “It was them,” Rose answered, chancing a fearful glance at Mr. Hale and Camille. “They—they took me.”

  Mr. Kent turned his attention upon Mr. Hale. “Is this truly Rosamund Wyndham?”

  Mr. Hale, still injured, groaned in pain as he was forced to answer. “It … it is.”

  “How did you manage to take her?”

  “When she was being held by Dr. Beck—I, ah, I found s
omeone ill at a hospital, hired Miss Camille to disguise her as Miss Rosamund, and switched them.”

  Mr. Kent stopped pacing. “That is … absurdity—if you were planning that, why did you even come to us for help?”

  “We needed you to distract Dr. Beck and Claude.”

  My tears were drying, mostly because my anger had taken their place. “You used us and made me believe my sister was dead—”

  “It was all to protect Miss Rosamund from the Society,” Mr. Hale said, wincing in pain. “It’s the only way they would stop. If they think you’re dead.”

  He clutched his leg, a puddle of blood under him. “Please, Miss Wyndham, I—I need help, too.”

  I struggled to care. With Captain Goode’s enhancement, my presence was helping him slowly. That was already more than he deserved. “You’ll survive,” I said.

  “If he dies, you’ll be stuck here,” Camille snapped, her hands on her hips.

  “And where exactly is here?” Mr. Kent asked Mr. Hale.

  “Cairo. Egypt,” Mr. Hale groaned.

  “That’s not … too far. We’ll manage.”

  I looked at Rose, who was shaking her head miserably. “They will never give up. It’s something about me. I don’t understand it at all.” She glanced at Camille and Mr. Hale, shuddering. “They seemed compelled to keep me locked up these past three months. They say it’s to protect me. And that girl they made up to look like me … she is dead and her family doesn’t know. It’s my fault. There’s something terribly wrong. They said something about a power, but I don’t know what it is.” Rose spoke helplessly and looked bereft, her small frame bowed.

  “I know what it is,” I said, grabbing her hands. “And it’s not your fault. You simply have the power to make others care for you greatly. But you cannot control their actions. And there is nothing—nothing the matter with you.”

  She looked up at me, so familiar, but the uncertainty and fear reflected there was new. Another stab of anger hit me as she tried to respond. “I—I don’t know. I just, I want to go home, Ev.”

  “Of course.” I smothered her, my voice cracking as the enormity overwhelmed me again. “We’re together now. I will get you home, Rose.”

  “No, you won’t,” Mr. Hale said, looking up at Rose the way a protective dog might regard his beloved master. “It’s not safe.”

  “We will keep her disguised and tell only my mother and father,” I said firmly.

  Camille stepped forward. “As careless as ever, Miss Wyndham,” she said, turning her cat eyes to me, and I wondered how I had not known it was her from the outset. “The Society is always watching.”

  “You’ve seen firsthand what they do,” Mr. Hale said. “They will find out about her and they will use you against each other. The only way is for us to keep her hidden and moving.”

  I clutched Rose’s hand, prepared to never let go again. “You’re mad if you think I will ever let her out of my sight,” I snapped.

  “Then you will come with us.” Mr. Hale offered me a sick, desperate smile. “Miss Camille can disguise you and leave behind bodies for the Society to find.”

  Beside me Rose shook even more. I pulled her closer.

  “How many of your problems do you solve with fake dead bodies?” Mr. Kent asked.

  “Perhaps three out of every four,” Camille answered.

  “We all love Miss Rosamund,” Mr. Hale continued. “We can protect her together.”

  I gaped at him. That book in the Society library was right. Rose’s charm power really did create dangerous fanatics. “You are delusional. My sister and I will never go anywhere with either of you.”

  A crackle rent the air next to me and I felt Rose’s body flinch at the sound. Mr. Hale’s desperate hand lunged out from the portal and caught me at the ankle, hard.

  “No!” I yelled, wrenching myself back from his grip.

  He managed to hold on for only a second before Miss Chen made the roof erupt between us and Mr. Kent helped pull Rose and me away.

  But it was long enough. Mr. Hale stood back up, his leg mostly healed. Camille came to flank him, the two of them looking ready for battle.

  “We aren’t leaving without her,” Mr. Hale said. “We can keep her safe.”

  A thin crack in the roof formed a line between Rose’s captors and us, threatening to crumble their corner. “You did a fine job of keeping her safe this time, Hale,” Miss Chen said, lashing out at him. “She would have been killed if anyone else had been sent to retrieve you. It was you they wanted, not Miss Wyndham’s sister. You almost got her killed.”

  He winced, but did not back down. “It is still better than waiting in London for them to find us.”

  But I could feel us running out of time, running out of arguments, and they were running out of patience. Rose didn’t want anything to do with Mr. Hale and Camille, but I did not trust us to win a fight against them, not with their years of experience. And not without risk to Rose.

  I had to make the decision.

  “We won’t just be waiting in London,” I said. “Running from the Society of Aberrations is no more realistic than us working for them for the rest of our lives. We must stop the head of the Society. If you truly love my sister and you truly wish to see her safe, then you must help me.”

  That had Camille’s interest. “You know who it is?”

  “We will,” I said. “We know that he does not have a power. A fact that I am certain Captain Goode will not be happy to know. We can surely get him on our side.”

  “Except that we just killed his brother,” Mr. Hale hissed.

  “How long did you know Mr. Redburn when you were with the Society?” I asked.

  “Long enough,” he said shortly.

  “Camille, do you remember his appearance?” I demanded.

  “A man like that is rather difficult to forget,” she said with a sneer.

  “Then, you’re going to disguise Mr. Hale as Mr. Redburn,” I announced.

  Realization spread across everyone’s faces at once.

  But Mr. Hale shook his head. “No.”

  “When it’s done, you’ll get to solve that problem by faking his death and disguising another body,” Mr. Kent said. “Why would you refuse that?”

  “It’s—it’s too great a risk,” Mr. Hale said. “Captain Goode will suspect something sooner or later. It’s his brother, after all.”

  “And he knows his brother is always in a hurry to be off,” I said. “You can avoid him.”

  “Only until I must go to get my power enhanced,” Mr. Hale said.

  “Why? What happens then?” I asked.

  “He can feel the difference between our powers when he enhances them,” Miss Chen answered grimly. “He’ll know it’s not his brother.”

  My skin felt like it was tightening around me. “Then give me three days,” I said desperately. “That’s it. Rose will stay with my friend Catherine while we find a way for her to come home for good.”

  “But, Ev, Mother and Father…” Rose was looking up at me, panicked.

  “It will be only a few days, dearest. The Society seems to be everywhere—I don’t think we can risk you staying in the same house as me. They would find out.”

  “Please, I … I can’t,” she said, clutching at me, her eyes flickering to her captors. “I need to be home.”

  “Impossible,” Mr. Hale said, crossing his arms.

  “I will be there as much as I can,” I said to her, ignoring him. “Catherine will be with you at all times.” Rose closed her eyes and another tear leaked out. It broke my heart and I pulled her to me, mumbling into her hair. “I promise, three days and everything will be fine. Better than fine.”

  “I never liked the plan to keep running,” Camille announced. “But I will be staying with Miss Rosamund at this … this person’s house. I will keep her safe. And you will get rid of this head person.”

  Mr. Hale nodded. “If anyone—anyone attempts to hurt her—”

  “You will not touch h
er for three days,” I hissed. “Mr. Kent, can you make certain of that?”

  He nodded. “You two, do you swear to follow Miss Wyndham’s plan and leave Miss Rosamund be for the next three days?”

  “Yes,” they both answered.

  “Do you promise to protect Miss Rosamund in the home of Miss Wyndham’s choosing?”

  “Yes.”

  “And do you have any idea how horrible you are?”

  “No.”

  “Right. Well, when this is all over, we should sit down and have a talk,” Mr. Kent said, then turned to me. “I believe that covers it.”

  “Almost,” I said.

  There was still the matter of him. And Miss Chen. They’d both felt forced to continue working for the Society in order to protect their loved ones, and now I’d put them in an impossible spot.

  “I know you both have your families to consider and you’ve already helped me more than I can thank you for. You don’t have to be involved anymore—I can continue with Mr. Hale and Camille,” I said, catching Miss Chen’s eye.

  “And me,” Mr. Kent said.

  “You have your sister’s safety to think about,” I argued.

  “And we now have your sister’s as well,” he said. “I am helping. You won’t change my mind.”

  I truly did not deserve him.

  Or Miss Chen, who was glaring speculatively at Mr. Hale. “I’ll help. But first he has to move my family back to America. The Society can come after me as much as they please, but I’ll be damned if I see anyone else I love hurt.”

  Mr. Hale nodded.

  Miss Chen threw back her shoulders, her confident smile back in place, her chin held high. “Good. There’s a lot that I’ve had my eye on to destroy.”

  With everyone on the roof in agreement, Camille returned her hands to Rose’s nervous face, and my sister once again became the dark-haired girl who had been a stranger twenty minutes ago. I squeezed her hand hard and the unfamiliar face smiled up at me tremulously.

  “You’re here,” I whispered.

  “I know. Ev, please don’t let them take me again.”

  “Never.”