She gestured again, sending a series of spells flying across the room. Emily barely had a second to realize that these spells were different before they sliced into - and through - her wards. She screamed in pain as they tore into her, fire bubbling through her mind. The mental link shivered under the strain ... Emily gritted her teeth, trying to resist as the pain grew stronger. Fulvia didn’t know it, but she was hurting Melissa too. Emily’s vision blurred, just for a second. She fought desperately to stay conscious. Fulvia had decided to stop playing games.
Something crashed down beside her. She had a moment to realize that it was Frieda before Fulvia started walking towards her, power crackling around her hands. Emily braced herself, knowing she might have made a terrible mistake. She’d been pushing herself too hard over the last few days and it showed. Using the battery to power a cancelling spell hadn’t helped ...
Hold on, Melissa sent. Ideas and concepts flowed into Emily’s mind. We have it.
Emily nodded, mentally. Her body felt too battered to move. Fulvia stopped, looking down at her disdainfully. Emily shivered at the cold malevolence in her eyes. She was no necromancer, maddened by her own power, nor was she making a final bid for victory or death. Fulvia wanted to watch the world burn before she died ...
And if she gets her hands on some of my secrets, Emily thought numbly, she’ll be able to destroy everything.
Fulvia reached down and caught Emily by the neck, hauling her upright. She was stronger than Emily had expected ... Emily barely had a second to muster her mental defenses before Fulvia started to force the link. Madame Samra’s mental touch had felt bad, but this felt ghastly. It was rape, a mental rape. And Fulvia was deliberately making it as painful as possible. Emily felt her thoughts start to fragment under the pressure ...
Now, Melissa sent.
Power - vast power - boiled down the mental link. Emily heard - or felt - Fulvia scream as fire burned into her mind, cascading through her defenses. Markus’s presence washed through Emily’s mind, passing through the link and tearing into Fulvia ... Emily felt her mind threaten to break under the pressure, even though it wasn’t aimed at her. But Melissa wouldn’t have been able to attack Fulvia, not mentally. Her oaths prevented her from abusing her knowledge ...
Flashes of awareness blasted through Emily’s mind. Jade and Cat, fighting a horde of magicians; Melissa, her mind flowing into the nexus point, using the knowledge she’d learned from Emily to reset the wards. And strands of power - blood magic - linking the family together. Fulvia truly had done something awful, when she’d returned to the house one final time. She’d sacrificed her own son to take control of the wards.
You killed grandfather, Melissa sent. Her thoughts were tinged with a strange mixture of emotions. She’d loved her grandfather, but she’d never respected him. And what did you do to my father?
Little brat, Fulvia sent back. A wash of anger flared through Emily’s mind. I made you what you are ...
Markus stabbed deep into Fulvia’s mind. Emily gritted her teeth as a wave of images slammed into her mind: a young man, practising with the wards; an older man, demanding his birthright; a baby girl, held in a man’s arms; a dead body, consumed by flame as his family looked on. And Fulvia, silently programming the wards to ignore a specific kind of poison. Melissa’s father had been poisoned in a place he’d known was safe ...
You killed my father, Melissa sent.
More and more images roared through Emily’s mind, each one briefly glimpsed before it vanished. A young girl, learning magics that had been forbidden - even forgotten - over the years. A social-climbing mother and a man in desperate need of a wife. Power, true power ... a determination to keep the power, whatever the cost. And a network of allies, some of whom had no obvious connection to House Ashworth. Daze had been one of many, in the end. Emily couldn’t help wondering just how many others were out there.
You’ll never know, Fulvia snarled. Her anger was tinged by surprise. And now ...
Emily had no time to react before Fulvia forced her presence along the link and slammed into Melissa’s mind. She cursed herself a second later, realizing their mistake. Fulvia had opened a link to Emily’s mind, allowing her to reach through Emily’s link and attack Melissa. Of course ... Fulvia knew more about blood and soul magics than any of them. She’d also had plenty of experience in breaking minds.
No, Emily thought, as she felt Melissa’s pain washing down the link. I won’t let you do this!
She hurled her thoughts into Fulvia’s mind, trying to rip her thoughts to shreds. Flames burned through the link, destroying all they touched. And then a tidal wave of water quenched the flames ... Emily shivered, reminding herself - sharply - that nothing was truly real. On the mental plane, they were equals.
Not equals, Fulvia sent. Her thoughts ached with pain, but she was holding on. You don’t even begin to have my experience in mind-to-mind combat.
I know, Emily said. Fulvia was hearing her thoughts. There was no point in trying to keep anything from her, not now. But as long as you’re fighting me, you can’t stop her.
A flash of rage, a rage so powerful that it stunned her. Emily felt her thoughts start to reel backwards, spinning into her mind. Fulvia followed, projecting a whole string of attacks ... Emily tried to counter them, but nothing seemed to work. Fulvia was just too experienced, too good at switching her attacks before Emily could counter them. And yet ...
I’m doing this wrong, Emily thought. She’s defining the combat ...
She reached out mentally and grabbed Fulvia, holding her tightly. They went spinning through the mental links - she wasn’t sure whose mind they were in, or even if they were in anyone’s mind at all - but it held Fulvia still. Melissa’s power surged a second later, sending magic flaring down the link. And Markus’s mind followed her, blasting Fulvia away from Emily and knocking her back into her own mind. Fulvia summoned defense after defense, but they all crumbled under vastly superior power. She couldn’t put together a shield strong enough to ward herself.
You can’t kill me, Fulvia sent. Contempt flared down the link. Your oaths won’t let you.
I know, Melissa thought. But I can do something worse.
Magic flared, burning into Fulvia’s mind. Emily barely had a second to realize what Melissa was doing before the mental link snapped, hurling her back into her own body. She stumbled, feeling her legs start to buckle. Fulvia was gone ... Fulvia was on the ground, moaning in pain. And she was changing ...
Emily felt sick. Transfiguration spells were designed to be painless ... And yet, Fulvia’s body arched, bones breaking as she was slowly warped into a dog. Emily wanted to look away as Fulvia’s hand slowly became a paw, fur emerging from under her skin as the transformation gathered speed. Melissa hadn’t been able to kill Fulvia, but she’d done something terrible. Fulvia would be trapped in that form, when the transformation was complete. Even draining her of her magic - even ensuring she could never cast a spell for the rest of her life – would’ve been kinder.
Melissa has every right to seek revenge, Emily told herself. But it still didn’t sit well with her. The transformation was horrific. Fulvia might not even survive. And who knew what would happen to Melissa then? This is ...
Frieda moaned, trying to pick herself off the floor. Emily helped her to her feet, feeling her friend’s body shiver against her. Fulvia had done a great deal of damage, perhaps more than she’d intended. But then, she’d never expected to survive. Emily wondered, sourly, just how much Fulvia had intended to do. She’d kept rolling the dice until she’d ended up with Emily in her body.
The dog snuffled, a pitiful sound. Emily shuddered, feeling a wave of pity mingled with hatred. Was Fulvia even still aware of herself? Or had she become a dog in mind as well as body? Fulvia had been horrible, yet ... yet did she deserve such a fate? And what would happen if she died because of the transformation?
Gritting her teeth, Emily stamped over to the dog and looked down. Fulvia looked back at her
, doggy eyes unmoving. There was intelligence there ... somehow, Fulvia was still aware of herself. Melissa hadn’t been able to kill her, not completely. And if anyone could come back from such a fate, it was Fulvia ...
Emily summoned the last of her magic to cast a fireball, then looked away as the spell launched itself from her fingers. When she looked back, the dog was nothing, but ashes.
Frieda caught her arm. “Is it over?”
Emily looked down at the pitifully small pile of ashes. “Yeah,” she said. “I think it’s over.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“THEY LOOK LIKE THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH combat sorcerer training,” Cat muttered, as the surviving members of House Ashworth filed into the Great Hall. “What a mess.”
Emily nodded in agreement. The Ashworths looked utterly traumatized. Men old enough to be her father or grandfather walked around with haunted expressions, while women and children were crying freely. She felt a stab of pity for a girl only a few years younger than herself, who was looking around as if she didn’t know where she was, then forced herself to look away from an elderly man who’d been stripped of his dignity. Fulvia had held them all in her thrall, and it showed.
She held Frieda’s hand as they stood by the wall, watching the family and wondering how they would react. Melissa held the nexus point, but ... there were dozens of trained magicians in the room, many with more experience than Melissa or Emily herself. If they decided to fight, they might just be able to retake the nexus point. Melissa didn’t want to slaughter her blood relatives, after all. But it didn’t look as though the Ashworths wanted to fight. They looked more as if they wanted someone to tell them what to do.
“It was lucky Fulvia didn’t leave them with their free will,” Jade said, softly. “We couldn’t have held the nexus chamber if they’d actually been in control of themselves.”
Emily nodded. Fulvia had hurled dozens of magicians against Jade and Cat, but she hadn’t had the control necessary to actually use them properly. Or maybe she’d just wanted to get the attackers banged up, or killed. Human wave attacks looked impressive, but not against magic. It was sheer luck that so few had actually been hurt, let alone killed. Emily hoped that would count for something, when the Ashworths recovered. Fulvia might be gone, but the house lived on.
As long as they haven’t all been declared outlaw, she thought. It had been nearly a day since the attack on Whitehall. Gordian had to have told the White Council by now. And the Ashworths had plenty of enemies, enough to want to really put the boot in now the family was weakened. They might have to surrender before they get hunted down and exterminated.
She looked at Frieda. The younger girl looked pale, but grimly determined. Some of her fire was back, Emily thought. She welcomed the sight, even though she knew Frieda had a long way to go before she got better. She’d definitely have to retake Third and Fourth Year, unless she found an apprenticeship of her own. That was unlikely. Unless ... Melissa’s family certainly owed Frieda some compensation. They could ensure she got the training she needed, from someone who had the patience to handle a recovering young woman.
“Thank you,” Frieda whispered. “For coming after me, I mean.”
“You’re welcome,” Emily said. “I couldn’t have done it without the others.”
“You don’t have to do everything alone,” Jade said, leaning in to speak quietly. “You do have friends, Emily.”
“And people who will put their lives on the line for you.” Cat winked. “What are you going to do for an encore?”
Emily shrugged. They had to go back to Whitehall - once Melissa had taken control of the family and ensured that all charges against Frieda were withdrawn - but afterwards? She didn’t know. Whitehall didn’t feel like home any longer, not after everything that had happened. Perhaps she’d simply outgrown it. She could go back long enough to make arrangements for Frieda, then write to Void and tell him she was ready to accept his apprenticeship. And then ...
The door slammed closed. Emily looked up. Melissa stood on the dais, Markus standing next to her. A low muttering ran through the room. Emily wondered, sardonically, just what they found so shocking. A disowned girl presuming she was in charge of the family or one of their hated enemies, who was married to the disowned girl? Or perhaps they objected to Melissa’s youth. Her grandfather had been in his nineties when his heart had given out. And Fulvia herself had been in her second century.
And she killed her son as well as her grandson, Emily thought, remembering everything she’d seen in Fulvia’s mind. The elderly woman had done everything in her power to stay on top. Blood magic, soul magic ... Emily felt sick. Melissa had been lucky to escape. Fulvia would have turned Melissa into a puppet if she’d had a chance. She nearly tore the entire house apart.
Melissa cleared her throat, loudly. “Fulvia is dead,” she said, shortly. “And I control the wards.”
Another rustle ran through the room. By blood, Melissa was the senior surviving family member in the line of succession; by law, she’d been disowned. And yet, she controlled the wards. Didn’t that make her the matriarch? Emily wondered, idly, how Melissa would square ruling the family with the healer oaths. She’d already pushed them right to the limit when she’d attacked Fulvia, even though she hadn’t killed the crone. Emily would have wondered if Melissa had actually taken the oaths if she hadn’t seen them in Melissa’s mind.
“I am also married to Markus, formerly of House Ashfall,” Melissa added. “We know, now, how the feud actually started. We see no reason to continue the feud. The war between the Ashworths and the Ashfalls is over. Our shared blood - and our children - will reunite the families.”
Emily tensed, expecting a riot to break out. The Ashworths had been raised to believe all sorts of horrible things about the Ashfalls. She’d seen some of them in Melissa’s mind. The Ashfalls ate babies ... everyone knew the Ashfalls ate babies. And they drank blood and used dark magics and practised forbidden rituals ... none of the horror stories were actually true, if Markus was to be believed, but they kept the feud going. Fulvia must have spread the stories herself. The last thing she’d wanted was the Ashworths and Ashfalls actually comparing notes on just what had started the feud.
The Ashworths showed no reaction. Emily relaxed, slightly. The family was too shocked to fight, perhaps, or maybe they were simply relieved. They’d been badly weakened, after all. The Ashfalls might just attack, hoping to capture the nexus point and win the war in one fell swoop. She couldn’t help wondering what the founders had been thinking, so long ago, when they’d worked blood magics into the family tree. They’d made it difficult for someone to break their ties to the family, true, but they’d also opened the path to a straight takeover. But then, what Fulvia had done had been considered unthinkable. Fulvia hadn’t just broken a very old taboo; she’d shattered it into a million pieces.
Or maybe the founders wanted to do it themselves, Emily thought. There were very few records of what had actually happened, back when House Ashworth had taken control of the nexus point. And they died before they could make the attempt.
Melissa was still speaking. “Once everyone has recovered from the blood magic, we will sit down and discuss the future of the family,” she added. “Until then, I will serve as matriarch, recognized and accepted by the wards.”
And anyone who dares to oppose her will be zapped, Emily finished, silently. The Ashworths wouldn’t fight, she suspected. They took the judgement of the wards seriously, after all. And yet ... if Melissa hadn’t been disowned properly, Fulvia’s blood magic would have affected her too. Perhaps they’ll just refrain from asking too many questions.
She tensed, suddenly. Adana. Adana had been at Whitehall. Had she been affected? It didn’t seem likely, but there was no way to be sure when blood magic was involved. Blood magic didn’t have any distance limitations, as far as she knew. Someone could use blood magic against a victim on the other side of the world. Emily cursed herself, silently, for not thinking of that
earlier. It was yet another reason to go back to Whitehall as quickly as possible.
“My friends, who risked their lives to save the family from itself, are to be honored,” Melissa continued, nodding towards Emily. “And the charges against Frieda, Daughter of Huckeba, are to be dropped. We now know that she was the victim of outside manipulation, just like ourselves. We cannot blame her for failing to resist when older and greater magicians fell too. Indeed, we will look for ways to make her whole.”
There was a long pause. “We will spend the afternoon recuperating before setting out to rebuild our house,” Melissa concluded. The door unlocked, the sound echoing in the quiet room. “I thank you for your time.”
She made a shooing motion with one hand. The Ashworths turned and hurried out of the chamber, as if they were suddenly desperate to be gone. Emily rolled her eyes at their retreating backs, torn between sympathy and an odd kind of contempt. The Ashworths hadn’t had to allow Fulvia back into power, let alone give her the tools she needed to wage a subtle campaign against Frieda and Emily herself. And they’d let her get into a commanding position when she’d married into the family ...
It would have been an impressive achievement, Emily conceded slowly, if she hadn’t been bent on tearing the family down.
Melissa and Markus approached, holding hands. “I’m going to send a messenger to the Ashfalls this evening,” Melissa said. “Hopefully, we can bury the feud.”
“Only if they reinstate Markus,” Cat pointed out. “Or he’ll be seen as an outsider, legally speaking.”
“My family will see the sense of it, I’m sure,” Markus said. “Putting an end to the feud suits both of us.”
Emily nodded. “I’m sorry about your grandfather,” she said, to Melissa. “Will your grandmother be okay?”
“I hope so,” Melissa said. She didn’t sound particularly concerned. “My grandfather was never very interested in doing anything but his mother’s bidding. He didn’t raise a hand to protect us, even when his mother started talking about arranging our marriages. And he should have been running the family.”
Graduation Day (Schooled in Magic Book 14) Page 37