“Ouch,” Emily said. Dionne was going to hate being permanently scarred. Emily would have felt sorry for Dionne if she hadn’t tried to kill her and an innocent boy. “What’s wrong with her?”
Damia looked at her. “What’s wrong with you?”
Emily blinked. “What?”
“You do not talk to the headmistress like that,” Damia said. “It reflects poorly on you.”
Emily stopped and gathered herself. “Problems don’t go away if you ignore them,” she said, coldly. “And sometimes, people need to be pushed into dealing with them.”
“True,” Damia agreed, as they resumed their walk. “And sometimes, the people doing the pushing don’t see the full picture. Sometimes, they even make matters worse. Expelling a student is a political decision, Lady Emily, and dismissing a teacher even more so. You may have ensured that there is no way to handle this quietly.”
“I don’t want to handle it quietly,” Emily said, as they reached her door. She pushed it open, silently relieved the wards were untouched. “I want it handled.”
“Have a care, Lady Emily,” Damia said. “Have a care.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
EMILY SLEPT POORLY.
She was exhausted, almost too exhausted to sleep. She tossed and turned, her nightmares so vivid that she honestly wasn’t sure if she was asleep or awake. Even when she finally woke up properly, it was hard to believe she really hadn’t been hunted by a gang of giggling witches. She felt a stab of pity for the poor boy, the nameless child, who’d been broken by the little brats. There was a very good chance he was already on his way out of the country.
Emily sat up and forced herself to stand. She’d been too tired to undress and her clothes felt filthy. She struggled out of them, wincing at the scratches on her arms and legs. She’d been so intent on the girls that she hadn’t noticed brushing against thorny bushes and brambles. Emily sighed and headed into the shower, trying to wash herself clean. Her skin felt ghastly. She hadn’t felt so bad since she’d been on campaign, when the closest thing to a shower had been a bucket of lukewarm water poured over her head. Her scalp itched at the thought. She wondered, crossly, if it was time to cut her hair. Void had pointed out, rather sarcastically, that it was just a matter of time until someone caught her by the hair and tried to yank her back.
Or chokes me to death with my own hair, she thought, as she muttered a drying spell and then donned a new dress. That would be embarrassing.
She frowned as she heard a knock on the door. It was mid-morning - she’d cancelled all the alarm spells before she’d gone to bed - and no one was going to come looking for her... probably. Duchene was unlikely to want to see her again, while Damia and the rest of the teachers were probably teaching. Jens? Emily tensed, suddenly unsure if she should open the door or not. Her magic wasn’t drained, but she was in no state for a fight. She braced herself and undid the wards, holding one hand behind her back in a casting pose. If someone intended trouble...
Brier smiled at her as the door opened. “How are you?”
Emily blinked as she saw the tray Brier was holding. “You’re not in class?”
“Classes have been cancelled,” Brier said. “The headmistress announced it at breakfast. The girls are to stay in their dorms unless they have a very good excuse. Rumors are flying thick and fast. No one’s been able to avoid noticing that nine girls appear to be missing...”
She frowned as she passed Emily the tray. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”
Emily frowned. “What now?”
“That’s the wrong attitude,” Brier said. “May I come in?”
“Sure.” Emily stepped to one side long enough to allow Brier to enter, then closed the door and sat on the bed. “What’s happened now?”
“Jens has called challenge on you,” Brier said. “She’s insisting on an immediate duel.”
“I...” Emily blinked in surprise. “She’s challenged me to a duel?”
“Yes.” Brier looked faintly apologetic. “She asked me to convey the demand and the terms.”
“I thought I set the terms, as the challenged party,” Emily said. Master Grey had tricked her into making something that sounded like a challenge. Jens, it seemed, had been far less cunning. Or... was she playing a different game? “What are her terms?”
“Magic against magic,” Brier said. “No guns or swords or anything.”
“I see.” Emily had to admire Jens’s thinking. If Emily refused the duel, it would be politically difficult to fire her. If Emily accepted the duel and lost, Jens would be in an excellent position to find a new post if she still got fired. Hell, Duchene might not have tried to discourage her. If Emily killed Jens, Duchene wouldn’t have to fire her; if Jens killed Emily, Emily wouldn’t be able to ruin the conference. “She doesn’t want mundane tricks?”
“No,” Brier said. “She intends to prove she can best you.”
Emily kicked herself, mentally, for not considering the possibility. Jens would hardly have accepted her dismissal without a fight. And she was a good teacher, an expert at charms... aware enough, perhaps, to figure out that Emily was no necromancer. Jens might gamble everything on the grounds she had nothing to lose. Emily groaned. She should have considered the possibility...
“I don’t have time for this,” she growled. “I have work to do.”
Brier indicated the tray. “I don’t think you can afford to let it slide,” she said. “Jens was very insistent on an immediate duel. It was all I could do to convince her to let you sleep.”
“Thanks.” Emily opened the cover and started to tuck into the kippers and potato. “I... what is she thinking?”
She scowled. She knew the answer to that. Jens wouldn’t have a hope of finding a new position, certainly not one as good, if she was summarily sacked from Laughter. And Emily had backed Duchene into a corner, where she had to sack Jens or risk losing the conference and her last chance to make her mark on the school. Duchene stood to gain from whatever happened, to the point Emily wondered if she’d set out to encourage Jens to issue the challenge...
Or if whoever is manipulating the school encouraged her to make the challenge, Emily thought, grimly. Is it Jens herself?
She sipped her tea, considering the possible options. Jens was a charmsmith. She could easily have influenced the girls with magic, although - given what Dionne and her gang were like - it was unlikely Jens had needed to bother. And if she got caught... Emily recalled the teacher’s handbook and shuddered. There were limits, strict ones, on what the teachers could do to the students. Using magic to influence them was banned, unless it was part of defense class. Even then, the rules were strict. Emily could understand why some teachers preferred to avoid such lessons altogether.
Brier cleared her throat. “Jens wishes to meet you in the Great Hall in an hour,” she said, softly. “What should I tell her?”
“Tell her I’ll be there,” Emily said. There was no point in setting terms. Better to let Jens do it and then catch her out. “Do you have to escort me down?”
“No,” Brier said. “Jens has declined a second, but you are entitled...”
Emily shook her head. She didn’t need someone to take her place. Besides, she had a feeling there’d be a shortage of volunteers. She finished her breakfast, passed the tray back to Brier and stood. It wasn’t enough to merely beat Jens, not after Jens had been trying to convince the witches of their own superiority. Emily had to discredit her as well.
And she must have been the one who charmed those toys for Dionne, Emily thought. She couldn’t have done it herself.
“I’ll see you there,” Brier said. “Good luck.”
She stood and left the room. Emily sighed, wondering just how many students would be watching the duel. Duchene would want witnesses, whatever the outcome. Emily reached for her chat parchments and scribbled out a set of messages, then wrote a more formal note for Jan. Hopefully, the postal service would still be running. The town’s postman wasn’t a witch. H
e was supposed to come to the castle every morning and evening... she shook her head as she charmed the letter closed. She’d just have to hope for the best. She put the letter to one side, then opened her bag. The gun was tempting, very tempting. She could put a shot through Jens’s head before the older woman could react...
No, she’ll have adjusted her wards to handle solid objects, Emily thought. The charms mistress wasn’t stupid. She had no reason to expect Emily to play fair. She’ll use it to discredit me.
She pushed the gun aside and found the battery and valve, hidden below a layer of spells. Emily took them out and carefully inserted a spell into the valve, then concealed them both within her dress. Jens wouldn’t sense them, not as long as they were wrapped in Emily’s wards. She straightened, muttering a pair of spells to sharpen her defenses, then picked up the letter and headed for the door. There was no forbidding charm on the postal box at the end of the corridor. Emily slotted the letter into the box and then headed down to the hall. It was nearly time for the duel.
A rustle ran through the chamber as she stepped into the hall. It looked as if the entire school had assembled to watch. Jens stood at the far side, wearing a red dueling robe. She was wrapped in so many protective charms that Emily was mildly surprised she could still cast spells. She allowed herself a smile as she realized she’d been right. Jens had wrapped herself in solid wards. Emily guessed she’d woven a handful of murder holes into the magic, just to allow her to shoot hexes and curses at Emily. Jens was an experienced duelist. She wouldn’t just sit there and let Emily blast spells at her, even if she was confident in her defenses. It would make the outcome far too predictable.
Damia stepped up next to her, looking thoroughly displeased. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
No, Emily thought.
“Yes,” she said. “I don’t have a choice.”
Damia’s expression darkened. “No,” she said. “I suppose you don’t.”
She indicated the wardlines on the floor, outlining how they worked. Emily nodded. She’d seem something similar when she’d dueled Master Grey, although there’d been fewer students watching the show. If she crossed the wardlines before Jens was dead or unable to continue, she would forfeit. Doing that in a real duel might mean death or worse.
Jens might simply try to shove me out of the circle with her own wards, Emily thought. It would be an ingenious tactic, if she wanted to make Emily into a laughingstock without actually killing her. She’d make me look like a fool without having to cast any spells herself.
Damia didn’t raise her voice, but silence fell anyway. “We are gathered here today to witness a duel between Mistress Jens and Lady Emily,” she said. She didn’t offer the parties the chance to step back, something that bothered Emily. “Remain outside the wardlines. Jens, Emily, take your places.”
Emily rested her hands in her pocket - and on the battery - as she walked across the wardline and into the circle, doing her level best to project an air of insolence. Jens glared, her face reddening to the point Emily wondered precisely what had been said when Duchene had dismissed her. Her cool and calculating manner was gone. Emily supposed it couldn’t be easy to lose everything she’d worked for in the blink of an eye, at the behest of an over-ranked junior tutor no less. And now she had to win a duel against someone who’d killed a bunch of necromancers in single combat.
And someone who is going to cheat mercilessly, Emily thought. She couldn’t help a thrill of anticipation. This might even be fun.
She held herself calmly, keeping her eyes on her opponent. Jens deserved it. Jens... she wasn’t any different, at least in theory, to anyone else who considered themselves racially or sexually or ethically or ideologically superior. The conviction that one was superior above all others was far from uncommon. And yet, Jens was a teacher. A competent teacher, one who clearly knew what she was talking about. It would have been easy for her charges to recognize her skill at charms and assume she was right about everything else. Emily gritted her teeth. Jens needed to be removed. She’d deal with the consequences later.
Damia raised her voice, slightly. “Three... two... one... begin!”
Jens moved forward. Emily allowed herself a smile. She’d been right! Jens did intend to push her out of the circle. She had to admit it was a cunning plan, although one she wouldn’t have dared to use outside a dueling circle. A duel with a dark wizard would be fought without any kind of rules at all. Emily touched the battery and opened it, allowing magic to flow into the valve. A cancellation spell, so powerful it tore through nearly every spell in the chamber, blossomed into life. Emily readied herself to duck. If Jens realized what was happening in time to react...
She smiled as Jens stumbled back, her wards shattering like glass. The magic flowed back into the ether. She raised a hand, trying to cast a curse, but the spell was gone before it could be completely cast. Emily stepped forward, the advancing charm breaking the remainder of Jens’s spells. Jens stared at her in horror, utterly shocked. Emily lifted her fist, telegraphing the movement in a way she would never have dared during training, and punched Jens in the jaw. She stumbled back and hit the ground. Emily picked her up by the dress, moving as quickly as she could, and threw her out of the circle. A wave of awe ran around the hall. Emily had won by...
Jens tried to sit up. “You cheat!”
“I used magic,” Emily said, calmly. The circle was collapsing as the rest of the magic faded away. “Magic and my fists.”
“Congratulations,” Damia said. Her voice was so flat it was impossible to tell if she was pleased or upset. “You won.”
“You didn’t put on a show,” Mistress Greenstone said. The gym mistress hauled Jens to her feet and hefted Jens over her shoulder. “Why not?”
Emily had to smile. “I didn’t come here to put on a show,” she said. She twisted the valve, turning off the flow of magic. “I came here to win.”
She stared around the room. The students had known her reputation, but many of them hadn’t believed it. Others had sought to build reputations for themselves by challenging her, secure in the knowledge she couldn’t actually kill them. Now... they believed it now. They’d seen her break Jens’s spells and knock her senseless... not, Emily supposed, that Jens had had much sense in the first place. She might have been a little more understanding of mundanes if she’d had more sense.
“Yes, very good,” Damia said. “You can all return to your rooms now.”
Lillian popped up beside Emily. “That was fantastic,” she said. “You beat her!”
Emily had to smile. “Thanks,” she said. The simple admiration in the younger girl’s eyes was... heart-warming. She thought, not for the first time, that Lillian would make a far superior apprentice to Karalee. “Where are the others?”
“I have the dorm to myself,” Lillian said. Her smile grew wider. “It’s wonderful!”
“You’ll have a room of your own in sixth year,” Damia said, crossly. “Lady Emily, a word?”
Emily nodded. “Lillian, I’ll speak to you later.”
She watched the younger girl hurry away, then looked at Damia. “What’s going to happen to Jens now?”
“She’ll be leaving the school shortly, without a reference,” Damia said. “She will be formally banished from the school’s lands, including Pendle. What happens to her after that is none of our concern.”
“As long as she doesn’t try to sneak back in,” Emily said. Jens could presumably teleport... she could go anywhere, if she wanted. “If she...”
“She will be formally banished,” Damia said. “She will be unable to return.”
She met Emily’s eyes. “The parents of the... suspended girls will be arriving tomorrow,” she said. “You may be called upon to provide testimony, if they are unwilling to withdraw their daughters quietly. I suggest you spend some time thinking of what you want to say.”
“I will,” Emily said.
“Some of them will not be impressed by your reputa
tion,” Damia added. “And those of them that are will seek to challenge you.”
“Just like their daughters,” Emily said. “I’ll be there.”
“Very good.” Damia leaned closer, casting a subtle privacy ward. “And you are not to try to blackmail the headmistress again. Understand?”
“I understand,” Emily said. She felt a stab of shame. “I won’t do it again.”
“Very good.” Damia stepped back. “Traditionally, we should hold a party for the winner. Under the circumstances, we feel it might be a bad idea.”
“I don’t want a party,” Emily said. She’d blacked out after winning her first duel. This time... technically, Jens hadn’t been too far wrong. Emily had cheated. “If you don’t mind, I have to go back to my room.”
Damia nodded and walked away. Emily turned and headed in the other direction. Jens... she wasn’t fool enough to think she’d seen the last of the charms mistress. Jens was powerful, capable and, after the defeat, angry. It might have been better to kill her... Emily shook her head. She wasn’t a killer, not really. Jens was no necromancer. She might mend her ways, given time. And it would be harder for her to convince people to work with her, let alone to follow her, after she’d been beaten so badly.
She ran her hand through her hair. The parents were coming... and Emily wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Not yet. If the girls had been influenced, they weren’t wholly responsible for their own actions... she needed proof, one way or the other. And now they were in the disused dorm... Emily’s legs took her up the stairs, then down the corridor to Lillian’s dorm. The wards outside had been tightened. Emily frowned. Jens’s work? Or Damia’s? Or...
“Lady Emily!” Emily turned to see Lillian hurrying towards her. “I thought you’d be in your room.”
“I’m not,” Emily said. She let out a breath. “Lillian, I need to search the dorm.”
Lillian frowned. “I... including my stuff?”
“I hope not,” Emily said, truthfully. “But I don’t know.”
Lillian looked at her for a long minute, then nodded. “Last night... last night, they made sure I couldn’t go after them,” she said. “If you have to search the room...”
Little Witches (Schooled In Magic Book 21) Page 33