“I’m not a child,” Marian snapped.
Emily felt a stab of sympathy for Marian, even though she was being a brat. The youngest member of the family had to feel as though she had a lot to live up to. And yet…Caleb was right. Marian was too young to go out on the streets alone, particularly now. She might be caught and killed by a mob before she managed to escape.
“Yes, you are,” Caleb said. “Marian…”
“You need to decide what to do,” Frieda said, weakly.
Emily glanced at her in surprise. Frieda sounded…scornful.
“I don’t know what to do,” Caleb snapped.
“Casper would have known what to do,” Marian said.
Shit, Emily thought. Caleb would not take that calmly.
“Casper is dead.” Caleb’s face reddened. “I don’t even know what we’re dealing with!”
“And you don’t have time to work it out,” Frieda said. She shot Caleb a nasty look. “You always hesitate. You don’t have the nerve to…”
“Enough,” Emily said, quietly. She knew Frieda was tired and stressed – they were all tired and stressed. But that didn’t excuse her picking on Caleb. “Frieda, behave…”
“He does hesitate,” Frieda insisted. “Emily…”
“Shut up,” Caleb thundered. “I…”
The door opened. “I think you should both be quiet,” Sienna said, stepping back into the room. “Karan, fetch us all some Kava – and some more stew and bread for Frieda.”
“I don’t need it,” Frieda protested.
“Yes, you do,” Sienna said. She looked at Caleb. “I couldn’t locate the source of the resonance. That alone is worrying.”
Emily nodded, slowly. If someone had been attempting to break down the wards – or study them, in hopes of finding a weak spot – there should have been a clear link between them and the wards. Sienna should have been able to locate the would-be burglar and fry him. But if the resonance couldn’t be found…? Were the wards reacting to the entity’s aura or…or were they being probed from a distance?
Which should be impossible, she thought. But so is a god walking the world.
She glanced up as she heard the front door rattle, readying a spell. Sienna and Caleb did the same, while Croce and Karan took up positions behind them. If someone broke through, somehow bypassing all the defenses, it would be the last thing he did. And then the door opened, revealing General Pollack. Emily couldn’t help a surge of relief. He looked to have aged twenty years in the last couple of hours, but he was alive.
“Dad,” Caleb said.
“Stay there.” Sienna’s voice was so cold it froze Caleb in his tracks. “Watch and wait.”
General Pollack stopped, holding his hands in the air to prove they were empty. Sienna stalked towards him, the wards gathering around her. Emily sensed them probing General Pollack, confirming he was alive, unharmed and definitely not under outside control. Sienna relaxed, then kissed her husband with a passion that made Emily look away. It was suddenly easy to believe their marriage had been a love match.
“I’m glad to see you alive.” Sienna relaxed, slightly, as she led her husband back into the living room. “What happened?”
“That…that…thing…was killing people,” General Pollack said. He sounded as tired as Emily felt. “Most of the council…a dozen guardsmen…it recited their crimes and then turned them to stone. I…I had to stab myself with my knife just to break free and run.”
Sienna laughed. “I always knew you’d make it.”
“Thank you,” General Pollack said.
Emily felt a flicker of wistful envy as Karan hugged her father tightly. It would have been nice to have a father she knew, a father she actually loved. Someone who had been there for her from the moment of her birth…she shook her head, telling herself that there was no way to change history. If she’d had a loving family, she might never have left Earth at all.
But my life would have been better there, she told herself. And then…who knows?
“We have a major problem,” General Pollack said. “That…thing…is dangerously powerful.”
“He’s a god,” Marian insisted. Her eyes were fever-bright. “He is.”
“It can’t be,” Emily said. “If it was a real god, none of us would have escaped.”
She sighed, wishing she felt better. “It’s a trick of some kind. We have to figure out how it’s done.”
“Justice only has power over those who deserve punishment,” Marian said. “Father doesn’t deserve punishment.”
Emily looked back at her. “Did Antony?”
“You don’t know what he might have done in the dark,” Marian pointed out. “He could have committed all sorts of crimes that were never revealed.”
“And if that were true,” Sienna said, “how many others also deserve punishment – and didn’t get it?”
Emily thought as fast as she could. If Justice was all-powerful, they were doomed. That was beyond dispute. Resistance would be utterly futile. She could remember a couple of books and comics where all-powerful characters had been beaten, but most of them had only worked because the omnipotent enemy hadn’t had brains to match his power. The real world was rarely so helpful.
And yet…
She’d never studied any of the local religions, but she’d always had the impression they talked about immensely powerful entities rather than all-powerful beings. They were very much like the Norse Gods, if she recalled correctly. Thor and Loki were powerful, she knew, yet they could be beaten by mere humans. But then, they were really nothing more than supercharged humans. The Norse – and the Greeks, Romans and Celts – hadn’t conceived of a single being who lived on a whole different scale, whose existence comprised the universe. The concept of God had come later.
The Norse Gods weren’t all-seeing, she thought. And that meant that they could be beaten.
She wished, suddenly, that she’d spent more time reading about the myths. How much of what she knew came from the original legends, instead of the comics and movies? The movie versions of Odin, Thor and Loki might bear little resemblance to the older versions…
“He’s a god,” Marian said. “His motives might be beyond us!”
“He’s slaughtered the council,” General Pollack said. “I don’t know if any of them survived.”
“You might be the last,” Sienna said, quietly.
“I was never on the council,” General Pollack reminded her. “My appointment didn’t come with a council seat.”
“They deserved it,” Marian said. “How many lives were blighted because the guildmasters ran the city to suit themselves?”
“The guildmasters weren’t perfect,” General Pollack said. “But there were worse criminals in the city.”
“This looks very much like a coup,” Sienna added. “Use Justice to slaughter the former government and cow resistance, while the new government is imposed.”
“He’s a god.” Marian’s eyes shone with tears. “And all of the stories agree that one day he will return!”
“They say that about all the gods,” Sienna said. “Have you ever seen a god?”
“You have,” Marian insisted. “Mother…”
“It’s a trick,” Emily said, quietly.
Marian rounded on her. “It’s no trick!” she thundered. “Everyone knew he was coming back to judge the sinners! Everyone heard the stories! They just didn’t want to believe it!”
“It has to be a trick,” Emily said. “A real god would have overwhelmed all of us. A real god would be…would be convincing. We would know him the moment we laid eyes on him.”
She took a breath. “Our wards and protections kept us from being overwhelmed. We could feel his presence right until the moment we stepped into the house. What sort of god is kept out by simple wards?”
“Everything he’s done, so far, could have been done by magic,” Sienna added. “And his targets were more than just random sinners.”
Marian glared at her mother
. “You want to believe that.” She swung around to face Emily. “You want to believe that too!”
“I do believe it,” Emily said. “I’ve met powerful creatures, seen powerful spells…there’s no reason to assume that this entity is any different.”
“Emily’s right,” Caleb said. He looked contemplative, as if his mind was occupied by some greater thought. “Given time, I could cast a series of spells that would have the same effect.”
But probably not on such a scale, Emily thought. The power requirements would be astronomical.
She mulled it over and over in her mind, wishing she had a moment to sit down and work out the spells. Compelling people to drop to their knees – and surrender their free will – would require a focused spell. Doing it for a single person would be relatively straightforward, but doing it for hundreds – perhaps thousands – of people at once would be difficult. The entity was extremely powerful, whatever else it was. And it had done a great deal more than merely overwhelm the weaker minds.
Or the minds more inclined to believe it is a god, her thoughts reminded her. I’m the only person on this world who knows about monotheistic religion.
“Of course she’s right,” Marian snapped. “Lady Emily is always right. That’s all we ever hear!”
She glared at Emily. “He was telling us all about how wonderful you are.” She sneered. “He made you out to be a goddess, someone who could do no wrong. So sweet, so kind, so clever, so beautiful, so wonderful, so adorable, so…”
“That will do,” Sienna said.
“Not this time.” Marian jabbed a finger at Emily. “Casper died because of you!”
“Marian,” Sienna snapped. “Be quiet!”
“I will not be silenced.” Marian’s voice trembled with rage. “Casper died because of you! Caleb is the Heir because of you! You killed Casper to make sure Caleb would become Heir!”
Her voice grew louder. “And you deny Justice because he will come for you!”
Emily stared at her in shock. It was hard to think of a response. She hadn’t killed Casper. He’d accompanied her to Heart’s Eye, knowing the risks…and even then, he’d been blindsided by the necromancer’s secret weapon. None of them had known what to expect. How could they have? If anyone else had ever stumbled across the secret, they’d kept it to themselves.
Frieda broke the silence. “You little bitch!”
She lifted a hand, readying a spell. “I’ll…”
“Enough,” Sienna said. The anger in her voice would have stopped any sane man in his tracks. “Marian…”
“Casper is dead!” Tears ran down Marian’s cheeks, her entire body shaking with rage. “And she’s the only one who benefited!”
“Emily, take Frieda to the bedroom and make sure she gets some rest,” Sienna ordered. “No magic, not until she’s recovered fully. I’ll talk to you later.”
Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made Emily shiver. Everyone was on edge, yet…she looked at Marian and recoiled at the naked hatred in the younger girl’s eyes. She believed, truly believed, that Emily had deliberately led Casper to his death, clearing the way for Caleb to inherit. And yet…
She forced herself to move, helping Frieda to her feet. Marian stepped aside, moving with deliberate slowness even after her mother snapped at her. Raw magic crackled around her, a grim reminder that she would be going to school next year. Emily hoped, privately, that she didn’t go to Whitehall. Thankfully, if she did, she’d be someone else’s problem.
“That was uncalled for,” General Pollack said, as Emily helped Frieda up the stairs. His voice was grim. “You know better.”
“It had to be said.” Marian’s voice echoed upwards. She sounded much like her mother in that moment. “Casper would have lived if he hadn’t been with her.”
And that, Emily knew, was all too true.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“LITTLE BITCH,” FRIEDA SPLUTTERED, AS THEY stumbled into the bedroom. Her voice was tired, so tired that Emily suspected Frieda didn’t know what she was saying. “I should turn her into a frog. Teach her a lesson. Show her…”
“It’s all right,” Emily said. She helped Frieda to the bed, then undid and removed her shoes before she lay down. “You need to sleep.”
It wasn’t all right, she knew, as she sat next to Frieda. Marian’s accusation had hurt, badly. Her entire body shook as it sank in. Marian had accused her of practically murdering Casper to clear the way for Caleb to inherit. She couldn’t really think that Emily had deliberately gotten Casper killed, could she? And yet, Marian hadn’t been there. She didn’t know the full details; no one did.
Marian’s words echoed in her head. And you deny Justice because he will come for you…
She looked down at the wooden floorboards, then rested her head in her hands. The seeds of doubt had been sown. Whatever happened, Caleb and the rest of his family would wonder if Emily had been instrumental in Casper’s death, if she’d calculated that marrying Caleb would bring her even more wealth and power. Why not? Fulvia had married into a magical family and turned it into her personal power base. Why couldn’t Emily do the same?
I didn’t kill him, she thought, feeling tears forming in her eyes. I didn’t mean to get him killed.
She blinked the tears away, angrily. It had been a long day and…she looked out the window, noting that the sun hadn’t even begun to sink towards the horizon. God alone knew what was going on out there, beyond the wards. Sienna had called it a coup, and Emily suspected she was right. Janus had used Justice to clear the way for his takeover, and that meant…
It has to be a trick of some kind, she told herself. But what?
She looked down at Frieda, sleeping peacefully. Her friend had risked her life to save them, yet she’d also snapped and snarled at Caleb…Emily knew she’d have to tell Frieda to apologize, when she woke up. They were all on edge, Frieda and Marian included, but that didn’t excuse any of them. Justice might not have managed to worm his way into their minds, as far as she could tell, yet he’d definitely left his mark.
There was a faint tap on the door. Emily hesitated – it could be Marian – and then rose, opening the door and peering out. Caleb stood there, holding a broom in one hand and a mug of Kava in the other. It took Emily a second to realize he’d actually used the broom handle to knock on the door, just in case Sienna had booby-trapped it. There were so many wards protecting the house that it would be hard for anyone to pick out a specific spell.
“Emily,” Caleb said. He looked relieved. “Is she awake?”
“She’s sleeping,” Emily said. She could hear the faint sounds of an argument echoing up the stairs. “Caleb, I…”
“Mother wants me to sit on the roof,” Caleb said. “Do you want to sit with me?”
Emily hesitated. She wanted to be with him, she wanted reassurance…and yet, she knew they’d both be in deep trouble if Sienna caught them. Caleb’s mother had too many problems already. The sounds from downstairs were growing louder. Marian didn’t seem to know when to stop.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just let me get my cloak.”
She couldn’t help feeling cold as she followed Caleb up a wooden ladder and out onto the roof. The wards floated through the air, roughly a metre above their heads…she sensed smaller spells snapping and snarling at any trace of rogue magic, far too close for comfort. She kept her head down as Caleb turned, gazing around the city, then sat on the roof. After a moment, Emily sat next to him.
Beneficence was burning. Smoke and flames rose from a dozen separate places, all to the north. She could taste smoke on the air. It was hard to tell what was burning, yet all the fires were clearly concentrated in the same general area. And yet, it was terrifyingly quiet. She couldn’t hear anything louder than her own breathing.
Caleb wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry about Marian. She…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Emily said. She’d never had an older brother. She had no idea what it was li
ke to have someone like that in her life. And yet, if she’d blamed someone for killing Caleb or Jade, she wouldn’t have hesitated to let them know either. “She’s young.”
“That’s not an excuse,” Caleb said. He sounded pained. “She should never have said that to you.”
“Thanks,” Emily said.
His arm tightened, just for a second. “I spent half my life trying to get out of Casper’s shadow. And now I find myself reprimanded for not being him.”
And Casper spent his life trying to get out of his father’s shadow, Emily thought, remembering Casper’s drunken confession. And…
“You don’t have to be him,” Emily said. “You’re nothing like him.”
“Six months ago, I would have said that was a good thing.” Caleb looked down at the rooftop as a gust of cold wind brushed against them. “Now…I never realized just how much Casper had to learn, when everyone thought he would inherit. All the little things I have to remember, all the obligations that come with being part of House Waterfall…”
Emily hugged him, awkwardly. Caleb had never been particularly interested in power for its own sake. He was a born scientist, a researcher into magic…she smiled in sudden warmth as she remembered their ever-evolving joint project. Caleb would have been happy to build their university and then vanish into it. Now…he had responsibilities that came with his family. He couldn’t walk away from them.
And yet, she was tempted to tell him to do just that. She had money and a house, enough to support both of them for the rest of their lives. They could move to Heart’s Eye and build their university in peace, then open it for other seekers after truth. But she knew he wouldn’t be comfortable, if she supported him. Lady Barb had warned her, more than once, that men needed to feel useful. They had to feel as though they were earning their keep.
But he wouldn’t have any difficulty supporting himself once he graduates, she told herself, dryly. He could pay me back then, if he wished.
She shook her head, telling herself she was being selfish. She couldn’t ask Caleb to abandon his family, to walk away from his parents and siblings…she couldn’t ask that of him. How could she? She rarely looked back at her mother and stepfather, despite the long, dark shadow they had cast on her life – she would be happy if she never saw either of them again – but Caleb had been raised in a loving environment. He might fight with his family from time to time, yet he loved them…
Fists of Justice (Schooled in Magic Book 12) Page 23