Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(94)

Her lips curled into that infuriating, slow smile.

Yes, I thought. Fight me. You underestimate me.

“It will be a pleasure to kill you, Bianca. Although I doubt anything will feel as good as killing Mildred.”

My shield appeared at my side, obeying the surges of magic that my instincts commanded. Miss Mabel sent a volley of white blighters in a fast arc through the air. The last time Miss Mabel shot a white blighter at me, it broke my hand. Now she sent a small army of them, none of which would stop until they slammed into me like a cloud of death.

I braced myself with my shield, shuffling through several incantations in my mind. Moments before they would have hit, the white blighters cracked in midair, separating into harmless pieces that bounced against my shield like little shards of ice. The percussion of it shook me, sending my headache into another painful spiral. I looked down to see Miss Scarlett’s bracelet glowing on top of my circlus.

Miss Mabel lifted an eyebrow with a flash of her eyes.

“Very interesting,” she murmured. “Scarlett’s been helping you out, hasn’t she? I recognize that charm. It has an exceptional power to repel blighters and curses.”

“Looks like the disadvantage is yours,” I said, and shifted into a defensive position. The movement sent me into a dizzy stumble and I had to right myself. “Are you up for a real fight?”

“I would be, but you aren’t.”

My vision blurred and my stomach revolted as the headache took an unbearable turn. I leaned to the side and dry heaved, falling to my knees. My loyal, faithful shield tumbled for a second and popped back up.

“Do you understand what’s happening?” she asked. I opened my mouth to curse her, but couldn’t keep a thought that long. My brain felt swollen inside. I could barely comprehend what she said and had to focus on one word at a time. “This is the power of the binding, Bianca darling. You see, you had a long time to complete the task, but you didn’t. And now, well, you’ll die.”

I looked up to find Papa outside the wall, throwing his fists into the glass, his face contorted in a livid yell. Merrick wasn’t far away, banging the bottom of his shield into it. No matter what they did, the wall never weakened. I willed it to be stronger.

No Papa, I wanted to say. It has to happen like this.

The magic flickered inside, drawing strength from my pain. This is how I’d die.

For Papa.

“You’ll have a few more minutes of miserable coherency left before you black out. You’ll die in a coma the very minute you turn seventeen. If I don’t cut off your head first, of course. Which I will,” she promised in a melodic taunt. “With your own pretty sword.”

She stood over me. At least, I thought she did. My vision failed, throwing me into darkness. Blood, warm and thick, dripped from my nose. I heard it drop onto the cold tile floor.

“Actually, no,” she continued in a thoughtful tone. “I don’t think I will kill you. I’ll let you suffer, destroy yourself in your last moments while dear Papa watches. Oh, Bianca. It’s more delicious than I planned!”

My thoughts began to scatter, becoming ragged and disjointed. Leda teaching Camille. Michelle with flour on her face. Papa laughing. The High Priestess. Were these memories? Was I imagining them? The gray eyes. Who had the gray eyes?

Minutes must have passed, filled with only fragments and images. Green leaves and a high canopy. The blue flash of a sword. A pair of knobby old hands. Miss Mabel’s voice existed somewhere in the background, the music to my last moments.

This is it, I realized. Miss Mabel wins again.

The blackness overwhelmed my chest, encompassing it in a blanket of night. The pounding of my heart made a staccato against my ribs. When I was ready to give myself over to the edge, to escape the misery of mortality, I felt another rending inside. It rippled through my body with physical pain, like my muscles had been torn apart. The headache ceased immediately, my vision cleared. A pressure I didn’t know was on my chest released, setting me free.

“What’s this?” Miss Mabel hissed.

With a gasp I lifted my head to see Leda standing just outside the wall, the Book of Contracts in her arms. A torn page of paper burned in her right hand. The flames danced toward the ceiling, highlighting the triumphant smirk on her face.

“Leda,” I breathed in a rush of exhilaration and fear. She’d saved me. Leda had found and destroyed the binding. Miss Mabel’s eyes constricted, turning a dark, furious color.

“Kill her!” she screamed, although the Clavas couldn’t hear us. “Kill the vile bitch!”

At first attracted by the tall flame, and then noticing Miss Mabel’s livid eyes, three Clavas rushed Leda.

“Leda!” I yelled. “Run!”

Leda looked to the side and her eyes widened. She stumbled back a few steps, threw the Book of Contracts at one Clava that dropped in front of her, and tried to run. Miss Scarlett, her thick hair falling around her face and singed on the ends, stepped in front of Leda just as a cloud of Clavas swooped down. Both of them disappeared into the midst of the black wraiths.

“No!” I screamed.

“Stupid little monster,” Miss Mabel spat. “She’ll get what she deserves. I’ll see to it. You and your friends make me sick.”

The magic roared to life in my chest again, as powerful as I’d ever felt it before. Now the real fight would begin.