Dead Magic

by Kara Jorgensen

  Peregrine eyed him suspiciously but at the grating call of the director, he grimaced and headed back to the door where the firemen rushed from their red steamer cabs.

  “What was that all about? Lord Dorset and Hadley are right there.” Adam said, casting a glance over his shoulder toward the museum. “You aren’t seriously thinking of going after them, are you?”

  Immanuel pulled the vivalabe from his pocket, holding it under the sparse light of the street lamp as he clicked it open. Looking up, he found Adam staring at him, silently pleading with him to stay. “Adam, I have to do something. They could kill Emmeline and summon something— something horrid.”

  “Would she really die? You said you both have come back to life before.”

  “Do you really want to take that chance, Adam?” Immanuel cried, his voice tight. “As rotten as Emmeline can be, she saved my life once, and I’m not going to let someone hurt her because she’s too stubborn to admit she was wrong!”

  In his palm, the stones within the vivalabe scattered. Lady Rose’s garnet piece stood in the distance as the black and cat’s eye stones slowly rolled toward it. His eyes widened as he watched Judith and Cassandra drive away from the others.

  “Mein Gott, they’re going the wrong way! They aren’t heading for the Eidolon Club.” Immanuel raised his gaze to the thick line of trees at the end of the road. Their leaves rustled in the breeze, carrying with it the damp must of the earth and the tang of something much older. “Hyde Park. They’re heading for Hyde Park. Miss Elliott said the ritual requires space, and—”

  Locking eyes with Adam, Immanuel stepped closer. If only he could touch his face or hold his hands, anything that would help him understand. Out on the street surrounded by the jostling crowd, they could be anonymous if they were merely two men talking, but they drew eyes with a nearness that was too intimate. There would be no proper good-bye for them.

  “Adam, I’m sorry, but I have been afraid far too long. I need to do something.”

  “Then let me come with you.”

  “No! I can’t risk it. I don’t know what I am, but I know you can get hurt. Take Lord and Lady Dorset back to the house, lock all the doors, and wait for me. You’ll be safe there.”

  Immanuel put his hand on Adam’s shoulder, wishing he could gently stroke his cheek and press his lips to his. Instead, all he had were unspoken phrases where heart and eyes met in silent grief.

  “Please… If you love me, stay safe for me,” Immanuel whispered, squeezing Adam’s shoulder before he ripped himself away and trotted down the pavement toward the darkness of the park.

  Adam stood frozen, blinking as if the whole night had been a mirage. Smoke drifted from the grand entrance of the Natural History Museum as rows of steamers came and went, carting off guests only to be replaced with police and reporters. Near the street, Eilian and Hadley waited outside their idling steamer. Their butler watched the chaos with a wary eye while Eilian wrapped his arm around Hadley who nervously scanned every face that passed. Upon seeing Adam approach, her face lit up with a relieved grin. Breaking from Eilian’s arm, she hugged her brother to her.

  “Thank heavens you’re safe. I was beginning to worry about you. Where’s Immanuel? Did he go back inside?” She searched her twin’s face, the grin falling from her lips. “What’s wrong? What happen?”

  “I need to borrow your gun,” he said flatly, his eyes flickering from his sister to the earl who now stared up at the stars.

  “My gun?”

  “Please, Had, I need it. I know you have it on you.” When she stared at him with a raised henna brow, he added, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I think Immanuel may be in trouble.”

  Hadley dug through her beaded clutch, keeping her eyes on the police as she shoved the snub-nosed gun into Adam’s hand.

  “I promise I will return it to you tomorrow.”

  As he turned to leave, his sister grabbed the edge of his coat. She stared up at him, her freckles bright against her sudden pallor. Swallowing hard, she took a step closer, her bones casting deep shadows in the street lamp’s harsh light. Slipping her arms around him again, she held him tight.

  “Be careful, Adam. If anything is going on with Immanuel…”

  “I will. Please go home and stay far away from here.”

  With that, Adam slipped the miniature derringer into his pocket and disappeared into the shadows of the museum’s façade. If Immanuel was to risk his life, he wasn’t about to let him go it alone. Not this time.

  ***

  Emmeline staggered, her silk slippers heavy with moisture and mud as Lord Hale urged her forward. A rock cut through her sole, eliciting a pained groan, but she bit it back for fear of what might happen if they stop. He had done something. She hadn’t seen what in the chaos of running and doubling back through the museum’s stone and wood passages. She had expected to hop into a cab and ride off, but instead he dragged her into the park. Trees and vast swathes of manicured lawns rose before them. In the day, the park bustled with life, but at night, the sound of horses and people were mere ghosts. Something was wrong about it. The air felt too thick, too hard to push through, and what repelled her further was the sickening pulses that rang through her body as the misty Serpentine came into view. Grabbing her head, Emmeline stumbled. Her head swam as pins slipped from her hair and the world around her turned on its side. Lord Hale turned, reaching to urge her forward with wild eyes when she swatted his hand away.

  “Cecil, stop!” she cried, eyes burning.

  He stared at her, his hazel eyes blank and unfeeling until the spell broke with a blink. “Emmeline, we have to keep moving. We have to reach my aunt before—”

  His lips tugged into a tight line as he clenched his jaw and looked over his shoulder where a faint glow flickered between the trees. Standing on tiptoe, Emmeline gently turned his gaze back to her. Stubble pricked her gloved hand as she stroked his jaw. He swallowed hard, his chest heaving as he averted his gaze.

  “What is going on, Cecil? You’ve been cryptic all night, and now, you dragged me off without a word. I’m to be your wife for god sakes! Tell me what’s going on.”

  He locked eyes with her, holding her gaze against the press of whatever lurked beyond the trees. “Do you trust me?”

  “I told you, yes.”

  “My aunt wants to summon something, a creature from another realm, the one you saw.”

  Emmeline gasped, shaking her head. “No. No, she can’t do that. It— it’s was horrid. I felt it. Why would she want that?”

  “Whatever happened to her has turned her mind. She thinks the creature will help her with some glorious revolution if it has a host.”

  “A host!” Grabbing him by the lapels, she cried, “Cecil, you still have a choice. We can turn around right now and leave. I have money enough for us to get far away from here. We can start over. You’ll never have to see her again.”

  “You don’t understand. I have to put an end to this. She thinks she has everything she needs, but,” he cast a glance toward the museum and dropped his voice, “I’m going to stop her. You have to trust me, Emmeline. No matter what happens.”

  “I do.”

  “Then, we had better get to my aunt before she comes looking for us.”

  As he turned, she caught his arm. “Cecil, why did you never tell me she was Lady Rose?”

  His brows furrowed in confusion. “She told me not to. Why?”

  “I knew Lord Rose in Oxford. He killed my mother and kidnapped me.”

  Cecil’s lip curled in disgust, his face darkening with anger as he helped her over a low fence. “But why?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. I’ll tell you later.”

  As they cleared the low brush and followed the dirt path to the edge of the Serpentine, Lady Rose appeared through the rolling mist. A small fire crackled beside her, casting strange shadows over her dress that made it appear to crawl with tarantulas and beetles. Emmeline swallowed hard at the sensation threatening to smother he
r. Where were the policemen who walked the parks at night? Where were the vagabonds or the savage men who lurked in the shadows? Had they too been driven away by the undulant waves of energy radiating from her camp or had they felt the sudden ring of fear that women learned to trust so well?

  Concentric circles had been incised into the earth, littered with strange symbols that seemed to faintly glow in the moonlight. Lady Rose knelt beside the circle, her lips moving in time with the words written in the Corpus Grimoire. Emmeline winced at the book lying on the damp earth, so close yet beyond her reach. When it had been hers, the interlocking rings and obscure drawings had seemed so beautiful, but in Lady Rose’s hand, they had been perverted. As Lady Rose carved another symbol in the circle, Emmeline’s heart skipped a beat. What was she doing to her? Upon seeing them, Lady Rose climbed to her feet, a satisfied smile snaking across her lips.

  “Emmeline, you have decided to join us on this momentous occasion. I had hoped you would. Your talents as a medium will be most helpful tonight.”

  Biting back her fear, Emmeline mustered a smile and a nod.

  “I got what you asked for,” Lord Hale replied as he reached into his jacket and dropped a wad of crunched daisy heads into her hand.

  “Some of what I asked for. This will do for now.”

  Reaching into the Gladstone bag near the fire, she retrieved a glass bottle filled with a viscous brown liquid. She tore the silphium petals apart before rolling them between her palms and dumping them into the potion. Fine smoke rose from the mixture, fading it to purple. After a brief inspection, Lady Rose held the bottle out for Emmeline to take.

  “Now, my dear, it is your turn to fulfill your part. Drink up. If it worked for the oracles, surely it will work for you.”

  Emmeline held the potion at arm’s length and hoped the noblewoman wouldn’t see the tremor in her hand. “And what am I to do?”

  “You will tell him we are ready for his ascension to our world.”

  Swallowing hard, Emmeline eyed the tendrils of purple lingering around the bits of ancient petals suspended within the bottle. Her gaze flickered to Cecil who watched wearily but made no move to stop her. Trust me. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to throw it away and run. Run as far and fast from Lady Rose even it means death. But she didn’t want to die. She wanted to do the right thing. Closing her eyes, she drank the acrid liquid. It scalded her from throat to stomach. Coughing and gagging, she tossed the bottle aside. Before she could wipe her lips, a wave of pain ripped through her stomach. She staggered forward, Lord Hale’s arms wrapping around her as the ground grew closer. The darkness closed in, and just as suddenly, the world brightened with otherworldly hues that turned the Serpentine into a river of lava. With a cough, her body fell back and her soul launched forward into the veil. A towering gate rose before her, its metal red as rust and hot as a forge, but beneath her hands, it swung open. The palace blocked the park as far as she could see, and as she stepped inside the opulent hall of contorted and cracked beings, she felt the stag’s eyes upon her. Fear coiled around her heart, squeezing the organ thundering in her body while the spirit realm fell as cold as Dante’s ninth ring.

  She followed the tiles to the dais at the creature’s feet. It stared down at her expectantly, its skull-like head twitching in irritation. As it rose, towering over her with an unbridled power that scattered her soul with each breath, she hoped Lord Hale knew what he was doing.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Sacrifices

  Immanuel held the vivalabe before him, watching the stones within orient themselves with each movement until once again they fell still. On the bank of the Serpentine he could make out three figures in the rough light of the fire. At their feet, the ground shimmered and smoked. For a moment, Immanuel thought it might be fog, but as he darted closer, he could see that the strange light emanated from the runes and circles carved into the earth. At its center, Lady Rose’s voice cut through the air in a low chant. Immanuel’s heart pounded in his throat at the sight of Emmeline lying on the ground. Her hair had fallen from its coiffure and lay spread across her face in ragged curls. He eyed Lord Hale who sat beside her, holding Emmeline’s petite form close. Immanuel stepped out of the line of trees and into the thick air. He didn’t know what he could do, but there had to be something. Even if it was only a distraction until Judith and Cassandra realized their mistake… if they realized their mistake. Swallowing hard, he drew Peregrine’s dagger from his pocket.

  “Let her go!” Immanuel yelled as he stepped into the firelight, brandishing the knife at Lord Hale.

  The nobleman glared up at him, a mixture of shock and anger twisting his features, but it wasn’t the anger he expected of an enemy.

  “Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise, the boy with the vivalabe? And I thought you hadn’t found him, Cecil,” Lady Rose said as she stepped closer until she stood at the end of Immanuel’s blade. “But you’re a little late as we have already begun. Now, give me the vivalabe.”

  “Give me Emmeline first.”

  Immanuel gasped, the air squeezing from his throat as the copper-haired woman stared him down. Her green eyes glowed as he tried to draw in breath. Staggering back, Immanuel dropped the knife and grabbed for his throat. The world tunneled in until it was only a point of light until it suddenly fell away. Immanuel lurched forward, his palms and knees hitting the dirt hard as his lungs seized and his pulse pounded in his temples. Spots danced before his eyes, but through them, he could make out Lady Rose’s green gown and the shadows dancing over it.

  “Now will you cooperate?” she asked as she grabbed the vivalabe from his pocket.

  Immanuel tried to grab her gown, but before he could get a hold, her heeled boot collided with his cheek. The blow rang through him like a shot, in an instant bringing him back to all the hopelessness of his filthy prison. Yelping, he fell to the dirt beside Emmeline, clutching his face as Lady Rose return to the fire. When he looked up, Immanuel found Lord Hale glaring at him as Emmeline’s lips moved in silent speech.

  You’re a fool. Cecil mouthed as he nodded toward Lady Rose, She needs you to do it.

  Staring at the nobleman in disbelief, Immanuel scrambled to his knees. With two mechanical clicks, the vivalabe sprung into a globe. Colored stones rushed around the axis while the peridot ball hung in midair like a sickly sun. Holding it ahead, Claudia readjusted the symbols in the centermost ring and carefully added a bowl filled with something dark to the left arm of the cardinal rose before placing a plate of raw meat and fruit on the right arm. Lady Rose stared down at her handiwork, double checking the vivalabe’s directions before clipping it to the gold chain hanging from her neck. Reaching into her Gladstone bag, an obsidian knife flashed at her side. Immanuel’s blood froze at the sight of the jagged blade and the look in her eyes when they fell upon him.

  “Cecil, maybe we won’t need you after all.”

  “Wait!” Lord Hale cried. “She’s coming to.”

  Emmeline’s head lolled back before falling forward as Cecil helped her into a sitting position. “Two…,” she said, her voice barely audible. Her eyes opened a crack, a faint smile crossing her lips upon seeing Lord Hale at her side. “Two of us. It needs both of us. Otherwise it won’t work. Cecil, we did it.”

  The nobleman bit back the angry tears that burned his lids. “He came to save you,” he whispered as he wiped the clammy sweat from Emmeline’s brow.

  “What are you—?” Her drowsy eyes widened as she followed Cecil’s gaze to where Immanuel knelt with Lady Rose hovering over him with a knife. “Oh god. You! You ruin everything.”

  Lady Rose’s eyes flashed between the three of them, her open mouth betraying her surprise, but before she could speak, her gaze trailed to the line of trees just beyond the summoning circle. The click of a hammer being cocked rang through the night air. Between the oaks, Adam appeared in his tails with Hadley’s derringer pointed ahead and his site locked on Lady Rose. His blue eyes blazed as he aimed the gun at her h
eart, matching her step for step as she backed toward the fire.

  “Drop the knife, Lady Rose,” he commanded, hazarding a glance toward Immanuel who gaped up at him in wide-eyed panic.

  A knowing smile crossed her lips as she led him deeper into the circle. The wicked knife flashed in the fire light, but her eyes never left Adam’s hardened gaze. “Your timing is impeccable. I was just thinking how I was in need of a handsome corpse.”

  Immanuel’s eyes flickered to the dagger lying out of reach. As Lady Rose darted forward, Lord Hale leapt from Emmeline’s side and collided with his aunt, dragging her to the ground with a shrill cry. Immanuel scrambled to his feet, grabbed the stiletto as he ran to Adam’s side. Staring down at the two nobles, Adam trained his gun on Lady Rose ready to pull the trigger, but each time she came into view, Cecil fell over her as he struggled to take the knife from her iron grasp. The circle of symbols beneath them pulsed, the air thickening with smoke and the smell of moist earth.

  “Do it!” Lord Hale cried, leaning back before being dragged close to her by a clawed hand.

  Adam pointed the gun again, holding his breath as he waited for the right moment that wouldn’t come. “I can’t unless I hit you.”

  Lady Rose bared her teeth at him as the cords on Cecil’s neck strained against invisible binds. In a strangled voice, he yelled, “Just do it! I can’t hold her much longer.”

  From the edge of Adam’s vision, a figure rose. Emmeline stumbled forward, her steps unsteady but purposeful as she moved toward the fray, a rock clutched in her hand. She stared down at Claudia Rose. When the sorcerous looked up at her, her lime eyes brimming with furious betrayal, Emmeline saw only Lord Rose’s unforgiving smile as her world burned. Channeling every ounce of anger and spite, she hurled the rock down at her. It crashed against the edge of her forehead, leaving a bloody gash. Lady Rose stared up at her in disbelief. Then, her eyes slid shut and her body relaxed beneath Lord Hale’s form. As soon as Emmeline stepped back, Immanuel’s hands were on her, guiding her out of the inner circle. She couldn’t believe she had done it. She didn’t even remember grabbing the stone.