Oh no.
Hugo and the terrified sorcerer hadn’t got as far as I’d hoped. The sorcerer had kept collapsing, and when Hugo tried to haul him up in a fireman’s lift he’d resisted for several long moments.
Baltar stared after the departing pair then muttered under his breath. A second later, he threw a blast of air magic at them, expertly curving it around so that it whacked Hugo and his clumsy cargo from the front. Even though I was lying some distance away, I felt the force of Baltar’s magic.
Hugo didn’t stand a chance.
Hester and Otis screamed as he and the sorcerer were thrown backwards. I sensed Hugo conjuring up magic to counter the attack and I did the same in a vain bid to help him, but my effort was weak and Hugo’s attempt was too late. He was thrown against the wall of the Assigney mansion with a sickening crunch while the sorcerer’s thin body jerked to a halt in mid-air. Hugo crumpled in a heap while the sorcerer stayed suspended. Fuck, Baltar’s magic control was impressive. Far too impressive.
I dragged my eyes away from Hugo’s body as the fiend stalked towards the sorcerer. ‘Hey!’ I called weakly. ‘I’m not done with you yet!’
‘I’ll be back for you shortly,’ Baltar grunted. ‘Don’t you worry.’
The surge of anger I felt at my ploy so nearly coming to fruition helped me force myself upright, but by the time I was on my feet again Baltar had reached the sorcerer. ‘Is it done?’ he spat.
‘N – n – no – no.’ The sorcerer blanched. ‘Nearly.’
Baltar yanked him down to the ground. ‘Then finish it,’ he snarled.
The sorcerer’s head dropped. He trudged towards the mansion and the blood ward he was attempting to destroy.
Hugo stirred and my breath caught in my throat. My earlier strategy hadn’t worked. I stopped thinking rationally and clutched Gladys harder. The only option left was to attack Baltar head on.
Before I could move, the front door swung open. Suddenly Lady Rose was on the doorstep. Her face was still as pale as death but she’d scrubbed away the tearstains and dirty marks, and when she spoke her voice was clear and steady.
‘You want me?’ she asked. ‘I’m right here.’ And she stepped across her own ward and walked right up to Baltar.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
My mouth dropped open and I stared. Hugo, still on the ground but clearly conscious, also raised his head. The sorcerer stopped in mid-rune, while Hester and Otis were astonished enough to fly out from their hiding place and join me.
‘What the fuck is she doing?’ Hester grabbed hold of my earlobe and tugged it hard. ‘Stop her!’
I cleared my throat. ‘Rose!’ My voice wasn’t loud but I knew she had heard me. ‘Lady Rose! Get inside!’
Baltar didn’t look at me as he flicked out a surge of earth magic that was more than enough to send me flying down to the ground once more. The thud sent a jarring bolt of agony through my bones and finally forced Gladys from my hand. The strength of my fall also meant that the brownies were jolted backwards through the air.
While I fought against the pain, Baltar yelled at the sorcerer. ‘Why have you stopped? Get back to work and break that fucking ward!’
I caught a glimpse of the sorcerer gulping hard and turningto his work again. Lady Rose didn’t look at him; her attention was wholly on Baltar.
‘You wanted me,’ she said. ‘So I’m here.’
‘I don’t wantyou,’ Baltar replied. ‘You know that.’ He raised a hand to strike her.
I surged forward on my hands and knees but Lady Rose was already ahead of me. ‘Go on then,’ she said. ‘Hit me. Let’s see how Athair will react when he finds out you hurt me.’
‘He doesn’t care about you,’ Baltar laughed.
Lady Rose raised an eyebrow. ‘Why don’t you smack me around and we can test that theory?’
Despite the gravity of the situation and my confusion about what was really going on, I was impressed by her attitude. Lady Rose was, without a doubt, utterly terrified but she was standing up to Baltar. In fact, she was looking damned heroic.
An old quote drifted into my head:Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.Lady Rose certainly looked triumphant – apart from the fact that she was confronting a fiend and quite possibly was about to be struck down dead for her efforts.
I looked again at Baltar. To my astonishment, he lowered his hand. ‘Very well,’ he snarled. He pointed at the open front door. ‘But this isn’t over until you give me what I came for.’
