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?