You Slay Me
Page 79
I gawked. There was just no other word for it: I gawked at her. "You what? Ophelia was your servant? You said she was your sister!"
Perdita laughed again. "Everyone here knows Ophelia is my doppelganger, my servant to summon when I so de-sire." She appealed to the crowd. "Is that not so?"
Every single blasted head in the crowd nodded. "Well, poop!" I said, turning to Jim. "Did you know Ophelia was a doppelganger?"
It shook its head, looking thoughtful. "No, but I've been a bit off my game ever since my powers were stripped."
I looked over to Amelie. "A doppelganger?"
She gave a little shrug. "I thought you knew."
"I didn't!"
"You see how she does not deny the truth," Perdita said. "You see that she does not dare refute her dark mas-ter. She does not even try to deny that she has in her pos-session one of the Tools of Bael at
this very moment. Is this minion of Abaddon who you want ruling you? Will you let her destroy the Otherworld in order to gain power? Should she be allowed to kill our kind without punishment?"
The crowd rumbled an ominous negative, moving for-ward slowly until the space on the dance floor all but dis-appeared. Panicked, I looked over to Drake. He stood a few feet away with his arms crossed over his arms, watching me, making no move to interfere.
Drat his dragon hide.
"I do deny the truth," I yelled, the crowd pausing as I waved the steel pointed darts around. "I am not the min-ion of anyone, nor do I want to rule anyone. I just want my aquamanile back and the murderer of Mme. Deauxville and the Venediger caught so I can go home. Perdita is the killer. She summoned the demon Bafamal to help her set up the murders as a red herring to cover up her true plan lo gather the Tools of Bael. She used her doppelganger sister in order to give her an alibi. She's the one who tried to frame Drake for the murders because she knew he had two of the Tools, andshe's the one who will tear apart the mortal world if she is allowed to fulfill her evil plan. Perdita is the only one here trying to escape jus-tice!"
"Lies!" Perdita shrieked, turning back to the crowd.
"Do not listen to her lies—she has no proof to back up her wild accusations. We must take her now, use the Tool she possesses to destroy her before she destroys us. We must stop her!"
"You're right about one thing, you know," [ told Perdita as I pulled the lodestone from my pocket. "I do have the Eye of Lucifer. The rest of what you're saying is a bunch of cow cookies, however. And I can prove it in the simplest way possible." I waited until everyone was silent, watching me as I held up the lodestone. "What say I summon Bael and we ask him just which one of us was working for him?"
Perdita screamed and lunged at me. Bafamal appeared out of nowhere in another of its shiny suits. Jim woofed as it threw itself forward, heading for Bafamal. I slashed the darts into Perdita's arm as she grabbed me, trying to twist with the motion of her body so I could throw her to the ground. We both fell as Ophelia shimmered into view, called by Perdita. The crowd surged forward around us as I struggled to keep the lodestone safe in my hand at the same time I tried to disable Perdita. Ophelia shrieked and grabbed my hair, making my eyes burn hot with tears. I kicked out at her at the same time I punched Perdita on the jaw. She wrenched my arm up, biting my fist in an at-tempt to get me to release the Eye. Behind us, Jim and Bafamal were locked in battle, each snarling and spitting curses.
Rene pulled out his gun and aimed it over his head, fir-ing a few shots into the ceiling as he yelled, "Stop! I have a gun!"
The heavy lighting fixture above him fell, knocking him to the ground.
"Help. Rene." I gasped to Amelie as I fought to free myself. She hurried over to him.
The air was thick with cries and shouts of encourage-ment as Perdita and Ophelia and I rolled around in the catfight to end all catfights. "Aren't you going to do something to help me?" I yelled at Drake as I head-butted Ophelia into releasing my hair. Perdita kicked at my knee. I socked her in the stomach. Ophelia threw herself on my back, screaming blue murder in my ear.
Drake tipped his head to the side as we rolled around at his feet. "What will you give me to help you?"
Perdita punched me in the eye. Ophelia bit my ear. I kicked both of them, whipped open the door in my mind, and envisioned a hell of a lot of possibilities, most of which concerned both women cowering before me. The lodestone grew hot in my hand as first Perdita, then Ophelia let go of me to fall away, their faces covered. I crawled out from beneath Ophelia's legs to stand tri-umphant over them. My nose and mouth were bleeding, one eye was swelling shut, my tunic was torn, my kneecap had been wrenched sideways, I was panting, and I could feel one of my front teeth loose, but I hauled my-self up. I wiped the blood off my face, stared at my bloody fingers for a second, then bent down and drew a circle. I turned to face east. "Guardian of the towers of the east, I summon you to guard this circle."
"No!" Perdita shouted, getting to her knees. "No, do not let her do this!"
"Guardian of the tower of the south, I summon you to guard this circle."
"Stop her! Someone must stop her!" Perdita was on her feet now, but when she turned toward me, I held the lodestone up, using it to protect me.
"Guardian of the tower of the west, I summon you to guard this circle."
"Ophelia! Stop her!"
Ophelia crawled toward me. I waved the lodestone, and she collapsed.
"Guardian of the tower of the north, I summon you to guard this circle."
With a cry that shattered every glass hanging in the bar, the demon Bafamal disappeared in a thick, oily black plume of smoke.
I took a deep breath. "I conjure thee, Bael, prince of all the legions of Abaddon."
"She will bring death upon us all," Perdita screamed, trying to lunge at me, but held at bay by the power I wielded through the Eye. "Stop her! Do not allow her to say the words."
Amelie stepped into my range of vision. Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes endlessly deep. She was trying to warn me, but I could not stop to heed her.
"I summon thee, Bael, to appear before me now." The air within the circle thickened.
"No! He will kill me! No one was supposed to know! He will take me with him! Stop, you must stop!" Perdita was sobbing now, on her knees before me in supplication. "Do not do this to me!"
Perdita laughed again. "Everyone here knows Ophelia is my doppelganger, my servant to summon when I so de-sire." She appealed to the crowd. "Is that not so?"
Every single blasted head in the crowd nodded. "Well, poop!" I said, turning to Jim. "Did you know Ophelia was a doppelganger?"
It shook its head, looking thoughtful. "No, but I've been a bit off my game ever since my powers were stripped."
I looked over to Amelie. "A doppelganger?"
She gave a little shrug. "I thought you knew."
"I didn't!"
"You see how she does not deny the truth," Perdita said. "You see that she does not dare refute her dark mas-ter. She does not even try to deny that she has in her pos-session one of the Tools of Bael at
this very moment. Is this minion of Abaddon who you want ruling you? Will you let her destroy the Otherworld in order to gain power? Should she be allowed to kill our kind without punishment?"
The crowd rumbled an ominous negative, moving for-ward slowly until the space on the dance floor all but dis-appeared. Panicked, I looked over to Drake. He stood a few feet away with his arms crossed over his arms, watching me, making no move to interfere.
Drat his dragon hide.
"I do deny the truth," I yelled, the crowd pausing as I waved the steel pointed darts around. "I am not the min-ion of anyone, nor do I want to rule anyone. I just want my aquamanile back and the murderer of Mme. Deauxville and the Venediger caught so I can go home. Perdita is the killer. She summoned the demon Bafamal to help her set up the murders as a red herring to cover up her true plan lo gather the Tools of Bael. She used her doppelganger sister in order to give her an alibi. She's the one who tried to frame Drake for the murders because she knew he had two of the Tools, andshe's the one who will tear apart the mortal world if she is allowed to fulfill her evil plan. Perdita is the only one here trying to escape jus-tice!"
"Lies!" Perdita shrieked, turning back to the crowd.
"Do not listen to her lies—she has no proof to back up her wild accusations. We must take her now, use the Tool she possesses to destroy her before she destroys us. We must stop her!"
"You're right about one thing, you know," [ told Perdita as I pulled the lodestone from my pocket. "I do have the Eye of Lucifer. The rest of what you're saying is a bunch of cow cookies, however. And I can prove it in the simplest way possible." I waited until everyone was silent, watching me as I held up the lodestone. "What say I summon Bael and we ask him just which one of us was working for him?"
Perdita screamed and lunged at me. Bafamal appeared out of nowhere in another of its shiny suits. Jim woofed as it threw itself forward, heading for Bafamal. I slashed the darts into Perdita's arm as she grabbed me, trying to twist with the motion of her body so I could throw her to the ground. We both fell as Ophelia shimmered into view, called by Perdita. The crowd surged forward around us as I struggled to keep the lodestone safe in my hand at the same time I tried to disable Perdita. Ophelia shrieked and grabbed my hair, making my eyes burn hot with tears. I kicked out at her at the same time I punched Perdita on the jaw. She wrenched my arm up, biting my fist in an at-tempt to get me to release the Eye. Behind us, Jim and Bafamal were locked in battle, each snarling and spitting curses.
Rene pulled out his gun and aimed it over his head, fir-ing a few shots into the ceiling as he yelled, "Stop! I have a gun!"
The heavy lighting fixture above him fell, knocking him to the ground.
"Help. Rene." I gasped to Amelie as I fought to free myself. She hurried over to him.
The air was thick with cries and shouts of encourage-ment as Perdita and Ophelia and I rolled around in the catfight to end all catfights. "Aren't you going to do something to help me?" I yelled at Drake as I head-butted Ophelia into releasing my hair. Perdita kicked at my knee. I socked her in the stomach. Ophelia threw herself on my back, screaming blue murder in my ear.
Drake tipped his head to the side as we rolled around at his feet. "What will you give me to help you?"
Perdita punched me in the eye. Ophelia bit my ear. I kicked both of them, whipped open the door in my mind, and envisioned a hell of a lot of possibilities, most of which concerned both women cowering before me. The lodestone grew hot in my hand as first Perdita, then Ophelia let go of me to fall away, their faces covered. I crawled out from beneath Ophelia's legs to stand tri-umphant over them. My nose and mouth were bleeding, one eye was swelling shut, my tunic was torn, my kneecap had been wrenched sideways, I was panting, and I could feel one of my front teeth loose, but I hauled my-self up. I wiped the blood off my face, stared at my bloody fingers for a second, then bent down and drew a circle. I turned to face east. "Guardian of the towers of the east, I summon you to guard this circle."
"No!" Perdita shouted, getting to her knees. "No, do not let her do this!"
"Guardian of the tower of the south, I summon you to guard this circle."
"Stop her! Someone must stop her!" Perdita was on her feet now, but when she turned toward me, I held the lodestone up, using it to protect me.
"Guardian of the tower of the west, I summon you to guard this circle."
"Ophelia! Stop her!"
Ophelia crawled toward me. I waved the lodestone, and she collapsed.
"Guardian of the tower of the north, I summon you to guard this circle."
With a cry that shattered every glass hanging in the bar, the demon Bafamal disappeared in a thick, oily black plume of smoke.
I took a deep breath. "I conjure thee, Bael, prince of all the legions of Abaddon."
"She will bring death upon us all," Perdita screamed, trying to lunge at me, but held at bay by the power I wielded through the Eye. "Stop her! Do not allow her to say the words."
Amelie stepped into my range of vision. Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes endlessly deep. She was trying to warn me, but I could not stop to heed her.
"I summon thee, Bael, to appear before me now." The air within the circle thickened.
"No! He will kill me! No one was supposed to know! He will take me with him! Stop, you must stop!" Perdita was sobbing now, on her knees before me in supplication. "Do not do this to me!"
