struggled, but his eyes blazed with pain.
Again I tried the suffocation spell. This time it took hold. Leah gasped. She released Cortez and turned on me. Something hit me in the side of the head and I went down, breaking the spell. When Cortez moved, she wheeled and sent the clay pot crashing into his stomach again. He fell back, eyes wide, face contorting.
I recast the suffocation spell. Again it caught. Again Leah broke it, this time by hitting me in the back of the head with a ceramic knickknack and knocking me to my knees. She stepped forward, towering over me.
'Seems you've learned a new trick since you got Isaac killed,' she said. 'It doesn't really work any better than the fireballs, does it? Another useless witch spell. Or is it just another useless witch?'
I dropped and rolled out of her reach. When I came up, Leah bore down on me. Behind her, Cortez lifted his left hand and squeezed it into a fist, then opened it and repeated the motion in rapid succession, lips moving soundlessly. A spell?
As I turned, I saw Leah copy the motion, balling her left hand into a fist. Cortez slammed his hand to the floor, motioning me down. I dove as another knickknack flew past, shattering against the wall. The tell! That was it. Leah's tell.
I leaped to my feet and cast the suffocation spell. On the first gasp, her left hand clenched. I hit the floor and rolled without breaking my concentration. The clay pot flew past, and crashed against the wall. Her hand balled again and I scampered to the side, narrowly avoiding an ottoman that sailed in from the living room.
'Running out of things to throw?' I said. 'Maybe we should move to the kitchen. Plenty of pots and pans there. Maybe even a knife or two.'
Her face contorted with rage as she gasped for air. Her hand clenched, but this time nothing happened.
'Oooh, impotence,' I said. 'Never good.'
Another fist. Again, nothing happened. Leah's face was purpling now, eyes bulging. She leaped at me and hit me in the chest, sending us both down. Her fist hit my cheek and the spell broke. I recast it, nearly tripping over the words in my haste, but it worked and she only got a sniff of air before I cut off her oxygen again.
Leah began to choke. I grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her off me, pinning her to the floor. Her eyes widened and bulged. She was suffocating now, dying. Indecision flitted through me. Could I do this? I had to. Around us, the house groaned. Pieces of plaster fell from the walls. It was starting again, and I had to get Cortez and Savannah out. We'd given Leah the chance to leave and she'd refused. She'd never let us walk out alive. I had to kill her. Yet I couldn't look into her eyes and watch her die. I couldn't. So I shut my eyes, concentrated as hard as I could and waited for her body to go still. Once it did, I waited another thirty seconds, then scrambled off her, not looking back, and stumbled to Cortez's side.
He'd pushed himself onto all fours. I opened my mouth, but the house shook again and a rumbling howl drowned me out. Cortez jabbed a finger toward the front door. I shook my head, but he pushed himself to his feet, grabbed my arm, and started to drag me. When we made it to the porch, the house rumbled. A beam supporting the porch snapped and we dove onto the grass just as the porch collapsed on itself. Then the house went still and the howling fell to a drone.
Chapter 49
'IT'S SAVANNAH,' I SAID, WORDS TUMBLING OUT. 'SHE'S trying to raise her mother's spirit.'
'She can't.'
'I know, but she won't stop. She doesn't even seem to know I'm there. I can't get near her.'
The house groaned and shuddered. I spun toward it, but Cortez grabbed my arm, then started coughing uncontrollably, splattering blood-soaked sputum.
'I need to stop her,' I said. 'Before she summons something else or brings the house down.'
'I know a spell-' Coughing obliterated his next words. '-look like Eve.'
'What?'
'A spell that'll make you look like Eve. It's not perfect. The success depends on whether the viewer is inclined to believe the deception. Savannah obviously is.'
'Impersonate her mother?' I shook my head hard. 'That's… that's… I can't do it. I won't betray her that way. It isn't right.'
'You have to, Paige. Any minute now that house is coming down. Would Eve rather you let her daughter die in there? Yes, it's wrong, but it's justified. We'll never tell Savannah the truth. You're giving her one last moment with her mother, Paige. I know you understand how much that means to her.'
'Oh, God.' I rubbed my hands over my face. 'O-okay. Do it. Hurry, please.'
Cortez cast the spell. It seemed to take forever. Twice he fell into a coughing fit, and my heart seized. How badly was he hurt? What if he-No, I couldn't think of that. I couldn't.
Finally, he finished. When I opened my eyes and looked down, I saw my own short fingers, my own silver rings.
'Did it-' I glanced up at him. 'Did it work?'
'If you need to ask, then you won't see it. The illusion depends on the viewer's inclination to believe.'
I closed my eyes and forced myself past my own doubt. I needed this to work. I needed to become Eve.
When I looked again, my fingers shimmered, then lengthened, nails growing long and manicured, rings disappearing. I nodded and got to my feet, expecting disorientation but finding none. My body moved as it always had. As Cortez said, the illusion was in the eye of the beholder.
Since the front door was now inaccessible, I jogged around to the side entrance. As I swung through, I saw Cortez limping along, using the side of the house for support.
'Go on,' he said. 'I'll meet you downstairs.'
'No,' I said. 'You need to stay here.'
'I won't let Savannah see me, Paige. The illusion will be complete. I'm only coming along as backup, in case of an emergency.'
I hurried to him and put my hand against his chest, halting his progress. 'Please. Stay out here. You're hurt.'
'I can still cast-'
'No, please.' I met his eyes. 'If something goes wrong, you'll never get away in time. I need to know you're okay. I'll be fine.'
The house creaked. Shingles slid off, one striking me on the shoulder. Cortez nudged me toward the house. I didn't need a second hint. With one backward glance, I was gone.
I raced down to the basement. From inside the furnace room, Savannah continued her pleas, voice rising and falling. I pressed my hands to my face and inhaled deeply, fighting to control my hammering heart. I had to believe.
When I rounded the corner into the room, Savannah stopped. She went still, completely still, as if sensing me there but fearing to turn and face disappointment.
'Savannah?' I said.
To my ears, my voice still sounded like my own and, as she turned, I nearly broke and ran. Instead, I held my breath and waited. Her eyes met mine. She blinked, then rubbed her palms over her eyes.
'Mom?'
'I heard you calling,' I said.
'Mom!' She leaped from her knees and ran to me, arms flinging around my chest. Burying her head against my shoulder, she started to sob. 'Oh, Mom, it's such a mess. I… I did everything wrong.'
Instinctively I reached to stroke her hair, forgetting who I was supposed to be and speaking as myself. 'You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing at all.'
'Yes, I did. I made Paige stay here with me, and now she's gone.' Her voice broke in a sob. 'I-I think she's dead, Mom. It's my fault. I made her stay and they killed her.'
