Page 40 of Grave Expectations
"Not the police." Hysteria pitched my voice high. "Others from a special organization."
He shook his head and the mist dissolved. He was gone.
I plopped onto the bed and swore.
"Language, young lady!" Mrs. Drinkwater scowled.
I managed to refrain from telling her where she could shove her hypocrisy—just. I looked down at Gus. "Are you all right?"
He nodded. "He's gone?"
"Yes. Mrs. Drinkwater, you've done a very foolish thing by telling your husband about his body. I could have seen justice served for him by giving the name of his killer to Mr. Fitzroy."
"It's not the same as doing it yourself. Not as satisfying." She set the gun down on the floor beside her lantern. "Come over here, Miss Holloway, away from Gus."
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
I hopped across the floor to her. She reached into her skirt pocket and withdrew something. It wasn't until she slapped her hand against my mouth that I realized it was a gag to keep me quiet. To stop me sending Reginald's spirit back.
I shut my mouth. I twisted and struggled, throwing my weight into her.
"Keep still!" She hit me hard across the jaw, but still I kept my mouth shut.
Gus protested and I saw that he'd made progress toward us, but not enough. He was still too far away to do anything.
She pinched my nose. It was no use now. Her grip was too tight and slowly, slowly the air leached out of me until my chest burned.
I opened my mouth to gasp in a breath and she shoved the gag inside. Before I could spit it out, she'd wrapped another cloth strip around my head, covering my mouth, to hold the gag in place. I swallowed reflexively and almost choked. I coughed violently and fell to my knees. Snot and tears streamed down my face. I couldn't control them. Couldn't catch my breath. Surely she wouldn't kill me. Not like this.
She stood back to admire her handiwork. "I know that keeping you silent will mean you can't control my husband's spirit or send him back. I could kill you, but I'm not a violent woman, nor do I have any intention of having my husband here forever. But until he exacts his revenge, you must be quiet.”
This woman knew everything about my magic. But how, when her husband hadn't even known what a necromancer did?
Chapter 8
"Charlie! Charlie!"
I could hear Gus shuffling toward me, and then a thump and a grunt as he fell. My vision cleared a little, and I was able to breathe normally again.
Mrs. Drinkwater picked up the pistol and aimed it at Gus. "I can't have you removing her gag. Up the stairs. Now."
"I ain't goin' nowhere." Gus sat, his legs stretched out before him, doing his best to look immovable.
Mrs. Drinkwater aimed the pistol at his head. "Very well, but I no longer need you. You've outlived your usefulness. While I don't wish to kill anyone, I will do so if necessary."
I tried to encourage Gus to move, but my shout came out garbled and only made me descend into a fit of choking coughs again.
"I'm goin', I'm goin'." I wasn't sure if his grumbling assent was directed at our captor or me.
I watched him jump up the stairs, Mrs Drinkwater behind him. He managed it without falling, but he was breathing heavily by the time they reached the top.
She shut the door and locked it. I was alone.
The cloth around my head bit into my cheeks. I rubbed my shoulder against it, but it was too tight and wouldn't budge. Damn her. Damn both the Drinkwaters.
I didn't know if attempting to speak the words to send a spirit back with a gag in my mouth would work, but I tried anyway. It came out muffled and I had no way of knowing if I'd been successful.
