Brave the Tempest (Cassandra Palmer #9) - Karen Chance Page 0,207

me. The same one who had ended up in pieces scattered all over the floor after Tony finished with her. Like my parents, who’d been blown apart in a car bomb he had set. Like Pritkin, getting cursed by the demon council, halfway through a leap, his body crashing lifeless to the floor—

I screamed, holding my head, as picture after picture out of my past flew at me, hammered at me, beat on me. It was so much like my dreams, like the nightmares that sent me sitting bolt upright in bed, sweat slicking my skin, or the visions that had paralyzed me in panic attacks for years, that it took me a moment to realize that it was another spell. One I didn’t know how to throw off, because my knowledge of regular magic was close to zero.

That was another legacy from Tony, who had forbidden any of the crap mages he employed to even try to teach me. He was afraid I’d use any spells I learned against him—and he was probably right—so I’d remained ignorant. And after I ran away, I had to avoid the magical community at all costs, knowing that he was looking for me there.

So, no, I couldn’t shake this latest bit of hell. Fortunately, I didn’t have to. I’d lived with this shit, with these memories, every day of my life. If they were going to destroy me, they’d have done it already.

Which is why, after the blonde’s body disappeared along with the others, I got back to my feet, wiped a hand across my lips, and faced off with my last opponent: Agnes, the current heir.

I hadn’t expected to see her here. I hadn’t seen her at all last night, despite the number of trips I’d made in and out with the passengers. I’d assumed that Gertie was purposefully keeping her away, not wanting to have to mind-wipe her again. I wasn’t sure how many times you could do that before somebody went loopy, and if Agnes went loopy, I died, considering that it was her warning that Tony’s men were closing in that would one day save my life.

But here she was anyway. And quickly proving why she was the heir. Unlike the others, the petite brunette with the wide blue eyes hadn’t attacked me. She’d stayed on the sidelines, watching, waiting . . . for what, I didn’t know. Maybe to see how I fought? Because she’d fought the others, many times apparently, since this kill-o-rama seemed to be a monthly event. But she hadn’t fought me.

Until now.

I pushed sweat-damp hair out of my eyes and wondered how to approach this. Agnes was too close to the barrier for me to shift behind her, unless I wanted to end up crispy-fried. But she was also out in the open, not near any possible sources of cover, for her or for me. There wouldn’t be any sneaking up on Agnes.

So what gave her an advantage? Because I knew that face; knew those expressions. And she clearly thought she had one. But what the hell—

And then two more Agneses walked out from different parts of the ballroom, one from behind another pillar, and one rising like the freaking undead from behind a table. Only she wasn’t undead. She was—

“Chimera,” Gertie’s voice boomed helpfully, “is one way to have the best of both worlds. Allowing a hybrid of magical, human, and Pythian powers to be employed simultaneously.”

As if on cue, one of the copies pulled out a gun; one spilled a golden whip out of her hand, or maybe that was a snare—I couldn’t tell from here; and Agnes herself raised a hand, a time bubble forming around it.

“You have got to be shitting me!” I said, stumbling backward a few steps.

They weren’t shitting me.

I stared at them, caught flat-footed, because we were already in Chimera. That’s how they did their bloody testing rounds without actually killing each other. I could see past the barrier, to where the whole group of us, including the acolytes I’d already killed, were clustered around Gertie, watching and learning.

Although what they were learning from me, I didn’t know, because this was bullshit!

“This is bullshit!” I heard my own voice call, from beside Gertie. “She doesn’t know how to do Chimera!”

“Then she should learn,” Gertie said calmly, and we both cursed.

And, for a second, I lost control, seeing things through my other half’s eyes. Giving me a dizzying view of Agnes’ back, and my terrified face—dead white skin,