Page 59 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

“Has she?” Madame LaLaurie shot back and shrugged. "Perhaps our fair Leader has been searching for the creature for much longer than your young mind can comprehend."

Frustrated by Madame LaLaurie's vague taunts, I growled, and the ghostly witch laughed. Her daughters joined her revelry.

“If you give me what I want,” Madame LaLaurie said, “I’ll tell you how to trap the chimera.”

So Momwassearching for the creature.

“Trap it?” I repeated.

Despite the hatred I harbored for the witch, I considered her offer. I hadn’t given much thought tohowto trap the chimera. I had been more worried about finding it.

The LaLaurie sisters chuckled.

“Arrogant fool,” the shortest sister muttered.

“I can’t wait to rip her soul to shreds,”another one added.

I swallowed my fear and focused on the magic brimming under my skin. Though Madame LaLaurie was powerful,Iwas a Redfern, and I would not go down without a fight. I only needed to distract the ghostly witch to regain the upper hand.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll tell you how I transformed Walker in exchange for information regarding the chimera, but you must release me first.”

Madame Delphine chuckled. “Sweetheart,” she chided, “do you think I’m a fool?”

My magic coursed through my veins like acid.

“Don’t,” I clipped, “call me that.”

“Touchy,” she mused. “Modern women aresotouchy.”

“Let me go,” I spat, “or we have no deal.”

As Madame Delphine formed a reply, I released my grip on my magic and roared an Unlocking spell to counter the magical trap that bound me. I flung flames at the ghostly witches and lunged toward the door, but my magic had no effect on Madame Delphine. She basked in my fire and grinned. When I tried to shove past her, she stopped me with a surprisingly solid, ice-cold grip around my throat.

The ghostly witch threw me backward, and unnatural darkness cloaked the mansion once more. Flailing wildly, I collided with the staircase’s wooden railing, and it cracked under my weight. I landed in a heap on the steps. Despite the darkness, the temperatures rose to heat of a blazing fire. An invisible force wrenched me upright. Icy hands grabbed my wrists and wrenched them behind my back.

“Foolish, foolish girl,” the leering sister chastised.

I blasted air at my assailant, but it did nothing to break the spirit’s hold. I kicked and launched flames, but my fire failed to burn anything. It only cast light on the ghostly witches who closed in on me. Each of them wore feral grins.

“Up you go,”another sister whispered.

Manacles clasped over my wrists, and the tallest sister dragged me up the stairs. I twisted against her hold, and my shoulders screamed, but she pulled me relentlessly onward.

Without light to guide me, I tripped on the steps. As the rest of my body wrenched forward, the ghostly witch's grip on my manacled hands held strong. My right shoulder popped out of socket, and I screamed, but my voice was lost in the cacophony of dark magic. A tear escaped my eye, and the ghostly witch hissed.

Pain made me dizzy, but I fought to remain conscious and attempted another unlocking spell. It did nothing to free me from the ghostly shackles. Doors creaked open, and I was hit by the sickly scent of rotting flesh. The ghostly witch yanked meback and released her grip. As I landed on my mangled shoulder, awareness floated out of my grasp.

“Very good, children,” Madame LaLaurie praised.

I barely registered the words. I twitched on the ground, but I couldn’t bring myself to try to stand. The pain that lanced down my arms and up my neck was too great to bear.

“The boy won’t be long behind,” Madame LaLaurie continued. “I can’twaitto study him.”

Walker.

The awful witch would pick him a part to learn what made him tick. Horror mingled with my pain, but someone kicked my dislocated shoulder, and the last wisps of consciousness abandoned me.

Chapter Eighteen

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