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The weight of the blow threw her back and pinned her to the ground right next to me, even as the rest of my magic ripped through the statue unchecked.
For a moment, there was just - noise.
Crash after crash after crash as the rest of the statue toppled over, broke off into chunks, and went flying through the boathouse. One of the old man's legs sailed through the air and disappeared with a plop into the river. His head spun around and around in a circle on the floor, rattling this way and that like a child's top that was out of control. Dust choked the air, and it seemed as though the entire boathouse bucked and heaved for several seconds before the statue finally stopped breaking apart and the marble settled into place once more.
I rolled over onto my side and lay there, panting against the pain that flooded my ribs and collarbone. I was all out of magic, and the numbing effect of my Ice power was rapidly wearing off. But I didn't mind the pain - it told me that I was still alive.
And so was Clementine.
She was flat on her back, the spear sticking up out of her stomach, the old man's arm still attached to the top of the weapon. She arched up, as if she could somehow wiggle out from under the stone tip, even though it had driven all the way through her body and punched into the walkway underneath. Clementine was pinned as securely as a butterfly in a glass case.
The giant realized that I was staring at her. She snarled and stretched out, her hand curving into a claw as she aimed it at my throat -
And came up two inches short.
Clementine flailed and flailed at me, snarling and grunting and cursing all the while, but she just couldn't move those last two precious inches in order to throttle me. Her fist slammed into the stone walkway between us over and over again in frustration, her movements getting weaker and slower with every glancing blow. After about thirty seconds of that, the last of her strength left her, and her hand dropped to the floor and stayed there.
Still, she glared at me, her eyes bright with pain, fury, and the cold, cold death that was creeping up on her breath by breath.
"Bet you really hate my Stone magic now, don't you?" I said.
Clementine opened her mouth, but no words came out, only a spurt of blood. After a moment, even that slowed and slopped. Her whole body shuddered once, her eyes dimmed, and then she was still.
Chapter 27
I lay where I was and watched Clementine Barker die.
When I was sure she was gone, I put a hand on the walkway and tried to push myself upright. But I
moved too quickly, and the pain in my ribs and shoulder was too great. My arm slid out from under me, and I slumped back down onto the cold stone.
I knew that I needed to move, to get up and go see how the others had fared in the rotunda, but I just couldn't make myself do it. My vision narrowed, as though I were standing in a train tunnel, and the light at the end began to fade. Even though I tried to fight it, I felt myself sliding into that sweet blackness where there was no pain, no worry, only the dreams, the memories . . .
I was hiding behind a table, waiting for a giant to come and kill me.
At least, I was pretty sure that's how it would go. But I'd set my trap for Delov anyway, knowing it was the best chance I had to kill him - the only chance, really. Now all that was left to do was see if he fell for it -
A floorboard creaked farther down the hallway.
I drew in a breath, trying to slow my racing heart, and peeked around the edge of the table.
Delov stood at the end of the hall. A patch of moonlight sliding in through the lace curtains illuminated him, making him seem even larger and more dangerous than before. He squinted into the shadows, looking left and right and back again. I froze, not even daring to try to curl into a tighter, smaller ball. After a moment, the giant eased forward, heading toward the library, where Fletcher was still trying to get the yip-yappy Pomeranian to shut up.
Game time.
I waited until Delov had stepped into the library, then got to my feet and tiptoed across the hall, easing up against the wall. The giant snapped on a light, and its harsh golden glare filled the library like the rays of a noontime sun. Peaches started barking even louder. The dog scuttled out from underneath the desk, skipped over to Delov, and wound his way through the giant's feet before prancing back over to the desk. The giant frowned, looking at the dog and watching his happy, excited movements. After a moment, his mouth tightened, and he raised his gun.
"Come on out from behind that desk," Delov growled. "I'd hate to ruin all that antique wood by plugging it full of holes, but I will. "
Silence.
Then the leather chair rolled away from the desk, and Fletcher slowly crawled out from his hiding place and got to his feet. He faced Delov and raised his hands. Despite the healing salve he'd used, even more blood covered Fletcher's blue shirt than before, along with the palms of his hands where he'd used them to keep pressure on the wound.
"You thought you could come into my house and murder me?" Delov snarled. "Who do you think you are?"
Fletcher just grinned at him, which only infuriated the giant even more. Delov stepped forward and leveled his gun at Fletcher's head, ready to put a few more bullets into the old man.
And that's when I made my move.
