Page 96 of Betrayal from Beyond

“He can give me the satisfaction of watching him pay for his indifference.” Petra hefted her blade, but instead of stepping into the street, she whirled and threw it at Kara.

She had been expecting something of the sort. She pivoted and the blade flew by, missing her completely. She pulled the pistol from her pocket, but Petra was on her, knocking it away. She heard the clatter as it skittered into the street.

It was only a moment before Petra had another blade in hand. Kara ducked away from her swing and reached for the knife Niall had once gifted her. It had scarcely cleared her pocket before Petra seized her wrist and cruelly wrenched it. The knife dropped from her suddenly useless fingers, but Kara didn’t hesitate. She tightened her other fist and swung hard, boxing Petra’s ear.

The other woman staggered back. Kara knew she could show no mercy. She kicked out, hitting Petra’s knee. The leg gave out and Petra went down on her other knee. She did not hesitate a second, though—she lunged back up, grabbed Kara by the hair, yanked her head back, and pressed the point of her blade beneath her chin.

But Kara had managed to pull one of her pointed lockpicks from a hidden pocket. She fisted it in her left hand and pressed it to Petra’s neck.

“We’ve come to a pretty impasse, haven’t we?” Petra asked with a smile. She sounded eager. Elated. “Whatever shall we do?”

Suddenly she stiffened. Her eyes widened. Kara jumped back as the blade beneath her chin dropped away. Petra staggered, stepping toward her.

“Die,” Gyda said from behind her. “At least, that’s what you will do. At last.”

Petra fell forward. She lay on the pavement without moving. Two of Gyda’s blades protruded from her lower back.

“Through the kidneys and into the diaphragm,” Gyda said. “Just like her League killed poor Sally Doughty. There’s no coming back from it. It’s over.”

Between them, Petra twitched, then stilled.

Gyda’s expression crumbled. She started to tremble. Kara stepped over the body and enfolded her friend in her arms. She held Gyda tight while she cried. The walls of her friend’s fury and need for vengeance fell away, and she shook with the force of her grief.

Gyda’s knees buckled. She sank down next to Petra, racked with emotion. Kara went down with her and just held her.

It took a while, but when the first wave of Gyda’s grief was over, she lay silent for a few minutes. Moving slowly, she sat up. Her hand still had a tremor as she wiped away her tears. She stared dully at Petra’s still form, then looked at Kara, her expression blank. “What now?” she asked.

“Now we go and make sure Niall is all right.” Climbing to her feet, Kara went to fetch her weapons.

“What of her?” Gyda spared Petra’s body another dispassionate glance.

Kara looked across the street. In the window she could see Petra’s father drinking and laughing with his friends. “Let him deal with her. For once.”

Together, they walked away.

When they reached Albemarle Street, Gyda stopped. Her expression was bleak as she blinked at Kara. “I can scarcely make one foot move in front of the other. It had to be done. But now itisdone. And Charles is still gone. Kara, what now?” she repeated.

Kara sighed. “Now, you grieve. You cry. You rail at fate. And eventually, you heal. But you won’t do any of it alone.”

Gyda reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know. That much I know.”

Kara started walking again. Her pace increased with nearly every step, she was so anxious to get to Niall. When they arrived back at Westminster, they found a large group of men millingaround. The House of Lords had obviously closed their session. They must have been drawn to the tower site by the smoldering carriage.

Kara pushed through them. She caught sight of Wooten surrounded by a circle of gentlemen, talking fast and gesturing. From several feet away, she saw Dalton had been set free. He was winding a bandage around Niall’s leg. He looked up, saw them coming, and gave Niall a nudge.

Her husband looked at her with boundless relief. He held out his arms and she fell into them. “Well?” he said over his shoulder to Gyda.

“It’s done. Over. She’s gone.”

“It was a close thing, but Gyda saved the day,” Kara told him.

Niall reached out a hand to his friend. “Thank you. Are you all right?”

Kara turned her head in time to see Gyda catch her breath and shrug.

Looking between them both, Niall asked, “What now?”

She and Gyda both laughed a little.

Leaning in to kiss her husband, Kara answered softly, “Now, we let the madness recede. We stick together. We heal. We live. We all enjoy a bit of peace.”