“It was you who marked this witch,” Champier said sharply, his eyes accusing.
“Yes.” Philippe offered no explanation.
“That is most irregular, sieur.” His fingers kept probing my mind. Champier’s eyes opened in wonder. “But this is impossible. How can she be a—” He gasped and looked down at his chest.
A dagger stuck out between two of Champier’s ribs, the weapon’s blade buried deep within his chest. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the hilt. When he scrabbled to dislodge it, I pushed it in further. The wizard’s knees began to crumple.
“Leave it, Diana.” Philippe commanded, reaching over to loosen my hand. “He’s going to die, and when he does, he will fall. You cannot hold up a dead weight.”
But I couldn’t let go of the dagger. The man was still alive, and as long as he was breathing, Champier could take what was mine.
A white face with inkblot eyes appeared briefly over Champier’s shoulder before a powerful hand wrested his lolling head to the side with a crack of bones and sinew. Matthew battened onto the man’s throat, drinking deeply.
“Where have you been, Matthew?” Philippe snapped. “You must move quickly. Diana struck before he could finish his thought.”
While Matthew drank, Thomas and étienne pelted into the room, a dazed Catrine in tow. They stopped, stunned. Alain and Pierre hovered in the hallway with the blacksmith, Chef, and the two soldiers who usually stood by the front gate.
“Vous avez bien fait,” Philippe assured them. “It is over now.”
“I was supposed to think.” My fingers were numb, but I still couldn’t seem to unwrap them from the dagger.
“And stay alive. You did that admirably,” Philippe replied.
“He’s dead?” I croaked.
Matthew removed his mouth from the witch’s neck.
“Resolutely so,” Philippe said. “Well, I suppose that’s one less nosy Calvinist to worry about. Had he told any of his friends he was coming here?”
“Not as far as I could determine,” Matthew said. Slowly his eyes turned gray again as he studied me. “Diana. My love. Let me have the dagger.” Somewhere in the distance, something metal clattered to the floor, followed by the softer thud of André Champier’s mortal remains. Mercifully cool, familiar hands cupped my chin.
“He discovered something in Diana that surprised him,” said Philippe.
“I saw as much. But the blade reached his heart before I could find out what.” Matthew drew me gently into his arms. My own had gone boneless, and I offered no resistance.
“I didn’t—couldn’t—think, Matthew. Champier was going to take my memories—extract them from the root. Memories are all I have of my parents. And what if I’d forgotten my historical knowledge? How could I go back home and teach after that?”
“You did the right thing.” Matthew had one arm wrapped around my waist. The other circled my shoulders, pressing the side of my face against his chest. “Where did you get the knife?”
“My boot. She must have seen me pull it out yesterday,” Philippe replied.
“See. You were thinking, ma lionne.” Matthew pressed his lips against my hair. “What the hell drew Champier to Saint-Lucien?”
“I did,” replied Philippe.
“You betrayed us to Champier?” Matthew turned on his father. “He’s one of the most reprehensible creatures in all of France!”
“I needed to be sure of her, Matthaios. Diana knows too many of our secrets. I had to know that she could be trusted with them, even among her own people.” Philippe was unapologetic. “I don’t take risks with my family.”
“And would you have stopped Champier before he stole her thoughts?” Matthew demanded, his eyes blacker by the second.
“That depends.”
“On what?” Matthew exploded, his arms tightening around me.
“Had Champier arrived three days ago, I would not have interfered. It would have been a matter between witches, and not worth the trouble to the brotherhood.”
“You would have let my mate suffer.” Matthew’s tone revealed his disbelief.
“As recently as yesterday, it would have been your responsibility to intervene on your mate’s behalf. Had you failed to do so, it would have proved that your commitment to the witch was not what it should be.”
“And today?” I asked.
Philippe studied me. “Today you are my daughter. So no, I would not have let Champier’s attack go much further. But I didn’t need to do anything, Diana. You saved yourself.”