Witch's Bell Book One (48 page)

“
Ah, Harry?” she whispered,
putting a hand up to the side of the door in an effort to find the
light switch.

The traveling bag gave an
almost nervous twitch.
“My word,” Harry mumbled, “quite
remarkable.”

“
What's remarkable, I can't see
anything.” Ebony took a little step into the room, finally putting
Harry down so she could free her hands. “It's just so dark in
here!”

It really was dark, a very unusual
dark. The kind of dark that flows in after a light has been
extinguished. Any witch knows that such darkness has a different
quality to the denser, heavier stuff you find in perpetually black
caves, or out in the light-less reaches of deep space.

This was quick dark. It had speed and
agility, like a panther leaping from tree to tree in order to stay
ahead of its prey. It could wrap around you, or wend its way from
behind in such a flash that it was impossible to see. Scientists
may say that there is nothing in the universe that is faster than
the speed of light, but anyone with an ounce of magic knows that
isn't true. Certain breeds of darkness move way faster. In the time
it takes you to turn on the light, the dark has to get well and
truly out of sight.

Even the light filtering in
from behind Ebony through the open door, didn't seem all that
strong. It felt like it was very far away
– like it was far-off on the horizon
while Ebony was stuck in some cavernous pit down below.

Ebony stretched out her hands, not
wanting to trip over something and fall heavily to the ground. She
really didn't like the idea of breaking her ankle and crawling out,
only to bump into Nate's legs, enabling him to give her a swift and
possibly deserving kick.

She could hear Harry bouncing
around on the floor, still muttering to himself.
“Oh yes, old
energy,” he said for the second time, “ancient stuff. Hmmm!” he
trilled,” very invigorating. Reminds me of when I was a
boy.”

Ebony softly bit into her lip and
moved her hands in front of her, as if fighting off a slow,
invisible enemy. She really didn't want to bump into something, she
reminded herself, just as her thigh dug into something hard and
very pointy.

“
Ow!” she yelped, falling
forward onto what felt like a stone bench. Something hard, metal,
and cold came up against her skin as she tried to steady
herself.

“
Ebony!” Harry gave a yelp.
“What have you done!”

“
I haven't done anything,” she
eventually steadied herself. She wondered just how exactly she was
meant to navigate through this room and find Nate's little secret,
if it was so darn dark. And it wasn't as if she could simply go and
find a torch either, Ebony knew enough about magic to know that
when you faced darkness like this, you needed more than a torch to
see through it.

She gave a huff.

Then she felt it. And heard it. She
even fancied she could smell it. But in the darkness she had no
chance of actually seeing it.

“
Ebony!” Harry roared. “Duck
back!”

She floored herself, just throwing
herself to the side with a thud as something whistled past her
ear.

There was a crash as something heavy
and metal sliced into the floorboards by her side.

“
Get back, Ebony! Time to do
some blasting!” Harry was making such a tremendous crashing that it
sounded like he was rocketing around like a bouncy-ball in a glass
shop.

Ebony backed off. Almost scuttling
along the floor like a backwards crab. She still couldn't see, and
the light from the doorway was only getting darker for some reason,
making it feel more and more like Ebony was fighting something
terrible in the confines of her own, darkened mind.

“
You're in the way, Ebony! Duck
back, girl!” Harry made even more noise now. He sounded like one of
those old war klaxons winding up as it got ready to blare defiantly
into the dark night.

If Ebony was in the way, she couldn't
tell, it was just so dark! She heard something metal clink against
the floor, as if something heavy was walking in pointed, solid
shoes. Then there was another whistle as something sliced right
past her face.

Ebony screamed, lying down on the
ground with a snap, and rolling to the side until she hit what was
either the wall, or that strange stone table.

Once again something metal slammed
down right next to her, barely a centimeter from her
head.

She kicked out wildly, not
really knowing in what direction, but not really caring. She had no
idea what was fighting her
– no idea of the size, the dimensions, or the
power. So she simply struck out at everything.

Her foot connected with what felt like
a leg, but the thing was so covered in a thick, tough metal, that
she instantly regretted it. A terrible pain shot up her unprotected
toes, and she sucked in a wheeze of a breath.

“
Got ya now,” Harry suddenly
blurted, a hot, white streak of energy erupting from the bag and
flying over Ebony's face. In another second it appeared to impact
with something – the sound of clinks and thuds, erupting by her
ear. Then something crumpled beside Ebony, as if she'd been
standing too close to a suit of armor as it toppled
over.

Just as Ebony allowed herself a
strangled but thankful breath, the lights turned on.

The room suddenly filled with a
bright, but quite normal glow, and Ebony turned to see an actual
suit of armor right next to her. It was crumpled, empty, and burnt
all over from the remnants of Harry's blast. It also had a massive,
terrible looking broadsword in one of its giant
metal-gloves.

“
Oh my—” Ebony whispered,
pushing herself away from the thing as if she expected it to either
spring to life again or burst into flames. But as she pushed
herself back, she found herself coming up against what felt like
another set of legs.

“
Word,” the owner of the legs
finished her sentence.

Ebony shrieked, sure it was another
knight out to get her.

“
Ebony!” Harry rattled from the
corner. “We've been sprung! Run!”

A hand latched onto her
shoulder
–
an actual warm, fleshy, human hand. And while Ebony wasn't going to
rule out there being a sword in the thing's other hand – she
realized, with a gulp, that it was way more likely to be a
gun.

Nate.

“
Get up,” he growled.

She pushed herself up, just as he
yanked at her shoulder, and she turned, just as he tried to twist
her. And though the pain in her toes from having tried to
karate-kick a suit of armor was still intense, she still found it
possible to stand on her own two feet.

Nate. Detective Nathan Wall. Here he
was. In his own house, in his own secret little room, facing off
against his shoeless home-invader.

Ebony sucked in her lips, shrugging
backwards in order to release herself from his iron grip. Not that
he'd let her.

“
What are you doing here?” his
face was ... she'd never seen him look like this. No, she'd never
seen anyone look like this. There was an edge, such an incredible
edge to his features. It was as if she wasn't staring into his face
at all – as if his eyes, mouth, jaw, and crumpled brow weren't
anything but details belying what was truly inside. Because past
the stare, the frown, and the clenched teeth, was something else.
Something ....

“
Ebony, what are you doing
here?” he squeezed at her shoulder, his grip like stone on
flesh.

She shrugged back, this time
putting more effort into it
– twisting just at the right time until she could
use her momentum against him, and pulled herself free. She hobbled
backwards several steps, and just kept staring.

“
What are you?” she said after a
moment, voice soft, and barely audible.

He gave a snort as if that was
the last question he'd expected her to ask. And his expression
changed for a moment
– his eyes flickering, his frown inching
inward.

He was like a puzzle, Ebony
realized. It was as if everything on the outside
– the way he
looked, the way he flattened his tie, the way he said “right” at
every moment, regardless of how wrong things were – it was as if
all of it was some kind of code. A puzzle that, if you knew how to
assemble it, would unlock what was within.

Nate wasn't the tie, the voice, or the
face. He wasn't the need to drive painfully slowly, he wasn't the
need to quote the rule book at people, and he wasn't the need to
work twenty-four hours a day. Nate was whatever was behind all
that.

“
What am I?” he repeated
crossing his arms, his expression still so angry, so cold, and so
... something else.

“
Ebony! You stand back,” Harry
whistled from the corner, “because if he tries anything, I'll blast
him rotten.”

Nate flicked his eyes over to
Harry.
“Tell
me you didn't bring him along?” he said, almost to himself, his
expression not a degree warmer, even though his words weren't
dripping with threats and menace.

“
That's right, boy, I'm here.
And let me tell you, try anything macho on my girl and I'll blow up
your house, your stuff, and your face. Your little magical armor
there attacked us – almost killed my Ebony! So don't you get cocky
with me!”

Nate shook his head, clearly
not worried, and not amused.
“You broke into my house with a magical bookstore
in a bag – nice. And the armor? I doubt it would have actually
killed you,” he added, tone subtle.

It took Ebony a moment to
realize that he was talking to her
– Nate wasn't facing her, after all. He
was, instead, staring behind her at the suit of armor that Harry
had most satisfyingly blasted.

“
I knew you were going to be
hard to handle,” he said to himself with a shake of his head, “but
this is incredible.”

“
Sorry,” she kept backing off,
wanting to get away from Nate and the magical armor, and over to
Harry where things were more likely to go “boom,” but less likely
to involve her. “I don't get it.” She took a breath. “And you need
to explain it to me right now.”

“
Atta girl,” Harry rumbled
appreciatively, “you tell that rotter. You understand, Mr
Detective? We're here to question you, and not the other way round.
You've got a secret, my lad, and we're here to extract it from
you!”

Nate's eyebrows slowly pressed
together. He was either confused, or slightly amused.
“Right. Or you'll
blast me, right?”

Ebony swallowed.
“Look. You have to
tell us right now where you stand. I don't know what's going on,”
she crossed her arms and sniffed, “but I have a feeling you do. The
Grimshores, their book, the spell I'm being rewritten into,” she
blinked quickly as she said the word, casting a wary glance around
the room. “I have a feeling you know what's going on.”

He stared at her, but didn't
speak, move, or change his expression. They may have been standing
in his secret room, with a mysterious set of armor that had moments
before been moving of its own accord
– but Detective Nate still had no
intention of giving anything away.

She licked her lips, and
decided to press on. This was how it was going to be, she realized
with a swell of defiance in her chest. If the Grimshores were going
to take her down, she was going to go down kicking, screaming, and
cursing.
“So
what is it, Nate? How come you don't seem affected? You've always
been different,” she pointedly looked down at the armor with its
enormous glittering sword. “Though I hadn't realized quite how
different till now. But here's your option – no, you don't actually
have an option,” she stared at him, her eyes level, her mouth set,
and her cheeks stiff. “Who are you, what are you, what do you want,
and who do you work for?”

Nate, contrary to all
expectations, laughed. And it drew on for entirely too long.
“You want to know
all about me Ebony?” he raised an eyebrow. “You haven't figured it
out by now? What have you been doing all this time—”

“
You better hurry up and answer
the question, Mister, or I'm going to blow up your house,” Harry
warned with a drawn out grumble.

Nate didn't looked
fazed.
“Fine. I'm a knight,” he said simply.

Ebony's features pressed
together, but she hardly had an ah-ha moment.
“Sorry? Is that meant to be
revealing?”

“
You're not exactly the world's
best witch, are you? Don't tell me you've never heard of
knights—”

“
Hmm,” Harry said thoughtfully,
“you, a knight? I doubt it Mr Right. Knights are sworn to uphold
the Rights of all humanity. They are the most powerful of all the
non-magical races, even though they have a special magic all of
their own. They fight dragons,” Harry said appreciatively, “and
protect the weak from the strong. No, you can't be a knight, you're
too boring.”

Nate chuckled lightly.
“Sorry to burst
your bubble, but I'm a knight.”