Witch's Bell Book One (10 page)

People seemed to like Nate, for some
reason. Ebony really had no idea why. While he'd been fun to tease
at first, surely that awfully arrogant edge irritated people as
much as it got to her?

There was no denying one thing
though, Nate was attractive. The man was as handsome as you could
imagine, which certainly accounted for his favor amongst the female
officers. But seriously, even they should be able to see that
behind the face, the competence, and the fiery sense of
right
– was
a lump of something astoundingly irritating. Fun enough to tease,
of course, but Ebony was starting to get the terrible feeling that
Nate only let her tease him when he felt like it. Rather than Ebony
being able to push his buttons and sit back and watch him splutter
with frustration like an overloading robot, Nate would sometimes
just shut her down altogether. He'd get this tunnel vision, this
pin-point concentration, and block her out completely.

Ebony took a large sniff, finally
rounding the corner to Wonda's alleyway, and knocking carefully on
a pale-green door under the fire-escape. Wonda's shop didn't have
advertising; it didn't need it. Everyone who had any business
knowing about magic knew about Wonda's Witch Wonders. She had the
cheapest and largest range of ceremonial candles in town, and she
was always willing to order things in.

After a moment the door creaked
open an inch.
“Come in, Ebony,” a clear voice said.

Ebony patted the door
gratefully.
“Thanks, Ruby.”

Wonda's Witch Wonders was a lot like
Harry's second-hand Bookstore; both stores were possessed by
spirits of previous owners. But Ruby, unlike the cantankerous
Harry, was a soft, gentle little spirit who always ensured there
wasn't a speck of dust on the candle you'd pick up, and that there
was always just enough light filtering in from the medieval
chandelier above that you could easily read the ingredients list on
all the herbal teas and tinctures.

Ruby talked too, unlike Harry
who would remain silent for months on end until he'd rattle in
Ebony's ear
“there's a pigeon stuck in my chimney, go and tug it out,
girl.”

“
How are you, Ruby?” Ebony asked
gently, as she ran a hand over the line of beaded curtains that
hung close to the door. Each bead glinted its deep colors under the
soft flame of the chandelier.

Wonda's Witch Wonders was a large
store. Set on one sprawling level in a room with no windows. It had
only one giant cast iron chandelier to light the whole place. But
the chandelier wasn't run on electricity; instead it beamed out
with a hundred, or more, lit candles. It cast such a soft, magical
glow, that Ebony had always fancied taking one of the hand-woven
blankets from off the shelves and curling up for a nap. She'd
probably dream of dragons, she reasoned, or knights in shining
armor.

“
Well,” Ruby answered with a
tinkle of the beaded curtains, “I am well. So are you – you are
beaming.”

Ebony smiled quite suddenly. It was
one thing to receive a compliment from a human. Humans always
wanted things, and you could never be sure they meant it. But when
a disembodied spirit told you you were looking particularly fine,
well, you could believe it.

“
Thank you,” Ebony's tone was
joyous, appreciative, and genuine.

“
Here for candles?” Ruby spoke
through the shine of the hundred candles above, “or love
potions?”

Ebony chortled.
“Love potions,
since when have I ever had to buy a love potion from you, Ruby? I
really don't think it's possible for anyone not to love me,” she
flapped a hand at her chest.

Ruby didn't answer.

“
I'm here for candles,” Ebony
walked confidently over to the six or seven shelves that were
packed with candles of all shapes, sizes, and origins. She picked
up a curious eye-shaped candle from Korea. It was black with a
suspended golden orb in the center. “You have new stock,” she said
distractedly. “I have to say, I like it.”

“
We are soon to be in the Month
of Rites,” Ruby intoned through the still air of the shop, “so I've
been sure to stock up.”

“
Hmm,” Ebony nodded, “of course.
I've been so busy lately that I'd almost forgotten—”

“
A witch can never forget the
duties of the Coven,” Ruby said automatically.

Ebony put up a hand.
“I was joking. Of
course I haven't forgotten about the Month of Rites, and I'm well
aware of my duties. I guess all I'm saying is I haven't put a lot
of thought into it this year. I've had so many other distractions
this past month that I haven't really been with it.”

“
The Month of Rites is the most
important time of all the year,” Ruby spoke through the mouth of a
skull candle, its lifeless eyes twinkling. “You must give it all
the importance you have.”

Ebony smiled politely.
“Look I know, I'm a
witch too, remember? I guess I've just gotten
side-tracked.”

“
Then now you must get
re-tracked. The Month of Rites imbues your magic with purpose.
Without the Rite, Ebony, you are at risk. If you do not know which
direction you travel in, you cannot know when you become lost, or
when another leads you astray,” Wonda said ominously. “So it is
very important, what will you Rite this year?”

Ebony picked up a simple
beeswax candle and traced a finger over the latticed pattern
embossed into its sides.
“I don't know ... I'm not sure what I want for the
coming year.”

“
You must write it, before you
Rite it,” Ruby spoke again through the candles above.

“
I know, I know. If I am not
careful to write very clearly what I want, then I leave myself open
to be rewritten. I do know all this, Wonda, honestly. And I'll
figure it out. But right now,” she grabbed four of the candles,
“I've got so much work to do! I'll take these four candles,” she
jingled them in her hands, “and if you could have them, plus a box
of cleansing tea delivered to my store, that would be
great.”

“
Of course,” Ruby said, “I will
have the shop imps deliver them tonight.”

“
Thanks Ruby,” Ebony ran a hand
down her dress, “and I promise I'll give more thought to my
Rite.”

“
What is the right rite of a
witch, she will write before the final night of the Rite,” Ruby
said automatically, voice intoning along the circles of dust that
whirled through the air.

“
I know, I know. I'll see you
later, Ruby.” With that, Ebony patted the handle of the door
fondly, before walking out and closing it behind her.

By the time Ebony had made it
to the Vale Police depot, it was already late afternoon. The wind
really had picked up, she'd noted with more than a few harrumphs as
she'd tried to keep one hand on her hat, one hand on her file, and
one hand on her skirt
– which had proved to be impossible in the
extreme.

She'd been sure she'd flashed
more than a few passing motorists as the circling breeze had lifted
her skirt in all the wrong places.
“Oh go away, silly wind,” she'd berated
the weather with pressed teeth. “You were such a nice day this
morning,” she looked up as more and more pale clouds gathered at
the horizon, “and now look at you? I wouldn't be surprised if it
rained tonight. No, scratch that, poured.”

Ebony walked into the depot by ducking
under one of the large garage doors as it closed behind a departing
car. The depot was a large, stout building that sat underneath the
police station. The station was a tall elegant building, with the
soft lines, blacks, and creams of the Art Deco period. The depot
sat around and underneath the police building, with street access
on all four sides.

The witches had enjoyed more
than a say in the design of the current police station. When the
last one had burnt down during the late 20's, the witches had been
sure to run a careful magical eye over the architectural designs
for the new one. They suggested building it in the center of a
crossroads. It ensured the building had a view of, and access to,
everything that lay around it. The corners of the building were
rounded off too, in usual Art Deco style
– but a feature the witches more than
agreed with. What, with the round edges and central access, the
police station was practically a circle inside a circle of roads –
which made for a powerful building indeed.

It would be incredibly protected; the
witches had assured the police at the time. And sure to their word,
never since, had the station ever been under direct
threat.

The witches had done more though,
ensuring that etched onto every single supporting beam of the
structure were powerful protection symbols. They even consecrated
the ground with a month-long ritual that involved a lot less nudity
and wine than you might expect from your average witch get
together.

She always felt comfortable here; the
police station felt a little like home. It was partly due to the
powerful protective magic, but also due to her childhood. She had
such fond memories of following her father around as a child, teddy
bear in one hand, her father's large hand clasped over the other.
Everyone had always been so friendly. People would pat her on the
head, offer her sweets, even let her play around in the uniform
cupboard.

Despite the wind and clouds,
part of Ebony's smile returned.
“Show me some cursed rings,” she announced
to the room as she entered.

“
Ebony!” Barney greeted her with
his over-the-top, show performer's voice. “How are you going,
girl?”

Ebony clicked her
fingers.
“Fine and dandy, how's the old Barney.”

Barney made a show of patting
himself down.
“I don't feel dead, so I must be okay, I guess.”

“
You're the best police officer
I know,” Ebony chuckled, “so where's all that cursed
jewelry?”

“
Round back. You're going to
like this one, Eb,” Barney said as he unlocked the door to the
evidence cage. “A pair of cursed wedding rings.”

“
Eek, what did they
do?”

“
They just had a return spell on
them, I think. I mean, I don't know this magic stuff! But whichever
happy couple would buy them, they'd get a divorce in a week, and
sell the rings back to the jeweler they'd bought them
from.”

“
Ha, very charming. Casting
spells on your goods to get guaranteed returns. Surely there's a
better way?”

Barney shrugged.
“Hey, don't ask me
to try to understand this, this is all your weird magic-crime.”
Barney patted his chest. “Me, I'm just a regular guy. This is your
stuff, Eb.”

Ebony reached down and
carefully picked up both of the rings that Barney had pulled from
an evidence bag.
“It's not my stuff, Barns, there's a lot more to magic than
witches.”

“
Yeah, I know,” he handed her a
washable marker and grinned.

Ebony took the marker, dumped the
rings on the table, and started to draw careful, precise symbols
around them. It was just a regular child's marker from the local
newsagent, but what she was writing with it was anything but
regular. She concentrated as she looped the writing, eventually
drawing a perfect freehand circle around the rings.

She closed her eyes for a brief
second, until she could hear the snap loud and clear in her mind.
It was the spell breaking away from the rings like a ship from its
mooring.

It was a very simple spell, and hardly
took much time or effort to break. Which was just how Ebony liked
her work.

“
Done?” Barney asked from beside
her.

Ebony replied by picking up the
rings and dumping them in his hands.
“I'm sure the next couple that buys these
rings will break up for all their own reasons, rather than magical
interference.

“
Now come on, Eb,” Barney
shrugged his shoulders. “You've got to be more romantic. The couple
doesn't have to break up! Let “em stay married forever, live
happily ever after, that kind of stuff.”

Ebony waved him off, standing
up with a smile.
“That's your story, pet. Now, I'm more than ready to go
home.”

As they walked out of the
evidence cage, Ebony could hear the muffled, but just perceptible,
sound of gun fire. There was a shooting range in the depot, which
the officers used to keep up their practice. Ebony used to go there
with her father sometimes
– when she was old enough, that was. Regardless of
the fact she was her mother's daughter – a witch through and
through – Ebony's father had always tried to teach Ebony everything
he knew. Making Ebony, perhaps, the only witch who was equally as
versed in hand-to-hand combat, guns, and tracking – as she was in
ceremonies, rituals, and summoning.

Barney must have heard the
sound too, as an enormous grin spread across his face.
“Hey, Eb, you've
got to see this,” he tugged on her arm. “This guy's almost as good
as your dad.”

Ebony's eyes narrowed.
“Who?”

“
The rookie, of
course.”