Witchs bell book four, p.1
Witch's Bell Book Four, page 1
part #4 of Witch's Bell Series
Witch’s Bell Book Four
Odette C. Bell
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Witch’s Bell
Book Four
Copyright © 2013 Odette C. Bell
Cover art stock photos licensed from Depositphotos.
www.odettecbell.com
Witch’s Bell Book Four
Things have changed for Ebony, but they’re about to change more. Only months after defeating the Relator, she is plunged into a new conflict. This time the big forces are getting involved too; Nature itself has singled her out for an impossible task.
Soon Ebony is knee-deep in a mysterious disappearance, cults, and demons. Lots of demons. But if she can’t push through it all, she’ll run out of time. Literally.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Witch’s Bell Series Information
www.odettecbell.com
More Fantasy Series by Odette C. Bell
1
Ebony Bell was a new witch. It had been several months since her fight with the Relator, and ever since Ebony had gained victory over it, her life had changed for the better. Suddenly, she had a little thing called respect, and boy was it nice.
Defeating the Relator, as Harry loved to point out, was an astounding victory for any magical creature, let alone a witch. While Ebony didn’t agree with Harry’s insulting comment about witches, she couldn’t help but admit her victory was important. Not only had her mother invited Ebony to have a role in the Coven, but every other magical race in Vale was treating Ebony with respect. It had even filtered into the Police Station. Ben often chuckled and slapped her on the shoulder, after giving Ebony her morning coffee of course, telling everyone that they were always safe while she was around.
It was taking some time to get used to. For most of her life, Ebony had been the oddball witch, the eccentric one, the colorful one, the one who was confident, yes, but often didn’t have the skills to match that attitude.
Now she felt powerful. Every day Ebony stood a little straighter. Every day she made her decisions quicker and with more determination.
The uncertainty that had once stood at the edges of her life was crumbling. It wasn’t that Ebony knew what would happen tomorrow or the next day, or even in a year’s time. No, it was that no matter what happened, she now had evidence that she could deal with it. Yes, if the Portal suddenly opened and the creatures from beyond spilled into their world, Ebony would likely face defeat. But even in that eventuality, she still had the hope she would find some way to deal with it.
As Ebony applied her lipstick, she applied a little less.
She was doing that a lot these days.
She was wearing fewer bangles too, and sometimes she was picking her most understated skirts and tops. It wasn’t that she was growing up, heaven forbid, and neither was it because she was losing her eccentricity. She didn’t have anything to show off anymore. She didn’t have anything to prove. If she wanted to wear outrageous lipstick, a skirt that looked like it belonged in a modern art museum, and some high heels that she knew would get stuck in soft ground and metal grating, then of course Ebony Bell was going to do exactly that. The point was, she no longer had to do it every day. She could do it only when she felt like it.
Ebony tried not to smile as she applied her lipstick, because she inevitably found herself slipping and applying it over her chin and cheeks. She couldn’t help it today. She had the feeling that it would be a good day. In fact, in the past several months since the defeat of the Relator, most of Ebony’s days had been, well, almost fantastic. Yes, there was still crime on the streets of Vale, and yes, sometimes she did come face-to-face with the grisly and unkind side of magic, but once again, Ebony felt she could deal with it. Knowing she could deal with it meant she could enjoy all the little details of life. No matter what problems occurred around her, as long as she got a smile from the right people, a warm meal, and a burst of sunshine on her cheeks and hair, then the day would be a good one.
Fixing her makeup with her fingers, Ebony looked at her reflection in the mirror. She turned to the side, patted her simple black skirt, and puffed up her colorful blouse.
“If you spend any more time in the bathroom, an age will have passed by the time you get to work, and Ebony Bell, an age is a very long time,” Harry mentioned from behind her.
She didn’t bother to turn; she could tell her cantankerous bookstore was in human form, and that said human form was leaning against the door, probably with a screwed up contemptuous look on his face as he watched Ebony complete her outfit. To Harry, you didn’t need to look good – all you needed was to roll up your sleeves and attack the first dragon you saw walking down the street. To him, that was magic, and that was how you behaved as a magical creature. But the world had come a long way since Harry Horseshoe had blazed through it. Now magic was more nuanced, and if you wanted to fit in with the humans while you were doing it, then yes, a simple black skirt and a colorful blouse would go a long way.
Eventually, Ebony turned from the mirror, closed her lipstick with a click, popped it back in the basket on her counter, and shrugged her shoulders. “Find something useful to do today,” she begged as she brushed past his shoulder and walked out into the corridor. “Like, I don’t know, open the shop, even if it’s only for ten whole minutes.”
Ever since Ebony’s defeat of the Relator, she’d been working around the clock, and no, not selling books to lucky customers. The events of several months ago had gone some way to proving Ebony’s skills, and now they were in high demand. She went into work at the Vale Police Station every single day without fail. Whether it was to lift a curse from an old desk or writing pen or to question some new magical criminal, it didn’t matter. If there was a crime somebody needed to solve, most often people called on Ebony. News of her victory had spread, and it had gained Ebony a reputation. A reputation Harry was most definitely adding to. Once or twice she’d found him writing letters with furious speed and concentration and posting them off to various wizards around the world. When she would ask what he was writing, he would grin at her and say “history.”
Her relationship with the wizards had changed too. Aaron had a newfound respect for her, and considering he held such a prominent position on the Council of Eight, the other wizards of Vale were following in his stead. People would come into the store and ask her questions. Not Harry, not Ebony’s mother, not Aaron, but Ebony herself. Hard questions, questions about ritual, magic, the finer points of law. And they would wait to hear her answer.
Ebony flicked her hair as she walked into the kitchen. She surveyed her lounge room, picked up a cushion, neatened it, and straightened it on the couch. Then she turned to face Harry. He was sitting on the bench, arms crossed, feet dangling in the air. He was wearing the same pair of suspenders and britches he always wore, the same shirt, and even the same cap he sometimes put on, despite the fact he was always inside. “You going to come home early today?” he questioned, a pout crumpling his lips.
“Are you lonely? Harry Horseshoe, one of the greatest wizards ever to live, are you actually lonely?” she asked as she tilted her head to the side, her bouncy red locks pushing over her shoulder and collecting along the folds of her blouse.
“Ha, lonely, me? How on earth could I ever be lonely? I have so many stories and adventures trapped in my mind,” Harry harshly poked himself in the temple but didn’t flinch at the move, “that I might never have to see another person or magical creature again. I have traveled the globe,” he pointed out with a grand sweep of his hand. “I have fought creatures that would make your blood curdle. I most certainly am not lonely.”
Ebony watched her possessed bookstore in silence. She pressed her lips together, gave a shrug, and turned toward the stairs. “Well then, I guess if you’re not lonely, you might protest if I invite Nate around for tea.”
Harry jumped off the bench. He was like an excited child. Harry’s relationship with Vale’s dedicated knight had changed over the past several months. Harry Horseshoe had gone from wanting to blast Nate, to almost loving the guy.
They were true blokey mates. Whenever Nate came over, Harry would produce beers, and the two of them would go downstairs, read history books, and share ridiculous stories about destroying dragons and whatnot.
With the glow returning to Harry’s cheeks, Ebony chuckled, waved at him, and went downstairs. As she walked through her shop, she ran her hand over a pile of magazines, dislodging the thick layer of dust on top.
She loved her new life, because she loved the respect and the challenges. But she missed her old life too – the days spent in her bookstore, just her and Harry, getting excited whenever a customer might come through the door but content if they didn’t.
Ebony’s life had changed. An important lesson she’d learned was one she couldn’t turn away from now: while she’d loved that life, she had to move on and find a new one, embrace whatever challenges came, and grow with them rather than against them. That was the nature of the universe, wasn’t it? It always gave the most power, meaning, and import to that which expanded and sought out the new.
Ebony Bell was now seeking out the new, she reminded herself as she walked through the door, flipping the sign to open.
It was a glorious day outside, but a smattering of dark gray clouds was building behind the mountains. Ebony paused on the street, one hand on her skirt, the other on the bag she’d shrugged over her shoulder. She looked up to the sky, her eyes scanning the horizon and focusing on those clouds far above.
She could sense things more these days. She could open up her mind and heart, and she could feel the magical energy echoing through the environment. It was always there, sometimes powerfully strong, and sometimes incredibly weak, but if she let herself wait and see, she would inevitably find it.
She sniffed, tasting the air, still gazing at those clouds. They were ominous. No, that wasn’t quite the right word. They were laden. But with more than rain. They looked to be the kind of clouds that would promise a shift in energy, whether it be dramatic, subtle, or lightning fast and frantic. She narrowed her eyes, but before she could push her mind into those clouds, somebody cleared their throat. She didn’t need to turn; Ebony knew exactly who it was.
She twisted on her foot, and she let a smile spread her lips. “Detective Nathan Wall.” She arched an eyebrow, never letting that smile shift for a second.
“You are using my full name, Ebony. Am I in trouble?” He raised his own eyebrow, but there was an amused edge to it.
She shook her head and offered him a pout. “How could you be in trouble? You are Vale’s most dedicated, trustworthy, determined detective,” she said as she began to walk with him, letting him lead her to his car, which was parked across the street.
He laughed. “You’re in a good mood this morning.”
Were his eyes sparkling? Yes, yes, they were. And maybe several months ago Ebony would have digested that fact with a little tremble to her stomach, or maybe she would have walked away with a smile on her lips, or maybe she would have tried to rationalize it and pretend it meant something other than the obvious. But now she let it settle over her like the warm kiss of sunlight from above.
Nothing much had happened between her and Nate in the past several months – well, nothing overt. They hadn’t declared their love for each other, and neither had they gone on a single date. But everything else – everything else had changed.
It was just so much easier now. Their interactions, their relationship. Whereas once Ebony would have found any excuse to jump down Nate’s throat, to blame him for whatever happened, to treat him as anything less than the remarkable man he was, she didn’t do that anymore. And neither did he do the same to her. They were now so comfortable in each other’s company, they had one of those kinds of relationships. The special kind of relationship witch consultants could have with her partner. Almost intuitive. Almost magical. Nate would always call whenever she was thinking about him, and she always popped up just before a demon would leap out of the wall and try to strangle the guy. Luck or something like it. A kind of halo that connected them, that had them running into each other at just the right moment and saving each other whenever it mattered most. Maybe Nate had noticed, or maybe he hadn’t, or maybe he was explaining it in whatever unique terminology the Knights used. That didn’t change the fact it was there.
Rather than ask Nate whether he’d bought her any food, Ebony walked to the car, got in, and grabbed one of the two coffees in Nate’s cup holders. He never forgot to get her something these days.
Once Nate got in and checked his mirrors and seat belt, he started the car then pulled out in the slow, terribly watchful fashion of Nathan Wall.
Nate was no Ben when it came to driving, but at least they would get there in one piece... eventually.
As the drive wound on, silence spread between them, but it was the easiest silence you could imagine. It was the kind shared between two people who were thoroughly comfortable with each other. They didn’t need to say anything to fill the space between them; they could just be in their own worlds, thinking about their own things, and yet barely a meter from each other’s side.
Once Ebony finished her coffee and she stopped playing with the rim, picking at the Styrofoam and listening to it crinkle, she turned to him. “We’re not headed to the Police Station, are we?”
He half-turned to her, though not once did Nathan Wall, the consummate, careful driver, take his eyes from the road. “Did you figure that out when we drove right past the Station five minutes ago?”
She let a wry smile spread her lips. “Yes, I did, because I’m a clever detective,” she said without a hint of sarcasm.
Nate laughed. “Well, Mrs. Clever Detective—”
“Actually,” Ebony jumped in at once, “I’m not married. Can you imagine that a girl like me is still single?” She stressed the word still.
There was a pause, one of those rippling moments that would happen between them sometimes. It was the kind of moment that hinted that it could turn into something incredible. But whenever the energy picked up, and Nathan Wall might turn to her, a tantalizing promise building in his gaze, nothing would happen. Maybe he would turn back to the road, maybe the lights ahead would turn to green, maybe his phone would ring, maybe a gust of wind would blow something in front of the car. Something would inevitably get in the way.
It was as if the universe had decided that no matter how perfect Nate and Ebony were for each other, they would not be getting together anytime soon. It was a thought that made Ebony frown into her pillow every night.
“Well, Miss Clever Detective,” Nate cleared his throat and continued, though a little of his sarcasm was gone, “we’re heading to Eleven Winter Street.”
“It better not be anything grisly,” Ebony interrupted. Though she’d defeated the Relator, she still didn’t like that side of her work. She could muddle her way through it, but she would never like it. Ebony Bell would never feel comfortable with the dark side of magic. She could never walk into an apartment where a witch or wizard had been murdered, or some dark and ominous spell had been cast, and feel okay about it, disengage from the situation and pretend nothing had happened. She would feel sick, nauseated, and overwhelmed, but she would push through it.
Nate turned to her, and bless him for having the kindest of expressions. “Nothing too grisly,” he said in a serious, clear voice.
The tight twist of unease in Ebony’s belly discharged, and with it, she let out a heavy sigh. “Right then, something routine?”
“We found an old apartment. It’s been abandoned for several weeks apparently, but there are still several spells and enchantments written up on the walls. Basically, you just have to go in and clear them out.”
Ebony nodded and went back to picking at the sides of the cup, the plastic crinkling and bending under the pressure of her fingers. “Okay then, this I can do,” she assured him with a smile. “But do we know where the owner went to?”
“Left town, in a bit of a hurry too apparently,” Nate pointed out while he slowed down to a crawl as he went through an intersection, even though every car around him zoomed up and shot past.
“Is he a suspect in any crimes?”
“We’ve checked. We’ve already had a couple of the other consultant witches go through the place, and it seems as if everything is normal. Our friend, Frankie Stardust—”
“Sorry, what?” Ebony pulled Nate up immediately. “The guy’s name is Frankie Stardust?”
Nate nodded. Though he looked as though he was trying to control himself, his lips twisted into a crumpled smile, his chin dimpling.
“And he’s a wizard?”
Nate nodded again. Ebony now allowed herself to laugh. “That is the least butch name I have ever heard,” she said with a giggle. It was no secret that wizards liked to put on a persona of overwhelming toughness. Aaron was different and tended to forego the tattoos and leather jackets for style and general handsomeness. But every other wizard Ebony knew, except for Harry, liked to put on a show of manly machoness. From long beards, to regular bench presses, wizards liked to pretend they were a bloke’s bloke. So for one to be called Frankie Stardust tickled Ebony no end.
Ebony cleared her throat and tried to get back to business. “So why did Frankie Stardust leave town?”
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