Witch's Bell Book One

witch, whoever she was, committed a binding spell. I can't tell you why, they're fairly nasty, desperate incantations. The woman had obviously lost her mind.' Ebony trotted over to the window and looked up at the clouds above. Was it her imagination, or were they thinning?
    'So is it a dead body, or isn't?' Ben shot Nate a grin of camaraderie, which Ebony noted with a peeved twitch of her nose.
    'For the last time, it's not a dead body. Well, not really. The witch has swapped her body for that of something else. The actual witch, her soul, is still alive. Whatever is sitting in her bedroom is just an empty casing.'
    'Swapped her body,' Nate repeated, voice vacant, 'right. That's... kind of heavy. What did she swap it for?' he swallowed.
    'Oh, I don't know. Probably long legs, round lips, and a killer smile. That... or wings and a forked tail.'
    'Sorry?' Nate's voice peaked with alarm.
    'The witch has either decided to change herself into whatever she thinks is the most beautiful thing imaginable, or she's gone and swapped her body for a powerful demon.'
    'Most guys – and I think I'm right in making this generalization – usually go for the long legs over a forked tail.'
    Ebony played with the ends of her long hair. 'Oh, it doesn't really matter. Either the witch has turned herself into an alluring bombshell, hoping to catch her man; or she's turned herself into a powerful demon, ready to exact its revenge for a love left unrequited.'
    'That's quite a distinction,' the edge of uncertainty and unease was starting to lift from Nate's voice, 'don't you think we need to know which one that is? I don't mean to rush you or anything, but isn't a demon-witch hunting down some poor man kind of a problem that we, as police officers, should deal with?'
    Ebony gave a sharp laugh. 'Don't get excited, rookie, it's not our problem anymore.'
    'Not our prob-' Nate began.
    'That's Coven work,' Ben interjected, the smile returning to his lips. 'You sure about this, Eb?'
    'Oh yes, I think we can all go home. Well, after someone buys me a doughnut.'
    All the other officers in the room started to pack up, the level of conversation moving from its once respectful hush to the ordinary bluster of a room full of hardened police officers.
    Ebony was almost sure she could even feel the dark edge of energy lift like a veil in the wind.
    Despite the fact everyone else seemed satisfied, Nate stood there, not moving an inch. 'So we don't do anything. There's a dead body in the other room, and we do jack.'
    'You see, there are two sides to magical crime,' Ben clapped a hand on Nate's shoulders, giving them a shake as if to loosen them up. 'There's our side, and there's the witches' side. We get involved when ordinary humans commit crimes, and Eb here is our consultant when it comes to all the magical stuff. She even helps us track down the bad guys. But when a crime is just between witches or whatever, then that isn't our problem. The Coven or the Wizards deal with that.'
    'We're the police,' Nate said stalwartly, 'isn't all crime our problem?'
    'Not in Vale,' Ben said with a broad smile. 'Which is a damn good thing. Less work, see? Plus, let me tell you, you don't want to get involved in witch crime – can be nasty. We hand it over to the Coven, and they deal with it a treat. It's all part of the Pact.'
    'I see,' Nate said blandly, shaking his head, 'actually, I don't see. How do we trust this Coven enough to deal with these crimes impartially? Aren't they likely to be lenient against their own kind?'
    Ebony snorted. 'The Coven is a counsel of the oldest, most powerful witches. It is their sworn purpose to uphold magical law. If magical law forbids the use of certain spells, then if a witch breaks it, it's up to the Coven to punish her. And if you think they're lenient, you have another thing coming. You break their rules and they'll send the first squadron of Hell after you.' She finally flashed Detective Nate a smile. 'And that's why this is no longer our problem. The Coven can deal with this one, I can go back to the store and clean up, Ben can try and teach your handful of brain cells all the things you'll need to know about policing in this town, and you, Detective Nathan Wall, can study those books I gave you.'
    He really did need to study those books, Ebony thought to herself quietly. The Detective didn't stand a chance in this city if he didn't know about its magical flavor. Vale was an odd place at the best of times, and at the worst it