Witch's Bell Book One

splintering from a shotgun round.
    Even though Ebony had hardly heard him speak, she knew from experience that Harry liked the term "blast" almost as much as comic books liked the word "blam". During his adventures as a wizard in the 20s, Harry Horseshoe had come up against some seriously powerful and hideous creatures. And all in the name of writing a good book, or retrieving an important tome – he'd "blast the trotters away", as he'd put it.
    'How?' Ebony sighed, always keeping an ear out for the front door below. She really hoped they at least had some time to plan. She didn't fancy everyone bursting in during her think-tank session. She'd be able to throw a couple of books and cushions at them from over the staircase railing, but that would be the limit of her strategy and defenses. 'Do we even have any time?'
    'Ha!' he roared, every light-fitting shaking as if a bolt of thunder had just landed nearby. 'They're going to have to try a lot harder to get in here. These new young wizards aren't like us oldies, Ebony, they're soft and silly.'
    Ebony, beside herself, giggled. If the bikies outside were soft, then Ebony couldn't really imagine what was hard. 'So, you can hold-out?'
    'Hold-out?' he rumbled back. 'I can stand against a whole fleet of them, a whole army. Don't you worry, Ebony. I've made friends with most of the buildings along this street-'
    Ebony's expression deepened for a second. 'You have? But they don't have spirits inside. And how did you even make it out of the building?'
    'Don't interrupt, girl, I'm sharing important information for our plan. If I want to, I can pull this whole street up from under their plastic little boots. I'd like to see them cast fireballs at me while they're tumbling around in the sewers.'
    Ebony, still brimming with nervous energy, walked over to the little kettle she had by the wall, and flicked it on.
    She could really do with a cup of tea.
    'Are you making yourself a cup of tea, girl? At a time like this?'
    She just shrugged. It really didn't seem like there was anything else she could do. Harry was the one who was going to make a stand. And, well, lord she was thirsty, and tired, and scared, and – she just wanted tea.
    'Excellent idea. Put some gin in it. And tip one through the floorboards for me – always good to have a bit of Dutch Courage on board your boards before a bit of a barney.'
    Ebony smiled, still nervous, but unbelievably happy to just stand here and listen to Harry's blustering. He was on her side; he was really on her side. And while she couldn't say that their relationship was always smooth, she knew that he was there for her. They'd get in fights, he'd hurl books her way – but none of that really mattered, because deep down he cared for her. It wasn't the kind of relationship Ebony was used to – with adoration and pleasantries – but considering all her other friends now thought she was the most terrible criminal in the whole world it was the only relationship that mattered any more.
    Witch, or former witch, and her magical bookstore.
    'You go ahead and put mostly gin in mine,' Harry added, 'with only a dash of tea. I'm going to need it to think.'
    As Ebony pottered around, grabbing mugs and tea bags from under the bench, she kept taking stuttering breaths. She couldn't help it. Her breath just seemed to be spluttering along like a car about to die. Or rather, an old little wagon protesting at the sight of a hill. Could she make it, or end up getting half-way there, only to roll back down to crash fantastically and die in burning flames?
    'Alright, you can stop sounding like that, girl,' Harry gave her a little bump from the floorboards. 'It's courage time.'
    'Courage?' she grabbed at Harry's tea and poured it down one of the prodigious cracks in the floor. A strange gulping sound met her ears, and not a drip of liquid remained on the floorboards once she was done. 'What does it matter? I mean, I don't have any magic, Harry, nothing. What am I meant to do? I was planning on coming back here, finding a book about the Grimshores,' she shuddered as she said the word, looking over her shoulder automatically in case they repelled through the windows and shot her point blank. 'And maybe using it to vindicate myself. But we're past that! So very past that,' she said dejectedly as she took a draft of hot tea. 'It was horrible, Harry,' she added after a dreary moment, finally realizing that Harry probably had no idea what she was talking about. He