Witch's Bell Book One

could sense the magic in the air, and realize the police were rudely trying to break-in, but he wouldn't know the extent of this horrible situation.
    'Ah yes. No need to explain, girl, I know what's going on. I'm connected to you, Ebony Bell, you are my charge. I am also a powerful wizard,' the blinds gave a shake, and a wizard outside gave a little yelp, no doubt as shard of wood exploded from Harry's door like a woody exclamation point. 'I have been in Vale for so many years. I have been with you for many years too. I know a powerful spell when I smell one, and there's one lingering above you like a cloud of flies. There's a curse drawing you into it, and it's getting my goat.'
    'But what is it, Harry, and why are they doing this?' she took a deep breath and groaned right through it. 'Who are the Grimshores, and what do they want with me?'
    'Start from the beginning, girl. What do we know about them? Where did you first meet, when did this whole business begin? If we start this story at the beginning, Ebony, then we're far more likely to make sense of our present. And,' he let out a rollicking laugh, 'we'll have a sporting chance of blasting their ending out of the water and replacing it with our own!'
    Ebony smiled, though it was hardly exuberant. She was thankful that Harry was here to protect her and raise her spirits. Though even he couldn't stop her from dwelling on the world-of-horrible that was now descending on her life. 'The beginning.... Okay, I guess it started in the crypt. A man had kidnapped a woman and was calling Death-'
    'Kidnapped, Ebony, are you sure?' Harry cleared his throat, wherever that might be. 'Or is this your interpretation of events? I'm not asking you to paraphrase here, I'm asking you to tell me exactly what happened, and when.'
    Ebony scratched at the back of her neck. 'Okay. Exactly what happened? I walked into that crypt, and managed to break through the little protection it had far too easily. I became worried that other creatures were pressing in on the place, waiting to gobble up the magic and the man inside. So I convinced myself that I couldn't do any magic – not with what was lurking all around us. To do so would only increase the risk.'
    'Entirely possible, Ebony,' Harry agreed. 'Entirely possible,' he repeated ominously. 'People these days do not appreciate the true risk of magic. They appreciate only power, the fools. You did the right thing, child. You wouldn't have caught me performing magic in that environment. It would be like covering yourself in chicken's blood and jumping into a tank full of hungry sharks.'
    Ebony's smile grew a fraction wider. Finally someone who not only believed in Ebony's version of events, but agreed with what she'd done. If only Ebony had bothered to confide in Harry earlier, maybe she wouldn't have had such a rough time these past several weeks. 'The man had a book in his hands,' she continued, 'and Harry, the darn thing had a picture of a family crest on the front,' she took a sharp breath. 'I realize now that is was the Grimshore family crest.'
    'Ah,' Harry said, voice trilling. 'Interesting.'
    'I saw a picture of the crest in the magical files at the station. But I didn't recognize it at first, I couldn't recognize it,' she scratched at her arms.
    'This is important, very important. 'But go on, Ebony, get to the end, so we can hurry up and rewrite it.'
    'The man was close to consummating the spell, he only needed the flesh from the corpse,' she shuddered.
    'Indeed, the flesh would have given the spell power. It would have sapped the Truth and Meaning from the corpse's life, and transferred them to the spell. Powerful, dark stuff.'
    'Well he couldn't get to the corpse with me in the room, so he went for blood instead. He moved towards the woman,' Ebony's voice trailed off as she tried to remember the precise series of events. Had the man actually ever threatened the woman? Or was Ebony only adding those details in now?
    'Are you sure, do you remember that exactly?'
    'I don't know....' she took a rattling sniff. 'I fought the man though, because I thought he was aiming for the woman. I managed to get the book out of his hands,' Ebony's skin began to prickle, ' and just as I did that woman screamed. Right in my ear, Harry, and it distracted me. That's when the guy managed to slash me,' she cupped at her injured arm.
    'Where did the blood go, Ebony?' Harry's voice was very subdued. 'Did you see if afterwards, did you clean it up with your