Witch's Bell Book One

appreciatively, 'reminds me of the time I fought a hoard of dragons in the mountains of Afghanistan.'
    Ebony shook her head again. 'Harry,' she took a breath, 'I'm not saying breaking into Nate's house isn't wild, dangerous, and exciting, but is it really akin to fighting dragons?'
    'Oh everything is like fighting dragons, girl. It's one of life's great comparative experiences.'
    'Right,' Ebony's voice drawled, then she gave a sudden hiccup of laughter. She'd just talked like Nate in Nate's own house.
    'Oh, stop saying that, it's annoying. Now let's go and break into that little trotter's secret room.'
    'Yeah,' Ebony found herself looking around, her stomach giving a strange tremble as she realized she was getting her first real look at how Nate actually lived. There was a sideboard by the door with a bowl on it, probably for his keys. And a coat rack on the other side of the door, with a heavy winter jacket, a rain coat, and a thick beanie hung up on the hooks. There was also a pair of clean gumboots sitting just next to the rack. It probably got very wet here, Ebony reasoned as she found herself staring at the boots and trying to imagine Nate sloshing around in the mud. They were right under the mountains, after all.
    'Hey come on, girl. Let's not dawdle. We are running out of time. And I'd like to get some blasting done before the day is out.'
    Ebony turned from the boots and started to walk carefully down the hall. Several rooms branched off at her sides, and a wooden staircase twisted off at one point, leading up to what looked like a very spacious loft above.
    She suddenly found herself wondering very acutely which room was his bedroom.
    She walked over to a door, and grabbed at the handle, curiosity getting the better of her.
    'No,' Harry snapped immediately, 'that's not the secret room. Now hurry up! I'll lead the way!'
    Ebony sighed and continued down the corridor. In a moment it opened out into a lovely, large kitchen. All along one wall were big windows and a French sliding-door that led out to the deck beyond. The windows and door all offered a spectacular view of the garden leading up to the forest and mountains above. Really, it was the kind of view you could wake up to every morning and never grow tired of. Ebony fancied that it would be different with every passing day, and every passing season. Some days the clouds would sweep down from above, like frosting dripping off a cake. On other days the sun would probably stream through the trees, lighting up the soft greens of the young foliage like light through cellophane.
    Ebony gave a little sigh, it was longing in a way she wasn't quite familiar with.
    'And just what is with that sigh, girl? You sound like you are swooning! At a time like this? Now get a grip. The room is just ahead.'
    Ebony blinked, twisting her head from the view and surveying the rest of the kitchen. It was big, beautiful, and warm from the sun that was streaming through the windows. Just being here was making her forget that she'd actually just broken in, and that the world was mostly out to get her with pitch forks, guns, and wizards.
    Then she saw the door. It was off to the side, past a little area with a couch, and rug, that probably served as Nate's lounge room. Knowing the Detective, he probably didn't believe in TV. He probably thought that the only way to spend your time when you weren't working was to find other ways to work – whether it be studying, or going outside to dig a manly ditch.
    The room stood out, not because it had a big sign that read “KEEP OUT” in large, neon letters. No, it was because it had a faint glow emanating from all around the door frame.
    Ebony couldn't directly use her magic at the moment; it was still locked away behind those blasted bracelets. But she found, at that moment, that she didn't need to.
    She knew that whatever was behind that door was three things: secret, magical, and likely incredible.
    As she walked up to it, her heart began to tremble with a very nervous thud. It dawned on her, as she reached a hand out for the handle, that she was just about to find out what Nate had been hiding all along.

Chapter Twenty-One
    E bony finally, carefully, and ever so delicately, opened the door. The glow from around the door frame extinguished at once, and she found herself facing a dark room.
    'Ah, Harry?' she whispered, putting a hand up to the side of the door in an effort to find the light switch.
    The traveling bag gave an almost