Witch's Bell Book One

nervous twitch. 'My word,' Harry mumbled, 'quite remarkable.'
    'What's remarkable, I can't see anything.' Ebony took a little step into the room, finally putting Harry down so she could free her hands. 'It's just so dark in here!'
    And it was dark, a very unusual dark. The kind of dark that flows in after a light has been extinguished. Any witch knows that such darkness has a different quality to the denser, heavier stuff you find in perpetually black caves, or out in the light-less reaches of deep space.
    This was quick dark. It had speed and agility, like a panther leaping from tree to tree in order to stay ahead of its prey. It could wrap around you, or wend its way from behind, in such a flash, that it was impossible to see. Scientists may say that there is nothing in the universe that is faster than the speed of light, but anyone with an ounce of magic knows that isn't true. Certain breeds of darkness move way faster. In the time it takes you to turn on the light, the dark has to get well and truly out of sight, after all.
    Even the light filtering in from behind Ebony through the open door, didn't seem all that strong. It felt like it was very far away. like it was far-off on the horizon while Ebony was stuck in some cavernous pit down below.
    Ebony stretched out her hands, not wanting to trip over something and fall heavily to the ground. She really didn't like the idea of breaking her ankle and crawling out, only to bump into Nate's legs, enabling him to give her a swift, and possibly deserving, kick.
    She could hear Harry bouncing around on the floor, still muttering to himself. 'Oh yes, old energy,' he said for the second time, 'ancient stuff. Hmmm!' he trilled,' very invigorating. Reminds me of when I was a boy.'
    Ebony softly bit into her lip and moved her hands in front of her, as if fighting off a slow, invisible enemy. She really didn't want to bump into something, she reminded herself, just as her thigh dug into something hard and very pointy.
    'Ow!' she yelped, falling forward onto what felt like a stone bench. Something hard, metal, and cold came up against her skin as she tried to steady herself.
    'Ebony!' Harry gave a yelp. What have you done!
    'I haven't done anything,' she eventually steadied herself. She wondered just how exactly she was meant to navigate through this room and find Nate's little secret, if it was so darn dark. And it wasn't as if she could simply go and find a torch either, Ebony knew enough about magic to know that when you faced darkness like this, you needed more than a torch to see through it.
    She gave a huff.
    Then she felt it. And heard it. She even fancied she could smell it. But in the darkness she had no chance of actually seeing it.
    'Ebony!' Harry roared. 'Duck back!'
    She floored herself, just throwing herself to the side with a thud as something whistled past her ear.
    There was a crash as something heavy and metal sliced into the floorboards by her side.
    'Get back, Ebony! Time to do some blasting!' Harry was making such a tremendous crashing that it sounded like he was rocketing around like a bouncy-ball in a glass shop.
    Ebony backed off. Almost scuttling along the floor like a backwards crab. She still couldn't see, and the light from the doorway was only getting darker for some reason, making it feel more and more like Ebony was fighting something terrible in the confines of her own, dark mind.
    'You're in the way, Ebony! Duck back, girl!' Harry made even more noise now. He sounded like one of those old war klaxons winding up as it got ready to blare defiantly into the dark night.
    If Ebony was in the way, she couldn't tell, it was just so dark! She heard something metal clink against the floor, as if something heavy was walking in pointed, solid shoes. Then there was another whistle as something sliced right past her face.
    Ebony screamed, lying down on the ground with a snap, and rolling to the side until she hit what was either the wall, or that strange stone table.
    Once again something metal slammed down right next to her, barely a centimeter from her head.
    She kicked out wildly, not really knowing in what direction, but not really caring. She had no idea what was fighting her – no idea of the size, the dimensions, or the power. So she simply struck out at everything.
    Her foot connected with what felt like a leg, but the thing was so covered in a thick, tough metal, that she instantly regretted it. A terrible pain shot up her unprotected toes, and