Witch's Bell Book One

wasn't facing her, after all. He was, instead, staring behind her at the suit of armor that Harry had most satisfyingly blasted.
    'I knew you were going to be hard to handle,' he said to himself with a shake of his head, 'but this is incredible.'
    'Sorry,' she kept backing off, wanting to get away from Nate and the magical armor, and over to Harry where things were more likely to go "boom", but less likely to involve her. 'I don't get it.' She took a breath. 'And you need to explain it to me right now.'
    'Atta girl,' Harry rumbled appreciatively, 'you tell that rotter. You understand, Mr Detective? We're here to question you, and not the other way round. You've got a secret, my lad, and we're here to extract it from you!'
    Nate's eyebrows slowly pressed together. He was either confused, or slightly amused. 'Right. Or you'll blast me, right?'
    Ebony swallowed. 'Look. You have to tell us right now where you stand. I don't know what's going on,' she crossed her arms and sniffed, 'but I have a feeling you do. The Grimshores, their book, the spell I'm being rewritten into,' she blinked quickly as she said the word, casting a wary glance around the room. 'I have a feeling you know what's going on.'
    He stared at her, but didn't speak, move, or change his expression. They may have been standing in his secret room, with a mysterious set of armor that had, moments before, been moving of its own accord – but Detective Nate still had no intention of giving anything away.
    She licked her lips, and decided to press on. This was how it was going to be, she realized with a swell of defiance in her chest. If the Grimshores were going to take her down, she was going to go down kicking screaming, and cursing. 'So what is it, Nate? How come you don't seem affected? You've always been different,' she pointedly looked down at the armor with its enormous glittering sword. 'Though I hadn't realized quite how different till now. But here's your option – no, you don't actually have an option,' she stared at him, her eyes level, her mouth set, and her cheeks stiff. 'Who are you, what are you, what do you want, and who do you work for?'
    Nate, contrary to all expectations, laughed. And it drew on for entirely too long. 'You want to know all about me Ebony?' he raised an eyebrow. 'You haven't figured it out by now? What have you been doing all this time-'
    'You better hurry up and answer the question, Mr, or I'm going to blow up your house,' Harry warned with a drawn out grumble.
    Nate didn't looked fazed. 'Fine. I'm a knight,' he said simply.
    Ebony's features pressed together, but she hardly had an ah-ha moment. 'Sorry? Is that meant to be revealing?'
    'You're not exactly the world's best witch, are you? Don't tell me you've never heard of Knights-'
    'Hmm,' Harry said thoughtfully, 'you, a knight? I doubt it Mr Right. Knights are sworn to uphold the Rights of all humanity. They are the most powerful of all the non-magical races, even though they have a special magic all of their own. They fight dragons,' Harry said appreciatively, 'and protect the weak from the strong. No, you can't be a knight, you're too boring.'
    Nate chuckled lightly. 'Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm a Knight.'
    Ebony watched their little interaction, still not following. 'Hold on, I've never even heard of knights. If they're one of the magical races, then why don't I know about them?'
    'Non-magical races,' Nate corrected as he adjusted his tie.
    'Oh no, they have a special magic all of their own,' Harry countered quickly, 'it's will magic. Very powerful stuff, that.'
    'Whatever,' Nate just shook his head. 'And it doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard of the Knights, we hardly advertise ourselves anymore.'
    'Oh no, you love your little secret societies, and hush-hush round-tables. Cloak and dagger stuff, Knights.'
    'Amour and sword stuff, actually,' Nate interjected.
    'Hold on, knights are real? I mean, more than just historical? Like, real real? Like there are knights running around with their swords and gauntlets fighting dragons and saving damsels, today?'
    Nate shook his head slowly. 'No. Well, yes, but no too. Knights are real, and we do fight the occasional dragon, and save the occasional damsel,' he said with the barest smile directed right at Ebony, 'but that's not the bulk of our work, and never has been. We are sworn to protect humanity from whatever threats gather in the darkness. We're sworn to uphold the Good, the Right, and the Truth. We're