Witch's Bell Book One

perfect freehand circle around the rings.
    She closed her eyes for a brief second, until she could hear the snap loud and clear in her mind. It was the spell breaking away from the rings like a ship from its mooring.
    It was a very simple spell, and hardly took much time or effort to break. Which was just how Ebony liked her work.
    'Done?' Barney asked from beside her.
    Ebony replied by picked up the rings and dumping them in his hands. 'I'm sure the next couple that buys these rings will break up for all their own reasons, rather than magical interference.
    'Now come on, Eb,' Barney shrugged his shoulders. 'You've got to be more romantic. The couple doesn't have to break up! Let 'em stay married for ever, live happily ever after, that kind of stuff.'
    Ebony waved him off, standing up with a smile. 'That's your story, pet. Now, I'm more than ready to go home.'
    As they walked out of the evidence cage, Ebony could hear the muffled, but just perceptible, sound of gun fire. There was a shooting range in the depot, which the officers used to keep up their practice. Ebony used to go there with her father sometimes – when she was old enough, that was. Regardless of the fact she was her mother's daughter – a witch through and through – Ebony's father had always tried to teach Ebony everything he knew. Making Ebony, perhaps, the only witch who was equally as versed in hand-to-hand combat, guns, and tracking – as she was in ceremonies, rituals, and summoning.
    Barney must have heard the sound too, as an enormous grin spread across his face. 'Hey, Eb, you've got to see this,' he tugged on her arm. 'This guy's almost as good as your dad.'
    Ebony's eyes narrowed. 'Who?'
    'The rookie, of course.'
    'Detective Nate?' Ebony couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. 'Unlikely.'
    'Come on, have a look,' Barney waved her forward as he crossed the concrete floor to the shooting range.
    Ebony felt her lips tighten a little as she followed him.
    Barney eventually drew open the door, ushering her inside to quite a scene. There were several other officers, most of whom were female, gathered around one of the shooting cubicles. They were all standing back behind the line, their faces alight with some kind of dumb, excessively-girly wonder, as Detective Nate shot bulls eye after bulls eye
    'Twerp,' Ebony said under her breath, narrowing her eyes at Nate's back.
    He was out of his usual jacket, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, and that damn black tie of his sitting just as flat as usual against his torso. The look on his face was one of careful, but easy, concentration.
    Ebony's nose twitched slightly. There wasn't a drop of sweat twinkling against his brow, because it all just looked too easy for him. But what was worse, what was far worse, was how darn attractive he looked.
    'Stupid little-' she began to mutter.
    Nate stepped back, clicking the safety on his gun, and running an arm over his brow to wick away the non-existent sweat.
    He gave a smile at the assembled fans behind him and then glanced over at Ebony.
    She narrowed her eyes, tilted her head up, and whipped her hat off. 'Barney,' she said in a very loud voice, 'you know it's been absolutely ages since I've fired one of those things.'
    'You mean a gun, Eb – don't you?' Barney asked, taking the hat.
    She waved a hand. 'One of those things.'
    Nate hadn't said a word yet, but his brow was furrowed with amusement.
    Ebony waited patiently, her hand held out until Barney furnished her with an unloaded gun, and then a clip.
    'You actually ever fired "one of those things"?' Nate mimicked her voice perfectly.
    Ebony didn't answer, just walked into a cubicle, not bothering with the mufflers or other protective gear because, after all, she was a witch. She waited for the target to come up, and emptied the clip, bang into the center of the bulls eye. She smiled with satisfaction. She was just as accurate – if not better – than the silly Detective Nate.
    She turned, looking more triumphant, she hoped, than Julius Caesar upon conquering Gaul.
    Barney gave the obligatory cheer and woot. But Nate, Nate just stood there.
    She couldn't tell if he was impressed, shocked, annoyed, or just bored. But he certainly wasn't grovelling at her awesome skill, which was what Ebony had aimed for.
    'What,' he said after a moment, unwrapping a piece of gum from his pocket, and popping it in his mouth, 'am I supposed to be impressed?'
    Ebony narrowed her eyes, choosing to answer