***
The smell of antiseptic clung to everything but it couldn’t conceal the underlying stench of sickness and despair. Winter paced up and down the corridor, his shoes squeaking. Every time a door opened, he held his breath. It was never for him. There was still no news about Ivy.
He lowered his head and stared at his feet. He still didn’t understand what had happened. Why had she gone out there alone?
‘Adeptus Exemptus Winter?’
He sprang to his feet, only belatedly realising that it was Amy, the runner from Enchantment.
‘Hi.’ He slumped down again.
‘Have you heard anything?’
He didn’t trust his voice. He simply shook his head and sighed.
She thrust something in his direction. ‘She dropped this after she…’ Amy scratched her head awkwardly. ‘You know. She was reading it out when it all happened.’
Slowly, as if moving through sludge, Winter took the scroll. He stared at the words, then at the tiny insignia at the bottom. The Order. Ivy had got this from the Order. As he tried to make sense of it, another door opened. It wasn’t a doctor.
‘Has anyone told you how she is?’
Winter looked up at the Ipsissimus. ‘No.’
Amy swallowed. ‘I should go. When she wakes up, tell her I’m thinking of her.’ She scooted away down the corridor and out of sight.
‘I’ll talk to them,’ the Ipsissimus declared. ‘Someone must know what’s happening.’
Winter stood up. ‘You’re right.’ His voice was flat. He held up the scroll. ‘Someone must know.’
The Ipsissimus looked at it then at Winter. He let out a long breath and took the scroll from him. ‘Well,’ he said heavily, ‘I suppose the truth was going to come out sooner or later.’
‘You gave this to her.’
The Ipsissimus inclined his head. ‘I did.’ Winter waited for more. The Ipsissimus sighed and sat down. ‘Necromancy is a tricky beast, Raphael. You know that. If it’s not halted in the early stages, the consequences are devastating. We needed a powerful witch on hand to stop the magic from taking hold. Your Ivy didn’t hesitate.’
Winter didn’t look at him. ‘You should have come to me.’
‘You are needed in the Order.’
A muscle throbbed in Winter’s jaw. ‘You could have done it.’
‘I would have if I could. Ivy understood the reasons why I didn’t. Believe me, if I could have taken her place and been assured that the Order would remain standing and sane, then I would have.’
Winter gritted his teeth. ‘She wasn’t in the Order. We are trained for this, we accept this is our job. She was not part of that. You made her sacrifice herself. You used an innocent to fight your battle. And now she’s … she’s…’ He couldn’t finish the sentence.
‘Ivy Wilde was fully aware of the consequences.’ The Ipsissimus was silent for a moment. ‘She didn’t tell you because she wanted to save you from having to do it yourself.’
Winter turned his head to look at him. ‘She said that?’
‘She didn’t have to.’
Winter waited for several beats until he was confident he had his rage under enough control. Then he stood up. ‘You treated her like cannon fodder. You used her. You didn’t even have the courtesy to tell me what was going on or to give me the opportunity to take her place.’ He shook his head. ‘I cannot be part of an organisation that treats people like that.’
A furrow crossed the Ipsissimus’s brow. ‘Adeptus Exemptus Winter, I sincerely hope you’re not about to do anything foolish. I’d like to remind you that we now have a young boy in our custody who is going to need our help. Ivy could have saved herself and instead she chose to save him. She even suggested that he go to you for help. We need you in Arcane Branch. She needs you in Arcane Branch.’
‘No,’ Winter said simply, ‘she doesn’t.’ He lifted up his chin and looked the Ipsissimus in the eye. ‘I hereby rescind my position and resign from the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment with immediate effect.’
‘You can’t do that.’
Winter shrugged. ‘I just did.’ His voice hardened. ‘Now get out. You don’t belong here.’
‘Take some time to think about this. Don’t rush into anything. I understand that right now you’re feeling raw but—’
‘You don’t understand anything. And I’m not going to repeat myself. Leave this place.’
The Ipsissimus got to his feet. He smoothed down his robes and nodded. ‘Very well. When you change your mind, come and find me.’
‘I won’t change my mind.’ Winter’s tone brooked no argument.
The Ipsissimus waited a beat, as if he still expected a sudden change of heart. When none was forthcoming, he turned round and left.
Winter collapsed back into the chair. This was all his fault. He’d brought Ivy here. If he’d been paying more attention, he would have known what was going on. He was a damned fool.
Yet another door opened. This time Winter didn’t even bother looking up.
‘Are you here for Ms Wilde?’ a voice enquired.
Winter’s head snapped up. The doctor, wearing a white coat and a serious expression, was addressing him. He swallowed. ‘I am. Is she going to be alright?’
She smiled.
***********
Thank you so much for reading Star Witch! I really hope you enjoyed it. It would mean a huge amount if you could leave a review – any and all feedback is so very, very welcome and hugely important for independent authors like myself.
Find out more about me and my books, as well as the chance to sign up for my newsletter at http://helenharper.co.uk
The third book in The Lazy Girl’s Guide To Magic, Star Witch is available for pre-order right here and will be released on August 23rd.
About the Author
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that's she lucky enough to do so!
Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.
She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.
You can find out more - and learn how to get a FREE copy of Corrigan Fire - by visiting Helen's website: http://helenharper.co.uk
Other titles by Helen Harper
The complete Blood Destiny series
Bloodfire
Bloodmagic
Bloodrage
Blood Politics
Bloodlust
Blood Destiny Box Set (The complete series: Books 1 – 5)
Also
- Corrigan Fire
- Corrigan Magic
- Corrigan Rage
-Corrigan Politics
-Corrigan Lust
The complete Bo Blackman series
Dire Straits
New Order
High Stakes
Red Angel
Vigilante Vampire
Dark Tomorrow
The complete Highland Magicseries
Gifted Thief
Honour Bound
Veiled Threat
Last Wish
The complete Dreamweaver series
Night Shade
Night Terrors
Night Lights
Olympiana stand - alone
Eros
The Lazy Girl’s Guide To Magic series
Slouch Witch
Star Witch
Spirit Witch (coming soon)
Helen Harper, Star Witch
(Series: The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic # 2)
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