Page 60 of Familiar of the Witch

The imps and fairies were as ashen as Frogmatch, and many of them weren’t moving. I had no idea how long they had been caged for but I was betting it was a long while. Too long. I felt a wave of fury. Most of them were too far gone to help but we had to try – we might save one or two, but not many more. The imps’ tails had been removed, their red skin was washed out, barely a faint pink. Next to them, Frogmatch looked the picture of health.

The fairies stared at us, unmoving; their wings had been torn off. They had retreated into the safety of their own minds. I had no idea if I could regrow the wings until I examined them properly; for now, we had to get the fairies to safety and give them food and water. Sometimes potions are no replacement for the basics like food and rest.

Benji had the cats and mice cradled in his arms. Even though they were half-starved, none of the cats twitchedso much as a hair at being so close to the mice, their natural prey. They were lethargic and unmoving. So many living beings harmed – and for what?

David gently got the fairies out, carrying their tiny bodies effortlessly in his huge hands. Bastion did the same to the imps. ‘Take them to the awakening room,’ I suggested. ‘It’s closer and there will be plenty of healing potions there.’

Bastion hesitated at the threshold. ‘Go!’ I barked. ‘They need healing! Hurry! I’ll be just behind you.’

He felt the truth of the words and left. I painted the revelation runeperthroagain and lit up the remaining runes in the office. This time, I studied the magical signature; it was probably Tristan’s, but I wanted to know if it wasn’t.

Bastion had melted away most of the runes but some still remained, and those were far too dangerous to leave unattended. The runes in the lounge had been hidden but the dark runes in the office were there to be seen – and activated. If someone stumbled in here and activated them by accident, I’d have never forgiven myself. Tristan wanted there to be dire consequences to interlopers. Bastion had ripped open a path for us but several live bombs remained. It would take a few minutes to cancel them all but it was worth the effort.

When I had subdued the worst of the black runes, I looked around. The office was filled with cages, knives and other implements of torture and the carpet was covered in suspiciously dark stains.

Horrified, I shook my head. I would stop practices like this; I had given the Goddess my word but now I swore it again to myself. I would stop at nothing to end this. Nothing.

Chapter 49

I headed out of the office and into the lounge but stopped abruptly as I crossed the threshold. Three things immediately alarmed me: firstly, Tristan was sprawled arrogantly on his sofa, his gaze pinned to me; secondly, his living-room door was shut and the layer of sleeping wards had been awakened and activated, and thirdly, there was a new rug on his floor. I doubted it was there because he’d felt the sudden urge to decorate. Goddess knew what active runes were hidden under it. He must have gone into the room seconds after Bastion had left it.

The runes shone on his walls; he must have just reactivated them. Dammit, why had I spent so long deactivating the office ones? I should have dealt with these runes too. I felt a frisson of fear as I examined them. That would teach me to lollygag behind.

I had walked straight into Tristan’s trap. I was imprisoned here unless he kindly stood still whilst I paintedezroon all his runes, which somehow I doubted he would. Being confined was reviving all sorts of prison memories for me but, unluckily for Tristan, those memories were kicking in my flight-or-fight reflex. With flight impossible, that only left one thing to do.

‘Amber,’ he greeted me.

‘You’re a bastard,’ I spat back. ‘A monster. How could you do that to all those poor creatures?’

He laughed. ‘I’ve done far worse. Don’t be so naïve.’ His voice was condescending. ‘Where’s your pet griffin now, hmm?’ He looked at me with undisguised glee.

But there were things he didn’t know. Bastion was my familiar and we were bonded; even now my griffin was feeling my fear and panic and was no doubt heading straight back to me. And Bastion could rip through wards like anyone else could rip through paper. And I still had my athame in my ankle holster hidden under my swishy skirt.

I gave a hard tug on my bond and let Bastion feel the edge of panic that I was feeling from being trapped. I felt a rush of emotion roll back – anger mostly – and I knew that he was already on his way to me. He’d only been a minute, maybe two, ahead of me. I justneeded to keep Tristan busy, and I didn’t think that would be difficult. He had a huge ego and, much as I didn’t want to stroke anything of Tristan’s, I’d do it if it kept me alive.

‘Your father protects you, you know? Pathetic really,’ he taunted, ‘You’re not one of us and you never will be. Honestly, Amber, healing creatures forfree? How pathetic can you get! You’re the laughing stock ofallwitches, not just the black ones.’

I smiled tightly. ‘And yet I bet none of you have the balls to mock me to my father’s face.’

That wiped the smile right offhisface. ‘I’ve wanted to put you in your place foryears,’ he snarled. ‘What a fucking delight it was shoving you in that cell. And Mack wasn’t too gentle, was he? I told him my suspicions about you. He’ll definitely alibi me when I claim we walked in and found you already dead.’

He pushed up from the sofa and drew a wicked-looking blade from its scabbard. He was trying to get me to back onto the pentagram that was under the rug. But I’d seen the room before the rug had appeared and I wasn’t an idiot. Besides, stepping back from him wasn’t the answer here.

‘I’m going to slice you into little pieces, Amber DeLea.’ His smile had an edge of madness.

I reached up and grasped my amulet.‘Anyone knowanything about knife fighting?’I asked, a shade desperately.

‘I’ve got you,’one of the voices murmured. ‘Relinquish hold.’

‘Relinquish hold of what?’

‘Yourself.’She shoved me aside forcefully. Suddenly my hands were moving but I was no longer driving my own body.

I didn’t fight the sensation. The Goddess had gifted me the amulet and the spirits that resided in it; besides, Tristan’s knife was really big and if I wasn’t careful, I’d get really dead.

She – her name was Edith, though I didn’t know how I knew that – drew my athame from my ankle holster. Tristan laughed aloud. ‘Amber, Amber, Amber. We both know you don’t know how to wield that, honey.’ His voice dripped with condescension.

He was right, I didn’t – but Edith sure did. She moved my body with a precision I had never felt before, tipping me onto the balls of my feet, spreading my legs in a stance that I recognised as a fighting one.

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