Page 61 of Familiar of the Witch

Tristan snickered again then stepped forward, knife slashing towards me. Edith spun me effortlessly out of the way. Then, with a leap and a swirl of my skirts, I wasbehindTristan. He whirled around, startled and off balance, and Edith made me kick him solidly in the balls.

He let out an agonised yowl and staggered back into his own pentagram trap. He didn’t realise at first what had happened and lunged towards me again, blade high, before he bounced off his own containment wards. He hadn’t wanted me to wriggle out of them so he’d done a solid job of drawing them up. He wasn’t incompetent, just evil, and now he was trapped in a prison of his own making. He could undo the runes, of course, but it would take time.

I nudged Edith and she willingly relinquished hold of me and sank back into the amulet. I glared at Tristan. ‘Don’t call me honey.’

‘What the fuck?’ He gaped at me.

The door exploded with such force that chunks of wood flew off its frame. Bastion stormed in, rage roaring through him with such strength that I felt my own anger rise. The closer we were, the more I felt his emotions; if I’d thought he was angry before, now I knew that anger was a mere trickle compared to this torrent.

He gave a screech that shouldn’t have come out of a human mouth. The pentagram that held Tristan had been designed to hold an enemy in place, not to stop a new threat from coming in, so he had no defence against Bastionexcept his knife – which was suddenly looking far smaller than it had a moment ago.

Bastion shifted into griffin form, closed the distance to Tristan and promptly ripped his throat out. Blood sprayed across the walls.

I sighed. ‘I had him contained,’ I grumped. ‘I was going toquestionhim.’

Bastion shifted into human form, pushed me against the nearest wall and kissed me furiously. ‘He had youtrapped.I felt your fear. I let you down.’ His anger was unabated but this time it was directed inwards.

‘Hey, none of that! I sent you ahead of me to help the imps. If I hadn’t dawdled to remove the wards none of this would have happened. I won’t let you blame yourself.’

‘You won’tletme?’ His voice was incredulous.

I raised my chin and looked into his golden eyes. ‘You heard me, griffin. I won’tletyou. I do not accept your anger.’ I slid a hand around the back of his neck, ‘I will, however, accept your ardour.’

I pulled his head down and kissed him until his blood sang with something other than rage. Something much more fun.

Chapter 50

‘We’re making progress,’ I said confidently to the assembled Council. ‘I have rooted out yet another black witch among us – on the Council itself.’

I looked each of the members in the eye. ‘I have been appointed by the Goddess to root out this infestation and I take my duties seriously. If you are a black witch, know that Iwillfind you.’

I let the threat hang in the air for a long minute. I didn’t know for certain whether there were more black witches on the Council. With Hilary and Tristan dead and whoever had been impersonating Felix removed, the Council was in a better – and worse – shape than it had been for some time.

‘Your days are numbered,’ I continued. ‘Hilary and Tristan are dead. You will be next.’ I notedwith interest that all the councillors held my gaze except for Seren, but that could simply be because of our personal history.

I cleared my throat. ‘It’s time for a re-brand. Too often we shy away from calling people or their actions evil but they are. To gain power from torture and death – thatisevil.’

I thought of Abigay and her dark skin. I didn’t want ever to describe her with the same descriptor asthem.‘We’re not calling them “black witches” any more. We’re calling them what they really are: “evil witches”. That is what they are because that is what they are doing. If you are evil I will find you and I will see you culled from the Coven.’

The Other is a dog-eat-dog world and too often the witches are seen as the Chihuahua of the realm: yappy, but with no bite. Well, I was bringing the bite back.

‘I want all witches to carry an athame and a potion bomb at all times. If you are on the streets, you are armed. Whether we have accepted it or not, we’re at war. Let it be known that there will be no mercy. There will be no Connection trial.’ I had expected applause but instead the Council members stared at me, shellshocked.

‘No waiting for six months to fill the Council vacancies.’ I said after a beat when it became obvious no acknowledgment would be forthcoming. ‘This week you do a UKCoven-wide email notifying anyone who is interested in becoming part of the Council that they must come to Edinburgh to undergo testing. We are going to get stronger – and we are going to do itnow.’

Well, that was it: I guessed rousing speeches weren’t in my wheelhouse. I thought I’d done a good job but there was no standing ovation. I gave them a sharp nod and started to move off the podium.

Kass started to clap and slowly the others joined in. It wasn’t quite the thunderous applause I’d hoped for, but it was a start. I left them to it: the Crone was supposed to guide, not micromanage. Who was going to organise the email and how they were going to co-ordinate the testing was for them to arrange.

Look at me! I was delegating! I felt a tiny bit proud of myself. Then I felt a warm tingle, like a burst of sun on my skin, and I knew that the Goddess approved wholeheartedly of what I’d started.

Bastion followed me out of the Council chamber. I closed the door behind us and paused. Benji and David were both standing to attention, guarding the entrance. I studied them. ‘I could use a hand,’ I said finally. ‘But I don’t want to separate you or take you away fromyour post if you’d rather stay. I need people I can trust around me, people Iknowaren’t evil. I know you two aren’t.’

The golems exchanged glances then David bowed. ‘I thank you for your words and consideration. If it pleases you, Crone, I will serve the Council as that was my awakened purpose.’

I nodded. ‘It is right,’ I agreed.

Benji stepped up to me. ‘I would love to serve you, Crone.’ He gave a low bow.

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