Page 35 of The Witch and His Crow

‘How long have I missed?’ I asked, squinting against the bright light of day spilling into the attic room. Driven by adrenaline, I threw the duvet off me, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. The suddenness made Romy jolt back.

‘My head is killing me,’ I moaned as I continued to inspect my bare chest, searching for signs of bruises or broken bones. Still, there was nothing. My skin was unmarked and plain, besides the line of old scars stretching between my left nipple and navel.

‘Give or take seven hours,’ Romy answered, chewing her lower lip off as she dove back into worried silence. She certainly looked at me as though she expected me to be in some terrible state. ‘As for your head, you can thank that air-witch for that. Nothing I can help with unfortunately. Wounds of the mind are more complicated than the body.’

Just the mention of the air-witch who’d dived into my mind sent a violent chill down my spine. My eyes snapped towards the door next. A cabinet had been pushed in front of it, barricading us inside. I quickly pieced together the puzzle of what I had missed. The last thing I remembered was Jordan, the air-witch, delving into my mind. Then there was Romy and Arwyn. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they saved me, but without them I hardly imagined I would be waking up in the bed this morning.

‘Don’t worry, I haven’t left your side since...’ Romy began, but I stopped her by standing, wobbling on my feet, then righting myself. ‘If you undo all my hard work, I’ll personally hurt you, Hector.’

Her threat, although one-hundred percent believable, didn’t register. ‘You should’ve woken me sooner. It isn’t safe out there.’

‘Well, actually, it is.He’sbeen outside that door all night,’ Romy said, leaning in. ‘Our own personal guard.’

It took a moment for her words to sink in. ‘Who has?’

Romy’s eyes widened as though she couldn’t believe I asked the question. ‘The spirit-witch you’ve managed to recruit. He didn’t say much, beside something about ‘re-paying debts.’ I offered for him to stay with us in the room, but he was adamant that he shouldn’t. After he helped bring you to bed, he placed himself outside the door, and hasn’t moved since.’

Arwyn. She was talking about Arwyn.

If I had the power to see through solid walls, I wondered what I would find. Was he slumped against the door, using it for leverage as exhaustion took over? Did he harbour dark shadows beneath his eyes like Romy? All in all, I didn’t like the fact that two people had given up their time to protect me—did they expect that I would owe them?

My hands moved over my chest, continuing to search for proof I’d even been attacked. ‘Did he…?’ The idea of Arwyn’swarm hands touching me sent an unwanted brush of shivers across my skin. ‘Fix me?’

I’d seen him wield balls of blue fire, so clearly his gift had something to do with flame conjuration. But I still couldn’t explain why my body was healed. Unless it was a caveat of the Witch Trials, healing the contestants that survived a trial. But that just seemed pointless when the end goal was killing all but one of the witches who didn’t withdraw first.

‘Oh, no, he isn’t taking the credit for that too.’

I looked to Romy, catching the irritation in her tone. She gazed at me knowingly, her brow lifting as if expecting me to work something out. When I didn’t she released a sigh. ‘It’s me, Hector. The healing is all me.’

Clearly, from the way I looked back at Romy, she was expecting my disbelief. She waved a hand before her, mocked a bow, and straightened with a winning smile.

‘But your Gift is—’ I didn’t know what to say.

‘MyGiftisn’t all melting and decay. That’s just the side of it which my uncle preferred. Believe it or not, I can speed up the healing process as well as reverse it.’ There was clear pride in her gaze. Even as she revealed this part of herself, I watched Romy straighten her spine and jut her chin out. The more I spent time with her, the less it took to convince myself that having her as an ally was worth it.

The fact that I was even still alive was proof of that.

‘Then consider the credit given to you,’ I said, testing my legs as I stood. Beside the pain in my head, my body was otherwise unmarked. ‘Thanks. How bad was the damage?’

‘Four broken ribs, excessive bruising, concussion—all of which should be sorted. I’m not going to lie, for a moment I didn’t know if I helped or simply buried the damage. Jonathan has spent years training the aggressive side of my power, so that this part of it is…lacking, for better terms.’

I rolled my shoulders back, cracking my neck as I stretched it from side to side. Just hearing Romy mention her father made a wave of sickness crash within my stomach again. There would never be a good moment to bring up what I’d discovered about him, so now would do, I guessed.

I told myself that if we really wanted to work together, it would have to be without secrets between us. Or at least withouthersecrets. Mine could stay buried for as long as possible.

‘Here.’ Romy reached for the bedside table, took something from it, then held out a bundle of black material to me. Taking it from her, I quickly discovered it was another long-sleeve black top. I put it on, feeling a far-off ache in my muscles, but nothing a long run wouldn’t have caused. ‘I did what I could to get the blood out.’

‘For fear of sounding too repetitive, just imagine that I thank you for everything kind you do for me now on.’

‘Is it so hard just to say it every time?’ Her smile was so genuine that her eyes nearly closed. ‘Anyway, we’re a team.’

Romy had had the chance to kill me when I was at my most vulnerable. Despite my trepidation, I truly believed that she was the most honest version of herself. Trust was still a new concept to me, but I was willing to test the waters. Dip a toe in, so to say. If Romy had wanted me dead, all she would have had to do was slit my throat in my sleep. Instead, she’d healed me.

‘A coven,’ I corrected, which only made her smile brighter. ‘Or the beginnings of one.’

‘Yes,’ Romy clapped, turning back to the seat beside the window. A small book was left on the cushion, which she swept up before she took her seat. With her legs curled up, she opened the pages, withdrew the ribbon bookmark, and continued reading. ‘But next time you go wondering off alone, please let me know. I had no idea where you went. Then, when the fighting began, I came back to the room expecting to find you. You don’tseem like the partying type, so I just thought you would have snuck back here.’

My attention swept back to the barricaded door, more importantly to the man who apparently stood guard outside. ‘I saw you speaking with someone. Jaz. I had the… displeasure of bumping into her as well.’

---