Page 48 of Slouch Witch
Actually, it was much better for me when my passengers were more relaxed. Before I could say as much to Winter, someone finally picked up the phone. ‘Arcane Branch, Practicus Smythe speaking. How may I help you?’
I put on my poshest voice. ‘Oh, good morning, Practicus Smythe. How charming to talk to you.’ Winter gave a long-suffering sigh. I ignored him. ‘I am here with the esteemed Adeptus Exemptus Raphael Winter.’
I could almost hear Smythe sitting bolt upright. ‘Winter?’ He coughed. ‘Yes, of course, what can I do for him?’
‘He would very much like it if you could send someone aroundtout suiteto Adeptus Diall. He needs to be brought in for immediate questioning.’
‘Diall? But…’ Smythe paused. ‘Yes, of course. And if he refuses to come?’
‘Use all force necessary.’ I hung up. I could get used to this; having all manner of uptight witches at my beck and call was rather fun.
Winter tsked. ‘Diall is still a respected member of the Order.’
‘A respected member of the Order that sent out two of his minions to perform an illegal action against a younger witch,’ I pointed out. ‘And who more than likely just tried to have you killed. If he has the Cypher Manuscripts in his possession…’ The consequences could be catastrophic.
‘There are protocols to follow. We can’t act like the Gestapo and drag away whoever we choose.’
‘Why not?’ I arched an eyebrow in his direction.
‘There’s paperwork to be filled in.’
‘In triplicate?’
He seemed to be counting to ten. ‘No, but…’
The ringing phone interrupted his words. He smiled triumphantly. ‘See? That’ll be Smythe calling back to confirm.’
Winter didn’t seem to realise how seriously the rest of the Order took him. Even from the short conversation I’d just had, I knew that Smythe wouldn’t dare to question his orders, whether they were second hand or not. He was probably already on his way to Diall’s with an army of Arcane Branch goons as we spoke. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my own phone. ‘It’s for me,’ I said smugly. ‘Not you.’
I pressed the answer button. ‘This is Ivy,’ I chirped.
‘Hello, gorgeous.’
I beamed. ‘lqbal! How are you?’
‘Good. I’ve got some news for you. And for me. I see karaoke in your future.’ He started to sing, not very tunefully.
I sat up, not looking at Winter. ‘Go on.’
‘There is a loophole to your binding. I found a temporary measure but it won’t last more than a day or two. I figured you were looking for something more permanent so I kept on searching and I think I’ve found just the thing. It’s not going to be easy but if you can get hold of some ossombe root then I have the spell for you.’
‘I’ve never even heard of the stuff.’
‘I’m not surprised. The only reference I found to it was an old text from the seventeenth century. It’s certainly not a typical ingredient.’
‘Where would I find it?’
‘It only grows in one place in the world.’ He paused. I could almost hear the drumroll. ‘The foothills of Mongolia. You’re welcome.’
An odd sensation of relief trickled through me but I quashed it. I was probably mistaking it for disappointment. ‘Iqqy, honey, I can’t get to Mongolia any time soon.’
He was silent for several seconds. ‘Oh,’ he said finally. ‘I didn’t think of that. Maybe you can source it somewhere else.’
‘Have you any idea where?’
‘Um, no.’ He pondered this conundrum. ‘Ebay?’
Pah. I cupped my hand over the receiver. ‘Have you heard of ossombe root?’ I asked Winter.
