Page 1 of Destiny of the Witch

Chapter 1

High Priestess Liyana was playing games.

Benji, Bastion and I were cooling our heels in reception. We’d had an appointment for 3pm and it was now closer to 3.30. I was sorely tempted to leave and find another seer – any other seer – but if I stormed off Liyana would ensure that no one else would see me. That was the sort of thing I’d done in the past and I was a little ashamed of that behaviour now. I would wait Liyana out; surely I had more patience than she had rudeness?

As time dragged on, however, my impatience boiled over into anger. She was being disrespectful, not just to me but to the Coven Council over which I now – somehow – presided. That disrespect could not stand.

Nell, the seer’s receptionist, kept giving me furtive looks as if she were waiting for me to explode. That was enoughto make me rein in my temper, so I was entirely level- headed when I instructed Bastion to kick down the door.

Nell squeaked as Bastion used his combat boots against the flimsy wood. The door banged open and slammed against the wall. We strode in, Bastion taking point, then me, with Benji bringing up the rear. Oscar was in the car ready for a quick getaway – which we might well need to make after the door debacle.

Liyana looked up coolly from her desk. She was hip-deep in paperwork and I knew how that felt, but nothing excused such disgraceful tardiness. People make appointments for a reason; if you can’t keep to them, you shouldn’t offer them.

I narrowed my eyes. ‘Do you intend to sever all ties with the Coven Council?’ I asked calmly.

She looked slightly taken aback. ‘You don’t have the power to—’

‘I do,’ I interrupted firmly. ‘I am the Crone. Let me tell you what will happen if the witches withdraw their services from you. Your homes, your offices, public spaces – none of them would be runed. The vampyrs could slide into your offices and public spaces and kill you where you stood.’

I saw shock cross her face but she regrouped quickly. ‘And how is that different to what happened to Melva?’ Liyana snarled.

‘Melva removed the protective wards on purpose in order to meet with the vampyrs. She didn’t get them re-activated after the meeting.’

‘If you’re implying she is somehow at fault for her own death, I—’

‘Of course not!’ I snarled back. ‘She was a victim. And if you hadn’t left me cooling my heels for more than half an hour, you’d already know that I came here to tell you that her killer has been found and dealt with.’

She slumped back and gripped the arms of her chair. ‘Taken to the Connection?’ she asked tightly.

‘No. This was a witch matter and it has been dealt with internally.’

‘The necromancer,’ she spat. ‘Who was it?’

I hated having to admit it. ‘A witch from my Coven. Jeb.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘I want him handed over to me for punishment.’

‘That is not possible,’ I said firmly.

She raised her voice. ‘Idemand—’

‘Demand all you want.’ I made my voice louder than hers. ‘He is dead and his body has been burned. There is nothing left to give you.’

‘He’s dead?’ Her hands gripped the edge of her desk in a white-knuckled grip.

‘As dead as a Norwegian Blue parrot,’ I confirmed drily.

A ghost of a smile rippled across Liyana’s face before she got it under control. Evidently she was familiar withMonty Python, which made me like her a little more.

‘Okay.’ She rubbed a hand across her eyes and grimaced. I could tell that the next words were going to be difficult for her to say. ‘I’m sorry that I kept you waiting.’

‘You could have had this news half an hour ago,’ I pointed out huffily.

She closed her eyes and nodded. ‘I appreciate that you attended the office in person to let me know. It will be a great comfort to Melva’s nearest and dearest to learn that she has been avenged.’

Now I was here, I needed two favours from Liyana. I battled with myself, but in the end I asked for the most important first in case she only gave me one. ‘Good. To thank me, you can test these potions. Which of the four will work to cure an illness that resulted from temporal displacement?’

I pulled out four vials and laid them on her desk. I wasn’t even entertaining the possibility that one of them might not work.

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