Page 42 of Slouch Witch
‘Price won’t do anything,’ returned a familiar voice with an even more familiar sneer. I tensed. You had to be kidding me. ‘He barks a lot but he’s got no real power. Don’t tell him. This will go better if he doesn’t find out.’
‘Why did you even send her up there?’
‘I told you,’ Tarquin said. ‘They’ve been having a lot of trouble.’
‘Eve Harrington is First Level. She should never be sent anywhere on her own like that. Anything could happen.’
‘Eve’s very talented. I’m sure she can handle whatever is thrown her way. Besides, Adeptus Bawdrip has gone after her now. She won’t be on her own for much longer.’
That was some good news, I supposed sourly. Tarquin was right on another point too: Evewasvery talented. I kicked open the door and strode in. Both Tarquin and his companion jumped and turned guiltily.
‘Ivy?’ Tarquin looked me up and down. ‘What the hell have you been doing? Swimming in a sewer in your pyjamas?’
I marched up to him and jabbed him in the chest. ‘Funnily enough,’ I snarled, ‘that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.’
He blinked. ‘Oh. Adeptus Exemptus Winter really has been working you hard, hasn’t he?’
‘And I bet that really pisses you off.’ I crossed my arms. The little snippet I’d overheard was more than enough. ‘It wasn’t a paperwork mistake, was it? You deliberately sent Eve away because you knew she was your competition to be Winter’s partner. With her gone, the field would be clear for you to make your move.’ I glared at him. ‘You really screwed up there, didn’t you?’
A guilty expression that I knew only too well crossed his eyes. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘You’ve not changed a bit over the years, have you? You’re still just as conniving and devious as ever. Still overly ambitious and reaching above your station.’
Tarquin looked at the woman. ‘It’s probably a good idea if you let me deal with this.’
She stared at him and in that instant I knew he was sleeping with her. All the better to pull the wool over someone’s eyes. Tarquin was good at that. I should know.
‘Yes, love,’ I agreed. ‘Why don’t you piss off?’ She wasted no time rushing out of the room and closing the door behind her.
Tarquin looked at me, amused. ‘There’s no need to get jealous, Ivy.’
I snorted. ‘That’ll be the day. She’s welcome to you. Although I imagine that once she finds out what a snake you are, she’ll run for the hills.’
He tutted. ‘Such venom.’
He could tut all he wanted; now I knew the truth. ‘If I’d known you worked for HR, I’d have realised it sooner. You sent Eve away and blamed it on a mistake. You’ve probably done something to make sure that Price takes the fall for it. You reckoned that Winter would come running to you when he realised she wasn’t around.’
‘You have no proof. All you have are your own ravings, the ravings of the witch who cheated in an exam by copying from me and then assaulted me when things didn’t go her way.’
‘Everyone believed you then. They won’t believe you now.’
‘I only did what I had to. My father’s been breathing down my neck. You know what he’s like. If Eve had partnered with Winter, he’d have wanted to know why I failed. Winter’s the most talented witch in the Order. He’s going places. My father wanted…’
‘Oh, shut up. Stop using your dad as an excuse. This is allyou, Tarquin. You’re the one who keeps doing this to people.’ I glared. ‘How many others have there been over the years? How many more people have you stamped on so you could rise to the top?’
‘It’s not like that.’ A calculated expression passed fleetingly over his face. ‘You don’t need to be like this, Ivy. We can work together, you and me. You can get your revenge on the Order for booting you out. They’re the ones at fault here, not me.’
Pah. I ignored his pathetic attempt to bring me into the fold. ‘What I don’t understand is why, after you’d already failed, you sent Bell End and Alice after Eve. What was the big plan there? Follow her and hope she screws up so you can still take her place after I’m gone?’
Tarquin frowned. ‘Eh?’
‘Matthew Bellham and Alice Fairclough,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘Haven’t you been wondering where they’ve got to? Weren’t you worried that they’d vanished?’
Tarquin looked at me. ‘Isn’t Fairclough Second Level? An Adeptus Minor?’
Something about his tone rang true. ‘You don’t know her.’
‘I know she’s Second Level. Why has she disappeared? And who’s the other guy?’
