PROBLEM - Anthony Lockwood

CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

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lxi

this is brazy

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"THERE'S A MORTAL with me," Alice announced, tapping her fingers against a human skull. "So keep your mouth closed about certain topics, please, Mr. Burke."

George watched as a well-dressed, dark-skinned man exited from a curtain in the back. He wore a tailored suit and had a sharp jaw and nimble fingers. He had deep set eyes that were dark and full of evil. George suspected that this was a man who had killed many people and clearly didn't care for rules, despite how high-class he looked.

"Now, now, Miss Deane, you'd know I would never compromise you like that," he smirked.

Alice smiled, "I thought you'd have closed by now."

The man - Burke - raised an eyebrow, guesturing to a vintage grandfather clock which showed the time. 3:45. "Right in the witching hour? I could never."

Alice turned around, walking over to a mirror. Alice looked into it, watching as the cursed object began to warp her reflection to make it look like blood was pouring from her eyes, nose, and mouth. She chuckled. "I need you help, Burke."

"This is about Edmund Bickerstaff's bone glass, isn't it?" Burke inquired. He leaned against his desk, watching as Alice looked into the cursed mirror with interest. "If anything, you'd be better dealing with a mirror to the Other Side than me."

Alice shot him a pointed glare, guesturing to George.

Burke put up his hands in mock surrender, "Apologies, Miss Deane. From what I have been told, the Winkman's will be holding an auction to sell it - anonymous buyers, obviously. It will be held right by the bank of the river to prevent any meddling from our kind, and will take place two days from now."

"How rude of them," Alice hummed. "I should enlist a water witch and drown them for their troubles."

Burke laughed harshly, "Forget a water witch, I would pay to see you kill them."

Alice smirked, "I'll bring his finger back for you, for your display, and as a thank you for the information you've provided."

"Won't you give his head?" Burke sighed.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Do you want DEPRAC to come knocking at your door instead? Perhaps I'll trap his life force for you. The spirit Julius Winkman would sell well, don't you think?"

Burke smirked, "I love having a Pendle assassin within our midst. Please never leave London."

Alice expression diminished until her face was stony. "You know where my heart belongs." She turned, making to leave and pulling George with her, but Burke called after her.

"We all fraternized with mortals when we were baby witches like you," he reminded. "You'll come back when they're all dead after they've either succumbed to old age or tried to burn you."

Alice's hand lingered on the doorknob.

"I know."

She left without looking back, frowning as she grabbed George's hand again, leading him away from the shop and through the streets again.

"What was that?" George inquired, "What can't you say in front of me? And what did he mean by a Pendle assassin?"

Alice sighed, "There are some things I'm not allowed to let you know. And Pendle Assassins are warrior witches trained on Pendle Hill, which is where I grew up. I was trained since childhood to fight."

"Does that mean you've killed people?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to, Georgie," Alice replied.

"Is that man a relic hunter?" he asked.

Alice nodded, "He's been selling relics and other cursed items since the late 1700s, apparently. He's quite well known."

"You seem close," George commented.

"He's only sucking up to me because of who my mother is," Alice replied.

"Who's your mother?"

"Can't tell you that."

George watched as she grabbed Onyx again, making their way back towards the exit. Instead of a dead end, from this side of the Corner, it looked like an archeway. George grabbed her shoulder, and they made their way outside, and all of a sudden, they were in a quiet alley again.

"So, what was it like growing up on Pendle?" George queried as they walked.

"Well, I quite liked it there," Alice mused as they left the area. "Here, let's go through Tyburn Gallows - it'll be quicker."

George hesitated, "It's the most haunted place in London."

Alice shrugged him off, "It'll be okay when you're with me and Onyx. For me, this is the safest place in London."

Deciding that he'd seen too much to argue, George followed her as they walked through the trees.

"Pendle isn't like the Corner," Alice explained, "I mean, it is to some extent, but Pendle is more cut off from the world because the government, hunters and DEPRAC isolate it from everything. Most of the time, trade is cut off, so we essentially live under sanctions and no technology."

"That's horrible," George muttered.

Alice shook her head, "You get used to it. There's a forest around Pendle anyway, and we usually go hunting in there, which is why I'm so good at catching rabbits. Most witches go places on foot because witch communities are usually deep within the countryside and cordoned off from mortal life. The first time I used a cab was in London with you guys, you know."

"Wow," George breathed out, "So, can you do magic like the movies?"

Alice chuckled, "Well, that depends. Okay, do you want the crash course?"

George grinned, "I would love the crash course."

Alice grinned back, "Okay, crash course: each witch can do all types of magic, but we usually specialise in one main element and one secondary. There's water, earth, and air - which are the lighter magics. Fire, which is a transitionary between light and dark. And then bone, blood, and death magic - which are essentially what you mortals would refer to as dark magics."

"What type are you?" George inquired.

"I'm a death witch," Alice revealed, "But I also dabble in blood magic. My mother was a death witch who used some blood magic, too. My aunt used to be a bone witch who dabbled in blood magic, and my brother, Tommy, is a bit of a strange one. There are other types of magic that are more obscure than the main elements, obviously, but not a lot of people dip into them. He's a bone witch but also a master of familiar magic."

George's eyes widened, "So, wait, is Onyx your familiar?"

Alice nodded, "You learn quickly. Familiars are demons in the form of animals."

"Wait, there's a demon in our house?" George blanched.

"Well, yes, or no," Alice cringed, shaking her head, "It's complicated. When Onyx and I bound ourselves to each other, she gave up her demon properties to essentially just become a really smart cat. One day, if I wanted to make her a demon again, I'd feed her my blood and dive into familiar magic - I haven't done that yet, though."

George nodded, "Oh, okay. So is it just cats or..."

"No, my brother has a crow, I've known people with snakes before or dogs," Alice told him, "It varies."

George stared her, grinning, "Wow. You're really-"

BANG!