Fade Into Black - Shadows of the Night 5

Chapter 19

Hi!

The questions keep coming, and I've got no idea where to start. Ok, so who guessed right about who Anna's visiting?? Let me know!

Lara

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Chapter 19

I found her where I last met her. That was at a time before she sold me out to Alexander. Like I expected, the old witch hadn't vacated the apartment she used for moonlighting. Contrary to what I expected, she wasn't alone. She had a customer, less than a day after being blackmailed by the head vampire of New York and after betraying me. Like nothing had happened. At all. The witch got guts – I had to give her that.

I waited until the exact moment her 'customer' left, grabbed the door handle and winked at him. See here, just your friendly neighborhood witch asking advice from another co-practitioner. I sauntered into the apartment as if it was my own.

She had her back turned to me as I walked into what looked like a cozy living room. Not the kind you'd expect from a woman in her late sixties. No flower pots, self-knit rugs or scenic paintings. Instead the room was filled with herbs, pans and boxes. To my right a shelf crammed with books. My guess was they were all about magical theory.

The thick plait of gray hair swung like a heavy pendant as she turned, the silver bracelets on her arms clinking like the chime of a bell. Brown eyes, wrinkled face, narrowed eyes. Her long, dark gray skirt complimented the black blouse she was wearing – the only thing that vaguely hinted at her age apart from her wrinkles. Her eyes were alert, hands at her sides.

For a long moment she simply stared at me.

I stared back.

"I was wondering if you would come," she said, picking up a pile of books on the table. "I knew he wasn't going to be able to hold you."

I laughed softly. "Of course you did."

"What do you want?" She said, stuffing one of the books into a shelf to her left.

She treated me like I was another of her run-of-the-mill customers, as if I was asking for a cheap magic trick. She might not know, but cheap parlor tricks weren't going to cut it this time. I needed something more valuable than that, and I wouldn't be leaving with empty pockets either.

I stepped further into the room. "You owe me, big time."

She laughed – a curious sound, more like the hacking of an old lady. I knew she was anything but that.

"Alright. This one is for free, girl. Although I'm not sure I can help you. You are up against the Raven and the head vampire of New York."

I smiled. "Before I tell you what I need, you'll perform a spell that guarantees that nothing of what happens here will leave the room. You'll be bound to secrecy by magic."

She stopped, the last book of the pile gripped in her hand, mid-air, and stared at me.

"Before you think about modifying it, I know the spell," I said. "Technically I can do it myself, but it would be my first. We both know things tend to go wrong the first time," I added, grinning.

A long moment. Assessing eyes and the fleeting conviction she knew just what could go wrong, from personal experience. She nodded.

"I will do it. I will need your blood."