Page 63 of Reckless Witch

She studies me and I keep my expression neutral. Olympia is not Grand Witch for nothing. Her ability to read a situation without resorting to magic is highly developed.

At last, she nods. “Franklin, leave the matter to Blade.

“As you wish,” Franklin replies.

We resume our walk.

“I expect this new task not to interfere with our search for Damien,” she says.

The investigation into the appearance of the Thol’guk at Miriam’s home won’t interfere, but the investigation into who tried to kill Leilah will.

“Of course not.” I offer my most winning smile.

She narrows her eyes. “Do not be deceived into believing I am always moved by a pretty face.”

“On the contrary, I suspect that is never the case,” I say, and mean it. The Grand Witch of the North might like male company but, in the end, nothing interferes with her goals.

She faces forward again, her expression grim. “It is my fault we do not have the answers we need. I should have been watching the Zidruhin these last fifty years.”

I’m struck by her return to the subject of the Zidruhin. Olympia will protect her position, and she’s given to dramatics, but only to a point. Might she be right in worrying about the rumors that Damien has located his bride? Or might she have a hidden agenda behind these new machinations?

“Nothing from Zedkeil on Miriam Crowe’s death?” she asks.

I wince inwardly. Since Ciarah’s arrival, I had let slip most of my duties, with keeping an eye on Zedkeil being at the top of that list. The angel might have agreed to work with us to discover how far Miriam Crowe got in her dark magic and how she managed to kill herself, but angels aren’t known for keeping their end of a bargain. Which made me suspicious of his offer of help.

With the Morning Star trapped in Hell, he has been unable to make mayhem. Yet demons are gaining unaccountable power, particularly since the recent Shadow War. Hence, I suspect, the reason the angels are looking closely at anything that might empower evil. A high white witch suddenly practicing Shadow magic qualifies.

“I haven’t spoken with him in a week,” I lie. It’s been closer to two weeks. “I’ll contact him.”

“See that you do—immediately,” Olympia replies. “Then report to me right away. I hope his examination of Miriam’s house is more revealing than my own.”

“You’ve been to the house?” I ask.

“The first night I arrived.” She looks up at me. “You did not honestly think I would wait upon your convenience to escort me?”

I dip my head in a slight bow. “Of course not. Forgive me for not escorting you. You found nothing, then?”

“Not the tiniest trace of remains. As for Shadows, thankfully, the husks you captured seem to be all that is left of what she used. “

It’s a relief that her investigation confirms ours.

“I also assume you have heard nothing from Abaddon?” she asks.

“The usual,” I say. “Those in the underworld might practice magic illegally, but even they have a code that doesn’t tolerate dark magic.”

“By ‘the usual,’ I assume you mean things like Leilah Crowe selling false identifications?”

I keep a neutral expression. “Yes.”

“I want Leilah Crowe watched.”

I look sharply at her. “We cannot condemn Leilah for her grandmother’s wrongdoings.”

Olympia lifts her chin. “We are not condemning her. But neither are we naïve. When was the last time you heard of a High White Witch turning to The Shadows?”

I can’t tell her the truth, for that would give Olympia more power in my life than is wise, but I’ve heard of such a thing once, in Mesopotamia. Even now, after all these millennia, I dare not speak the witch’s name. The Grand Witch wouldn’t know her. No one who hasn’t lived as long as Raith, Ethan, Caleb, Matthias and I would know her. But the ancient witch was as powerful a witch as any I have ever known. She was caught dabbling with Shadows and was burned to death. Thankfully, I wasn’t present, but I understand that her screams and the curses she spat at her killers were heard centuries after she died.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “We do not visit the sins of the parents upon the children. We are not the god of the angels.”