Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,51
lot about you. The moment I heard ‘non-magical,’ my mind went to witch hunters. Besides, your surname is known even in non-magical circles, regardless of whether they know that the bloodline is still alive and as powerful as it was in Arthurian times. Your family is a living legend. If this guy thought a magical could help him out, you would be top of his ‘power’ list, especially if he’d witnessed a Purge as he claimed. That looks like a superpower, even if the truth is slightly different.”
“I just wish I’d gotten his name. Know thine enemy and all,” I muttered. Looking down, I saw that Boudicca had actually gone to sleep in my arms, with Cynane cuddled beside her. They deserved a good rest after everything they’d done. Though I kept wondering what might’ve happened if I’d heeded Boudicca a moment sooner, and not wandered toward the bushes. Could I have outrun that fiery-eyed devil, or would he have caught me anyway?
Genie punched her fist into her palm. “Someone needs to let him know it’s almost lunchtime, and I’ve got a knuckle sandwich waiting for him.”
I laughed. “I guess desperation makes people do insane things.”
“Maybe, but kidnapping and threatening my best friend isn’t on the approved list.” Genie’s mouth set in a determined line. “If he needed your help, he should’ve asked in a civil manner.”
“That’s what I told him,” I agreed. “But he just looked at me like I’d suggested he ask the president for a handout.”
Nathan frowned. “Like he’s been taught to think of magicals as the worst of humanity, people who wouldn’t raise a finger to help him even if he was dying in the street.”
“Right?” I remembered the shock on his face in the fishery, when I’d told him we weren’t averse to helping out non-magicals. Followed by the utter venom he’d spewed at me, claiming we were “all the same.” Whoever he was, and whatever group he belonged to, I felt certain there was some brainwashing in his past.
Just then, Nathan’s phone pinged. He took it out of his pocket and sucked in a sharp breath. “Charlotte’s on her way! Get the pixies back in their orb!”
“What?” I spluttered.
“They finally caught your Grendel.” Nathan opened up the iris of the orb and beckoned frantically. I hurried forward and tipped the pixies into the orb, where they landed with an unceremonious plop on the glass bottom. It jolted all three out of their peaceful slumber, prompting them to jump at the glass and bang on it in annoyance.
My cheeks reddened with heat. “Sorry, guys.”
Spartacus round-housed the inside of the orb, while Cynane blew a loud raspberry and Boudicca shook her fist. Clearly, they were feeling sprightly again.
With the pixies back inside their orbs, Nathan, Genie, and I raced over to the seats by the window and tried to pretend we hadn’t been doing anything suspicious. Nathan flipped through a book he’d pored over all night, unaware that he was holding it upside down until Genie lunged forward and flipped it right-side up. I picked up a cold cup of coffee and tried not to balk at the intense espresso smell. I was always uber-sensitive after a big Purge, though the effect usually went away after a few days. Meanwhile, Genie took out her phone and pretended to swipe through it nonchalantly.
A few minutes later, Charlotte entered with a puzzle box in her hands. I almost dropped my coffee at the sight of her. One of her eyes was swollen shut, her hunter’s blazer was ripped to shreds, and most of her visible skin was covered in an angry crosshatch of scratches.
“Hey, a little help over here? I know Persie has an excuse for resting up, but the same doesn’t go for you two.” Charlotte brandished the puzzle box, the engravings glowing a faint sea green. She looked like I felt. “Thanks for cooking up one of the nastiest pieces of work I’ve encountered in a long time, by the way.” Her one good eye turned to me.
I offered her a sheepish shrug. “Sorry. I don’t really get much say in what comes out.”
“And I thought you were supposed to be the toughest cookie out there?” Genie cut in, giving a low whistle. “It looks like the Grendel beat seven shades of sugar out of you. How does the other guy look?”
To my surprise, Charlotte laughed. “It tested my hunting prowess, that’s for sure. And the Grendel is annoyingly unscathed, despite my team hurling everything we