Witches for Hire (Odd Jobs #1)(36)
Clive released a deeper gust of air and singed Gulley’s hair near his ear. A small touch of what he had summoned burned hotter than regular fire.
Gulley flinched, dripping blood down his cheek and neck.
“Have you ever heard of a Dragon’s Kiss?” He leaned closer so his open lips were almost touching Gulley’s.
“I’ll tell you what happened to Levi!”
Quickly shutting his mouth, Clive dispelled the fire magic into the amulet on his chest before it could burn his insides.
“Go on,” Mia said, the perfect interrogating partner, as usual. She realized that Clive needed a moment to recover and didn’t give Gulley an opportunity to relax.
“It wasn’t me,” Gulley went on. “I was supposed to kill the homeless witch so the Council would think Desmond did it long enough to hold him and leave Levi vulnerable.”
“Why?” Clive asked when he could speak without tasting blood in his throat.
“Desmond and Levi had some kind of deal, and Perry didn’t like it. I swear, that’s all I—” Gulley coughed.
Was it a trick? Clive stepped back and pointed at Mia’s barrier. “Whatever you’re doing won’t help you. Cease, or we’ll act.”
Gulley’s eyes widened in terror. He tried to speak, but his tongue fell out of his mouth to splatter on the floor in pieces.
A hand snatched the back of Clive’s shirt as cracks appeared in the walls around them. As he was swung into the crook of Edarra’s elbow, Clive saw Raj whisking himself and Mia away on a strong gust of wind that carried them out the door. On foot, Edarra jarred him as he watched the ceiling crash down where they had been standing. More parts of Gulley fell to the floor, and Clive knew it was useless trying to save him as the man’s head separated in a gushy waterfall of bones and flesh. A wasting spell, but instead of stealing energy, it takes away the body’s ability to hold itself together, Clive thought methodically as they escaped the collapsing building. These really are monsters we’re tracking, with no resemblance to the human witches they once were. His jaw set as he was placed on his feet. “I won’t let them win.”
RAJ HELD out his hand as he sat a few steps higher than Clive on the stairway that led to the patio where his and Mia’s team grilled. Edarra stood by, watching the sizzling meat and vegetables on a large pit.
Clive shook his head at the offer of the Calming, a slight push of the mind that submerged it in the brief joy of a favorite memory. It had gotten him through much grief and rage, but it was healthier to feel negative emotions than to embrace the lies his mind taught him were contentment. “I’ll see him.”
Raj sighed. “How is it that the man responsible for your worst memories is still part of your best ones?”
“Traveling to another world couldn’t change my heart.”
“Something has changed in you. You’ve only threatened a Dragon’s Kiss when a death spell hung over the lives of children.”
Beer swirled in its bottle as Clive rotated it. “I wouldn’t have done it.” Not even his king could order him to burn a man from the inside out with flames so hot that magic couldn’t extinguish them. He pointed at Raj without looking at him. “And don’t tell me I would be happier if I worked for you two instead of starting my own business.”
Raj’s knee gently pressed against Clive’s back. “Why were you so adamant about that?”
At the pool’s edge, Mia introduced Edarra to the eclectic members of her magic-for-hire business. One woman possessed the strong cheekbones and wide nose associated with trolls. If he looked closely, her skin did have a faint green tinge to it. Hounding him about Edarra was just being greedy. “I wanted friendship without any of us being beholden to each other. Serving rulers meant that we kept distance between us or risked treason. Here, we’ve been true friends. I don’t want another barrier separating us.” Clive pointed at his own chest. “I may not be going about it in the best way, but this is better than what I’ve had for years.”
“If you keep sweet-talking me, I might ask Mia if she’s interested in a trio.”
Clive laughed. “You’re both too good for me to fall in love with.”
“I beg you to develop better taste when you search for another companion.”
“I beg myself the same thing.”
MIA POINTED at the tray covered with several cheeses, vegetables, herbs, and sauces. “How do you want your burger?”
“I thought people only asked how long you want it cooked for?” There were too many food traditions in this world. Clive still hadn’t figured out tipping at restaurants, but why did there have to be a hundred different ways to cook a flattened piece of meat? “The blue-white crumbly things, and some of the sautéed onions.”
“Coming right up.” Mia sprinkled Clive’s choices onto a small mound of ground beef and began combining them. “Everything in our world was about practicality. Meals like this came at the price of a lifetime of allegiance, but here?” She gestured, taking in the large barbecue grill teeming with steaks, hot dogs, corn, and skewered shrimp. “All of this without a single oath sworn.” She shrugged. “Both worlds have high taxes, but I can live with that. Have you spent any of your money on something besides business?”