Chapter Nine

I was unlocking my door when my phone started to ring. Hoping that it was Iqbal with information about how I could break the binding, I experienced a surge of energy and bolted in to answer it. I leapt for the handset, ignoring the puzzled look I received from Brutus at my uncharacteristic speed.

‘Hey,’ I said breathlessly. ‘This is Ivy.’

‘Ivy! How are you? How are things going?’

My heart sank. Eve. What the hell was I going to tell her? With any luck, someone had already been in touch and I wouldn’t have to break the bad news that I’d effectively stolen her dream job. ‘Things are … interesting,’ I said, prevaricating. ‘How about with you?’

She sighed. ‘It’s a real mess up here. First of all, the coven here didn’t know I was coming. Secondly, they’ve got themselves into terrific trouble involving some frogspawn. Honestly, you really don’t want to know the details. It’s quite horrific.’

She was right; I really didn’t want to know. ‘Have you heard from the Order headquarters?’ I asked, in an overly casual tone.

‘Nothing.’ She sounded put out. ‘Given that I’m up here trying to sort out this mess alone, they should have been in touch. It’s not normal for First Levels like me to complete this kind of assignment on their own.’ She dropped her voice. ‘I think it’s a test. If I do well, they’ll let me take the exam and proceed to Second Level. Or maybe it’s to gain entry into Arcane Branch.’

I winced. ‘Mmm.’

‘Anyway, I can’t stay on the line for long. I just wanted to check how Harold is doing.’

‘He’s fine. In fact, I’m just about to go and check on him now.’

‘Brilliant.’ She sounded relieved. ‘I know he’s not as smart as Brutus but I love him to bits. I hope he’s not too lonely without me.’

I could tell her that he had company so he probably wasn’t feeling lonely at all but somehow the phone didn’t seem the right way to break the news to her. That, and the fact that I was a total coward. ‘I should probably go,’ I said awkwardly.

‘Right, yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for all this, Ivy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

I grimaced as she hung up. I doubted she’d still be singing my praises in a few days’ time when she returned. This is exactly why I hate keeping secrets: they are always trouble in the long run. Skulking around just doesn’t suit my temperament.

Brutus gazed at me narrow-eyed. ‘Bored.’

I reached for a piece of paper, screwed it into a ball then tossed it in his direction. He immediately brightened and attacked it with immense vigour. Then he tapped it underneath the sofa and swung balefully round in my direction, as if blaming me.

I shrugged. ‘Sorry. I’d retrieve it for you but I need to check on Harold and his new housemates.’ I was almost convinced that Brutus rolled his eyes. I gave him a look to suggest there was nothing I could do and vamoosed into the bathroom, snagging up my pyjamas, a towel and some shampoo. With my boiler still out of action, the only shower I was likely to get in my own flat would be ice cold. At least this way I could kill two birds with one stone.