He tutted. ‘You’re incorrigible.’ He reached down, grabbing my palm with his left hand. What I hadn’t realised was that he’d pulled out a smattering of herbs from his right pocket. As he hefted me upwards, he blew them into my face.

‘What the—?’ A cloud of choking black magical smoke enveloped me. I let go of Winter’s hand and tried to waft it away. Hearing him chuckle, I spun round as if in the throes of panic. Then I launched a sharp kick, catching him on the shin.

Unable to see him, I leapt backwards, thinking I’d be out of his reach. Winter was faster than I expected, however, and he lunged towards me and barrelled me to the ground. He landed on top of me, just managing to brace himself to avoid crushing me completely. Not that I reckoned I would have minded that much. His blue eyes pierced mine and I shivered.

‘Are you cold?’

‘No.’

We stared at each other. His head dipped down further until I could feel his hot breath against my skin. ‘Ivy,’ he began, his voice strained.

‘Good afternoon! Do you need some help there?’

I turned my head to the side. It was Mrs Burridge, the woman who lived on the floor above me. ‘We’re fine,’ I called out.

Winter’s mouth twisted, then he shifted his weight, pulling himself upright.

‘Are you sure? Because I know a great spell.’

‘Don’t worry, Mrs B. It’s all good.’

She peered at us both. ‘If you’re sure.’

I coughed. ‘Yep.’

She smiled benignly and continued on her way.

‘I don’t know her,’ Winter said, no longer looking at me. ‘She’s a witch?’

I stood up and dusted myself off. ‘She thinks she is. The most magic she’s ever managed was to avoid paying the building maintenance fees for three years.’ Admittedly, I wished I’d accomplished that.

Winter let out a non-committal grunt. ‘We should go.’

I coughed. ‘Yeah.’ I hesitated and he looked at me questioningly. ‘I still won though.’

‘No, you didn’t.’

I folded my arms smugly. Yeah, I did.

***

Diall worked at the Geomancy Branch, a section of the Order that probably sounds a whole lot more glamorous than it actually is. Geomancy is the magical equivalent of the more spiritual Feng Shui. When new houses are built, the Geomancy Branch are brought in to ensure that everything is planned and structured to avoid disturbing any untoward magical forces. The stronger the Geomancy magic, the more majestic and inspirational the final buildings. As an example, St Paul’s Cathedral is surrounded by Geomantic magic. It is said that more than five hundred witches worked with Christopher Wren on that particular project. Walk through the doors and you can still feel the old magic buzzing in the air.

These days, of course, they work on suburban houses and estates. There is little Geomancy called for when it comes to fitted kitchens and underfloor heating. The more technology that is incorporated in new buildings, the more it conflicts with Geomancy. I’d heard on the grapevine that their latest big project involved cowsheds. Admirable, to be sure: cows deserve somewhere decent to sleep just as much as humans. But it wasn’t exactly romantic, interesting work. Still, it made some sense that Bell End and Alice were from Geomancy. If you want to be a thief and break into people’s houses, understanding the magic that binds them would be very handy.