‘You gave this to her.’

The Ipsissimus inclined his head. ‘I did.’ Winter waited for more. The Ipsissimus sighed and sat down. ‘Necromancy is a tricky beast, Raphael. You know that. If it’s not halted in the early stages, the consequences are devastating. We needed a powerful witch on hand to stop the magic from taking hold. Your Ivy didn’t hesitate.’

Winter didn’t look at him. ‘You should have come to me.’

‘You are needed in the Order.’

A muscle throbbed in Winter’s jaw. ‘You could have done it.’

‘I would have if I could. Ivy understood the reasons why I didn’t. Believe me, if I could have taken her place and been assured that the Order would remain standing and sane, then I would have.’

Winter gritted his teeth. ‘She wasn’t in the Order. We are trained for this, we accept this is our job. She was not part of that. You made her sacrifice herself. You used an innocent to fight your battle. And now she’s … she’s…’ He couldn’t finish the sentence.

‘Ivy Wilde was fully aware of the consequences.’ The Ipsissimus was silent for a moment. ‘She didn’t tell you because she wanted to save you from having to do it yourself.’

Winter turned his head to look at him. ‘She said that?’

‘She didn’t have to.’

Winter waited for several beats until he was confident he had his rage under enough control. Then he stood up. ‘You treated her like cannon fodder. You used her. You didn’t even have the courtesy to tell me what was going on or to give me the opportunity to take her place.’ He shook his head. ‘I cannot be part of an organisation that treats people like that.’

A furrow crossed the Ipsissimus’s brow. ‘Adeptus Exemptus Winter, I sincerely hope you’re not about to do anything foolish. I’d like to remind you that we now have a young boy in our custody who is going to need our help. Ivy could have saved herself and instead she chose to save him. She even suggested that he go to you for help. We need you in Arcane Branch. She needs you in Arcane Branch.’

‘No,’ Winter said simply, ‘she doesn’t.’ He lifted up his chin and looked the Ipsissimus in the eye. ‘I hereby rescind my position and resign from the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment with immediate effect.’

‘You can’t do that.’

Winter shrugged. ‘I just did.’ His voice hardened. ‘Now get out. You don’t belong here.’

‘Take some time to think about this. Don’t rush into anything. I understand that right now you’re feeling raw but—’

‘You don’t understand anything. And I’m not going to repeat myself. Leave this place.’

The Ipsissimus got to his feet. He smoothed down his robes and nodded. ‘Very well. When you change your mind, come and find me.’

‘I won’t change my mind.’ Winter’s tone brooked no argument.

The Ipsissimus waited a beat, as if he still expected a sudden change of heart. When none was forthcoming, he turned round and left.