by Adele Abbott
Now that I had the power of Magna’s magic, I was much better placed to find a way in. I used those new powers to cast an enhanced version of the ‘listen’ spell. The result was incredible. I could hear everything, and was able to focus on small areas of the building at a time. There was all manner of noises, most of which sounded like small creatures or insects. But then, I heard something which sounded like footsteps coming from the top floor of the building. The sound lasted for only a few seconds, and then fell silent.
How to get inside? On a hunch, I sent a pulse of sound towards the ground immediately in front of the building. The echo which came back was uniform for the area to the left of the door. I repeated the exercise for the right-hand side, and that’s when I noticed a discrepancy. The echo there was inconsistent with the rest of the area.
But there was no obvious reason why.
I was missing something, but what? The area in front of me was covered in weeds and bushes just like the rest of the ground. So why did I get a different echo? I had to think like Magna, so I took a moment to recall her writings. One section in particular came back to me. She’d entitled it ‘Everything is not what it seems’. In that section, she’d discussed the power of permanent illusions. These were spells which created a perpetual illusion which affected everyone rather than the more temporary illusions I’d used myself. What if what I was seeing wasn’t real? What if I was seeing an illusion? Only the most powerful witches or wizards could cast this kind of spell, and such spells could only be overcome by a witch or wizard who was even more powerful. It was a longshot, but nothing else made any sense.
I concentrated on the area of ground from where the inconsistent echo had emanated. The level of focus required was extremely draining, and I wouldn’t be able to maintain it for long. If I was looking at an illusion, I’d only be able to dispel it if I was stronger than the person who originally cast that spell. What if that person was TDO? Then, I’d have no chance.
My head was beginning to throb with the effort, but then suddenly the pressure eased. When I opened my eyes, I saw a trapdoor in front of me. I’d done it—I’d dispelled the illusion.
Inside, stone steps led to darkness below. The light from my phone helped, but only a little. The basement was huge and empty. More steps at the opposite side of the room took me back up into the main building.
I was standing in the centre of a large atrium. There was very little to see on the ground floor. Just like the basement, it was empty except for a few old chairs and the remains of what had once been a wooden desk. From where I was standing, I could see all the way up to the roof which had probably once been glass, but had long since been boarded over.
Just then, I heard a noise from somewhere high in the building.
“Hello? Hello? Is someone there?”
There was no reply, but then I heard more sounds. They appeared to come from the top floor. Grandma had told me that Braxmore had occupied that floor; it was where he’d mentored TDO.
The staircase was littered with rubble, and my footsteps echoed every step of the way. If someone was there, they would definitely know I was on my way up. I had to be prepared for anything.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
I couldn’t hear anything now, so I started down the corridor. There were lots of small rooms on this level; their windows were now empty frames. When I reached the third side of the quadrangle, I came across a room with boarded-up windows. The door was locked, but was no match for my enhanced ‘power’ spell. It crashed to the floor, and sent dust flying everywhere. It was dark inside, so I used my phone again to provide light.
What I saw took my breath away. Two of the walls were covered in photographs; dozens of them—all of me. They’d all been taken in and around Candlefield. Someone had been following me, and judging by the images, they’d been very close by.
On the third wall, was a calendar. The date squares were blank except for one which had been highlighted by a border drawn in thick black marker. In the square, someone had written two letters in the same black marker: JG.
My initials.
The date was one week from today.
I explored the building from top to bottom for the next hour, but I found nothing else of interest. Whoever I’d heard earlier had obviously made their escape. Once I was back outside, I took a few moments to try to take in everything I’d seen. Someone was following me, and it was obvious that that someone planned to do me harm. But at least now, I could be on my guard because I knew precisely when they planned to strike. The problem was I still didn’t know how.
Or who.
What’s next for your favourite P.I. and witch superstar, Jill Gooder?
What craziness does Winky have in store?
Find out in the next book:
Witch Is When All Was Revealed
(Witch P.I. Mysteries #12)
Web Site: http:www.AdeleAbbott.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AdeleAbbottAuthor
Also from Adele Abbott
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WHOOPS!
OUR NEW FLATMATE IS A HUMAN!
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Charlie (a werewolf), Dorothy (a vampire) and Neil (a wizard) share a huge loft in Washbridge, but they can no longer make rent. They’ve been trying to find another supernatural (sup) to take the fourth bedroom for months now, but with no success. Their landlord is tired of waiting for his money so takes matters into his own hands, and finds them a new flatmate.
Susan Hall is an investigative reporter who has just joined The Bugle. She is ambitious, and determined to clean up the paper’s sleazy image with hard hitting stories. She’s been living out of a suitcase in a crummy hotel for weeks, so is delighted to be offered a flat share in a beautiful loft space.
The three original flatmates are horrified. It’s bad enough that their new flatmate is a reporter, but what’s even worse: she’s human.
Please see web site for more details.
