Destiny of the Witch (The Other Witch #4)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

‘We’re coming,’ I said to my friend as I touched his cold flesh. ‘Just hang on a moment longer.’ I pushed down panic and anxiety, because it had no place here. I was here to save Benji and I wouldn’t entertain any other outcome.

I hefted up Grimmy and stroked his spine. He instantly rose up, like he’d been waiting impatiently. When he sensed the golem, his pages flipped erratically. ‘Why, no you don’t, you big lug,’ he murmured to Benji. ‘We’re going to fix you right up, young sir – with one little change.’

‘What change?’ I demanded. ‘How can you save him?’

‘The activation crystal buried within him is fractured and the magic is leaking out. We need a new source of life for our friend.’

Despair washed through me. ‘And how will we do that?’ Then a chill took me. Grimmy had promised no harm would come to David, but how else could he be planning to save Benji apart from ripping David’s crystal from him?

‘I happen to know a great source of life,’ Grimmy said.

‘You’re not taking David’s crystal!’

He huffed. ‘Miss Amber, you and I are going to have a lengthy conversation about how little regard you have for me, but later. After our young Benjamin has been saved.’

There was a knock and Ethan and Oscar came in with David following behind them. At the sight of Benji, he let out a rumbling roar of rage. ‘Benji!’

‘We’re going to save him!’ I said. ‘But we need your help.’

‘Just name it,’ David snarled. ‘He is my friend.’

‘He is,’ I agreed. I flicked my eyes to Ethan who was still hovering by the door. His gaze was fixed on the living book hovering in the air. Crud. ‘You found Henry?’ I asked to distract him.

He met my eyes and looked rueful. ‘Yes, with Sarah.’

I winced. ‘Ouch.’

‘Yes. I’ll be discussing the importance of fidelity with him later. I will leave you to … whatever this is.’ He gave me a nod, then stepped out and shut the door behind him. Bother: I could have done without him seeing the illegal grimoire. Sometimes Ethan was a bit of a stickler fo r the rules, but now wasn’t the time to worry about it. I’d deal with any repercussions later.

I turned to Grimmy. ‘What is this? What are we going to do?’

‘You don’t know?’ David asked in surprise.

‘As nuts as it is, the book is calling the shots,’ I said wryly, aware I sounded a bit crazy. ‘Now, Grimmy, come clean. How are we saving our Benji?’

‘I should think that would have been obvious to someone with your fine brain, Miss Amber. We’ll use me.’

My mine went blank. ‘What?’

‘We’ll use me ,’ he repeated. ‘You may recall some time ago that you thrust me into your friend here for safe keeping after an ill-advised jaunt to Edinburgh. Benjamin held me safe, and whilst I was within his body I found I could see and hear everything around me. Not sense it, Miss Amber, but see it with Benjamin’s own eyes. I do declare, for the first time, I could see.

‘ It was an experience that altered me and my perception of the world around me profoundly. When you had to shut Benjamin down, I protected the crystal within him so that it did not shatter as it normally would do in a deactivation. Consequently, you were able to reactivate him .

‘This time, I was not there to save him, but I sense an opportunity both for me and for him. If I join with him, we can use my magic to power him. As you know, I have bartered with your ancestors, giving them spells and potions and runes in exchange for their very life force. I have within me at least a century of life force. I propose to share it with Benjamin.’

Grimmy twisted in the air to face towards David. ‘Young man, you must thrust me within your friend and align me with his heart crystal. I will do the rest.’

David blinked once, then grabbed the floating book. Before I could even think of an objection, he thrust my sentient grimoire clean into Benji’s chest.