Page 37 of A Spark of Something (A Librarian’s Guide to Witchery #1)

“ H e came into my private space,” Noble roared into the phone.

Samuel sighed. “ Is he still alive ?”

“Yes. For how long, I don’t know.”

“ I did try to warn him…but you know how he doesn’t like to listen.”

“That is not my problem.”

Samuel chuckled. “ You would see it that way .”

Noble ground his teeth together before slowly saying, “Spectator…I want out.”

Even with the anger boiling inside of him, his heart raced with a spark of fear as he said the words. The fact was, up until that moment, the conversation wasn’t abnormal. The things he had said, the implied threats, they were all words he had said in the past, deeds he had done. Killing had been second nature to him, even when he was threatening other hunters. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t already killed a number of them.

Fights were common. Deaths as an end result of those fights were just as so. Noble had killed others, and he had been forgiven. The strong were celebrated, and the weak were forgotten.

Yet…the words felt foreign to him now. He had, of course, kept up appearances. It hadn’t been hard, as the act had once been real. But the further Noble had pulled away, the deeper he dug into the lies… It was like one day he was in the fog, and then the next, he was out of it.

It didn’t make all that he had done in that fog any less him, it just made it harder to continue doing most of it without his conscience rearing its ugly head. Well, as for killing other hunters…perhaps that was the one thing he wouldn't have trouble still doing, because all of them were as guilty as he was. There wasn’t an innocent man amongst them.

Samuel took a deep breath. “ I had a feeling this was coming .”

His hand clenched around his phone, and almost carefully, he asked, “What?”

“ Your enthusiasm for our work has dwindled. It wasn’t noticeable at first. Hell, I’m pretty sure I ignored the signs for a while. But then they built up and became too hard to look past. Harbinger, you now show all the markings of a hunter that’s had enough. It happens to the best of us .” The man sighed. “But before you make your final decision, why don’t you think about it for a little longer? Rest. For even a few years, if you need to, and see if this is really the end for you in this calling. Of course, we won’t stop you from walking away. You have given us too many good years for us to even dare demand more from you.”

Good years… Noble smiled viciously, as a dark, humorless chuckle slipped out. “There is nothing to think about.”

“No, I suppose there’s not. I will inform God’s Voices.”

He grimaced at the collective codename they’d given the Witch Hunter Council, and the highest authority of their organization. Just a stupid ass name.

“Usually there is an inquiry, but in cases like yours, when the signs are clear… To be honest, I’d already warned them that you were reaching your end. So you should be good to go. We will miss you, and your efforts, but you will not be bothered again, that I can promise. The Parables of the Righteous Hunt would not repay your dedication in such an ungrateful way.”

Speaking of stupid names. It had to be at least a hundred years since he last heard the organization’s name spoken out loud. Most just said ‘the organization’. But atrocious names aside…this…was too easy.

As much as Noble wished he could trust it, he didn’t. He couldn’t trust a damn thing any of them said, and he never should have. Yet…what reason would Samuel have for lying about this? Unless they knew what he had done, what he was doing…

His jaw clenched.

Samuel chuckled. “Ahh, your silence screams of your distrust, Harbinger. You know, I never could quite figure out how to make you trust me. But…no tricks. I will even send you my reports of the changes I’ve noted over the last two years.”

“Do that,” he growled, before grinding out between clenched teeth, “And get Mikael the fuck OUT of my city, or expect a dead hunter!”

“I’ll try, but…”

“But?” he hissed.

“If he causes problems…let the cards of fate fall where they may.”

Noble chuckled darkly. “Gladly.”

“ Maybe it will be our last gift to you.” Samuel let out a full hearty laugh, right before the line disconnected.

The dark part of him that had slowly been dying rose up at the thought. He supposed not all of him was opposed to killing. And they had just given him full leeway to do so without consequences. Not that he needed their permission.

And really, the best thing he could do for the world was to remove Mikael Novak from it. And the safest thing he could do for Ollie was to kill the dangerous witch hunter that had drawn close to him. Kill him, and then all eyes would face elsewhere. The organization would probably take it as his last job for them, and then they’d leave him alone…he hoped.

Mikael had grown unpredictable, and hard to control. It wasn’t really in question to him as to why his handler had no problem with his death. As much as strength was celebrated, disobedience was abhorred. Most likely, them even trying to pair them together had been?—

“Son of a bitch!” he growled, before calling the bastard back.

“What job did you have for us?” Noble demanded the second the line reconnected.

Samuel remained silent.

“It’s interesting that you would mention it to Unstable Pawn, yet leave it up to him to tell me, despite knowing how I react to him. That you would even dare to pair me with him…”

The man laughed. “You were…always just a bit too smart.”

“You bastard.”

“Sorry, Harbinger, one last job, and you are free, I promise. And hey, you can’t say you won’t truly enjoy this.”

He growled, but didn’t bother responding as the line had already gone dead. He threw his head back and laughed. “Manipulative fucks.” Noble groaned, rubbing his hands roughly over his face. “Whatever, whatever…”

It wasn’t like Samuel was wrong. He was, in fact, going to enjoy doing it.

“Ah…Ollie.” He took a deep breath. “I have answers. And my freedom is so close…yet… Getting there, my hands will become even more bloody than they already are…and I’m going to enjoy every second of it.” He let out a dark chuckle. “Ollie… Sweet, kind Ollie Cross, you really should stay far away from me.”

Too bad Noble had no intention of staying away. At this point, he wasn’t sure he could make himself keep his distance, even if he wanted to. Which should worry him, as this wasn’t forever, and could never be. Yet…it didn’t.

Ollie’s bright smile flashed in his mind.

No, what worried him was what lengths he may go just to keep him, and to whose detriment…

“Ah-ha!” Ollie cried out as he tugged the paperwork from the middle of the stack he’d been looking through. He knew he had kept the history report! Mainly as he usually kept many useless things. However, as it turned out, it wasn't useless this time!

Take that, Red. With your judgmental silent looks that now had more meaning to them due to you being able to talk , he thought.

Ollie smiled, letting out a happy giggle while eyeing the stapled stack of papers. But his smile dropped as he glanced around the file room, and at the mess he’d created in his efforts to find it.

Mess being…spilled drawers everywhere, and the knocked over file cabinet. Knocked over, as in, the drawer had gotten stuck, and had then almost fallen on him when he had attempted to open it. That cabinet was now definitely broken…but it had been worth it, because the paper he had needed had been inside…

Slowly standing up, he debated for a moment before saying, “Screw it! I can clean it up later.”

Ugh, cleaning this up was going to be a nightmare. Would it be wrong of him to have someone else do it? Yes, yes it would. Was that going to stop him? Yes…yes it was.

Grimacing, he carefully hopped over part of the mess and maneuvered to the door. It wasn’t until the door was closing behind him that he realized he’d forgotten his phone. Ollie winced as he tried to remember when exactly he had last seen it, whining when he couldn’t recall seeing it at all in the last two hours.

Slowly spinning around on his heel, he silently begged, please be easy to find .

Opening the door again, Ollie just stared into the room, his eyes growing wide. Things were…not how he’d left them moments ago. In fact, the room looked like he hadn’t ever stepped foot inside it. No turned over broken filing cabinet, no mess of dumped drawers and papers… Just organized, and everything where it should be. And sitting on the nearest cabinet was his phone.

“Maybe…being a witch won't be so bad.”

He shuddered. It still felt very wrong to admit that. But Ollie now didn’t have to clean, or spend time finding his phone, so he couldn’t really complain.

Shaking his head, he looked down at the packet in his hand and flipped a few pages, smiling as he saw the name of the owner of his car who had it right before him. Ollie would start there and go back.

Leaving the file room, he quickly walked through the library.

“Where are you going, Ollie?” Jahla asked when he passed.

“I am on a quest!” he chimed, smiling at her.

“A quest?”

“Yep!” he said, as he started down the stairs.

“Have fun, I guess.”

“I will, maybe.” He laughed.

“Ollie, don’t forget to eat!” she yelled after him.

Right, eating…as it was—he checked his watch—5pm!

Okay, I’ll go through a drive-thru and then start my quest ! Just as he thought that, his phone dinged. He smiled when he saw it was a reminder text to eat from Noble. Heart now all warm and fuzzy, he left the library.