Amongst the Order (Watchers of the Veil #1)

Chapter 8

I didn't tell them until we got in the car.

The twins' mouths dropped open when I voiced my thoughts, but Alex only nodded. He admitted he felt that Leopold was a little off but figured he was being paranoid.

Florence shuffled forward from the backseat. "How could they get to them first? Witches can't teleport... can they?"

"Some can but it's rare," Alex replied. "Witches are born with different gifts."

"Shadowtravellers, aren't they?" asked Alfie.

I nodded. From what I had learned from dad, witches were born with varying capacities for magic, meaning some were more naturally gifted than others. These gifts could develop into specific talents – shadowtravelling being one of the more famous ones due to how useful it was. Aura's had a knack for healing and Seers were said to have the ability to view the past, present and future. They were rare, however, and I was clueless to how far these talents stretched. For such a smug species, witches were highly secretive when it came to the extent of their powers, and kept all record of themselves hidden from others. It was frustrating as a hunter but I sympathised; hunters held their own private records, after all.

"Maybe they have a Shadowtraveller," Alex suggested. He shuddered. "That's a thought."

It made enough sense to me, even if it did make me nauseous. "It would explain how they got around so quickly," I replied.

Florence frowned. "But you said you saw cars at the cabin. Why use them if they have a Shadowtraveller?"

"Magic takes up a lot of energy. Travelling with a group of that size would be too much," I explained. "Alex, could it be that witch we saw at Parkview?" It would have shown why he disappeared so fast after jumping from the window in Alex's apartment.

"Maybe. They might have sent him to look for signs of another hunter."

"And they found us instead."

Alex sighed. "They know our faces now. And after meeting Leopold, they know the twins too. We're surely on their kill list."

Alfie stirred. He was a smart boy but I could tell the prospect of hunting frightened him. It was obvious at the hotel when he fled from the pool. He glanced at his sister, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. She always had been the bravest of the two.

"Oh well." She shrugged. "Now they know who's going to stop their Witch-Queen."

I shivered. I'd never heard of one before this hunt. And for it to be a hunt without dad...

Alex rubbed his temples. "A Witch-Queen. Bloody hell. We don't even know what that... duck."

Florence frowned. "A duck?"

We crouched as low as possible in the car, Alfie dragging his sister down with him. I mouthed what? to Alex and he pointed up.

A woman had strolled passed the car and was heading for Leopold's front door, storming up the steps with a long beige trench coat billowing behind her.

Her tall figure cast a long shadow that strutted across the gravel. She was heading for the door, dark eyes glaring at the manor beneath a sleek curtain of brown. A fear gnawed at my stomach that she was inhuman, and when the air turned warm and the door burst off its hinges, I realised I was right.

"That wasn't really necessary," Alex said, glaring at the broken door.

"A witch?" Alfie whispered as she entered the manor. I nodded.