Free The Magic Catcher by Cassie Clarke Page A

out past curfew, all alone?”
    Aprestine jabbed her elbow into the stomach of her captor,
and he grunted in surprise. She whirled around, punched him in the
nose and made to flee, but he recovered faster than she had
expected and he pushed her against the wall on the other side of
the alley before she could throw him off a second time. The
moonlight, finally free of a passing cloud, bathed his face and
Aprestine gasped in recognition.
    “ You!” She pushed him square in the
chest. “What are you doing here?”
    The man was not a magic catcher, but he did work for them. His name was
Marcus, and she’d considered him a friend, once upon a time. Until
he’d betrayed her, revealed her whereabouts to the catchers, and
she’d had to flee before he’d given her what he
promised.
    He’d
promised her the jewel. Or at least the magic she needed to get to
it.
    Rage
tore through her veins, and she couldn’t help but shoot a spark of
magic at him, a tiny blue missile of power that, if she was honest,
would barely make him flinch. He dodged it anyway – she tried not
to feel flattered that he still thought she could harm him -
twisting his body so that the projectile flew past him and into the
wall. It melted into the brick without even causing the slightest
rumble, which only enraged her more. In her prime, she’d have
brought the whole building down.
    “ Now,” Marcus said. “Is that any way to treat an old
friend?”
    “ You are not my friend.” Aprestine said, practically spitting the words in
his direction. Her hands trembled, and she folded her arms, tucking
them under her armpits so he couldn’t see.
    “ If I wasn’t your friend, I wouldn’t have come looking for
you.”
    “ Why, so you can sell me out again?”
    Before
he could retort, Marcus’s head snapped in the direction of the
entrance to the passage. “Did you hear that?”
    “ No.” Aprestine said. “If you’re trying to change the
subject-”
    “ I’m not.” Marcus said. “I thought I heard…come with me.” He
grabbed her hand and pulled her as far as he could down the alley.
They hit a dead end and he span them round so she was against the
wall, facing him, shielding her from the view of anyone who
happened to pass by.
    “ What-”
    Marcus held a finger to her lips. “For once in your life,
Aprestine, could you just try and be quiet ?”
    Aprestine pouted but said no more.
    “ Marcus?” A voice sounded from the entrance to the
ginnel.
    Marcus
grimaced. Flashing her a look that suggested she would continue
being silent if she knew what was good for her, he turned to face
whoever it was who had recognised him.
    “ Tony, my old friend.” Marcus’s voice was cool, level, but
standing this close to him, Aprestine could feel the tension in his
upper arm. She knew, with absolute certainty, that this Tony
was not his
friend. She peered around Marcus’s shoulder to get a better look at
the man, and instantly wished she hadn’t.
    Tony’s
hair was jet-black, just like Marcus’s, but that was where the
similarities ended. Tony was missing an eye, several teeth, and had
the misfortune to possess a crooked, pointed nose that made him
resemble a hawk.
    His
unfortunate appearance was not what sent chills up Aprestine’s
spine. No, the thing that made her nearly whimper with trepidation
was the lantern that he held in his hand. A catcher’s lantern. If
he were to open it, mutter an incantation, it would start to suck
away the remaining magic that she held inside her.
    “ Who’s this?” Tony said, nodding his head towards her. “A
present for me?” He shook his lantern vigorously, causing a flurry
of blue sparkles to fly around inside before settling back at the
bottom again. Aprestine was torn between pity for the poor witch
who had lost her magic, and desire to have it for her
own.
    “ No.” Marcus said. “Just something I got for myself.” He
pulled Aprestine closer, wrapping an arm around her waist and
pressing his face against her