by Keri Arthur
“No one does.” I paused. “You’d better ring Monty, too, and let him know the spirits have sent me on a wild goose chase.”
“News he won’t take well.”
“Yeah, but he won’t grumble as much at you.”
“An annoying truth.”
I poured my coffee into a travel mug and then made one for Ashworth. Once I grabbed my purse and keys, I said, “Any plans for tonight?”
She nodded. “Kash rang and asked if I wanted to go out for dinner. I’m not sure he realizes I’m annoyed at him, though.”
“Well, considering most of your dates have been within the confines of his place, this is at least a step in the right direction.”
“That is very true, and why I said yes.”
I slung my purse over my shoulder. “I’ll see you later, then.”
“Yes. Just… be careful.”
I flashed her a grin. “I always am.”
Her snort of disbelief followed me out the door.
Ashworth was waiting out the front of his place, a backpack slung over his shoulder. “That extra coffee for me?” He dumped his pack on the floor and then pulled on the seat belt.
I nodded. “Did Belle fill you in?”
“Yep.” He took a sip and sighed appreciatively. “You two have a knack for coffee. And cake.”
“The latter is absent today, I’m afraid. How did the investigations go last night?”
He grimaced. “Exactly as you’d expect. The Empusae know what they’re doing—there wasn’t much in the way of magic or spells to be found.”
“Was that because they would have faded by the time you arrived, or because they’re not using magic to trap their victims?”
“The latter, I suspect. From what I’ve read so far, Empusae use their bodies to entice their victims into their arms, and that gels with what you saw in Jeni’s mind.”
Meaning Aiden had updated him. “I don’t suppose you’ve any idea how many people they kill in an area before they move on?”
“No, but that is perhaps a question Belle could ask your White Lady. If she’s been tracking these things for so long, she surely must have some idea.” He studied the road ahead for a second. “I ran into your tracer today.”
“Oh, really?”
“Hmmm. She had a heap of questions about what I knew about you and your past. I repeated the guff you told me when we first met.”
“Was she convinced?”
“Doubt it. I suspect her spider senses are tingling, and that’s always dangerous when it comes to a tracer.”
I shrugged, pretending a calm I wasn’t feeling. “There’s nothing we can do about her. Not without setting off her senses more.”
“Oh, I know that. All the same, Eli and I created a redirection spell for you.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a palm-sized wooden disk deeply etched with witch runes. Though the magic was inactive, the thick lines of it swirled around the disk, providing intriguing glimpses of the power and complexity of the spell. “It’ll haze your aura and stop the tracer from using it to track you. All you have to do to turn it on and off is touch the disk.”
“How did you tune it to me?”
“I didn’t. It’s a general spell that’ll work for anyone who happens to be within the small set radius.”
“What if she’s actually following the SUV? Red Outbacks aren’t exactly a dime a dozen around these parts.”
“Which means you’ll just have to pay more attention to what’s behind you.”
“Any idea what she drives?”
“A white Corolla hatch.”
My gaze automatically flicked to the rearview mirror. Nothing. “Given how many of them are on the road, I could spend the next few days desperately avoiding totally innocent Corollas.”
He chuckled softly. “I’d offer the use of Eli’s car, but I’m afraid that hair of yours will give the game up as easily as this SUV.”
“I could use a glamour spell in combination with your anti-tracker disk—it would at least buy me some time.”
To do what, I wasn’t entirely sure. But the mere fact the prophetic part of me thought I might need it made me more than a little uneasy.
“That’s a good idea. We can swap cars later tonight, if you’d like.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Hadn’t you better check with Eli first?”
Ashworth waved the comment away. “Your SUV is brand new—he’s not going to forsake the chance to test her out, trust me on that.”
“I thought you were the car nut in the family?”
“Only in that I enjoy rebuilding them. In every other way, he’s as keen on them as me, no matter what he says to the contrary. Did you not know he used to be a rally driver when he was much younger?”
“Before or after all the sport?”
“During.”
“How in the hell did he ever find time to hold down a job or a relationship?”
“Good time management.” His smile flashed. “Let me regale you with some of our rally misadventures.”
He proceeded to do so, making me laugh as we headed out of Castle Rock. At Louton, I turned left onto North Road and carefully wound my way through the various tracks until the GPS told me we’d arrived at the wheel. I stopped the SUV and surveyed the deserted and rather scrubby-looking parking area.
“I’m not seeing anything that resembles a water wheel here.”
“That’s because we have to get out and walk.” He pointed to a sign on the left. “Or so that says.”
“Huh.” I climbed out, locked the car, and walked over to the path indicated by the sign. “You sensing anything?”
Ashworth shook his head. “But I’m not the one with the trouble radar.”
“That radar is mute right now.”
“And I can’t say I’m sad about that, lass. I’ve a date to see a very old movie and it’s only on tonight.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What movie?”
“Singin’ in the Rain, which is the best musical ever, no arguments.”
I raised my hands. “You won’t get one from me, but you do know it’s out on Blu-ray, right?”
“Of course, but there’s something special about seeing it on a big screen in a grand cinema older than the movie itself.”
The Royal was certainly grand, even if some of its art deco edges were looking a little tired these days. I shoved my keys into my pocket and led the way up the path. The water wheel soon came into sight, though all that actually remained was the massive stone foundations that—according to the nearby sign—had once supported one of the world’s largest water wheels. I stopped at the top of the old wooden steps leading down to the flat clearing that held the foundations and studied the area. Belle’s guides might have advised us to come here, but there was no immediately obvious reason as to why.
Ashworth stopped beside me. “Well, isn’t that a pretty impressive remnant?”
“It’s bloody huge, but it’s not exactly what we’re here for.”
“No.” He scanned the area. “I’m not sensing any—”
He cut the rest of the sentence off and frowned.
“What?” I immediately said.
“It may be nothing, but there’s a tremor of energy coming from the right.”
“Magical energy or something else?”
He hesitated. “It’s too far away to be certain.”
“Then let’s get closer.”
He took the stairs two at a time then strode across the clearing with such speed that I had to scramble to catch up with him.
We were soon well away from the old wheel, but the area remained scrubby; after a long, dry summer, what little grass remained was brown, and the scattered trees were sad-looking. Piles of tailings and waste pocked the area, evidence of the sheer number of mines that had once existed here. It was a thought that had me watching where I walked more closely. I’d already fallen down an old mine shaft once. I did not need to repeat the experience.
After another ten mi
nutes or so, Ashworth slowed. I immediately scanned the area with my ‘other’ senses and finally caught the tremor Ashworth had sensed earlier. It was definitely magic, and it was definitely foul.
“Have you any idea yet who or what is behind that tremor?”
“No.” Ashworth’s reply was remote, his expression distracted. But the force of his magic burned through the air; he was inspecting that distant caress. “But it doesn’t feel human in origin.”
My heart began to beat a whole lot faster. “Do you think it could be one of the Empusae?”
“It’s possible. Belle’s guides did say it was imperative we got out here.”
“Yeah, but they also said they couldn’t directly interfere with an investigation or point us toward them.”
“Well, if it is the Empusae up ahead, then they haven’t done either. The wheel is a long way behind us.”
“A technicality that doesn’t really apply here.”
“Technicalities matter when it comes to guides.”
After another few minutes, we came into a clearing littered with rocks and debris—all waste from the small mine that had been dug horizontally into the hill directly opposite us.
It was just the sort of place Vita had said the Empusae preferred.
Fear surged, but I resisted the urge to form a repelling spell around my fingers and took a deep, calming breath instead. As usual, it didn’t do a whole lot to help.
Ashworth motioned toward the mine. “The tremor of magic is coming from within that, but I’m not getting a sense of anything supernatural, so it may be an older roost.”
“Surely we wouldn’t be picking anything up if that were the case, though?”
“‘Wouldn’t’ and ‘shouldn’t’ aren’t words I often use in conjunction with the supernatural world.”
I eyed the mine’s entrance nervously. “So what are we going to do?”
“Investigate, of course.”
“If you get flesh stripped, Eli is going to kill me.”
He chuckled softly. “Aye, he will, but it won’t come to that. I’ve a blessed silver knife with me and a couple of freezing potions ready to go. And it’s still daylight, which gives us the advantage.”
Not if we went deep into that mine, it didn’t.
On the off chance that things were about to go ass-up, I sent a quick text to Aiden just to let him know where we were and what we were doing, then followed Ashworth across the clearing. The nearer I got to the mine, the more my gut churned. The entrance wasn’t particularly large—at five-eight, I couldn’t be considered tall, but I had to bend down to look into it.
Ashworth’s expression was intent as his power ran before him again, a wave that tested and probed the interior of the mine. “There’s definitely been some sort of supernatural entity using this place, even if they’re not currently here.”
“Do you think it’s worth setting a trap?”
He nodded. “But not here, at the entrance. She’d probably sense it too easily.”
“If she’s going to sense it out here, why wouldn’t she sense it inside?”
“Because I’ll bind the remnants of her own energy to the spell. It’ll camouflage it long enough to entrap her.” He swung his pack around and pulled out a flashlight. “You keep watch out here.”
He disappeared inside before I could argue. I squatted on my heels, my back pressed against one edge of the mine’s entrance, a position that allowed me to keep an eye on his progress while also watching the clearing.
“It’s actually not that deep,” he said after a few minutes. “It probably only runs thirty meters or so into the hill, and she’s not nesting that far in.”
“Vita did say they don’t like being too deep underground.”
“Remember those teeth the victims were missing? They’re all here, from the look of it.”
“I suggest you leave them there.”
“Intended to.”
A wave of power washed over me as Ashworth began his spell. I studied the distant sparkle and wished I were closer to watch the spell unfold. I’d probably learned more in the few months Ashworth, Eli, and Monty had been here than I’d ever learned at school.
The spell’s power reached its crescendo and then quietly faded away as Ashworth incorporated the remnants of the Empusae’s essence and then tied off the spell. A few minutes later he appeared, sweating and dusty.
He straightened his back with a groan. “I don’t know how the miners of yesteryear survived working in conditions like that.”
“Many of them didn’t.” I pushed upright. “I guess we now just have to keep our fingers crossed that one or both of our traps catch these bitches.”
“And that they don’t kill anyone else off in the meantime. I did suggest to Aiden the council put a curfew order out for the forests immediately surrounding Castle Rock.”
“That might only push the Empusae into another area. Besides, we’re dealing with werewolves, who tend to think they can handle anything.”
“Byron aside, none of the other victims were wolves. I think these things have a penchant for human flesh.”
A possibility, given they’d torn Byron apart rather than eaten him. “The council have been averse to issuing such orders in the past—they’ve never wanted to panic the public.”
“There’s five bodies in the morgue. It’s time they worried about saving the public rather than panicking them.”
I agreed. I just wasn’t sure the council elders would.
Once we’d gotten back to the car, I sent Aiden another text and got a thumbs-up and a kiss emoji in return. By the time we got back to Ashworth’s place, the sky was ablaze with pinks and yellows. But with all that color came the distinct feeling of being watched. I glanced around casually, but couldn’t see anyone or anything that looked out of place. Nor was there any sort of shimmer to indicate Vita was out there—though there hadn’t been on other occasions, either.
“When do you want to exchange cars?” Ashworth grabbed his pack and jumped out of the SUV.
I hesitated. “Not tonight—it’d be too obvious. Perhaps we can do a swap somewhere out of town, and a little more private.”
He nodded. “We’ll change over the number plates, too. That’ll help the confusion factor.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s illegal.”
“We’re in a werewolf reservation, and you’re dating the head ranger. I’m thinking he’ll give us a pass on this, especially when it helps keep you safe. Talk to you tomorrow.”
With that, he slammed the door shut and headed inside. I returned home. The sensation of being watched got no stronger; it was just a steady pulse of awareness that was distant enough to prevent me picking up who or what it was.
I frowned and headed inside. The shadows were closing in and the café was hushed. Belle had already left, so I tossed my purse on the counter and headed into the kitchen to make myself some dinner. Aiden rang an hour later to say he was heading home to grab some sleep, and that he’d see me in the morning.
With nothing else to do, and nothing interesting on the TV to watch, I went to bed early.
Only to be woken many hours later by the thick sensation of being metaphorically punched in the gut.
Twelve
It wasn’t an outside source attacking me magically. It was my own magic—something had just triggered the alert spell I’d placed around the tree cave.
I threw off the sheets and quickly got dressed, then grabbed my phone and scrambled down the stairs as I rang Ashworth.
“Lizzie? What’s the prob—”
“My alarm around the tree cave just went off,” I cut in. “I’ll pick you up in a few minutes.”
He swore and hung up. I raced into the reading room, grabbed the backpack, and threw in everything I thought I’d need, including a few additional charms designed to ward against demons. While the one around my neck would protect me from all manner of evil, the Empusae were capable of at least some minor magics, and I had no idea whether
that would make it possible for them to get past my defenses.
“I wouldn’t think so,” came Belle’s somewhat sleepy comment from the doorway.
“Always better to be safe than sorry.” I closed the last of the storage cupboards and then swung the pack over my shoulder.
She stepped aside to let me pass. “You want me to come with you?”
I shook my head. “I’m picking up Ashworth. You could ring Monty for me, though. I promised to keep him updated.”
“He’ll want you to swing by for him.”
“Yes, but speed is of the essence here. We have no idea how these things communicate, and whether the one we haven’t snared will be able to free the one we have.”
“He helped set that snare, remember. He might be needed to unravel it.”
I swore softly. “I’d forgotten about that bit.”
“I’ll go ring him now. That way, you can pick him up after Ashworth.” She hesitated. “What about Aiden?”
“He can’t do anything up there.” Nothing other than become a target for the free Empusae if she was around the area. “I’ll ring him once we’re up there and have dealt with the problem.”
“Be careful.”
I nodded, swept my purse off the counter, and ran out the back door. It only took me a few minutes to get across to Ashworth’s, and he wasn’t waiting alone. Eli was with him.
“Have you called Monty?” Ashworth said as they both climbed inside.
“Belle has.” I took off. The tires squealed, the sound echoing across the otherwise silent night. “How are we going to proceed?”
“There’s no ‘we’ in this,” Eli said. “You and I are going to stay back and—”
“These things are powerful,” I cut in. “It may just take the four of us to deal with them.”
“Perhaps,” Ashworth said. “But unless we’ve managed to snare both, that still leaves one free to attack. You and Eli are the backup team. If the other bitch does come at us, it’s up to you two to deal with her.”
I wasn’t entirely sure ‘dealing’ with her would be an option given she’d no doubt be winged and also well aware that she was dealing with witches. And if she was capable of minor magic, then it was more than possible she’d conceal her presence until it was absolutely too late to do anything to counter her attack.