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Ashworth swore and picked up his pace. For an old man, he moved damn fast. I did my best to keep up with him, batting branches away from my face but tearing clothes and skin. It didn’t matter. Nothing did, except getting to the attack point not too far behind Aiden.
A thick sense of evil now stained the drifting breeze. I swallowed heavily and wove a repelling spell around my fingers. A spell to cage whatever evil lay ahead would have been far better, but I had no idea if the cages I could construct were strong enough to contain a demon so powerful it could strip flesh from bones in a matter of minutes.
The trees abruptly gave way to a small, rock-strewn track. Ashworth skidded to a halt, brown dust pluming around his legs as he looked around and then turned left, following the faint glimmer down the road.
I followed, my gaze on the uneven ground rather than the scrub on either side. Even so, I was aware that the locator thread no longer spooled; Aiden had stopped.
I hoped he was okay. Hoped the silence meant the demon had fled, even if it also meant we were once again too late to save whoever had been attacked.
The track widened and the pulse of my spell grew stronger. I found speed from who knew where and all but flew over the ground, catching up to Ashworth and then pulling slightly ahead. Had Aiden in any way been in danger, Katie would have no doubt come to get me, but I still needed to see him with my own eyes.
Which said a whole lot more about the depths of my feelings for the man than I really wanted to think about.
The trees thinned out and the road flattened. A figure appeared up ahead, his hair silvered by the moonlight. Relief surged but just as swiftly died.
Aiden might be okay, but death now rode in the air, and it was accompanied by such a fierce wave of confusion and agony that it sent me stumbling.
Ashworth grabbed me before I hit the ground. “You okay, lassie?”
I dismissed the tendrils of the repel spell from around my fingers and then nodded. “It’s the backwash of the victim’s emotion. You go on; I’ll try to strengthen my shields.”
He hesitated long enough to ensure I wasn’t about to fall over again and then continued toward Aiden. I retreated just beyond the reach of the emotional wave then took a deep breath and concentrated on my shields. I needed to double down on what already existed, rebuilding the unseen walls just as I’d been taught so long ago, before adding the tweaks I’d learned since. Only this time, those tweaks involved the wild magic. It was in me, a part of me, and even in something as simple as this—something that didn’t involve magic, but rather mental strength—it would not be denied.
Which is a bit of a worry, really, came Belle’s comment.
I think that qualifies for the understatement of the year.
She chuckled softly. I can help with additional shielding, if you want. It’ll only be temporary, but that’s all you need right now.
Hang on, and I’ll test the psychic waters.
I finished shoring things up then drew in a deep breath and took several steps forward. The wave of emotion washed around me, but it held none of the fierceness of before. I moved closer, ready to jump back the second it became too much. The dark wave grew stronger, a turbulence that would wash me away the second my shields wavered. They didn’t.
Excellent, Belle said. But I’ll remain in contact an
d jump in the second they do.
Thanks.
Aiden glanced up as I approached. “You okay? You look a little pale.”
I nodded and stopped beside him. The bones once again sat on the edge of a crossroad, although this one was little more than the intersection of two walking tracks. They were also somewhat scattered rather than either buried or neatly piled, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. It almost looked as if there’d been some sort of feeding frenzy… I swallowed heavily, then switched off the flashlight and shoved it in my pocket. I really didn’t need to see anything more.
Ashworth stood several feet away from the bulk of the remains, probing them magically. After a few more seconds, he grunted and stepped back. “There’s nothing dangerous here.”
Aiden walked closer. I remained where I was. My shields might be holding but I didn’t want to push them.
“And the demon?” Aiden asked.
“Long gone.” Ashworth pulled the feather from his pocket. The spell had faded to the point where it was little more than a faint spark. “And the shifter has also left the area.”
“Could the shifter and this demon be connected?” Aiden asked.
Ashworth hesitated. “It’s always possible, but the shifter’s trail was heading in the opposite direction until the victim screamed.”
“Maybe she raced here in order to join in on the fun.” I rubbed my arms and did my best to ignore the blood slowly dripping from the leaves above the main pile of bones.
Aiden glanced at me. “Shifters don’t eat humans.”
