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Eli shook his head at Monty’s back and stopped several yards inside the clearing. “I take it the smell is confirmation that we have indeed snared one of the Empusae rather than some other kind of demon?”
“Not entirely, as the spell we set was a general demon snare rather than Empusae specific,” Ashworth said. “But there’s few who have this particular scent.”
“And isn’t that a good thing.”
I stopped beside them both. The glittering threads of wild magic that powered my spell moved in a lazy circle around the tree cave. Despite the fact I’d only set the spell to raise the alarm once, the underlying magic remained strong. It was yet another example of the wild magic changing the intent of my spell.
Monty stopped close to the edge of my spell and bent to inspect the cave. “I can’t see any movement—are you sure we’ve actually caught—”
Something flew out at him; something that was all flesh and talons and howling rage.
He jumped back instinctively, but lost his balance and would have fallen had Ashworth not lunged forward to grab him.
His naked attacker hit the invisible boundary of the snare and tumbled back into the darkness of the cave.
“I think that rather succinctly answers your question,” Eli said, his tone dry.
“Yes.” Monty nodded his thanks to Ashworth. “They’re rather fearsome-looking things, aren’t they?”
“That they are.” Ashworth swung his pack around. “Let’s create a double protection circle around the cave. We can then force her out and kill her.”
I handed Monty his pack. “How are you going to do that? A stake isn’t practical, because if you get within arm’s reach of that bitch, she’ll tear you apart.”
“The youngster here can freeze her. I’ll handle the staking and decapitation part.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why both?”
“When it comes to demons, I always work on the theory that more is better.”
“What are you going to do if it’s the elder we’ve caught? Our White Lady isn’t going to be pleased if you steal her vengeance.”
“It’s not the elder,” Monty said. “It doesn’t feel that strong.”
“Agreed,” Ashworth said. “Which means if the other one does attack, you two are going to have to capture her rather than kill.”
“You do know how to spin a demon snare, don’t you?” Eli asked.
I nodded, and didn’t admit just how recently I’d learned or that my knowledge came from watching Monty rather than formal training. I didn’t think either he or Ashworth would appreciate that sort of information right now.
Ashworth began placing his spell stones onto the ground. Monty followed, weaving his in and out of Ashworth’s. It would double the strength of the protection circle when it was raised.
Once the circle fully encompassed the tree cave, the two men stepped inside. Ashworth looked at me and said, “Take your spell down. We can’t risk the wild magic interfering with what we’re about to attempt.”
I nodded and immediately dismantled my spell. As the threads faded and the wild magic floated away, the night seemed darker. More volatile.
I scanned the trees, unsure whether the inner tension was simply nerves or a not-so-subtle warning from my psi senses that things were about to hit the fan big time. And maybe part of that certainty rose from the fact that it had been a little too easy to snare this Empusae—especially after the death of the younger one. It would have warned them they were dealing with witches—even if the source of the magic for that first death had come from a dead witch rather than a live one—and it should have made them more cautious.
So why would this one have flown—or even walked—so easily into this trap?
I could perhaps understand it if dawn had been close and she was desperate to get undercover, but sunrise was at least an hour and a half away yet.
And that suggested the Empusae might well be using this trap against us. After all, it was doubtful they’d be aware there were four witches in this reservation rather than the usual one.
I flexed my fingers and resisted the urge to reach for the wild magic. I couldn’t use it against the demons, not if we were going to kill them. The wellspring might now be well protected, but we still risked staining it if it was used in such a way.
“I’ll set up on the far side of the tree. You watch from this side,” Eli said. “And keep alert. If the other one is out there and realizes what we’re doing, her attack will be hard and fast.”
I nodded and moved into the center of the clearing. After placing my pack on the ground, I drew out my silver knife and the charms and placed both on the ground in front of me. Then I carefully set out my spell stones and raised a protection circle, making sure I wove in exceptions that allowed me to throw spells or even my knife without shattering its magic. Then, finally, I wove the demon snare, fashioning it into a ball that could be easily thrown. But I didn’t completely tie off the spell or activate it; I just placed it on the ground, ready to be grabbed. There was nothing else I could do then but sit and wait.
