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And hope like hell that inner certainty and the growing sense of anticipation coming from Vita would amount to nothing.
Monty and Ashworth activated their circles. The intertwined threads were bright against the shadows of the night, but if the captured Empusae felt their magic or in any way feared what might be happening, she gave no sign of it. Maybe she’d been knocked unconscious when she’d hit the snare barrier. Or maybe she was simply waiting for the right moment to attack.
“Right,” Ashworth said, his voice loud in the surrounding hush. “Let’s contract the snare and force this bitch out into the open.”
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sp; As the two of them picked up the outer layers of their containment spell and began to reel them in, I cast an anxious gaze skyward. There was no immediate sense of threat, no sign of any bird, no indication that there were any other supernatural beings in the area beyond Vita or the trapped Empusae. I felt no easier. We knew so little about these demons; we had no idea if they were capable of telepathic communication or simply had a sixth sense of when the others were in trouble. In reality, it didn’t matter either way. The elder would be up there somewhere, waiting for the right time to attack.
As the containment spell continued to retract, the spell’s energy grew. It stung my skin and made the small hairs on my arms stand on end. I risked a look at the cave. There was no sign of the Empusae as yet, and still no indication that she was aware of what was happening. Maybe she had been knocked out—
A scream of fury rent the air. It was a sound so fierce and otherworldly that goose bumps ran across my skin. It wasn’t anger; it was a call for help.
The other Empusae had to be close.
My gaze jumped skyward again, but there was nothing to see beyond stars and darkness. In the trees to my right, energy stirred, something I felt rather than saw. It wasn’t the Empusae. It was Vita. Coming closer and staining the air with her anticipation of a kill and her need to be a part of it. I wasn’t sure how she was going to achieve the latter without Belle here to aid the process. I was too well-protected for her to take me over, and Eli too canny to allow it.
I can catch a cab out there if need be, Belle said. The three of you should be able to hold her in a snare until then.
I hesitated. Best wait until we do actually catch her. Vita’s more powerful than she makes out, and I don’t trust her.
She gave us a guarantee she wouldn’t overstay. She won’t break that. She dare not.
We’re dealing with a spirit who has been seeking revenge for decades. I very much suspect she’ll say or do anything to get it at this point.
Perhaps. Belle’s mental tone was filled with doubt. But we have little other choice except to trust her, especially if she is as powerful as you suspect.
Which was also totally true.
The trapped Empusae screamed again. Dust plumed out of the cave’s mouth, and the thick stench of rotting meat sharpened abruptly. I could see the far edge of the containment net now, even though the Empusae remained invisible. She had to be using some sort of concealment spell, but any hope she had of convincing us of her absence was somewhat dashed by her screams.
The net contracted until it was roughly six feet high and little more than four or five feet wide. Dust swirled within it, briefly framing the feminine form.
“Right, Monty, freeze her.” Sweat gleamed on Ashworth’s bald head and trickled down the side of his face. “Then I’ll do the deed.”
Monty nodded and the tempo of his magic rose. However much he might jest, however much he might claim not to be powerful enough for Canberra, there was no doubt he was stronger than either Ashworth or Eli.
His magic reached a crescendo, and all movement within the snare stopped. The Empusae screamed again.
This time, the sound didn’t come from the one in the snare.
I swore and readied the demon net. Its light pulsed across the night, a mix of silver and gold that was both my native magic and the wild. It might have been a sleeping element of my magic until I’d come into this reservation, but now that it had awakened within me, there was no keeping it out of my spells.
I scanned the sky again. There was no shadow hiding up there; nothing to indicate she was near.
Nothing except the growing sense of danger.
The caress of Ashworth’s magic rose as he climbed to his feet, a silver knife in one hand. The Empusae might be pinned, but she wasn’t silenced, and her screams of fury now filled the air as she fought Monty’s hold on her, trying to get free, trying to attack.
Monty hissed, a sound almost lost to the noise the Empusae made, and the stink of his sweat stung the air as his magic rose another notch to counter her movements.
Then, from out of the trees behind Eli, shadows moved.
“Eli!” I yelled. “She’s behind you!”
He swung around and slashed with his silver knife. The shadow dodged away then a claw appeared, raking the air. Eli’s protection circle shimmered in response but held firm. The shadow melted away as quickly as it had appeared.
Tension pulsed through me. I scanned the trees, looking for some sign or sense of her. Then Vita’s energy surged, and a ball of light that was so damn bright it brought tears to my eyes shot out of the trees and arrowed past me. My head snapped around and I caught a brief glimpse of a shadowy, feminine shape before it dissolved into feathers and flew upwards, out of the path of the fiery ball. The bright energy didn’t follow. It simply melted away.
