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“The local pub is often the only gathering place many smaller communities have.” He glanced down at his phone and began to type. It didn’t take long to get a result. “Okay, Lola’s Place was an old tavern in McKenzie’s Hill that also did short-term room lets. It closed down some six years ago when the old couple who ran it both died.”
At least that meant the smear of blood wasn’t Lola’s or her husband’s. “Why hasn’t it been sold?”
“Because they’re still searching for heirs.”
Odd that they couldn’t find them in the day and age of social media. I handed Ashworth the glove and collected my spell stones, depositing them in their leather pouch before tucking it safely away in my backpack.
“How did Jaqueline spring you?” Ashworth asked, examining the glove-encased spell stone through narrowed eyes. It was still emitting a dark pulse, and though its rhythm hadn’t altered in any way, I suddenly had a sharp desire to get the hell away from this area while we still could.
I wasn’t about to gainsay it.
I pushed to my feet and slung the pack over my shoulder. “I’m presuming—given what you said earlier about the spell stones—that she must have seen or felt their activation. Thing is, I wasn’t actually seeing things throughher, but rather the rest of the spell stones.”
Ashworth rose with me, surprise evident. “I wouldn’t have thought that even possible, given they are inert objects.”
“I know, right?” I waved a hand. “The problem we now have is, after chasing me down the psi link until my magic stopped her, she now knows we are all here. We need to leave, ASAP.”
“We can’t,” Aiden said. “Not yet. Joel contacted me while you were doing your thing to say they found the mine’s exit. It’d been widened to enable a vehicle to reverse into the mine; the photos Monty sent me suggest it was a van of some kind.”
Probably the same one that whisked Jaqueline away. “No sign of Roger anywhere, I take it?”
Aiden shook his head. “And no traps set, according to Monty. For all intents and purposes, it seemed they got out of that tunnel as fast as they could.”
“Which is no surprise, given they couldn’t be certain the explosion wouldn’t damage the tunnels,” Ashworth said.
Which made sense. “I take it they’re already on their way back here?”
Aiden nodded and glanced at his watch. “Should be another ten minutes or so. Apparently, the tunnel wasn’t very long or deep.”
I nodded and scanned the immediate area again, not sensing anything, not seeing anything. And yet, that sense of doom was increasing.
I rubbed my arms and fought the urge to pace. Aside from the fact it wouldn’t achieve anything, it was too damn hot to move around too much.
“Once the laddie and Eli are back,” Ashworth said, “I think we need to head over to Lola’s and hit them while the lead is fresh, so to speak.”
“Will the five of us be enough?” Aiden asked. “Or will we need to call in additional help?”
“Like who?” Ashworth said. “There’re no Regional Witch Association investigators in the area apart from me, and getting someone in from Canberra will take twenty-four hours, at least. Which means, aside from Belle—”
“And I’d really prefer it if she was kept as backup rather than in the middle of the fray,” I cut in.
I wouldn’t, came her comment,not when it will take the combined strength of all of us to deal with these people.
Oh, I agree with you on that bit, but keeping you in reserve means I can call on your help if necessary. Plus, if the shit does hit the fan and we’re captured, you can ride to the rescue.
She harrumphed.Yeah, because one lone, middling-powered witch will be able to overcome all of them after you lot failed.
My amusement ran down the line between us.Except it’s going to take every bit of their strength to stop us. If you hit them telepathically before they have a chance to recover, you have a fighting chance.
You’re talking through your butt, and you know it.
Which doesn’t make the comment any less legitimate.
“The only other person we can call in quickly is Maelle,” Ashworth continued, “and she’s already said she cannot directly attack her maker.”
“She also said we’re not to kill Jaqueline,” I said, “and I’m not sure that’s even achievable now. If she wants her daughter alive, I suspect she is going to have to help us.”
“Then she needs to be contacted,” Ashworth said. “She’ll be confined to protective darkness until tonight, of course, but it might be worth ringing just to check if she is willing to help.”
