Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,34

he or she simply intended to stop the shifters taking their prey,” Belle said.

“At least two of them were fairly badly hurt,” I said. “That suggests the attacker’s intent was deeper than just interfering with their hunt.”

“I agree.” Monty glanced at me. “Have you got any containers in that backpack?”

“I have Ziploc bags.” And disposable gloves. Aiden might have a seemingly endless supply in his pockets, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have additional ones on hand. “Why?”

“To scrape some of the dried blood into. Might be worth seeing if it’s the same blood on both rocks.”

I got out one of the bags and my blessed silver knife and began scraping. Light rippled down the edge that touched the blood, an indication that it still held the taint of either darkness or magic. “What about the feathers? Do you want to try tracking their owner tonight?”

He hesitated and then motioned toward them. “Let me feel one of them.”

I picked out the one with the strongest vibe and handed it up. He studied it for several moments, testing and probing it magically, then grimaced. “We won’t get very far—the magic we’re feeling is actually some sort of tracking barrier.”

“Why would she magically protect the feathers rather than simply picking them up and taking them away?” Belle said.

He shrugged. “She might have been dazed, either from blood loss or the remnants of whatever spell sent her flying.”

“If she was lucid enough to spell,” I said, “she was lucid enough to simply pick them up. Why leave a magic marker like that?”

“Maybe she doesn’t think we can trace her via her magic.”

“Can you?” Belle asked.

Monty gave her the ‘of course I can’ look. “But those sorts of spells have a very limited range.”

“Then what good is it?” she said. “We can’t exactly drive around the entire reservation in the vague hope the spell will activate.”

“No, but if I unpick her spell and study its structure, I might be able to cast a spell that will have a greater range.” He shrugged. “There’s no guarantee it’ll work—especially if she continues to hide out in uninhabited areas—but it’s worth a shot.”

And it was better than what we currently had—nothing. I carefully gathered the feathers, placed them in the plastic bag, and then handed it up to him.

He briefly caught my wrist. “What in the hell is that?”

“Wild magic—”

“Obviously, but why is it around your wrist like that?”

I hesitated. “Remember how I mentioned Aiden’s sister was now part of the wild magic? Well, apparently this makes it easier for her to communicate with me.”

Which was only a slight variation of the truth. Monty hadn’t yet discovered the second wellspring, and I damn well intended to keep it that way for as long as I could. Neither Gabe nor Katie deserved to have their clearing disturbed by another witch, even a well-meaning one.

Given the strength of the shielding around that clearing, Belle commented silently, it’s doubtful if he’d ever find it. There’s probably a redirect spell entwined through the layers somewhere.

If there is, it didn’t work on me.

No, but you were meant to find it. He’s not.

Monty shook his head. “This shouldn’t be happening. Nothing I’ve read about the wild magic has ever mentioned the connection you seem to be forming with it. I really, really think we need—”

“No,” I cut in curtly. “Don’t even bother finishing that sentence, Monty.”

He hesitated, his expression troubled. “I understand why, but I really think this could be dangerous.”

“Maybe, but I fear Clayton a whole lot more than I fear the wild magic. You know him, Monty. You know how strong he is. Do you honestly think that if he did come here, you’d be able to keep me safe? That you could counter any spell he placed on me.”

“No, but the risk—”

“Is worth it, at least for me. I’m not being dragged back to Canberra, Monty. Not to be prodded and probed, and certainly not to take up the position of that bastard’s wife.”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It makes it damn difficult to find journals relating to human interaction with wild magic without explaining why, you know.”

I gripped his arm. “I know, and I’m sorry, but I just can’t risk him ever finding me.”

Monty grunted. It wasn’t a happy sound. “Then at least tell me why you’ve formed the connection. I think you know that, at the very least.”

I hesitated, and then did so. “It’s only a theory, but it’s also the only thing