“Apparently not.” She motioned toward the SUV. “There’s a first aid kit in the back of the truck—you might want to head down and look after that wound on your thigh.”
“I will. Thanks.”
I hobbled on down to the truck. Once I’d found the first aid kit, I carefully washed away the worst of the muck and grime from both the scrapes on my arms and the one on my thigh. It was the worse by far—a long, deep wound that probably needed stitches. But I found some antiseptic and some butterfly Band-Aids inside the kit, so applied all that instead and then wrapped a crepe bandage around the thigh wound for additional support.
With all that done, I climbed into the truck and leaned back against the headrest, drawing in deep breaths in a vague attempt to ease the weariness and lingering wisps of pain. It didn’t really help. Nothing but a mountain of food and a solid ten hours of sleep would do that.
After a few more minutes, I opened my eyes and reached down for the backpack. Belle had said she’d packed everything, so hopefully that also meant some snack bars. It did.
I spent the next fifteen minutes munching on a variety of nuts, chocolate, and protein bars, and washed it all down with some painkillers and water. While it didn’t in any way mute either the stiff soreness or the overall tide of weariness, it did at least boost the energy reserves.
Tala’s SUV was briefly spotlighted as another truck pulled up beside it. I glanced across and saw it was Aiden and Monty.
I climbed out but kept my grip on the door handle. Despite the painkillers and all the food, my head remained a little spacy.
Monty jumped out of the truck. “How come you get all the fun?”
“Born unlucky, I guess.” My voice was dry. “Believe me, I’d much rather have stayed at the café and avoided this bitch, but that really wasn’t an option once my psychic radar went off.”
“And did you manage to avoid getting hurt this time?” Aiden came around the back of the truck, his gaze sweeping me. “No, you did not.”
I grimaced. “It’s only a few more cuts and—”
“It’s more than that.” His voice was edged with anger and concern. “You’re holding on to that door for grim death.”
“Yeah, but that’s because I’ve been spelling. It’s not from the scrapes.” I tossed Monty the small bottle. “Found this for you.”
He caught it easily, and his expression went from curious to fascinated. “It feels like a piece of the soucouyant—how did you get this? And where the hell did you learn this spell? It’s something they teach in uni, and one you shouldn’t have known.”
Let alone have the power to construct. He didn’t add that last bit, but he didn’t need to. It was very evident in the look he gave me.
“I tried caging the soucouyant in the demon snare, but missed, so I flicked one of the spell threads out after her. It obviously got close enough to slice an ember off.”
His gaze narrowed. “You skipped out of school before they taught that particular spell—which, by the way, normally doesn’t have a tendril variation.”
“Yes, but I did read the basics of that spell at school, and I saw you perform it.” I shrugged. “The variation came out of desperation.”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous to create new spells on the fly?”
“Obviously not.”
He shook his head and raised the thread-wrapped bottle. “And the spell around this? Where did that come from?”
“It’s one Eli did not so long ago. Thankfully, I remembered it.”
“Your witch powers might not be up to scratch, but your memory sure as hell is.” He glanced down at the bottle again. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to work a spell through this to track her, though.”
I frowned. “Why not? The essence is still active—”
“Yes, but to weave a tracking spell into it, I’ll first have to dismantle your spell, and that might just extinguish the ember.”
I swore softly and shoved a hand through my hair, catching tangles and bits of leaf matter. “So it’s all been a wasted effort?”
“No, because I can certainly walk you through the tracking spell. It just depends entirely on whether you’ve got the energy to do it all again.”
“Does it have to be done tonight?” Aiden asked. “I’m all for catching this bitch ASAP, but not at the cost of putting Liz in hospital.”
A smile touched my lips. “I’m fine—really, I am.”