“Yes,” Ashworth said, “but let’s concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“Would that be eating the scones?” I said, watching in amusement as he all but inhaled the one he was holding and then reached for another.
“I am one of those rare multitalented male specimens,” he said. “I can talk and eat at the same time.”
“It’s a true gift,” Eli said, voice dry. “Just make sure you’re not sitting opposite him when the conversation gets animated.”
Belle immediately shifted her chair sideways. Ashworth scowled at her, though there was a twinkle in his eyes. “The spray zone isn’t that bad, lass.”
Eli raised an eyebrow but didn’t otherwise dispute the statement.
“So why do hone-onnas go after the witch in their hunting area?” Belle asked. “Wouldn’t it be more sensible to avoid us all?”
“And the younger ones generally do,” Ashworth said. “But the older spirits who are capable of magic like to test their skills against those of the living.”
“And the stronger the witch, the better,” Eli added. “It’s a means of relieving the boredom of their existence, is the common theory behind the practice.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Surely they wouldn’t be able to take down a highly skilled royal witch.”
“That one in Canberra killed five high councilors before she was taken down,” Eli said.
“And in the end, it wasn’t the RWA or even the council’s investigators who caught her,” Ashworth added, “but rather the Black Lantern crew.”
“Why would they have been involved?” I asked. “They track human criminals rather than supernatural, don’t they?”
“As a general rule, yes,” Ashworth said. “But the hone-onna responsible for the kills used black magic to entrap her prey. It was initially thought the deaths could have been the work of a dark sorcerer.”
“That still doesn’t explain why the Society was called in when the high council have their own investigation team.”
“They do but, as I said, no one was sure what they were dealing with, so the council decided to employ all possible avenues of tracking the killer down.”
“I would have thought the state she left her victims in would have clarified what you were dealing with,” Belle said.
Eli glanced at her. “Many dark sorcerers gain power or favors from demons in return for a sacrifice, and not all of those demons require payment in the form of blood. There are many who prefer the energy of life, and it results in a corpse similar to that of the hone-onna’s victims.”
“The problem here,” I said, “is the fact that I’m beginning to think that only one of the two attempts on me was meant to kill.”
“Two?” Eli said. “I thought there were three attacks?”
“I don’t believe the bomb spell was aimed at me. I think it was simply meant to erase any evidence of her presence.”
“If that is true, then why hasn’t she set them at the subsequent murders?” Belle asked.
“Maybe because we’re now aware of her presence and there’s little point.” I shrugged and took a drink. “Something has definitely changed since she pushed the SUV down the canyon, though, because her spell last night was designed to stop rather than kill.”
“Which wouldn’t be all that surprising if she’s come to the conclusion that you’re the more powerful witch,” Ashworth said. “Hone-onna are extremely intelligent—perhaps she has decided that caution is the best course forward.”
“I’m not finding that statement overly comforting,” Belle commented, voice dry.
Neither was I, even if instinct continued to insist she didn’t actually want me dead. Mainly because I had a vague feeling there was a “yet” attached to it somewhere. “If a hone-onna is capable of killing high councilors, what hope have we got of capturing and killing one?”
“This one might not be as powerful as that one,” Ashworth said.
“Given the encounters I’ve already had with her, she’s right up there on the scale.”
Eli grimaced. “That certainly cuts down our options.”
“Monty believes it’s a simple matter of finding her, trapping her, and then killing her as you would any old vampire,” Belle said.
“Monty’s still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to monster hunting,” Ashworth said, amusement evident. “But he is right about the method of killing one.”
“But if she is one of the old and powerful ones,” Eli said, “then the only reason any of us would find her is if she wants to be found.”
Alarm briefly crossed Belle’s face. “Monty’s gone out with a tracker spell attuned to her magic in an attempt to find her. Should we call him back?”
“Even if she does reveal her location to him, he should be safe enough. The lad may be green, but he’s not stupid, even if he sometimes does play the fool.” Ashworth paused, the amusement in his expression growing. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. Don’t want him thinking I’m mellowing.”
Belle smiled. “Your secret is safe with us.”
“Excellent.” He picked up a third scone. “As are these, by the way.”
“You won’t be eating dinner at this rate,” I said, amused.
Eli snorted. “A mountain of scones would never get between Ira and his dinner.”
I laughed and took a drink. “How are we going to get rid of her if her magic is strong enough to conceal her presence from any of us?”
Eli hesitated. “There’re three options, two of which would be far safer than the third.”
“My vote’s for the safe options,” I said. “What are they?”
“If we are simply dealing with a curse, we find the person responsible and get her to recant it.”
My eyebrows rose. “Do hone-onnas always answer the call of a curse?”
“It does depend on the situation, but the hone-onna are particularly attracted to curses placed on those who stray. That’s why many believe they are the spirits of women who were similarly wronged.”
“That is nonsense, of course,” Ashworth said, “but such beliefs are often hard to counter with facts.”
“If it is a curse, then the ex of the first victim is the most likely person to have placed it,” Belle said. “The rangers would have her contact details.”
“What if she’s not responsible for placing the curse? Or even a summoning?” I asked.
“We lure her out with a juicy morsel, naturally.”
“Me being the morsel, no doubt.”
Ashworth nodded, but before he could reply, Belle said, “That doesn’t sound like a sensible plan to me.”
“And it’s one that will depend on whether she actually still wants me dead,” I commented. “As I’ve said, her actions last night suggest that might not be the case.”
He grimaced. “Yes, but it has more chance of success than the third option.”
“Which is?” I asked.
“If we are dealing with a summoning, we find the witch and get her to recant.”