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I grimaced ‘Yeah I think so’

Winter reached into Blackbeard’s bag and pulled out an urn He waved it at ment and returned my attention to the woman ‘You were in a coven In Dorset’

She stared atus?’ Before I could reply, she answered her own question ‘No,’ she said ‘That would have been him, wouldn’t it? The one who did this to me To us’

This wasn’t an enjoyable conversation but I had to continue ‘You were awake? When he killed you?’

Her fingers went up to her neck where there was an ugly wound ‘I was first,’ she whispered, ‘and he was clu away and I sahat he did to the others’ She looked around ‘Where are they?’

‘Three are in a place not far from here called Wistman’s Wood Three are probably still with theyour coven’s ashes one by one, every tian forest and your companions there cannot leave We don’t knohether that’s deliberate on the part of your murderer or not’

I glanced back at Winter If ic was true, it was certainly possible that he are of the strange properties of Wistman’s Wood and had chosen it specifically

‘Tonight is a new moon?’ she asked

I shookto leave your remains in the ith the others, but we don’t knohy he’s not waited until the moon turns when he always has before’

‘He’s bored,’ she said softly ‘He needs more’

I started

She sist too I didn’t ith murderers but they were part ofnow and he wants to keep going He’s drawn out disposing of our re his enjoyh He’s et rid of all of us as quickly as possible so that he can et’

Her voice was so matter-of-fact that it sent a chill downwitches,’ I told her ‘He doesn’t seem to like them And it’s possible he can nullify any spells thrown his way’

She considered this ‘That makes sense,’ she nodded ‘Timothy was the second one to die He had herbs with him for protection because he wasfollowed He used the’ She raised a shoulder ‘Obviously the herbs didn’t work’

I absorbed her words with a faintly sick feeling ‘Why did he think he was being followed?’

‘He’d had strange ’

I sucked in a breath Timothy hadn’t been one of the coven ht tell us more about Blackbeard, I had to find outthe duffel bag but he’d abandoned ruon

‘Are there any other urns there?’ I asked

‘No There’s just the one There’s a name on it,’ he added, ‘if that’s helpful’

‘I’m Clare Rees,’ the woman said

I checked with Winter ‘Clare Rees?’ I asked

He nodded

‘It was our custom to perforestured at herself and I realised she earing exactly the same outfit as the three others from her coven ‘There aren’t any pockets In any case, we tend to leave all real-life objects at hoic’