Free A Witch's Trial (Witch's Path Series: Book 3) by N. E. Conneely Page B

It's more than I knew an hour ago."
    "That may be, but it is hardly as helpful as directions for killing them," Elron growled.  
    There was nothing I could say to that, so I switched topics. "Did you find any clues or tips in the diary?"  
    He shook his head. "I looked. If there are any further mysteries on its pages, they have not yet revealed themselves to me. You are more than welcome to examine the book."
    "I will. It's worth looking for more information." I didn't mention having a copy. The spell I'd used to make my copy didn't make an exact duplicate, but rather replicated the text on the pages of a different book. If there were hidden clues, the original was the place to look.  
    The conversation hadn't helped Elron. The corners of his mouth were pinched and his brow wrinkled. He tossed an arm over his eyes and sighed. From the careful way he held himself to the tension in his body, he looked alone and pained.  
    "Elron," I said, and he lifted up his arm and looked at me with watery eyes. "Come here."  
    He scooted around until he was sitting next to me and froze. His eyes darted between his previous spot and me. I patted my leg, and he slowly lay down, head on my thigh. A few strands of hair draped over his cheek. I set my fingers against his temple and brushed the strands back, tucking them behind his ear.  
    "Thank you," Elron said, his body softening as he relaxed.
    "It's what friends do."  
    Minutes ticked by as he rested, and I pondered the new information. There had to be more to it than a story. As nice as it was to have some confirmation that demons were real, it wasn't the most useful information. There wasn't a single word in the tale about how the Hunters had killed demons.  
    The reference to their attrition rate was hardly remarkable. I'd seen how easily this demon killed, and there was little doubt in my mind that it would become more violent if confronted. Given the little I knew about Gremory, it was surprising that there'd been so few deaths. A soft voice in the back of my mind suggested there could be many more bodies hidden in the woods.  
    "Elron?"  
    "Yes?"  
    "What happened to the Hunters who retired?"
    "I do not know." He frowned.  
    "What would you do in their situation?" Please let him have the same idea.
    "Hmmm. I would try to disappear. Whether I moved to a village or lived in seclusion, I would want to be unremarkable. Perhaps I would start a family or pick up a trade. I would not demonstrate any special skill that could identify me."
    Picking up where he left off, I said, "And I'd want to prepare my children. Not to follow in my footsteps, but to protect themselves. Even if the Hunters didn't record their secrets as a group, the individuals would want to protect the ones they loved. Some of their knowledge had to be passed along, maybe even written down."
    "It will be next to impossible to find that information, Michelle."  
    "I know." As I thought, my hand traced circles on his arm. Some races were exceptionally long-lived, and any group hunting something as dangerous as demons would prefer the anonymity of myth.  
    "Do you think there's any chance some of the Hunters are still alive?" I asked.
    Elron shook his head. "Everyone dies, Michelle. For the truth of the stories to be all but forgotten in my parent's time, the Hunters could not have been active for many thousands of years."
    I sighed. It had been a long shot. "I'm out of ideas until I look through the diary again."
    "I will get it." Elron was off the couch and out the door before I could say anything.
    While he was gone, I went into my workroom and slipped the copy in a drawer. Moving over to the cabinet where I'd stored the materials for the hedge-practitioner class I would be teaching, I opened the door and pulled out the basket of wands. Running my hands over them, I felt the wood: oak, ash, cherry, and pine. A smooth cherry wand slipped into my palm, my fingers curled around it, and I could feel a slight warmth