The Hunter and The Hex

Chapter 2

》Rune《

I had wasted no time after the meeting with the weasel. Misthaven was only an 8 hour drive north of the main compound and I arrived just after dark the same day checking into a hotel in the next town over. I laid in bed that night reading and re-reading the single sheet of information I had been given on my target trying to piece together the best way to approach the hag with the least amount of interface.

It wasn't necessarily my job to kill the witch, though it would make things infinitely easier. I needed to first figure out if she even was a real witch, if she had actually hexed Kevin and why she had done so. Only if she was guilty without a good defense would I be able to end her cursed existence and move on. If she had a decent reason it would mean capturing her and taking her back to the compound to plead her case.

I looked over the handwritten accounting and sighed; facts were unfortunately few and many of them may have been a part of a false identity magically conjured up to help her hide.

What was known were the bare basics. Her name was Marinette de la Barre; She owned a shop called 'The Wishing Well' on Main street Misthaven. She is supposedly early twenties but given her physical description I assumed she is much older and is enchanting her looks to remain young looking. I made a note to research missing babies in the area. A charm or enchantment would make sense with Kevin having described her as beautiful no less than 7 times throughout his narrative of events.

I sighed rubbing my eyes wondering how powerful this b***h was to be fooling an entire town. His description screamed enchantment, there was no other explanation for a man to describe a woman who hexed his c**k as being "fun sized."

The colorful way he went on to detail her looks was nothing short of a man smitten, probably a lust spell she cast trying to ensnare him for some devious purpose. Raven's wing black hair worn short and shaggy, large green eyes with come f*ck me long lashes, soft creamy pale skin, perky little breasts, a tight little ass, and even though she was supposedly no more than 5'1" she had nice "gams." I shook my head and laid back, I'd sleep for a few hours and then cruise into town tomorrow morning to begin my investigation.

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It was a little after 9am when I made it to town the next morning. Dressed casually in a pair of relaxed jeans, a black graph tee with a faded stylized norse wolf design in blue and some black motorcycle boots, I wandered up and down mainstreet checking out the various shops.

The town was picturesque, there was simply no other way to describe it. Main Street was a strip of historical buildings retrofitted to be small shops while still maintaining the aesthetic of the town. At the very end of the row closest to the beach was a shop that was still dark with a small folksy Wishing Well taking up precious sidewalk space outside.

I took a seat on a bench across the way on the beach and watched the inhabitants and tourists slowly meander about their mornings. Several times children stopped at the well to throw in a few coins and then would run off giggling about how they hoped the witch would grant their wish. The fact she wasn't hiding what she was had me both curious and extremely concerned.

I made my way back to the cafe I had passed on my original stroll through town. I took a seat at one of the outside tables and quickly was greeted by a cute brunette in her mid twenties. "Hey there sugar! Welcome to The Daily Grind. What can I get for you?" I forced a half smile as I replied "coffee black." My voice was deep and gravelly and I watched as goosebumps raised in her arms. She fanned herself "Oh boy you've got a voice the girls in this town would just go gaga over. Give me just a minute and I'll be out with your drink." She winked at me before she strolled back into the Cafés interior. I shook my head and smirked I was accustomed to women coming on to me but the brunette's playful empty flirtation was a refreshing interaction.

Turning my gaze back to the pedestrians strolling passed I tapped my foot lightly to the beat of the classic rock song on the cafés speakers noting the local radio station must be having a throwback morning. A large mug of black coffee was placed on the table in front of me and I nodded politely. The wind had begun to pick up chasing what was left of the morning mist from the town and I grabbed the hair elastic from my pocket and with a practiced ease pulled my hair back off my neck. "Your hair is gorgeous! I'm Sam by the way." I smirked at her, "um thank you?" She seemed to breeze past me skipping over my name and continued on, if she didn't seem like such a sweet person her incessant prattling would have been annoying. "With hair like that you have got to stop by The Wishing Well, Marinette would die to make you your own personalized haircare products."

I felt my brow arch as I inwardly smiled having found someone to gently press for information, "that's a strange name for a cosmetic supply store." She laughed and patted my bicep then blinked and squeezed it, "damn sugar… anyways the Wishing Well dabbles in a little bit of everything. It's just as eclectic as it's owner. Oh speak of the devil and she'll appear!"