The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

THE WEDDING CHAPTER 4

THE WEDDING CHAPTER 4

Vanessa knew she was close to hyperventilating. She was holding Emma Jane's arm and they were standing at the back of the room, waiting for their cue to walk down the aisle. The entire audience was before them, seated in chairs that had been separated in the middle, creating an aisle just wide enough for them to walk down together. They’d put their friends and family in the first row, with everyone from work and all of Vanessa’s other acquaintances behind the handful they held the nearest and dearest. This basically meant that the room was arranged so that everyone with an iota of power was right at the front.

Vanessa wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but as she looked around the room, she prayed that nothing would happen to anyone there. Although she knew it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but think about all of those she'd seen or known in the past who’d had awful things happen to them because of the evil which seemed to be on a constant collision course with her and those she loved. Also, she had no idea how to pronounce the name of the demon snake-lady who was trying to kill her, which was irritating. Was it uncheckulna? Unugigula? What had Samuel called her? Either way, she wasn't going to let anything ruin today.

"Are you ready?"

Emma Jane's deep contralto whispered over her nerve endings, soothing them in a way that only she could. Even through her nerves, Vanessa was overpowered by the strength of her love for this woman.

She nodded. "I'm always ready to tell the world how much I love you."

Emma Jane blushed, smiling shyly, and Vanessa settled for squeezing Emma Jane's hand, knowing they didn't have enough time for her to show Emma Jane the extent of her affection. She caught Cat’s eye as she stood beside Samuel at the front of the room. Once Cat knew Vanessa was ready, she nodded and signaled the organist. As the haunting chords of Pachelbel's Canon filled the air they strolled down the aisle, nodding as they passed familiar faces smiling happily back at them, completely unaware of the anxiety lurking beneath the surface of the happy couple’s smiles.

Samuel stood straight and strong at the front of the room, but Vanessa could see the keen awareness in his eyes as he surreptitiously surveyed the room, scanning it in the same way she'd seen Emma Jane do while out on a hunt. He may be old, but Vanessa knew he was still a hunter at heart, regardless of whether or not he’d been active in recent years. Vanessa blinked, realizing with a start that they’d already reached the front and now stood only a few paces from Samuel. He gestured for them to turn and face the crowd, and as Vanessa looked out, she saw her family in the front row. Her mother was smiling through tears while her dad sat up tall, a proud look on his face. Evelyn sat beside them, watching them approach with an odd smile. To Vanessa’s surprise, her handsome partner, Robin, sat beside her. He gave Vanessa a cheeky wink, causing her to shake her head with amusement. He was definitely the most attractive man in the room, but she only had eyes for Emma Jane.

Sitting beside Robin was Evelyn's mom, Mary-Jean Baptiste, who calmly smiled at Vanessa with both hands folded in her lap. Evelyn's mother had been part of everything they’d done, right from the beginning. With magic of her own, she’d pushed and prodded her only daughter until she’d finally achieved her destiny. Vanessa shook her head, still in awe of the woman.

The front row on the other side had Zahara with her fiancé, Omar, seated next to her. Vanessa had met him for the first time a few days ago, overjoyed to find him to be an absolutely perfect match for her friend. Not only could he shift into a fox the way Zahara could but he also had ties to her family that went back centuries. Vanessa was touched they’d been able to make the long trip, as she knew Zahara was bound to protect the magic where she lived in the same way that Robin was necessary to protect the earth magic of the British Isles.

Seated beside Omar were Jake and Mai. As Vanessa has suspected would be the case, they’d been unable to leave their children behind, so all three of the triplets were there as well. The tired parents were currently struggling to keep them quiet and almost succeeding. If Vanessa was right, she thought they’d be almost three now. They were as cute as could be and easy to tell apart by the varying shades of dark brown hair as well as their eyes colors; brown, blue, or hazel. But as cute as they were, they were still toddlers, and Mai looked frazzled. The moment she’d seen the children, Vanessa was glad she’d decided against having the girls stand up at the front in the traditional fashion for bridesmaids. If they had, she was certain there would've been children running amok down the narrow aisle. As it was, it looked like the little boy was ready to bolt, but Jake had noticed at the last moment, snagging him by the pants before he could escape. Vanessa almost laughed aloud at the look of frustration on his face, but managed to bite it back before the sound escaped.

All of Vanessa's loved ones were there, and she couldn't help but feel blessed that she had so many, especially in comparison with Emma Jane, who’d asked only Samuel to attend. She planned to spend the rest of her life making sure that Emma Jane was never alone again. All the other faces in the crowd were a pleasant addition to the day, but Vanessa knew that none of them were required for her happiness. She smiled down at Emma Jane, her anxiety temporarily damped down by love.

Samuel cleared his throat and began.

"We are gathered here today, to witness the promises between these two individuals. They have pledged to love and honor each other, through sickness and health, through good times and hard times."

Vanessa's eyes prickled with tears as Samuel's deep voice imparted a marked solemnity to the occasion. She looked out at her friends and family and her sense of rightness multiplied. These vows were important and she knew they would honor them always, knew that their love could handle anything life could throw at them. But even as Vanessa exhaled with a sense of fulfilment, she began to feel cold.

As though someone had just opened the door to the outside and the frigid air of winter was drifting in, the temperature in the room dropped precipitously. She sensed the tension more than actually saw it, but as the temperature dropped, both Emma Jane and Samuel instantly went on the alert; like cougars ready to pounce on their prey.

Vanessa searched the room, but saw nothing. As she knew all too well from past experience, that didn't mean there wasn’t anything there. She caught her sister’s eye, then Cat turned to Evelyn. Without a word, Evelyn closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they’d changed to a swirling, pearlescent white, similar to Emma Jane’s, yet different. Hers glowed as though rainbows had become trapped inside clouds, and as Vanessa watched, the faintest hint of light suffused Evelyn’s skin, making her look as though she was being powered by something luminous inside. The faces in the crowd became dreamy, then slack, as fog began to roll in over the ground. At that exact moment, all hell broke loose.