The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 7-1

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 7

That night, Vanessa slept deeply, hardly even moving in her bed as the hours passed. Then she began to dream. To her surprise, she opened her eyes inside the familiar glade where she'd always encountered Robin. She hadn't seen him since...wait, was it in Scotland? That had been so long ago. She walked around the glade, watching as tiny fairies floated in the breeze like seeds. She joined them, drifting above the glade’s carpet of emerald grass with a lightness of heart that had been missing for a long time. She whirled in the air, her magic allowing her to play with them, and she only stopped when she heard the sound of someone laughing below.

Vanessa touched down, giving the man watching her a big smile before she ran to greet him. She knew that Cat treated him with what their dad considered an appropriate amount of deference, given he was technically the earth god of their ancestors, but Vanessa wasn't big on formality. Luckily, neither was Robin, at least as far as she’d seen with Evelyn and herself.

"Robin! I'm so glad to see you here! Wait, why am I here? Is this a dream?"

Suddenly remembering that she hadn't gone to a gate in order to find him and had been on the verge of falling asleep the last time she'd been aware of anything, Vanessa pulled back, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Robin laughed, then twirled her around a few times before letting her go. His skin was still a heathy nut-brown and his curly-hair and mischievous look were unchanged, but he was no longer the cheerful eight-year-old boy she’d first met. Ever since he'd come clean to Evelyn about their shared past, he’d always appeared as a handsome young man whenever he visited. It was possible that this was his true form, or maybe he thought it would be more appealing to Evelyn, but either way since Scotland, no one had seen the little boy version of Robin. Vanessa was a little sad about the change, as he'd been such a cutie then, but had to admit that his grown-up look wasn't hard on the eyes. He stood about six feet tall now, with well-muscled arms and a chiseled jaw, and could have appeared on the cover of any magazine in the world had he wished to.

"I wanted a quick word with you before you wake up."

Vanessa wondered if she was in trouble. After all, the creature Emma Jane had just killed was technically of the earth.

As if reading her mind, Robin smiled before he answered. "No, my child, it's not that. You were right to find your love and protect her, and she was merely doing her job, balancing the forces of good and evil. Neither of you are prone to violence for its own sake. That is not why I'm here."

Vanessa exhaled, relieved he wasn’t banishing her to the naughty corner. What would that even look like? She’d no idea if having Robin Goodfellow mad at her would count as a death sentence, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't be great for her health.

"Why am I here then? I mean, I'm glad you aren't mad at me and I always like to see you, but generally you’re too busy just to say hi."

Robin smiled, then did a quick somersault, rolling over to a tree before hopping gracefully onto a branch and dangling upside down. Vanessa shook her head. Ever since she’d met him he’d always done stuff like this, but it looked totally different as an adult than it had when he'd appeared to be a child. Now he resembled a circus performance instead of a kid playing around.

"I wanted to let you know that the first part of your challenge has been successfully navigated. You were correct that you were meant to face the sásq’ets as a team. But as you suspected, it was only half of your quest to be together. Tomorrow, you will reach the summit of your journey."

"Really? That’s so exciting! You’ve got no idea how much this means to me." Vanessa could have hugged him, until she saw his expression.

Robin smiled, but looked troubled as he reached out a hand to touch her face, still regarding her from his upside-down position.

"Oh, but you would be mistaken if you assume your remaining tasks are simple. That’s why I'm here. You will be tested, brought to a place you think you cannot handle, but you will be able to persevere if only you can remember what is at stake. Your love for each other shines so brightly I can see it from Summerland. Is it necessary for me to be here? No, probably not. But I know that Evelyn and Cat are concerned about you and Emma Jane being so far from their help. I can now let them know you are well and on your way to success. Remember when you awake that you will succeed, but only if you are able to hold the course."

Vanessa felt his warm hand against her cheek and heard his words. Then, with a flash of light, he was gone. She was alone in the glade with only the memory of his presence and the words he’d spoken ringing in her ears.

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