The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 9

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 9

Emma Jane looked around, searching for the cause for Vanessa's behavior. Her gaze fell to the water and she remembered Vanessa had touched it mere seconds before she'd started to act strangely. It was lucky it hadn't been Emma Jane who'd touched it first or Vanessa would have been in even more trouble. Emma Jane couldn’t think of anything that might counteract whatever magic was driving Vanessa’s involuntary movements. Then suddenly, she was struck by one idea. Emma Jane turned to look at Vanessa.

The raven-haired beauty had managed to get up from where she’d tripped. She was now just a few feet away. Emma Jane stepped back down the trail further, moving away from Vanessa's grasping hands.

"Vanessa, you need to focus. I want you to transform again. You're stronger as a raven. Maybe it will be enough to throw off whatever power you're under. I know you can do it, you're stronger than the spell that’s making you act this way."

She watched helplessly as Vanessa struggled against the invisible compulsion. Soon, however, her shoulders relaxed as Vanessa shimmered into the large black bird she'd been only a few minutes earlier. Vanessa flew up, resting on a nearby tree. Shaking her head, her feathers ruffled as she moved.

"It's still strong, Emma Jane. I need to get even further away from you. I can still feel the longing and it's almost overpowering me, even in this form. Will you be okay if I leave for a while? I don't want to go, but I don't know how much of this feeling is me and how much is a spell."

Emma Jane shooed her away. "Go on, I'll be fine. Come back as soon as you feel the compulsion has faded enough so that it's safe for you to be near me."

Emma Jane watched sadly as Vanessa took off, flying high into the sky and circling around before heading down the trail toward the parking lot. Looking around, Emma Jane realized how very isolated she was and how lonely it was in the mountains, away from everyone and anything familiar.

A wave of despair crashed over her. She was so lonely. She would always be alone. Tears rose up to choke her. She tried to force them back as she looked for a place to rest and think. Spying a bench near one of the pools, Emma Jane collapsed onto it, the tears now streaming down her face. She sat like that for several minutes, before a thought crossed her mind.

Maybe these aren’t my true emotions, either. Maybe whatever caused Vanessa to act the way she did is also affecting me.

She found herself latching onto that thought as though it were a lifejacket, remembering the way Vanessa had looked at her, seemingly compelled to move against her will. She’d been almost zombie-like, saying she had to touch her. Maybe this was the same thing. Maybe whatever force was here brought out their deepest, darkest needs. For Vanessa, it was her need to be physically close to Emma Jane, but Emma Jane's need was deeper. Having been alone most of her life, the feelings of loneliness due to her isolation were what overwhelmed her.

Emma Jane straightened up on the bench, looking out across the beautiful ink pots with eyes that were now bone dry. Yes, she'd been alone for as long as she could remember. Yet one day, even if she and Vanessa couldn't be together, she’d still see her family in the afterlife. She was never completely alone, even if it sometimes felt that way. Emma Jane closed her eyes and focused on finding her center then began to meditate. She controlled her breathing while she sat motionless on the bench, breathing in and out until the sadness returned to its usual, more bearable levels. Once she felt she’d achieved control, she opened her eyes to see Vanessa walking toward her in her human form. Emma Jane tensed.

Vanessa held her hands up in front of her palms up, stopping several feet away. "It's okay, Emma Jane, I'm okay now. That was bizarre. I know I love being close to you, but that was like, a thousand times stronger and so, so painful!" She shook her head, examining Emma Jane with concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've been crying. I hope I didn't make you..."

Emma Jane shook her head. "It wasn't you, don’t worry. I think that whatever power made you feel the way you did also caused me to have a similar issue, only mine was extreme loneliness instead of the need to touch you. I've never felt that depth of isolation before and it was horrible."

Emma Jane shuddered as she recalled the crushing anguish that had gripped her. It wasn't a feeling she ever wanted to experience again.

Vanessa looked around the peaceful clearing. "Well, here we are, I guess. It sounds like the feeling has passed for both of us now, but what are we supposed to see here? Is this it? I mean, it's pretty, but I don't see anything that looks like a talisman."

Emma Jane followed Vanessa's gaze as she examined their surroundings, but her vision once again was limited to viewing the faint glow of the animals and plants that were sleeping nearby. "I’m not sure. Evelyn hinted we’d find an amulet or talisman, but didn't tell us where to search or what it even looked like. Maybe we should look for a cave or hiding place of some sort. Why don't we split up? We can start here and go in opposite directions and meet in the middle." Emma Jane looked around the clearing again and nodded. "It's not that big, so we’ll still be able to see each other. I'll go clockwise and you can go counterclockwise."

"Sounds good. Be careful and don’t touch anything at all, okay? We'll just look, then call the other one over if we find something that seems out of place,” Vanessa replied.

They parted to walk around the snowy clearing, moving slowly through the pillowy snow. It wasn't very deep, and was more of a nuisance than an obstruction, but the crunch of the snow echoed like gunshots in the quiet clearing. They searched fruitlessly, finding nothing that seemed out of place or caught their eye.

"It's not going to happen," said Vanessa, when they returned to their starting position. "Whatever it is we're looking for, I don't think we're going to find it like this."

Emma Jane exhaled, her frustration bubbling over. "So now what? This has got to be the place. We've encountered two bears and we've been emotionally devastated. Is there a third thing that we have to do?"

Emma Jane looked around the clearing with full-blown irritation, beyond seeing the beauty of the location, even had she been able to fully appreciate it.

"Not to mention all the work it was just to get to this far," Vanessa added.

Emma Jane sighed and looked at Vanessa. "Maybe I was hoping for too much from today. We should go back."

Vanessa stared at her with shock, her eyebrows shooting up underneath her wool hat. "What? No way! After all that? Absolutely not. I'm going to sit my butt right down on this bench and stay until something else mystical happens. I can't believe you'd be willing to give up, after everything we’ve already been through."

As she spoke, she moved to sit on the bench and unzipped her jacket. Emma Jane sat beside her, but left enough space so that she didn't accidentally brush against her.

"What if we aren't worthy and that's why they haven’t appeared? The spirit of Big Bear was supposed to be here..." Emma Jane trailed off sadly, adding, "it’s all my fault. I wasn't strong enough."

Vanessa looked at her, eyes wide as she shook her head. "Seriously? You're going to say that? The girl who's been alone since she was twelve, hunting witches, demons, and all things dark in the night? The girl who ran away in fear that she'd hurt me, then came back, when trying is the scariest thing in the world?" she said, conviction ringing in her voice. "The same girl I watched go toe-to-toe with a human-shaped rug-monster yesterday? No, you aren't lacking strength, but maybe you have the same problem that I do, after all."

"What problem do you mean?" Emma Jane saw the belief behind Vanessa's words and what she'd said rang true to her hopeful ears.

"I've always leapt before I looked, " said Vanessa, "wanting everything to happen immediately, impatient for the next great thing to occur. I've been particularly guilty of that with you, Emma Jane." Vanessa flashed a rueful smile, shrugging before she continued. "I've wanted to be close to you so much, to touch you, to just hold you, that sometimes I've felt everything was unfair and I’d get angry, feeling I deserved to be allowed and able to touch you. But maybe that's just my pride and not what I need to focus on. Maybe I need to accept this is just how my life is, at least for now. Maybe one day it will change. Maybe we'll find this amulet, but maybe we won’t. I feel blessed right now just to have had this amazing day with you and to have met you in the first place. Maybe this Bear guy will show up today, maybe we’ll never see him, but either way I got to hike in beautiful winter woods, in a breathtaking mountain range, with the most amazing person I've ever met. I have an entire week to spend with you alone, away from work and reality, and that’s all the beauty I'll ever need."

Emma Jane felt tears build behind her eyes. The pressure gathered force as Vanessa spoke. She was right. They'd been so focused on each other and on getting to the goal that she'd lost sight of the reason why they were there in the first place. Why did everything have to be right now? Sure, it was hard not moving their relationship further, but how many couples kept chaste, hardly touching or sharing physical love until they were married years later, and still had amazing relationships?

"Thanks, Vanessa. I needed to hear that. You’re right, I can wait. Being with you like this is the best experience I've had in a long time. It’s enough for me too."

As she said the words, a sense of peace wrapped around her. It felt as though she'd reached the end of a long journey and was returning home for the first time in ages.

A sudden chill caused her to shiver as the bright winter sun passed behind a cloud. Curious, she squinted at the emerald pool and noticed an odd shimmer on the surface. The disturbance became larger, expanding outward in a fine, glowing mist.

"Do you see that, Vanessa?" she whispered.

Complete silence descended on the clearing, as though cotton had covered her ears. The birds stopped singing, highlighting her sense of altered reality. Vanessa nodded slowly, not taking her eyes away from the eerie glow.

"Yeah, I do. What do you think it is?"

Emma Jane shook her head as she watched the shimmer hover above the shifting liquid of the pool, before coalescing into the semi-solid form of a man. It became more defined as it moved away from the water, coming to rest on the ground in front of the pool. In front of them was a man, dressed simply in traditional leggings with a buffalo robe and moccasins. His face was solid and chiseled, as though he'd emerged from the mountain itself.

Emma Jane got up from the bench and approached, stopping a few feet away from the man. She bowed her head respectfully and spoke while avoiding eye contact, keeping her head lowered as Samuel had always insisted upon when speaking with an elder.

"Greetings, Mistahi-maskwa. We are here to learn from you, if you wish to share your wisdom with us, though we be unworthy to receive it. I have brought sweetgrass and tobacco in thanks for honoring us with your presence."

Vanessa stood up, moving to stand behind Emma Jane.

"Am I supposed to say something? I don't know what to say," she murmured.

Emma Jane shook her head almost imperceptibly, but Vanessa understood and fell silent. They waited, watching as the spirit of Big Bear moved closer then stopped. He stood and watched them with an unreadable expression for several minutes while the sun stayed hidden. The shadows created an eerie atmosphere, which surrounded him like a cloak.

"You have come seeking a treasure."

Emma Jane looked up briefly then bowed again in acknowledgment. "Yes, we have, kihtehayah, but we have discovered the treasure was with us this whole time. We hope we haven't disturbed you from your rest, or bothered you by our presence in your mountains."

Big Bear nodded in approval. "I am pleased. Your journey of discovery has indeed been fruitful. You have shown respect to the grizzly spirit and learned to harness your own emotions, a difficult task many people never accomplish. You have rid the mountain of an evil spirit which has dwelled within the rocks for centuries. As a reward for your service and your bravery, you will find a pebble beside the green pool that is different from the others. You will know it at once. Place it on a rawhide string for the raven to wear. It will provide great protection and can only be removed by her hand. You both have much to accomplish to balance the world and this stone shall help you on your path. While your way will be rocky you will travel it together, as long as the raven keeps the talisman close to her heart."

"Thank you..." Emma Jane started, but at that moment the sun broke through the clouds and temporarily obscured her spirit vision in a way she'd never experienced. When she opened her eyes, Big Bear was gone. She turned to Vanessa and they shared a moment of silence while they processed what had happened.

"He came after all. That's cool," said Vanessa, starting for the pool. "Let's look for the pebble!"

Emma Jane shrugged. "That's our target, and our reward, if he wasn't just a shared hallucination."

Vanessa laughed, as they hurried to the green pool from which Big Bear had just materialized.

"I’m pretty sure that happened. Shared hallucinations usually involve some peyote or LSD and it hasn't been that sort of quest so far." Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "You don't have any peyote on you, do you?"

Emma Jane gave her a look. "Really? We went through customs. You think I'm crazy enough to chance that going through security?"

Vanessa laughed and shook her head, waving away Emma Jane's indignant tone. Her mood had returned to the same hopeful one she'd almost flown up the mountain with that morning. They spent several minutes looking diligently under every piece of dried grass and each of the snowy chunks surrounding the pool until Vanessa spotted a glimmer of a dark green, sitting just inside the water.

She looked at Emma Jane with trepidation, biting her lip. "I think that's what we want, but is it safe to touch the water again?"

Emma Jane wrinkled her nose. "I think so. The last time was about testing us, not because of the water itself. I’m almost certain. After all, tourists come here by the score and no one has reported any mass delusions or weird events before or there’d be warning signs up beside the water. Go ahead, pick it up."