The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 3-3

THAT NIGHT, EMMA JANE travelled to the forest of spirits again. She could always tell when she was there. The sound of children's laughter filled her heart with both joy and pain. She could still recall running around in the woods with her brothers and the sadness of knowing she'd never do that again pierced her like a knife, as it did every time she dwelled on the past. She also knew that when she heard the laughter, her mom wouldn't be far behind and she eagerly looked around for her. It almost felt as if she was there with her at those times; her appearance and words always seemed so solid and real. Sometimes, when fortune smiled on her, she could even feel the warmth of her mom's hug before she vanished again, to the place where spirits go to wait for their loved ones.

However, this time as Emma Jane walked through the trees she couldn't find her. The sound of her brothers playing still echoed around her, reassuring her that she was in the right place. She looked down at her feet sadly, examining the bare, exposed toes. She entered the dreams in whatever she'd been wearing to bed, so that night her feet were bare and her hair was long and loose down the back of a simple t-shirt, reaching to brush the top of her shorts. Her vision became what it had been before the spirits had worked their magic on her. Maybe mom is upset with me, or unhappy that I've fallen in love with a woman? Emma Jane felt the familiar hot prickle of tears begin to sting her eyes and turned away.

"Why are you crying, my child?"

Emma Jane whirled at the familiar contralto, a voice she now realized sounded almost the same as hers. She was close to the age her mom had been at the time of her death and each time Emma Jane saw her now, she felt a sense of pride that she looked and sounded so much like the woman she’d loved more than anyone else in her entire life. Until now.

"Mom. I didn't think you were going to come. I thought, maybe, that you were..."

"Disappointed?"

Her mom stepped out of the trees toward Emma Jane, a look of compassion and love wreathing her face with an ethereal glow. "The only way I would ever be upset with you, my girl, is if you lived a life devoid of honor and self-respect. I see nothing in your heart or mind to suggest you have fallen from the path of light," she paused. "But I do see someone new in there. Tell me about her."

Her mom stood beside her and held out her hands, which Emma Jane took with gratitude. She'd been too young to even think about discussing love and life with her mom until after she'd died. Emma Jane hadn't counted on her dreams however, or having the aid of the ancestors either. Yet since her mom had died, Emma Jane had been blessed with many discussions she’d never expected to have.

"She's the sun after the rain, Mom. She has such fire in her soul. Sometimes she speaks without thinking, but her intentions are good. Her anger can boil over like a pot on the stove, but just as quickly she’ll calm down and apologize. But the best part is that she loves me back. Even though I’m a danger to her, even though I could kill her with a touch, she wants to stay with me and find an answer to our challenge." Emma Jane shook her head in wonder as she continued. "I don't understand it, but I’ve never felt so much joy, or pain, because of one person."

Her mom nodded, a small smile crossing her face. "I know that feeling all too well. It sounds like you have a bad case of love, my girl."

Emma Jane looked at her ruefully. "Yeah, it kind of does, doesn't it?"

Her mom smiled, squeezing her daughter's hands. "Enjoy it as long as you can, my dear. I loved your father so much. If I hadn't had you four children in my life when he died, I think I would have died from heartbreak then as well."

She looked at Emma Jane, searching her eyes as she appeared to consider something before she nodded, setting her jaw as though what she was about to say would be unpleasant. Emma Jane braced herself. "You don’t remember all that your father was, do you?"

Emma Jane shook her head, not sure where her mom was going with her question. "He died when I was only eight. I remember him holding me, giving pony rides, and once, putting a bandage on my knee when I’d fallen off my bike. But my memories are faded and he’s been gone even longer than you and the boys. Even my memories of our time together have grown threadbare," said Emma Jane, her heart swelling with guilt and apology.

Her mom nodded, looking sad. “Your dad had powerful medicine, my girl. You don't get your gifts from me, but from him. Just as your kokum took you to Samuel to be trained, your father was trained by him when he was a child."

Emma Jane was taken aback. "Why didn’t Samuel ever tell me this? How did I not know?"

Her mom patted her hand, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I didn't wish to have my children know about the danger their beloved dada put himself into. I was always proud of him, never think otherwise, but the life of a hunter of dark creatures is one of fighting and is usually brief. I wanted my kids to grow up with a dad that went away to work, like many dads do; I wanted to protect you from the fear that he may never return home."

Emma Jane nodded. Shadowy memories from her childhood suddenly became more clear. "The fire?"

This time, her mom looked away, pausing before turning back to meet her eyes.

"I can’t say for sure. I always worried one of my children would take after him and be called by the Great Spirit to fight the never-ending battle between good and evil. After he died though, things mostly went back to normal. No more blood to wash out of clothing, no more injuries to tend, other than those that four active children will naturally accumulate. I’d almost forgotten the worry I lived under every day while he’d been alive, even as my heart remained broken for the one true love of my life. But did this somehow cause the evil to find us, long after he was dead?" She shook her head, her soft brown eyes full of pain. "I don’t know. Maybe, or maybe the darkness sensed that one more force for light was about to rise in the world. Was it luck? Or was it just coincidence that caused me to let you go for a sleepover that day?"

Emma Jane nodded. "Or was it the Great Spirit?"

Her mom pulled her into her embrace, holding her tight with warm, strong arms that belied the fact she was only a spirit and no longer flesh and blood. Solemnly, she repeated her daughter's words. "Or was it the Great Spirit."