The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 6

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 6

Emma Jane breathed deeply, containing the rush of energy that roared through her every time she took a life, like whitewater flowing through the mountains. It was overwhelming. Power flooded her body, lighting up each nerve ending with the familiar, intoxicating hit that she received whenever she absorbed the magic and life force of a defeated foe. She worked to contain it, feeling the familiar call of darkness as she struggled to balance the evil with the good.

It called to her, promising her miracles and life everlasting; power beyond that of all others in the universe. She alone could rule the world and have everything she ever desired, if only she came over to the dark. But its promises were lies. She knew that and yet still it beckoned to her. Every time this happened, ever since the first fight over twenty years earlier when she'd absorbed the power of the wendigo, she forcibly reminded herself of the words Samuel had spoken to her.

"Remember, every time you kill, you become that which you hunt. You must always guard against the darkness, as you will walk the line between light and dark out of necessity in order to hunt. Do not be tempted by the power you find in these creatures; it is tainted and will bring you no lasting joy. Remember to always center yourself and pray to the ancestors that you do not lose your way. Remember your loved ones."

This time, Emma Jane felt calm return more quickly than usual. She knew exactly why when she looked up from where she'd knelt beside the beast, into the worried face of the beautiful woman beside her, who stood just far enough away to prevent Emma Jane from accidentally touching her. Vanessa. She was the new, and most important, reason Emma Jane had ever found to continue to fight on the side of the light, no matter how much she became tempted to turn to the darkness.

"Emma Jane?"

Vanessa was hesitant, holding a hand out as if offering to help, but avoiding direct contact. Emma Jane took a deep breath, allowing the excess energy to leave in a rush of air. She visualized it dissipating into the world like dandelion seeds in the wind. She didn't know why, but that particular image always seemed to help. She then stood up and smiled weakly.

"Hey, thanks for coming to find me. So...how good are you at building a bonfire?"

Vanessa exhaled, shaking her head as she looked down at Emma Jane with relief.

"You scared the crap out of me, you know that? I didn't know what the hell had happened to you. Then I found this minuscule hole in the wall, literally, and see you sitting all zoned-out in front of this tiny fire in a monster’s mansion. What happened?"

Emma Jane could tell by the edge in Vanessa's voice that along with relief she was also feeling a fair amount of anger. Emma Jane did the only thing she knew how to do. She told the truth.

"I don't know. Really. Like I told you, at first, I followed him, it, to see what it was and if it had good or bad intentions. Just because something's big and unfamiliar doesn't necessarily mean it's evil." She shrugged then wrinkled her nose. "Obviously in this case, it did turn out to be bad. One minute I was in the trees and the next you were here. I’ve got no idea what happened in between."

Vanessa nodded and Emma Jane watched as her hands tightened and relaxed, knowing without a doubt that Vanessa wanted to touch her. She wanted that more than anything else at that moment as well but couldn't chance hurting her, especially after absorbing such a huge rush of energy. Emma Jane was wide open and could accidentally drain Vanessa in seconds if she gave in to her own desires.

"I think it was through the air, or maybe through sound waves, I'm not sure," said Vanessa. "But when it growled, I felt myself lose strength. Then when you were about to fight him, I saw him do something with his hand that made the air tighten around me. Have you heard anything about that? Do these creatures have magic of some kind?"

Emma Jane shook her head. "I’ve got nothing. The sásq’ets are a myth, even among my people and the many storytellers I’ve encountered. It's like a unicorn. Everyone's heard of one, but no one actually believes they're real. We need to document this encounter for the future, in case of further attacks or sightings." Emma Jane gave Vanessa a smile, trying to show her how proud she was without touching her. "You did really well today. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't been here. I believe you’ve also discovered something important that could help other hunters in the future. I only wish Samuel was still able to hunt, because he'd be proud of you too."

Vanessa blushed, waving away her praise while simultaneously looking pleased with herself. "Well, we're here on a quest, after all. I guess it only makes sense that we get to find a mythological creature that everyone on Legend Hunters is searching for." She shrugged, still trying to look modest, but failing. She burst into laughter when Emma Jane raised an eyebrow in response. "Okay, maybe this isn't exactly the quest we're supposed to be on, but it's nice to know we make a good team. I must have seen this during my flight last night, but I guess it wasn't related after all."

Emma Jane shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to say. Either way, we came, we saw, we overcame. Now we have to clean up. If we want to make it back to the bed and breakfast in time for supper, we should get a move on. Something this big will take time to burn."

Vanessa groaned, but nodded and began to search for wood outside the cave. They worked together, building up the fire as high as they could. They both appreciated the natural chimney effect of the cave, which Vanessa discovered had a hole directly above the fire when she got closer. It allowed the open sky to supervise as they burned every last scrap of the beast they could. The majority of the smoke danced straight up to the heavens instead of choking them, although the stench of burning hair was so intense that they waited outside for most of the process. They buried the rest of the creature in the soft ground inside the cave, using the creature's own tools both to bury and dismember it, which Vanessa found somewhat ironic. Hiding all evidence of what had happened that day, they knew that someone might find the bones years later, but they'd never guess what they had belonged to.

By the time they'd finished, the moon was up and the walk back was silent, cold, and beautiful. Emma Jane took in a deep breath of the crisp winter air, feeling more alive than she'd felt in years. The evil had been beaten back with her love by her side and the hope that they could eventually be together was only a day away along another road. Nothing could be better than that.