The Raven and the Witchhunter

by H. M. Gooden

  Vanessa nodded grimly. "He works on set with me. He's one of the grips. I have no idea why he'd be here tonight. We've never talked before, like, ever. I don’t even know his name."

  Cat looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Vanessa held up her hands defensively in front of her. "I swear. I know everyone on set and this dude was quiet, but chill. I never rebuffed him and he didn't ever do anything creepy to make me nervous. If it was one of the other guys on set, I'd say sure, maybe this is a stalking thing, but not him. I think he had a family, too."

  Vanessa looked at the man sadly, surprised when Emma Jane commented matter-of-factly while looking down at his still figure.

  "This man is hollow," Emma Jane said, then stepped back and looked around.

  "What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

  "I mean that he wasn't in control of his actions. Something, someone, was directing him. I think the witch got to him. I think she knows about you and sent one of her followers to take you."

  Emma Jane spoke the words grimly, but without surprise.

  "It's true, Vanessa," Cat added. "His aura was all messed up. Kind of like yours was after Declan worked his mojo on you at that Christmas party."

  Vanessa shuddered, feeling awful. "Poor guy. He didn't deserve this."

  She looked at the crumpled figure at her feet with sadness. Whatever his motivation had been, he was dead now. At that realization, she groaned. "That means we have to call the police, doesn't it?"

  Cat nodded and Emma Jane looked down at the figure with a stony expression. "Yes, it does. This will be hard to hide, unfortunately."

  Vanessa called the police from her cell phone and within minutes, flashing lights surrounded the apartment and they were answering what seemed like thousands of questions from the police. Luckily, because it had happened outside the house they didn't need to go anywhere else for the night. Unluckily, because the man had come at them from the inside, they still had to wait several hours for the police to dust the place for prints and take pictures. They couldn't go anywhere or do anything until they received the all clear from the officers at the scene.

  This meant it was a very late night after all, mostly spent sitting on the couch and waiting instead of hunting or even dancing. Vanessa couldn't focus on the TV or reading and they couldn't talk freely until they were alone. She mostly stared at the police as they bustled around, thinking about what had happened that night. One thing Emma Jane said kept returning to her- the witch knew where Vanessa was now. She'd initially come to her saying that she needed her help, but she'd also warned Vanessa that she was in danger.

  Looking objectively at events since Emma Jane had mysteriously entered her life, it did look worrisome. A girl that she'd worked with on set and gone to a party with was dead, drained and mummified. The stranger they'd rescued in the nick of time at the club bore a resemblance, at least in coloring, to herself. A man from work was dead outside her apartment. She knew without a doubt he'd had zero reason to attack her unless someone had somehow compelled him. She'd even finally encountered the woman tonight and blasted her with her wind power, but she'd pulled a terminator, turning silver before disappearing into a mirror. That was scarier than anything she'd seen yet. Now she’d worry every time she looked into a mirror that a psycho witch was going to grab her and pull her in. Vanessa needed to know why Emma Jane had told her she was in danger at the start and exactly what she knew about what lay ahead of them if she was ever going to have a hope of putting on makeup in peace in the future.

  Finally, after three full hours, the police left, giving Vanessa, Cat, and Emma Jane each a card and telling them to call if they had any questions, while simultaneously telling them not to take any trips out of town in the following few weeks.

  Vanessa shut the door behind the last officer and entered the living room again.

  "Well, that was fun," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "Okay, Emma Jane, before you leave tonight...hey, where are you staying, anyway?" Vanessa stopped mid-thought, surprised to realize she had absolutely no idea what Emma Jane was doing for sleeping arrangements.

  "I've been staying by the wharf, at a hostel," replied Emma Jane, then shrugged, obviously used to her arrangements.

  Cat and Vanessa protested in unison.

  "What?" said Cat.

  "Absolutely not!" Vanessa declared.

  Cat looked at Vanessa, gesturing for her to speak.

  "You're staying here," said Vanessa. "I insist. If what you've said is true and the woman knows where I am, we'll all be safer together. So, unless you want us all to go to the hostel, you may as well get the rest of your stuff and come back."

  "This is all my stuff." Emma Jane patted the side of her small messenger bag, which caused both Cat and Vanessa to shake their heads.

  "Damn, girl. Talk about travelling light."

  "And not being tied to possessions," Cat added approvingly.

  "Okay, well that makes it easy. If you want, you can have my bed and I'll share with Cat. Her room has two beds."

  Emma Jane started to protest, but Vanessa held up her hand.

  "Nope. It's already decided, but I do want to hear more about why you came to me in the first place. You only got to the point where Evelyn told you I'd be in danger and we could help you find this witch woman."

  Emma Jane nodded. "Yes. As I've said already, I'd been following her trail in Los Angeles, but missed her there. I'd heard about Evelyn and hoped she could help me. I knew that she'd moved to San Francisco recently, so I went to her for help. It just happened that she'd already had a dream that worried her and had been expecting me to arrive."

  "How come she never said anything? I would have expected her to call me or Cat if she was worried about us." Vanessa didn't think it sounded like Evelyn, but Emma Jane just shrugged.

  "I don't know. That's not my story to tell. Maybe she didn't want you to worry, or maybe she had other reasons. Either way, she sent me to you, telling me that we'd be of more value to each other than I realized. That was all I had to go on, which is why I didn't tell you anything more when I got here."

  Emma Jane looked at her with mild frustration and Vanessa knew she was telling the truth. So far, she seemed like the type of person who didn't lie often and the expression on her face clearly telegraphed her own displeasure at the situation.

  "I think Evelyn's operating on a different level these days. With everything she can do and see now, I think she's having a hard time compartmentalizing it all. I wish I could go and help, but she wants to do this alone." Cat spoke sadly and Vanessa nodded.

  "Yeah, you're right. I get the same feeling from her. Well, whatever. At least we're on the right path. So, if I'm at risk and the witch knows where we are now, plus two people from my work are dead, I think it's a fair bet that whoever this evil woman is, she's likely got full access to my work."

  "Which means," Cat said, her face lighting up with excitement. "It's probably someone you work with."

  Vanessa thought for a moment before she shook her head. "Not necessarily. There are a lot of people who have access to a set like mine, like craft services, scriptwriters, actors, extras, even the directors, producers, and whoever's visiting that day. It was pretty easy to get you on set with me when you came for Christmas a few years ago, remember?"

  "Hmm, true," Cat mumbled, her face falling as her idea was dashed by her sister. "But it's a place to start, right?"

  Vanessa nodded. "Right. I think we should stay close to each other tomorrow, then on Monday, I'll take Emma Jane to work with me."

  "What about me? Should I come too? I'm supposed to have a test Monday, which is the whole reason I've been studying so much."

  "No, you go ahead. I don't see a reason for you to miss school, not yet. Evelyn didn't see you in danger, after all, and if I'm with Emma Jane on set, we should be relatively safe. So far, most of the events have been in more isolated settings at night. Broad daylight with the hustle and bustle of an active shoot should provide as much protection as you
could."

  Cat looked at her doubtfully. "You're not just saying that, right?"

  Vanessa gave her a smile. "No, I'm serious. Go to school Monday and we'll keep you posted." Vanessa turned to Emma Jane. "What about tomorrow? Do you have any other leads to follow?"

  Emma Jane shook her head. "No, I was hoping Eloise would be the end of the trail. I have no idea where the witch disappeared to though the mirror, but at least I know why I've had such a hard time tracking her. If she can travel through the mirror world, that's almost certainly how she's escaped me so many times."

  She still sounded frustrated, but Vanessa could tell she wasn’t as angry as she'd been when they were at the club. That reminded her of how she'd been frightened by her sudden, dark transformation. Vanessa needed to know what had happened.

  "Emma Jane, when that woman escaped you, for a minute you got really scary there and I was a little surprised. Actually, I was terrified. What exactly are your powers?"

  Emma Jane sighed, then rubbed her forehead. "Yes, that. Well, remember when I said sometimes it's a fine line between hunting and becoming what you hunt?"

  "Yes," Vanessa said warily, suddenly not sure if she wanted to hear what Emma Jane would say. "I remember."

  "Well, it's a long story and I think it can wait until tomorrow. For now, we should all try to get some rest. The next few days will probably be exhausting, if today was any indication."

  "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired. Vanessa, why don't you get your stuff and make the bed up for Emma Jane? It's after two already and I seriously should get some sleep." Cat yawned and rubbed her eyes as she spoke.

  Vanessa got up, nodding. "Okay, but I want to hear more tomorrow, capiche?" Vanessa looked sternly at Emma Jane, who nodded and yawned in response.

  "Of course. Tomorrow."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The girls called it quits immediately after Emma Jane promised to tell them more about her powers in the morning. Vanessa had thought she'd have a hard time falling asleep with everything that had happened over two days. It was a lot to absorb; meeting Emma Jane, finding the unexpectedly aged and horrible corpse of Eloise, fighting the witch, and the death of a crew member that she’d technically caused. But apparently the events in combination had been enough to exhaust her so that when she climbed into bed, she'd fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep almost immediately.

  So, when Vanessa woke up in the morning and opened her eyes to see a bed across from her she was initially confused, until she remembered she was sleeping in Cat's room and that Emma Jane was in her bed. Shrugging off the weird feeling that she was literally getting up on the wrong side of the bed, Vanessa swung her legs over and stretched before standing up. As usual, Cat was out of bed and gone from the room. If the weather was nice, she’d likely already left for a run. Heck, Cat could even have been gone and come back for all she knew. Vanessa liked sleeping in, even if Cat now woke up early ever since becoming Phoenix-powered. Maybe ravens were night owls?

  Sighing, Vanessa grabbed her housecoat and belted it before yawning again and thumping her way into the living area. She padded to the kitchen in bare feet and stood next to the kettle with her eyes closed while she waited for it to boil. She kept meaning to get something better to make coffee and was embarrassed to still be in the instant coffee camp. As expected, the chain was off the door, which meant Cat had left and she was alone in the house.

  "Hi."

  A velvety rich voice from behind her made her jump.

  "Jeez! Oh my god, you scared me! I'm going to put a bell on you." Vanessa put her hand over her heart, feeling it race. She'd totally forgotten that Emma Jane was in the house within the time it took her to go from the bedroom to the kitchen. Apparently, she needed to finish at least one cup of coffee before she had two brain cells to bump together.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Emma Jane started to apologize, but Vanessa waved the hand that had been clutching her housecoat.

  "No, don't apologize. That's just me being half-asleep." Vanessa took a sip from her coffee and winced. Too hot. "So, how'd you sleep?" she mumbled, over a burnt and tingling tongue.

  "Pretty good. I feel guilty I took your bed though. I could have slept in the room with Cat, or even on the couch."

  Vanessa shook her head. "Please, don't worry about it. We've shared lots of rooms over the years and are used to it. Besides, you had the toughest day. I figured you needed your own place to decompress."

  Vanessa examined Emma Jane's face as she spoke, watching as the same trace of sadness that had been there when she'd told her about her childhood moved over her face and vanished, as though deliberately erased.

  "Thanks, it was a nice change. But tonight, you get your bed back, okay? I don't want to impose twice."

  Vanessa smiled and shook her head. "It's not a problem, but fine. I’m sure we can figure something else out by then. So, changing topics, I'd really like to hear more about your powers. Do you want to have some coffee or tea?”

  "Sure, coffee would be nice," Emma Jane agreed, sitting down at the table.

  Just as Vanessa was thinking of prying for more information, Cat came through the door, sweaty and happy.

  "Hey all. Give me five minutes and I'll join you. Vanessa, can you make sure there's enough hot water for me to have a cup? Be right back."

  Vanessa sighed, filling the kettle before sitting down at the kitchen table. It felt like forever, but Cat finally re-emerged, smelling better and looking clean. She grabbed a cup and sat down. Vanessa didn't know why, but she was starting to feel like Cat was in the way. Maybe it was just the usual sibling stuff. They hadn't been living together sans parents for long and there were many times when she wanted to yell for their mom when Cat did something, before she remembered her mom wasn't there. Being an adult was tough.

  "Okay, are you good now? I'm dying to hear more from Emma Jane about her powers. Would you be able to start from where you left off with Samuel?" Vanessa asked, her pleading expression causing Emma Jane to laugh.

  "Alright, hold your horses. We can start close to the beginning then, since you already know when I lost my vision. It's the best place to start, as I’d just begun my training with Samuel.

  THE GIRL GROANED WITH exertion.

  "It's too much, Samuel. I can't do any of what you're asking me to do. I'm not strong enough and I can't track like you."

  The girl sat on the ground, a picture of utter dejection, while the older man laughed. His braids shone in the sun like snow on metal and she thought that he must be the strongest man in the world. It had taken time for her to understand what had happened that day in the sweat lodge, but slowly she came to realize that he wasn't just a medicine man. Samuel had his own gifts. He could speak with animals and had a sixth sense about where they would go and what the weather would be like. He'd been working with the girl on tracking animals, but she felt she'd never be able to do anything as well as he could, especially with her vision being what it was. It was difficult to learn to move quietly through the trees without stepping on twigs or tripping when she couldn't see them, but slowly over time she'd improved.

  "You must learn to trust in yourself. Follow your vision, little one. You do not see the world the way others do, you see it as it is. Do you remember that day when you came home to find your house as it was?" He asked the question softly, as he knew the words would cause pain, but she knew he was pleased to see her consider his words thoughtfully. She'd already learned much about emotional control from him and he nodded with satisfaction.

  "Yes, how could I forget?" she asked.

  "What did you feel that day?"

  "Are you kidding? I was horrified, devastated..." the girl said, incredulous. Samuel shook his head. "No, not that. What else did you sense?"

  The girl sat up straighter from her resting place on the ground. "Do you mean...did I sense anything unusual?"

  Samuel nodded. "Yes"

  The girl thought again for a moment before answering. "I did sense
something dark and slimy, like a dead animal had contaminated the area with rot. I knew that something unclean had been there because it felt dark and poisoned around the house."

  She struggled to put the feeling into words, having tried so hard to block out the events of that horrible day for so long.

  "You felt the darkness. You felt the evil that had come for you and missed, taking your family instead. But fear not, it only took this life. They are safe and happy where they are. It is not good to dwell on the dead because it keeps them from moving on. We must be happy and celebrate the times we had with them and think of being together again one day."

  The girl sighed at his words. She knew it did no good to mourn their loss, but it was still fresh, even so many months later.

  "I want you to try to track, using your vision the way it was intended," Samuel said, waiting for the girl to ask the next logical question.

  "What? How am I supposed to do that?"

  She stood up in frustration and he nodded with approval.

  "Good. Use that fire wisely, child. It can be a powerful weapon, but remember that it can also lead you down into a darker place. Stop trying to see the world as you used to. Just because you can still see some things doesn't mean you should keep forcing your eyes to work like those of other people. You've been given a gift, now use it."

  While Samuel said the words in a calm, even offhanded way, the girl knew it was as close to a reprimand as he gave and she flushed. Nodding in acceptance, the girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes before reopening them. This time, she did as he'd instructed her to do. The world seemed to light up around her, glowing with flickering lights on a grey background. She walked toward the tree closest to her to touch it but drew back her hand when it started to glow.

  "What's happening?" She shook her hand, scared at the sight, but was even more worried by the feeling of energy that was suddenly coursing through her body. It felt amazing, but as she looked at the tree, she could see that it wasn't glowing as brightly as it had before she'd touched it.