Death's Ethereal Enemy

by Ruby Loren

  “So, when I changed my signature, you couldn’t find out where I was because you couldn’t find me by thinking about me,” she mused, suddenly feeling that this whole stalking thing was more personal than she’d originally realised. Finding Joe had been quite a grim experience. She’d had to dig deep into old and new feelings relating to the werewolf, and it certainly hadn’t been enjoyable.

  Her eyes collided with Emerson’s icy gaze, and she wondered if aeons of searching for people had made him immune to the strange connection you were forced to make when searching the ethereal world.

  “That would be correct. You never told me why you did that by the way…” Emerson replied.

  January ignored the question. “I've done my part. You can find out exactly where Joe is, right?”

  Emerson smiled and she knew he was going to say no. “I could, but that would be too easy.”

  “I have to do it myself?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend that, either. It took me years to manifest in the physical world, and there are many dangers, if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he said - as smug as January had ever heard him.

  “Dangers?” she queried.

  “Many,” he confirmed, taking great delight in sidestepping her quest for more information. She knew that his honesty had been too good to last for long.

  “If I can’t stalk him the way you do, what do I do?” she said, feeling exasperated.

  Emerson laughed at her. “What’s wrong with the old-fashioned method? You’re a bounty hunter and he’s just another target. You’d better turn things around and hunt the hunter. You did promise him that he’d meet a horrible end if you got out of your first meeting with us alive, and you haven’t yet made good on it…”

  January glared at him. She should have known that Emerson had been present for that meeting. That had been when she hadn’t been able to see him. “Why did I not think of that method?” she asked, sarcastically.

  Emerson looked immensely superior. “Don't tell me… ‘You don’t have time for this’. What’s the rush? As far as I know, you have an eternity to spend. There’s no hurry to catch one little wolf. I’m sure you have bigger fish to fry.”

  “Cakes to bake, actually,” January said, thinking of her poor, neglected bakery. If she didn’t return to work soon, she may as well hand it over to Danny and Lucy. While she appreciated their help, the shop was her dream, and she didn’t want to have it slip through her fingers.

  “Cakes…” Emerson said with another head shake and a smile January didn’t mistake for anything other than how simple he thought her to be. She tried not to bristle. No matter how long she lived, she hoped she would never turn into something as cold and unfeeling as the first vampires.

  She also hoped she wouldn’t be their slave forever.

  “At least you know that the wolf is in the area. I’m sure that’s a start,” Emerson said, with a little shrug.

  “Hey, will you show me the other stuff? The stuff that has many dangers?” January asked, sensing that he was preparing to disappear.

  Emerson’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Perhaps. When I think you’re ready,” he said and disappeared into filaments of light.

  January took the opportunity of the vacant room to roll her eyes. If he thought she was going to hang around, waiting for him to decide whether or not to teach her anything, he was going to be very surprised. Or perhaps it was exactly what he expected her to do, January suddenly thought. Her brow furrowed. She wasted a few moments trying to figure out what the ancient first vampire expected her to do, and how she could possibly circumnavigate it, before she gave up. Emerson had confided that humans were the only ones blessed with the occasional gift (or curse) of precognition, so he would never know for sure what she was planning. And she did intend to surprise Emerson, sooner rather than later.

  Right now, she had issues closer to home to deal with. Ex-wolf pack leader, Joe, was somewhere relatively close to Witchwood and Hailfield. She needed to track him down before any more trouble spread through the pack.

  January gritted her teeth, knowing that Emerson was right about her having to do it the old-fashioned way. However, that didn’t mean she had to do it alone. She pulled out her phone and dialled Miri, the bear shifter she’d put in charge of the shifter bar. A couple of minutes later, she’d agreed to have a meeting at the bar. Miri was equally happy to hear from her, as January was to meet with Miri, and she knew they’d have a lot to talk about, as far as pack business went.

  She was about to clear the books away and leave Tor’s house when something occurred to her. Emerson had said it was a lot easier to find people once you’d met them - even once. She knew he’d had a heck of a long time to perfect those skills, but she had met the person she desperately wanted to find again, hadn’t she?

  January shut her eyes and journeyed back into ethereal world. This wasn’t going to be as easy as finding Joe. This acquaintance had only ever spoken a sentence or so to her, and the whole reason January was searching was because of the mystery that still surrounded her.

  She was looking for the girl with the amber eyes.

  Aha! January thought when something that emanated a dark glow - not unlike her own magic - came into her senses. It felt a long way away. January drifted towards the place where the other enchanter resided, deciding to discard Emerson’s warnings about the supposed danger. She needed to find out something - anything - about this other enchanter, who she suspected might hold the key to everything.

  January arrived at her signature and reached out, following the threads back down into the physical world…

  16

  Something that felt like a big hand smacked her wandering spirit what felt like halfway across the galaxy. She was so far away, she wasn’t even able to see the network of interconnecting signatures that earth was comprised of! When January had recovered and stopped panicking, she focused on herself and then had to endure an hour’s journey back to the planet.

  So, those are the kind of dangers Emerson was talking about, she thought, very sheepishly. She wondered what exactly had happened. Was it some kind of defence mechanism the other enchanter had? Or was it simply her ineptitude that had sent her off into the galaxy? Unfortunately, she could hardly ask Emerson, or she’d be forced to admit that there was another enchanter, and that she’d broken the rules and tried to track someone in the physical world.

  As usual, she was on her own with no leads to follow. The girl with the amber eyes would remain a mystery for a while longer.

  Even so, she did feel as if she’d achieved something. Whenever the girl had appeared, and just as easily disappeared, January had always been left worried that it was all in her head. It was all too plausible that the bounty hunting and the magical powers had left her a little skewed. Finding that the girl really did exist, somewhere on the planet, was actually comforting.

  January swung by the bakery to check that Danny and Lucy were doing okay and to let them know she’d be back in action from tomorrow - unless anything changed. She’d expected to feel happier about going back to work. Cake baking was her passion and her refuge. But it didn’t feel that way today. There were just too many things on her mind. Too many questions she had yet to answer.

  The next stop was the bar. When she pulled up outside The Wild Woods, she felt a pang, as she missed Ryan and his shifter fiancée, Bella. She hadn’t heard back after her last text to them and thought it might be time to look into that a little further.

  Immediately after Ryan had left, all work on the bar had stopped. January had tried to patch it together again, but with no one in charge, the staff she’d left running the place had floundered. None of the shifters she’d had working there had been leaders, and business had suffered because of it. She was hoping that with Miri in charge, things might change.

  Her initial impression was that she’d been correct.

  When she walked into the bar, she was met with a surprisingly homely, but still classy interior. Januar
y had allowed Miri some funding to do whatever she thought the bar needed, and it would appear that the money had been spent wisely. The new fittings were expensive, but looked like they’d last for many years - just as she hoped the bar would.

  The next thing January noticed was that the bar had patrons in situ. Considering it was the middle of the day, that was surprising. January took a moment to note the plates of food people were tucking into. It looked like well-portioned, tasty food, done to a standard you’d expect at a fancy restaurant, but without the snobbery of tiny blobs of sauce.

  January glanced across at the specials board and felt her eyebrows lift up in surprise. That was one thing Miri would need to change. The prices were far too reasonable for the standard of cooking on display! January knew from experience in her own culinary business that low prices actually put a lot of customers off.

  She found Miri in the kitchen. She wasn’t cooking, and had never claimed to have any idea when it came to whipping up a dish, but January could see that the chef she’d chosen did know what they were doing. Curiously, they were human.

  A single questioning glance from January had been enough to make the tough-looking Miri look a little unsettled. She suggested that they go for a chat in the office.

  “Things look good. I really like the interior and the food smells amazing. I’d love to stay and try some,” she told the young bear-shifter.

  “Thank you,” Miri said, like someone waiting for the hammer blow of death to fall.

  January smiled. She wasn’t here to intimidate Miri, and she wanted the other woman to know that. “What made you pick the chef?”

  “I know he’s not a shifter. He doesn’t know about any of us, either, but he’s always in the kitchen, so I thought it would be okay. I take all responsibility, I promise,” she said in a single breath.

  “Okay, that’s fair enough, but not what I asked. What made you pick him?”

  Miri looked confused for all of three seconds. “He’s someone I’ve known for years. We grew up together. Well, until…” Miri looked a little sad.

  January knew full well what she was talking about. When shifters reached their first change, they were advised to sever ties with their more normal counterparts. It could lead to complications and the secret was kept by all. Anyone talking, no matter how young, would be swiftly silenced.

  Now that she thought about it, January had been told stories of the Board’s drastic actions even before she knew their name.

  Having friends who were normal was frowned upon, until you were an adult and things were a little more controllable.

  “I contacted Henry when I knew I was looking for a chef. He’d been posting stuff on social media for years. Even when we were friends as kids, he always used to do stuff in the kitchen. His parents were really supportive. They bought him all the right books and let him do his thing, you know?” She shook her head, knowing she was digressing. “Anyway, I asked him, and I advertised within the pack, too. I had three possibles. I asked them to impress me, and what he cooked was by far the best.” She smiled and January thought she looked a little emotional. “It’s stupid… but he made chicken chow mein. It’s the thing he was best at when we were kids. He’d cook it up for a whole bunch of us after school, and we always thought it was so cool.”

  “Using nostalgia to get a job… I think I already like this guy,” January said. Miri threw her a worried look, but January smiled to let her know it was okay.

  “Judging by the customers out the front, you made the right choice. How are the finances?” she asked.

  The next hour was swallowed up, looking at spreadsheets. In the end, it wasn’t nearly as bad as January had thought. If you took away the outlay for the new interior and equipment for the kitchen, they were already breaking even. January thought that things would only improve, too, once the prices were raised and word got around.

  “You know you’re going to be catering to more than just shifters, right?” she said to Miri.

  The other woman nodded. “It may sound weird, because this bar is there to support the pack, but I really want people to come here because they think it’s a great place and they love the food - not just because it’s where the rest of the shifters hang out.” She looked a little troubled.

  “Do you think people might be upset?” January prompted, knowing that it was the other shifters’ views that were troubling Miri.

  The bear-shifter shrugged. “I’m not sure. No one’s said anything yet, but then… the bar wasn’t doing much before. People have had to find other jobs. I’m only just about to recruit more staff and figure out some things like promotions. I guess I’ll find out after then.” She bit her fingernails. “What about the Board? Do you think it’s breaking the rules?”

  January’s mouth twisted. One day, she would have to meet with the mysterious Official Board of Shifters. As far as she could tell, they ruled with an iron fist, and yet, who ruled them? How were they even selected?

  A dark thought occurred to her, but she buried it in the back of her mind for later.

  “You know the way it is… as long as no one changes in the middle of the bar, it should be fine. I know people like to talk about shifter business, but I have an idea about how to get around it.” She clenched her jaw for a moment, scarcely able to believe she was about to borrow one of Simon’s slipperiest schemes.

  “If you make a blog and write about the pack, like it’s a fictional story, you can get away with murder. Print it off and have it at the bar. It will act as a newspaper, and as some really weird fantasy fiction for those who don’t know. That way, if anyone talks about pack business, other customers will just think they’re super fans, or something.” January shrugged.

  “Oh, you mean like that ‘Unicorn… Uncovered!’ site there was?”

  January gave Miri a sharp look.

  The bear-shifter shrank down in her seat. “I just, uh, heard about it.”

  “It’s in the past now, and this is going to be different. You’re more than welcome to write about things that go on in the pack, and that includes me. However, the blog and newsletter will just be pack news. The person who wrote about me in the past, acted like a stalker.” January made eye contact with Miri. “I’m a lot harder to sneak up on these days.”

  Miri nodded, thoughtfully. “It’s better than any idea I’ve had. I’ll get that started. Who knows? We may even get some fans of the old blog in here,” she said, getting a little too excited, and then remembering who was in the room with her.

  “I’m going to do what I can to help out with promotion. With your permission, I think stocking cakes from Black Cat Bakery could help. The bakery has quite a following, and the cakes are bought as fast as they get made.” January tried not to think about the extra work she was essentially agreeing to put in. It was for the pack, and she was the pack leader. She would be foolish to ignore the fact that not everyone in the pack liked her leadership. Morgan hadn’t been alone in staging his would-be coup, and January wanted to bring those who’d followed him back in line… preferably in the nicest possible way - by plying them with financial gains.

  “If this bar gets as big as I think it will with you in charge, everyone in the pack will benefit,” January said, speaking her thoughts out loud.

  Miri nodded, enthusiastically. “I know! And we’re only just beginning.”

  January couldn’t help but smile at the bear-shifter’s excitement. It was exactly the way she’d felt when Simon had handed over the bakery to her and her business had grown so much, there’d been queues to get in every morning. She hoped it would be a similar story for The Wild Woods.

  As soon as January got back home, she started baking. She had agreed with Miri that she would begin stocking a few ‘dessert type’ cakes at the bar from tomorrow, so she needed to get cracking if she wanted to finish those and the Madame Rose’s Tearooms order for tomorrow.

  She’d just put the cakes in the oven, and was wondering if Gregory would be okay with her buying a
far larger one for the house, when something tugged at her awareness. Without knowing why, she summoned her magic to the surface and slowly turned around.

  The girl with the amber eyes stood next to her sofa.

  “You came back,” January said, feeling both elated and unnerved. Since she’d last met the mystery girl, a fair few things had changed. She’d met all of the Old Ones and had made a little headway into something that she hoped might give her the first piece of knowledge on the path to defeating them. But, she had a feeling that the teenager in the room with her had the power to achieve all of that much faster.

  The only question January had was why hadn’t she already done it?

  “I’m back because I felt you come looking for me,” the girl said.

  “What’s your name?” January asked, figuring that if she started with simple questions this time, it might stop her from disappearing again.

  The girl smiled but said nothing. Apparently it had been a tough question after all.

  “You’re an enchanter. I know you are,” January said, trying something that wasn't a question this time. She’d had long enough to think about it, and there was something else that she’d also spent a lot of time mulling over… “In the arena, you were really there, weren’t you?” January asked.

  This time the girl nodded.

  January felt a grim smile pull on her lips. She’d known that she hadn’t been the one to open up a new thin place. Seeing as Warwick hadn't taken the credit either, it had only left one option.

  “Do they know about you?” she asked, feeling insanely curious. Had the only other enchanter in the world managed to escape detection? January wondered how old she was. Perhaps she was in her early twenties, but she looked like she was around eighteen or nineteen years old.

  “You ask so many questions,” the girl said, still standing there. “I came to ask you not to come looking for me again. I know you know how to find me, but others can follow you far more easily than you know.”