by Blythe Baker
Every step I took brought me closer to the big animal. I was like a rabbit trying to avoid getting caught by a wolf.
The bear must be having a nice long drink, as I didn’t see him wandering back through the woods. I was certain I’d put enough distance between him and me.
I decided to head back toward the shore so I could lay eyes on him again.
I broke through the cover of the trees and glanced toward the part of the lake where the bear had been.
He was gone.
I sighed with relief. It was good that I went through the woods when I did. We could have run into each other in the trees, and –
The sound of a branch snapping made me turn my eyes back toward the forest.
There was the bear, staring directly toward me, his nose up in the air, sniffing eagerly.
My blood turned to ice as I stared up at him. This close, he was significantly bigger than I had thought he was.
Bigger…and definitely paying attention to me.
His fur was ruffled, and dirty near his enormous paws. The claws on each foot were as thick around as daggers, and probably nearly as sharp.
I took a hesitant step backward, my foot slipping on a slick, wet rock.
I stumbled, my arms flailing out behind me, and let out a yelp of fear.
The bear’s ears twitched, and he took another few steps toward me.
I hadn’t done much reading about bears in my life, but I did know that mother bears were often hostile toward humans when they felt their cubs were being threatened. Thankfully, there was no cub in sight.
That knowledge brought me little comfort, especially in the middle of a place where magic seemed to run so deep.
Was it possible for humans to shift into bears? I didn’t see why not; I managed to change into a fox. But what sort of person had a close connection with a bear?
It made no sense.
My fingers scraped through the wet, rocky ground as I tried to scramble back up to my feet.
The bear was inching closer, and the lake was at my back.
I was pretty certain that if I were to run, the bear would chase after me. Whether in sport or anger, I didn’t want to think about.
What should I do?
The water was sure to be cold, and bears didn’t mind water. He’d probably just chase me out there while I flailed around in the lake, trying desperately to get away. I’d be sure to run out of energy quickly, especially being fully clothed. I’d probably get tired, and then be unable to swim, and the bear would catch me regardless.
So…take my chances on the land? Or in the water?
A dark shape darted out of the woods into the night, flapping furiously.
Another bat.
The bat began to swell in size, and the shadows from the trees below seemed to reach up and meet it, swallowing it in a ball of pure darkness.
The swirling shadows slowly fell, as if it was a tornado of black clouds eagerly reaching toward the ground.
My heart skipped. Not now. I couldn’t contend with something like that and a bear.
I was just about to open my mouth and start singing the soothing song out of desperation when the shadows dissipated, and a man stepped out.
“Cain…” I breathed.
Cain Blackburn, dressed in dark clothes, stepped toward me.
“Marianne Huffler,” he said in his silky tone. “You are always finding your way into troubling situations, aren’t you?”
I glanced sidelong at him, but my gaze shifted immediately back to the bear. “I guess so, yeah,” I said.
“Alright, remain calm,” Cain said. “The bear is not provoked yet. We need to ensure he stays quiet.”
I nodded.
“Take a few steps toward me,” Cain said. “Slowly, slowly…that’s it.”
My eyes never left the bear’s. Trusting Cain to guide me, I moved toward him, one uneasy step at a time.
My foot twisted as I stepped in a hole, but I managed to stay upright. I tried not to move my arms, and I didn’t turn my head.
“Good,” Cain said. “Just keep coming. He’ll get bored of you eventually.”
I wasn’t sure that would happen, since the bear’s eyes followed my every movement.
A rumble came from the big animal, and I froze.
“Don’t worry,” Cain said. “Keep moving toward me.”
I swallowed, my throat tight, and nearly choked.
“Don’t be afraid,” Cain said. “I’m here. I won’t let the bear harm you.”
Calm passed through me. I found myself trusting him, realizing that I wasn’t alone, and didn’t have to face the bear on my own, either.
The bear shook its head.
Fear surged through me at the sudden movement.
“Keep walking,” Cain said.
I did.
The bear let out a groan, and slowly turned away from me.
Holding my breath, I watched as it started back toward the forest.
I was almost giddy with relief as he passed underneath the cover of the shadowy trees. I turned to Cain, my throat tight with emotion. “Thank you so much…I thought that was going to be the end of me.”
“You don’t have to worry about him,” Cain said, turning and heading back toward my cabin. “That’s Old Scar-Face. He’s been a resident in this part of the forest for many years, and he’s never once attacked a human. Well, he chased after one once, but I think he was playing more than anything. He wouldn’t attack unless he was provoked.”
I fell into step beside him and frowned at Cain. “So he wouldn’t have hurt me?”
Cain looked sidelong at me, his green eyes bright in the moonlight. “No. Even still, he’s a wild animal, and should be respected and treated as one. Especially so close to feeding time.”
“Fair enough…” I said.
“You’re alright, though?” Cain asked.
“A little shaken,” I said. “But yeah, I’m alright.”
“You live quite the exciting life, Marianne Huffler,” he said with a wide grin.
“I don’t know if exciting is the right word,” I said. “And you certainly appeared at an opportune time.”
Cain’s smile became a bit more mischievous. “Would it surprise you if I told you that I like to keep an eye on the wooded area around the lake? Out on my patrols this evening, I happened to see a beautiful young woman being cornered by a bear at the lakeside. Naturally, I thought it would be wise to offer my help, so as to ensure the young lady’s safety.”
A small smile curled up the side of my face. So, I was beautiful, was I?
“It’s very near my own territory, and as the forest is home to less than savory creatures from time to time, I like to make sure that all is calm, especially during this time in the lunar cycle,” Cain said.
“Does the moon affect all Gifted people?” I asked.
“Some say it does,” Cain said. “I hardly ever see any reaction among my kin, but it certainly seems to affect shape shifters of any kind. Even the spell weavers claim that the moonlight makes some of their spells more effective than others.”
“I see…” I said.
I felt Cain’s eyes on me as I looked out over the lake.
“So…you don’t think that…what was his name? Old Scar-Face? You don’t think he could be the one that’s attacking those hunters who keep showing up dead, do you?” I asked.
“Hmm…” Cain said. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the hunter found in the forest a few days ago, would it?”
I didn’t see a reason to lie. “Yes,” I said. “I managed to see the body on my way home from work that day. It was all mangled and bloody, like it’d been torn apart by a wild animal.” I shuddered. “And by the size of that bear’s claws…”
“I would bet my life that it wasn’t the bear,” Cain said. “As I said, he wouldn’t attack unless provoked, and from what I was told, the hunter’s body was some miles from the bear’s cave. Old Scar-Face is getting on in years, and I’ve never se
en him all that far from home.”
“Alright,” I said.
“Why are you so interested in this man’s death?” Cain asked.
I glanced over at him, and was struck with the reality that even after knowing him for some time, I wasn’t sure that I fully trusted him.
I debated telling him my theory and sharing all the details I’d put together with him.
“How much do you know about the death?” I asked eventually, deciding to speak purely on what he knew. If he knew as much as I did, then maybe he’d be able to help me, especially since I couldn’t discuss my theory with Sheriff Garland about any of the Gifted being the ones who had killed the hunter.
“Well, I know that he was killed in the early evening,” Cain said, his footsteps almost silent compared to mine as we made our way over the gravelly shore of the lake. “I know that he died from shock and blood loss. I know he was a local man, and from what I’ve learned since, he wasn’t Gifted.”
“I’m surprised you were willing to share that information with me,” I said.
“Why?” Cain asked. “It’s not as if his death is part of some grand conspiracy or something. I don’t mind sharing the details with you. You’ll just happen to know them a day or two sooner than the rest of the town when his obituary is released.”
“It just makes me wonder what happened to him…” I said. “Do you actually know?”
Cain sighed. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all dead bodies could tell us their tales? Unfortunately, all I can tell is that, like you said, he was attacked by some sort of animal or creature.”
“But you don’t know which?” I asked.
“It’s hard to tell,” Cain said. “Something with claws, certainly. And sharp teeth. My guess was that it might have been a dog, or a wolf…” He lifted his chin, and a more stern expression passed over his face. “Either a wild one or a human in wolf’s skin.”
“You think it could’ve been the werewolves?” I asked. It felt as if my theories were chasing each other in circles.
“If we must look for a killer, than I wouldn’t put it past the werewolves,” he said. “They have no control over themselves, especially as close to the full-moon as the attack happened. That certainly wouldn’t excuse them of murder, if that was the case, but the sheriff will certainly have a hard time proving it. This case, like so many others, might very well go unsolved.”
“Do vampires and werewolves always not get along?” I asked. I realized I might very well be putting my foot in my mouth, but I’d been tempted to ask it for a long, long time.
Cain’s smile returned. “Not always, no,” he said. “But Lucan Valerio and I…well, while our interests lie in the same place, our way of reaching our goals is very different. And that causes tension. It’s normal, of course, having so many magically gifted people living in such a small town.”
“Why haven’t you or the werewolves gone somewhere else?” I asked.
“I thought that answer would be obvious,” he said. “Faerywood Falls is one of the last truly magical places left in the world. The magic has dried up. I assumed that was why you returned here in the first place?”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” I said.
Cain gave me a curious look. I could almost hear the words forming on his tongue.
What are you? I could see he was dying to ask.
I wouldn’t tell, even if he did.
My cabin was drawing nearer as we walked, and I found myself slowing my pace. I didn’t know if I’d ever really get a chance like this with Cain again. In other circumstances, this would be an incredibly romantic thing, wouldn’t it? A moonlight stroll down by the water, just the two of us.
He really was handsome, and the way he smiled at me made my heart flutter.
And he, unlike Lucan, wasn’t angry with me for no sound reason. I had a feeling there was very little that could really make Cain upset with me. And, more than Lucan, Cain didn’t seem to have a problem telling me he found me attractive, that he liked being with me.
“What are you thinking, Marianne Huffler?” he asked, his crooked smile widening. “You have this look that passes over your face when you’re deep in thought. I like to watch your mind work.”
The color in my face deepened and I looked away. “I was just thinking…well, I wanted to thank you for helping me tonight. I’m glad you were there.”
That didn’t seem like enough to really convey how I was feeling, especially about him, but it was a good place to start.
“I was very happy to help,” Cain said. “I like spending time with you, and I hope that we can do so more…and not in the mortuary, and not so late when you are on the run from a bear.”
“I’d…like that,” I said. My heart was racing; had he just asked me out on a date?
“Very good,” Cain said. “Well, I’ve seen you back to your house. Bears will no longer be a threat to you here. Your fox will see to that.”
“Thank you again,” I said. “I really do appreciate it.”
“I would save you from a bear a thousand times over,” he said. He gave me a short bow. “Rest well, Marianne Huffler. Keep your eyes on the sky, and have comfort knowing that you are protected.”
I watched as he transformed once again into a bat, and the swirling black cloud dashed off into the night sky, disappearing beyond the tops of the trees in the distance.
I smiled a small smile. Cain was an interesting man…someone that I looked forward to knowing better. And while I still wasn’t sure I could trust him, my instincts were starting to lean more toward yes.
12
I couldn’t sleep. Not after running into a bear like that. And it wasn’t just the bear that was keeping me awake. Thoughts of Cain chased themselves through my mind. I thought about how handsome he was, but I also thought about how he’d been watching me. There was a part of me that thought something in me should be troubled by that, but I just wasn’t. In fact, I found relief in knowing I was on the side of those with greater power, who monitored the forests. I knew I was in good hands.
At least…I thought I was.
I also realized that I should be more troubled about what Cain was, exactly. A vampire.
I had no idea how old he was. He could have been hundreds of years older than me, but he looked young, like he was only a few years older than I was. That was strange, or at least, it should have been. That should have bothered me.
Why didn’t it?
The idea that he didn’t eat normal food, or walk in the daylight was also not something that particularly troubled me.
If anything, the only thing that bothered me was what he needed to sustain himself.
Blood.
If I didn’t know he was a vampire, I probably would’ve had a crush on him in a second. He was charming, flirtatious, surprisingly compassionate…and there was an air of mystery surrounding him that often had him on my mind.
As it was, he was indeed a vampire, even if I’d never seen proof of it. I had no reason to doubt all the people who had told me so, including himself.
But my feelings for Cain were going to have to wait. More pressing were the things that he had to say on our walk back to my cabin.
So he thinks it was the werewolves? Athena asked. She’d started getting up from her bed, walking gingerly across the cabin and back, and then sitting back down to rest. I was watching her, though, ready to intercept her if her injured leg started to wobble at all.
“I’m not sure how much stock to put in that, though,” I said, scratching my chin. “The werewolves and vampires are notorious enemies. I’m not sure we can take his opinion seriously, as it’s likely biased.”
Fair enough, Athena said. But do we really have any reason to distrust what he says? He is the one who performed the autopsy, right?
“That’s what it sounded like,” I said. “And I know he said that the bear didn’t have anything to do with the hunter’s death, but I saw the size of him. He was enormous. I wouldn’t be surprised if
he was the cause.”
Cain said his name was Old Scar-Face, right? she asked. She took her tiny head. He’s right. I’ve met that bear on more than one occasion. He’s perfectly harmless. In fact, he seems to like humans, finds them curious. I think living in such a magically dense forest has given him some sort of personality. He has conscious thoughts that are more like a human’s than another bear’s.
“You really don’t think it was him?” I asked. “Even with those claws?”
Definitely not, Athena said. Just like Cain said, Old Scar-Face won’t move far from his cave.
I sighed. “Well…that means we’re back at square one. Which means…it was either the werewolves, or Margaret Atwell’s dogs.”
Maybe, Athena said. Those are the only options we have, but that doesn’t mean that either of them are the right ones.
“You’re right…” I said, collapsing on my bed.
Is this something that you really need to figure out? Athena asked, walking over toward me.
My heart saddened once again at seeing her bandaged leg, I reached down off the bed and scooped her up beside me, pulling the blanket over the top of us. “What do you mean?”
You seem so stuck on figuring out how that man died, Athena said. Does it really matter?
I thought for a moment, and exhaled heavily. “I guess…I don’t know. Part of me wants to figure out if the werewolves really aren’t to be trusted…namely Dr. Valerio.”
That is wise, if you think about it, Athena said. Especially if you have feelings for the man.
“And I’m not exactly loving the thought of murderous dogs belonging to a crazy woman living such a short distance away, either,” I said. “So I guess I want to solve it for my own peace of mind…and hope that trouble will just start to disappear.”
This is Faerywood Falls, my friend…Athena said. Trouble never goes away forever.
The next morning, I woke feeling somewhat discouraged. It was like I’d hit a wall, and I couldn’t see a way of progressing any further. I didn’t have any answers. I didn’t want to go talk to Margaret Atwell again, and I wasn’t sure that digging around at Dr. Valerio’s was any wiser.
