The Raven and the Witchhunter

by H. M. Gooden

  CHAPTER TWO

  "Answers? I'm not sure I understand." Vanessa was confused. She was the least likely person to have answers. Maybe Evelyn or Cat could help, since they both tended to have crazy dreams that came true. Even Mai and Zahara were both kinder, softer, and more intuitive. Vanessa knew she wasn't perfect and one of her biggest flaws was a tendency to barge into things and act before finding out any information about the situation.

  Emma Jane shook her head almost imperceptibly. "No, the answers aren't from you. I went to Evelyn. I'd heard of a new power." She chuckled after saying it, before she qualified her words. "Well, a newly risen power. As you know, Evelyn's powers aren't new at all, but I digress. I'd heard of a new power that could help me with my quest. I've been travelling for many years, finding evil and then containing and eliminating it. My latest target has been trickier to pinpoint, even with my not-too-shabby abilities."

  Vanessa was caught in her words. As Emma Jane spoke, Vanessa could feel her weave a spell with her deep, warm voice and felt a soothing sensation trickle down her back. She knew she wasn't the best listener, but she found herself wanting to sit and listen to her talk all night. It took a moment for her to realize that Emma Jane had stopped speaking and was now waiting for her to say something.

  "What did Evelyn tell you?" Vanessa wasn't sure what she was supposed to say at that moment but knew something was expected.

  Emma Jane dipped her head and shifted her gaze to the teacup in her hand.

  "That's another story. I'll tell you more about that in a while. First though," she said, as she looked up again, fixing her swirling eyes on Vanessa's in a way that made it hard to look away, "I'd like to tell you a story of a woman."

  LONG AGO, A WOMAN REGARDED herself in a stream and despaired. She had been the loveliest of her people, with beautiful hair that flowed like the water in front of her, long shapely limbs, and a strong body. Her face was pleasing to all those who saw it and she had her pick of the men from both near and far. Women were envious and all the men who saw her would carry her basket and ask for her hand in marriage. But that day by the stream, the woman noticed one white hair. It stood out like snow on volcanic rock, laughing at her with its presence. The woman was infuriated, quickly plucking the offending hair out. She held it in front of her and glared at it for a minute. She wasn't a silly woman, so she knew that the white hair was just the beginning. Someday, maybe soon, she would lose her place as the most beautiful of all. She would become average, aging like everyone else.

  But the woman was not accepting of this natural passage of time. She began to scheme of ways to halt it, to keep herself young and beautiful forever. She sent a prayer with such force up into the universe that it was answered by a dark being that asked for only one thing in return. If she wished to remain young, the woman needed only to take the youth from others. This dark spirit would give her the power to absorb the life from other young women to maintain her beauty. In return, the darkness would take their souls. The woman hesitated, but at that moment she remembered the first white hair she'd seen, along with the other hairs she'd plucked out since her first desperate prayer had been shouted. In the end, the dark spirit had smiled with hungry pleasure as the woman accepted its offer.

  But the woman had not anticipated the entirety of what her new powers would entail. She stayed young, yes, but her first true knowledge of what this meant occurred one day when she was visiting the stream with her cousin. Her cousin was younger than she and was also considered to be a beauty. Her cousin wasn't at the same level as her of course, but beautiful, none the less. They were talking the way women do while going about their daily tasks when suddenly, the woman felt a hunger sweep over her. It was the most intense feeling she'd ever had and she was frightened by it, falling to the ground from her crouched position. Her cousin, worried she was injured, leaned over to help her up.

  The moment that their hands made contact, her cousin gasped and became pale. When the woman looked at their linked hands, a light appeared to be moving into her hand as it was stolen away from her cousin. In shock, she tried to release her hand, but found that she was unable to let go, as though they were stuck together. Finally, she was able to pull away, but by that time her cousin had fallen to the ground, pale and unmoving.

  The woman leaned over and shook her cousin, trying to get her to move but to no avail. Her eyes were open, blank, and staring at the sky. The woman closed them with shaking hands and sat down. What had she done? She wailed with sorrow at the empty sky. Her cousin had been her friend, kind and loving, and now she lay dead on the ground. She sat there for a long time, immobile, until long after the sun went behind the trees. Other women came to find them. They crowded around the unmoving figures beside the stream and shook them both. Their wails and shaking finally woke her from her grief and her tears joined with theirs. But even as she cried with loss over her own blood, the gnawing hunger within her that had leapt up earlier purred, sated for the time being, but interested in the women surrounding her.

  EMMA JANE STOPPED TALKING and the spell that she'd cast over Vanessa with her story abruptly broke. Vanessa blinked, feeling the sense of sea and sand fade as she did so, then shook her head.

  "Woah. That was some story. How'd you manage to make it feel so real?" Vanessa asked, impressed with Emma Jane's story telling abilities.

  Emma Jane smiled. "It's one of my small gifts. I'm able to tell stories of the lives of others in a way that you feel almost as though you are there. Sometimes, this is of great value, other times, not so much." She laughed, with a trace of self-deprecation that Vanessa understood.

  Vanessa couldn't count how many times she'd listened to Evelyn complaining of the same problem. 'What good is it for me to see things if I can't change them?' she'd said over and over in the past. Vanessa hadn't understood, not being gifted with the same abilities, but after feeling as though she could see the story Emma Jane had shared with her, Vanessa felt that she had a better understanding of why Evelyn would say that.

  "What is it about this story that you want me to understand? It sounds horribly sad. A beautiful and vain woman making a deal with the devil?" Vanessa stopped, regarding Emma Jane with suspicion. "This isn't about me, is it?"

  Emma Jane laughed at the question, shaking her head emphatically. "Not the way you think, no! While others may think you vain, I can tell that the real you," she said, smiling and waving her hand briefly in the vicinity of her eyes, "doesn't really care about appearances. In fact, that may be the best of your many qualities I can see in front of me when I use my sight."

  Vanessa blushed, uncomfortable at her admiring tone. "Well, don't let on that you know that. I wouldn't want word to get around that I'm not a shallow actress or work may become scarce. In this business, playing a little on the dumb and shallow side tends to get you farther than being sharp and cunning."

  Vanessa knew just how true those words were for someone new to the business. Someday maybe she'd be able to be as smart as someone like Meryl Streep or Julia Roberts and pick and choose her roles, but for now, biddable and vacant were getting her steady work.

  Emma Jane smiled serenely. "One of your best qualities I think, is the ability to be practical when required, which is part of the reason I've come to you and part of the story itself." She stopped and hummed briefly. "Hmm, how best to say this? Well, the woman in my tale made a deal with a dark power, that's the easy part. The hard part is where you and I come in."

  "What do you mean? You just said that I'm not like her, so this story isn't about me." Vanessa was confused now. Was it about her or not?

  Emma Jane shook her head again. "Evelyn had a dream that you would be helpful to me, therefore I don't believe the witch I'm searching for is you. But that could mean you're in danger."

  "Wait, what?" Vanessa put her finger in her ear and wiggled it, positive she'd heard incorrectly.

  "Yes, this woman, very, very old now, is going to be here, in San Francisco shortly. She may already be here.
I've received a tip that her next location will be somewhere close by." Emma Jane stopped and tilted her head, wearing a compassionate expression. "It is possible you could be one of her targets, if I've been sent to you at this time."

  Vanessa sat with a marble face for a few moments before the words seeped into her mind and achieved full understanding. She spoke slowly, trying to make sense of what she'd just heard.

  "So, you're saying you got a tip and some advice from Evelyn that this woman, who steals beauty and leaves women dead, will be here soon and that I'm at risk. Is that what I'm hearing?"

  Emma Jane smiled. "Yes, exactly! It sounds very clear when you say it like that. Brilliant!" Emma Jane took another sip of the now cool tea and grimaced. "Apparently, I'm a little long winded, as this tea is pretty awful now. Do you have anything else I could have?"

  Vanessa moved to the cupboards on autopilot. "Hmm, there's more tea here from Mai, some green, some oolong, and I see some hot chocolate, which is probably my sister's."

  "Oh! Hot chocolate would be nice. I haven't had that in years. If it's not too much trouble?"

  Emma Jane looked excited and Vanessa felt something warm in her chest when she saw the childish pleasure on the woman's face.

  "Sure, I can make you some hot chocolate."

  Conversation lulled as Vanessa got the ingredients together and boiled the kettle again. She was still replaying the story in her head of the nameless woman and wondering if she was supposed to be scared or angry. She didn't know how she felt. She'd never been the target in any of the battles she'd fought with her sister Cat, other than the time when Declan had almost sucked out her soul in high school. But even that was totally in retaliation against her sister and not personal. In general, most people liked her, so Vanessa had never dealt with much interpersonal drama. And since she wasn't a complete jerk, she didn't think she'd ever treated anyone in a way that would cause them to come after her. That didn't mean she didn't create her own share of drama, but one of her supernatural abilities was charisma, so generally people found her charming instead of irritating. She had a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of someone specifically gunning for her. Yet, if what this strange woman sitting in her apartment had said was correct, that was exactly what was going to happen.

  "Wait a minute," said Vanessa. "Why should I believe you? Say that all this is true and someone is coming for me. Fine, it's true. How do I know it isn't you I'm supposed to watch out for? You're a stranger. I don't know you from a hole in the wall. How do I know this isn't just a way to trick me and lull me into submission so that you can suck my youth?"

  Emma Jane shrugged. "Well, you don't, really. But I understand why you'd want some reassurance, given how I've appeared to you tonight."

  She looked straight at Vanessa with her strange eyes. Vanessa had a hard time looking away from their swirling, opaque cloudiness.

  "One way to know would be for me to come back tomorrow. We can talk more then and you can make sure your sister is present, if that makes you feel better. Evelyn has told me about her as well. She'll know if I'm lying or not with her own special abilities."

  Vanessa looked at her cautiously. She didn't really think that Emma Jane was here to hurt her, but much of her story was outlandish and hard to buy. Then again, what hadn't been difficult to believe over the previous few years? It wasn't much of a stretch to think someone was coming to suck her life out, considering everyone that had been trying to kill her and her friends since high school.

  "Fine. Come back tomorrow, after ten o'clock. Cat shouldn't have classes then and I'm not working."

  Emma Jane stood up from the table, coming over to where Vanessa was still standing with the hot chocolate. Emma Jane put her hand on Vanessa's and Vanessa felt an odd tingle.

  "Thank you for your hospitality. I'd love to stay and have hot chocolate, but I feel it's time for me to leave now so that you can think about what you've heard tonight. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

  Vanessa felt her heart start to beat a little faster, but she wasn't sure why. Nerves? Fear? It was an odd feeling and she didn't know what to say in response.

  "Um, yeah. Tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Vanessa finally managed to blurt out the words, but she could see it was too late.

  Emma took back her hand, unfolded her cane which had previously been retracted into a compact white stick, and smiled enigmatically.

  "I'd love to have some hot chocolate tomorrow. Good night, Vanessa. I hope your sleep is restful. I look forward to talking more tomorrow."

  Vanessa followed Emma Jane to the door, absently noticing she had no problem finding the door handle, gliding down the stairs and disappearing into the foggy night which enveloped her a few steps away from the apartment.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Vanessa closed the door behind Emma Jane and got ready for bed in a daze. Her thoughts kept returning to the sound of Emma Jane's voice, to the way she'd drawn her so deeply into the story about another strange woman, and the strange tingle Vanessa had felt when Emma Jane had touched her hand. She didn't have the gift of seeing auras the way Cat could, or dreams the way Evelyn did, but Vanessa still felt she knew people. She liked them, liked talking with them, liked trying to guess what they'd do next. It was like a game for her, predicting when someone would zig instead of zag. But Emma Jane had mysteriously swirled into her life like the fog in the San Francisco night and Vanessa had no idea what Emma Jane would do next, or what she was going do about it.

  She changed into her comfy sweats and tank-top pajamas and brushed her teeth, thinking about the magnetic eyes that she'd looked into that night. They were absolutely fascinating. While she imagined many people would feel uncomfortable looking into them, with the strange otherworldly quality they had, Vanessa found herself yearning to look into them again. Shaking her head at her strange thoughts, she turned off the light and closed her eyes. Tomorrow would come soon enough. She would see her again, tomorrow.

  EMMA JANE WALKED AWAY from the apartment where Vanessa lived with her sister, her thoughts lingering behind even as she carefully maneuvered the physical world around her. She felt guilty leaving her like that, so full of curiosity and doubt, but knew that Vanessa needed time to process what she'd said and to become interested enough to help her with her mission. She also wanted to meet with Cat, as she had a feeling she'd need her assistance as well. But Vanessa was special and Emma Jane knew it. That was why she'd approached her so abruptly on a night in the park when Vanessa was alone. Emma Jane needed to be memorable to hold her attention.

  She thought of Vanessa's deep blue eyes filled with skepticism and smiled. This was not the flaky actress that she'd expected to find based on the media reports and she was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to find a woman of substance who could actually help her. Emma Jane felt the same aching loneliness that always followed her when she thought of those she had in her life, or the lack thereof. It wasn't for lack of trying or talking to people. It was more due to the way her life had unfolded. Emma Jane went back to her earliest memories of a warm, loving home with her mother and siblings, feeling her heart contract, as always, with the twin emotions of love and loss. She sent up a prayer to the Great Spirit that they were safe and happy, before turning her thoughts back to the work at hand.

  MORNING BROKE WITH another grey mist and Vanessa felt sluggish. She hadn't slept well due to never ending dreams of fighting soulless ones, some of which were actual memories, others which were battles she was sure she'd seen in movies over the previous few months. She groaned as she climbed out of bed and got ready for the day. A quick shower helped to wake her up, but she still felt fuzzy. She'd gone from mourning the loss of her best friend, which she knew was her own problem, to being intrigued and confused by a mysterious woman who'd appeared out of nowhere to tell her she was in danger. Remembering that she was expecting her back that day, Vanessa walked into the main living area to find her sister. Luckily, it was Saturday and Cat would still
be home.

  Cat was already up and dressed, sitting on the couch flipping through TV channels, when Vanessa entered the room.

  "Hey," Cat said, as she continued to flip. "What did you do last night? By the time I got home from the library, your light was off. I don't think that's ever happened before." Cat looked up at Vanessa, who just shrugged and sat next to her.

  "It was a weird night, Cat," said Vanessa, as she shook her head and looked at her. "Very weird."

  Cat dropped the remote and turned to face her sister. "Okay, spill. This sounds way better than Storage Wars."

  Vanessa looked at Cat. "Evelyn sent a super strange woman over. Did she mention anything to you about it? Like, to expect anyone?"

  Cat frowned. "Nope. But then, since she's been so busy, she can sometimes forget little details."

  The sisters looked at each other before laughing.

  "Yeah okay, it's still Evelyn. She doesn't miss anything. So, no, she didn't tell me, which likely means she either didn't want to, or didn't have a chance."

  "Hmm, okay, well I'll give her a pass, this time." Vanessa gave Cat a meaningful stare before continuing. "Anyway, this lady came out of the dark last night on my way home. It was really spooky the way she appeared out of the fog, almost like magic."

  Cat groaned. "Oh no. Please don't tell me it was by magic."

  Vanessa shrugged. "I'm actually not sure. But either way, I was freaked out at first until I noticed she was blind. She told me Evelyn had directed her to me, so I figured it was safe to bring her back to the apartment. Then again, I thought you'd be home." Vanessa gave Cat a disapproving look.

  "What?" Cat protested. "I told you I was going to the library after lectures finished. It's not like I even got home all that late. I arrived home just after nine and you were already in bed. Plus, that was an awful idea! What if something had happened to you?"