The Raven and the Witchhunter

by H. M. Gooden

  “Seriously? Why did you have to do that? You're stunning!” Vanessa said, scowling with irritation.

  Emma Jane shrugged. “My eyes are still strange and no matter how good you may think I look, they draw too much bad attention if people notice them.”

  Cat had entered in time to hear the exchange and sided with Emma Jane. “Sorry, Vanessa. She’s got a point. Emma Jane, you look great. Nice shirt.”

  Emma Jane blushed again but stood up straighter. She was a several inches shorter than the other two, only coming up to the top of Vanessa’s shoulders in her boots, which were only an inch shorter than Vanessa's heels.

  “Thank you both, but enough chatter. It’s time to go. It’s starting to get dark, which means that she’ll be hunting soon. Vanessa, you’ll drive again?

  “Damn straight I’m driving. My car, my keys. Cat, you ready?”

  “Ready and waiting. I can’t wait to see you in action!”

  Cat rubbed her hands together eagerly while Emma Jane arched an eyebrow.

  “Well, here’s your chance. Let’s go.”

  THEY PULLED UP OUTSIDE Eloise’s house to find it had been blocked off with yellow police tape. But they'd expected that and didn’t stop or try to enter. Vanessa drove past the house slowly, hoping they didn’t look out of place as lookie-lou’s following a suspicious death in a quiet neighborhood.

  “Stop here, just for a second. Let me look at the window.”

  Emma Jane’s voice was sharp and excited and Vanessa did as she was told.

  “Okay, go now, turn left,” Emma Jane spit out orders, and Vanessa kept up as best she could with the rapid array of left and rights, until they stopped at a little club in the Tenderloin.

  “Here?” Vanessa asked, in disbelief. “Vertigo?”

  The place they’d stopped was a relatively popular nightclub in the Tenderloin district of the city, known for great late-night dancing and the hot dog cart outside, just in case you got a little hungry after some hard-core Top 40's music.

  “Yes, here. Do you know it?” Emma Jane turned to look at Vanessa, causing Cat to snort.

  “Know it? She practically has VIP status. We shouldn’t have to wait in line, which is nice. Some of these clubs can take hours to get into, but now that Vanessa has a name and all...” Cat trailed off under her sister’s glare. “What? It’s true!” Cat protested.

  Emma Jane looked at the girls sternly. “This is no time for squabbling. The witch’s trail stops here, at the door. That means that she’s inside the club as we speak. We may already be too late.”

  Vanessa hung her head at getting caught arguing with her sister as if they were kids. “Sorry, my bad. What’s your plan?” Vanessa said, focusing back on the issue at hand.

  “We’ll enter the club and I’ll look for her energy signature. Try not to let anyone touch you if I haven’t vetted them first. And be careful, she could be someone you think you know.”

  “What? How’s that even possible?"Cat asked, giving Emma Jane an incredulous look.

  Emma Jane shrugged. “That’s the tricky thing about her. Not only is she really old and able to stay young by taking the vitality away from young women, she’s also superb at blending in. I haven't seen her more than twice, but both times she appeared to be a completely different person. So, stay on your toes."

  Vanessa and Cat looked at each other uneasily but nodded and headed to the door. As Cat had said, Vanessa easily got them past the bouncers and into the club where a few of the waitstaff appeared to know her. Vanessa smiled and nodded, putting out her normal level of charm in case there were any paparazzi lurking. While she wasn't looking for press, it wouldn't hurt her image to be seen out at a popular nightclub with two other attractive women, even if one was her sister.

  "Hey guys," Vanessa shouted over the blaring music. "Let's go up there." She pointed to a small raised area with lounging couches and tables. "We’ll be able to see better."

  Emma Jane nodded, but Vanessa noticed she seemed more unfocused than she had been on the car ride over.

  "Are you okay?" she asked, leaning closer to whisper in Emma Jane’s ear.

  Emma Jane was now looking pale, but attempted a weak smile as she turned to Vanessa, still wearing her sunglasses. "It's difficult to concentrate in here. I haven't hunted in a bar before and there may be a too much energy for me to do it successfully. Maybe sitting will help."

  Cat looked at Emma Jane, her lips pursed with concern, before turning to Vanessa.

  "Let's sit. Maybe it’ll give us a better view. Plus, how'd you get me in without showing ID?"

  Vanessa waved her hand at her sister's question, taking Emma Jane's arm in hers and locking elbows, the way women often do when out together. However, by the time they arrived at the table, Emma Jane appeared to be on the verge of fainting.

  "Okay, you don't look good. Do you need a drink? Is there anything I can do?"

  Emma Jane had her head down and was resting both elbows on the table as she took slow, deep breaths, as though she was actively trying not to vomit.

  She didn't look healthy. Vanessa looked at Emma Jane with worry as she took off her sunglasses and rubbed her temples. Once again, Vanessa was captivated by her eyes, which now resembled dark storm clouds instead of their more familiar swirling opaque, white color.

  "There’s one thing that could help me focus, but I don't want to ask it of either of you."

  Cat put out her hand, stopping Vanessa from asking the question. "I think I know what you need."

  Emma Jane looked up in surprise. "How? I'm not even sure it would work."

  Cat smiled. "It's part of what I do, remember? I read auras, but I also have a talent for healing and I can do that without risking myself. So, if you'd allow me?"

  Vanessa watched with a frown, still not comprehending what her sister and Emma Jane were discussing, until Cat grabbed Emma Jane's hand from across the table. As she watched, Cat's eyelids fluttered and she started to breathe as though she were running fast, while Emma Jane's body relaxed and color rushed back into her previously pale cheeks. Cat let go and leaned back, panting and looking exhausted.

  "What just happened?" Vanessa asked.

  Cat smiled and wiggled her fingers at Vanessa. "With these hands I have the ability to heal," Cat said, with a booming announcer voice. At Vanessa’s scowl, she took pity on her sister and rounded her shoulders, leaning forward to speak at a normal volume.

  "I could see that Emma Jane’s aura was getting cloudy. I think she may have been absorbing too much from the room around her, as she was keeping herself open to find the energy of the witch-woman. I just took away some of the darkness. But, that being said, I think it's a safe bet that the same thing will happen again as long as we stay here. I vote we take one quick look around together, go to the bathroom for a breather from the crowd and all the energy, then leave if Emma Jane doesn't sense her here."

  Vanessa sighed, not liking the plan if it meant Emma Jane would look like that again, but she didn't see any other way for them to find the woman. Cat hadn't seen the woman's aura, so she wouldn’t recognize her, and Vanessa had zero ability to see auras in the first place.

  "Okay, but let's make it fast. I want to get you home, Emma Jane. This is no place for you."

  Emma Jane smiled weakly. "Yeah, no kidding. I had no idea I could feel like this, but I normally avoid crowded places. It makes sense." She paused, looking at Cat. "But what Cat says is correct as well. I do absorb energy if I leave myself open like this. It's never been a problem for me before, but I don't think I've kept myself open in a place busy with so many people before. Let's scope and go."

  The girls got up from the table before even ordering drinks, which was likely for the best, as Cat wasn't legal yet. Vanessa led the way, still maintaining one hand on Emma Jane’s jacket, while Cat kept her eyes in aura-vision. She might not know what she was looking for, but Vanessa knew that Cat was able to spot a dark aura from across the room, whether it was the mysterious person they wer
e looking for or not. Once they'd made a full round and hadn't seen anyone suspicious, Vanessa guided them to the bathroom. It was still early in the night so there wasn't a line, but even Vanessa could feel that something was off when they entered the sitting area of the ladies room.

  "Vanessa," Emma Jane whispered. "Stay back. She's here. Remember, don't let her touch you."

  Vanessa let go of Emma Jane's arm and stepped back, flanking her to the left while Cat moved behind and to her right.

  Emma Jane looked intense and displayed no sign of her previous weakness. Whatever Cat had done had obviously worked, Vanessa thought gratefully. She stayed close as Emma Jane went to the section with stalls, watching as Emma Jane stopped outside each one briefly until she got to the last one, which was designated for persons with disabilities. Emma Jane kicked the door open with a loud bang, causing both Vanessa and Cat to jump at the noise.

  There, inside the stall, were two women in an embrace. Initially, Vanessa felt that they’d interrupted a lover’s tryst, but when one woman dropped to the ground she gasped. Emma Jane jumped into action, slamming the other woman against the door before she could react. Vanessa and Cat backed up, trying to stay out of the way of the petite Emma Jane they’d come to the bar with who had transformed right before their eyes into an impressive martial artist. They avoided touching the strange woman as they'd been ordered, but that didn't mean that they couldn't help.

  When the other woman placed her hand against Emma Jane's face, causing her to look pale again, Vanessa took matters into her own hands. She closed her eyes and called to the wind, throwing it toward the stranger and slamming her against the mirror-lined wall where the sinks were. She then threw the garbage can at her head with the power of an eighty-mile an hour gale force wind, but it dropped before it hit the mirror. Vanessa watched in horror as the woman, her face still not fully visible due to obscuring blond hair, turned a silvery color and disappeared into the mirror.

  "Holy shit. I did not just see that," Vanessa said with a halting voice as she pointed to the now empty space in front of the mirror.

  Cat rubbed her eyes then shook her head. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what that bit at the end was, but that was one black, almost non-existent aura. Either way, she seems to have vanished."

  Emma Jane dropped to the floor next to the mirrors, her chest heaving as she struggled for breath.

  "Emma Jane? Are you okay?" Vanessa crouched down, putting a hand on her shoulder, but Emma Jane brushed her away and stood up.

  "I'm fine. Don't touch me. Just give me a minute and stay back, for your own sake," she snapped, pacing over to the mirror and slamming an open hand on it. "Damn it. She got away again. Cat, check that girl in the stall. I think it's too late for her, but maybe you have enough juice? She's not dead yet, I can feel it."

  Cat nodded and went to look. Vanessa shook her hand, still surprised by Emma Jane's reaction. "You seem..." Vanessa trailed off, lost for words.

  Emma Jane took several deep breaths before she replied, speaking slowly as she faced the mirror. "I'm sorry, but it brings me to a bad place, whenever I encounter someone like this. When they touch me, I have to force myself to stay focused, to not tip over into the darkness." She looked at Vanessa, who noticed that her sunglasses had fallen off during the fight. Her eyes crackled with energy, causing Vanessa to feel a sensation akin to fear.

  "Do you mean that you feel...dark right now?" Vanessa asked, carefully keeping her voice neutral and trying not to betray her concern.

  Emma Jane nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I walk a fine line, hunting evil. You have to be able to follow it, to live beside it, to capture, contain, or kill it, all without ever becoming it. Or the next thing you know, someone will be hunting you."

  Vanessa felt a painful, unexpected twist in her chest at the thought of having to hunt Emma Jane. She'd had to hunt many other dark souls with her sister and friends, but never someone she'd started to care for or known personally before they’d turned to evil. She wasn't sure it was something she'd be able to do.

  "Guys, I need some help in here."

  Cat's voice cut into Vanessa's thoughts and she turned to look at her sister, who was now slumped on her butt beside the woman in the stall. The woman appeared to be breathing but looked awful. She was bone white with dark hair, the same color as Vanessa's. As she examined her more carefully, Vanessa pulled back, putting her hand to her throat while absently dialing 911 as she processed the similarities in their appearance. The woman who was lying on the floor close to death looked eerily like her.

  "On it," Vanessa said, hearing a tremor in her voice from the shock, but brushing her feelings aside to look at her sister's pale face. She did not look good. "Are you okay, Cat?"

  Cat nodded weakly and Vanessa knew that she'd probably used a fair amount of her own energy and would need at least a few minutes to recover. She took another look at the girl on the floor and felt sorrow for her. Likely, she'd been out for a night of fun before she'd been trapped in that corner stall, simply because of how she looked. Now she'd be lucky to leave here looking anywhere close to twenty-something. The 911 operator cut into her thoughts and she dealt with them quickly, giving them her number and putting her phone on mute for a moment.

  "They'll be here in ten minutes. She told us to stay here and on the line with her until the paramedics arrive. How much damage was there?" Vanessa asked Cat, who was still sitting on the floor looking wiped out.

  Cat shook her head against the wall tiredly. "A lot. She was almost dead. It took pretty near everything I have. I'll probably need help getting home and I'm definitely finished for the night."

  Cat took another deep breath, exhaling before looking at Emma Jane, who was still smoldering away next to the mirror glaring at herself. "Emma Jane, you did your best. There was serious darkness packaged up in that woman. And I know you don't believe me right now, but you aren't going to become evil."

  Emma Jane turned around abruptly. "How can you know that? I don't know that, even though I've been doing this for a long time. I've been this way for over twenty years and I still never know," she said then sighed, bowing her head. "Even Samuel didn't know that and he knew everything."

  Vanessa watched Emma Jane’s seething anger drain away as she spoke the name of her teacher, a soft tone entering her voice. Vanessa didn't know the full story of Emma Jane's training but remembered the name from the one memory she'd shared earlier. The rest of the tale would have to wait until later, when everyone was more settled, but Vanessa wanted to hear more once they were alone.

  The girls moved into the handicapped stall with Cat and the stranger, so that witnesses were kept to a minimum, and Vanessa unmuted her phone before dispatch noticed. They spoke little while they waited for the paramedics, with Cat and Emma Jane both exhausted and Vanessa processing what she'd seen. Once the paramedics arrived and removed the unconscious woman from the stall on a stretcher, the three women left, Vanessa supporting Cat with her arm around her back and a hint of air magic lightening the load, and Emma Jane staying a few steps ahead, silently leading them out into the night.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The night was still young when Vanessa pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment. She cast a worried look at the other two women in the car, feeling as though their evening had gone completely sideways on them. She'd known it was a risk, following the path of a woman who stole the youth and life from young women, but she hadn't expected the way she'd feel watching Emma Jane turn into a hunter in front of her. She'd seemed so wise and gentle every other time when they'd been together that it had been almost frightening to witness her transformation. Vanessa thought she'd moved past the whole 'blind people are harmless' thing. Apparently not.

  Man, I've obviously got a long way to go toward being an open and accepting human.

  "Does anyone need help getting into the house?" Vanessa looked at Cat, who shook her head, then cautiously examined Emma Jane, who was giving her a look she recognized. />
  "Sorry, just checking. Things got real back there and I wasn't sure how wiped you were. If you’re all good, let's go in."

  Vanessa got out, slamming the door behind her in short-lived pique. She wasn't used to being careful with her words and was finding it irritating. She knew she wasn't perfect, but it was starting to piss her off how she seemed to be screwing everything up with Emma Jane. She put her key in the lock just as she heard Cat yell behind her.

  "Duck!"

  Without thinking, Vanessa dropped to the landing and looked up. Inside the apartment, coming at her with a knife, was the shadowy figure of a man. She couldn't make out any details because of the darkness but didn't need to know the person's identity in order to act. She threw her arms up protectively in front of her face and blasted the man with a gust of wind.

  He flew over Vanessa's head and tumbled down the steps to the bottom, where he lay still.

  "What the f..." Vanessa stood up, looking around for any other threats, then turned to her sister.

  "Cat, can you do a quick aura sweep of the apartment before we go in? If it's not too much for you right now, that is. I'm going to take a better look at him and see if he's out."

  Cat nodded and squeezed by Vanessa, coming back with a nod a minute later. "Coast is clear."

  "Hot damn," Vanessa whispered, turning the man over. He wasn't moving and she was worried about the shape of his body. His neck and one leg didn't look right, so she quickly checked for a pulse from his carotid.

  "Umm, guys. Two things."

  Emma Jane came over and checked as well, nodding solemnly.

  "He's dead," she said.

  "Yup, that's one thing," Vanessa agreed, adding, "and I know him."

  "What?" Cat asked, incredulously.