Paths of the Hunter- Chapter 3
Title:Paths of the Hunter, chapter 3
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (suspense)
Chapter 3
“Are we there yet?” Amy asked, mostly joking, as they reached the bottom of the hill and began to go around it toward where she knew the railroad ran.
“Almost,” Will smiled. “Not much further.” He stared off into space for a moment, then nodded slowly to himself. Amy wondered what he was thinking. He had been doing that for the last hour, almost as if he were making sure that they were still where- and when- he had said they were.
The sound of an explosion ripped through the morning, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust around the bend. “What was that?” Amy asked, breathing deep to calm her pounding heart.
“They’re blasting. They must have run into a rock formation they couldn’t go around. Good. We’re right when I wanted to be. Stay close, now.” Will headed straight for the cloud of dust as it started to clear, and Amy followed. What was he doing? It was dangerous over there!
“What’s going on?” she asked again.
“Well, have you ever heard the phrase, ‘not a Chinaman’s chance’?”
“Can’t say that I have,” she replied as they got closer. Nervously, she wondered if they would be blasted away with the next chunk of rock.
“When a foreman didn’t particularly like one of his workers, he would send that one in to set the dynamite. Sometimes it was a tight spot, and the chances of survival for the man setting the dynamite were not very good. Ah, here we go. Watch.”
They came over a small ridge, and the railroad work camp came into view. It was muddy and smelled rotten, and Amy covered her nose as she watched Chinese and Irish workers scurry around the camp, clearing debris from the blast area. “You’re sure they can’t see us?”
Will nodded. “There’s one down there who can, but I don’t think that he’s here yet.” His jaw set itself in a firm line, and his eyes were distant again. What kind of past did he have, where he could have enemies in the eighteen hundreds and still seem younger in her world? He pointed to the crowd clustered around another large rock formation in the way of the line of the half-finished railroad. “There. That’s our man.”
“Which one?” she asked. They all looked the same to her.
“The one that the foreman just handed the dynamite. Apparently he’s been too good a worker and his fellows are getting jealous, especially the Irish. The Chinese were willing to work more hours for lower wages. This caused problems later on with the mines.”
“What year are we in, again?” Something was starting to make sense….
“Eighteen eighty-three,” he replied, smiling as he saw the pieces coming together in her head.
“So not too long before the Chinese Massacre. I always knew there had to be some other force at work besides just plain jealousy.”
He nodded. “The Dark was at work here, in Wyoming, far from the shores of their usual labor. And it was for this man that they were here.” His face clouded over. “There’s the Rider. Hide behind that rock, but keep watching. I don’t want him to see you here.”
She obeyed, feeling a sense of dread seep into her veins, making them feel heavy as she watched. Will stood close, hovering almost protectively and practically glaring at the handsome man with the red hair as he moved through the camp toward the blast area. Amy thought that he seemed out of place. He carried himself a little too arrogantly, and even the mud and the grime could not hide that his clothes were just a little bit better than those around him. A dark aura hung about him, almost visible to Amy’s untrained eyes. He did not belong here. So what was he doing in this place?
The poor Chinaman holding the dynamite slowly walked toward the large rock formation, waiting for his fellows with drills to finish making their holes in the rock. They cleared out quickly, leaving him to his work. With a look of considerable dismay, he set the sticks into the holes, then attached the fuses. Even from here, Amy could see that the lengths were just too short for him to safely escape. “They’re going to kill him,” she whispered to Will.
“That’s the idea,” he replied. “But keep watching.”
She watched as he lit the fuse, then began running back toward the camp. The red-haired man began running the other way, toward the blast area. The Chinaman tripped, and Amy could see his look of terror as he fell flat on his face, looking over his shoulder. Then the man Will had called The Rider was there, lifting him up. Amy blinked, and they were not there anymore, the two men were back at the camp as the next explosion tore through the morning. Amazed railroad workers surrounded them, babbling in amazement.
“How? What?” Amy couldn’t form a coherent sentence even when the dust had cleared.
“He caught the whole camp out of Time and brought this Chinaman safely back.”
“Why?” She didn’t trust the red-haired man’s motives. He hadn’t saved the Chinaman out of kindness, of that much she was sure.
“Because now that the Rider has saved this man, this man owes him his life- and so much more, later.”
“Who is the Rider?”
“One of the great lords of the Dark. He has been defeated, in our time. The Dark, as a whole, has been defeated. But there are some who would not heed their masters’ calls to the last battle and so have gained power for themselves in the years since.”
“And the Chinaman is one of them, isn’t he.” For once, Amy was not asking a question.
Will nodded, and she could see carefully hidden pain starting to show on his face. “He is. And he has made it his purpose to destroy me and everything that I love, because I am the last of the Light here to fight him.”
He seemed so old all of a sudden, so tired and lonely, that she fought back empathetic tears. “I’m sorry, Will,” she whispered.
He forced a smile, the grin still coming readily. “It’s okay. I’ve followed him back here, to where he began, and I think that soon I will be able to stop being the hunter and go back to being the watchman.”
She looked at him oddly, but he didn’t elaborate. “Come on. Let’s get you back to your school. You still have class today.”
She started, looking at her watch. The second hand was not moving. Great. Her watch had died! How was she supposed to be on time today?
Will laughed. “Don’t worry. We are also not quite in time. You’ll be to your classes on time, and your watch will work when we get you back to our current reality.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Okay. Lead the way.”
She followed him back toward the rocks where the morning’s adventure had started, trying to digest everything that had happened this morning. And, as usual, she was trying to figure Will Stanton out. At times he seemed so full of life and wise and, yes, she had to admit it, attractive. Other times he seemed old and stern and almost as though he didn’t belong to this world. What was she getting herself into?
They arrived back at the pile of rocks, and she turned to see that the buildings of their time were slowly reforming themselves into real, solid shapes. She looked at him. “When will I see you again?” she asked. Life was exciting with him, an adventure. She was already looking forward to discovering the next piece of the puzzle that was Will Stanton and the man he was hunting.
“You’ll see me when the time is right.”
“When will that be?”
He laughed at her impatience. “Soon. I have another life in your world. Pay attention to the teachers around you.” She cocked her head to the side questioningly, but again he just grinned and did not explain. “Until we meet again, Amy.” He took off walking toward the college, and she watched him go until he had disappeared into the main building. She looked at her watch, then started running back toward the dorms. She was going to be late for class, if she didn’t hurry.
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (suspense)
Chapter 3
“Are we there yet?” Amy asked, mostly joking, as they reached the bottom of the hill and began to go around it toward where she knew the railroad ran.
“Almost,” Will smiled. “Not much further.” He stared off into space for a moment, then nodded slowly to himself. Amy wondered what he was thinking. He had been doing that for the last hour, almost as if he were making sure that they were still where- and when- he had said they were.
The sound of an explosion ripped through the morning, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust around the bend. “What was that?” Amy asked, breathing deep to calm her pounding heart.
“They’re blasting. They must have run into a rock formation they couldn’t go around. Good. We’re right when I wanted to be. Stay close, now.” Will headed straight for the cloud of dust as it started to clear, and Amy followed. What was he doing? It was dangerous over there!
“What’s going on?” she asked again.
“Well, have you ever heard the phrase, ‘not a Chinaman’s chance’?”
“Can’t say that I have,” she replied as they got closer. Nervously, she wondered if they would be blasted away with the next chunk of rock.
“When a foreman didn’t particularly like one of his workers, he would send that one in to set the dynamite. Sometimes it was a tight spot, and the chances of survival for the man setting the dynamite were not very good. Ah, here we go. Watch.”
They came over a small ridge, and the railroad work camp came into view. It was muddy and smelled rotten, and Amy covered her nose as she watched Chinese and Irish workers scurry around the camp, clearing debris from the blast area. “You’re sure they can’t see us?”
Will nodded. “There’s one down there who can, but I don’t think that he’s here yet.” His jaw set itself in a firm line, and his eyes were distant again. What kind of past did he have, where he could have enemies in the eighteen hundreds and still seem younger in her world? He pointed to the crowd clustered around another large rock formation in the way of the line of the half-finished railroad. “There. That’s our man.”
“Which one?” she asked. They all looked the same to her.
“The one that the foreman just handed the dynamite. Apparently he’s been too good a worker and his fellows are getting jealous, especially the Irish. The Chinese were willing to work more hours for lower wages. This caused problems later on with the mines.”
“What year are we in, again?” Something was starting to make sense….
“Eighteen eighty-three,” he replied, smiling as he saw the pieces coming together in her head.
“So not too long before the Chinese Massacre. I always knew there had to be some other force at work besides just plain jealousy.”
He nodded. “The Dark was at work here, in Wyoming, far from the shores of their usual labor. And it was for this man that they were here.” His face clouded over. “There’s the Rider. Hide behind that rock, but keep watching. I don’t want him to see you here.”
She obeyed, feeling a sense of dread seep into her veins, making them feel heavy as she watched. Will stood close, hovering almost protectively and practically glaring at the handsome man with the red hair as he moved through the camp toward the blast area. Amy thought that he seemed out of place. He carried himself a little too arrogantly, and even the mud and the grime could not hide that his clothes were just a little bit better than those around him. A dark aura hung about him, almost visible to Amy’s untrained eyes. He did not belong here. So what was he doing in this place?
The poor Chinaman holding the dynamite slowly walked toward the large rock formation, waiting for his fellows with drills to finish making their holes in the rock. They cleared out quickly, leaving him to his work. With a look of considerable dismay, he set the sticks into the holes, then attached the fuses. Even from here, Amy could see that the lengths were just too short for him to safely escape. “They’re going to kill him,” she whispered to Will.
“That’s the idea,” he replied. “But keep watching.”
She watched as he lit the fuse, then began running back toward the camp. The red-haired man began running the other way, toward the blast area. The Chinaman tripped, and Amy could see his look of terror as he fell flat on his face, looking over his shoulder. Then the man Will had called The Rider was there, lifting him up. Amy blinked, and they were not there anymore, the two men were back at the camp as the next explosion tore through the morning. Amazed railroad workers surrounded them, babbling in amazement.
“How? What?” Amy couldn’t form a coherent sentence even when the dust had cleared.
“He caught the whole camp out of Time and brought this Chinaman safely back.”
“Why?” She didn’t trust the red-haired man’s motives. He hadn’t saved the Chinaman out of kindness, of that much she was sure.
“Because now that the Rider has saved this man, this man owes him his life- and so much more, later.”
“Who is the Rider?”
“One of the great lords of the Dark. He has been defeated, in our time. The Dark, as a whole, has been defeated. But there are some who would not heed their masters’ calls to the last battle and so have gained power for themselves in the years since.”
“And the Chinaman is one of them, isn’t he.” For once, Amy was not asking a question.
Will nodded, and she could see carefully hidden pain starting to show on his face. “He is. And he has made it his purpose to destroy me and everything that I love, because I am the last of the Light here to fight him.”
He seemed so old all of a sudden, so tired and lonely, that she fought back empathetic tears. “I’m sorry, Will,” she whispered.
He forced a smile, the grin still coming readily. “It’s okay. I’ve followed him back here, to where he began, and I think that soon I will be able to stop being the hunter and go back to being the watchman.”
She looked at him oddly, but he didn’t elaborate. “Come on. Let’s get you back to your school. You still have class today.”
She started, looking at her watch. The second hand was not moving. Great. Her watch had died! How was she supposed to be on time today?
Will laughed. “Don’t worry. We are also not quite in time. You’ll be to your classes on time, and your watch will work when we get you back to our current reality.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Okay. Lead the way.”
She followed him back toward the rocks where the morning’s adventure had started, trying to digest everything that had happened this morning. And, as usual, she was trying to figure Will Stanton out. At times he seemed so full of life and wise and, yes, she had to admit it, attractive. Other times he seemed old and stern and almost as though he didn’t belong to this world. What was she getting herself into?
They arrived back at the pile of rocks, and she turned to see that the buildings of their time were slowly reforming themselves into real, solid shapes. She looked at him. “When will I see you again?” she asked. Life was exciting with him, an adventure. She was already looking forward to discovering the next piece of the puzzle that was Will Stanton and the man he was hunting.
“You’ll see me when the time is right.”
“When will that be?”
He laughed at her impatience. “Soon. I have another life in your world. Pay attention to the teachers around you.” She cocked her head to the side questioningly, but again he just grinned and did not explain. “Until we meet again, Amy.” He took off walking toward the college, and she watched him go until he had disappeared into the main building. She looked at her watch, then started running back toward the dorms. She was going to be late for class, if she didn’t hurry.