Paths of the Hunter, chapter 14
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Title:Paths of the Hunter, chapter 14
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (romance)
Chapter 14
Amy looked around, recognizing the dream for what it was this time. The desert was now barren, burned-out under the snow and dark gray threatening clouds. She could see the remains of Rock Springs, blackened and empty, from where she stood on College Hill. A tall figure appeared out of the air next to her, wild white hair tousled by the bitter Wyoming winter wind. He wore a dark blue cloak much like Will’s, and his face was fierce, reminding her almost of some sort of bird of prey. She knew that he must be another one of Will’s Old Ones, just like the Lady, but there was an almost forbidding quality to him that she did not feel around the old woman.
“This is what the Dark will do to this place if they are allowed,” he said, his deep voice falling oddly flat in the snowy emptiness. “Maybe not physically, but certainly spiritually. Indeed, they have already started. You know this, Amy, and young Will knows it too. The Watchman cannot afford to be distracted from his duties, not even by one that we have called to help him.”
Amy felt her defenses go up. Old One or not, she did not know him and was not going to take orders from him that easily. “Are you telling me to not fall in love? If you are, it’s a little late. I bet that next you’ll try to tell him that he’s supposed to be alone forever and ever and ever.”
The white-haired man laughed, a true laugh that set her just a little more at ease. “We are not saying that you shouldn’t be in love. We are saying that you both need to be careful. If you get so wrapped up in each other that you neglect your duties, then the Dark will certainly triumph here, and go on to other places to do the same thing.”
“I know,” Amy replied. She didn’t need to be reminded constantly.
“Knowing is only half of the battle.” He swept his hand out over the barren landscape. “But doing is the hard part.”
She nodded, understanding. “What will happen to Will when he’s done here? Will he just leave me behind? Will you tell him to leave me here?”
The man shook his head. “Young Will will have to decide that one for himself. You are still young, Amy, with many things to accomplish before you can just wander the world like he does. Eventually he’ll have to return to a job, at least for a little while. It will probably be in England near his family. It’s obvious that he cares very deeply for you, more than he has for anyone outside his family in a very long time. But you have to finish school because there will be other things we may call you to do. Some of those things you will not be able to do if you do not have a degree.”
Amy tilted her head at him. “You mean that even after we get Cheng that there’s still more for me to do?”
He smiled. “There may possibly be other things for you to do. There are always those servants of the Dark that hid in the final battle to save themselves.”
“Who are you?” she asked finally. “You know so much about me and Will and the Dark and everything else that’s going on.”
“My name in the world of men for a very long time, and the name by which Will Stanton is most familiar with me, was Merriman.” He started to fade a bit as he smiled again, becoming slightly insubstantial. “Tell young Will that he must look for the flames instead of merely blowing the smoke away. And be careful, Amy Howard. You are both in so much more danger than you realize.” And then he was gone.
Amy looked at the spot where he had stood, and began to walk as the scene faded to black around her. She opened her eyes, blinking at the alarm clock on Will’s nightstand. It was six in the morning, and from the particular shade of gray that was filtering through the blinds she knew that there was probably more snow on the way.
She smiled as she suddenly remembered what she was doing here in this bed, and snuggled up closer to Will, who had curled up around her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her automatically, still snoring softly. She closed her eyes, willing the morning world to go away, but she was wide awake now.
What Merriman had said was floating through her mind. She had not given much thought to what would happen when she and Will defeated Cheng. She supposed that somewhere in the back of her mind that she had always known that he would have to leave, but the fact hadn’t quite registered. And what did Merriman mean, the Light would have other tasks for her to do? Wasn’t helping Will here enough? And then there was the part about them both being in more danger than they realized. What was she missing here? How could they be in any more danger than what they had already faced?
After half an hour or so, she untangled herself from Will’s arms and stood. He rolled over in the bed, pulling the rest of the covers around him without waking up. She kissed him on the cheek and then smiled, but it faded quickly. She was stiff and sore from the activities of the past day and night, although that was mostly her own fault. Then there was the ankle throb that she was becoming accustomed to, and the tenderness of her black eye and the entire side of her face. She was really turning into a mess. She wondered where Will kept his painkillers.
She found her clothes scattered around the room, and dressed before heading out to the kitchen. She was starving. She looked through the cupboards and came up with everything that she would need to make pancakes just right. She smiled. She would not mind cooking breakfast for Will at all. She laughed quietly to herself. It was really amazing how comfortable and natural all of this was. It was as though she had known Will forever, and this was the way that things had always been.
She winced as she turned on her ankle, and almost dropped the bowl that she was carrying over to the stove from the pain. She really did need to get that checked out. Or take a karate class so she could learn to defend herself. Nodding to herself, she decided that that really wasn’t such a bad idea. She wondered what Will could teach her. He had to have picked up something in his years fighting the Dark and traveling the world.
She spooned batter into the pan that she had been heating, and it gave a satisfying sizzle. The aroma of homemade pancakes began to work its way into the air, and she grinned. If this didn’t wake him up, well, she would just have to think of another way.
About ten minutes later, he wandered into the kitchen, yawning. He was in flannel pajama pants and nothing else. She smiled at him as she studied him for a moment. She had to be right. With muscles like that, he had to have studied some sort of martial art or gone to the gym regularly or something. “Good morning,” she greeted him, going over to him and wrapping her arms around him.
He sleepily returned the embrace, holding her there in his strong arms. “What did I do to deserve a homemade breakfast?” he asked.
“You decided to fall in love with someone who likes to cook.” She pulled away from him, returning to the stove to flip the pancakes, smiling.
“That was pretty smart of me,” he laughed, opening the door to retrieve the morning paper. He set it down on the kitchen table, not even glancing at the headlines, and came to stand behind her, resting his hands on her hips quite distractingly.
“What does the weather look like?” she asked, trying to stay focused on the pancakes so they didn’t burn.
“Gray and gloomy. It looks as though it might snow again. We may want to just stay inside today and not go anywhere.”
She laughed and shook her head at the lightness of his tone, wondering what had triggered the change in him. She had thought that he was unguarded yesterday, but this truly took the cake. What had caused it? And a better question- did it really matter? This was the side of Will that she truly loved, the relaxed, human side of him, the side that was no different from any other wonderful man.
He went and sat down at the table, opening up the paper. She started the next pan-full of batter, and sat down across from him, yawning. She watched as his relaxed face darkened, turning into the familiar, unreadable Old One. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Here,” he said after a moment, handing the paper to her. “I think we found our Chinaman.” He stood, pacing the kitchen as she could see his mind working furiously.
She looked down at the headline. There had been an explosion at the phosphorous plant south of town yesterday, with four casualties. The worst part, as she skimmed the accompanying article, was that the authorities believed it to be sabotage or terrorism. No suspects were named, but she got a cold feeling in her gut that Cheng was responsible, no matter how indirectly.
“Great,” she muttered, looking up at Will. “So much for taking today off, too.”
He sighed, and she could see the responsible evil-fighter in him taking over. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess we only get one day of distraction.”
She thought back to her dream, and she must have frowned, because he asked, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “I had another dream this morning. They warned me not to get too attached to you, because we both had work to do.”
“Who did? The Lady?” There was skepticism in his voice, as though he would have believed something like that of the grand old woman just as much as Amy would have.
“No, this time it was someone else. Merriman.” She didn’t exactly spit the name out, but she still wasn’t very happy about what he had had to say.
Will snorted, nodding with a wry smile. “He would. And he’s probably right.”
She looked at him, worried. Did this mean that what had happened between them yesterday was simply going to turn into a one-night stand? Was he going to turn out to be no better than the guys she had just stopped dating at college because they only cared about one thing?
He laughed as he heard her thoughts. “No, Amy, no,” he said gently, coming to sit across from her again. He took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles, looking at her with the same intensity that had started all of this mess yesterday. “I know perfectly well what I started. I wouldn’t have started anything if I were not willing to follow through, not with someone I still have to work with. You have my heart as long as you want it.”
She would have swooned, if she weren’t so upset about having to get back to business, or the dream. Merriman was right, but she did not want to hear. She leapt to her feet as the smell of slightly burned pancakes reached her nostrils, and raced to the stove as fast as her ankle would allow to turn the pancakes. Will followed, waiting until she put the spatula down to wrap his arms around her. “What’s wrong? You seem really upset all of a sudden.”
She shook her head, not wanting to admit to anything, but when he could read her thoughts, what was the point of trying to hide? “He’s right, you know.”
“Who is?”
“Merriman. You’re going to have to leave eventually, and now I’ve gone and gotten too attached and whether or not you love me isn’t going to matter when you have to go back to watching for the Dark outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Why Cheng picked an out-of-the-way place like this is beyond me. Besides the obvious reasons, I almost wish that he hadn’t.” She was amazed at her own mood swing, but she wasn’t sure that she could control it. “If he wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be either, and I wouldn’t have to worry about you leaving me.”
He just held her tightly, not saying anything. At last, though, he spoke. “We’ll deal with that when we get there. Right now we have other things to worry about. Like breakfast.” He grinned that grin of his, and she blinked at the funny burning sensation in her eyes. “It smells so good; I would hate for it to go cold.” He let go of her and got out plates and silverware, and poured a glass of orange juice for each of them.
She just looked at him, shaking her head. “What am I supposed to do with you, Will Stanton?” she asked, not sure if she was laughing or crying- or both.
He laughed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to with me, either, sometimes.”
She sat down across from him, setting down the plate full of pancakes between them. They dug in, neither of them trying to make conversation while eating. The silence was comfortable, though. Amy would have imagined so much more awkwardness between them this morning, but there was none. It was almost as though they had been married for years or something, although she knew that could never happen.
At last she spoke, leaning back and looking at her empty plate. “I need to get back to the college, and soon. I’m wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday and it’s not exactly pleasant.”
“Understood,” he replied. “When do you want to meet again to go investigate this explosion? I have to go up to the college myself and talk to Dan Martin for a while, and then I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“I’ll come find you when I’m done changing, then. I could use some time on the pianos down in the practice rooms anyway.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you when I get up there, then.”
She stood, trying to clear her place, but Will stopped her. “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them.”
She smiled gratefully, and stepped in closer to kiss him. “I would love to just stay here all day,” she sighed as she pulled away from him. “Just me and you and a big, warm, comfy quilt.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” he laughed. “We have work to do today.” He kissed her on the forehead tenderly. “I would love that too. Maybe if it starts snowing while we’re out there….” He left the thought unfinished, and she smiled at his grin.
“I’ll see what I can do about the weather, then.” She grabbed her coat, and headed toward the door. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” She hesitated as she unlocked the door and put a hand on the doorknob. “Will?”
He looked up from the dishes he was clearing, that one stray lock of brown hair falling so charmingly into his eyes as he did. “Yes?”
“I love you. I just wanted you to know that.”
He grinned. “I love you too. Now go on, so I can see you sooner.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, and closed the door behind her, grinning like an idiot.
Title:Paths of the Hunter, chapter 14
Genre: Dark is Rising fanfiction
Rating: PG (romance)
Chapter 14
Amy looked around, recognizing the dream for what it was this time. The desert was now barren, burned-out under the snow and dark gray threatening clouds. She could see the remains of Rock Springs, blackened and empty, from where she stood on College Hill. A tall figure appeared out of the air next to her, wild white hair tousled by the bitter Wyoming winter wind. He wore a dark blue cloak much like Will’s, and his face was fierce, reminding her almost of some sort of bird of prey. She knew that he must be another one of Will’s Old Ones, just like the Lady, but there was an almost forbidding quality to him that she did not feel around the old woman.
“This is what the Dark will do to this place if they are allowed,” he said, his deep voice falling oddly flat in the snowy emptiness. “Maybe not physically, but certainly spiritually. Indeed, they have already started. You know this, Amy, and young Will knows it too. The Watchman cannot afford to be distracted from his duties, not even by one that we have called to help him.”
Amy felt her defenses go up. Old One or not, she did not know him and was not going to take orders from him that easily. “Are you telling me to not fall in love? If you are, it’s a little late. I bet that next you’ll try to tell him that he’s supposed to be alone forever and ever and ever.”
The white-haired man laughed, a true laugh that set her just a little more at ease. “We are not saying that you shouldn’t be in love. We are saying that you both need to be careful. If you get so wrapped up in each other that you neglect your duties, then the Dark will certainly triumph here, and go on to other places to do the same thing.”
“I know,” Amy replied. She didn’t need to be reminded constantly.
“Knowing is only half of the battle.” He swept his hand out over the barren landscape. “But doing is the hard part.”
She nodded, understanding. “What will happen to Will when he’s done here? Will he just leave me behind? Will you tell him to leave me here?”
The man shook his head. “Young Will will have to decide that one for himself. You are still young, Amy, with many things to accomplish before you can just wander the world like he does. Eventually he’ll have to return to a job, at least for a little while. It will probably be in England near his family. It’s obvious that he cares very deeply for you, more than he has for anyone outside his family in a very long time. But you have to finish school because there will be other things we may call you to do. Some of those things you will not be able to do if you do not have a degree.”
Amy tilted her head at him. “You mean that even after we get Cheng that there’s still more for me to do?”
He smiled. “There may possibly be other things for you to do. There are always those servants of the Dark that hid in the final battle to save themselves.”
“Who are you?” she asked finally. “You know so much about me and Will and the Dark and everything else that’s going on.”
“My name in the world of men for a very long time, and the name by which Will Stanton is most familiar with me, was Merriman.” He started to fade a bit as he smiled again, becoming slightly insubstantial. “Tell young Will that he must look for the flames instead of merely blowing the smoke away. And be careful, Amy Howard. You are both in so much more danger than you realize.” And then he was gone.
Amy looked at the spot where he had stood, and began to walk as the scene faded to black around her. She opened her eyes, blinking at the alarm clock on Will’s nightstand. It was six in the morning, and from the particular shade of gray that was filtering through the blinds she knew that there was probably more snow on the way.
She smiled as she suddenly remembered what she was doing here in this bed, and snuggled up closer to Will, who had curled up around her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her automatically, still snoring softly. She closed her eyes, willing the morning world to go away, but she was wide awake now.
What Merriman had said was floating through her mind. She had not given much thought to what would happen when she and Will defeated Cheng. She supposed that somewhere in the back of her mind that she had always known that he would have to leave, but the fact hadn’t quite registered. And what did Merriman mean, the Light would have other tasks for her to do? Wasn’t helping Will here enough? And then there was the part about them both being in more danger than they realized. What was she missing here? How could they be in any more danger than what they had already faced?
After half an hour or so, she untangled herself from Will’s arms and stood. He rolled over in the bed, pulling the rest of the covers around him without waking up. She kissed him on the cheek and then smiled, but it faded quickly. She was stiff and sore from the activities of the past day and night, although that was mostly her own fault. Then there was the ankle throb that she was becoming accustomed to, and the tenderness of her black eye and the entire side of her face. She was really turning into a mess. She wondered where Will kept his painkillers.
She found her clothes scattered around the room, and dressed before heading out to the kitchen. She was starving. She looked through the cupboards and came up with everything that she would need to make pancakes just right. She smiled. She would not mind cooking breakfast for Will at all. She laughed quietly to herself. It was really amazing how comfortable and natural all of this was. It was as though she had known Will forever, and this was the way that things had always been.
She winced as she turned on her ankle, and almost dropped the bowl that she was carrying over to the stove from the pain. She really did need to get that checked out. Or take a karate class so she could learn to defend herself. Nodding to herself, she decided that that really wasn’t such a bad idea. She wondered what Will could teach her. He had to have picked up something in his years fighting the Dark and traveling the world.
She spooned batter into the pan that she had been heating, and it gave a satisfying sizzle. The aroma of homemade pancakes began to work its way into the air, and she grinned. If this didn’t wake him up, well, she would just have to think of another way.
About ten minutes later, he wandered into the kitchen, yawning. He was in flannel pajama pants and nothing else. She smiled at him as she studied him for a moment. She had to be right. With muscles like that, he had to have studied some sort of martial art or gone to the gym regularly or something. “Good morning,” she greeted him, going over to him and wrapping her arms around him.
He sleepily returned the embrace, holding her there in his strong arms. “What did I do to deserve a homemade breakfast?” he asked.
“You decided to fall in love with someone who likes to cook.” She pulled away from him, returning to the stove to flip the pancakes, smiling.
“That was pretty smart of me,” he laughed, opening the door to retrieve the morning paper. He set it down on the kitchen table, not even glancing at the headlines, and came to stand behind her, resting his hands on her hips quite distractingly.
“What does the weather look like?” she asked, trying to stay focused on the pancakes so they didn’t burn.
“Gray and gloomy. It looks as though it might snow again. We may want to just stay inside today and not go anywhere.”
She laughed and shook her head at the lightness of his tone, wondering what had triggered the change in him. She had thought that he was unguarded yesterday, but this truly took the cake. What had caused it? And a better question- did it really matter? This was the side of Will that she truly loved, the relaxed, human side of him, the side that was no different from any other wonderful man.
He went and sat down at the table, opening up the paper. She started the next pan-full of batter, and sat down across from him, yawning. She watched as his relaxed face darkened, turning into the familiar, unreadable Old One. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Here,” he said after a moment, handing the paper to her. “I think we found our Chinaman.” He stood, pacing the kitchen as she could see his mind working furiously.
She looked down at the headline. There had been an explosion at the phosphorous plant south of town yesterday, with four casualties. The worst part, as she skimmed the accompanying article, was that the authorities believed it to be sabotage or terrorism. No suspects were named, but she got a cold feeling in her gut that Cheng was responsible, no matter how indirectly.
“Great,” she muttered, looking up at Will. “So much for taking today off, too.”
He sighed, and she could see the responsible evil-fighter in him taking over. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess we only get one day of distraction.”
She thought back to her dream, and she must have frowned, because he asked, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “I had another dream this morning. They warned me not to get too attached to you, because we both had work to do.”
“Who did? The Lady?” There was skepticism in his voice, as though he would have believed something like that of the grand old woman just as much as Amy would have.
“No, this time it was someone else. Merriman.” She didn’t exactly spit the name out, but she still wasn’t very happy about what he had had to say.
Will snorted, nodding with a wry smile. “He would. And he’s probably right.”
She looked at him, worried. Did this mean that what had happened between them yesterday was simply going to turn into a one-night stand? Was he going to turn out to be no better than the guys she had just stopped dating at college because they only cared about one thing?
He laughed as he heard her thoughts. “No, Amy, no,” he said gently, coming to sit across from her again. He took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles, looking at her with the same intensity that had started all of this mess yesterday. “I know perfectly well what I started. I wouldn’t have started anything if I were not willing to follow through, not with someone I still have to work with. You have my heart as long as you want it.”
She would have swooned, if she weren’t so upset about having to get back to business, or the dream. Merriman was right, but she did not want to hear. She leapt to her feet as the smell of slightly burned pancakes reached her nostrils, and raced to the stove as fast as her ankle would allow to turn the pancakes. Will followed, waiting until she put the spatula down to wrap his arms around her. “What’s wrong? You seem really upset all of a sudden.”
She shook her head, not wanting to admit to anything, but when he could read her thoughts, what was the point of trying to hide? “He’s right, you know.”
“Who is?”
“Merriman. You’re going to have to leave eventually, and now I’ve gone and gotten too attached and whether or not you love me isn’t going to matter when you have to go back to watching for the Dark outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Why Cheng picked an out-of-the-way place like this is beyond me. Besides the obvious reasons, I almost wish that he hadn’t.” She was amazed at her own mood swing, but she wasn’t sure that she could control it. “If he wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be either, and I wouldn’t have to worry about you leaving me.”
He just held her tightly, not saying anything. At last, though, he spoke. “We’ll deal with that when we get there. Right now we have other things to worry about. Like breakfast.” He grinned that grin of his, and she blinked at the funny burning sensation in her eyes. “It smells so good; I would hate for it to go cold.” He let go of her and got out plates and silverware, and poured a glass of orange juice for each of them.
She just looked at him, shaking her head. “What am I supposed to do with you, Will Stanton?” she asked, not sure if she was laughing or crying- or both.
He laughed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to with me, either, sometimes.”
She sat down across from him, setting down the plate full of pancakes between them. They dug in, neither of them trying to make conversation while eating. The silence was comfortable, though. Amy would have imagined so much more awkwardness between them this morning, but there was none. It was almost as though they had been married for years or something, although she knew that could never happen.
At last she spoke, leaning back and looking at her empty plate. “I need to get back to the college, and soon. I’m wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday and it’s not exactly pleasant.”
“Understood,” he replied. “When do you want to meet again to go investigate this explosion? I have to go up to the college myself and talk to Dan Martin for a while, and then I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“I’ll come find you when I’m done changing, then. I could use some time on the pianos down in the practice rooms anyway.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you when I get up there, then.”
She stood, trying to clear her place, but Will stopped her. “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll take care of them.”
She smiled gratefully, and stepped in closer to kiss him. “I would love to just stay here all day,” she sighed as she pulled away from him. “Just me and you and a big, warm, comfy quilt.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” he laughed. “We have work to do today.” He kissed her on the forehead tenderly. “I would love that too. Maybe if it starts snowing while we’re out there….” He left the thought unfinished, and she smiled at his grin.
“I’ll see what I can do about the weather, then.” She grabbed her coat, and headed toward the door. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” She hesitated as she unlocked the door and put a hand on the doorknob. “Will?”
He looked up from the dishes he was clearing, that one stray lock of brown hair falling so charmingly into his eyes as he did. “Yes?”
“I love you. I just wanted you to know that.”
He grinned. “I love you too. Now go on, so I can see you sooner.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, and closed the door behind her, grinning like an idiot.