Hunting Eve

She heard a growl, and her eyes flew open.

A huge gray-and-white wolf was standing not ten feet in front of her.

White teeth gleaming, half-crouched.

Who has to die? She gazed into those wild, green-amber eyes. Tell me.

And she was suddenly bombarded, surrounded by a whirlwind of visions and impressions.

Rushing water.

Monsters.

Hunger.

A little red-haired girl, eyes wide with fear.

Burned forests.

Darkness.

Silence.

Evil creeping on padded feet.

Death.

And in the midst of all that swirling chaos, the image of a red-haired little girl.

Margaret felt a surge of panic.

No, not the child! Don’t kill the child.

She pulled back and started to jump to her feet.

Growling all around her.

The smell of sweat and animal.

She froze as she realized that she was completely surrounded. The rest of the pack had shown itself.

White pointed teeth, bared and ready …

*   *   *

WOULD THE FIRE NEVER go out? Jane wondered dully.

It had been hours since the blast, and the entire town was now engulfed in flames. She could see that Caleb and Trevor had joined Venable’s team, who were digging a trench around the town to prevent the fire from spreading to the forests. The water source in town was limited to nearby streams, and help from the nearest towns had not reached here yet. She wanted to shut her eyes and close it all out, but she couldn’t do it. It would be like closing Eve away from her since Eve was part of that fire. She supposed she should go look for Joe, but she would not be welcome. He had said he had to talk to Venable, to verify what she had told him. So she had stayed here, leaning against this tree, waiting for Joe, waiting for the fire to end.

Waiting.

“Jane.” It was Kendra, coming toward where Jane was sitting in the trees outside the town’s perimeter. “Good. You’re not asleep. I was afraid that Dr. Eland had given you a shot.”

“No, he tried to give one to Joe, but that wasn’t going to happen. It may be killing him, but Joe won’t run away from it.”

“And neither will you.” She fell to her knees beside her. “I won’t pretend to know what you’re feeling, but I want to tell you that I’m sorry that—”

“Everyone is sorry,” Jane said. “I know that. I appreciate it. But I wish everyone would stop saying it. It won’t bring her back. It won’t stop the hurting.” She wearily shook her head. “Now I’m the one who is sorry, Kendra. You’re only being kind.”

“And sincere. Don’t forget sincere.” Kendra hesitated. “And, right now, I sincerely wish I didn’t have to disturb you. I told her that it wasn’t the time, but she wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Margaret. I just got a call from her. She told me that I had to go and get you and bring you to her.”

“What?”

“I know. I know. You’re grieving, and Margaret is being Margaret. I argued, but she wouldn’t shut up about it. She said you had to come.”

Jane shook her head.

Kendra sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t do it. So did she. But she said to tell you that if you were grateful to her for saving your dog, Toby, that you had to come.”

Jane gazed at her, puzzled. “This is hard for you. You didn’t want to come and ask me. Yet you did it. Why?”

“Because it’s Margaret, and sometimes she’s Thelma to my Louise crashing into the Grand Canyon. And sometimes she’s weird and kind of wonderful, like the good witch from Oz. I don’t know which Margaret it is this time.” She shrugged. “So I thought I’d take a chance on causing you more grief and go along with her. Will you come?”

“Where is she?” She looked around but didn’t see her in the group fighting the fire. “The last time I saw her was when she came down the mountain with me. Why did she have to phone you?”

“You’ll have to ask her. I told you, she said you had to come to her. She couldn’t come to you.” She jerked her head at the thick grove of trees to the north. “She’s out there somewhere. Yes or no?”

Jane didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to curl up in a ball and just ward off the loneliness and pain.

Toby. Margaret had saved Toby, and now she was asking one simple act in return.

Jane got slowly to her feet. “Take me to her.”

Kendra nodded. “If I can find her.” She turned and headed into the trees. “She gave me directions, but I’m not as woods savvy as Margaret. She’ll hear from me if I get lost.”

Jane quickly followed her. “How far is it?”

“Ten, fifteen minutes.” She was climbing; they had gone through the trees and were now in the foothills.

Jane glanced back over her shoulder at the fire. It appeared even more intense from this distance. What was she doing wandering out here when everything that mattered was back in that town?

See Margaret.

Pay the debt.

Get it over.

“She should be up ahead,” Kendra said ten minutes later. “In that grove of birch.” Her pace quickened. “Margaret!” she called. “Answer me. I’ve stuck my neck out for you, and it had better be worth it.”

“It’s worth it,” Margaret called back. “Of course, it will require a little work from you to help make it worthwhile. I can’t do everything.”

“Margaret, what the hell is going on?” Jane called wearily, as they entered the birch grove. “I really didn’t want to come out here tonight.”

“I know. But I couldn’t come to you.” The next minute she said, “I hear you. You’re getting close to me. Slow down, and don’t make any sudden movements.”

“What?”

“I think we should do as she says,” Kendra said, as they strode deeper through the trees. “I have a hunch she may be the good witch tonight.”

Margaret giggled. “But I’m always good, well, almost always. And particularly tonight. I’m just around the next corner. Slowly…”

Jane moved around the corner.

She stopped, her eyes widening with shock.

Margaret was sitting on the ground only a short distance away. Lying half-on her lap was a magnificent gray-and-white wolf who lifted his head, his green-amber eyes shining warily as he saw Kendra and Jane.

“Shh,” Margaret said softly to the wolf. “It’s fine. You’re safe.” Then she smiled at Jane, a smile full of warmth and love that lit her face with joy. “It is fine. It’s wonderful. We have a chance to make it right.”

“Margaret?”

“She’s not dead, Jane.” Her voice was vibrating with the same joy that illuminated her entire being. “Do you hear me? Eve is alive.”

LOOK FOR

SILENCING

EVE

BY IRIS JOHANSEN

ON SALE OCTOBER 1, 2013

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