46. Jack
FORTY-SIX
JACK
Wand ready in his hand, Jack concentrated on the ground in front of him. The group started together, but as expected, they lost the creature’s path. Jack and Sloan headed deeper into the forest, while Marcus and Aareth doubled back.
The cold steel in Jack’s hand comforted him. He had never been afraid while on a hunt and he wasn’t now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.
Sloan must have felt it as well. Jack noticed her glance over her shoulder every few minutes.
The forest was dark and the earth moist as a light mist spread over the ground.
Tracking would have been impossible for the average hunter, but Jack was anything but average.
Everything in the forest spoke to him and meant something.
A broken twig here, a crunched leaf there were all signs pointing to their prey.
“Have you found the trail again?” Sloan asked.
“I’ve found a trail. Something large has moved this way within the last hour, but I can’t be sure it’s our beast. It’s so strange. It’s like it knows it’s being tracked. There aren’t any prints. It’s chosen to stick to rockier or harder paths.”
“That’s not normal, is it? I mean, it shouldn’t know not to leave prints, right?”
“Not at all.”
Sloan sighed and Jack looked behind him. Sloan wore her normal uniform: boots, tight pants, and a long coat. Her hair was braided, but a few strands stuck to her forehead. “What?”
“Nothing.” Jack turned back to sweeping the forest for any signs of their prey. “I just thought for sure you were going to blast Elijah when he started talking to you like that.”
Jack waited for a reply for what seemed like a full minute.
“Yeah, I guess I kind of surprised myself too. I’m just done proving myself to anyone anymore.”
Jack was about to speak again, when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He came to a stop. He had tracked enough animals to know when the tables were turned.
“Jack, what is it?”
“It’s watching us.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Sloan drew her sword, placing her back against Jack’s. There was a rustle in a large bush twenty yards to their right. Jack pointed his wand in the direction, ready to release magic in a heartbeat.
A low whistle that didn’t sound like anything Jack ever heard filled the air around them. It didn’t sound human or machine made. It was like a low purr, barely audible. The bush stopped shaking and the noise evaporated into the night air, making Jack wonder if he had actually heard anything at all.
Tense moments passed, but still nothing showed. Sloan made the first move. Slowly, she headed for the bush.
Jack followed close behind, but when they arrived, not even a track remained of whatever pushed the bush to the side. Jack and Sloan looked at each other in disbelief.
They searched for the rest of the night to no avail. Whatever they were tracking was the smartest creature Jack had ever come across. It skirted them like a person would, maybe even smarter than a person.
The sun had already risen before Sloan’s persistent nature allowed them to give up.
It was another few hours and the sun had reached a high point in the sky before they made it back to town.
Jack was exhausted. Between the lack of sleep and energy exerted, he was ready to fall into bed and never wake up again.
As they approached the house, they saw a figure exiting.
The tall man looked in both directions, still not noticing Jack and Sloan approach. As they got closer, they could see it was Elijah Ahab. When he finally did see them coming, he took off at a run.