A Treacherous Path

Chapter 5

It was nearly dark now; across the street, the Huntsclan stood motionless, like menacing statues bathed in the white glow of the streetlights above them.

Inside the shop, Jake paced the floor anxiously. "How did they find us?"

"They must have followed us from the park last night." Rose said. "They've probably been watching the shop all day, waiting for nightfall."

Trixie peered through the curtain again. "So...why they just standin' there?"

"The protection spell," Jake pointed to the talisman hanging outside. "They know they can't attack."

Outside, the Huntsman crossed the street and stood at the edge of the sidewalk in front of the shop.

"Huntsgirl!" he called out. "I know you're in there. Come out and face me like a true warrior."

Rose made a move for the door, but Jake put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Rose, you don't have to go out there."

"They won't leave until I do." Rose said, gently pulling away from his touch.

"They'll kill you." Jake insisted.

"The Huntsman could've killed me in the park yesterday, but he didn't." Rose glanced toward the window. "I don't think that's what he's here for."

"You said that was just a power thing." Jake said. "He's in control now, so how do you know he won't try to hurt you?"

"We have the protection spell around the building." Rose reminded him. She turned to Lao Shi. "How far does the magical barrier extend?"

Jake's grandfather folded his hands and tilted his head toward the door. "As long as you remain behind the talisman, you will be within the protective barrier."

"See, Jake?" Rose said. "The Huntsman couldn't hurt me even if he tried. I'll be all right. I promise."

Jake swallowed and gave her a reluctant nod, and watched in tense silence with the others as Rose cautiously opened the front door and stepped into the small alcove outside the shop.

The Huntsman approached, pausing to glance up at the talisman hanging from the electronic shop's sign. He reached forward with his staff and let the blade find the invisible barrier. The magical field rippled to life in a burst of glowing pink energy, then disappeared again.

"Hm," he grunted.

Rose clenched her hands and squared her shoulders, staring up at him defiantly. "What do you want?"

"I want answers." The Huntsman said. "I want to know why you betrayed everything you've been taught."

Rose thought for a moment about what to tell him; she couldn't give away Jake's true identity—she couldn't explain what happened inside her when the faceless other suddenly had a face that she knew.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rose stepped outside the magical barrier and looked up at the Huntsman, holding his gaze steadily. Across the street, a few of the assembled hunters twitched, readying their weapons, but the Huntsman held up a hand to stop them. He kept his eyes on Rose, waiting for her explanation.

"I realized we were wrong about magical creatures," she said, choosing her words carefully. "They're not savage, mindless beasts. They're not evil. Most of them are just trying to live their lives, just like humans. And the more I understood that, the harder it became to justify what we were doing. I just couldn't find any reason to believe we have the right to kill them."

The Huntsman was silent for a while, taking it all in, scrutinizing the earnestness of her words. Finally he narrowed his eyes in a disapproving glare and said, "If you could be so easily swayed, then perhaps you were never truly one of us to begin with."