Into the Wild Dark

CHAPTER 37 - JACK

Ch. 37: Jack's Last Chance

September 12 | Before Dawn

We seemed to exist in a space outside of time. It felt weird that the worst of the storm had passed. As Mal and I returned to the clearing where the live oaks breached heaven and earth, the Spanish moss dripped rain, and the air was thick with the smell of ozone. Scattered debris showed how bad the weather had been, but that was the only evidence of the elements battled hours prior.

The sky was lightless. However, I had a nose for the woods while the djinn turned her brimstone eyes on a branch wrapped with damp moss. After a minute, her flames dried the wicking and a torch flaired to life.

"There, that's better. Do you recall Haley's incantation?"

"Something about revealing that which has been obscured. River's that way." I pointed.

I couldn't go back. That moment I had awakened on the shore and seen Sunny's body floating face-down in the water was seared into my brain. I wanted to wipe the image. I rubbed my eyes, which had begun to sting. Whether from crying or from being awake for damn near two days straight, I didn't know. But I turned away and pretended to survey the landscape just in case more tears fell.

Mal laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We know the map isn't that way. You're new to our Supernatural world, so let me explain how magic works. Focus on the object you're seeking. This is what it looks like."

She dug a mystery bag from her pocket and came out with powdery gold dust. Blowing the granules, the substance hovered on the wind and started to reconfigure into a scroll. I hitched a breath at the beauty of it. The grains of dust coalesced from a scroll shape into a map unfurling.

"Got it. The Map of Destiny. Incidentally, your powers never cease to amaze me, Mal." I did as I was told, re-drawing the map in my mind.

Mal continued quietly, "Allow your thoughts to be empty of preconceived notions of where the map might be, including Yalina's instructions. Don't try to imagine where it is. 'A wise man knows he knows nothing at all,' as per Socrates."

"Alright," I replied.

"When you open your eyes," she said, "take off walking. Your unconscious knows where to go."

"How will I know I'm headed in the right direction? We can't waste time."

"Trust yourself. You'll feel it when you reach the place."

Although I nodded, my heart thumped loud and fast beneath my breast plate. Anxiety coursed through me. We had so much to lose and so few assurances. I opened my eyes with a sigh. "There's also the issue of how long you get to be out here with me. It might sound clingy, but with Sunny gone, I can't bear to be away from you."

"You're in luck because Darcy has given me the night off." She smiled.

I smirked in bittersweet amusement. "Since when did the vampire get that magnanimous?"

"Since he thinks its his wedding night, for which he has to dabble in necromancy and resurrect the dead."

"No point dissecting that bit of madness. Okay, let's go."

Mal grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "For Sunny..."

"For Sunny." I swallowed thickly.

We moved with speed and stealth through the Ravani woods. The Fext soldiers that had lurked in the forest earlier were long gone. All I smelled was the wilderness. We traipsed through overgrown thickets, trying not to worry about snakes. By some feat of resilience, Mal kept up.