To Hunt A Magick

Chapter Seven: Jack Discovers the Truth

Jack sat kneeling in the cold, his tears spent, his only thought was what had he done? How could he have sent her to her death like that? When did he become the monster? How long he kneeled there, Jack was not sure, but at long last, he looked up to see where his feet had led him.

He was outside a little hut with a makeshift door covered with ivy vines, he had walked home, no, he had walked to her home. Shaking his head, he staggered to his feet, there was one last thing he could do for her, he could lay her Gran to rest.

It took hours for Jack to dig a hole big enough and deep enough to lay Gran Ivy to rest in, the ground was frozen solid, but digging the hole was easy compared to removing Gran from the house. The floor of the little hut was iced over from Rainie's rain, and Gran was frozen to the bed. Despite all of the obstacles, Jack was determined to do one final thing for this family he had destroyed. He would lay the old woman to rest, and then he would leave never to return.

Once Gran was finally buried, Jack picked up his bag, and away he went, he decided to find Caleb, and uncover what he was hiding. The trip to Veracity took many days, Jack was in no hurry, and even if he was, the weather made it impossible to move more than a few miles each day. Snow danced through the sky, carried by the wind this way and that before finally landing in huge clumps on the ground.

Despite the nearly waist-high snow, Jack finally made it to Veracity. He was about to go get a drink when he spotted an all too familiar face. Kneeling in the snow at the feet of a big burly man was a small little girl with long golden hair, that was braided in a single braid down her back. She was wearing a cloth sack that left her arms and legs exposed to the cold, around her neck was a thick leather collar that covered her whole throat, there were chains hanging down from the collar that encircled her wrists, and chains on her ankles, and the most unsettling part was the deep long gash on the side of the little girl's face. Jack stared, he could not believe what he was seeing, no he had to be imagining it, there was no way, but deep down he knew what he was seeing was true. The burly man had Dawn.

Red hot anger flowed through Jack's veins, he had never before been so angry, but seeing the sweet innocent little Dawn kneeling in chains at the feet of some guy, no, he could not let this go. He may have betrayed Rainie and messed up everything, but he would not let some man mistreat a child.

Darting out of sight, Jack watched the man, and when the man left town, forcing little Dawn to crawl on her hands and knees beside him, Jack followed. He followed them making sure to keep quiet in the snow, and to track their every step. At last, the man came to a halt in a little clearing, he drove a stake into the end of the chain connected to Dawn's collar and pitched his tent.

After his tent was pitched, he pulled a mat outside and sat down, growling at Dawn, "I need light for my meal, Mutt."

Trembling Dawn cupped her hands and a small ball of light appeared floating above her hands. Jack's eyes grew wide, he suddenly remembered the night he overheard them talking by the creek, and now he understood why she did not leave the candle, she was the candle.

The man pulled out a belt, smacking Dawn with it he growled, "Brighter Mutt. Do not make me regret buying you, because if I do, you will meet your end."

Shivering Dawn tried to make the light brighter, but it merely flickered and then went out. The man growled and stood up he had the belt raised to strike her again, but Jack had seen enough. He dashed from his hiding spot heading for the man, but before he could get there an arrow whizzed out of nowhere planting itself in the man's chest.

Jack stopped and looked around, who had shot the arrow? He did not have long to ponder this because the man swayed and then fell forward, towards Dawn. Jack swiftly raced forward grabbed Dawn's shivering body and pulled her out of the way. The man landed with a sickly thud sound.