The Scarlet Huntress

Chapter 5: Familiar Friends & Estranged Family

About an hour later I was woken up by a rather loud and insistent knocking on my window. I knew there was only one person who would be that bold, and reluctantly drug myself out of bed to open the bedroom shutters. On the other side was Selena Smith, the blacksmith's daughter, and as she put it, my best friend. It's more like she thought I needed a friend after Luka died and I've been stuck with her ever since. Something else that probably drew her to me was the fact that she was considered a little odd, but unlike mine, her oddity was beautiful. Selena was small, but well built, with silvery hair and deep cornflower eyes.

"Good morning, Lil, my you look rough," Selena laughed.

"It's a little too early to be so perky, Lena," I grumbled, "what do you want?"

"A letter came in for you yesterday evening, it says it's from your Grandmother, but I didn't think you had one?"

"I do, but I've never met her, she and Mother didn't exactly part on good terms." "Why's that?"

"Apparently Gram didn't approve of Mother marrying a Hunter, and cut ties with my family. She didn't even come to my parents' funerals," I explained, "she didn't want me after my father died, that's when it was decided that I would move in with the Shadowfells, I've been here ever since. Plus, there's the rumors about Gram coming from a family of witches."

Like myself, my father had been a Hunter, he'd been dealing with a dispute between humans and the fey when he met my mother. According to him it had been love at first sight, which was kind of funny considering they lived in the same area but had never met. Mother had been tall and slim, with black hair and violet eyes, absolutely stunning, in his opinion. She was also extremely kind, with a name as beautiful as she was: Brooklyn Ashe. Father also said she had the potential to be a Huntress, she was a Gifted healer, which is where the witch rumors come from. I wish I could've met her, but she had died when I was a baby. As the story goes, when my father went to her house to ask for permission to court her, Gram said no and that 'no daughter of mine will have anything to do with a Hunter!' That was the last thing Gram ever said to Mother, she left that night and married my father. Within the next two months she was pregnant with me, that had been just over twenty years ago.

After I was born my family had been happy, but when I was two I had an accident. I fell and hit my head badly, stopping my heart. Father wasn't home, he was out chasing down dinner, so Mother did the only thing she could. She sacrificed her life to save mine. I don't know the details, but father said that when he got home he found me patched up, asleep in my bed. Mother was sprawled on the floor, dead, clutching a note in her hand. It said that in order for me to live, something else had to die, and that Mother wouldn't hurt someone else, so she paid the price. After that night two things changed, my father, Johnathan Sumner, was a widower with a toddler, and I had mismatched eyes. One was the normal green, bright as spring grass, while the other was as red as blood.

"Ok then," Lena said as she piled up beside me, "let's see what your Grandmother wants. It had better be good, considering the stunts she's pulled."

With that being said I opened the letter and began to read aloud:

Dear Lillian Sumner,

I know that you don't know me, but I'm your Grandmother, Cynthia Ashe. Your mother and I didn't part on the best of terms, but I think it's high time I got over myself and met my granddaughter. You're probably wondering what's brought all of this on, and I will tell you, I am dying, at this rate I will not make it through the winter. I have come to regret my actions toward your family and would like to make amends.

If you want you can come visit me any time, live in the woods outside of Beavers Bend.

With love, Cynthia Ashe.

P.S. I've heard the rumors that you are a Huntress, and that is OK. I don't know a lot about that, but I do know a little bit about witchcraft, particularly familiar magic. If you have questions feel free to come to me.

"Well, that's odd," I said.

"Why's that Lil?," asked Selena.

"Because, I'm currently having trouble with a rather nasty witch, who happens to use familiar magic. I think I'm going to have to pay the old shrew a visit."

"Ok," Selena began to get up, "if that's the case I'll get out of your hair."

"Oh, wait a minute! Tell your father that I'm going to need a new dagger, would you?"

"I will, but why do you need one?"

"Because I left my old one burried in the side of an enormous wolf last night," I snapped.

Having heard everything she needed to, Selena left through the window and started walking home, leaving me to plan a trip to my Grandmother's house.