Page 41 of Glow

Liam and Jeffries exchanged a glance. “We’re all definitely on the same wavelength,” Liam said. “I’ve been reading up on dragon lore, while Rich’s psychics have been trying spirit mediums and séances. So far, it’s been like chasing shadows.”

“When I saw the wurm…” Dan glanced to Quinn for encouragement. “It looked solid and real to me. My daemon side believes that the creature is dangerous and can’t be controlled. If he’s right, we need to figure out how to bind it, since everything we’re hearing says it can’t be killed.”

“Our witches are working on that,” Jeffries said. “It’s not the first time we’ve run into a magical threat, but you’re right that it’s harder when you can’t see the danger.”

“Would smudging help dispel some of the energy left behind, even if it doesn’t solve the problem or prevent another attack?” Quinn asked. “People need to be cautious, but being scared witless doesn’t help anyone.”

“We can do that,” Jeffries said. “Maybe before you go you can talk to Amy and make sure you’re both focused on the same spots as disappearance points.”

“Happy to help any way that I can. They don’t cover this kind of thing in park ranger training.” Quinn sighed. “Without evidence of a predator, I can’t justify closing trails to my superiors. They won’t see the connection between the missing people and the bad energy like we do, and they won’t believe in a dragon until they see its head on a pike.”

“Understandable,” Liam replied. “Is there something you could do that would be less than a closure but might discourage people from taking certain hiking routes? Trail maintenance projects, for example. Put the signs up, but take your time getting them done until the emergency is over.”

Quinn nodded. “I can probably get away with that. There’s always something that needs to be repaired, and if I get push-back, I can actually send maintenance out for a day to move things along.”

“Smudging or a cleansing ritual will help with the energy and send the spirits of the dead to rest, but it isn’t likely to dispel something as powerful as a dragon,” Jeffries said. “We’re still trying to figure out how it got here and where it’s been, but we’re making headway on the research.”

“Check the caves and the mines,” Dan suggested. “What if the idea Liam proposed is right and it’s been bound by some kind of ancient magic and something broke the binding? There’s been new mining in the area, and some of those cave systems go a long way. Once it got loose, it could travel through the caverns or at least have a perfect hiding place.”

He paused before going on. “I’ve talked to some other…creatures…who spend a lot of time in various forests. They’re older than I am, even older than my daemon. They haven’t encountered a Tatzelwurm themselves, but they knew about them, that they are magic, and agreed the caves were a likely hiding place.”

“I’ve been talking to some of our local cavers to map what’s in the vicinity of the attacks and disappearances,” Liam said. “We had already started the cave mapping project because of new interest in exploring them, and this adds some urgency to fill in the gaps. There have been some legendary cave explorers in the Adirondacks, and they’ve already done a lot of the work.”

“What we don’t know is whether there are connections between some of the caves that a person might not be able to use but wouldn’t hold back a magical being,” Jeffries added. “Or a creature that isn’t always entirely solid. That would help it move distances without being seen, if it can’t completely disappear for long periods.”

“If there are resources from Park Services that would be useful, I can request them,” Quinn volunteered.

“Much appreciated. I’m probably going to take you up on that at some point.” Liam turned his attention to Dan. “Now, let’s talk about your bounty hunter.”

Dan grimaced. “He isn’t mine, or at least, I wish he wasn’t.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve made some inquiries of my own. What I’m going to tell you is in absolute confidence.” Dan watched as the other three men nodded solemnly. “There is an online chat room for cryptids, the one I mentioned before, and I’m part of it. There are probably other groups, but these are good folks I trust, and I’ve known them for years. I’ve tapped into their knowledge and connections to see if anyone can identify the guy who’s chasing me as well as anything they might have heard about the wurm. I don’t have answers yet, but everyone in the group understands the danger and will help if they can.”

“That’s good. And Armel is looking into it too. He’s a good guy, even if he can be a little pig-headed sometimes. Well…bear-headed I guess,” Liam amended with a smile that softened his words.

“I’ve been keeping a low profile,” Dan continued, and Quinn gave him an encouraging nod, “even around town. The fewer people who see me, the fewer who could say something without meaning to if the hunter’s sniffing around. But I can’t stay hidden forever, and I miss being part of everyday life. It’s exciting to move to a new town, even if it’s to keep a killer off my tail, but I want to explore, and I really can’t right now.” He sighed. “Compared to the wurm making people disappear and missing hikers, it’s a one-person problem, but since I’m the person, I’d like to fix it sooner rather than later.”

Quinn took his hand. “It’s a two-person problem,” he corrected gently. “I’m in it with you.”

“So are we,” Liam vowed, and Jeffries nodded.

“Our witches have put up extra wards to complement the ones that are always in place around Fox Hollow to discourage ‘undesirables’ like monster hunters and the media. They’ll help, but nothing’s foolproof.” Jeffries sipped his coffee. “The seers are following the energy trails they can pick up, not just for the wurm but for the psychic stench that someone like a bounty hunter leaves behind. And our mediums are networking with the ghosts about all of these issues, not just searching for the hikers. The closer the hunter gets to Fox Hollow, the more likely he is to get noticed by one or more of the folks with special abilities looking for him.”

“A bounty hunter and that awful podcast are a threat to all people with special abilities, whether they’re cryptids or something else entirely,” Liam said, and Jeffries hummed his agreement. “It’s a danger to the whole community. We all have a stake in shutting this nonsense down before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Thank you.” Dan appreciated that Quinn gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s overwhelming. But I’m grateful to all of you.” He made eye contact with each of his companions in turn.

“That’s one of the things that makes Fox Hollow so special,” Quinn said. “We’re stronger together.”

They agreed to meet again when new information surfaced and promised to stay in touch. Quinn kept hold of Dan’s hand as they left the building.

“Feel any better?” Quinn asked.

Dan shrugged. “Some. It’s fantastic to have friends and know that so many people are trying to stop the hunter and find the wurm. But it’s still frightening to know that a stranger out there wants to kill me.”

“We aren’t going to let that happen,” Quinn said staunchly. “Now, what are you doing the rest of the day?”