The Haret (The Haret Series) (3 page)

 
   Another strong gust of wind and the fog parted just enough for her to catch a glimpse of a dark horse and its rider following close just behind the trees. Her pulse increased as her heart leaped into her throat, closing it off, choking the breath from her. She sat up straight, staining her eyes. But despite the darkness she saw.

 
   “My God it’s him!” She choked out the words.

 
   Throwing her blanket aside, she jumped from the trailer and disappeared past the trees.

 
   Esther stood to her feet surprised.

 
   “Taz!”

 
   David joined her.

 
   “What’s that girl on?”

 
   Reed put down his guitar and jumped off the trailer, giving chase through the trees.

 
   Esther didn’t waste a second before leaping off after him. David and Danny followed abandoning the ride staying close on Esther’s heels.

 
   Felicitas ran deep into the gloomy forest. The frivolous sounds echoing off the trailers grew faint, fading into the distance. She moved fast, pushing away the branches that smacked against her face, stinging and cutting into her flesh. There wasn’t a path to follow and barely any light, but she continued her search. She knew what she saw. He was here again at the very same place where she first met him three years ago.

 
   The snapping of branches caused her to stop. Someone was close by. Suddenly, fear consumed her. She glanced around and strained her eyes, but it was much too dark to see anything. The fog continued to thicken, blinding her and sucking the air from her lungs. Snap! She jerked her head toward the sound and sensed a presence. Could it be him? She contemplated calling out his name. It would be the first time she ever said it out loud. She took in a deep breath.

 
   “Raine?”

 
   Fear stole her breath making her voice barely audible. She swallowed hard and tried to take in another in spite of the heavy vapor hanging in the air.

 
   “Raine is that you?”

 
   The snapping of branches drew her attention to the left. She whirled around to see a dark horse making its way through the trees. It stopped only a few feet away then reared up, shaking its head from side to side, its black eyes wild, sensing danger. The horse stomped hard, snorted and gave a whinny. Felicitas heart raced as she made eye contact with the rider. He pulled his sword and held it high. He had only one word for her.

 
   “Run!”

CHAPTER FIVE

     Esther stopped, bending over; she tried to catch her breath.  “Where the hell she disappear too? This is crazy. It doesn’t make sense. We’ve been yelling her name for forty minutes. It’s like she vanished right in front of our eyes.”

 
    Esther was worried. It made no sense. Felicitas could not have been that far ahead. True, the woods were dense spreading out over several acres, but how could they have been separated so quickly?

 
   Reed turned around, scanning the area slowly.

 
   “Guys, we need to split up. David and Danny, you two head back to the fire. If she’s not there, then find my dad and tell him what happened.”

 
   The guys nodded while catching their breath and headed back. Any other time, Esther would have been thrilled to be alone with Reed, but her enthusiasm was overshadowed by the fear that something dreadful happened to her best friend. She studied Reed’s face as he continued to search the woods.

 
   “You know something you’re not telling me. What is it?”

 
   He took in a deep breath before he answered. “You mentioned she said she saw someone before she jumped.”

 
   “Yeah.”

 
    “She shouldn’t have run after what she saw.”

 
   Sudden panic flooded over Esther.

 
    “Okay, now you’re scaring me. What do you mean?”

 
   Reed didn’t answer.

 
   It took some time for the boys to get their bearings. They had chased Felicitas far deeper into the woods than they realized.  All the years growing up in the boy scouts paid off for Danny. He pulled a compass from his pocket and reasoned the estate would be southeast. He was right; within minutes he and David emerged from the woods.

 
   Both tractors had long since returned and everyone was gathered around the fire, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. The boys scanned the group. She wasn‘t there.

 
   “Hey, anyone seen Taz?”

 
   No one had.

 
   David spotted Mr. Reddick tending the fire and bolted for him, unloading the story as he arrived.  Upon hearing what happened, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and made a call. The boys stood close by and listened in on his conversation.

 
   “Reed, what’s going on? How long? Where are you now? You alone? Okay, well keep her close to you and make your way back. I’ll send a search party.” he placed the phone in his pocket and turned to walk away.

 
   “Hey Mr. Redick.” David called after him.

 
   “So what’s up? We want to help.”

 
   Mr. Reddick stopped a moment and faced the boys. “You boys go ahead and enjoy the fire. I got some hired hands that can take care of this.”

David didn’t give up. “We don’t mind. Taz is a good friend. I want to help.”

    “You can help by stayin’ out of the woods. I already have one person lost; I don’t want it to be three. These woods are dense and treacherous.”

 
   David and Danny watched him walk over and talk to the two men who had driven the tractors earlier. They grabbed a couple of flashlights, and then the three of them headed down the dirt path and disappeared into the woods.  David stood watching, feeling a bit perturbed at being treated like a child.

 
   “Want to follow them?”

 
   Danny gave an evil grin. “Let’s go.”

 
   “Was that your dad?”

 
   Reed closed his phone. “Yeah. He’s bringing help.”

 
   “So, she’s not back there?”

 
   “No.”

 
   Esther forced back tears. Her concern was escalating by the minute. How could Felicitas have disappeared into thin air? A growing fear gnawed at the pit of her stomach. She could sense something was not right. She looked at Reed who seemed to be lost in thought as well.

 
   “So what do we do now?”

 
   “Dad wants us to head back to the fire, but there’s one more place I want to check before we do. Is that okay with you?”

 
   Esther was not ready to give up the search. She would comb every inch of the woods even if it took all night.

 
   “It’s more than fine with me. What’s the place?”

 
   “Just an old well.”

 
   “My God. Do you think she could have fallen into a well?”

 
   “I don’t think she could have fallen into this one.”

 
   “Why not?”

 
   “You’ll see. Come on.”

 
   Reed led the way. The trees thickened while they walked. Esther high stepped across the deep brush, climbing over fallen trunks and tree limbs. The way grew perilous and their path black. She groped about in the darkness grabbing at anything to keep herself from stumbling.

 
   “I can’t see a thing.”

 
   “Here take my hand.”

 
   Esther’s heart raced at the thrill of holding Reed’s hand, although she wished it was under different circumstances. Reed slipped his hand over hers and walked a bit father before stopping at a peculiar group of trees.

 
   “We’re here", he said, continuing to hold onto her hand clenching it tighter than before. Esther strained her eyes to see in the blackness of the woods. She could barely see her hand in front of her face.

 
   “I can’t see a thing.”

 
   “You’ll be able to in a minute.” Reed moved his free hand along the trunk of a large tree. He reached up and pulled out what looked like a limb. He released Esther’s hand and pulled a book of matches from his jeans. He lit the end of the limb which actually turned out to be a torch. The glowing fame dispelled the darkness. Esther looked at Reed in disbelief.

 
   “You keep torches in your trees?”

 
   He didn’t answer. Instead he held the flame high lighting the grove of ghostly looking trees. Their massive gnarled trunks grew within inches of each other creating a large circle impossible for anyone or anything to enter. The thick branches void of any leaves entwined with the boughs from the neighboring tree creating an impenetrable barricade. An ancient well sat in the center protected by the trees.  A fog hugged the ground surrounding the well. Water spilled softly over the top like a fountain. Esther realized what Reed meant by no one being able to fall into this well. It was impossible to get anywhere near it.

 
   “What is this place?”

 
   “I don’t know.”

 
   “What do you mean you don’t know? You have to know, you brought me here.”

 
   “I don’t know what it is though. I have my ideas, but….”

 
   “What do you mean you have your ideas? Do you think it has something to do with Taz disappearing?”

 
   “I don’t know.”

 
   Esther was becoming impatient. Her quest for answers superseded any crush or would-be relationship. Now was not the time to be charming. She would grab him around the neck and choke the answers from him if need be.

 
   “You do too know. You thought it was important enough to check out. I want to know why. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

 
   Reed continued to hold the torch in his hand. It lit his face, outlining his strong features. Usually Esther would be nervous in his presence; tonight it was Reed that seemed anxious.     

 
   He stepped up close forcing her against the trunk of a tree his face directly in front of hers. She swallowed hard, taken back by the unintended intimacy of the moment.

 
   “Promise me you will not tell anyone about this place.”

 
   Emotion choked the voice from her throat. She managed a hoarse whisper.

 
   “I promise.”

 
   “I think it’s some sort of gateway.”

 
   She swallowed hard.

 
   “Gateway to where?”

 
   Reed bit down hard clenching his jaw. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think it is a passageway to the afterlife.”

 
   A cold chill passed through Esther as terror invaded her. She glanced at the vapor hovering near the well and the gnarled trees standing vigil and she began to tremble. This was too much. She wanted to turn and run as fast as she could, removing herself as far from this bizarre place as possible. Instead she grabbed Reed’s hand.

 
   “Okay, I am scared to death right now…I may pass out at any minute.”

 
   Reed’s lips gave way to a smile.

 
   “I’m sorry. I didn’t bring you here to scare you.”

 
   “Then why did you being me here?”

 
   Reed moved in pinning her closer against the tree. He placed his mouth close to her ear and whispered as if he feared being heard.

 
   “To see if there was water. When there is water there is activity…..it means they have come.”

 
   Esther wanted to scream and run like a banshee through the woods. Reeds words made her legs shake uncontrollably. She wished she were anywhere but where she was, yet the intimacy of the moment made a fire burn in her belly.

 
   “Who are they?” she whispered back

 
   She didn’t know why, but his next words chilled her to the bone, and for some reason she wished she had not asked the question. It’s better not to know some things, because sometimes with certain knowledge comes great misfortune.  Yet, she had asked; and, he had whispered back into her ear. She never could have dreamed that the two words he spoke would change her life forever.

 
   “The Harets.”

 
   She didn’t know what Harets were, but before she found her voice to ask, Reed extinguished the torch and placed it back into the limbs of the trees as if he were in a hurry to leave

 
    “We should head back before they find us here.”

 
   He grabbed her hand again leading her away from the eerie well. She glanced back into the blinding darkness, the passageway, as Reed had called it was not visible.  

 
   “Why did you want to check it out? Do you think it has to do with Taz disappearing?”

 
   “You said she saw someone before she jumped from the trailer.”

 
   “Uh huh….she said, My God it’s him.”

 
   “Do you know who she was talking about?”

 
   “No. I thought maybe Ian had surprised her and came after all.”

 
   “Maybe it was him.  Maybe they ran off together.”

 
   Esther eyed Reed. They both knew that wasn’t the case. He continued.

 
   “I’ve lived on this property since I was nine. I used to see things from time to time.”

 
   “What kind of things?”

 
   “You know, people in the woods…ghosts.  Nine years ago, I chased one and discovered the well. It looked the same as tonight. Water spilling over. Sometimes it’s dry. That’s the time of no activity. But, the times I see a ghost, the well is brimming over with water. I tried to cut the trees down that surround it, but every time, my saw would break. It’s like carving through stone. It’s impenetrable.”

 
   “So you never told anyone about it?”

 
   “Of course I did. But I was nine years old, my parents didn’t believe me. So I kept the secret to myself.”

 
   Esther thought a moment. “So do you think Taz chased a ghost?”

 
   “It’s possible.”

 
   “Then we should find her soon.”

 
   Reed didn’t reply.

 
   “So why do you call them Harets?”

 
   Reed stopped abruptly and placed his hand over Esther’s lips.

 
   “You shouldn’t say it out loud…never say it out loud, especially in these woods.”