A/N: Here's the promised sequel! Posting will be slow-going, but it's in progress! If you have not yet read Paths of the Hunter I would highly recommend doing that before trying to follow this story! Deep breath... Here goes!
Prologue
It's always supposed to happen to someone else. Amy Howard stared in numb disbelief as the flames engulfed the tiny house she had been sharing with her college girlfriends. The reddish-orange light flickered off of the trees and other houses on the street as the firefighters battled to get the flames out before the roof collapsed.
Amy watched as the red light played over her roommates' faces. They seemed to be feeling more than she was. Cassie was crying, and Jess had an arm around her trying to be strong. Sharla was swearing, but Amy could tell that under her tough exterior that she was scared to death. None of them had any idea how the fire had started, only that it had spread far too quickly and they were lucky to have all gotten out.
Amy coughed, having inhaled a little too much smoke. Something about the light reminded her of another fire, in another place and time. Somehow, she had almost forgotten about that. She could understand why she would think of it now, and for some reason she felt that the two fires were very similar. But why would the Dark come after me, and why now? Her hand went to the jade pendant she always wore, the one piece of jewelry that had become as much a part of her as her own limbs in the last two years. It was carved in the shape of a perfect circle, quartered by a cross, and right now it was warm from more than just the heat of the fire.
Her heart leaped, even as she watched her life go up in smoke. Maybe this fire was not so much of an ending for her as a beginning of a new adventure. She looked down at her cell phone, which had been right there on her nightstand with wallet and keys, half-expecting the phone to ring and for him to be on the other end. She laughed at herself. Who was she kidding? She hadn't heard from Will Stanton for a while now. Nothing had changed in her feelings for him, but it seemed like everything that had happened back in Wyoming had been a dream.
She still heard from him on occasion, but not lately. Something was up, she knew. He was on the trail of the man that he was hunting, and he was close. She prayed that something had not happened to him, but she was pretty sure she would have known if that were the case. Her dreams would have told her.
The roof collapsed in a shower of sparks, and Amy jumped involuntarily. She remembered the other fire, and how desperate they had been to get out of that trap before it was too late. They had barely made it out before the roof went. Candace had suffered a lot from that fire, more mentally than physically, but the damage was done. Will had been drained of his strength, and Amy received a broken leg for all her trouble. And Cheng? Who knew where he had gone? She only knew that Will had managed to track him to the east coast after his escape.
She looked down at the cell phone in her hand again, and pulled her bathrobe tighter as she dialed. It was almost five in the morning, Eastern Standard Time. She would hate to wake him up, especially since he hadn't returned her calls in too many weeks, but she had a feeling that he would want to hear about this.