CHAPTER#55

"You're suggesting I go somewhere I've rarely been." He frowned. "We can try, but to what avail?"

"I just need a few hours. If you can get me close enough to a payphone, I can make arrangements to get you somewhere where you can't be tracked."

"We can try. I have not met men who hunt as these ones do." He took her down an old hunting trail and they crossed a river. The animals of the forest ignored their presence, and she walked mere feet away from a herd of deer that looked at her with Bigfoot and continued eating.

"Here." This tree was buried in a thicket of thorns.

"Where does this go?"

"The Pine Barrens." They crossed through together. Bigfoot stopped, his eyes on the trees around them. The Barrens were eerily quiet and he scanned the trees, his dark eyes along their tops.

"Are they here?"

"No. I do not come here anymore, for there are things in this world that even I fear. We are currently alone." He visibly relaxed. "Let us find you your payphone."

He led her through the tall pines, the miles folding into single steps. Soon they were by a roadside diner. A worn payphone sat just outside the front door. Emily crossed the silent highway and put some coins into the machine, listening patiently for a dial tone. Once she had it, she called her estate attorney, Jerome Ferguson.

It took a few minutes, but Jerome assured her that he already had a lead and to call him back in a few hours. She crossed the road and vanished with Bigfoot back into the woods.

While they waited, Bigfoot showed her how the trees worked. The ones he took short jumps through could be almost any tree, it just had to be taller than he was. The larger ones, however, looked like ordinary trees at first. However, when she got close to them, she could tell that the bark of the tree only looked like the other trees in the forest. It was a type of camouflage, Bigfoot explained. The wood beneath was a rich brown that was almost black. When he drew close to them, he described how the tree would reach out to him and connect like the rest of the forest did.

"Could anybody do this?" she asked. "Or is this just a Bigfoot thing?"

"Anyone who could connect with the trees could do this, yes. Once you find a tree, it will take you where its partner has been planted."

"And what if one tree dies?"

"If one dies, then the other may become linked to another portal. That is pretty rare though. Usually, it just dies. You seem very curious about it."

Emily nodded. "I'll be honest with you. North America isn't super great for tracking down magical creatures these days. I know they are out there, and many of them need a safe place to live. However, I put my own home in danger whenever I leave."

"Danger from what?"

She shrugged. "Apparently one of my predecessors ran into an issue with a nasty vampire once, but they took care of it. Honestly, the danger could be from anywhere. As long as I am home, the house is safe, but when I leave, I only have twenty-four hours."

"And your home is safe now?"

"I'm taking a huge risk every time I leave. But if I could learn to walk through the trees..." she placed her hand on the bark. "I could travel almost anywhere and still be able to return if a problem arose. I want to travel to Europe. I've heard rumors that there are monsters hiding in the ruins. Or maybe even Asia. Travel by air takes too long, even when money is no object."

"I see." Bigfoot became quiet, his eyes on the treeline once more. "This is a big favor that you ask of me. Let me think on it."

"Of course." She checked her watch. "I need to call my attorney back."

Bigfoot took her back to the diner. She placed her call and was happy to hear that Jerome had come through. When she returned, Bigfoot sat in plain sight on the side of the road. None of the car's bothered to slow down when they passed, the drivers oblivious.

"And?"

"So here's the deal. I have a place in Oregon, a small cabin."

"I cannot live in a cabin," he replied.

"Hush, let me finish. This cabin is an oddity that came with my estate, a home away from home if you will. I've traveled there a couple of times. It's in the middle of nowhere. The entire area has been blessed with an extremely powerful enchantment that keeps people from wandering into it. I think it was meant to be a safe house on the west coast."

"Where is it?"

"Oregon. The whole area is over a hundred square miles... I think. The few times I visited, it was almost like it was somehow bigger than it was supposed to be. Anyway, the enchantment only allows people by invitation, much like my own home. You could go there and lay low for a bit. It should offer you a place to hide. Even if these guys are using magic to find you, it won't work unless you tell them where you are. However, I just got off the phone with my attorney. He is buying up even more land around that area and having fencing and private land signs put up all around there. The extra land will give you more places to roam so you don't go stir crazy."

"This is an awfully large gift you offer."

Emily nodded. "You're right, it is. But I offer it freely. The house I live in, it is a refuge for creatures like you. I and my predecessors have rescued many different creatures from across the globe and granted them safe haven there. Just because you declined my offer does not mean I wish to decline you the help you need. These people who hunt you, they sound similar to some bad people I heard about from someone else. While you hide there, I can look into it, see if I can find anything out. Then we can go from there."

"Hmm." Bigfoot thought about it for several minutes, his eyes on the trees. The barrens had become unnaturally still after a while, causing him to sit at attention.

"Take me to this place," he told her. "I would like to see it."