The Searcher Book Review Novels & Stories

I could not believe that my mother had left something for me. "She said that if she left it with the living, someone might find it. So, she brings this book here. Your mother was a clever woman. She outsmarted the angels, eh, and look at you now still alive and undiscovered." Old black eyes peered into mine with interest, and her smile gave me the creeps. I shudder involuntarily. Nervously, I said, "Seer, I thank you for keeping it for me. Thank you for helping my mother. But the main reason why I came here is that I have a vision. I don't want it to happen. Is it possible to stop it?"

I watch his eyes widen as he says, “She’s grabbing you by the balls, that’s what she’s doing. You better comply.” I shake my head in denial, as I know William is right. Then I asked him, “How are we doing with the search? Something new?” “Nothing. Now we are re-checking the truck we found at John’s house.” “I’ll go with you.” We walk to the truck, and I see that the warriors have all the items on the ground as they go through each one. After almost an hour of searching, I go to a book that catches my attention: The Shining. I frown and say, “are you serious? These guys don’t seem like the type to be book lovers.”

I wasn't supposed to be at her family's pack bonfire, it all happened by chance, I was out on a job, that job included another pack, who are friends with some guy named Liam, whoever this Liam is, I own him my life, finding my mate and falling in love with her all cause of him. I went there just to spend some time, before going back home, and I smelled her, I'm a hunter at heart, or that's what I've been told before, I have the heart of a hunter, it's a game, it's instinct, it's every cell in me screaming wanting to follow my pray. I did that, I followed him, even in my human form, I'm a really good hunter, I followed her through the night, I saw her getting in her flashy orange car, not so

Engraved on the frame below the photo, Regional Girls' Finalist - Jennifer Conners. I move to the bookcases: Dawkins, 'The Selfish Gene', Tolkien, 'The Lord of the Rings', E.O. Wilson, 'On Human Nature', The Talmud, Lyell's 'Principles of Geology', 'The Origin of Species', HG Wells, 'The Time Machine'. This is where my Jade-Eyes was formed. This was the mind that made her... Wish I could have met him... Charlotte paces the room, looking, sometimes touching. Michael and Chad stand in the background, watchful and silent as she paces; picking up first one thing, then another.

“The witches.” I couldn’t breathe, they were supposed to be coming for me, not him. How was I even going to make it back? I was in agony, my vision was blurring. The streets were dark with only a few lights on. I wasn’t even sure if I could remember the way back. The book. The one Logan had given me, it said wolves can link their families. I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to try. “Sam??” I call out as tears ran down my face, there was silence, I wasn’t even sure if it had worked.

In the eerie silence of the library, she moved with the grace of a ghost, her footsteps barely audible against the polished floor. Ariel's nimble fingers brushed along the dusty spines of ancient tomes, each one a potential clue in her desperate quest. Time seemed to warp, stretching her patience to its limits. Yet, she persevered, guided by the promise of the elusive document they sought. Then, like a beacon in the void, her eyes finally alighted on the prize. It was nestled amongst a sea of forgotten knowledge, hidden in plain sight. Relief washed over her as she skimmed the contents, confirming that this was indeed the artifact they had been searching for.

“I kind of have tunnel vision today, anyway.” I nodded her head to one side, gesturing towards a towering stack of books beside a brimming bookcase. Behind, through the window, the sea shifted, shades of grey blurring as the sky met its shuddering surface. “Then you’ll want to have a look through these,” she said, crouching down beside the staggering pile. “I tried to remember all of the ones we looked through before, but you’re more than welcome to dig through the shelves if it’s not here.” She looked up at me, her kind, round face marred with concern. “Did you find anything out, in the end? You know – about Bethan?”

“I agreed to help you but I have little idea of what this book is. I'm guessing it's important to you?” “Very important,” I answer honestly. “It contains answers to what I've been searching for. It'll reveal why the hunters were after my family like it's their only purpose. It'll give me some explanation of why my whole lineage has been hidden like it never existed. They're many things this book holds that I need.” I reach out to touch the casing, then hesitate. My fingers hover an inch away. Karl’s hand snaps out, stopping me. “Don’t.” “I wasn’t-”

He straightens. "Doesn't matter right now. What matters is I've read about this in my father’s bestiary. The far-shelf books, the ones he calls a waste of paper because they're not local. Small. Lives in water. Webbed hands. Drags people by the ankle. Obsessed with... hold on." He stops and turns to me with an expression I've never seen him wear on a hunt. He looks delighted. Noah Hunter. Delighted when I’m not fucking him. Mark the calendar.

The two of us walked around and it wasn’t until I caught sight of one book that my attention seemed to diverge completely from the place that we were in. “Hunter? How do you have a copy of this?” I asked, and he smiled, clearly letting me know that he expected this book to catch my attention. “You know, when you told me that you knew about the hunters and wolves actually being allies, I was amazed. It was something written here in the book. This book in particular was made by the first hunter Morozov and MY great grandfather.” He said, and she frowned in confusion. “The first hunter was a Morozov?”