by Cheree Alsop
I understood at that moment what she meant. She had grown up in this environment, coming to choosings like this from a very young age. At fourteen, she had challenged a Hunter and been chosen, then managed to escape. No wonder she had dared him to hunt her. I couldn’t imagine if I was behind the bars watching Hunters choose between my friends or me.
“You can change this, Zev, but you’ve got to hold it together,” Sutter said.
“There are so many of them,” I replied, opening my eyes.
Sutter took my meaning wrong. “The Division can’t touch them, but maybe you can take a few down now and be the means to ending the rest of them.”
But I wasn’t looking at the Hunters. My eyes roamed from dhampir to witch to the end of the row where I smelled the werewolves. The witches had iron blocks on their hands that stopped their ability to cast. I thought of Virgo and how much he relied on his magic. It must have been agony to be prevented from such a necessary part of a witch or warlock’s life.
The dhampirs had iron masks across their mouths, no doubt to prevent them from grabbing an unsuspecting Hunter and making them pay with a swift bite to the throat. The few eyes that caught mine were accusatory and bold. One young man stared at me until I looked away. That made up my mind. I had projected my thoughts to shades, so why not here?
“I have an idea,” I said.
I closed my eyes again and focused on the paranormal minds around me.
There are more of you than there are Hunters.
“What was that?”
A whisper made me look to the right. The dhampir in the closest cage was addressing her neighbor.
“Did you hear that?”
The next dhampir nodded, but didn’t speak. His eyes were locked on me.
I am the werewolf in the doorway of the dungeon.
Every head turned my way.
Don’t look at me. Ignore me. This is the only chance you might have.
Most of the faces turned away. The one dhampir held my gaze.
I will do everything in my power to free you all, but first, I need to find Fray the dhampir. Does anyone know where she is? If so, make a sound. When nothing answered, I said, Please? I’m desperate to find her.
Silence stretched for several painful seconds, then a fingernail tapped on a bar. Hope filled my chest and it was all I could do to keep from running in that direction.
“What are you doing?” Sutter demanded.
“Nothing,” I replied. “Be patient.”
“Be patient?” he sputtered. “First, you’re losing it, and now you tell me to be patient? What is wrong with you?”
With a slow, steady limp, I made my way toward the quiet tapping. I doubted any of the Hunters could hear it. Those Hunters I passed nodded in silence and continued their perusal of the rows of captives. I pretended to do the same, but searched every cage for the familiar gray eyes my heart longed to see.
I paused at the end of the first row. The captives had been put in sections. Dhampirs were first with witches and warlocks second. At the end, massive wolves sat or stood in their cages. Thick muzzles had been clamped around their snouts and each wore a chain with a rock on it. My heart slowed at the sight of the moonstones. Each werewolf was locked in wolf form for the hunt. It didn’t seem very sporting.
Several sat with their backs to the spectators, but one near the front, a massive gray wolf with a scar down his forehead and one ear missing, met my eyes.
I’m going to need your help, I told him.
The werewolf watched me for a moment, then lifted his muzzle to sniff the air. I didn’t know how much he could scent beyond the iron enclosure, so I made a pretense of dropping my cane. I bent over close to the cage to pick it up. The sound of snuffling came from where my hair brushed the bars.
“Careful there.”
I started at the sound of Godnik’s voice and looked up to see him standing over me.
He smiled, but his gaze was wary. “It wouldn’t do to get too close to the beasts. We’ve had a few close encounters, thus the muzzles.”
He picked up my cane and helped me stand. I made a show of struggling to my feet.
“Thank you,” I said with forced gratitude when he handed me back my cane. “The stairs made things lock up a bit.”
He nodded. “Anytime.” His gaze shifted to the wolf beyond the bars. “But I’d steer you away from the werewolves to begin with. They tend to be a bit…elusive for someone in your current condition.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thank you for your concern. I was just curious. I haven’t been near a werewolf locked in wolf form before.”
He smiled back at that. “Then I understand. There’s nothing like a predator trapped in an animal’s body, but who watches you with the intelligence of a human.” He nodded toward the big wolf. “That one killed a Hunter last year and he’s been chosen again this year. Silver Wolfkiller’s been thirsting to add his phalanx to her necklace. Maybe this will be her year.” He paused, then said, “Or maybe it’ll be his.” At my surprised look, he said, “Such is the danger of the hunt.”
He walked away to leave me alone in the row of werewolves.
You’ve been chosen, I told the werewolf.
He inclined his head.
Then yours is the help I need, I continued. I looked up to see the other werewolves watching. I am one of you. I’m a werewolf from Brickwell come to find the girl I love that they stole away to Hunt. If you help me, I’ll find a way to free you all.
Instead of a reply, an image filled my head from the werewolf in front of me.
I saw fences, high ones topped with razor wire. Armed guards in towers watched the small huts below, their taunting gazes daring those beneath them to attempt escape.
I followed the image to the huts and my breath caught in my throat.
Werewolves as children and adults sat in the shade of the huts. Dirty hands, unwashed faces, and the gurgle of hungry bellies became the focus. Chains, iron collars to prevent phasing, and lash marks showed on every person I saw. It was an encampment, a farm, a stockyard to raise targets for the Hunt.
They’re your families, I realized with horror.
The werewolf inclined his head again.
I let out an angry breath. I will help you free them.
When the wolf lifted his head this time, there was humor in his gaze. I read it as easily as if he had spoken the words aloud.
You doubt me because I am a single werewolf.
The other werewolves all watched me, but the same disbelief showed in their eyes.
The love of my life is a dhampir, I told them. She risked her life to reveal the location of this place. I have come to free her and I won’t stop until all of you are out of those chains and your families, too. I promise you that.
I looked around. Some of the wolves had risen. The light of hope showed in a few gazes; the rest still looked apprehensive. As I limped to the next row, I couldn’t blame them. I was only one person. They didn’t know me. Who was I to promise freedom when my biggest fear was to be found out and thrown in beside them? I pushed on and forbade myself from entertaining that thought.
The image of the werewolf children wouldn’t leave my mind. My childhood had been one of survival, of fighting for each scrap of food or place to sleep, and of watching the other children die from exposure, the older werewolves, or our combat training. These children weren’t even given that fighting chance. As bad as the Lair had been, my survival was on my shoulders. From what I had seen, werewolves were raised, chosen, and hunted without any chance to live a life they desired.
The thoughts that warred in my mind stopped completely when I realized I had followed the tapping sound to its source. The dhampir who had been flicking the bar closest to her with her fingernail tipped her head at me. I followed the direction of her blue gaze and felt my legs go weak.
Fray sat in the far corner with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped loosely around her legs. Her forehead leaned on her knees and
her long purple hair spilled forward, hiding her face from view. Her scent of black licorice and sage freed itself from the foul odors and filled my nose like the sweetest bouquet.
“Fray,” I said.
Her name came out in a whisper, but she lifted her head. When her eyes met mine, my heart stilled.
The whites of her eyes had grown almost black, colored by the demon poison that ran in her veins. Her pale skin was coated in a sheen of sweat. The dressings had either fallen off or been taken off, and the bites that were visible on her bare arms and legs had lines of black and yellow that streaked away from them.
“Zev?”
Her voice was weak behind the mask; her eyes blinked as though she didn’t believe that I was really there.
“It’s me,” I whispered. “I told you I would find you.”
She shook her head slowly and winced as though even that simple motion hurt. “You shouldn’t…have come.”
“I had to,” I replied. I gripped the bars. “I’m going to get you out.”
“You can’t,” she said. “It’s too…dangerous.”
“I’m going to,” I said firmly.
“They’re coming,” the dhampir in the next cage said.
I swallowed, then told Fray, “I need something from you.”
A spark of incredulity flared in her eyes, showing that the Fray I loved hadn’t fallen to the demons completely. “What?”
“I need you to get mad,” I told her.
She lowered her head back down.
I gripped the bars tighter, willing her to listen. “I have to choose you, Fray. I have to Hunt you. It’s the only way to get you out of here and get you the help you need. But to do it, I need my choice to make sense.” I forced myself to say the words I had to. “I can’t choose some sniveling dhampir who gives up at the first bite of a pathetic demon.” Her head lifted, but she didn’t look at me. “I wouldn’t hunt some weak, frail, infirm excuse for a dhampir who can’t stand on her own two feet.” Fray’s muscles tensed. I leaned into the bars, goading her as far as I dared. “I won’t choose a dhampir who has given up and can’t fight to save her own life.”
She stood faster than I thought she could. Before I could step back, her hand had snaked around my arm and she twisted it. Her nails gouged into my flesh, her face inches from mine, when she hissed, “I will see you in the arena.”
As I stared into her eyes, I saw something that gripped my heart in fear. It wasn’t just Fray who spoke. Darkness had wrapped inside of her, a darkness that fought for control and even at that moment scored my skin with Fray’s fingernails.
“Whoa, now!”
Hands pried Fray’s fingers off of my arm and pulled me back to safety. Both Vampire’s Bane and Silver Wolfkiller stared from me to Fray. The dhampir stood inches from the bars on her side, her chest heaving and her eyes boring into mine.
“She almost had you there,” Vampire’s Bane said with a little, forced laugh.
“I choose her,” I said, willing my voice to keep steady despite the burn of Fray’s fingernails that marred my skin. “I like a challenge.”
Silver Wolfkiller slid the metal tag from beside the door and handed it to me. “You get one more,” she told me. She eyed Fray with uncertainty. “But I’m not sure you want this one. It looks a little off kilter.”
“That’s for sure,” Vampire’s Bane said.
I gripped the tag in one hand and my cane in the other to keep my hands from shaking. “Do I still have time to find my other target?” I asked. I was proud at how the words came out without betraying the way my insides churned.
Bane checked his watch. “You have about a half hour. Better hurry.”
As they wandered off, Wolfkiller threw a worried look over her shoulder.
“I’m not sure I want to be in the arena with that thing,” I heard her say to her husband.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “I’ll shoot it between the eyes if it comes close to you.”
They turned the corner.
A sound behind me made me jump, but when I looked back, Fray had resumed her seat in the corner. I was about to turn away when I noticed that her hair covered all but one of her eyes, and that eye watched me, dark, calculating, and intelligent.
“I might be in trouble,” I whispered to Sutter.
“Might be?” he repeated. “I’m only getting a spattering of the events, but my guess is that Fray’s not doing so hot.”
“Not at all,” I said as I turned the next corner. “Have they found the professor yet?” The image of Fray in my mind kept warring with the sight of her battling the demon inside. It was clear she was losing, and if the last few seconds were any indication, I wasn’t going to like what happened if the demon won entirely.
“Yes,” Sutter said.
The word made me pause. “Yes? Why hasn’t anyone said anything?” I demanded.
“It’s a weak lead,” he told me. “We wanted to be sure, but Virgo and that girl went to check it out anyway. They’re having me keep them updated on what happens to you.”
“Don’t tell them how bad Fray is,” I said.
I didn’t know why it mattered so much to me, but it didn’t feel right for any of the team to know how Fray really was.
“You mean you don’t want them to know that she threatened you?” he replied. “I didn’t even recognize her voice. Are you sure you found the right dhampir?”
I sighed. “Yes, Sutter. Thanks for the concern. She needs whatever the antidote is as soon as I find her in the arena.”
“What if you’re not the one who finds her?”
I closed my eyes. “That’s my biggest fear.”
“What is?”
My eyes flew open and I realized Godnik was standing next to the biggest werewolf.
“Uh, werewolves,” I said quickly. “And that one is the biggest I’ve ever seen.”
He nodded appreciatively. “Yes, but he’s already taken. There’s a few smaller ones at the end if you feel the need for a truly ferocious target.” He eyed me with uncertainty. “But I’d suggest another dhampir or maybe a witch with your leg. They don’t run as fast.”
I gave a gracious nod of my head. “I appreciate your concern.” I limped up the aisle away from him. “I’ll go check out the prospects.”
“I hear you chose the purple-haired dhampir for your first target.”
I paused. His tone was unreadable. I turned slowly, hoping I could interpret his expression better than his voice.
He watched me without speaking long enough that I worried he was about to command that I be thrown in one of the cages. Instead, after a long moment of silence, he tipped his head and said, “I think you’re wise to choose one in such poor condition to begin with. Her days may be numbered, but she’ll put up a fight. She escaped once before.” He shook his head. “It was a nasty, bloody event, that one, so I’m glad we’ll not be keeping her around for long. I’ll mention to the others to leave her for you in case your other target proves too elusive.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if he was onto me and was just a terrific actor. Two could play at that game. I cleared any concern from my face and said with what I hoped was a grateful smile, “Thank you, Godnik. You’re too kind. I would hate for my first Hunt to be a total bust.”
He tipped an imaginary hat and said, “The pleasure is mine. You’ll have your first phalanx yet.”
“I’ll show him a phalanx,” Sutter threatened as I limped back toward the door.
“Keep focused,” I told him. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Now you’re the one calming me down?” he replied. He sighed. “Fine, what?”
“You have access to the Division’s surveillance equipment. I need you to survey from the mansion to the end of the arena. There has to be a weakness. I need a way to escape with Fray if things get bad. Also, see if you can find any information about where they keep the families.”
“What families?” Sutter asked.
“The
y have some sort of facility with walls and fences where they raise families of werewolves for the Hunt. I can only imagine that applies to dhampirs and the witches and warlocks, too. They choose their targets from there and then bring them here for the Hunters to decide on.”
Sutter gave a low growl that would have done a werewolf proud. “That’s sick, Zev. They’re keeping entire families? What is wrong with these people?”
“I don’t know,” I replied in a whisper, “But I’ll do whatever I can to stop it.”
“Choose me.”
The witch who said it was a few years older than me. There wasn’t any defiance in her gaze, just pleading when she said, “Choose me. I heard what you said and I want to help. My mother needs me. They left her at the camp and I can’t leave her alone. I need a chance to make it back.”
I glanced around to ensure none of the Hunters were close enough to overhear. “It’s going to be dangerous. I might not be able to protect you in the arena.”
“That’s a chance I’ll take,” she replied. “I can’t sit here any longer. Even the slightest opportunity to fight back is enough for me to risk my life over.”
I nodded. I had thought those exact same words when I broke free from the Lair. “Fine.” I grabbed the tag from her door. “How do I help you?”
She lifted her hands. “Find a way to get these irons off me and we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
I liked the glimmer of threat in her eyes. It was exactly what Fray needed on her side.
Three Hunters appeared at the far end of the row.
“Time,” Godnik called out. “Back to the ballroom to gear up.”
I spoke quickly and quietly to the witch. “When you reach the arena, find the dhampir with the purple hair if you can. Her name is Fray. She’s going to need all the help she can get to survive.”