by Ali Winters
“It is not the power, but the balance I seek, Yeva. It has never been any other way.” He spoke softly, his voice holding a lifetime of sadness in it.
“Lies! It was always about winning with you.” Her composure slipping, her voice was taken over by the bitterness and fury she had held onto for so long.
“We were charged with keeping the balance, Yeva. When the balance shifted I did what needed to be done in order to make sure it never got destroyed,” he snapped.
“Silas!” Her eyes flashed, anger distorting her ethereal features. “We were at peace, and you stole my hunter.”
Kain stepped back, the anger between the two leaders was escalating quickly, and there was no telling what would happen when it reached the breaking point.
“Yeva, it was her time. She made the decision herself,” Silas replied dismissively.
“Decision?” Yeva threw her head back and let out a dark, humorless laugh. “Do you honestly think threatening to kill her entire family was her making a decision? She gave in to your demands in order to save the others. You would have decimated us, completely throwing off the balance, if she had not given in to you. Even after you got what you wanted, you still killed her family.” She cut her eyes over to Nivian. A malicious glint in her eye, she spoke loud enough for her to hear everything.
Nivian jerked her arm out of his grasp. “What?” Nivian stepped forward. Kain quickly pulled her back, stopping her advance. “Caspian, what in Gaia’s name is she talking about?” she demanded.
Silas snapped his head around to glare at Nivian. His mouth drawn in a tight line, silencing her.
“Enough!” Yeva yelled. All eyes turned to her. “The time for talking ended thousands of years ago. It is time to settle this, Silas, once and for all.” Turning her head, she nodded to her small group of hunters. “I trust you five to get things taken care of.”
Spinning on her heel, she turned to walk off into the forest. Kain swallowed, a chill running down his spine. He had a bad feeling about this.
Stepping forward, Karen called her energy to her. Light formed in each hand, growing in size and luminosity, giving the small clearing a soft glow. Gritting her teeth, “I don’t know how you managed it, but you will pay for turning one of our own against us. It is unforgivable.” She stalked toward Nivian. “I will end your life, reaper if it’s the last thing I do!”
Daniel shoved past Holter, “You’ve grown soft old man. Kain will either fight by our side, or he will get caught in the crossfire.” Stepping out from behind Karen, each of Daniel’s hands glowed with blinding intensity.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kain saw the bright light of energy shoot out, heading straight for Nivian. There was no time to warn her or think. He summoned as much energy as he could, throwing his body in the path of the attack and sending what little power he had been able to gather at Daniel’s attack.
Kain’s power clipped the edge of Daniel’s light energy, sending it spiraling off target. It wasn’t enough to divert it entirely. He cursed as he stepped in front of Nivian to shield her. It missed its target, hitting Kain with a blast of heat and opening a giant gash from his shoulder to his neck, just above his heart. Kain fell, blood pouring from his wound.
“No!” Nivian screamed.
Thirty
Nivian
Throwing herself forward, Nivian reached out for Kain. He hit the ground with a hard thud, grunting in pain. She fell to her knees beside him, forgetting everyone else around her.
“Kain!” She shook him. He didn't respond.
Carefully, she rolled him over onto his back, exposing a large wound on his left shoulder. A small wisp of smoke floated up from it. He groaned at her rough treatment.
He’s still alive! Sighing in relief, Nivian looked up, her eyes burning holes into the hunter who had done this to him.
The black-haired, blue-eyed hunter’s mouth hung open in shock. Daniel. He’d hit Kain. The man’s face paled as he looked up from Kain's limp body and met her gaze.
“He defended you…why would he do that?” Camira asked.
“What have you done?” Holter barked.
“It’s Kain's own fault for getting in the way,” Daniel snapped, taking a defensive stance. “The reapers will attack at any sec—”
Dark energy hit him with a punch to the gut. Daniel flew back. Grunting, he hit the ground and rolled. He pushed himself up in time to see a small red-haired reaper fly at him. Daniel braced for the hit. Finn slammed into the reaper, throwing her off to the side wrestling her to the ground.
Nivian looked down at Kain. His lids fluttered but didn’t open. He’s too weak. If the hit had been a few inches to the right, it would have ripped out his throat, killing him instantly. He had been lucky.
Enraged, Nivian got to her feet. Stepping over Kain, she gathered her powers. Her eyes locked on her target. Daniel stood and brushed himself off, a self-satisfied grin adorning his face. She would wipe that look off his face. Nivian rushed toward him, unable to control her fury. He had just made this personal.
Daniel’s eyes widened in shock. He gathered his powers in his hands.
Nivian hit him with a small blast, knocking him back against a tree and colliding with a loud grunt. He rolled to his back as Nivian stood, her foot pressing down on his chest. She could hear him struggle, fighting to breathe.
“Yeva,” she yelled in the direction the ancient being had walked, “this is your fight; stay and finish it, you coward!” Ignoring the struggling hunter beneath her, Nivian pressed down hard, crushing a rib and took off after Yeva. She hadn’t gone far.
Yeva stopped in her tracks as Nivian caught up.
“How dare you speak to me in such a way, traitor?” She seethed. Turning on her heel, she stormed towards the offending reaper, indignation from such disrespect distorting her face.
Nivian waited, her power gathered. Both hands formed one large ball of dark energy. More energy than she had ever attempted to use at once, she struggled to contain it. A bead of sweat formed at her temple and slid down the side of her face.
Yeva reached out effortlessly with her hand, creating her own light energy. A cold smirk formed on her mouth, mocking the young reaper’s weakness.
Loud footsteps pounded toward them.
With a guttural yell, Nivian used every ounce of her strength and pushed her energy at Yeva.
Daniel rushed between them, throwing his body in the way of the attack. Twisting from the blow, his body slumped to the ground and rolled onto his leader’s feet. Yeva fell, her head hitting a log with a loud crack. Nivian stood over both of them, sucking in air by the lungful, sneering, her rage taking over.
Yeva pushed herself up to sitting. Her lip curling at the dying body sprawled across her leg. A large burn covered his chest; his shirt had ripped, parts of it incinerated from the attack. Dark crystals embedded deep into his chest. The hit spread across his chest and radiated up his neck. Chunks of skin were missing, and he was bleeding out fast.
With a huff, Yeva shoved him off and lifted herself up with graceful movements.
Nivian lifted her chin, holding her scythe between them. Waving her hands over Daniel’s limp body, Nivian drew out this life thread. She paused to make sure Yeva’s gaze locked on hers.
Good. She wanted the ancient to see this. She wanted Yeva to witness her wrath. Nivian stood for a long moment, unmoving. Daniel lay choking on his own blood. Bringing her scythe forward in slow, deliberate movements, Nivian cut his thread, never taking her eyes from Yeva's.
For the first time as a reaper, Nivian didn’t collect the life energy but instead let the thread slowly fade out until it was gone. It was difficult to keep from gathering the life force, but the goddess-like woman needed to know that Nivian meant business. She would not back down.
Yeva watched Nivian let the hunter’s soul disappear permanently. Her mouth fell open, a small gasp escaping her lips. Narrowing her eyes, Yeva took a step forward, leaning her head down, so their faces were only inc
hes apart.
“You will pay for that, you traitorous little brat.” She grit her teeth, her composure slipping. A scowl distorted her striking face into something that looked truly evil.
Nivian lifted her chin, meeting her fiery gaze. “Do. Your. Worst.”
Yeva straightened, looking down her nose at Nivian. “You have no idea who you are dealing with.”
“Nivian, I will handle this. Go and help Camira and Caspian. Finish off this ridiculous excuse for a fight.” Silas interrupted.
Obediently, she nodded, taking a few steps back, turned, and ran back to where the others fought.
She looked around at the damage. Caspian and Finn were circling each other. Finn held his hands out in front, power gathered and poised to attack. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face. Caspian had a more relaxed stance, hands down at his sides. He followed the hunter, confident in his abilities. Dark power formed in his hands.
Holter knelt next to Kain. He was conscious now, and Holter was helping Kain to sit up against a tree. The older hunter looked up at Nivian approaching the edge of the clearing.
“Kain!” Nivian called to him. A small smile formed on her lips. Holter looked up at hearing her shout, nodded once and pushed himself up, jogging in the direction she had come from. He passed her without a word. Nivian rushed to his side, relieved that he was awake.
“Kain, are you all right?” Nivian stooped down to examine him. Part of his shirt had been ripped and fashioned into a crude bandage. Kain forced his eyes open grunting in pain.
“Nivian,” His breath came in short gasps. “You have to stop Silas at all costs. You know he’s the reason for the imbalance.” He placed a hand on his left shoulder, using his uninjured arm to press against the tree and lift himself. Nivian knew his body still wasn't accustomed to the supernatural attacks. If he had grown up like all the other hunters, he would have already healed, but using his powers was still new to him, so the healing process would take much longer.
He stumbled forward. Reaching out she caught him around his waist. He straightened his back, testing out his balance.
“Why did you take that hit? You know he can't hurt me.” Nivian looked up at him—panic etched across her face.
“Heh.” He grabbed his shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth. “I didn't want to take that chance. It seems more like a theory than fact.” His breathing came ragged and shallow bursts.
Splinters flew at them as one of the attacks missed its target, hitting a nearby tree and splitting it down the middle. They ducked down to avoid the flying debris.
“You have to stop Silas,” he insisted, his voice filled with urgency.
Nivian struggled with what to do. Kain honestly believed Silas was the cause. She understood why he would think that. Silas had manipulated her and others several times to get what he wanted, but he always said it was to maintain the balance. His actions always matched his words. Yeva was an unknown variable. She didn’t have any of her memories from when she knew the ancient. How could she know for sure—Silas or Yeva? It was impossible to tell. They both claimed it was the other who craved power and trying to destroy the balance. She hated being pulled in different directions by both Silas and Kain.
When she had confronted Yeva, there was something about the look in her eyes. The anger they held, the revenge, the void of any reasoning—Silas always remained calm when he spoke of the balance. It’s the only thing he ever seemed to focus on. At that moment, Nivian knew what she had to do. It's so clear now.
“I’m sorry, Kain, I just can’t take that chance. I’ve never seen Silas work for any purpose other than maintaining the balance.” She let go of him. He healed rapidly and was steady enough to stand on his own, as she turned and ran to help the others. The reapers had to restore the balance, and her feelings for Kain couldn’t interfere.
Karen
Karen chased the dull reaper—Camira?—between trees as they exchanged and dogged the others attacks. In a desperate attempt, Karen began a tight circle around a tree, spun, and backtracked the way she had come, catching the reaper off guard. Camira skidded to a stop in her pursuit, attempting to change directions, but couldn’t move fast enough. Karen smirked, her plan was working! The reaper had miscalculated her movements. Karen let her attack fly, hitting the other in the side, knocking her down.
“You hunters are weak!” Camira spit out venomously. She held her side, getting to her knees and pushing herself up, using a tree for support.
Smiling down at the injured reaper, Karen poised to deliver a deadly blow. “Let’s see how weak I am when you no longer exist. I expected more of a fight out of you.” The smile dropped from Karen’s face when she followed the reaper’s gaze. Nivian stalked toward them, pure hatred flashing in her eyes. Behind her, Kain stood, unmoving.
Unbelievable. We are in the middle of a fight for the balance, and he’s just standing there doing nothing!
“Kain, stop standing there and do your duty,” she called out, her voice breathless with rage. She fought with one reaper, and another reaper was coming right at her. There’s no way I’ll live without his help.
Camira slid to the ground, weakened. Karen wouldn’t give her the chance to rebuild her energy.
All I have to do is attack while she’s down, and the world will be short one more power hungry reaper, Karen thought. Focusing, she formed a ball of bright energy in her hand.
Sparking as it grew, it changed from the typical bright white to red. Not used to using so much power, Karen could feel it draining her. With a deep breath, she forced the power to form. She concentrated on her power—she would end this reaper.
A dark burst of energy whipped past her, singeing her cheek.
“That was a warning, hunter,” Nivian snarled.
Karen gasped, letting go of the power she had gathered, and watched in horror as it fizzled out. She had to make a run for it. There wasn’t enough time to rebuild it. Kain was taking too long to do anything. Damn him and his weak powers!
Spinning on her heel, Karen ran into the forest away from the reapers, flying past Finn and Caspian. The men were fighting each other slowly and deliberately—their chests puffed out and narrowed eyes locked on the other. Neither had a scratch on them. They both kept missing each other. Karen briefly wondered if they were dancing. It certainly looks like it. Are they even fighting? It appeared to be more of a birdlike display of dominance than a fight.
Putting on a burst of speed, she focused on her escape. Just a little time and she’d be able to regain enough power to defend herself against the crazed reapers. She ran through the brush. Twigs and branches slapped at her, scratching her beautiful face. She ran blindly forward, the blonde reaper close on her trail.
Karen ran toward the loud roar of the distant waterfall. Coming to a quick halt, she caught herself a tree trunk. “Damn,” she swore under her breath. Cornered between the edge of the cliff and the reaper chasing her. Looking behind her, Karen panicked. The reaper would be here any second, and there was nowhere to hide.
She took in several gulps of air to calm down her breathing and focused on her energy. A spark ignited, growing. Karen praised Yeva. She forced her power into a small white-hot light. Covering it with both hands, she focused on strengthening the power. Karen rounded the tree using it to hide her body. The steep drop-off now only a few feet in front of her.
Breaking through the brush, Nivian yelled, “Come out and fight, hunter! I know you’re here, there’s nowhere else for you to run!”
Karen slowly peeked out from behind the tree. Pressing her back against the trunk, the rough bark digging into her skin, she watched the reaper from her hiding spot. Nivian was looking away. Now was her chance. Taking one last deep breath and steeling her nerves, she swung out into the open, throwing her power at the reaper.
Nivian
Blinding light shot toward Nivian. The erratic path of the attack caught her eye. She dropped into a crouch. The light spiraled past her
, barely missing her. Straightening up, Nivian brought her hands out to her sides. Dark light formed, solidifying into two sharp crystal daggers. Panic filled Karen's eyes.
Lifting her hand, Nivian readied her attack. Her body jerked forward, a burst of light striking her from behind. Her crystals dropped to the ground, shattering.
Nivian fell, breathless, lifting her head to look for her attacker. Kain. He had attacked her! Shock filled her. She stared, wordlessly watching him approach. She pushed to her knees. She thought she could trust him. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Kain ran at her, preparing to attack again. Her body froze in betrayal.
Diving, Kain knocked Nivian on her back. He pushed himself up and straddled her. He lifted his right hand, ready to strike. She wanted to ask him why, but the words stuck in her throat choking her. Still she couldn't move. She would let him attack, and she would let him win. He would live, and she would cease to exist.
He looked up at Karen and yelled, “Run! Get out of here!”
Kain lowered his mouth to Nivian's ear. She looked up into the canopy above with wide, and unblinking. She wouldn’t let her tears fall, not now.
“Don’t move, Nivi,” he whispered to her. Kain slammed one hand down on her chest, the other next to her head. Nivian closed her eyes and turned her face away. Energy exploded in a burst of light.
Pushing up off her body, he turned and ran, catching up to Karen. Nivian could see the hunter in the distance looking on. She’d stopped to watch Kain deliver the deadly strike.
“Something is wrong. Why didn’t she disappear?” She called out to Kain as he limped toward her. “Why didn’t she vanish like all the others?”
Ignoring her question, Kain grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her away from where Nivian had fallen.
“She’s taken care of,” he responded tersely. “She used to be a hunter—her death is different. Now hurry! We need to save Finn!”
“Wha—” Pulling on her arm, Kain stopped Karen from finishing her next line of questioning.