She entered the cave she had quickly come to know, where they always met before a hunt. Zanas was surprised to find the cave empty except for the lone figure of Dressdon. He said nothing to her as she walked towards him. She was a mixture of conflicting emotions, and yearned for the understanding ears of her sister. Asenya would have been able to decipher the relationship that had been developing between them. Her heart began to pound once again as he stared at her, no trace of his mocking demeanor, simply a thoughtful look. She heard the sound of the others entering the cave and then they were running through the deep channels.
Zanas felt confused by his reaction. She didn’t expect a repeat of last night’s performance, but anything would have been welcomed to his unemotional reaction. She heard Ressna breathing next to her as they ran. The girl seemed rather pale to Zanas and she wondered how late she had stayed out. Zanas still felt a little slightly out of sorts herself, although something told her that it was not the Klahmai, but the premonition that caused it.
She knew exactly what Ressna had meant when she described her as a Dreamer. Zanas had seen that very look many times in the eyes of her sister. She had never had one herself, although in reality she had never tried to. Not that last night’s occurrence had been on purpose. There was just something about the Klahmai, mixed with the repetitious beating of the drums that sent her into a dreamlike state. Zanas rarely ever let her guard down, but last night she had been unable to put it up. She could not help but wonder at the experience, as she had been led to understand that only the Dreamer’s had premonitions. The memory of walking up the long corridor in the pledge house returned, and she felt the indecision to choose Pursuer or Dreamer. And she once again felt the relief at the choosing of Pursuer.
She shook her weary feelings away and concentrated on matching her team’s steps.
Desstina had reappeared. Zanas had found no trace of the fight, and was surprised when the girl showed no animosity towards her when they finally stopped for a moment to rest. She met the eyes of Zanas, reflecting in a strange way, the same unemotional look that Zanas had received from Dressdon. It was almost as if they were waiting to come towards some sort of conclusion, what that was, Zanas did not know.
Their plan was to travel deep within the interior. So deep that this would be the first time Zanas had ventured this far. She began to notice a slight sloping of the path ahead of her. Zanas could hear the soft dripping of the moisture created by the pressure of the beneath. Their path ended in a dark pit, stretching into blackness. Even with her mutated eyes, Zanas had a hard time making out the shadowy outlines of a cliff. There would be no canyon of water below.
Dressdon descended first turning and facing his team as he began the long descent down. She expected him to meet her yes, she waited for it, but he never looked her way. Zanas felt angry with herself for a moment. Now was not the time to be thinking this. She was perched precariously on a deep gaping crevice, miles beneath the surface. But for some reason this thought brought her no fear, instead she felt a surge of energy, as she passed the others and began the climb down.
She felt her way over the hard surface of the rock cliff, moving her hands to find good holds, sliding her feet along the edges. There was something very personal about the long decent down, with her face pressed closely to the walls. The dark blocked out everything around her, the only thing that existed was her and the dark body of the cliff. Her muscles stretched and tightened as she lithely balanced her body and moved further and further down.
Zanas reached out her foot, and was surprised to find solid surface. She looked down focusing her vibrant eyes and made out the dark outline of the surface floor, as well as the shadowy figure of Dressdon. He reached out a hand and helped her down the last few feet of the wall. For a moment his hand held hers, his other hand rested lightly on her waist, and then only the warm feeling of her shirt remained of where his hand had been. Zanas heard the shuffling of the rest of her team, and before long, they were all standing at the bottom of the long drop.
“There are numerous entrances in the wall behind us into a deep underground lake. The chambers are home to an aquatic animal. The meat is soft and delicate and the fat we use to supply the torches in our hold. We are all required to take our turn hunting on the grounds. The way is long, and can be treacherous, but we all hunt for our clan,” Zanas found herself responding as the others did without thinking.
“We all hunt for our clan,” she said with exhilaration. She thought she saw the shine of his teeth as he grinned at her in the darkness. They disappeared one by one into the openings in the cliff wall, and Zanas walked forward and entered.
She walked down the long passageway, the quiet of the dark echoing in her ears. She noticed a brighter quality to the shadows, as light reached the inner core of the walkway from the glowing body of water that lay ahead.
She stepped into the cavity. The chamber was enormous, with dozens of pools, brimming with sparkling yellow liquid. Narrow paths zigzagged, crossing and bordering the water, with large stalagmites reaching towards the ceiling.
Zanas had found her destination, but what she was hunting was another matter. It had become clear that the Pursuers were a clan of little words. Nothing was ever fully explained and she had begun to wonder if part of the reason why was to see how she would adapt.
Zanas climbed up a calcareous hill that rose above her and took a more heightened view of her surroundings. She could see deep into the vibrant water, moving with a hidden current, splashing delicately against the shorelines. There seemed to be a sandy bottom under the glowing water, but Zanas could not be sure without stepping into the liquid, and this was not something she was considering. Something about the tantalizing water gave her arms goose bumps.
Pulling her bow from her back, she quickly notched an arrow, her eyes scanning around her. A splash towards the back of the cave was followed by a soft curse. Zanas began to make her way across the narrow bridges that bordered the pools.
Following the direction of the sound, she moved gracefully across the treacherous pathways. The calcium created hills were sharp and hard; one fall would mean spilled blood or worse, depending on what dwelled in those yellow waters. She maneuvered her way around a large round stalagmite that reached towards the ceiling, reminding Zanas of a large column in this kingdom beneath the earth. Hugging the structure with her arms, she carefully scooted around it, avoiding the water that lay so very close to its edge.
When Zanas found her balance, she looked in the direction she had heard the noise and saw soft golden curls. Desstina was crouched down examining her leg, totally oblivious to being watched. Zanas picked her way carefully over her path, getting closer to the girl. A small pebble fell lightly into the water, and Desstina looked up, alarming Zanas.
Desstina brought her finger to her lips in a quieting motion, her other hand cradling a cut on her leg. But that’s not what alarmed Zanas; it was the glimmering look of finality in Desstina’s eyes. Zanas heard a soft rustling in the water. Desstina looked passed her towards the sound, pulling back her lips and baring her teeth like an injured animal, enraged.
“They are attracted to the blood,” she hissed. Zanas tensed her arm, pulling her bow taught and faced the creatures.
The first thing that she saw was the beady black eyes floating towards her in twos along the water. There were a dozen or so, swimming in circles, something swift and lethal about their movements. They reminded Zanas of otters, although she had never seen any so big. The first of the creatures reached the bank, exposing the sharp gleaming teeth of a predator. A soft clicking began to echo through the chamber, as though the creatures were communicating with each other. There was a slight shake of her arrow as a surge of adrenaline rushed through her body and her vision colored red. A reverberating growl escaped her lips, a moment later answered by Desstina.
It’s going to be a blood bath…
Zanas let her first arrow fly and it landed in the center of one of the shimmering beast
s. It let out a cry so high a pitch, Zanas was almost tempted to drop her bow and cover her ears; instead, she pulled out another arrow and began to string her bow. She heard the air beside her hiss as a second arrow flew into the mass of approaching beasts and fatally wounded another. The cavern echoed, the screaming churning and bursting in the air.
They let loose four more arrows as the creatures approached, each striking true. Zanas’s ears were burning, and a pounding was beginning in her head, as the endless screaming of the creatures continued. The yellow waters were no longer calm. They churned with the dying spasms of the beasts and the anger of the one’s remaining. She glanced down at Desstina, who was still down on the ground. There was a small pool of blood below her leg, and the girl’s face was starting to pale. Zanas watched as Desstina dropped her bow to the ground and pulled out her knife, and Zanas did the same, turning once again to face the remaining force that was advancing onto the shore.
They crawled out onto the rocky beach, their sharp claws clicking on the hard surface. Their legs were short but muscular. Zanas had no doubt that they could move quickly across land, their mighty claws used as traction. Thinking further, Zanas had suspicions that those claws also allowed them to climb. They would have no option but to face them, and let the chips fall where they may, as the screaming raged on.
With one swift motion Zanas leaped at the closest, bringing her knife once and then twice against the animal’s side. It raged in pain, bringing a sharp claw across her arm. She answered the beast with a scream of her own and plunged the blade of the knife deep into its chest. Zanas felt the hot drain of blood on her wrist and then the dead weight of it against her. Heaving it off, she sprang to her feet and faced her next opponent.
Two of the remaining three of them approached her. The first one lunged at the last moment, knocking her to the ground. The second beast landed atop its companion and the beast screamed directly in Zanas’s ear, its rank breath bearing down on her. She was momentarily stunned, her vision turning white, as a ringing vibrated her ears. The pain of sharp nails piercing her shoulder brought her back to consciousness.
The knife was still in her hands. Zanas plunged the blade and sliced up the animal’s stomach, kicking its dying body away from her. She rolled quickly stabbing her blade in the air once again as she brought it across the second beast’s neck. The screaming was suddenly silenced, the ringing still echoing violently in her ears. Zanas heard a scream from behind her and turned to see the last animal atop Desstina, pinning the blonde girl down with a mighty paw, its claws digging into her throat. She could hear the strangling gasps of the Desstina and smell her blood in the air.
Zanas inhaled deeply, pulling herself together. At any moment the beast could snap its paw shut with a mighty force and kill Desstina, Zanas had only seconds to react. She leapt forward, stabbing the beast in its center, towards the rapid beating of the heart that filled her ears. It missed a step, and then failed altogether, the animal collapsing next to Desstina.
Desstina was still, the gashes along her neck spilled drops of blood. She simply stared until Zanas began to think the girl was in shock. Then Desstina let out a long breath and her eyes focused on Zanas’s. There was nothing but silence and the dripping of the moist cave. They were surrounded by black bodies lying along the bank and floating in the water. Desstina reached out a hand and laid it on Zanas’s shoulder, gripping her tightly.
“Thank you… clan member,” her blonde curls bounced as she whispered, the tips of her golden ringlets colored red.
Chapter 15- Her
He was surprised when they had found them. She met him at the entrance to the cave, her face and body splattered in red. Her stunning green eyes were alive with energy; reminding him of a feral creature protecting her young. Her long black braid hanging over her shoulders, rising and falling as she gasped in breath. She had never looked wilder in his eyes. She had never looked more beautiful.
She led them back to Desstina. He glanced over the girl’s wounds noticing the deep bloody gashes on her first; he dismissed them as gory yet superficial. Scanning further, he noticed another gash on the Desstina’s leg that seemed to be the more immediate problem. The wound was bleeding heavily, draining the girl of life flowing energy. Ripping his shirt, he tied the wound tightly closed.
Bodies lay everywhere, floating and bobbing in the water. He quietly instructed the Pursuers to pull them ashore. Turning to Fless, he gestured towards the entrance.
“I need you to run back to the hold, gather the sling and rouse enough Pursuers to help carry the meat. Meet us at the top of the gorge.” Fless nodded, immediately turning and running over the winding pathways.
Dressdon walked in the glowing yellow water, towards the cloudy swirls of crimson that colored the center. Grabbing the slick skin of one of the beasts, he dragged it ashore. He sliced the center of the animal open, spilling its entrails on the stone beach; the rocky white shores were soon stained red.
He once again started feeling that overwhelming sensation of amazement when it came to the dark haired exotic girl. It was obvious she had killed most of the beasts; Desstina had been too incapacitated to be of much use. Harven were hard to kill on their own, which was how Pursuers usually engaged them. When Desstina cut open her leg, spilling her blood into the yellow waters, she sent all the harven in the immediate area into a frenzied need to feed.
Many harven were dead, but many more lurked deeper in the chambers. They would be in serious trouble if the full strength of the creatures was aroused. This is what he needed to be thinking, this is what he needed to be getting his team out of. Not thinking about the black haired beauty that had stepped into his midst.
Even though he knew this, he still found his eyes drawn to her, her long form moving gracefully. He loved the way her body tensed when she sliced her blade through the air, her green eyes intense. He was reminded of the night in the city when he held her close and kissed her lips. Dressdon shook his head pulling himself to the task at hand.
There was no time for romance right now. The deadliest of games was still ahead…
Chapter 16- Raging
They were taken to the medical center of the hold were a woman immediately set to work stitching the wound closed on Desstina’s leg. Zanas let out a hiss as a burning salve was placed on the gashes on her shoulder, the woman explaining a scratch from the harven was poisonous. Her vision began to blur and her speech became slurred, so Zanas was inclined to agree with her. The dark blue liquid the nurse placed in her hands, slid down her throat like ice. She felt tired as she was led to a bed and it felt wonderful to lay her head down, her eyes so heavy.
She awoke disorientated in the cold stone walls of the room. A movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she turned to find Desstina. The blonde girl was lying in the bed next to her, her thin neck wrapped tightly in a bandage. Desstina’s face had begun to bruise, and it looked as though she was developing a black eye. Her cold green eyes stared at Zanas. Zanas was hit with a burning in her toes and fingers and she began to run her hands together furiously.
“It’s the last bit of poison,” Desstina said. There was a melodious quality to her voice that Zanas had never heard before. Or perhaps it had always been there, but the anger that the girl usually showed was so overwhelming. “Harven are deadly creatures, you cannot stop them once they have been frenzied, and your only option is to kill them all… or be eaten,” the girl said with a wicked grin, her doll face lighting up. She looked down at her hands, her face growing serious.
“It’s quite obvious you were meant to be a Pursuer,” she began, “It doesn’t matter if you came from above. You’re not going anywhere, this is… where…. you… belong.” The girl struggled slightly getting out the words. She lifted up her eyes and once again looked at Zanas. “You are on my team… and I should have treated you like you were. Regardless of him,” she said with a whisper, so quietly that Zanas had to strain to hear it. Desstina gave Zanas one last look, and the
n she closed her eyes, settling into the furs.
Zanas could tell by the change in her breathing that Desstina had fallen asleep. She thought about what Desstina had said, as she stared across the room at the blonde’s still form. Desstina looked so small and vulnerable, her pale flesh even more so, except now the tone verged on a sickly grey. She was a slight girl, whose extraordinary strength and agility was surprising. It might be easy to overlook her underlying emotions, but the girl felt, and she felt deeply.
Her body was still a little shaky, but she felt fine when she sat for a moment on the end of the bed. She tested her feet on the floor, waiting for sudden pain or dizziness. When she felt none she placed her full weight on her feet and stood up. No one had told her how long she needed to stay, and she felt well enough to rest in her own room.
She started down the long hallways with determination that soon faded to exhaustion. It seemed as if the long shadowy corridors went on forever, and she began to forget the way in confusion. Had she just turned? Which hallway was she in? Her hands held heavy to the smooth rock walls, her legs growing shaky. She almost cried in desperation.
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