by Neo Edmund
She burst into hysterical laughter.
“Why are you laughing? Nothing about this is funny,” Ash whined.
Red stood up and walked toward the door. “You should have seen the look on your face. I had you going there.”
“Wait. I get it. You were just messing with my head.” Ash took a huge breath of relief. “I should have known. Red Riding, always the prankster.”
Red shrugged. “You know me. I just can’t help myself.”
“Yeah, like the time you convinced me that a gnome ate my cookies, but you’d hid them in my coat pocket. It took me an hour to realize they were there the whole time.”
Red giggled. “Or how about that time I hid your extra underwear in granny’s icebox?”
Ash slumped in embarrassment. “I totally forgot about that.”
“And I remembered it.” Red smiled, pleased, as she recounted the memory.
“Those were good times, Red.”
“They were, Ash.”
Red pushed the door open a crack so she could peer out into the hallway. There wasn’t a sign of anybody out there. “So why did you always have an extra pair of underwear in your backpack?”
“Let’s just move on from that.”
“Fair enough. Now tell me about the girls that were trying to kill you.”
“Kill is a strong word. Maim. Disfigure. Humiliate beyond all recognition. That’s more like it,” Ash said.
Red stepped halfway out into the hallway for a better look. “I don’t see anybody around, but that doesn’t mean much.”
“Nope, those four vanishing babes could be anywhere, and we wouldn’t know it,” Ash said.
“And how exactly do they do the stealthy thing?”
“Some kind of spellcraft amplified by moonstones embedded into their staffs, I’m guessing. I could ask next time I see them if you really want to know,” Ash said.
Red grabbed Ash by the shirt. “Out with it, Dorkus. What’s the real story here?”
“Red, you know I hate being called by my given name. It’s embarrassing.”
“That’s right. Your full name is Dorkus Ashley. It’s all starting to come back now.”
“Of all the things to remember,” Ash mumbled.
Red pulled Ash along by the shirt as she started down the hallway. “So speak, boy. Give me all the details. Leave nothing out.”
“It’s not that complicated. The four girly-girls you just slugged it out with are Ice’s prep school pals. They work for her like a gang of personal thugs,” Ash said.
“And they were beating you up for what reason?”
“They always beat me up. It’s a love-hate sort of thing we’ve got going on. I think their leader Mia has a serious crush on me. Sadly, she’s too caught up in her popular girl clique to be able to admit it publicly.”
“Okay, now the real reason, Ash.”
“I crashed the party.”
“How did you pull that one off?”
“Secret entrance through the sewers.”
“Yuck. How do you even know about that?”
“When I was a kid, I snuck into this place all the time. I know where all the coolest stuff is hidden,” Ash said.
“You’ll have to show me around sometime. Now why did those girls attack me?”
“Probably because you walked in on their little game. They tried to bop you on the head, and you gave it to them like a werewolf-powered ninja.”
“I got into it with them because you said they were going to kill you,” Red shouted.
“Yeah, that was my bad.”
“Perfect, now I have to find Ice and explain to her why I beat the brains out of her pet cronies,” Red said.
As they were approaching the ballroom entrance, Ash grabbed Red’s arm and stopped her. “Have you gone totally cuckoo? Why would you even care what Ice Seether thinks?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like I should.”
Ash shrugged. “I guess if that’s the way it has to be, I won’t stop you, but if you’re going back inside there, you might want to check yourself in a mirror.”
Red looked down at the open seam on the side of her dress. “Give me your jacket.”
“Not a chance. These threads are the core of my style.”
Red glared at Ash. “I ripped my dress saving your little tail. You’re lucky I don’t make you swap outfits. And I know this dress will totally fit your scrawniness, so don’t mess with me.”
Ash grumbled as he pulled off his jacket. Red snatched it away and put it on. It was several sizes too large, causing it to hang on her quite ridiculously.
“Now go home, Ash. And no arguing with me.”
Ash was about to protest, but Red held up a hand, warning him to be silent.
“Fine, but if you get even a spot on my jacket, we are going to have some serious words, young lady.” Ash slumped a little as he began to walk away.
“Ash.”
“Yeah, Red?”
“It’s good to see you again.”
“You too. Missed you a lot.”
Red dashed over to Ash and gave him an affectionate hug. Though she hadn’t seen him since she was five years old, or sixty-six percent of their lives as Dote would say, she felt a wonderful bond with him that was unlike any she had ever known.
Chapter 13
“Hello? Is anybody here?”
Red stood in the ballroom entryway, baffled to find that there was not a sign of a single party guest or server. The bandstand sat silent and void of musicians. On the upper level, the royal knights were gone. She wondered how the party could have broken up so fast. Not that she was too disappointed. She did feel a little sad that she didn’t have a chance to share a piece of chocolate cake with Dote.
Clicking footsteps that sounded like somebody walking in high-heeled shoes came from the upper level. After a tense moment, Ice emerged at the top of the grand staircase. She wore her royal robe and clutched the jeweled scepter.
“Welcome back, Red Riding. I was starting to think you had slipped away,” Ice said.
“Ice, something happened I need to tell you about,” Red said.
Four girls armed with staffs stepped up behind Ice. They wore white button-down tops and plaid skirts, each with its own unique color. What stood out the most was that they had fresh bruises from a recent beating.
“I know you four have already met,” Ice said. “Even so, I would like to formally introduce you to my elite guardians. Not that I need guardians, mind you, but nonetheless, they are Mia the Black, Yuki the Grey, Suki the Yellow, and Naoki the Brown.”
Red had no doubt they were the girls she had battled earlier, and couldn’t shake the feeling that she had also encountered them somewhere else. “Ice, please understand. It was all a big mistake.”
“The only mistake is that my elite guards were so easily defeated.” Ice swung a hand back and smacked Mia in the face. “Are you not ashamed, Mia?”
Mia bitterly eyed Ice before she lowered her head. “I am, your highness.”
Red took a few steps closer to the staircase. “Ice, if I could just explain.”
“Silly Little Red Riding, you just don’t know what’s going on here,” Ice said.
Twenty royal knights rushed in through the ballroom entrance and formed a perimeter around Red. Each pulled a samurai-style sword and stood at attention. Ice held up her scepter. A surge of energy shot out from it and formed a mystical barrier over the entryway.
Red’s heart began to race with panic. “What is this?”
“Relax, birthday sister. It’s just my way of assuring we’re not disturbed,” Ice said.
“Ice, you have to believe I didn’t mean to make trouble.”
“I have no doubt that your intentions when coming here were as pure as mine when I invited you. Sadly, your little scuffle with my girls has proven you are far too dangerous to be allowed to gallivant around unattended.”
Red took another step toward the staircase. The knights reacted by raising their s
words.
“Ice, if I’m that much trouble, I’ll gladly leave," Red said.
“I’m so sorry. It’s much too late for friendly departures, my little birthday sister,” Ice said.
“Stop calling me that. We are not related,” Red said.
“That is most certainly true. There is not a drop of your impure Riding blood in my line. But the circumstances of our births do connect us in a sisterly way.”
Red considered this. “This has to do with the Alpha Power.”
Ice ground her teeth. “Of course it has to do with the Alpha Power, you foolish peasant girl.”
“Now I understand. You think the power should have gone to you," Red said.
Ice screeched, “I don’t think it! I know it! The lunar calendar is quite clear that the power was bestowed at the exact moment of my birth. Somehow, by a random blunder of fate, you were born at the exact same moment.”
“You think I received your powers by accident?” Red asked.
“It’s the only explanation that makes a bit of sense. The idea that the divine power of the lunar deities was bestowed upon a peasant girl is outrageously preposterous,” Ice said.
“It’s not like I had anything to do with it. I’m not even sure I want it,” Red said.
Ice paced in a frantic fit. “It doesn’t matter if you want it or not. You simply do not deserve to have it. The power was to be mine, and I want it this instant.”
“I thought the power came to me because I’m a descendant of the last Alpha,” Red said.
“No, no, no,” Ice ranted. “That’s not how this works at all. The power of the Alpha doesn’t get passed down through generations. It is bestowed to the most powerful werewolf in all of the land.”
“So then you’re a werewolf, too?” Red asked.
“Well, duh. This is precisely the problem. Even with the Alpha Power, your little peasant mind can’t see that everybody in this room is a werewolf,” Ice said.
Red trembled with fear as she looked to the knights surrounding her. In the blink of an eye, it all became clear to her. Nothing about them changed physically; their smell confirmed it. Each knight had a distinct scent that revealed to Red a bounty of insight into their character. The most important revelation was that she could tell who was the strongest and who were weakest.
“I can smell your fear.” Red then snapped a look toward Mia, Suki, Yuki, and Naoki. “Yours too.”
In a flash, Red was back in the forest clearing where the Omega Gem sat atop a stone pedestal. Five wolves were slowly moving in on her to attack. They were white, black, grey, brown, and yellow.
The white wolf spoke with Ice’s voice, “Well, well, well. It looks like our little huntress has had an awakening.”
Red blinked and was again in the ballroom. Her ears had a faint ringing in them. Beads of sweat formed on her head as her body temperature spiked. She held out her trembling hands to discover that talons were piercing through the tips of her fingers.
Ice snickered. “Watch out, boys, I think the claws are about to come out.”
The royal knights grew nervous and tightened their grips on their swords.
Red could feel her anger rising. “Ice Seether, what are you trying to do here?”
“All will be revealed soon enough, Little Red Riding,” Ice said. “Knights, attack the Alpha.”
“Ice, please don’t do this.” Red spun around and saw that the royal knights were transforming into hairy wolf-men with razor-sharp claws and incisor fangs.
Ice grinned. “This is going to be quite entertaining.”
Red’s blood burned to a boil as the knights began to advance. She snapped a look at the knight who was clearly the leader. While he stood the furthest back, there was no question that he was by far the most dangerous. She suspected that taking him down would send the others scattering like frightened children.
“We don’t have to do this,” Red said.
The first knight raised his sword and swung downward. Red could smell his nervous apprehension as she sidestepped the attack. His blade went straight down and clunked into the floor. She threw a powerful punch into his gut, doubling him over with a groan.
“Just so we’re clear, you made me do that.” Red let Ash’s jacket fall to the floor and took a fighting stance. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, boys.”
A knight swung his sword at Red from behind.
Hearing the blade cutting through the air, she dodged clear. She kicked back right into the knight’s chest, sending him stumbling to the floor. “Anybody else?”
Two knights dashed at Red. One swung his sword high, while the other swung his low. Red executed a perfect back handspring, passing between their blades. As soon as she landed, another knight grabbed her from behind. She reached back, gripped his coat, and with a mighty heave, flung him over her shoulder. His arms flailed as he soared through the air and slammed into the two knights who had just attacked Red. The three men crashed to the floor with painful thuds and grunts.
Red took a quick look around the room and spotted the lead knight about twenty feet away. The world around her went into slow motion as she began to charge toward him. A knight jumped into her path and swung his sword. Red leaped high and soared over his blade. On her descent she kicked him in the head, sending him crashing down.
Another knight jumped into Red’s path and thrust his sword at her. Red dropped down onto her back and slid between his legs. She popped up to her feet behind him. With a powerful shove, she sent him crashing face-first into a nearby pillar.
“Are you guys even trying to get me?”
The lead knight flipped the blade of his sword into his hand and javelined it at Red’s chest. Dodging to the side, she grabbed the sword out of the air. She then leaped forward and swung the blade wide. The man never saw the lightning-fast strike that slashed deep into his chest.
As his dead body hit the floor, Red spun around and faced the remaining knights. “Surrender, or you’re all going down just like him.”
The knights exchanged nervous looks, unsure what to do.
“Now.” Red shouted.
A knight dropped his blade and raised his hands. Red pointed her sword at the others, and they got the message. One after another they put down their weapons and surrendered.
“Cowards!” Ice screamed. “I did not give you permission to surrender. Pick up your weapons and continue attacking.”
The knights stood firm, refusing to obey her command.
Ice raised her scepter. It began to glow with purple energy. “Well, if you’re too afraid to fight, then I have no choice but to discharge you from my service.”
The knights broke into an outright panic and dashed for the entryway, but the mystical barrier blocked their escape. They began to clutch at their throats and gagged for breath. It wasn’t long before they all collapsed and their lives faded away.
“How could you?” Red stood trembling and clutching her sword.
“How could I?” Ice gave a wicked laugh. “How could you?”
Red looked down and saw the lifeless body of the knight she had slain. A feeling of panic overcame her. She dropped her weapon and stumbled backward. “No. I couldn’t have. I would never do that.”
“Take a good look, birthday sister. As the Alpha, this will be your future path.”
Red paced in a panic. “They were trying to kill me. I had no choice.”
“You’d better get used to it. As long as you possess that power, you will always be under attack. To survive you will have to slay many more like him,” Ice said.
Red looked at the fallen knight. He was transforming back from his werewolf form into a man. She shook her head in desperate denial. “No, I won’t do that.”
Ice began to descend the staircase. “Don’t be naïve. I did this to prove to you how powerless you are to control the rage once the big bad wolf takes over. I know you did not want to do this, yet the tragic reality lies right before you. And you will do it again, and again, and agai
n.”
“I’ll learn to control it,” Red said.
“Red Riding, the power inside you is raw and primal. It can’t be beaten into submission like a caged beast,” Ice said.
“I didn’t ask for this.” Red dropped to her knees and broke into tears.
“There is nothing to fear. Nobody will ever have to know of the terrible act you committed tonight,” Ice said.
“What are you saying?”
“You’ve taken a life. A thing like that doesn’t just go away on its own.”
“I was defending myself. That is no crime.”
“I know that just as well as you do.” Ice reached the bottom of the staircase and continued strutting toward Red. “You have my word that together we will make sure nobody gets the misguided notion that it’s anything more.”
Red noticed a spot of blood on her hand and knew it was not her own. She frantically wiped it away onto the floor.
Ice stood over her. “See what the power has done to you, my dear sister. It’s truly tragic that you have been afflicted this way. Let me help you be rid of this curse.”
“Rid of it?” Red gave Ice a curious glare. “Is that even possible?”
Ice placed a comforting hand on Red’s shoulder. “It’s not only possible, I know how to do it.”
Red looked over to the dead knights near the entryway. “How would you do that?”
Ice kneeled down next to her. “It’s rather complicated. Simply put, it requires a powerful spellcraft that only a witch as skilled as I can pull off.”
“So you’re both a werewolf and a witch?” Red asked.
Ice placed her hands on Red’s face. “Red, darling, you’re straying from the point. I only want to free you from this suffering. I do care so deeply for you.”
Red looked Ice in the eyes. “What would happen to the power if I gave it up?”
“I suppose it would go to another. One equipped to handle it adequately,” Ice said.
“Would that one be you?”
“Perhaps, if the deities deem me worthy.”
“And what would happen if they didn’t?”
“As far as I can tell, they already had, before the power was mistakenly thrust upon you.”