Shadow Hunters

by Anna Hub

  “Do you think we should make some kind of plan?” I asked.

  Brayden walked ahead of me. “I think the most important thing is to avoid the cats. We know where their den is and they tend to guard the perimeter of the Valley. We'll enter from a different side and hopefully stay out of their path."

  “I remember you said there were cats on the outside and more hunters in the centre,” I offered.

  “Exactly. The hunters are most likely to be gathered in the centre of the Valley, far away from the domain of the whip cats. And that's where new shadows are most likely to pass too. So we need to move as fast as we can to get out of the cat's territory."

  "But they weren't that concentrated before."

  He stared at the Valley, his eyes vacant and greying. "It's different in there now."

  "And what about the hunters? When we first met, you told me the hunters came out at dawn."

  Brayden shook his head. "That was a mistake. Once I finished transferring, I became more aware of them. Not just the ones we saw but those in the distance too. The time of day doesn't affect when they hunt."

  I'd relied on that restriction for the hunters in the past. To think they would be roaming free at any time made the fear stronger. But we'd come too far to back out now. I forced myself to breathe evenly.

  Before we reached the Valley forest, Brayden paused. “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  I remembered the fear I’d experienced when I first came to this world. Everyone deserved a chance to survive—that’s what I was fighting for.

  "Not really, but I still want to do it."

  He stepped closer, holding my gaze as he used his knife to tear two small chunks away from my skirt. After rolling them into balls he pushed them into my hand. “For your ears.”

  "Thanks." I took a deep breath.

  He stared at me for a long time, as though waiting for me to change my mind. Instead, I tucked a knife into the waist of my skirt and forced a confident nod. "Let's do this."

  He started walking—this was it.

  Eerie silence fell in the Valley. There was no evidence of the cats but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It was a place I knew to be vicious and yet it was the serenity that made me nauseous. Brayden held my hand tight but we didn’t speak. We were both too wary of our surroundings. Dense forest blocked the sun, making it easier to move without our shadows. I looked around for a hint of familiarity—something to make me feel at ease—instead there was only a vast stillness and I was terrified.

  “Shouldn’t we move faster?” I whispered.

  Brayden was the one who'd suggested we race for the centre of the Valley before the cats could find us but he was the one keeping our pace slow now.

  “The cats aren’t here,” he whispered.

  He stared straight ahead, examining a gap between two trees before he dropped my hand and took a step forward. I followed right behind, my feet falling where his had until he paused in his place. I froze behind him, watching his hovering foot. I tried to focus on being calm, it was the only thing I could do while I waited for his Instinct to guide us in the right direction. He looked to a path where the trees were wrapped together, their branches twisted in beautiful knots as though they were trying to ally themselves against the dangers here.

  A terrifying screech knocked me off balance and the beating of wings sounded above. Brayden spun around and reached for my hand but it was too late. I twisted to the side and collapsed on the dirt, my hair and face caught in a spider’s web that made me thrash around in a panic. Brayden grabbed my wrist and jerked me back to my feet in a motion that seemed to rattle my very bones. He cupped my jaw, examining me with grey eyes.

  “Calm down.” He hissed.

  I bit back the urge to snap at him. The warning came from his Instinct and I had to remember it wasn't personal. The feel of the web on my face still nagged, but I forced myself to ignore it and took deep breaths.

  “We’ve done this before,” he said. “Trust me.”

  The knotted trees creaked beside us but the screaming bird had disappeared and the wind hushed past until everything stilled in its wake. Panicking wouldn't help. The best I could do was watch and trust in the Instinct.

  I nodded. "I trust you."

  He picked at the web against my cheek, digging harder and becoming more intense with each passing second.

  I flinched away. "Ouch."

  The grey in his eyes spread and he froze before looking the other way. Without saying a word, he pulled out his blade and thrashed at vines. Heading in a new direction, driven forward by his Instinct.

  I whispered his name, but he didn't react and I had no choice but to hurry after him. I followed as closely as I could, but when he stopped abruptly, I bumped into him and hit my chin on his shoulder blade. His posture stiffened and I stood on tiptoes to peek over his shoulder. A man waited in the clearing, his eyes as grey as mist. His hair was moulded together in one thick dreadlock that fell past his shoulders, his face striped with blood and dirt.

  The hunter kicked a small tree to the ground. A beam of light filtered through and he flicked his shadow into his hands. I'd forgotten the bow on Brayden’s shoulder until it slid down his arm. He released an arrow before I saw him dock it, but the hunter threw his shadow up as a shield. When the arrow bounced off, he snatched it from the air and claimed it as his own.

  Brayden didn’t stop firing but his arrows disappeared into the forest as the hunter dodged them and prepared his shadow as a sling shot simultaneously. Brayden rocked from foot to foot and the hunter stretched his shadow with an arrow ready to fire. But he didn't shoot. Instead, he calculated Brayden's movement, clearly waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

  If Brayden stood still for even a second, the fight could be over. Someone was going to win, and if it wasn’t Brayden, my life would be over too.

  Brayden reached back for an arrow but he’d used all his stock. The hunter released his shadow, catapulting his arrow into the air.

  I couldn’t turn my head fast enough to see where it landed but caught Brayden’s back as he jumped over a shrub and left it swinging in his wake.

  Time froze as I stood opposite the hunter. My head spun at the thought of how quickly my life could be over but the hunter didn't even glance in my direction. Instead, he tore through the forest, kicking his shadow aside with the flashing light as he ran after Brayden.

  My mind raced to catch up. I had to make sure I didn't lose Brayden, but more than that, I needed to tip the balance in his favour. We had one advantage the hunter could never match. There were two of us. I ripped the small plugs away from my ears, struggling to concentrate beyond my own pulse. A grunt sounded nearby and I hurried toward the sound, gasping as I spotted Brayden in a clearing. He stood in full sun, his shadow twisted in his hands as he snapped it back and forth. The hunter countered each attack, using his own shadow to shield and attack.

  I took a step closer and paused to see if the hunter noticed my movement. His eyes remained glued to Brayden, both men too caught up in their battle to be aware of me.

  I moulded my shadow over the front of my body as armour, biding my time as the men fought.

  Brayden threw his shadow over a branch and hoisted himself into the air. It was my best chance. I darted forward as the hunter stretched his shadow once more. He didn’t even turn to look at me. Perhaps I wasn't a strong enough threat. I grabbed hold of his shadow before he fired, gripping it tight as I bolted. It felt warm in my hand and I squeezed tighter, hoping that when the hunter pulled back, it wouldn’t slip free.

  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, I just wanted to distract him for long enough to give Brayden an advantage. My cheeks bounced as I sped toward the trees. The shadow snapped back in an abrupt movement but I refused to let go. The force knocked me sideways and my chest hit the ground with a jolt. My shadow dragged against the rough ground as the hunter pulled me backwards.

  “Selena? Let go!”

  My free
hand gripped the dirt but there was nothing sturdy for me to hold on to; the hunter's shadow trapped beneath me. A strong hand found mine and I lifted my head to find Tara’s bright eyes beckoning me.

  “Let go!” she shouted again.

  Using her opposing force to twist myself, the hunter's shadow finally slipped free. I gasped for air and clamped my eyes shut, expecting an attack at any moment. Instead, I caught Matt's voice and the thud of fists connecting on skin. A small part of me wanted to look back but Tara’s eyes held me in a trance. Something in her expression warned that I was better off not looking.

  Silence fell and we both sat up. I turned. The hunter lay on his side, his eyes closed and arms limp. Matt hovered over him and Brayden lay on the ground nearby, his own chest heaving. He was alive, that was what mattered most.

  I rushed toward him; needing reassurance that he was okay and I would be too. But he didn't look at me. He pushed himself to his knees and rested on all fours. My gaze landed on the hunter again. With his eyes closed it was hard to remember the violent expression he’d worn not long ago. It was impossible to see him as anything but a human who we'd just murdered. Tara took my hand again, as though she recognised my horror. No doubt she'd experienced this before, but I still sensed her own disgust.

  Matt wiped sweat from his forehead before he stepped closer to Brayden and held his hand out. "Come on."

  Brayden lifted his head: his eyes still mottled grey and a streak of blood oozed from his brow. He scowled at Matt's hand and stood up on his own.

  "Let's get out of here." Matt collected bags and arrows from the floor. He pointed at a bow by Tara's feet. “Grab that.”

  Tara quickly reassembled a strong face, collecting the bow before she dragged me along behind her. I hesitated; unable to think clearly between the dead body on the ground and Brayden's blank expression. He wiped sweat from his face and neck, waiting until we'd grown distant before he followed.

  Chapter Eight

  I’d learnt a lot about Instinct that morning. Brayden had been searching for the hunter as soon as he detected his presence. Neither of them could back down. They were both victims of their own determination to fight and win. They were magnets that should have repelled each other but instead, they were forced together for reasons beyond their control. Understanding that made me realise why hunters often discarded weaker prey and turned on each other. Instinct forced them to deal with the strongest threat first; that was why the hunter hadn't even seen me.

  Matt took the lead and navigated through the forest. I followed behind Tara, still shaking from the adrenaline of the fight. Part of me wanted to stop and talk to Brayden. After all, Tara and Matt's appearance during the battle didn't change the fact that Brayden couldn't travel with them. But still struggling to come to terms with the death of the hunter, I wanted their company more than I'd like to admit.

  I checked over my shoulder. For the time being, Brayden followed without objection and with the grey still in his eyes, I knew a clear conversation wasn't an option. Perhaps travelling with them until sunset wouldn't be such a bad option.

  We reached the river and Matt and Tara paused to fill up their water bags. Brayden kneeled a little upstream to drink.

  "We should follow the river from now on," Matt said. "It'll serve as a good landmark, plus it will ensure we have regular drinking water."

  Brayden stood. "No. We have to move on."

  My mouth hung open. He'd spoken. Did that mean he was getting closer to himself in Tara and Matt's presence? I stepped closer, eager to be by his side.

  "In this world, you have to stay where the water is," Matt insisted.

  Brayden's grey eyes found me. "It's not safe for us to stay here."

  Us? Did that mean he didn't object to Matt and Tara being here? I reached for his hand but he'd already stepped away.

  "If Brayden says we need to leave, it's for a reason," I said. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

  "We knew you'd need our help," Matt replied.

  Brayden had already walked away. "We can't travel with you."

  "I don't think you have a choice." Matt no longer wore his friendly expression. "This is what I'm good at, Selena. I don't enjoy watching friends get attacked by hunters, and I don't relish ending lives. But I'm good at it, and I won't let it destroy me. That is exactly what you need right now."

  I swallowed bile at the memory of the hunter’s dead body. Although my back had been turned when the hunter was killed, I had a feeling Matt had something to do with it. I felt better to think the man hadn't died by Brayden's hand, but it did leave me wondering how close Brayden had been to losing that fight. Had he recognised Matt's help? Was his Instinct no longer threatened because the sentry had proven himself? I couldn't be sure how he felt about it without talking to him. His figure grew distant. There was no time to debate it and I had a responsibility to fight for his previous decision.

  I backed away from Matt and Tara. "I appreciate everything you've done. And while I'm glad you were there with the hunter, I can't go back on the decision Brayden and I already made."

  "You're making a mistake." Matt shook his head.

  I ignored the air caught in my throat. What choice did I have? "You should go back to the village."

  The sentries had stayed behind as I'd insisted and I walked behind Brayden in silence for at least an hour. I watched his back as he navigated through the forest, and struggled to come to terms with everything that had happened. I'd known this trip would be challenging and I expected Brayden's Instinct to be unpredictable, but I hadn't given much thought to the idea of murder. It seemed so naive now. But we'd survived months in this Valley without killing another hunter. That I knew of anyway. We were barely hours into our trip and a life had already been lost. I shook my head. There was no time to mourn. If I wanted this mission to be successful, I was going to have to brush it off and get on it with it.

  Vines seemed to draw in closer as we moved. I ducked and weaved, copying Brayden's actions to keep myself moving freely as possible. Loose tendrils seemed to curl before my eyes, searching for something new to hold onto and wrapping themselves in my hair as I tried to swat them away.

  Brayden turned suddenly, his hand shooting in front of me to catch a thorned vine before it could reach me. I gasped and bumped into him; unable to stop myself in time. His grey eyes found mine as he hooked an arm around my waist and hurried me into a clearing.

  I turned back as the vines snaked out, reaching their full length and curling back on themselves.

  "What the hell was that?" I struggled to find my breath.

  Brayden stared at his hand, where a thorn had lodged itself deep into his palm. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. The thorn had jagged edges and the skin had turned pink but it didn't bleed. Maybe the Instinct was protecting him the way it had when he'd been hit by the whip tail. Slowly, the thorn slipped back, as though the skin and tissue beneath had tightened and rejected it.

  "Look at that." I marvelled as a clear liquid oozed from the open wound. "Is that some kind of poison?"

  The Instinct faded and a small trickle of blood ran out. For a moment, I could only stare. It was the most amazing thing I'd seen the Instinct do. To think that it was capable of discarding things that his body couldn't deal with. It proved how deep his ability ran. It wasn't just a change in his mental processing, it was a physiological adaptation.

  "Did that hurt?"

  His eyes darkened slightly as he lifted his hand once more. "It hurts a little now, but I didn't feel it before."

  I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. His arm hung loosely around my waist but he didn't seem to share my relief. Most of all, I was happy to be able to talk to him.

  "I wasn't sure what to do about Tara and Matt," I whispered.

  He stepped away from me abruptly and glanced into the forest. "He helped me beat that hunter."

  His eyes lightened again. We didn't have long before he was lost again. "I figured as much. Bu
t how did you feel about them following us?"

  He stiffened, snatching my hand into his as he continued deeper into the Valley.

  My nerves were on edge the whole time, but the grey in his eyes must have been a warning to move on, rather than an immediate attack. For me, it was impossible to know the difference and I spent the rest of the day breathless in an attempt to match his pace. But the danger never came.

  Once dusk hit, he led me into a campsite. Boulders and trees surrounded us, blocking the wind from our path but still allowing various escape routes.

  "Is it safe to have a fire?" I asked.

  Brayden took the plough from the bag and set to work. His eyes glowed with Instinct as he moved and even once we were settled for the night, his expression remained numb. I picked food from our supplies but once I was finished eating, the time seemed to drag.

  Brayden stared at the flames, seemingly unaware of my gaze lingering on him. I desperately wanted him to lift his head, even for a moment, and just see me.

  I shifted to his side of the fire and ran my hand over his. It was like this on our last night in the Valley. The whip cats had surrounded us and I distinctly remembered the loneliness of being in his company when he was like this.

  I let my head rest against his shoulder. It's only for a few days, I reminded myself.

  A tree nearby swayed and I jumped as a figure emerged.

  "Matt? What are you doing?" I straightened.

  Tara stepped into the campsite behind him. "Before you say anything, we just wanted to let you know, we're not going back to the village. We'll stay in here for support. Even if you don't want us to travel together, we'll follow close behind."

  Although partly relieved to see them, I couldn't help scowling. "The reason we didn't want to travel with you, was because you set off Brayden's Instinct. If you're within a half hour radius of us, it's still going to have the same effect."

  "Surely being in the Valley is going to set his Instinct off anyway, right?"