Token Huntress

by Carrington-Russell, Kia

  “Chase, I want you here now,” Fier commanded over Tythian’s shoulder.

  Tythian came to Whitney, bending himself on one knee to speak with her at eye-level. “Whitney, I will be back shortly, my love. Why don’t you head back to our room and rest for a while?”

  “I have to go also. Keep close to Whitney or go back to my room,” Chase said seriously. He gave me a smile. “No hug?” he teased immaturely. I now understood that if Chase felt threatened or uncertain about something he would state the concern and then try to cover it with humor. Not that I wanted Chase’s protection, but my heart felt empty when I thought of him leaving. My stomach turned. I did not understand this feeling. How could he so easily creep under my skin?

  He hunched over, whispering in my ear, his hot breath spreading over my skin and blazing desire. “I will make you fall for me; you will only wish you committed sooner. I will show you what ‘hard play’ is, my golden bird.” Chase’s lips brushed against my ear and then he pulled back with a smile, assessing my rigid body. I had frozen on his words, desperately trying to bring forth my mature mind. But my body pulsed for him; it longed for his touch. And as he smiled at me hungrily, I knew he could sense that. If others weren’t surrounding us, I think I would have been very tempted to take him in that moment. It was Chase who walked away, leaving me startled and hungry for more. That hungry darkness within me rose, now tainted with lust.

  W hitney led me to the water fountain where we had met earlier in the morning. “Don’t worry, they won’t be too long. It is probably just to inspect a part of the city or attend a Council meeting,” she said with a smile.

  “I am not worried,” I asserted. I was relieved to have Chase gone so I could hide my beating heart and focus on my hatred for all vampires. Such a union between vampire and hunter could not happen. And I could not be unfaithful to James. But the longer I stayed within Chase’s presence, the darkness within grew, growing because of desire, instead of the anger it usually fed off.

  Now that we were alone I could also finally ask her what all of this ‘familiar’ stuff was about and why I kept being objectified as such. I guessed it was like some kind of lovers, which we obviously were not. I had to make sure that would never happen.

  “What is a ‘familiar’?” I asked Whitney. She smiled, looking down at her twiddling thumbs.

  “I really can’t explain it to you; it honestly is not my place. But you will find out soon enough. I do hope you plan to stay with us, Esmore. I often worry about Tythian. I am to leave him soon. I am worried he won’t cope and I need someone I can rely on to look after him. I can’t have him slipping over to a saber after my death. In that sense, he is so fragile.”

  “You just diverted my question with a request,” I noted, watching as two vampires walked past, looking at me curiously. Never did I think I would be standing in the middle of the Council casually chatting amongst these filthy creatures.

  “So I did,” she giggled to herself in amusement. “Come to my room, I think it will be safer for you there until Chase gets back, you draw too much attention. No one would dare come into Tythian’s room.”

  I wanted to do more snooping, but Whitney was right. I was too noticeable it seemed and that discouraged me from venturing off, especially because I hadn’t yet found an escape route. Whitney could be very useful for me. She had now been here for many years and without Tythian’s eyes watching over us, I could ask her so many questions.

  “It’s this way,” Whitney said politely as Gardar, the large vampire that had attacked me only yesterday, walked past. He paused for a moment, staring at me. He distracted himself and walked toward where we had come from. I wonder if he also was in charge. He did seem like an older vampire, that much I could remember clearly from his great strength when he attacked me.

  Whitney led me past the giant tiger statue I had hid behind only yesterday. We walked past the wooden doors where Chase and Fier last met. They were now closed, making me question if they were indeed having a meeting. I followed her down the white hallway, where on the left only three doors were. She opened the first one, revealing a much cleaner and homely room in comparison to Chase’s doll-collecting weirdness.

  On my left were a small wooden table and a brown, soft-looking couch. There seemed to be a small kitchen with a wooden table and chairs. The flooring was a white marble and there were a few paintings of flowers hung up. In the left corner was a large king bed and on the right seemed to be where the bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe were.

  “I will show you Tythian’s collection before he gets here,” she giggled to herself. “I thought it was strange at the start as well. But when Tythian explained it to me, it made sense.” She was leading me toward the walk-in wardrobe. When she opened it, I saw that many various colored silk formal shirts were hanging. Hundreds.

  “Tythian is eight hundred and twenty-seven years old. So after about two hundred years, he began collecting things. He explained that it made it easier to grip onto humanity. Every year there is an annual anniversary of some kind where you gift yourself with something. He said it made it easier to count the years, especially when humanity was literally destroyed. A lot of the vampires here still collect things, it isn’t uncommon. Chase does the same with his bobble-head dolls,” she said behind me as she waited by the door. I ran my finger over the silks of the shirts. All of them did look very old and the material was something I hadn’t felt before. We wore practical clothes which hunters had been wearing for many years before. My attention was grabbed by a different fabric. Nine shirts were collected together. The style was much different to the others and none had buttons.

  “They are called ‘sweaters,’” Whitney said, coming behind me. The material had an odd image on the front and I realized it was a flower. “I know they are not silk, but it is so hard for him to find them now. So ever since I met him I have made this for him annually. I found how to create them in an old book Tythian stole for me from a library. Of course he had to teach me how to read then. I create him a special one every year.”

  Looking at them I said nothing so I wouldn’t offend her, but I couldn’t imagine such a shirt on the proper and handsome Tythian. Yet for Whitney I imagined he very well might wear it. She pushed through two of them, revealing a box hidden behind them on a small shelf. “This is the one I am working on for him now,” she said with great happiness, revealing an almost completed one. “I started it a little early this year but I will finish it while he is away sometime today.”

  She placed it back in the box she had removed it from and hid it amongst the clothes again. Walking out of the large room of shirts, I peered into the bathroom. In there, from what I could see, seemed to be a large tank, attached to it was tubing and a mask. Whitney noticed me staring and looked almost ashamed.

  “It helps me breath when I most need it,” she admitted, still staring at the ground.

  “What is wrong with you?” I asked gently.

  “Well, it has been very slow, I had medication for it that Tythian tried to administer, but it doesn’t help anymore. He told me he saw it a lot in the eras before. He is almost certain it is a disease called ‘cancer.’ Apparently, in the technology era they could help with it and most survived from it when aided by the medication. But now, there is no such thing.” Suddenly she perked up, as if defiant against the sadness. “But that’s okay, I mean my papa always told me that everything happens for a reason. And as much as I love Tythian, I have no fear of dying to be with my family again. So I find no sadness in any of it, only for Tythian. He still cannot accept my decision, although he respects it, he doesn’t want me to go.”

  “Why don’t you let him turn you into a vampire?” I asked. Their love seemed undying and as much as I hated the thought of Whitney being turned, I was curious as to why a human would not take such an opportunity. I had seen many humans offer themselves, wanting the chance of elongated life, one that could last for thousands of years. Some humans I had met wanted that more than anythi
ng. One would think a young woman who was dying would want that more than anyone.

  “Because although I love Tythian, sabers were what killed my family. I could never allow myself to be turned into a vampire, to only eventually turn into that exact same creature. I am peaceful and like flowers, in fact I am almost simple. I do not need a full lifetime, nor the possible chance of eternity to know that I am blessed to have life. I love Tythian but I think defying death is not natural. I could not ever be disgusted by him, but I do not think I would have the will power to stay humane for hundreds of years. I mean, when you think about it, after so many hundreds of years, what do you think it is they live for? I couldn’t imagine any goal that would need eternity to complete it,” she looked at me innocently, seeking my answer. But I did not have one. Every word and question she spoke was true. What would take so many hundreds and thousands of years to accomplish? Could you really just ‘be’ indefinitely? Vampires could be killed, but they had the option to live a very long existence.

  “I don’t know,” I said honestly. It shocked me that she didn’t pass harsh judgement on the vampire kind, especially after what had happened to her family.

  “Why did you come here, with Tythian, into where all the vampires are? Any of them could lose control and trigger into sabers?” I asked.

  “Well, at the time when Tythian saved me, I was drawn to him instantly, and honestly would have followed him anywhere. At fifteen I was mesmerized by his handsomeness, but also by having someone so willing to protect me. Without my father I was alone. When I did begin to question everything, I realized it was wrong to hold a grudge against Tythian or any other vampire here for what had happened. Although they are a race and did overpower the humans, we live in a time of survival. It is what it is. None of these vampires within the Council took my family from me, it was sabers. I could not curse their race because of what some sabers or individual vampires have done. Tythian helped me realize that. I have seen a few vampires slowly turn into sabers here. Not all of them are so strong to hold on to their humanity. From what I have seen, sometimes it is too easy to be persuaded by a much hungrier side. I have seen the signs of them being turned, and by then there is no hope for them. It is like a sickness that breaks them down and turns them. Some endure it for longer than others. But once it is noticeably there most of them give up. Having sabers within the Council is a liability. They would kill all the humans here and it is known that the Council does not approve of sabers. They are the creatures which are further killing the food supply, so the Council actively kills them. It is Tythian’s role to kill them as he is the oldest here; he will have no issue with destroying them quickly. The other vampires can smell the sickness within those vampires who have begun to slip into a saber. They are killed before they can fully turn. Once that sickness has started it will inevitably claim them. They are creatures without purpose. All they do is kill and murder. They are the darkness within vampires, not the vampires who live within the Council. But every vampire here could be affected if they do not keep to their humane side and disallow the hunger to take over.”

  She paused before continuing. “For those who simply disobey the rules here, such as torturing humans, going on a blood frenzy, or even challenging other vampires, they are killed also. Liability to the humans’ lives here is not taken lightly, they are, after all, the Council’s meal source. We don’t live in an age of human law, we haven’t for over three hundred years. But here there is some structure and rules. I feel far safer in here than out there where there is nothing but death.”

  Whitney began coughing harshly into her hand. After hearing her words I didn’t think much more could be said. Everything she said was very thought-provoking, yet at the same time I could understand her. It reminded me of when Dillian and I had spoken of such things and his concern for the humans. I now had an insight into what it was they actually feared. Although it was our task to save them and take them to the human camp, we did not place much structure for them. And here, looking at all the white walls and clean living, they were somewhat safer than the outside world. Obviously humans did not feel safe without structure or security of some kind, and their payment was simply blood.

  “Excuse me,” Whitney gasped over a handkerchief she had pulled out. A few droplets of blood grabbed my attention before she hid it in her small hands, smiling at me. “I have a few items of food here, why don’t we simply eat here instead?” She positioned herself at the head of the table, offering me a seat next to her. She pulled out a few pieces of fruit from a small shelf which had very few items on it. There was a small bowl of fruit, a few bottles of some red liquid, a few plates, bowls, glasses, and cutlery. Her hands trembled as she tried slicing the fruit on a plate.

  “Let me,” I said, taking the knife from her and slicing thin pieces of the apple and then pear. After only taking one bite of the pear, the door opened and Tythian and Chase entered. They had been lightly debating something that had obviously been said at the meeting they had.

  “Obviously what Fier says will go, but I must admit I am losing respect for his decisions lately. He is acting like a child who simply wants a bigger throne,” Tythian said, walking over to the shelving and grabbing one of the red bottles. He poured the thick syrup like substance into two thin glasses and I then realized it was blood.

  “Well, I guess we will figure out what Fier is up to when it comes to it… we can’t exactly challenge him, we don’t have the numbers,” Chase said seriously. He took the seat beside me, as did Tythian beside Whitney, giving her a kiss on the forehead in greeting. I saw Chase looking at me from the corner of my eye, thinking the same.

  “Don’t touch me,” I said sharply.

  “Whaaat, how did you even know I was thinking that… you are too confident in yourself, my golden bird,” he laughed.

  “Stop calling me that,” I said, annoyed by his irritating personality. But still, I was not annoyed by his taunts anymore. He was no longer appearing to me as the enemy.

  After a long moment of silence Tythian spoke. “I don’t know why you keep her here, you are playing a dangerous game with both of your lives, Chase,” Tythian said, now serious.

  “I can look after myself,” I said angrily. Around these three I did not have to pretend to be a defenseless human. I was entirely huntress, and with great pride in it as well.

  “Little huntress, you may fight well and in fact I will commend you on being very strong for your age. But you are no match for the vampires here who have lived for hundreds of years training and surviving. Why do you not have your eyes? I have never seen such a hunter.”

  “She can’t answer you because she doesn’t know why,” Chase said protectively. I had never exactly told him, simply because I hadn’t the answer.

  “I am the only born huntress to have no gift,” I simply said. I was not ashamed of this.

  “And yet you are Token, why?” Tythian asked, more stern this time. We were both getting agitated in one another’s presence.

  “Because she is super amazing and hot in leather,” Chase said with a childish beam. He was trying to distract us, like he did when confronting Fier. Did he always become immature when trying to dispel tense situations?

  “I have worked and lived with you for many years, Chase, which is why I haven’t killed her already, but know and understand the situation you have now put yourself in. I honestly can’t fathom what you are to gain by doing this,” Tythian said seriously to Chase.

  “I think Esmore is very sweet, no matter what she is or isn’t,” Whitney interjected. Tythian looked at her for a moment, before apologizing.

  “I am sorry to have spoken to your guest in such a way, my love,” he said, kissing her knuckles.

  Chase took a mouthful of the blood, his fangs shining as his lips parted for it. I looked away in disgust. They bottled it, how disgusting.

  After a few hours of discussion and awkward tension, Tythian asked us to leave as Whitney began tiring quickly. “Besides I think it wou
ld be a fitting time for you now to go to this rave you are expected at,” Tythian said, grabbing Whitney out of her wheelchair and placing her comfortably in bed. He tucked her in, feeling the warmth of her forehead and looking over her worriedly.

  We excused ourselves and left their room. “Stay close to me this entire time. Don’t talk to anyone and don’t get us into trouble. We are simply going to say ‘hi’ to Fier, and then we will leave. Besides, it’s almost night. I have somewhere I want to take you.”

  “It’s already night?” I said, astonished.

  “Well, we did get up at mid-day, Esmore,” he growled my name, as if enjoying the taste of it. “Most of us wake at mid-day.”

  A thumping noise began irritating my ears as I felt a heavy pound under my feet. I looked around the hallway, assessing where it came from. What vampire could make such noise?

  “No Esmore, this is a rave. It was something that was appreciated many years ago by our kind. We have only been able to project this in the past few years. This is how most vampires spend their lives,” Chase said as we stood in front of the large wooden doors where the Council had their meetings. The thumping was louder. If I recalled it was called ‘music.’ But it sounded dreadful and glitchy, like someone kept scratching it and then bringing it back to a loud enormous bang.

  Chase opened the door before me. My eyes widened at the enormity in front of me. There must have been hundreds of vampires in the very dark room. Colored lights flashed across the room. The room once seemed so large, but now with so many vampires it was little. There were chairs and couches in certain spots. In these positions some vampires were feeding off humans. The whole atmosphere seemed hormone-driven and intoxicating. Everyone had a sexual tension surrounding them.

  Chase grabbed my hand, pulling me into the room. I didn’t want to be a part of such a place, but knew we had to go further in so Chase got to speak with Fier. The music continued to bang and it seemed most of the vampires dry humped one another in sync with it. There were six vampires hanging from the ceiling in what looked to be silky cloth. The oddest part of it was they wore nothing but gold skirts. I was barged left, right, and centre as Chase charged me through the center of the dancers. Some frolicked over their partners as if they were a pole, grinding themselves up their leg and biting into their neck.