The Hunger of Wolves

by Ashley Ruggiero

  "No one told you?" Victoria just shook her head. "Nicolae Blake was the adopted son of Artur and Anastasia."

  Victoria almost choked. "What?"

  Ceto nodded. "He was a half-breed orphan from the Golden District—half vampire, half wizard. The Dalca's took him in when he was just a toddler."

  Victoria looked over at the gargoyle king and queen and remembered what Nicolae had said about having trained at the Academy. Hearing these things about him made him seem almost like a completely different person. It was almost impossible to believe that he was someone who had been raised by loving parents and was once apparently good friends with her father and mother. How insane was it to hear that the life of one of the world's greatest monsters wasn't a horror story, but a tragedy. She wondered how it was that this man in all of these stories could have turned into such a beast, but then, she supposed she also knew a little bit about the horrors that turned children into beasts.

  Eventually, all of the monarchs of Regula Palace and any accompanying friends, family, and bodyguards had arrived. Well, all but one. King Horatius had not yet arrived.

  "One would think that the keeper of time would be more punctual," King Remington spoke up from where he was resting his chin on his hands like a bored child. Victoria frowned.

  "He is young and cares not for the ways of the royals," Madremonte added. "He is not yet two hundred years old."

  "You people speak rather boldly about someone who knows all of your darkest secrets," a man said as he entered the room. Victoria sucked in a breath. "Especially you, Bruce, who has always asked me the most interesting of questions."

  Among the kings and queens of Terrarum was the man from the trial who had grinned at her on her way to the witness stand. Again, she felt that familiarity, like she was in the presence of an old friend. She felt so strongly that they were of the same breath but had no explanation.

  It looked like the king of Frumos tried to bare his teeth in anger, but as a simple mortal, it just looked plain funny. Victoria glanced at Ceto who also seemed to think so.

  The dragon king of Templaria addressed them. "Your majesties," he nodded his head at them. "I am very glad to see you two back in one piece." The king seemed to linger his eyes a bit on Victoria, but no one noticed as King Remington was already interrupting again.

  "But you already knew that they would be."

  The king rolled his eyes. "You know how the Council is, Bruce. They don't even like me answering a single one of your questions, let alone releasing information of such a monumental scale."

  King Remington sniffed. "So, you say, and I would prefer it, King Horatius, if you would address me properly." He was indeed a child in the middle of a tantrum.

  "Sure thing, Bruce."

  Victoria stifled a laugh and the group launched into amending laws on their diplomacy regarding the events of the past year. Every once in a while, they would ask Victoria and Ceto what they thought. The two of them were in agreement with everything they added in and a new set of laws for the kings and queens of Terrarum was written. When all was over, the group mingled and chatted with friends. Those groups were not surprising. Zana and Frumos stuck together much like always. Many months ago, Mancator might have joined them, but now, Ceto chatted mostly with Victoria, as well as the king and queen of Piatra. The seats of Regula Palace had a new order about them, but it was in a far better way than what Nicolae had wanted.

  What was surprising was when King Horatius approached her. He walked with a serpentine grace and lowered his head to her in a small bow. On the other side of the room, she saw King Remington watching them. How odd.

  "Your highness," he said in a calm, deep voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am King Horatius."

  Victoria wasn't sure what to say. This strange man who she had felt some strange connection to was King Horatius of Templaria. Keeper of Time. Ruler of Dragons. Quite possibly the most powerful being to be born in centuries.

  And he looked nothing like what she thought he would.

  When she had heard stories of King Horatius, she had imagined an elderly man with a gray beard—someone who's age matched their wisdom. A creature wrapped in the cosmos. However, this was not who she stood before. This time the whiteness of his features were again more pronounced by those violet eyes and even more so by his midnight blue coat and pants. Though he appeared young, he was still an image of royalty and power.

  Victoria was startled by what he had hidden about his appearance that evening in Teren City. She had heard rumors about it but wasn't sure if it was true. His wild hair was now well-kept and the hair in front of his eyes was pulled away to reveal his third eye.

  "It sees the future," he told her when he noticed her eyes keep darting back to it. "One sees the past," he gestured to his left eye, and then to the right. "The other sees the present. And, at last," he pointed to his third eye again. "The future."

  "That seems like a terrible burden."

  He smiled at her. "There are many kings and queens who have had to carry the weight of their own burdens, just as I do."

  The way that he spoke to her made her believe that he perhaps spoke of her own burdens. Her own secrets. She again looked up to that third eye of his and wondered if he knew of her abilities. He smiled, and she got her answer.

  "I know everything," he added as though he were reading her thoughts. "But, as keeper of time, it is up to me of whether or not I want to share such information. My predecessors have found it more beneficial to keep the future to themselves."

  "And you?"

  "I tell the future if I truly believe it to be necessary. You see, I'm not like the Council high up in their temple. I don't just see one future. I see all of them. I see what happens if I tell someone their future, and I see what happens when I don't tell them. In the end, even the most minute detail comes into play."

  "And what is it that you have to tell me?"

  King Remington was now making his way towards them. Even though the king of Frumos was within hearing range, Horatius said, "Loose lips, sink ships."

  "Indeed," she replied with a knowing look.

  "Have you read her palm yet, Horatius?"

  The king of Templaria rolled his eyes. "I don't pretend to understand the kind of divination your celestials practice, but what I do is far more refined than tea leaves, crystal balls, and heart lines."

  King Remington clicked his tongue. Victoria could see the annoyance bleeding through false charisma, years of reading an opponent taught her that much. "My witches and wizards are a gifted people. They get their powers from the stars same as you."

  King Horatius smiled at him in a way that seemed far more threatening than a smile should ever be. He then looked over at Victoria and gave her that same warm grin that she found herself genuinely returning.

  After the dragon king left, King Remington gave her a condescending look before going back to the king and queen of Zana.

  Victoria looked over and found the king of the Underground sitting off to the side his shadows rippling in the chandelier light. He looked at her with curiosity, likely wondering if she would say anything. It seemed that the person that she had been before her kidnapping had indeed died in the arena. There was a fiery rage in her soul that demanded justice from that vile king of the Underground. Victoria had outlived the hand that Fate had dealt her, and she was determined not to waste it.

  Victoria could feel her parent’s eyes on her as she made her way over the wraith king and said, "I don't think we've ever met. I'm Princess Victoria Speranta, heir to the Sangeran throne."

  He nodded at her. "King Azazel of the Underground." His voice was smooth and charismatic, so at odds with the darkness of his appearance.

  Victoria stood a little closer to him lowering her voice for only the two of them to hear. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to them." She stood back and smiled at him baring her fangs. The king had the good sense to look nervous.

  "Your majesties," one of the palace attendants
said with a bow. She had quietly crept into the room like a shadow on the northern wind. A wraith, Victoria realized with a pang in her heart. "The witch is here."

  Victoria and Ceto exchanged a look as Amnesty Baldwin was led into the room with her hands in shackles.

  "Why is that woman in chains?" Ceto demanded standing from her seat. Kai and the other Nokken generals who had come with her did the same.

  "This witch is a criminal," Bruce answered walking over to where Amnesty stood. Her face was a mask of disgust and Victoria thought she might spit on him. "She will be tried in Teren City and imprisoned if found guilty."

  "You mean, when found guilty," Victoria stood as well with Alex by her side. Her father and mother beckoned for her to sit back down, but she ignored them. "And, last time I checked, we aren't in Frumos." Victoria looked over the witch who had saved her life multiple times. "Where were you arrested?"

  "That's a need to know—" Bruce began.

  "Mancator," Amnesty interrupted. "When I had returned to Ceto's palace as she requested I do after the princess was rescued." She gave Azazel a pointed look which he ignored.

  "Amnesty Baldwin is pardoned in my kingdom," Ceto spoke up. "In fact, she's a hero. Therefore, she has been arrested illegally. I demand you release her."

  When none of Bruce's guards made to unshackle Amnesty, Kai took those keys right out of the hands of the shaking wizard and unlocked her. Rubbing at her chafed wrists, Amnesty gave the king of Frumos a dirty look and stood beside Victoria and Ceto.

  "And just where will you go now, bounty hunter? You have no place in the kingdom of Frumos?" Bruce asked her.

  "Nor in the Underground," Azazel added. Amnesty gave a look of pure fury to the wraith king.

  "Well, she has one in mine," Ceto said. "If she desires it."

  "The same goes for Sangera."

  Everyone gawked at King Vladimir Speranta in shock as he at last stood up and spoke. "Amnesty Baldwin has no quarrel with the kingdom of Sangera and is allowed to cultivate a life there for herself and her family if she desires."

  Amnesty bowed her head to the vampire king. "Thank you, your majesty."

  And, so, Amnesty Baldwin became the first ever witch to call Sangera her home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The Sweet Smell of Burning Bridges and Flowers in the Spring

  By the end of the week, everyone had heard what Victoria had done to that girl in D.A.R.C. A quick check of her grades showed Victoria that she had in fact aced the class despite not being there for nearly three months. She couldn't help but smile at that.

  She knew she should feel guilty. People who hurt other people should feel guilty, but as the news spread, she found herself glad for what had happened. There were no more whispers about her being a cripple in the hall. They treated her with respect and didn't dare to mess with her anymore out of the fear that she may bludgeon them with a hammer, too. Well, perhaps it wasn't respect that they showed her, but she was glad not to be the punchline of anyone's jokes anymore.

  When the girl was finally released from the hospital, Victoria made a point to go and talk to her. As she and her friends headed to their usual seats for dinner, Victoria saw her with a bandage around her head sitting amongst a group of water-breathers.

  "Do you want me to go with you?" Raduta asked next to her. She knew what she intended to do.

  "Yes, please."

  Together Victoria and Raduta walked up to the girl, Victoria realizing that she didn't even know her name. "Sophia," Raduta said as though she were reading her thoughts. Victoria nodded.

  The girl, Sophia, visibly flinched when she saw Victoria approach her. Her friends looked just as concerned.

  "Sophia," Victoria said. "I am very sorry for what I did to you in class. I didn't mean to do what I did, I'm just… I'm glad you're healing."

  Sophia nodded her head. "Thank you. I knew you were strong and a skilled fighter, but it was almost like you'd still been training while you were…" she trailed off unsure of what to say. Her friend nudged her, and Victoria wondered if the news of what had gone down in the Underground had already been spreading.

  "I don't mean to offend you, princess—"

  "Victoria."

  Sophia smiled nervously. "Victoria, it's just—"

  "Is it true that you're the new Champion of the Arena in the Underground?" her friend asked. Victoria blinked at her in surprise. How had the news traveled so fast?

  Victoria looked over at Raduta who was frowning at the girls. "This is why I don't apologize to people."

  Raduta sighed, "I think I'm starting to get that."

  Ω

  Victoria sat on a dusty bench in her family's mausoleum, observing the solemn face of her brother carved onto the lid of his marble casket. In her calloused hands, she held a bouquet of white tulips. It had been too long since she had visited her brother. If she were him, she would have slapped him for not paying respects. Victoria let out a chuckle, but tears were already spilling down her cheeks and onto the ebony gown that she wore. She wiped those tears away with her sleeve and got up to place the tulips onto the casket.

  "You reminded me of why I want to live. Even in death, you push me around like the older twin you are," she joked. "Thank you. I just wish you had told me, so that we might have had more time."

  "For someone who has had several close calls with death, you sure like to be alone a lot."

  Victoria nearly jumped a foot in the air when Alex materialized behind her seemingly our of thin air.

  "How is it that you always know where to find me?" she asked him as he sat down on the bench where she had just been. Giving the marble face of her brother one final pat, she deigned to join him.

  "Believe it or not, Victoria, I am actually very good at what I do."

  They were both quiet for a long while. She had debated telling Alex for a long time about her new secret. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the fact that she wasn't sure how he would respond. Not to mention the several warnings she had received about letting others in on her secrets.

  "You know where I am all of the time, don't you?"

  Alex considered his words for a minute before saying, "Every second. However, as I've mentioned before, I like to at least give you the illusion of privacy."

  "How thoughtful."

  "I gave Charlize an ultimatum."

  "Oh?"

  "I told her that you, Raduta, Adrian, even Albert, and I all come as a package deal. If she can't take that then we can't be friends anymore."

  "And what did she have to say to all of this?"

  "Don't know. We are no longer on speaking terms. I figured that was answer enough."

  Hearing him say that, Victoria knew she had her answer.

  "So, what is it that you've been milling over this whole time, anyway?"

  Victoria frowned. After only a year, he somehow knew her too well.

  "I have a secret, but you can't tell anyone." She wore a look that she was hoping would appeal to his sense of fear. He just cocked his head.

  "I promise I won't tell a soul."

  Victoria took a deep breath. "I'm sure you've heard stories about what happened in the Underground when they found me. About the arena and everything."

  "Ah, yes. It would seem that you're the new Champion of the Arena."

  "That's not exactly a name I adore, you know. But, yes, it's true that I am. I had to kill a lot of people to get that title."

  "I'm sorry."

  No congratulations, no eyes wide in fear or even reverence. Alex understood that this was not something to be prideful in, but rather something to mourn.

  Victoria looked at her hands as if she could see the darkness that was contained within them. "A lot happened down there. Did you know that Nicolae was my last opponent in the Underground?" Alex shook his head. "It was the battle of the century, apparently. A fight between gods and monsters. At least, that's what the other slaves were calling it." Victoria looked around herself at the dead who we
re now in eternal sleep and thought about how close she had come to joining them all. "But Nicolae cheated, and I died." Victoria heard Alex suck in a breath. When she looked at him, there was sorrow in his eyes. "But, for some reason, I came back… but I was different. I could blend into the shadows and radiate light and control fire." Victoria shook her head.

  "Are you saying…?" His voice trailed off as he put together what it was she was telling him.

  "Turns out I'm not as powerless as I thought." Alex was quiet, so she continued. "I'm not even sure what happened. Nicolae used that poison he created, because he knew he couldn't win that fight against me, and I… Alex, I died. I'm not sure for how long, but I died. I was in the Beyond, and I think I actually talked to my brother. And then I came back… and I was… different somehow. Stronger. I think maybe something happened while I was in the Underground that caused my powers to awaken. I'm not sure why it would have had to happen that way or whatever, but, well… that's what happened."

  She looked up to see that Alex was staring at her with wide eyes.

  "You don't believe me, do you?"

  "No, of course I believe you. It's just… it's a lot to take in, Victoria."

  "I know."

  "Are you sure you want to keep this a secret?" he asked. "I mean, stars, they call you a cripple."

  "I am well aware of what they call me, thank you." They were silent for a moment before she said, "For as long as I can remember, I have hated everything that I was. All I've ever wanted was to be important. I've only ever wanted the kind of power that matches my royal name. But, now I see that there are more important things happening in this world than what people think about me. It is more important to me that my enemies think I am weak, than my people think I am strong. At least for now, anyway."

  "Enemies? What enemies?"

  "Do you trust me, Alex."

  "With my life."

  "Then trust me on this."

  "But, why tell me? Why not the others?"

  "Alex, you're my first friend." He smiled at her. "Also, you're certainly my most stubborn friend."

  "Ha ha. Very funny."