Token Huntress (26 page)

              Looking on both sides, I flicked my fingers to Chase to stay guard where he was now. I needed him to make sure no one entered as there was no place to hide in any of our homes. When he crept back toward the shadows I sneaked across the damp ground. I hurried inside, holding my hand over her mouth before she let out a terrified scream.

              She panicked until she recognized my face, her sobs ceasing. I was hunched over her awkwardly on top of her bed, where she had been crying into her pillow. I pressed my finger to my lips, indicating for her to be silent. She nodded vigorously, her long wavy brunette hair shaking as she did. I slowly released my grip on her.

              “I am here to take you and Dillian away. There is no other option; they will kill him. And I won’t let that happen. If I leave you they will think you suspicious, so you must come with us. Grab whatever belongings you must, we leave now.”

              “Is he okay?” she whispered, wiping tears away from her watery eyes.

              “I don’t know yet, but we will get him out alive,” I said earnestly. “Is there anything you need?”

              “No, just Dillian,” she whispered. “And this.” She grabbed a small wooden carved box from beneath her bed. There was another single bed and double behind her where her parents and brother slept. I understood how hard it was to leave the Guild, but she was leaving family and safety. But for Dillian she bravely wrapped herself in a cloak. She was prepared to see the light of a new day with him. It was a strength I was embarrassed not to have. We were so trapped within our own world of killing the vampires and retrieving the humans we had forgotten about love and peace. After taking Dillian and Julia, we would be embarking into a new day and world. One I hoped I could find some peace within.

I
opened the door but Chase was no longer there. The day had taken a very sudden darkness to it as nightfall approached. I searched for his mind but to no avail. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I searched both corners before realizing that he was no longer within the shadows I had left him in or anywhere nearby. I panicked.

              “Is everything alright?” Julia whispered behind me. I heard a noise and held her firmly to the wall. The hunters walked straight past us. A smell teased my nose and my fangs felt hot, wanting to pool out of my gums. With all my might I restrained it, but the smell of blood was so thick and beautiful. I could smell so much blood both in and outside of the walls.

              The throbbing of Julia’s neck artery caught my attention. I was so hungry and her neck looked so salty and clean. My fangs slipped out as I stared at her neck. I just had to have one taste.

              “Pull yourself together.”

Cesar’s large hand shook me suddenly. Before Julia could see my fangs, I hid my face in the shadow of Cesar’s large frame. If it weren’t for Cesar I would have happily fed off my best friend’s girlfriend.

              Julia screamed and fled at the sight of Cesar, but already he had grabbed her and knocked her out, bringing her back to me. “We have to go now; something isn’t right. The clouds are covering the sun and night is soon to come. There is a lot of blood out there. I am guessing sabers are outside. I can feel their movement, they are close. The smell of blood within these walls is attracting them here. Someone has lost a lot of blood. Your mother has your friend,” Cesar explained quickly.

              “I have to find Chase first, you both go ahead,” I said, walking past him through the two huts.

              “What do you mean you have to find him?” Cesar asked, grabbing my arm. His fangs slipped out as he smelled the air. I too followed his lead, picking up the smell of a familiar scent. I didn’t want to show panic on my face, but I knew instantly that it was Chase who bled. And by the smell of it, already he had lost a lot of blood.

              “Take her now, I will only be another minute,” I said, breaking the grip he had on me before going in the direction of where I smelled Chase. When I looked back Cesar had already gone. He had respected my wish. Sticking closely to the walls of the huts, I was surprised by how few walked past me. Where were they all?

              “Esmore!” James voice quivered.

My head automatically jerked in that direction, and it was where Chase’s blood dropped. I kept close to the shadows of the hut. When I looked around the corner, most of the Guild surrounded James and Chase as onlookers. Chase was tied by many silver ropes. That is why I couldn’t detect him, because the silver was counteracting it. Kora and Kasey were close to Chase. They must have trapped him as he was hiding in the shadows waiting for me. We didn’t go as unnoticed as I had hoped. The smell of blood still swept through the air from the outside of the walls. I could now sense movement. I feared Cesar was right and for some reason a pack of sabers was drawn here.

“I know you are out there, Esmore!” James called angrily. He had changed much since only days ago. It looked like he had not slept at all; he looked crazed. He was walking around the pit of hunters. Four hunters were holding the silver chains wrapped around Chase tightly, as he could hardly stand. Campture and Kelf were standing behind James. I searched the many faces of those who encouraged him to flame the foul vampire.

I now realized the side I was on. I hated vampires and would have also called for their blood. But my beautiful Chase could not suffer such a fate. Not because of me. Looking at the surrounding walls, there were no guards because they were all eagerly watching. I saw Teary and Tori, who looked around at the group uneasily. Had Chase guessed correctly? He once said they were the two who would resist my beheading and the way they were reacting, he could be very right. Chase knew that this predicament would happen, but never did I realize he would be the bait.

“Esmore, sweetie, if you don’t come out now I will kill him,” James called. He pushed the flamed stick into Chase’s face. Chase screamed as his skin began to melt. I picked up a bucket of water, diving into the center of the hunters and pouring it over Chase, who looked at me helplessly. His expression told me that he wished I had never come. I kicked the flaming stick out of James’ hand, jumping on him and slamming him to the ground.

              “There’s my beautiful Esmore,” James said, raising a hand to my cheek. I jumped off him, disgusted that he would try to touch me so affectionately after torturing my familiar. I tried my very best to restrain my vampire self. If they witnessed that I was now vampire then there was no chance of escape. I looked glumly at Chase, knowing already we were outnumbered. I had no idea how I could outwit all of the hunters that surrounded us. They looked at me with eyes which held disgust and hate.

              “Behold, our traitor Token Huntress,” Campture announced loudly. “Bedding a vampire. Such filth.”

              I ignored the many insults that were called out to me. All of it built such an anxiety within me that I struggled to contain my feelings. I felt trapped, and that was not something I had felt before. The smell of Chase’s blood lingered on me. But further past the wall I could smell an odour that could only be carried by sabers. As Cesar had said, they were now very close to the Guild. The dry blood on them gave me their location.

              “There are sabers out there!” I shouted at them, now brushing my hand through my hair. What was this anxiety I felt? Where was my usual calm and collected self? I had no heart so why did I suffer at the very thought of the situation?

              “We are a Guild of Hunters. Don’t doubt our skill, you filthy monster,” Campture hissed.

              “Esmore, my love,” James stretched his hand out to me.

I tried my hardest to get away from James as I struggled to contain the acidic sensation that tore through me. I tried to keep myself calm and push down the darkness that wanted to claw its way out. Chase stared at me worriedly, now tugging at his chains as he tried to get to me. I was standing directly across from him, panicking.

“Stay with me and let me aid you in getting better. We can destroy this monster right now who has taken your mind. You will find peace, my love,” James said. “Be mine, you always have been. You are
mine.”

             
“And if you don’t, you will die right now,” Campture snapped quickly.

Chase began dragging one of the hunters close to him as he tugged on the silver chains attached to his wrists. Another hunter came from behind him, shoving a wooden sphere into his leg and dropping him to his knees.

              Suddenly, I snapped and my fangs came out. Large growls came from me as I hunched my back. I could feel something take over and I happily accepted it. My vampire self had already spread throughout me. There was something deeper that lingered and hungered. I would do whatever I could to protect my familiar. As I felt the change begin within me, I could not move. I was frozen there for a time then I hunched over like an animal.

              “Kill it!” Campture hissed.

Shards felt as if they were passing through my back. I heard a cracking noise. My hunched figure echoed with pain. Two large white wings sprouted from my back as my pain slowly receded and was replaced with a lust for death and chaos.

James pulled something from behind his back. At the end of it was a large explosive fixed to a stick. I had no time to move as I was still frozen in my position. He speared me through the chest, and as soon as it touched my skin, the explosive reacted and blew my chest open, traveling straight through me.

              My eyes widened in shock. I had been shot. Everything fell silent. Chase tore from his chains, beheading instantly the hunters around him who fought back. Hunters attacked him, overpowering him quickly. My knees dropped to the ground as I watched. The slow ringing of screams began to pierce my ears as I saw shadows streak over the wall. When my nose regained smell I noted it was the sabers. They now jumped over the wall and slaughtered the hunters. In front of me one saber leapt onto a hunter, ripping at his lips hungrily and then diving into his neck.

              James stormed toward me, slicing through two sabers in his path. His skin had turned to metal. Past him I could see Chase struggling against the eight hunters who kicked into his stomach. Still on my knees, I took another breath. I looked down to my chest where slowly my skin sealed over my wounded chest. As it did, my once beautiful white wings slowly folded into my back, not having the energy to offer me any power. I knew it was The Descendant that had come forth. A very dark black spread over its beautiful white coloring on one of my wings. My near death had tainted such purity.

              When I felt it sink into my skin again, a part of me felt even darker. Like all that had once been pure within me, and my hunter beliefs, were now only half as my vision of black and vampirism crept over. James grabbed my chin, looking at me with disgust. “How nice of your eyes to go purple now. I saw you first. I loved you first. It is me who owns you!” he spat with hatred. “All I want to do is look after you, Esmore; just me and you. I can make you better.”

At my silence, his eyes glowed with rage and he backhanded me across the face. Still my chest was not fully healed and I was incapable of moving. Having no heart may have been the only reason I survived. But taking such a fatal wound left me weak. I coughed into the muddy ground, where rain poured. The small wooden parts of the Guild had descended into flames. Screams from hunters and high-pitched squeals from sabers eroded the purity of the grounds.

              “You always thought you could do better, didn’t you Esmore?” James went to kick my stomach. He hesitated when he looked behind me. A deep meaningful growl tore through the air. Within seconds, James was grabbed and flung meters through the air. I could not see where he landed.

              “Come here, daughter,” Cesar’s voice tore through the air. His fangs dripped with blood as he cradled me in his arms protectively. “Tythian, stop taking your bloody time!”

              Suddenly Tythian was by my side, taking me into his arms. He bowed to Cesar, gentleman-like, and looked down at me. “I think the little vampire is realizing she isn’t as mighty as she first thought,” he teased harshly.

I didn’t even have the time to question why Tythian was here or how he knew Cesar. But I was certainly glad to see him. “Please Tythian,” I gasped dryly. “Chase.” Blackness swallowed me and I was in a pool of emptiness, before resurfacing beside Chase. So this was Tythian’s gift: teleportation. Tythian backhanded a hunter fatally who had tried to spear Chase.

              “Esmore,” Chase whispered, moving over to me. He looked as badly and as beaten as I did. I used all my strength to tear the silver of his chains. The silver burned and made my hands bleed. I tried but the blood only loosened my grip. He cupped my face.

              “Esmore!” Campture roared, walking toward me. My mother intervened. The look both of them shared was one of pure hatred. “Trinity, why am I not surprised? You think you kept this from me. I have for a long time known what your daughter truly is,” Campture announced with smugness. That explained why she wanted to lure me back to the Guild and take me hostage. “Our battle may not be today, vampire whore, but it will be soon. As soon as everyone knows what your daughter holds, they will search for her. You cannot keep her safe.”

My mother threw a dagger at her chest but James pushed her aside. A large bang erupted, breaking everyone’s stance. Tythian was knocked toward a nearby burning horse carriage, just missing the open flames. My mother was flung toward the brick foundation of the tunnels. I realized the bang had erupted from the weapons room, and within no time at all the explosions would go off. I could now feel myself healing rapidly. I held Chase tightly in my arms, trying to stand, but my legs buckled.

              My mother ran to my side, snapping the silver off Chase. She was the only one of us who could tear through them without being affected. Flames poured out of the tunnel, reaching for us like snake heads. I felt the gentle touch of Tythian’s hand and suddenly darkness consumed us again.

              A breeze now swept between us as we stood on a grassy ledge a few hundred meters away from the Guild. I witnessed the blast which could have claimed all of our lives, if it weren’t for Tythian, who had teleported us. The Guild was up in flames and from here my sensitive ears could hear the screams of many of my comrades falling.