Huntress Claimed

by M K Masterson

  Sera looked at me with such tenderness in her eyes as a mother might, biting her lower lip. “Honey, you are a part of this supernatural world. We were told that you were special when you were given to us. Unfortunately, power seeps through your pores, as much as mom tried to hide it with her magic.”

  Finn looked at me pleadingly. “I wish there was something better to say. From what I know, your parents tried everything they could to keep you hidden and give you a normal life. They even gave up their lives. Unfortunately, it would appear to have been in vain.”

  My stomach lurched at hearing their sacrifice. “What does this mean for me? This being a Venatrix Malorum.”

  "Well, it is your duty or birthright to hunt and kill the evil beings that have been let loose on this Earth. You are an instrument for helping the ‘Good,' the Casti, defeat ‘Evil,' the Scelesti. Soon whatever supernaturalness lives within your body will come alive. You'll be able to use it to kill them."

  “Kill them? I can’t even kill a spider. I couldn’t move when that man had me. I am a teenager! I am not strong enough to kill or harm anything. Are you all out of your minds?”

  Finn closed his eyes as if he had heard all of this before and waited until I had calmed. “Soon you will be strong enough. The changes that will happen to you won’t be avoidable. As a teenager, you’ll have more energy to do what you have to. It will come in time this understanding, and we are not asking you to go out now to kill things that you have just come in contact with. We are asking that you just trust us and we will help you.”

  “You said I couldn’t stop being this, but what if I don’t want to do this? Aren’t there others out there who could? Isn’t there someone I could call?”

  Finn sighed. “You aren’t the only one. There is a Venatrix Council. But it’s best if we leave them out of this. They don’t like knowing that one of their own slipped between their fingers.”

  “Why not give them a call, and just say, ‘one of these Scelesti things is loose here. We could use your help’?”

  Finn shook his head forcefully. “No. I won’t risk exposing you to them. Everyone has tried so hard to keep you secret and safe.”

  I slammed my hands on the desk. “But I am no longer secret! I am no longer safe!”

  Finn slammed his own fist on the desk. “The Venatrix Council is not an option!”

  Sera took in a deep breath, stood from her desk, and squeezed between Finn and me. She crouched down in front of me, trying to offer some comfort. “The Venatrix Council would take you away. This life that you have come to love will be taken away. From what mom told me that your mother told her, you would be trained in a military-like facility twenty-four-seven and entered into a breeding program if you are not killed to produce more hunters. This is why your parents had you hidden."

  Fear dropped another brick into my stomach and blocked my throat. "We could move again," I whispered, barely getting the words through the thickness of my clogged throat, begging Sera with my eyes. She looked away from me but grabbed my hands.

  Finn glanced at me, compassion in his own eyes. “You could. But this time, you are marked. The serum bonds with the magic in your blood. It will act like a small beacon to those close enough. Unfortunately, there is very little choice left.”

  “So what keeps the council from finding me now if I am a beacon?”

  “Distance. You are in Ohio. The council is in Montana.”

  “Oh,” I mouthed. “So, I am just supposed to go around, killing evil beings, and not get caught by the Venatrix Council?”

  “Finn, she’s too fragile. At this rate, she’ll be lucky if she can see a Scelestus without freezing up. I don’t think she’ll be able to kill anything,” Sera responded.

  “You mean, like this morning?” I looked down at her.

  “She’ll at least need to learn to defend herself, Sera. She won’t last long in this world without self-defense.”

  “‘She’ is still sitting here,” I snarked.

  A spark glittered in Finn’s eyes, and the corner of his lips turned up. “I don’t think she is as fragile as what you think she is. Caden, you have your mother’s fierceness.”

  “And my father?”

  “Very few knew him,” Finn replied.

  “Oh, I just assumed he was a Venatrix too.”

  "No. Your father was unknown through the Supernatural community."

  “So, he could have just been a normal human being?”

  Finn shrugged dismissively and looked away. “Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that you need to be prepared. The Scelesti are going to come at you, and all those that you love. You are believed to be an easy target since you were not trained at the Venatrix Council.”

  My stomach was churning from all these revelations and emotions. I had no more desire to be this Venatrix Malorum than a supernatural being, but thinking about my friends, Sera . . . it made me sick to believe that they could prematurely die and I could have stopped it. Not that I necessarily bought into what Finn was advertising, but if I did nothing, and they died, would I have been any better? A small fire of anger burned away parts of my fear.

  “What Evil would I hunt, say if I accepted this?”

  Sera stood up, squeezing my hands, and walked back around her desk. “Vampires, Ghouls, Demons.” Sera shrugged, sitting back down. “Evil things. Sometimes other creatures wander around.”

  “All those things are bad?”

  “Not exactly. Just like humans, there is Evil and Good in everything. Everything has its purpose. Even the supernatural creatures,” Finn stated.

  “So, if I’m only supposed to kill the evil things . . . how do I know what’s evil and what’s not?”

  “Every Venatrix’s ability is a little different. You said that your friend was haloed?” he inquired.

  I nodded.

  “Well, then. I would assume that those supernatural or preternatural beings that are good are going to look haloed to you.”

  “So like an angel?”

  Finn shrugged. “If that’s what she looked like to you.”

  “You weren’t haloed, but your face glowed at first. It’s gone now.”

  Amusement glinted in his eyes. “What you see helps you recognize the Good. It’s not supposed to stay around.”

  There was so much information for me to digest. My whole life was headed to this point. I started thinking about the beginning, about Flora and Martin. They knew who I was. Sera might not have known as long as they did, but she knew before I did. Then I wondered about my mother; if this was how she died.

  “Do they all die?”

  Finn looked at me curiously. “Who?”

  “All the Venatrixes?”

  Sera’s face was solemn, and Finn looked pained.

  “Everyone dies, Caden,” Finn deadpanned.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s not what I am asking. Do they all die fighting?”

  He paused, an ache still strained around his eyes and mouth. “Not all Venatrices. Some live long enough to become a ruling body of the Venatrix Council.”

  “And how many are at the top of that Council, Finn?”

  “Three,” he breathed.

  “So I will die doing this?”

  “No,” Sera declared. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “We won’t let it happen,” Finn affirmed. “But I can’t lie to you about what’s coming. You have now been discovered by the Scelesti. So that means that there is a Scelestus looking to gain power from challenging you.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “A Scelestus gains their power by draining the blood of a member from the Casti?”

  “But I’m not a member. I haven’t officially joined anything.”

  “Your DNA and the fact that you weren’t recruited for the side of evil says otherwise. It’s a cheap shot, whichever faction is involved, but it must be someone who is already very low on the Scelesti food chain.”

  “Honey, do you know who marked you?” Sera
asked.

  "I have never seen that guy in my life. But I don't think it's him. He said something about me being for his ‘master.'"

  “Was he a Ghoul? Demon? Werewolf?” She asked me as if I could tell the difference between anything.

  I started to shrug my shoulders, but stopped, remembering the fangs. "Vampire I think. That man had fangs, but he smelled like ‘death’ apparently, so is that a ghoul?”

  "No, the fangs are a vampire," Finn shook his head. "You smelled him as rotting flesh. That's your senses telling you that he was a member of the Scelesti.” He ticked his finger against his chin a couple times, thinking. “The Scelestus who is challenging you is a member of the vampire community.

  “Now that the serum is in you, you will have to find your inner power before day becomes night for four days. It’s Obscurus’, the darkness’, way of saying that he expects the challenge soon.”

  “What happens if it doesn’t?”

  “It’s different depending on the situation. The challenger is destroyed by Obscurus-”

  “Oh, let’s do that. Let’s hide until he is destroyed,” I strongly suggested.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Well, then, as punishment for everyone else, he loosens the borders between Hell and Earth, allowing parts of Hell to walk upon the Earth. Like Flesh-eating Ghouls. Demons reserved for the special place in Hell. An army of Scelesti vampires. Plagues-”

  “Okay. I got it. Worse stuff could happen… And Obscurus is one very evil being.”

  Both Sera and Finn nod.

  "He is the definition of evil," Sera rasped, distinctly uncomfortable talking about Obscurus.

  “Why doesn’t someone take him out?” I asked.

  “There’s no one powerful enough to challenge him,” Sera responded. “Even the Devil himself fears him.”

  I gulped. A shiver went down my spine thinking about how close I had come to be in Obscurus' grasp. I wasn’t entirely too sure what I felt. Part of me definitely felt scared, but talking through all of this crazy stuff that others would deem us certifiable left me feeling a little numb. Like it was just too surreal. I should have been scared or felt insane. Maybe I should have felt like this weird conversation all fit. But I felt nothing. Just numb.

  “What am I going to have to do?” I asked, blankly; still unsure.

  Both of them smiled, thinking that they had won me over.

  “You’re going to have to train,” Finn replied.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My conversation with Sera and Finn lasted through second period, which was just as well since I would get to see Meredith third period in Biology. I didn’t think I would be able to question her in a classroom of other students and a teacher, but I could perhaps hint around to knowing something to see her reaction.

  However, when I entered the classroom, I was caught by surprise. I had come in just as the bell rang so there would be no talking beforehand. Meredith and Jesse were sitting at our table that was shaped like a square; two desks facing two other. Meredith and Jesse were already sitting next to each other. The forth to our square table was a sophomore by the name of Carly. She was a sweet, quiet girl that reminded me of me before meeting my friends at Erie, and she was also already seated. Them all being present and seated wasn't my surprise. It was that Jesse's aura caught my eye, and it was haloed and glowing.

  I squinted like I did with Meredith earlier that morning, but it was a sure sign for me that Jesse was a part of all this Supernatural mess. Eventually, the light dimmed to normal and the halo cleared like I noticed was already gone from Meredith when I entered the room. It apparently showed up to identify a “good” person to my senses; then disappeared like Finn had said earlier.

  “Miss Walker, will you be taking a seat soon?” Mr. Ringler questioned me, making me suddenly aware that I was the only one still standing in the room, and he was waiting for me to start class.

  I felt my face become warm with embarrassment and headed to my seat. As I sat down, I narrowed my eyes at Meredith and Jesse.

  You ok? Meredith mouthed.

  I shrugged. I wasn't sure how to confront them in a full classroom, and regular, human Carly sitting next to me.

  Mr. Ringler started his lecture by putting notes up on the board, which prompted us to take out our notebooks. As I flipped to a blank page, I suddenly realized that I could perhaps pass a note to her. But it would have to be slightly coded in case Carly looked over my shoulder, or Mr. Ringler picked it up.

  I’m reading this book called Venatrix Malorum. Ever heard of it? I passed my note that was attached to my notebook to Meredith while Mr. Ringler’s back was to the classroom as he went over a particular point about frog dissection.

  Meredith’s shoulders sagged as she read the note. She looked up at me, her face grave as she gave me a small nod.

  Jesse read over Meredith’s shoulders; then quickly looked up at me. His face was a cross between shock and seriousness, letting me know that he was aware of the Supernatural community. Both of their reactions weren’t the innocent “I have no idea what you are talking about” reactions. They both knew about this world that I had just entered this morning. Whether they knew anything about me in particular, that was another story.

  Meredith wrote something in my notebook before handing it back to me. Can you come over tonight to talk?

  I nodded my head, and that was the end of our conversation as Mr. Ringler walked around the classroom passing out our lab packets for frog dissection for the next couple of classes. I wanted to pay attention to Mr. Ringler’s explanation as the lab was worth two test grades. And even though my reality was crashing down around me, I would not let my grades suffer. That was one part of my personality that I refused to alter.

  When the bell rang, I put my hands on Meredith's and Jesse's books and waited until most of the students had walked out of the classroom. Then I took my hands off so they could pack up their stuff with me. I was glaring at them the entire time, expecting them to run out of the classroom before I could talk to them.

  “I have so many questions,” I said to them as we walked out of the classroom together.

  “Listen, I know you're not going to like this . . .” The words stuck in Meredith’s throat.

  We walked to a section that was underneath the steps close to Nate’s locker, but away from other people. It was enough for some privacy, but it wouldn’t be enough to ask some of the trickier questions I had.

  “No, it's okay. You can tell me anything,” I encouraged them.

  “Caden, this really isn’t the place,” Jesse remarked.

  I gave him a glare. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I started sarcastically. “I just realized like two hours ago that I am a part of this fantasy world that apparently you two both live in and have lived in for…?”

  Meredith sighed. “Birth. At least I have been a part of and known since birth. I can’t say the same for Jesse…”

  Jesse frowned. “Let’s just say that it’s been much longer than you, Caden.”

  I took a step back, staggered by how long they have known that there was something else out there in the world. “What else do you know? Do you know that I am this Venatrix Malorum?”

  There was pity on both of their faces, enough to confirm that they had known.

  Meredith stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Come over tonight, and we will talk all about this."

  My stomach twisted inside. My friends had been keeping some big secrets from me.

  I took a few more steps back. “Yeah, sure.” I needed some time to wrap my feelings around this.

  “I have to get to my next class.” I started to turn away when Meredith called me back.

  “We’ll see you at lunch?”

  I shrugged and continued to walk to my next class.

  ✽✽✽

  I had hung out with Sera in her office at lunch, grumbling about friends keeping secrets from me. Sera was back to being her sisterly-self by rolling her eyes and telling me that it was her doing, and to
get over it. Apparently, she had told Ms. Weber to make sure she and Meredith kept it a secret from me. The less I knew, the better, in Sera's mind. Of course, this made me angry again at Sera.

  I told her that I wanted early dismissal to wrap my head around all this and that she owed me that much. So, feeling guilty, she agreed and told the attendance secretary that I had permission to leave tenth period, during my study hall. In reality, I wanted to google all of this, and I was sure that typing in things like “Vampires” in a search engine at school would send some sort of electronic warning to administrators.

  I also did want some space to think about all of what had happened and not have anyone interrupting my thought process. And I had a sneaking suspicion that if Meredith and Jesse were involved with all this, then Nate and Ajax probably were too. Now thinking back on my first day at Erie, I felt pretty confident that they were all involved, which of course made me angrier and wondering if they really wanted to be my friends or that they befriended me because I was this Venatrix person.

  Fortunately, I didn't have any more classes with Meredith and Jesse, and I didn't have any class period with Nate. So after ninth, instead of meeting up with Meredith and Nate, and chatting with them like usual because I could be late to study hall, I grabbed my bookbag, gave my early dismissal pass to the secretary, and walked home.

  I headed straight home to my computer in my room.

  What was I supposed to look up? I thought as I turned on the computer and sat in my chair. I typed in “Venatrix Malorum” into the search bar, but I found nothing on the phrase. I did find a Latin translation for “venatrix”; “venatrix, venatricis – huntress." And "malorum," I found "malus, -a, -um – bad," but there was nothing on the "Venatrix Malorum." According to the internet, I didn't exist. Apparently, the internet wasn't as omniscient as everyone thought.

  So I did another search for “Scelesti” and “Casti." And of course, I didn't get anything other than Latin translations for those words as well. “Scelestus, -a, -um” meaning “wicked” or “evil”, and “castus, -a, -um” meaning “pure” or “moral”. Finally, I tried searching "Mundus Noctis," finding similar results. "Mundus, -i" meaning "world," and "noctis" coming from "nox, noctis" meaning "night." Thus, quite literally, the "Night World." Finn wasn't lying that the Supernatural community took their Latin very seriously.