by Kyle Prue
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be okay.”
She shifted her jaw as if mulling something over. “Then we should talk.”
“Actually it might be worse than I’m making it out to be,” he said quietly.
She dropped his hand and sat on the bench that had been vacated by Rhys. She raised an eyebrow. “Does this mean I have to go first?” Neil asked.
She just sat back and waited, her face blank. That’s a wonderful sign, Neil thought sarcastically to himself. “So…” he said. “I’m sorry.” She cocked her head at him and narrowed her eyes. “For everything,” Neil said. “I’m even sorry for the things I’m not wrong about.”
She straightened and he was prepared for her to use him as a dartboard. “And what aren’t you wrong about?” Bianca asked.
Neil gulped. There was no way out of this one. Other girls were so easy to talk to. Everyone was easy for Neil to talk to, especially Bianca, on most days. But not when she was upset with him and not when he was trying to reconcile. “I’m sorry I didn’t come with you,” Neil said. “I really am. I miss you.”
“Neil, I’m not angry that you decided not to come with me.”
“That doesn’t feel like the end of that thought.”
“I’m mad at you because you told me we’d be together and that we could have a life together,” she said. “But then when I went to join the revolution, you deserted me. I left Altryon to join the revolution and I was glad that you were coming too. I wanted a new life for us out here.”
“I wanted that too,” he persisted.
“Then why didn’t you meet me? We had a plan, Neil. We were going to meet in the forest and join the rebels together. You didn’t have to join. You didn’t have to follow me into the unknown. But you told me that you would and then you just abandoned me with no explanation whatsoever. Just the way my father abandoned me.” She blinked rapidly and Neil felt his stomach tighten. “I wanted to know that you still felt something for me, even if I decided to leave.”
Neil was speechless. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. How could he be such an idiot? He never thought for a second that she would compare him to her worthless father. “You can’t love someone only when it’s convenient for you,” Bianca continued. “You have to show dedication for people. I wanted to see that you had dedication to me, not even as a---” she hesitated. “Even outside of all the romantic stuff. We’ve been friends since we were kids, Neil. I wanted to know that you’d still care about me despite the fact that I made a choice that didn’t fit in with your vision for you new ‘perfect life.’ You didn’t have to come with me, but you also didn’t have to lie and say you would.”
Neil sat up again and tried to ignore the stabbing pain as the bandage pulled at Rhys’ fragile stitches. He had to fix this with Bianca, but his head was swimming from just that small movement. “Look, Bianca, I’ll always care about you. And I always have. You are the most important person in the world to me, other than Rhys.” He shook his head, trying to clear his mind so that he could explain in a way she would understand . “That night when you left, I had every intention of showing up… I wanted to go with you, but you seemed like you had this whole plan about where you were going and what you were doing. It didn’t seem like I fit in. I felt like I’d never fit in.”
She clearly wasn’t ready for that. Her eyes widened and then she blinked. “Really…? Are you…?” She clearly hadn’t formulated an end to that sentence.
“I didn’t want to hold you back,” he said. “And it’s never been easy to change your mind.”
She placed her hands on his arm again and he felt himself relax back against the pillow. “What about now?” she asked. “Do you still want this normal life, away from the revolution? Do you want to have a nice happy family somewhere far away from the Industrial City.”
Neil rolled his arm over and gripped one of her hands. “I can’t stop thinking about Jennifer. When she was dying she told me she didn’t want me to be an assassin. She didn’t want me to have to take lives. She wanted safety for me. And I want that for me and for everyone I love too, but I was shot in the back yesterday. Not being a part of the revolution isn’t a guarantee of life.”
Bianca tussled his hair gently. “That’s actually why I’m here. I used to think Saewulf and the Emperor went after the Lightborns because they wanted complete control. They wanted power. But now… Seeing how things are out here. It seems pretty clear that they’re only after one thing for the Lightborns.”
Neil didn’t have to wonder what it was. “Extinction.”
“The emperor isn’t just trying to win a war. He’s trying to exterminate a race.” Neil remembered that the Emperor’s father had been killed by Nicolai Taurlum, and since then he’d detested Lightborns. He shivered as the reality of the situation hit him once more. Bianca continued, “You don’t have to join the front lines, but this war is coming to you whether you like it or not. The Pack is coming for you.”
“I’d probably be more afraid if I knew what that was,” Neil said, his eyes heavy.
Bianca pulled back. “The Pack is a vicious group of assassins. Run by two Lightborns called Venator. Rest up. Soon the Wolf will be here. He’ll explain everything.”
“You’ve got to stop saying things I don’t understand.” He curled into his pillow for sleep.
“Well, then we wouldn’t have anything to talk about,” she said with a wink.
He was able to get one last glimpse of her before he drifted off to sleep. He was sure that his dreams would be pleasant for once.
Chapter Nineteen
THE GOLDEN MUG
THE PACK
The Marksman had been awake for two days straight. He knew he was inadvertently torturing himself but didn’t care. He knew he wouldn’t be able to kill everyone in this house and he had to escape before his time ran out. Despite the fact that he was the Imperial Doctor’s son, The Marksman was also given one of the Doctor’s trademark injections. That had been twenty-seven days ago, and in another four he’d die from the withdrawal. The only way he could possibly convince his father to give him another dose was to pay for it with information. Luckily he had superhuman hearing to aid him. So far the only juicy bit of gossip he’d developed was that the Vapros boys were hiding a secret from the Celerius girl about the death of her brother. Along with that, he’d discovered some simpler secrets. The Taurlum couldn’t read but was telling everyone he could. Based on the breathing patterns of the woman who owned the bar, she had what sounded like a throat infection. When Josephine told Bianca and Anastasia that they could stay for the night, he heard the tightness of her lungs in her voice.
He was curious as to why Anastasia was here. From his calculations she was due for another injection fairly soon also. He knew her tactics for assassination well. She was acrobatic and limber but not particularly strong. She was famous among the members of the Pack for befriending her enemies, then executing them in the dead of night or tricking them into the Doctor’s web. He could hear her claiming to be Bianca Blackmore’s sister. He wondered if that was true. If so, it meant her father was the once honorable Paul Blackmore of the Imperial Army. He didn’t have to wait for more answers, as a few hours later Anastasia snuck into his room. He drilled his eyes into her accusingly. “What’s your strategy here?” he asked.
“What’s yours? I’ve never seen anyone take you down in a fight. Ever.”
They were both speaking quietly enough so that no one would even hear the faintest whispers. “I underestimated these fools,” Victor said. “Although they are clearly from inside the Industrial City. ‘What’s a Venator?’ ‘What’s the Pack?’” he mocked. “For Lightborns they aren’t very educated about their own race.”
“I think the barkeeper woman is keeping certain details away from them. It’s clear that she doesn’t want them joining the revolution. I just can’t figure out why.” Anastasia sat down on the bed opposite. “My strategy is to befriend them and lead them into the Doctor’s cl
utches. I’m using my connection to Bianca to do it.”
The Marksman gritted his teeth. “Is that true? I’ve met Paul Blackmore. You didn’t exactly inherit the ashen hair.”
“It’s true,” Anastasia said. “Lieutenant Blackmore was in and out of the Industrial City. He had one wife inside and one wife outside. Before long he had two daughters. He took me inside the walls a few times and that’s how I met her. We’ve never been close.”
“And you’re willing to offer her up for the Doctor’s needs?” the Marksman asked.
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You need to cut me,” the Marksman said. “Draw blood.”
Anastasia recoiled. “Why?”
“Advanced ability. If I bleed I can morph my body to become more… animalistic.”
“Really?” she asked. “I’ve never seen you use that power.”
“I’ve never needed to,” the Marksman said. “It’s not very far advanced because I don’t practice with it. But if you cut me I can grow some claws on my right hand and cut my way out of these binds.”
She cocked her head. “Why don’t you just ask me to cut the ropes?”
“They’ll be able to tell if the ropes are sliced evenly with a knife. Or a spike.” He indicated her weapon. “If I can escape on my own, they’ll hear from the Wolf about my special ability. Is he really coming here?”
He smelled the fear on Anastasia. The Wolf worried every morally decrepit citizen of Volteria, no matter how tough they were. “Bianca sent him a letter and he said he’d arrive soon. He was starting riots in Abington.”
The Marksman stiffened. “I want to escape before he arrives. I can’t be sure that he won’t kill me on sight on behalf of the Venator.”
Anastasia stood up and rubbed her chin. “If I free you the same night I get here, what does it say about my cover?”
He glared at her. “You’re not setting me free. You’re going to prick my finger. That is all.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I will.” She approached the door once more. “You’re a smart man, Victor. You’ll figure it out.”
She left and he resisted the urge to scream in fury. He quickly centered himself and went back to listening. He’d escape. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Twenty
THE GOLDEN MUG
NEIL VAPROS
The next morning everyone was gathered in the kitchen for a meeting of sorts. Bianca sat at the head of one of the tables and the rest of the fugitives gathered around. Josephine and Rebecca sat behind the bar. Even Neil was in attendance although he was heavily bandaged and didn’t look to be fully focused on what was going on. Lilly drummed her fingers nervously at her Celerius speed. She probably hadn’t seen her uncle since before she could remember and she couldn’t know how living outside the walls had affected him. Maybe he was an animalistic ruffian now. Neil was still trying to grapple with the fact that Bianca and Anastasia were half-sisters.
“Let’s start with why the Wolf is coming here,” Bianca said. “The revolution has been in trouble recently, but things finally look like they’re on the upswing again. So he actually has time to educate you all on how to deal with the Pack and what the Pack is.”
“How does Anastasia know that the Pack is after us?” Darius asked with a little too much suspicion in his voice.
Anastasia opened her mouth to answer, but Bianca stepped in. “Anastasia was working with the Doctor out of necessity a while back, but once she saw that he was planning to kill all of you, friends of her sister,” Bianca indicated herself, “she decided it was time to leave his service and warn us of his plans.”
“So who is this Doctor?” Rhys asked.
“The Imperial Doctor,” Anastasia said. “He works for the Empire. Every month they send him a list of who they want dead through a bookkeeper named Quintus.”
Neil laughed and the group looked at him. Rhys grinned giddily. “You’re familiar?” Bianca asked.
“With Quintus?” Neil asked. “Yes. He and I are very familiar. I assume his demotion to bookkeeper is because of me.”
“Well, anyway,” Bianca continued, “after the month is over the Doctor tells Quintus how many are dead and then the Emperor pays him. This month all of your names are on the list.”
“So the Doctor’s group of assassins is called the Pack?” Rhys asked.
Bianca nodded. “It’s a small unit and it used to consist of the Doctor’s son, Victor Venator—known as the Marksman--- he’s your hostage upstairs, Anastasia, and a deranged fellow named the Hyena. You’ve met two of them so far, it seems. He has others, but they don’t work outside the walls.”
“So we only have one more assassin to worry about?” Neil asked.
“And the Doctor himself,” Anastasia said. “Trust me. You don’t want to underestimate him. Don’t underestimate the Hyena either. He’s a type of crazy that you’ve never even seen before.”
“Have you met General Carlin?” Lilly asked.
“I have,” Anastasia said. “Carlin is angry daddy-issues crazy. The Hyena doesn’t even have a grasp on reality any more.”
“Then why does the Doctor choose to work with him?” Rhys asked.
Anastasia seemed to be considering her words very carefully. “The Hyena is also known as the Demon of Abington. He used to be at the Abington Orphanage and eventually… kids started going missing. He escaped the inquisition by joining a circus as a clown. The Doctor found him and trained him from adolescence. They’re very close.”
“How long will it take for you to deal with this threat?” Josephine piped in. “How long until these kids are safe.”
“They’ll never be safe until the Doctor is dealt with,” Anastasia said. “He doesn’t miss targets, and he never gives up.”
The room went silent for a moment. That wasn’t the answer Neil wanted to hear. “This Doctor is a Lightborn?” Neil asked. “Of the Venator family?”
“Yes,” Bianca said. “But he doesn’t have his powers anymore.”
“What?” Rhys asked. “How is that possible?”
“The oaths?” Bianca asked the room. “How have you been living outside the wall for four months and have never heard of the Venator?”
“We don’t get out much,” Darius said.
“They don’t get many chances to interact with the people of Volteria, what with hiding and all,” Josephine said.
“You’re telling me that it never occurred to you to tell them?” Anastasia asked.
Josephine planted her hands on the bar. “These children have made the decision not to join the revolution. I figured they’d come to learn about the Venator in their own time when they went off on their own. Believe it or not, being new to these lands is a huge transition.”
“Still,” Bianca said, “the Venator are a family that emerged roughly a hundred years ago. Legend has it that there was a husband and wife that led a large tribe when the villages were forming, yet they had no means to protect themselves from the beasts of the land and no means to protect themselves from the Empire controlling the oceans. The Man with the Golden Light granted them each a different power. The husband was given control of the land on the condition that he followed eight sacred rules.”
“What would happen if he didn’t follow them?” Lilly asked.
“His powers would fade,” Bianca said. “It holds true for them even now. Anyway, it was their duty to protect the land and the citizens of Volteria with their abilities of super-human senses and aim. They’re essentially the unrivaled hunters of these lands. They make it their priority to keep the people safe. The wife was given control of the water on the condition that she’d lose her powers on dry land. They had to leave each other, tragically, but two new families of Lightborns were created for the betterment of Volteria. The man’s family are Venator and the woman’s family are Tridenti.”
“Wonderful story,” Darius said. “Any idea what these eight rules are?”
“I don’t remember them, p
recisely,” Bianca said. “The Doctor has lost his powers because he broke the most important one: Venator do not kill for sport.”
“What about our little friend upstairs?” Neil asked. “He’s still got pretty good aim.”
“Victor Venator has managed to keep his powers by using loopholes to exploit the rules. For instance, he never kills anyone unless he can get money out of it. Technically it’s not for sport, no matter how immoral it is. Venator are also forbidden from hunting in packs, so he only spends a day at a time in the presence of his father so that his powers won’t fade.”
“The guys who are forbidden from hunting in packs decided to name their murder group the Pack?” Neil asked.
“It’s their way of antagonizing the Venator who actually follow the rules,” Anastasia said. “The Doctor is their greatest scourge and he wants it to be known.”
Neil racked his brain for questions. He didn’t like the sound of going up against “the Pack.” He wanted to see less action, but now was being hunted by a pack of crazy assassins. He just wanted peace and quiet.
“What can you tell me about Steven?” Lilly asked, interrupting Neil’s thought process.
“Steven?” Darius asked.
“The Wolf’s real name is Steven Celerius,” Lilly said. “I don’t know why he’s called the Wolf now.”
“That comes from a legend about the Wolf,” Bianca said. “People in the rebellion practically tell it once per hour. The Wolf was once General of the Imperial Army, but when he saw first-hand how the soldiers were mistreating the villagers, he decided to confront the Emperor. Instead of listening to his grievances, the Emperor stripped him of his titles and exiled him. According to legend, the Emperor said, ‘I don’t need to kill you. I’ll throw you to the wolves and they’ll take care of it.’”
That does sound like the Emperor, Neil thought.
“So Steven, after wandering for a year or so found the Venator,” Bianca said. “They’re not allowed to have families, but they do have a central lodge where they all rest in between journeys. He actually trained Victor Venator, the man in your attic. Soon though, the Wolf found out that his wife had been killed by the Empire.”
