by Joanna White
We all stopped, most of them panting, and they sat down to rest.
I stretched out with my senses, trying to figure out if I’d injured Kehlarch.
I’ve got to say, Jared, I didn’t think you had it in you. Unfortunately, we will have to take Kehlarch back to the labs to be healed, and meanwhile, I need another Hunter. One of these prisoners will have to do. In the meantime, think about the deal. Turn yourself in and your friends will get out of there alive. One of the Hunters will find you tomorrow. Injuring Kehlarch did not change that, Hindah said in my thoughts.
“What is it?” Axe asked.
“Hindah says the deal is still on and one of them will still come for us tomorrow to hear our answer. They’re taking Kehlarch to the labs to be healed. In the meantime, they’re going to make another Hunter.” My voice came out sounding detached and distant.
“What?” Axe cursed and slammed the handle of his ax against the ice in frustration.
“Who?” Sine asked.
Averella looked at me with scared eyes.
“He didn’t say who. He just said one of these prisoners will have to do. But since he said the deal’s still on, I don’t think he means anyone here. I sensed him, and he was trying to track some others.” I looked around to see who was in here. Averella, Sine, Axe, and Quinn were the only ones. Lehlax was nearby, and I sensed that he was unharmed.
“Duncan and Wes?” I asked.
“They went their separate ways when we lost Runx. They also saw it as our fault, because we trusted you.” Sine snapped the word ‘you’ at me as if it was my fault.
I looked down. It was.
“So, what now?” Sine gestured outward with his hands.
“We go as deep into the caves as we can, and hopefully that will give us a chance to get away from the Hunters tomorrow. I doubt it, but we can still give it a try,” Axe said.
“How did you break out of those ropes, Jared? And why did your eyes go black?” Quinn eyed me, as his thoughts were filled with suspicions.
“There’s only one kind of metal that Hunters can’t break out of and only Hindah and the Aretul knows what it is. As for my eyes, they’ve turned black before. When the Hunters had beaten Averella—" I paused, wincing at that— “I saw my face in Hindah’s mind. My eyes were pure black. This is the second time it happened. I saw it again in Sine’s mind. I don’t know why it happens.” I had no idea why the words came, but I felt compelled to be completely honest with them now. My secret in being a Hunter was known… Why not be honest about everything else?
“Could it be when you get angry or something?” Averella asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. As a Hunter, the only thing we ever feel is hate or anger, so if that was the case my eyes would always be black.” I hesitated, not wanting to say what I was thinking: that both times it had been Averella getting hurt or the possibility that she would be hurt, and it made me snap.
“What aren’t you saying?” Axe crossed his arms.
I sighed but decided to go with the truth once again. “The first time, Averella was severely wounded, and that’s how I was able to break out of even the chains Hindah had on me. They were the chains Hunters can’t break out of. No Hunter has ever done that before.”
“And a few minutes ago?” Sine pressed.
I looked down at the ground, then back up at them. “Hindah was thinking about when he would kill all of you. He was picturing it all in his mind, showing me all the dead bodies. He—" I stopped and clenched my jaw tightly. “He showed me how he would kill Averella, saving her for last and how he would kill her slowest to get to me. That’s…that’s when I snapped.” By the time I finished, my voice was quiet and husky.
Averella’s eyes widened, but she said nothing.
Quinn seemed to be thinking hard. “If what you say is true… It could be because you’re feeling things no Hunter has ever felt before. As a Hunter, you’re not used to feeling positive emotions, or love for another person. So, when you snap it could be because the Hunter in you is reacting to the person that you love being in danger. Like overprotectiveness, really,” he finished a bit awkwardly.
Averella’s cheeks and nose reddened.
I had never thought about that before. The more I thought about it, the more I realized Quinn could be right.
“B—But he…he doesn’t….” Averella started, and then let her voice trail off.
“As much as I hate to admit this, I can see it in his eyes. And I wouldn’t lie to you about this, Averella. He may not realize what it is, but he does feel it,” Sine murmured to her.
“I do,” I whispered. “I love you, Averella. You don’t have to believe me, you have no right to and I understand that. I lied to you and I hid who I really was from you. I’ve felt things I’ve never felt before… I’ve learned so much from being with you, and everyone else too. I never knew what it was like to have… companions. Friends... I hated the fact that I was a Hunter, I hated that I was lying, so I did my best to keep you all alive to make up for it in a way, I guess. I know it doesn’t come close, but I tried. Then you talked about forgiveness and it gave me hope that maybe… Maybe I’m not too far gone. Maybe I can be forgiven for the things I’ve done. I don’t know.” I rubbed my eyes with a deep sigh. The idea of forgiveness for what I had done seemed so distant and foolish, now. “I’m sorry I lied, and those words don’t come close to explaining how I feel right now or make up for everything. All I know is that I love you, Averella, and I care about the rest of you. Which is why I want to give you all the best chance tomorrow when they come. I will go with them. There is another way out of the cave, but it’s on the other side. It’ll be hard, but you guys can make it before tomorrow. It’s your best chance. There are dangers in here, but I will help you with all the power I have. I promise. And I promise never to lie to you again.” I looked at Averella in the eyes, willing her to see the truth in them.
She glared at me. “Do you mean it?”
I held her gaze, not looking away, not blinking. “I do.”
She hesitated, but jogged up to me and wrapped her arms around me. I slipped mine around her, kissing her hair lightly.
“We should get moving.” Sine walked ahead of us and on through the cave.
“I still think we should keep him away from the weapons,” Axe muttered.
“He could just grab one quickly before we could do anything about it.” Sine glanced at me.
I sighed. “Tie my hands if it makes you feel better.”
“Well, he did just save our lives. And Averella’s,” Quinn pointed out.
Sine grunted. “Fine.”
Axe directed us through a corridor to our left and we started walking.
Suddenly, I sensed more than saw Lehlax come at me from another passage. Anger boiled inside of him, so I allowed his first blow to knock me against the wall, which cracked the ice behind me.
He screamed and cursed at me, punching my jaw and then my stomach and finally my jaw again. I put my hands up but made no move to dodge. He was filled with sorrow and anger, looking for revenge for his son.
It was what I deserved. It was less than what I deserved.
After a while, he realized punching me wasn’t doing any damage. He grabbed my hair and I sensed what he planned to do. Because of my speed, if I had wanted to, I had plenty of time to dodge or stop him. I stayed still, allowing him to slam my head against the ice wall behind me. He did it several more times before Axe snatched him around the waist and dragged him backward.
“Calm down, Lehlax!” Axe kept his arms around him, holding him back.
Lehlax growled, pulling against Axe’s hold on him, but Axe was bigger than him.
Averella glanced from me to him, looking as if she wanted to help me stand, but changed her mind.
I stood and used my arm to wipe the blood off my face from the cut on my forehead.
Sine and Quinn only stared at me in shock. “A blow like that should have knocked you out…. “
�
�He’s a Hunter! He’s stronger and faster! Their bodies don’t need rest or sleep and they can heal their wounds in seconds! It’s what he is,” Lehlax hissed. “This is all a game to him! Just like when he killed Luke… How he made him suffer.”
I swallowed deeply, thinking back to that night.
The memory left Lehlax cold and filled with grief as he thought about the same night too, only this time instead of remembering me as a faceless Hunter, he pictured my face as I stabbed Luke, and as I watched him die.
“He was only a kid! And you killed him! How can any of you stand to be around him?”
“Because you need me to get you through the ice caves. Tomorrow when we’re through, I’m turning myself in to the other Hunters to give the rest of you a chance to escape. I’ll get what I deserve, Lehlax… believe me.”
Axe slightly loosened his hold and Lehlax shoved himself away. He stormed off to the other end of the cavern. Averella glanced at me with sorrowful eyes. Her expression was deeply torn, I suspected between her friendship with Lehlax and what he was going through, and whatever she felt for me.
I turned and continued down the corridor on through the ice-caves. Axe and Sine stayed with Lehlax toward the back, while Quinn and Averella followed behind me and we navigated our way through the caves. We followed another passage until the ice walls split on either side to form a gigantic cavern, which had small ledges to walk across it. There was only room for two people on it at a time. The cavern of ice continued hundreds of feet below us. Beside us, a sheer wall made of ice towered as high as the eye could see.
“Only walk single file on the ledge,” I called back to the others. I slipped behind Averella, so I could keep an eye on her in case she started to fall. After about a mile, that ledge ended, and it turned into a huge room that went on for fifty yards on either side of us.
“Wait,” I said, putting a hand in front of Sine’s chest.
He shook it off and glared at me but didn’t move forward.
On inside a room that branched off from this one hunched a massive, bulky form. I had never heard of any kinds of creatures down here before, so I had no idea what it was.
“What is it?” Sine asked.
“I don’t know, something huge in the next room over there.” I gestured with my hand.
Sine and Axe took out their weapons. Averella had her hand on her sword.
“It’s huge. I’m not sure we can fight it off.” I frowned.
Suddenly, the creature sniffed, and I could sense that it smelled us.
“It knows we’re here,” I muttered.
“Great.” Averella unsheathed her sword.
I automatically reached for my Inquiri blade on my belt, only to find it wasn’t there. I had forgotten that I didn’t have a weapon. We all heard the stomping and out came a giant, white beast with sharp claws. It was about thirty feet tall, and twenty feet wide. Its feet were as long as I was tall. It bellowed, jumping up and down, and started trotting down the ice toward us.
“What is that?” Averella’s eyes widened in complete and utter shock.
“I’m gonna call it a massive evil snow beast!” Sine yelled back.
“Move!” I yelled seconds before the creature pounded against a stalagmite that fell from the ceiling. The ice shattered all over where we had just been standing. Lehlax, Averella, and Sine rolled to the left side, while Axe, Quinn, and I dashed to the right side.
“Now can I have a weapon? I promise I’ll only kill the big scary thing,” I added with a smirk.
Axe glanced at me but threw me a medium-sized dagger.
I shot him a look but said nothing and immediately darted toward the creature with inhuman speed. Dodging its paw swiping at me, I leapt on top of it. It bellowed and jumped, and I had to grab onto its fur to hang on. I stabbed the dagger down into the back of its neck and blood came spilling out.
It roared and slammed me up against the wall. With a grunt, I dropped down to the ground, grabbing my ribs.
It fell, cracking the ice it landed on, and its body trembled as it died.
“Okay that was way too easy,” Quinn muttered.
I just then noticed I still didn’t have a shirt, and faintly realized it was getting slightly cold. I had a nasty bruise on my ribs, and a small cut on my head, but nothing major. I was surprised we came out of that unscathed.
Then I heard it. There was another one, charging right for me.
“Another one? Quinn, you had to say something, didn’t you?” Sine continued sarcastically.
“Jared, watch out!” Averella shouted.
I ducked and slid over to the right just in time to dodge the creature, which a lot larger than the first one. It turned to face me, and I realized my dagger was behind it, in the dead one.
Lehlax dashed over and sliced at the creature’s feet. It howled but swiped at me with a paw again. I dodged it and jumped up, grabbing onto the middle of its arm. Axe ran over and swung his weapon as high as he could reach it, which struck the creature’s upper thigh. His ax was embedded inside of it and it bounced up and bellowed. I slipped underneath its arm, clinging to it with my arms and legs around it, just in time to miss being impaled by stalagmites on the ceiling. Swinging around to leap onto its shoulder, I cursed as it jumped up and raised a foot to stomp on Sine. As I grabbed its ear and pulled it as hard as I could, the ear ripped right off its body.
It howled, long and loud, but it missed Sine by inches.
Sine looked at me and nodded as he swung his sword at the creature’s other foot. Lehlax and Averella were slicing at the other one. Crawling behind its neck, I slammed both of my fists into it as hard as I could. When I heard a crack as the creature let out another long howl, I pounded my fists against its head two more times. It wobbled and twitched, and I smiled, knowing we had finally killed it. What I didn’t see was its arm swinging around toward me. There was no time for me to jump or dodge as the creature itself collapsed, slamming my spine up against a piece of ice that smashed and crushed my back, up to my head.
I forced myself to my knees as Sine, Quinn, and Averella all gathered around me.
“Jared, can you hear me?” Quinn asked.
I nodded my head, but the movement felt slow.
“Can you move?” he asked.
I used the wall to help me stand. Quinn and Averella put their hands out to try to steady me. “Whoa, slow down. You took a big hit.”
I nodded and pulled myself out of their grip. “I’m okay. I just need some water and I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Averella asked with a worried expression.
“Every Hunter has a strength, a power-up that we use to give us energy and heal our wounds if we get injured. I just need some water and I’ll be fine.” I met her eyes, hoping to reassure her.
“Great. We’re surrounded by ice, which technically is the very thing we need but at the same time it’s not,” Sine muttered as he gestured to the cavern walls around us.
“A fire.” Quinn shrugged.
“How are we gonna start a fire in here?” Averella shook her head and crossed her arms.
“Wait, those things had to get water from somewhere.” Sine glanced at the two dead creatures.
Sine and Quinn dashed into the room where the first creature had been.
“There’s a small pool here!” Sine shouted. We all jogged to follow behind him and I darted over to the pool. I knelt inside it and took several deep gulps of water. Finally, I just gave up and decided to lie down in it to submerge my entire back in the water.
“The temperature…” Averella started.
“He’ll be fine,” Sine said.
I felt the water coursing through me and my strength returning as the gash on the back of my head healed itself and the pain completely subsided. When I was sure it had fully healed, I stood out of the water and then crouched down to take another drink.
“Did it help?” Averella leaned down closer, as if double-checking to make sure I was alright.
; “Yeah, all the wounds are healed. We need to keep moving.”
“Can you?” Averella asked me.
I nodded and we all left the room and began walking again. Averella put her arm around my waist and I put my arm around her shoulder. I didn’t know if I was supporting her or if she was supporting me.
As we journeyed through the caves, I did my best to keep Averella as warm as possible, but her shivering worsened the longer she stayed in the cold. The others became worse as well, but there was nothing I could do to help them all stay warm.
We walked for, I guessed, six or seven more hours. I looked through the ice and we had almost reached the other end of the caves.
“Ten more miles that way and you’ll reach the entrance,” I told Sine and Quinn.
They both looked at me. “You’re not coming with us?” Sine was the one to speak up.
“They’ll be here soon. I should start heading back that way, so when they find me, they won’t know where you tried to go.”
“Jared,” Averella murmured, grabbing my arm.
“Please,” I begged her, feeling an ache in my chest.
“We should try to sleep for an hour or two. We still have a little time before they come looking for us,” Lehlax said.
His voice was a monotone and he didn’t say anything more. No one said anything else to him, but we all nodded. Lehlax said he would take the first watch. Averella and I found a comfortable corner and I leaned against the ice wall and she sat in my lap, resting against my chest. But she didn’t close her eyes.
“Jared…” she started in a low voice.
“Yeah?” I asked her, meeting her eyes.
She looked down, blushing slightly, and then met my gaze again. “I love you,” she said, and she leaned in and kissed me. I kissed her back, hard and desperate.
This time I knew I would never see her or hold her again. I had to do all I could to stop the Hunters from killing her. If I allowed them to capture me, I wouldn’t be able to protect her, or the other prisoners. But I didn’t see any other way for them to survive or get out of this alive, other than giving myself to the Hunters to give the prisoners a chance. I didn’t have any other choice.
