by Noah Harris
Sensing his doubt the voice chuckled, the sound awful to Ash’s ears. Even with the modulation, the device couldn’t hide the venom or the malice in the sound. The sound surrounded Ash as the man paced a circle around him, always staying just about a foot away. Ash had the distinct impression he was meant to feel like prey being circled by a hawk, or a shark.
“I know you believe you’re being strong, and that you’ll find a way out of this, but I can assure you, you’re not. You’re bound tightly to that chair, which even a bear would be hard-pressed to free itself from. They’re imbued with the same inhibitors which kept your magic in check before, as well as that wolf of yours. You and John both are stuck here,” the voice said.
Ash kept his face impassive as he followed the voice around the room. He thought it interesting that he’d called Johnny by the shortened version of his real name, when he couldn’t think of anyone who’d called him that in years. Even the elders of the Coven had referred to him as Johnny, having fallen into the habit when they’d been boys. It smacked of a smug formality, which fit with the rest of the man’s stiff but measured speech.
The leader continued. “I am not without a measure of mercy, however. I am willing to offer you one chance to save yourself, and one only. It is time, for the Choosing.”
Ash didn’t think the man could have said anything that would have surprised him half as much as that did. What could the Choosing possibly have to do with anything? It at least answered the question of who he was dealing with, the Vigil wouldn’t care about which side Ash was on, just that he wasn’t human. Had the Cult really hunted them down and captured them to force the Choosing on them? It made no sense, they were supposed to have greater ideals than one witch-wolf. Why go to all the trouble?
He felt the leader lean in close. “Now, the question is, who will it be? Alpha or omega?”
The question confused Ash even further, and he felt a frown furrow deep into his brow as he tried to make sense of it. The Choosing didn’t dictate whether someone was an alpha or an omega, but simply if they were solely a witch, or a werewolf. Unless the Cult had devised some new ritual which had a greater effect than the one that’d been used for centuries. Even then, it made no sense.
His mind was suddenly hit with sudden understanding and horror as he realized the game being played. The man he couldn’t see wasn’t worried about Ash identifying him but was using the device to transcribe his voice into inhuman sounds. They were threatening Ash, but not into choosing either his witch side or his wolf side.
They were trying to make him choose whether they killed either Johnny or Kell.
A snarl broke from his lips. “Go fuck yourself. Kill me.”
The voice laughed, and the very sound of it made Ash’s skin crawl. He wouldn’t have believed it possible to put so much arrogance and hate into one person’s voice, especially when altered digitally.
A blow slammed into his ribs with startling speed. For a moment there was nothing but the sensation of the blow before the pain rushed in. His breath was knocked from him, and before he could gasp out, another blow caught him along the jaw. Pain filled his skull and for a moment, he felt himself tipping backward into the oblivion of nothingness. Thoughts became muddled and he fought to stay conscious, focusing on the throbbing pain to keep himself steady.
A gloved hand grabbed his chin, forcing his head to look forward. “Now, we are going to try again, because you see that isn’t an option.”
“It’s the only option I’m taking,” Ash spat out.
The voice chuckled. “If it makes it easier on you, I can tell you what John Oakes said.”
In truth, Ash didn’t even know if Johnny’s name was actually John. He’d always thought it probably was but wouldn’t have been surprised if his friend just happened to be born to parents who had given him a casual name instead.
Wincing, Ash fought to keep his thoughts from straying. The effect of the repeated blows to his head was making him dizzy and he was thinking too hard, his brain going off at random tangents. The leader was still waiting to hear what Ash had to say, and Ash could barely string a coherent thought together that made any real sense. It had been a while since he’d had to deal with someone trying to pump him for information, but he knew he’d need to focus to get through it.
Ash took a deep, steadying breath before speaking. “Then let me be a little clearer for you. You, can fuck off. Go die in a hole. Fuck off to hell, and then continue to fuck off until you reach oblivion. Then do us all a favor and jump your pathetic ass in, because I’m not playing your game.”
“Oh, that is where you’re wrong.”
The hand let go of his chin and Ash waited for the next blow to come. He suspected it was some sort of club being used on him, probably a baton of sorts. Ash hadn’t heard it being extended, but he’d been struck by them in the past, and knew how badly they could injure someone. The blow never came however, and the owner of the voice began pacing around him again, his footsteps soft and barely heard over Ash’s breathing.
He wasn’t concerned about what Johnny had said to the offer, because he knew his friend. Johnny would rather die a thousand, agonizing deaths before he ever betrayed anyone who depended on him, let alone those he loved. If there was anyone in the world who Ash believed was more devoted than himself, it would be Johnny Oakes. Nothing the Cult could do would ever bring Johnny to betray Kell, or Ash.
Again, understanding came in a sickening wave of realization. Neither Ash nor Johnny would betray one another, or Kell. However, if Kell were to learn of Johnny and Ash’s predicament, he would waste no time in trying to help them. It didn’t matter that he was pregnant and being guarded by the Wards, Kell would barrel down the mountainside, ready to rain hell on those who dared to hurt the men he loved.
That was the point, wasn’t it? They were attempting to draw Kell out into the open, away from the watchful eye of those who would protect him. Kell represented everything the Cult hated, an end to the world where the Children were divided. Worse, the children ready to spring from Kell would be the first generation of Children born into a place where they would not one day have to choose witch or wolf. Kell was a threat, yes, but he was only a vehicle for the next generation of Children who no longer adhered to the Cult’s ancient and twisted ideas of purity.
Ash laughed. “You have no idea what you’re toying with, but keep going, because you might just find out. And it won’t be pretty.”
The voice came from right beside Ash’s ear. “Oh, I am more than aware what we are dealing with, Ashley Whitlock, and I intend to deal with it properly. However, if it is of any consolation to you, John said the same thing.”
It wasn’t anything less than Ash would have expected. Let the Cult try to beat them into submission, and to threaten them, nothing would work. Ash had been trained to resist torture, and Johnny was too damned stubborn to give in. The Cult would get nothing from them, and the thought made Ash’s lips curl into an ugly smirk.
“Oh by all means, revel in your own arrogance. However, before you become too engrossed in your thoughts of victory, I will remind you that we do have Keller Thorne, and that we know about those twisted little monstrosities he thinks to bring into this world.”
Ash’s mouth froze in place as he ran that statement through his mind. It was a hard reminder of what was at stake, hearing the man speak of the twins. It was one thing to hear they were a target for the Cult, but it was something else entirely to hear it from this monster’s lips. Ash was prepared to take anything they threw at him, but it infuriated him to hear the Cult leader speak of the children to be.
“Ah, I see that has your attention finally, good. So, how about I present you with a new Choosing, one I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Because you see, we also know that there are twins, and that you and John both are the parents, a witch-wolf for one, and a wolf-witch for the other. So, here’s the Choosing for you Ash, just as it will be for John, and whoever picks first, wins.”
“Fuck you,�
� Ash barked, not wanting to hear what came next.
He could feel the man’s breath as he leaned in, enjoying himself. “The wolf’s bastard, or yours. Choose.”
Ash lunged forward, able only to bring his upper body forward so far, in the hopes of latching onto the man who had dared get too close while threatening his children. It was in vain and he lashed out at thin air, with only the mocking chuckle of the man as his prize. Rage filled Ash as he snarled and thrashed in the chair. They could beat him, cut him, burn him, torture him for days and he would have withstood it all and spit back in their face. But to threaten first Kell, and then their unborn children was too much for Ash.
It didn’t matter if it was a cruel joke or an honest offer, Ash was going to have blood.
Johnny
Fury and helplessness ran through Johnny as he stared at Ash’s helpless form. Time had no meaning in the hell he’d been dropped into. Forced to sit in a room on the other side of a clear pane of glass that looked in on the room where Ash was, Johnny had struggled futilely for what felt like hours.
He had an idea of what they said to him whenever he saw their lips move or when they leaned in close to hiss in Ash’s ear. The leader had been in and out of the room to talk to Johnny as well, leaving his people behind to continue the torture. His threats infuriated Johnny, but there was nothing he could do to stop them. His captors had done everything to leave him helpless.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been closed off from his magic, but it was the first time he’d been closed off from the much-hated Blood Magic. It worked from the body itself, harnessing its life energy and twisting it into power he could use. The standard wards and sealings were completely ineffective against it, and the ones that were, tended to have a weakening effect on the recipient. Johnny was exhausted, more from watching his best friend and lover repeatedly beaten and interrogated, than from any ill effect from a spell.
“How long do you think he can hold out?”
Johnny’s face contorted into a sneer, it seemed his fan had returned. All the Cult members were wearing masks, which made it even stranger that they kept Ash blindfolded. The one in charge, however, wore a mask which set him apart from the others. Johnny wasn’t quite sure who the figure on the man’s mask was, but he suspected something from mythology. The features appeared human, but there was something too perfect, too over-realized for it to be meant to represent a true human being. Considering the sheer ego of the leader, Johnny was willing to bet it was meant to be a god or some sort of angel.
It wasn’t just the mask, or the sheer arrogance that made the man stand apart from his fellows. Though he wore indistinct clothes like the rest of the Cult members, it was Johnny’s opinion that they were nicer, and probably newer.
“I’ll bet your arms fall off and the world crumbles before he gives in to you assholes,” Johnny said.
“You certainly have a rather high estimation of his abilities.”
“No, just a really low one of yours.”
If Johnny looked at it from an objective perspective, the entire ordeal was utterly pathetic. Their attempts were crude and ineffectual. The best they could do was to beat Ash for not playing their obvious and sick game. Meanwhile, Johnny was left bound but ungagged and his view unobstructed, so he could watch the entire thing.
They’d already dangled the idea of their having Kell over Johnny, and he bet they’d done the same to Ash. He couldn’t hear what was said through the glass, but at the beginning he had watched Ash lose his cool and try to bite the leader. Shortly afterward, the leader had come into the room Johnny was being kept in and dropped his threats.
“One would think that for two men who want to save their beloved omega, you two would be far more willing to cooperate with us.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, thinking the man was about as subtle and slick as a sledgehammer to the face. They didn’t have Kell, otherwise they would’ve paraded him in front of both he and Ash to drive home the threat. Not only that, but if they had Kell, they wouldn’t have bothered kidnapping Ash and Johnny in the first place. They would’ve either killed them and be done with it, or would have left them, alone and broken hearted, to face the overwhelming power of the Children as they bore down on them.
“How many times are you going to drag that threat out? There’s only so many times you can say it before it sounds canned and pathetic, well, more than it already does,” Johnny shot at him.
Maintaining his disinterested and scathing attitude was draining him slowly. Despite knowing the tactics they were using were crude, they were still effective. He could see Ash beginning to wilt under the repeated blows, especially the ones to his head. Johnny didn’t know how long he could sustain himself, watching his best friend beaten to a pulp.
The leader clicked his tongue. “It may be simple, and to the point, but even simple things have their uses. Such as you, and Ashley. The two of you are incredibly simple creatures, fueled by your desires and your passions, and those instincts of yours which you will never deny. And yet, you still find a purpose, and others have use for you.”
“Is this the part where you tell me how insignificant we are? How we’re just a simple pair of soldiers that get used by anyone and everyone? As if I haven’t known that me and everyone else in the world, except for those in charge, are just pawns. And how you, and others like you, are really the game masters, making everyone dance to your tune,” Johnny spat, making his words as scathing as possible.
The leader laughed. “Oh, but I have. I have been doing what so many others have been unwilling to do, have been too frightened to do. I’ve taken the world into my grip, and it does what I want.”
“And now you really are sounding like a B Movie villain,” Johnny said.
“I will admit, you three have certainly been a thorn in my side for a time. Keller especially has proven to be more powerful, and capable, than I had originally given him credit for. I had thought he would be an easy target if the time should come, but when he should have been ours, he slipped through my fingers, and into your hands. After that, this entire situation has spun quite unnecessarily out of control, and there has been far too much struggle, and loss, for my liking.”
Johnny cocked his head, suddenly very interested in what the man had to say. It was the most talkative the leader had been since he’d first come into Johnny’s room. It was also the first time he had said anything that even hinted at who he was talking to. There was no distinct smell coming off him, nothing to mark him as either a witch or a werewolf. He remembered Earl mentioning that the Cult and Vigil might be connected, and he wondered if he was dealing with a human.
“Well, what did you expect? That we’d all roll over and die for you? You’re some guy in a cloak and mask, which is about as cliché as it gets, for the record, and talking about trying to rule the world from behind closed doors. You can claim to have done anything and everything, but that isn’t going to make it so,” Johnny told him.
The leader was behind him, and he could practically feel the man brimming with excitement. The Cult leader was on the edge of what he hoped would be his greatest triumph, and he could barely contain himself. Johnny’s arrogance and dismissal only seemed to feed into the man’s need to boast, as if he wanted to be sure Johnny knew who had won, and why.
“I have you two, do I not? And with you two, eventually comes Keller. He will not escape me this time.”
Johnny raised a brow. “Well, that’s the second time you’ve mentioned him getting away from you, and the first one sounded like it was very early on. You obviously have something you want to get off your chest.”
“Which of you killed Carson?”
The question caught Johnny off-guard, and his head jerked in the direction of the leader. The idol mask was less than an inch from his face, and Johnny could see nothing through the holes cut for the eyes. It had been asked softly, but with enough malice for a dozen people laced in every syllable.
“The little rat who pretended to b
e Kell’s friend, that who you mean?” Johnny asked, proud to hear his voice was even and bored sounding.
The mask’s gaze lingered on him for a little longer, until the leader straightened and turned away. For a moment, Johnny thought he was going to walk out, leaving Johnny with only more questions and the renewal of another torture session for Ash. So long as the leader was in the room with Johnny, they would leave Ash alone. If it meant getting more information on the Cult, all the better.
“I trained him you know. Found him through the system, the same way I found Keller. You wouldn’t believe how many freaks like you go through the foster system. People killed by magic their demon spawn could not control, or the mutts who turn for the first time, ignorant of what they are, and unable to stop themselves from going mad. Then there are those like Carson, humans, who lose everything to the actions of the monsters which still roam this planet.”
Ash closed his eyes. “You’re not Cult, you’re Vigil.”
The man chuckled. “You say that as if they are two different things. On the outside it seems that way, and of course if you were to ask any member low on the ladder, well, they have no knowledge of the Cult anyway. Even if they did, they would never make the connection, which is how I intended it. I found out about the Cult ages ago and have been slowly working my way into the group. While I drove the Vigil onward, to purge the monsters from this world, I insinuated myself into the heart of darkness and sin.”
“You’re the guy in charge of the Vigil? And the Cult? That’s convenient, killing you is just two birds and I get to be the stone,” Johnny said, grinning over his shoulder.
