by Sophia Sharp
With only a little more composure, Nora dove back down to gulp the water. When she was done, she looked over at Hunter, who had taken a seat beside her.
“It’s getting late,” he said, “and we’ve had a long day. I think we should spend the night.”
“What, here?”
“Why not? Better than sleeping in one of those cramped tunnels.” Nora could see the logic there and realized that she was getting tired.
She agreed, and they set up camp in the enclave. Which consisted of little more than arranging some of the rocks in the ground to make room for a spot to lie down. The earth was cold and damp. Nora shivered.
“Here.” Hunter removed his shirt and handed it to her. “It might keep you warm.”
Nora huddled into it and watched Hunter as he sat back. He had a perfectly shaped chest and chiseled abs, and the muscles in his arms were lean and hard. There were three wide scars, almost like claw marks, stretched across his torso. They looked old and faded.
“How did you get those?” Nora asked.
“An accumulation over the years,” he replied simply, looking down at himself. “Memories of another time. They never healed quite fully.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I’ll tell you another time. You better get to sleep for now.”
Nora wondered what could be strong enough to harm him like that. She wanted to ask more, but could tell he didn’t want to say anything on the subject. Her heart went out to him. She wished she were there when it happened so she could nurse him back to health and tell him everything would be alright.
He sat back, staring into the distance. As she studied him, a thought occurred to her. “You know, I haven’t seen you sleep yet. Do you sleep?”
“Normally,” he disclosed, “after a regular feeding, the urge to sleep goes away. You stay up for maybe a day or two, sometimes more. It feels a bit like you’re stimmed out, but…more serene. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it.”
“But it’s been longer than that.” Nora yawned unintentionally.
“I know. Ever since I tasted Vassiz blood… I’ve felt different. Not even stimmed out, just…calm. Haven’t felt the need to sleep, yet. I feel like I’ve woken up from a very long nap.”
“Oh.” Nora yawned again. The day had gotten to her.
She turned to her side and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
--
“Wake up,” Hunter whispered, shaking her awake.
Nora looked up. The light from all but one torch had been extinguished, creating a cover of darkness. Hunter knelt beside her. He looked alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel…a presence.”
Nora sat up groggily. “What do you mean, a—”
Something flew at her. A large shadow. She screamed, but before the sound was out of her throat, Hunter pounced in the way. Next thing she knew, Hunter was on the floor, tussling with someone else. A man. Unclothed except for a ragged loincloth. He looked ancient, but he was strong. He had Hunter under him and clawed at his face, but Hunter threw him off just in time. Before the man had a chance to recover, Hunter was on him, pinning his arms and legs to the ground. They struggled for a bit, but Hunter had him caught.
“Who are you?” Hunter demanded.
“I should ask the same of you,” a raspy voice answered. The man did not fight Hunter’s grip anymore. “Enough of this struggle. I see you’ve brought a treat.” His eyes focused unnervingly on Nora.
Her eyes widened. Vassiz.
If it was possible, Hunter strengthened his grip. “She is not a treat,” he said harshly.
“What?” The man seemed genuinely shocked. “You…protect this human?”
“Yes.”
He sneered in response. “So be it. Let go of me, I won’t harm her.” Hunter didn’t move. “Do you take me for a liar? I live and die by my word. If she is yours, I will not touch her.” After a moment’s pause, Hunter relented. Slightly.
“Who are you?” Hunter asked again.
“I will answer your questions, friend, if you first answer mine. What brings you here, to disturb me in my place of peace?”
Hunter paused and then spoke. “I am Hunter, and my companion is Nora. We came to these dungeons seeking respite, but now search for a way out.”
“A way out? My child, you have been going the wrong way if you are searching for a way out.”
“What do you mean?” Hunter asked slowly.
“The way out lies at the black and white towers. For those who enter, it is the only way.”
“The towers outside this place…” Hunter rounded on the man. “You lie. There is fresh air along the paths the way we are going.”
The man laughed bitterly. “You don’t know where you are, do you? Of course not. You are too young.” Then his tone shifted considerably. “Get off me. I mean what I say, I will not harm her.” Cautiously, Hunter backed off and placed himself between the ancient Vassiz and Nora.
The man rose to his feet and regarded Hunter openly. He did not spare another look for Nora. “What I say is the truth. You will find no entrance to this place other than that by which you came. And you are not deceived – it is, in fact, fresh air you smell along the paths. But it comes from a gap in the ceiling high above. You will find no exit there.”
“The way back is blocked,” Hunter said defiantly.
“Oh? Then you are doomed to roam these tunnels for eternity.”
“Who are you?” Hunter asked again.
“Ah. Yes. You may call me Rafael.” He nodded to himself. “It has been a long time since I have heard anyone use that name. You are welcome to use it, brother. I have not seen another of our kind for some time.”
“How long have you been down here?” Hunter asked. Nora thought it might have been centuries upon centuries.
Rafael spread his hands grandly. “I am a recluse and have been so my whole life. But in this place? Perhaps since I was as old as you.”
Nora gawked. She didn’t know it was possible for the Vassiz to age, but this Rafael looked absolutely ancient. And if he claimed to have been there since he was Hunter’s age, and Hunter had been alive for over four hundred years…her head spun. The length of time was unfathomable.
“I see you, little human.” Rafael moved his head to look around Hunter at Nora. “You are the one who has been in my dreams.”
Rafael took a step forward, and Hunter snarled. “Stay back,” he warned.
Rafael spread his arms again. “You intrude on my space, demand answers to questions you should not ask, and now you threaten me again? I have told you, I am of no danger to your human. But I know of others who may be.”
“Who?” Nora blurted out.
“Ah, so the child speaks.” Rafael chuckled. He addressed Hunter again. “I suspected it was you when I first saw you outside examining the towers. But hearing her voice confirms it.” Nora frowned. She didn’t like being ignored.
“You saw us outside?” Hunter sounded stupefied. “I would have felt your presence had you been there.”
Rafael smiled. “You have things to learn, still, little brother. Not everything is quite as it appears.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what I say, quite simply. Had I so desired, I could have snatched the girl from you before you had a chance to blink. That is what those who call themselves the elders would have wanted, anyway.”
“As for your question, Nora—” he emphasized her name as if believing it to be false “—those of danger to you are the ones who chase you. But you already know this. What you may not know is the scope of the threat. Our elders have placed a high reward on your capture. And yours too,” he addressed Hunter, “kin-slayer.”
“What did you call me?”
Rafael shrugged. “Do you not have the blood of Vassiz on your hands? Or, perhaps more accurately, the blood of a Vassiz running through your veins? We are all a family, bound by a bond deeper than that of siblings. You have already killed two, have you not?”
“If you know all this,” Hunter said harshly, “why have you not acted? What I have done is an abomination of our creed. No Vassiz alive would look upon me without plotting my death.”
“None you know of, perhaps,” Rafael replied, “but I doubt you knew of me before today.” He took another step forward, and this time Hunter didn’t protest. “Ah. I am free to walk in my own home? Yes.” He started pacing in a circle around both Hunter and Nora. “The Vassiz have not killed one another for hundreds of years, Hunter. Not since the rise of the elders has there been bloodshed amongst our kind. You change this, I know it. I believe your friend Nora knows it too. But why has this happened? Why have you broken the peace?
“Is it for the girl? As much as I would believe in happy endings, that is much too simple an explanation for what has happened. And what has happened to you in the past week alone might rattle our kind right to the essence of our core. But… I am an impartial observer. The politics of the elder councils do not intrigue me. I much prefer my quiet. Perhaps that answers your question. I do not look to get involved in the happenings of the upper world. Killing you, abducting your friend…it would draw too much attention to myself. That is why I pose no threat to you.”
“How can I trust you?” Hunter asked.
Rafael laughed again. “Oh, but you already do. From the moment you released your grip, you have ceded your trust in me.” Before Hunter could even react, Rafael was at Nora’s side, holding a fistful of her hair and tracing a fingernail along her neck. Before Nora could form a scream, Hunter roared and charged at him. Rafael moved impossibly fast, releasing Nora and coming to the spot where Hunter was before. He laughed.
“You see? You do not know a tenth of the power your body possesses. I have lived long years and have learned many secrets. But I am of my word, I did her no harm.”
Hunter looked down at Nora with worry plain on his face. She met his eyes and nodded. “He didn’t hurt me.” She shivered as she remembered his touch, though.
“You will not do that again,” Hunter growled.
Rafael laughed again. “Or what? You’ll catch me with your quick foot speed? Hah! You move so slow it’s like you’re running in quicksand.” He was taunting Hunter—taunting them both. “You have no choice but to trust me. You are in my domain.”
Hunter looked at Nora and sighed dejectedly. “What he says is true. I do not like to admit it, but…he is faster than me.”
“Boy, I am not only faster, but stronger, and more intelligent, too. I have seen more in my years in this cave than you have your whole life. But hear this, if you and your girl behave yourselves, I may be willing to help you.”
“Help us?” Nora spoke this time. “Help us how?”
“…You let her speak freely,” Rafael said to himself. “It is not like the old days…” Then he turned his attention back to them. “If you listen well, heed what I say, you may yet get out of this cavern alive. But you have to put absolute faith in me.”
“Why would we do that?” Hunter spat. “You have done nothing but taunt us with your riddles and mixed words. What benefit is it to you if we survive or not?”
“Son, you have much to learn yet. Seek the truth behind my words, and you will understand everything. What I say…it is of no consequence.” He waved a hand dismissively. “But what I mean – that is important.”
“And what do you mean, Rafael? Why seek us out and engage in conversation if you could have skewered us like pigs?”
“Perhaps I grow lonely,” Rafael said, “or, more likely, perhaps I do not appreciate my dreams being interrupted by these so-called elders.” He scoffed. “They are generations younger than me.”
This time, it was Hunter’s turn to gawk. “They are younger than you? But the elders are supposed to be the oldest of all the Vassiz. That is how they ascend to the council.”
Rafael laughed again. “Do not be foolish, boy. Your pride blinds you to the truth. All your life, you have lived in fear of the elders, obeying their commands and abiding by their laws. Is this not true?” Hunter gritted his teeth, but nodded.
“You were told it is how things have always been,” Rafael continued, “and that without the elders there is only chaos and disorder. How our race would not survive without their guidance. Were you not?” Again, Hunter nodded. His jaw clenched a little more. “Not many have dared to defy them, but you have. And this girl, Nora, she will have a part to play yet. No, I believe your story is far from finished. In fact, I think it’s just begun.”
“What you’re saying about the elders is blasphemy.”
“Do you think I am afraid of them? Or their little puppets? There are few things that scare me, boy, and the elders are not among them.” Rafael’s tone shifted, and it became denser. More ominous. “But for now, you should be afraid. For the elders have visited my dreams and the dreams of every other living Vassiz. Whole packs are coming after you, boy, and your darling friend. Packs of Vassiz enraged by the desecration of your crimes. They will be here soon.”
“Here?” Hunter thundered. “You told them we were here! You lied to us!”
“No, I did not lie, nor did I give them any information. But I am guessing the untimely death of one of your pursuers tipped them off. Listen. You can hear them now.”
A silence descended upon the enclosure. Nora strained her ears. She could hear nothing. She waited, holding her breath. Everything was silent.
And then she heard a distant thud. And then…another. A rhythmic vibration rocked the cavern. Low and nearly inaudible. The thudding quickened, coming from the direction they had come from.
“They’ve broken in!” Hunter exclaimed. “Through the blocked entrance!”
“Yes. They’re coming after you.” Rafael smiled. “Your only chance lies with me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
~The Pursuit~
Together, they ran. Hard.
Nora gripped Hunter’s chest with all her strength. She was on his back, clinging for dear life. Hunter was following Rafael, who was urging them on. Vassiz were fast, Nora knew, but Rafael was even faster.
They stormed down into pure darkness. Nora couldn’t see past the black, but still her eyes were open wide, still straining to see. Her hair blew backward as Hunter ran on, and she struggled to catch her breath against the wind in her face.
She could hear the vibrations behind them. They were getting louder. Whatever was making them was getting closer.
“Quickly, quickly!” Rafael yelled. Hunter doubled his speed.
They sped through long corridors, down twisting tunnels, and into long paths. Nora gasped, trying to gulp down the air that streamed by her, but it was very difficult.
The path they were on widened and unfolded into an open space. The moon’s rays streamed in from a hollow in the distant ceiling, allowing Nora to see her surroundings. They ran on a single path that jutted out from the rock. A long, dark abyss lay on either side of them. One wrong move, one misstep, and they’d be hurtling down. But Hunter was steadfast and kept on undeterred at the same speed as before.
Ahead of them, Nora realized with alarm, was a large gap in the path. A place where the ancient rock had long since fallen away. She watched, stunned, as Rafael raced toward it and leapt into the air. He rose, higher than she would have ever thought possible, and landed deftly on the other side.
“Faster!” he yelled from the other side. “Go faster!”
For a second, Hunter faltered, but quickly regained his step. Nora realized with horror that they would have to jump the gap as well.
Hunter ran toward it and sprang into the air. For a split second, Nora felt weightless – a feather rising on a cool wind. And then they started to go down. They were falling down toward the other end. But they were coming short.
Nora tried to scream, but couldn’t suck enough air into her lungs. She buried her head against Hunter’s back and locked her fingers tighter. They slammed into the edge hard, and the impact broke her grip. She lost her hold and was k
nocked off Hunter. She was falling.
Desperately, she grabbed for something, anything. Anything that might save her. Her hand caught cloth, and she jerked to a stop, nearly dislocating her shoulder from the impact.
For half a second, she just dangled there, amazed that she’d caught on. Then she looked up and realized she had hold of Hunter’s leg. His foot, more precisely. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She didn’t dare look down.
Summoning all her strength, she reached up with her other hand, securing it around his calf. But her arms were exhausted, and she nearly lost the hold again. She felt Hunter move and looked up to see him also hanging halfway off the cliff’s edge. He was struggling to get up.
Rafael appeared above them. “Hold on,” he told her and grabbed Hunter’s arm to pull him up. Hunter grunted as his bare torso scraped over the hard rock. Nora held on for dear life. Then Rafael’s hand came over the edge, gripping her forearm, and he pulled her up.
She collapsed onto the icy rock floor. She was breathing hard. Her head spun from the adrenaline pounding through her. She peeked up, back the way they’d come – and saw her pursuers for the first time.
They were still in the distance, just now entering the open cavern, but they were gaining fast. A horde of Vassiz, at least fifty deep, moved in unison toward her like a giant wave. The moonlight reflected sharply off their skin. They were a pale army in the night.
“Come on!” Rafael roared, and Nora felt herself being picked up. Hunter was carrying her. They headed to the end of the path, where a wide opening led deeper into darkness. As soon as they were through, Rafael activated a mechanism, and a giant boulder slammed down behind them, locking them in. There was no light for Nora to see.
Hunter could see, though. “What is this?” he demanded angrily. “You have brought us to a dead end! There is no exit!” Nora felt his body quiver with rage.
There came no reply. Nora heard shuffling and then the agonizing sound of rock scraping against rock.
“Help me,” Rafael said gruffly. Hunter put Nora down. She felt him move away from her, toward Rafael’s voice. She couldn’t see what they were doing, but the scraping grew louder. A gust of wind blew across her face.
