by Mike Morris
Lin shivered. The night was cold and, as they moved further from the city, the temperature dropped faster with each step. At least she wouldn't have to see the Scrounger for a new coat now.
The group reached some woodland. It become darker as the branches and leaves masked the moon.
"It will be all right," whispered Pet'r. "It will be all right." No one believed him. Lin could hear similar murmurs from the other slaves. It was a mantra of foolishness.
More time passed. Lin wished whatever was going to happen would come quickly, to stop the terror destroying her from inside.
The trees parted and the moon reappeared, flooding the open ground around them with silver. They had entered the glade. A large cage full of humans was to the right. To the left was a stage with an ornate throne in the middle. An open stable was to the side of that. In front, a bonfire raged. Trees circled the glade, perhaps half a mile in every direction.
The guards brought Lin and her friends to a halt. Other guards came over, moving down the line to break the humans into smaller groups. The Grunts avoided any eye contact.
One hit Lin with his club. "Move it. Get over to the cage. We haven't got all night." He poked and prodded until they all shuffled forward and, one by one, they entered the cage.
It already packed. The new arrivals forced themselves in, finding space where they could. Outside, clubs fell on any hesitating to enter.
"Lin!" A blonde head poked up over the front row of faces, all looking equally worried.
"Ean!" replied Lin and the two hugged. She hadn’t seen her old friend since they were children. “Do you know what's going on? Why we are here?"
"No idea. No idea whatsoever. No one does. Everyone seems to have the same story — pulled out of the first meal and dragged here."
"How many are there?" asked Pet'r.
"Maybe sixty so far," replied Ean.
"You remember Pet'r and Jaar?" said Lin and then she noticed Ean looking at the bruised face of the fourth member of the group, "And this is Krin. He was from our nursery too."
"Something's happening," said Pet'r, pointing back towards the road. Masters rode in at a canter, pendants flying from the rear of their saddles to mark their house. They were flags of every color but the vast majority seemed to be the red and golden dragon that Lin had seen earlier. Hounds ran at the horses' heels, barking and snapping. Lances glinted in the moonlight. There were so many Masters in one place. And still more came.
"Shit," said Krin.
Bale and Dorian appeared on their steeds. They stopped near the stable and their horses stomped the ground as they settled down.
A hush fell over the glade. Even the horses and dogs sensed something was about to happen and quieted. Lin strained her neck to try and see. Her eyes widened in horror as bile climbed up her throat. It took everything in her to not scream.
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712 PN
Two Masters rode into the glade. One was a giant, head and shoulders above even the other Masters. His war mount was a ghostly white. His armor was jet-black steel with the same golden dragon embossed on the breastplate that others had. His helmet was shaped like a dragon's head with his face peering out through its snarling jaws.
The other, on a much smaller mount, appeared at first glance to a human. But, as he drew closer, Lin saw that it was another Master, far younger than any she had seen before. He sat uncomfortably in his saddle, unused to either the horse or the full armor he wore. His helmet was smooth and white in color, so highly polished was the steel. The lower half of his face was uncovered, as was the custom. He carried a spear with a blood red scarf tied to its point. They stopped at the stage, dismounted and walked towards the throne.
As they did so, the other Masters dismounted from their horses and moved to the front of the stage. They removed their helms and kneeled before the newcomers. Lin gasped, as did the others. They had never seen a Master kneel before.
"Arise my Lords," the young Master said, his voice carried the confidence of always being obeyed. Their audience rose.
The giant stepped forward. "My friends. Tonight, we are gathered here to honor a grand tradition!" A roar of approval met his words. "Tonight we celebrate the Grand Master of us all — Orsmond. We remember that his work is never done. Tonight, we sacrifice the cattle gathered here and drink their blood. We will eat their flesh to renew our strength and we will never forget that we are still at war!"
Fists waved in the air and the cheers grew louder.
"Tonight, let us ride side by side, brother by brother, as we do into battle and remember that our nation is built by the warriors around us." The giant pulled his sword from its sheath and thrust it into the air. "Tonight, in the name of Orsmond, join me in celebration. Join your King in the Great Hunt!"
Swords and lances replied in a sea of cheers. The dogs barked in frenzy. The hairs stood up on Lin's neck and she struggled to hold onto her bowels. Nearby, other humans didn’t fare so well.
The Grunts entered the cage, ignoring the speech. They cut women free from their respective groups.
Pet'r pushed Lin behind him while Ean and Jaar stood on either side, hiding her. She ducked down as she saw women dragged from the cages.
On stage, the giant raised his hands and the crowd quieted. "Beside me is my son, joining us for the first time, as we joined our fathers and they joined theirs at the Great Beginning."
"Prince Julus," the Masters called out in unison. "Prince Julus."
Lin peered through the press of bodies and watched the other women being led towards the stage.
"It is an honor to accompany you on your first hunt, your Highness," shouted out a voice on the far side of the stage. The prince bowed to the crowd, an action met by more cheers.
The women were gathered at the side of the stage, crying and sobbing.
"To mark his coming of age, I give to him the honor of First Blood."
A Master dragged a woman on stage. He gripped the girl by the hair, forcing her head back, exposing her neck as Julus stepped forward.
She had time for one last scream.
Julus roared to the moon and Lin could see his fangs. Then he was on the woman, biting and tearing her throat. Blood gushed out as her heart furiously pumped it from the wound. She fought, pounding against his metal chest. Punches turned to scratches, and scratches turned to stillness. Her legs twitched one final time and then she was dead.
Julus stood and turned towards the others. His pale skin was dyed crimson. Blood ran like veins across his armor. He roared once more and the others roared with him.
The remaining women by the stage screamed and struggled in the arms of the Masters.
The other humans watched in shock from the cage.
"My Lords!" said Julus. "It is a privilege to ride with you tonight and I thank my father for First Blood. In return I give you these cattle to enjoy before the Hunt begins!"
The Masters jostled each other as the women were thrown amongst them. They set on the women like wild beasts. Some were passed overhead to those at the back, shrieking as they went. Blood and limbs flew everywhere.
Krin was sick, bile spewing from his mouth. Others fell to their knees.
"Don't give up!" someone shouted. "We have to stick together! We can fight them!"
"What’re we going to do?" Lin asked Pet'r.
"I've never... They just... Lin..." he stuttered. Lin held him but it was little comfort. She saw the giant and the Prince step down from the stage and walk towards the cage. Bale and Dorian met them. Blood marked their armor too. Both bowed in greeting.
"My friends, no need to bow to us," said the King with a wave of his hand. "Julus, meet my trusted Lords, Bale and Dorian."
"Your Highness." They said in unison, bowing once more. The Prince nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"They will look after you, my son," said the giant. "Ride with them and listen to what they say."
"Are these the humans we hunt?" asked Julus, turning his head in the directi
on of the cage.
"They are, your Highness," answered Bale.
"They do not seem much."
"It's always good to just enjoy your first hunt, sire, to enjoy the blooding. These will give you challenge enough for tonight," replied Dorian. "Is your Highness ready to begin?"
"Yes. Yes, let's get on with it."
The King laughed. "I'll see you at the end. Enjoy yourself. Be careful." He slapped his son on the back, steel clanging against steel. Their horses were brought to them. First the King mounted his, followed by his son, then Bale and Dorian. Only then did the other Masters climb on their mounts.
Bale rode over to the cage.
"Humans," he said. "Tonight we hunt. We hunt you. Your only hope of further life is to run. Run in any direction, evade us and you may live. I offer you this hope, futile though it may seem, because it is your only chance to stop us tasting your blood tonight. Run when you hear the first horn. The dogs will be unleashed on the second and remember — we ride upon the third."
Lin had been wrong when she’d thought she was afraid earlier. That was nothing compared to what she felt now. Everywhere she looked were spears, armor, and swords. The dogs' barking echoed inside her head. The woods were so far away, with a vast open killing ground before them. She looked at the discarded corpses of the other women, knowing that fate that awaited her.
Bale smiled at them.
The Grunts walked amongst them, passing skins of water to drink. No one wanted to take them.
"Drink up, drink," a guard said, keeping his voice low. "It might not seem it now but you need to get water inside you. Run for the trees, the horses will struggle in parts there. It's three hours 'till sunrise and we'll have to head back before then so run deep into the woods, hide up and last the night. Then just keep moving far from the city as you can. I heard there are free men over the mountains." The guard forced the water on Lin and she gulped some down as much as she could.
Her whole body shook. She wished she were braver, but she just wasn't.
"Aren't you going to free us?" she asked, lifting the rope that tied the four of them together.
"Untie your fucking self," replied the guard and carried on through the crowd.
It had not even occurred to Lin to do anything without being given permission. They frantically began trying to undo the knots on their ropes.
"Sound the horn. Let us begin!" Bale shouted and a Master stepped to one side, raising a bugle. Krin and Jaar had freed themselves but Lin and Pet'r still struggled with their bindings. It was chaos in the cage. The barrier across the entrance was lifted and the gate flung open.
Lin watched the Master lift the horn to his lips, inhale and then exhale. The air of life turned into a screech of death and everyone ran, pushing and shoving through the gate. Some fell under the press of bodies and were trampled under foot. Lin was lifted off her feet as everyone surged forward. She gave up trying to free herself from Pet'r and went with the flow of bodies.
With a final squeeze, they were through the gate. Pet'r and Lin sprinted, shoulder-to-shoulder and tied at the wrist. Jaar kept pace with them. They didn't choose a direction, they just ran with the crowd as long as it was away from the Masters and their spears.
The glade was chaos of bodies. Some of the humans staggered around, unsure of what to do. They cried and pleaded with the Masters to be spared but the Masters, on their mounts, ignored them. Others, like Krin, were already on their own and making as much ground as they could.
Lin, Pet'r and Jaar managed to keep pace with the leaders. The trees were dense shadows in the distance. Lin prayed they would reach them before the second bugle.
"Look," shouted Jaar. He pointed to a break in the trees. It gave them renewed energy and they veered towards it.
A small group splintered off from the main pack, running with them. Lin looked over her shoulder. Krin was still with them but his face was red with exertion.
"Ean!" cried Lin, spotting her friend. He was still with the main pack. "Ean!" Lin tried once again, but he didn't hear as he continued running in the other direction.
"Forget him," said Pet'r. "Worry about us."
They covered another ten yards, then fifteen, and twenty more. Jaar stumbled and Pet'r grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. "Come on, keep up!" he urged.
Lin's lungs burned. The trees were closer now. She could almost touch them. To her left, she saw the main group reach the woods as they crashed into branches and bushes.
Lin's group reached the break in the tree line and found a small pathway some three horses in width. "They'll follow us easily down here," gasped Pet'r as they turned onto the path. They stopped to catch their breath, ragged patches of air, visible in the cold night.
"Let's try and get some more distance behind us then head into the trees. See if we can find some place to hide," said Lin. "Then we can do something about this rope tying us." The others had left them behind so they began to run again. It was even harder going. Lin's legs ached and there was fire in her lungs.
They soon caught up with two men who were also tied together. One was barefoot and hobbling, pulling his companion back. Guilt churned more in Lin's belly as they passed them but there was nothing to do to help. Krin and two others were still ahead.
To their left, the main group tried to fight their way through the woods. Snapping branches, yells and curses marked their passage.
"A blind man could follow that lot," gasped Lin.
"Better for us," replied Pet'r. "We need to go our own way. Let them hunt everyone else. Maybe we can get up a tree."
The bugle ripped through the air and the barking intensified. The dogs were loose.
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The dogs' howls tore through the night. Getting closer. Lin glanced over her shoulder but the dogs weren't in sight. "We've got to go faster," she urged the others. A pointless thing to say. The dogs made that clear.
Jaar struggled to catch his breath and fell once more. His friends pulled him back on to his feet. "I can't go on," he said. "I just can't."
"Dig deep, mate. We've got no choice," urged Pet'r as he shot a look at Lin. They dragged Jaar on but their speed had dropped to no more than a walk.
The barking grew louder and fiercer. Lin looked back once more, just in time to see the first dog come flying down the path they were on. By the Masters, it was fast. Three more followed, then another two, then more, right on their heels.
"Get off the road quick!" She shouted and swerved right into the trees. The closeness of the dogs gave Jaar new energy and they jumped over bramble and around bushes. A low branch clawed Lin across the face. Wiping her eyes, she turned again to look at their pursuit.
"Shit," she said.
The dogs pounced on the three stragglers behind them. The lead hound grabbed one man by the right arm. The next dogs took down the other two, biting and pulling. The humans disappeared under a sea of animal fury. Screams filled the air.
One man staggered back on to his feet with a dog clamped to his wrist. More dogs attacked until he too was dragged back to the ground. Someone screamed, a high-pitched cry echoing around the trees, until he was suddenly silenced. Lin saw blood spurt through the air. The dogs grew more frenzied in their attack.
"Lin!" shouted Pet'r, pulling her arm. "Leave them. Let them buy us yards. Don't stop or you’ll die as easily as they did."
But Lin couldn't tear her eyes away from the bloody spectacle.
"Lin! Come on!" urged Pet'r once again. She still didn't hear but one of the dogs did. Its head snapped up, instantly alert. Blood dribbled over its chin. Its tongue licked its fangs. Its ears twitched once, twice and then it was off, racing towards them. Its eyes locked on them. Another dog followed behind it.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" This time Pet'r didn't wait for Lin to react. He was off and running, jerking the rope that tied them together and forcing her into action. It snapped her back to reality and the three friends sprinted through the woods.
The
third bugle almost went unnoticed as the blood pounded in their ears and the ground crunched beneath their feet. The dogs came fast and furious. Lin could feel breath on her heel.
Jaar caught his foot on a root and went down heavily. This time his friends couldn't stop to help as a hound snapped at their feet.
They dodged around another tree as they heard Jaar's screams. The dog skidded in the dirt and changed course with them, closing the gap once more. They turned right but the hound anticipated the move and leapt at them. Its jaws clamped on the rope tied to their wrists, bringing both of them down, tumbling into each other and on top of the dog. It yelped in pain and let go of the rope as it freed itself from the tangle of bodies.
It lunged at them once more, clamping onto Pet'r's right arm. He yelled as its fangs dug into his skin. The dog dangled from him, tried to use its weight to drag him down. Lin kicked the animal in its belly. She kicked out again, driving her foot into the dog's head. The dog let go with a yelp but took a huge chunk of Pet'r's arm with it. But Lin didn't hesitate. She kicked again, catching it under the jaw. Pet'r joined in, not giving the animal any time to recover. Something went crack as its head shot back but they still didn't stop kicking and stamping. The dog's attempts to attack became weaker and weaker before finally it lay unmoving.
They stood panting over the dead animal's broken body.
Nearby, the other dog fed on Jaar's body. Lin picked up a rock and hurled it at the beast. It snarled, baring its bloody teeth at them as it poised to pounce at them.
Lin looked for anything she could use as a weapon but a whistle caught the dog's attention. Its head snapped toward the road just as a group of Masters on horses arrived. The hound sprinted back towards the rest of its pack, still feeding on the other fallen men.
Pet'r and Lin dropped to the ground, taking cover in the bushes around them. The dead dog lay between them, steam coming off its corpse as it cooled in the cold night air. The tang of blood caught in Lin's nostrils as it soaked the ground around her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to get her breathing back under control. Pet'r squeezed her hand. They were still alive.
