“You’re right, there is only one Anala. Me. I am Anala Geil, daughter of the Leaders of the Society of Hunters.”
“Malcolm?”
A stunned Malcolm doesn’t register the others that have come into the room. He just continues to stare at me. I, on the other hand, make sure to study our newcomers.
These must be the other ‘Heads’. They’re all dressed similarly to Malcolm, as though they’re prepared for a fight. All young, ordinary men, probably ranging in the mid to late twenties. They would blend into society, nothing making them stand out, and I wonder if that’s why they’re doing this. Are they playing a dangerous game because they need to feel important and manly? Whatever the reason, they’re all completely oblivious to the very real threat standing right in front of them.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends, Malcolm?”
“You’re lying,” Malcolm whispers roughly.
“Look at me, Malcolm. Look me in the eye. Am I lying?”
For the first time since meeting Malcolm, he actually looks at me and not at my body. He sees the Cursed eyes, and the truth of my words. He wraps his hand around his gun.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You know guns won’t affect me. And, if you shoot me, you’re only going to piss me off. I really don’t think any of you want that.”
“I can just shoot your boyfriend there,” Malcolm threatens.
“You could,” I answer civilly. “But then he would just be pissed off as well.”
Malcolm takes his eyes off of me for a moment to look at Sam. His eyes widen when he sees the truth.
“What do you want?”
“For you to stop what you’re doing. The Priestess is dead, and your little revolution is unnecessary.”
I see Malcolm begin to smile. Wow. This bloke is most definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed if he’s thinking what I think he’s thinking.
“I won.”
Yep. That’s what I thought. Sigh.
“No. I won. This is my home, Malcolm, my Society. I do not like what you have done here. I will not allow you to keep doing this to my people.” I realize as I’m saying the words, that I truly believe them. While I don’t want to stay here and lead these Hunters, they are a part of my family. My parents’ legacy. I cannot allow Malcolm to ruin that.
“You think you have authority here? The Society is dead, Anala. This is the land of Enforcers now. If you think we’re afraid of you, you’re wrong. There are seven of us in this room, and only two of you. You’re outnumbered.”
“Malcolm, don’t do this. I’m offering you a chance to move on with your life peacefully.” I feel Sam begin his change as he readies for a fight. I am forestalling my own change in hopes that Malcolm will listen to reason.
“Hear that guys? She thinks she’s in control here.” Malcolm laughs evilly. “No woman will ever be in control of me.” The others, however, don’t share his false mirth. They’re eyeing me and Sam warily.
“Perhaps we should listen to her, Malcolm.” By his accent, I’m guessing this is the head from the Netherlands. He is a very typical Nordic type with blonde hair and sharp features. Nothing stands out about him. “The Priestess is gone; there’s no threat anymore. If it’s true and this is the Anala, perhaps things can go back to how they were before. Our ancestors were happy with the Society.”
Malcolm’s eyes darken with anger. I see the moment he makes his decision. He goes for his gun, spins around, aims and shoots at his Netherlands counterpart. Unfortunately for Malcolm, I’m there to take the bullet before anyone even registers that I moved. The bullet rips through my chest, as I push the man out of the way. As much as I hate being shot, this could not have gone better for me. Malcolm has effectively alienated his one-time supporters by trying to kill them.
“You shot at me?!” Netherlands screams.
It really is like a scene from some bad B movie western. Malcolm still has his gun drawn, speechless that man he tried to kill is still alive. Gunner’s gun is now out and pointed towards me and the other Heads. And their guns are out pointed at Malcolm and Gunner. Sam and I share a look as he moves to my side.
Okay? He asks silently.
Hurts like a bitch, but I’m good.
This is quite the development. To our advantage.
So it would seem.
“It looks to me, Malcolm, that it is now you who is outnumbered,” I taunt, knowing full well it will piss him off even more than he is now.
“What are you fools doing? She’s just like her disgusting descendant! She wants to rule us, control us! She’s a woman! Women should not be in a position of authority!” Malcolm is becoming more and more exasperated with each word.
“How positively old-fashioned of you, Malcolm,” I say sardonically. “It should not be about the gender of the leader, but the ability. You are clearly not qualified.”
Malcolm’s hand shakes as he aims his gun at me again. With complete confidence in Sam, I turn my back on Malcolm to address the others. I know, deep down, what this show of defiance will do. I could have compelled Malcolm and Gunner, but there’s no guarantee that it will last. We certainly don’t need a repeat of this kind of philosophy. I feel Sam’s fingers brush mine, and I know without a doubt he stands behind my decision.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m pretty sure you want to live peacefully?”
“Yes,” Netherlands answers. “I am Roan. My territory is in the Netherlands. The only reason we,” he gestures towards his companions, “agreed to Malcolm’s demands is because we did not feel the Priestess was fair. It was never about gender.” He stammers his explanation as though he’s afraid of offending me if he agrees with Malcolm’s outlook.
“Weak! You’re all weak! I don’t need you! The Priestess is dead, I have all of the support I need without you!” Malcolm screams.
“You don’t have the support of our people any longer, Malcolm.” This comes from Spain. “Roan is right, the threat is over.” He looks to me. “You are really the true Anala?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can restore the Society to the way it was?” Scotland asks.
“I can. And I will.” I hear Malcolm yell out in frustration, and then rapid gunfire. I feel the bite of multiple bullets as Malcolm and Gunner empty their clips into me and Sam, who had moved to me and wrapped his arms around me. It was either that or do exactly what Amanda asked us not to do, which was kill Malcolm ourselves.
We didn’t need to. After the smoke settles, the bodies of Malcolm and Gunner, riddled with bullet holes, lay there unmoving. Exactly the outcome I envisioned would happen when I ignored Malcolm’s authority. For the most part, the other Heads are alive and fairly unharmed, save for a few flesh wounds here and there. Apparently Sam and I make a great shield.
“Ana! Sam! Talk to me!”
I had forgotten that the mic was open, and Amanda and the others heard everything. Including the gunfire.
“We’re fine,” Sam answers. “That really does hurt like a bitch,” he murmurs in my ear.
I lean back, and take Sam’s face in my shaking hands. A first for me. “Are you really okay, baby?” I begin checking him over, noticing that the wounds have already healed.
“I am. I promise.” Sam kisses me lightly. “Amanda? Everything okay over there?”
“Yes. Sam, are you sure…”
“I’m sure. Anala and I are fine. The other Heads are wounded but fine. Malcolm and Gunner are… gone.”
“Dead?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
“No. Neither I nor Anala did it. They were shot by the others.”
I leave Sam to continue that conversation, while I check on my group. Once I’m certain that all of my Hunters are safe, and they know we’re safe, I turn my attention to the Heads.
“Are you all alright?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” Spain answers, looking at me expectantly.
“I won’t do that for you. If y
ou have Cursed Ones you trust enough to heal you, I won’t stop you. It just won’t be me.”
“Understood. I am Miguel. My territory is in Spain.” He thrusts his blood covered hand out, then apologizes sheepishly for the mess. He has dark olive skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Again, I think, nothing remarkable stands out about him.
I nod instead of taking his hand. I’ve been bleeding as well, and I don’t want my blood mixing with his.
“This is Oliver from the Northern Ireland territory,” he continues the introductions. “Callum from the Scotland territory and Rhys from Ireland. We owe you…”
“The only thing I want,” I interrupt, “is for this to stop here. Were the drugs something you all agreed upon?”
“No, ma’am,” Rhys answers. His red hair flops down into his eyes as he shakes his head.
Callum bravely steps forward, holding his arm close to his body, trying to stop the flow of blood. “Malcolm told us it was the best way to control the people we needed to defeat the Priestess.” He bows his head. “I never wanted my people to be addicted and dependent on Malcolm.”
I study his bowed, strawberry-blonde head, determining whether to believe them or not.
“Fine. The drugs stop, this silly revolution stops and the Enforcers cease to exist. Do any of you have a problem with those terms?”
They all shake their heads timidly. So, it was Malcolm who made these guys more confident. His grand ideas gave them a false bravado.
“Good. I need you to tell your people to stand down.” My tone is so matter-of-fact that it leaves absolutely no room for discussion. Even so, they all look at each other with doubt.
“What about Malcolm’s? I don’t know if they’ll listen to us,” Roan states. “We can handle our own, but what will become of his followers?”
“They have no one left to follow. At least, not Malcolm. They have a choice to stay with the Society, or leave it completely. But this way of doing things, Malcolm’s way, no longer exists. Now there’s only one way. The Society way. No one will be forced to do anything they don’t want to do anymore, but the Society will not tolerate anyone that puts innocents in danger any longer.”
“Who will rule this territory?” Miguel asks hesitantly.
“No more Rulers. We have Leaders in the Society. Leaders that respect their Hunters. Who treat them like the family they’re supposed to be. Who lead them to do the honorable thing. You will meet the Leader of this territory soon. Then, if you are deemed to be qualified, you will be able to lead your territory. Only if you are qualified, and the standards are much higher than just standing behind Malcolm’s ideology. Do you understand?” I wait for their agreement before turning to Sam. “Let’s get out of here. These guys need to make an announcement.”
“What about them?” Sam motions to Malcolm and Gunner.
“Let Roan and the others take them out. Once the declarations are made, we’ll give them a proper burial, and their followers will know, for sure, that Malcolm’s regime is over. Amanda?”
“Yeah?”
“Come back. Leave Abby’s people there to deal with what’s going on. This isn’t our problem anymore.”
“On our way.”
Roan and the others made the announcement to their respective groups, telling them to stand down and letting word spread that the Priestess is dead. Letting them take Malcolm’s body out of the house effectively told his followers that he had been defeated in much the same way as the Priestess. They, along with Abby, informed groups from all territories that things will return to the ways of the Society, of course with a few changes here and there.
True to my word, I made sure Malcolm had a proper burial. However, I refused to give him a Hunters send-off. Too many innocents were hurt or killed because of him to give him that formality. One thing that concerns me is that the Cursed Ones Malcolm promised humans to have disappeared. That’s not good. If they’re not evolved Cursed Ones like Liam, we could have another epidemic on our hands. We don’t need more Cursed Ones being made by ones who are intent on using humans as a food source.
However, as I told Amanda, this is no longer our problem. That may seem harsh, but having done this one too many times in my six-hundred plus years, I’m finished. It is time for me step back and let someone else take over. Am I sure I can do that completely, especially if my Hunters decide to stay inside? No. But it never hurts to keep an eye on my family, and my parents’ legacy, right? Even if it is from afar.
Hunters are born to keep the peace between Cursed Ones and innocents. They are revered for their protection, and loyal above all else. They are bound by the rules of the Society. The rules are few, but they are strong. First, your fundamental duty is to protect innocents at all cost - even if it means your own death. Second, you must kill any Cursed Ones who are a threat to innocents. If the Cursed One has demonstrated that he/she has retained their humanity, and can live peacefully among humans, they can be granted amnesty. If a Cursed One does not abide by the rules of the Society, you must make sure they are dead by either beheading them or setting them on fire. Third, killing a human is still prohibited, unless your own life or the life of others is in danger. It is up to you to determine whether the human is innocent or a menace, and even then your first recourse is to incapacitate. Death is ONLY acceptable if there are no other alternatives. And, finally, rules are always made to be broken because there are always exceptions.
I once lived by the old rules. Until circumstances made me see that rules are never black and white, and I needed to break all of them. Would I do it all over again? Yes.
There’s a part of me that can’t wrap my head around the fact that this is over. For the most part, it ended peacefully with only minimal casualties. It just so happens that those causalities were the “bad guys”. To say that I am eternally grateful that all of my Hunters are unharmed is a gross understatement. As we now sit around the dining room table - yes, eating again because Jenna was ‘starving’ - I find myself overwhelmed with emotion.
Baby?
I wink at Sam, giving him a small smile. We just need to wrap up a few details, and we’ll be able to go home. Or, anywhere, really.
“Abby, have you decided how you’re going to handle the other territories?” I ask before taking a bite of my pizza. No, I don’t need it, but it sure does taste good.
“We’ve all decided to meet, sort of like a round table discussion. I don’t want to run this place like the Priestess did. I want us to be, well, like all of you.” She looks at me and my Hunters. “You rely on each other, and though you’re the Leader, Anala, you look to them for help. That’s what the Society was before, according to stories I’ve heard. We want to get that back. I’m happy to say that the other territories are on board with that.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” I smile. “And, what will you do about the drug problem?”
“First we get the drugs out of here, and get the innocents around here to help. A ‘community cleanup’ if you will. I’m sure that will be our most difficult task, but with everyone’s cooperation, I think we can handle it.” She pauses for a moment to take a drink. “We may have trouble with Cursed Ones that expect humans to be their personal blood banks,” she says, echoing my own concerns.
“You’re Hunters. Cursed Ones do not have free rein to use humans. Those who do not comply with the new rules of the Society, are to be eradicated.” That, actually, is black and white for me. Cursed Ones are not supposed to exist. Humans are, and will always be, the dominate species. We are, basically, guests in their world. If we break the rules, they have the right to ‘kick us out’.
“What will you do?” Abby asks softly.
I shrug, giving Sam a grin. “Travel, maybe. I’m not sure. We have an eternity to figure it out.” Amanda and the rest of my Hunters stay quiet for the remainder of the dinner. Sam and I both wonder if it’s because they’re unhappy with us. That’s something we’re all going to have to discuss before any plans can begin.
“I
wish you would stay. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
“Abby, I will always be around if you need help. But you have already proven you’re ready for this. You stepped up when you needed to. I have no doubts you’ll be an excellent Leader.” As I sit at the head of the table, I look at each of my Hunters, and Abby and Liam. “This is a room full of Leaders,” I announce softly, spreading my arms wide to indicate all of them. “Whether you choose to lead a chapter of the Society, or choose a different path in life, you will continue to be someone people can look up to. I am honored to know each and every one of you, and I know that I am a better person - a better Leader - because of you.” I focus on Amanda, Jenna, Emily, Eric, Jeremy and Sara. “When I was forced to choose a group of Hunters, descendants from those in my past, I had no idea what I would be getting. I couldn’t be more impressed - or more blessed - with what I did get. If I have to fight for humanity, I would want you all to be the ones next to me. Every time.”
Amanda silently wipes a tear from her eye, giving me a small smile. We still haven’t spoken about future plans, but I know, as I hope she does, that she will always be a part of my life.
“Who knew you were such a sap?” Jenna, being Jenna, smirks at me, but I see the glistening of tears in her eyes as well.
“Who knew you were such a bitch… oh wait, never mind.” I wink wryly at the blonde cheerleader, and get the laugh I was hoping for from everyone.
Much later, after Abby and Liam leave, my Hunters and I sit in the makeshift meditation room. We are seated in a circle around a thick lavender scented candle. The mood is somber, as the group of friends finally realize that this is the time where we go our separate ways. Whether that means college for the others, I’m not sure. But whatever they choose to do, I will support them, financially and emotionally.
“Have you all thought about what you want to do now?” I ask at length.
Destined to Meet: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 3) Page 17
