by K A Faul
Flying two legs in forest, a bird told her when she asked if he’d seen anything strange.
Several animals had mentioned the damned Hunter over the last two days, and Mina found it pointless to try and argue with them and explain how she and her werewolf buddies had shredded the man.
Though every new mention of the Hunter made her wonder how the others were doing, and she kept wondering if heading on by herself was the right choice.
Were they being selfless while I was being selfish?
Mina shook her head. Thomas would get them back safely. She had no doubt about that, but she couldn’t help but feel she’d let down her pack members. The guilt refused to leave her head.
The Hunter might be dead, but she also couldn’t ignore the possible dangers that might confront her once she arrived in Esper. Hostile fae women who wanted to choke her, manticores, and Rogan knew who else might mess with her once she pushed through the portal.
If I die because some faerie bitch chokes me to death, that’ll be really embarrassing. Then again, it’s not like anyone will ever know.
The thought was surprisingly comforting.
Mina growled to herself and continued heading toward the cave containing the portal. It wouldn’t be long now, based on what Thomas told her. She’d kept a comfortable pace on four legs, assuming the Hunter’s traps had been laid out closer to the area he’d attacked the pack.
Of course, if I take a golden spike to the foot, I’ll have no one else to blame but myself.
Thomas’s thorough instructions, along with the occasional chat with an animal, made it easy to navigate toward the cave with the portal, but that didn’t stop the pounding in her heart for reasons that had nothing to do with creepy fae women, hot fae men, or manticores.
Being completely alone in the middle of the forest wasn’t helping, but it was more what was waiting inside the cave that worried her.
“Shades,” Thomas had explained.
“Shades? Are those like ghosts?”
“From what I understand, they aren’t ghosts. Not in the true spirits of the dead sense, but I’m not sure. Just that they hang around the cracks in worlds, don’t really have a true physical form, and they feed on lifeforce.”
“Sounds a lot like ghosts to me. How the hell do I fight something like that?”
“You don’t. You use light to keep them away, and you get through the portal as quickly as possible. If it were anyone else, there’s no way I’d let them even try, but you’re just stubborn, brave, and lucky enough to deal with this by yourself. Use the torches in the cave entrance. Time to channel your inner Girl Scout. By the way, don’t worry about the Esper mushrooms. They don’t have the side-effects the ones over here do.”
“Okay… that’s… interesting. Anything else I should know? Will some dragon challenge me with riddles on the other side?”
“Nope. Just follow my directions, eat the mushroom, come back. Remember, the elders will be waiting for you when you come back out.”
Mina’s stomach rumbled a bit. She sniffed around for a few minutes until she found some berries. She’d not eaten much other than berries or nuts the last few days, and her stomach growled for some decent amount of protein.
Catching a rabbit or a deer by herself wasn’t a problem, at least not physically. The issue was more psychological. The ability to talk to animals complicated her previous thoughts about eating animals.
Her ability to communicate with them made it clear the creatures had an awareness of sorts, but whether that meant they were truly self-aware remained an open question. The birds and mammals at least seemed to have something reasonable and understandable going on, but the reptiles and fish didn’t.
Nothing but a plant, lizard, and fish diet from now on, huh? Guess I should take up fishing.
Mina shook her head.
Linh was right. It’s the circle of life. A normal wolf doesn’t feel guilty when it takes down a deer because it kills to survive, not for fun.
A half-hour later, Mina finished off the rabbit she’d been eating after apologizing. Maybe she would never be comfortable again with eating many animals because of her new ability. She’d never heard any suggestion that Rogan didn’t eat meat, and he’d been the one to uplift animals to shifters to begin with.
Souls? Is that the difference, maybe? Do regular animals have souls? Isn’t that what Rogan truly gave our ancestors when he turned them into shifters?
Thinking about it too hard made her head hurt, and she had an appointment with a portal.
Mina licked her paws a bit and padded off in the direction of the cave, following along a narrow stream Thomas told her would lead her right to the cave.
Twenty minutes passed as Mina followed the widening stream. The tree density decreased. The closer the werewolf moved to the cave, the more obvious it became that the trees near the entrance had been cleared away with intention, the cut stumps still visible for some more recent removals. Dirt had been cleared or eroded away, leaving most of the immediate area near the cave rocky.
Mina padded over to the cave entrance and sniffed. Nothing suspicious. Just damp moss and fungus, like any other cave she’d smelled. She’d been expecting something more, anything really, for a cave containing a portal to another world, maybe a few exotic herbs and spices.
Huh. I wonder what angels smell like? Or faeries for that matter?
The flutter of several birds taking flight sounded from behind her. A faint crack followed. If she’d not been in wolf form, she wouldn’t have heard it.
Thwack.
Mina sprinted forward, her heart kicking up. Something metallic tinged against the rock. She leapt toward the cave wall and then twisted her body, pushing off to propel herself away from the wall.
Ha-ha. Just invented wolf parkour.
Mina’s momentum kept her rushing forward the second she hit the ground. The briefest of glances revealed what had almost hit her: a gold-tipped crossbow bolt.
So all those animals weren’t confused. I was. Another damned Hunter.
Mina shot a baleful glare into the forest. Another dark-clothed Hunter stood in the trees, reloading his crossbow.
The werewolf glanced between the cave entrance and the dense patch of mostly Douglas firs surrounding her. If she hit the cave, she might have been able to cut down the man’s aerial mobility advantage, but she would also most likely be a far easier target.
The wolf made for the cover of the forest, her pulse thundering in her ears. Another crossbow bolt knocked up dirt and dust right beside her head. If she didn’t keep moving, she’d soon be dead.
After a few minutes, her opponent hadn’t landed any clean shots, but Mina was getting farther and farther away from the cave and stream.
If that guy laid down any spikes, I’m screwed.
On four legs, Mina had speed, fangs, and claws, but a couple of golden spikes and she’d be easy pickings for the Hunter. On two legs, she might not have as many tools, but she also could beat the man down the old-fashioned two-legged way. It was like Thomas drilled into her during training: she would never know what kind of opponent she might be facing.
The only advantage Mina could see was that the undergrowth was thickening, along with the density of fallen logs. She didn’t need that long to shift under normal circumstances, but even thirty seconds might be too much with a Hunter on her ass.
Mina sprinted and let out a low growl, sliding into a small thicket. It was time to do something either brilliant or idiotic. Praying the tree cover would be enough, Mina concentrated on not making a sound as she initiated the shift.
Pain shot through her body as her bones, muscles, and skin twisted and reformed themselves. The agonizing seconds ticked away, but the lethal bolt from above never arrived.
Finished, Mina took a few deep breaths, listening for the sound of the Hunter. His light grunts and the shaking of branches as he moved nearby reached her ears.
The man was close now, very close. Mina rolled out of the thick
et and sprinted for a nearby thick tree trunk. A crossbow bolt slammed into the side of the trunk right after her arrival.
“It doesn’t have to go down like this, pal,” Mina shouted. “First of all. I’m not a rogue wolf. None of us were. So, it’s bullshit that you’re even hunting us. Second of all, your partner is dead, so if you’re hoping for reinforcements, you’re going to be waiting a long time.”
“I notice you’re by yourself, hellhound. If Malcolm took down four hellhounds in the process, I think he’d consider it a fair trade. You have no pack now to keep you alive. Your kind is always weak alone.”
“He didn’t take down crap, let alone my pack.” Mina spun behind a new tree trunk. “All of my pack are still alive, just hurt. They didn’t want to slow me down.”
She decided against an obvious lie about them being nearby and rescuing her. If she could establish some sort of shared desperation, maybe she could convince the man to leave, but if he thought his back was to the wall, he had no reason not to go down in a blaze of werewolf-gutting glory.
“Good. Then once I’m done with you, it’ll be easy to finish them off.”
Mina groaned. “You can just walk away already, you know? No one else has to die. This doesn’t have to be a big deal—”
A quick move to Mina’s right saved her from taking a crossbow bolt to the shoulder.
Robin Hood’s got to be running low soon.
She sprinted through the forest, her arms in front of her face to save her from being slapped by low-hanging branches.
Mr. Two Legs Without Wings continued his arboreal acrobatics display as he kept behind her, but he managed to only get one single bolt off over the next minute.
Yeah, hard to chase me and load a crossbow, isn’t it?
Mina tried to survey the trees as she ran. She couldn’t move like a Hunter could on two legs, but she still could pull a poor werewolf’s version off. If she closed the distance, a few punches or kicks could go far. She doubted the Hunter could survive a tall fall from a tree like she could.
Sure, it would hurt like hell, but even if the Hunter didn’t die, Mina would be able to get up sooner.
“Stop running, hellhound,” the Hunter shouted. “Die with a little dignity.”
“Dignity’s overrated, asshole.”
Mina turned around to shoot a smirk at the man. A loud twang filled the air, and something jerked her right leg into the air. The blood rushed to her head, and it took her a few seconds to understand she was swinging by one leg off the ground.
“Oh, for crying out loud!”
No fancy gold. No gold blade or enchanted spell. The Hunter had beaten her with stone-age technology: a simple snare trap.
“Son of a bitch. Seriously? This is how I’m going to die?” Mina snorted. “I almost deserve it.”
Chapter 26
The Hunter slung his crossbow over his back. He dropped from branch to branch until he hit the ground and pulled a gold dagger out from underneath his dark jacket, an almost sympathetic look on his face.
Mina wanted to spit in his face. The man had tried to kill her and now had the gall to act like he felt bad about the whole thing.
“It’ll be over soon,” the Hunter said. “Just don’t fight it.”
Mina thrashed. “Let me go, asshole. I didn’t attack you. Unless you’re a vegetarian, I don’t want to hear you complaining about any rabbits or deer I’ve eaten.”
The Hunter sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could, but I made a solemn vow to Malcolm that should he fall, I would finish his work. I’d been waiting for your pack since he never called me back. I’m disappointed to realize you took him out but not surprised.” He shrugged. “I told him it was unwise to attack you werewolves in your own territory like this.”
“Let me go, and I’ll forget all about this. You don’t have to keep that promise to that psycho. Your bro there had some major issues. I feel sorry for his loss, but I didn’t kill his wife, and if werewolves belonging to my clan did, they would have been punished.”
“It doesn’t matter if it was you or your clan. Your kind did… because they couldn’t help themselves. We all revert to our natures eventually.” The Hunter pointed his dagger at her. “Just like you will, given enough time. Rabbits or deer won’t be enough. Soon, you’ll crave different game.”
Mina rolled her eyes. “Racist, much? If you’re asshole friend hadn’t come after us, he wouldn’t be dead. I live in some hicksburg tiny little small town so that I can mind my business and normal humans can mind theirs. Our clan keeps things under control.”
The Hunter tapped his blade in his palm. “You see, here’s my problem. You look like a woman. You talk like a woman, but you’re not a woman. You’re literally a little bitch wearing a human skin. Your kind are animals pretending to be people, and Malcom’s right. We can’t let this go on. It’s obscene.”
“Murdering people who’ve never done anything to you is obscene.” Mina kicked but accomplished nothing more useful than making her swing more. Her pulse continued to pound in her ears, both from being upside down and her building fear.
The Hunter might not be ranting at the top of his lungs like his partner, but he was obviously in the same headspace.
“That’s just it,” he said. “You’re a dangerous animal. When dangerous animals threaten people, people put them down. That’s been the way of things even when we couldn’t defend ourselves from your kind.” He shook his head. “It brings me no joy that I’m having to put you down like a rabid dog.” The man clucked his tongue. “It’s not your fault, hellhound. You were born polluted, twisted. Your kind is a mistake that should have been cleansed from our planet a long time ago. I’m not like Malcolm. I don’t do this out of hatred.”
Mina scoffed. If she could get her hands on the man’s neck, she’d love to go all creepy fae choking woman on him.
“Sure, you don’t hate me,” she said. “You just are calling me obscene and planning to kill me. Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“Like I said, it’s not you. It’s just your nature.” The Hunter tapped the golden blade against his cheek. Mina winced at the display, even though she understood his skin wouldn’t react the same way as that of a werewolf. “Think of it this way. When someone fumigates a house, they don’t do it out of hatred. Sometimes you just have to fight pests.”
“Oh, I’m an obscene pest and hellhound. Definitely not detecting any hatred or racism. Sure. Gotcha.”
The Hunter paced back and forth in front of the hanging woman. “The Hunters of the Church have lost their way. We’ve betrayed everything the Immortal Huntress stands for. Malcolm helped me understand that.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now I’m the only one left to carry on his work.” He took a single step toward her. “That’s enough talk. Let’s just get this taken care of.”
Mina swallowed, her blood thundering in her ears. Even with the first hunter, she’d been more worked up than afraid. For the first time in her entire life, she knew true fear.
“Come on, pal. It doesn’t have to be like this. Just pack your knives and go and all that.”
The Hunter continued to stalk toward Mina, and her mind raced as she tried to think of any way to escape. If she shifted, her foot would slide free, but the Hunter would be on her too quickly for her to survive.
There was only one thing she refused to do: beg for her life. At least she would die as she lived, defiant and pissy.
“I’ll grant you some last words before I kill you,” the Hunter said. “It’s only right.”
Mina shrugged, desperation smothering her fear. “Hell, someone else should know before I die. The truth is, I think I have some sort of faerie fetish.”
The Hunter blinked, genuine surprise spreading over his face. “Not what I expected but interesting.” He lifted his blade. “May the Lord correct all mistakes that walk on this Earth.”
Mina closed her eyes.
Sorry, guys. Guess I should have come back with you anyway.
T
he Hunter screamed. A moment later, the loud crack of gunfire followed. Mina gasped. Given that order of events, whoever had taken the shot was damned far away.
Mina’s eyes snapped open. The Hunter swayed, clutching his chest with his free hand. The dagger slipped from his other hand. Blood spread from a huge wound in his chest. He fell to his knees, coughing up blood.
With a pained groan, the Hunter managed to stagger back to his feet. Another bullet struck his head, and his body spiraled to the ground.
“Okay, I didn’t expect that,” Mina said. She considered shifting now to get out of the snare but decided to wait in case some team of werewolf commandos showed up to cut her down.
Loud flapping caught her attention. She turned her head toward the source, not werewolf commandos, but a huge raven.
“Linh, you beautiful bitch.”
The raven dove straight toward Mina and grabbed the rope with her beak. She clawed and bit at the fiber until the rope snapped and her friend smashed against the ground.
“Oof. That hurt, but thanks, Linh.”
The huge raven became a young woman. “You can’t do anything without me around.” She crossed her arms and smirked.
Mina stood and dusted off her pants. “What are you doing here?”
“After the first day, I decided I’d kind of trail along at a distance.” Linh rolled her eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to hide from a bunch of damn wolves in the woods?”
Mina gestured toward the dead Hunter. “Apparently not hard enough.” She sighed. “Not to be a bitch, but if you were—wait. Where’s your rifle?”
Linh pointed in the distance. “In some trees a bit back. Until someone invents a better preservation amulet, not like I had much choice. Hard to fly with the big guns, and I wanted to get to you. What were you going to say when you started out with, ‘Not to be a bitch,’ which always means you’re being a bitch, by the way?”
“The pack got pretty messed up by the first hunter. Why didn’t you snipe his ass?”
