by Aubade Teyal
Chapter Twenty One - Hunter
She knew where his room was. She’d figured it out eventually. After countless Saturdays cleaning every hearth in Feliformia, she knew every senior’s room. Kellas occupied a corner room on a corridor of seniors. All of the prefects were on a separate corridor; all except him. It was typical. He had to be different. Inside his room, it was simple. Bed, desk, wardrobe, and an always open window. Lennox had surveyed it carefully. The other seniors had comforts from home. Food, rugs, kettles, lamps, photos of girls, none of their families, and stereos. No-one had a phone. They were strictly forbidden. Kellas’ room was completely bereft of home comforts, and Lennox had felt comforted by that. It was something she could relate to. It was a sign that there was something they shared.
Mannik did not go with her. He stayed in the surgery. Lennox was his last hope. He didn’t trust himself; something would go wrong, if he went. Lennox, alone, was the only way.
But she was running out of time. The longer she took, the further Duncan would run. She had no idea what he planned to do with Mannik’s guardian, but she knew with a stony certainty that if she didn’t catch up with him soon, neither she nor Mannik would ever see the whittled box again.
The problem was the corridors were busy, juniors ambling to the common room, seniors either ignoring them, or barking orders at them, and there were few moments of quiet, where she could slip unseen from end to end. She stepped through the old castle with ease. It was at the entrance to Feliformia she became trapped. She ducked behind a door, and waited precious minutes as the stairs shook with pounding feet.
At the first lull, she was out of her hiding place, and running up the stairs. Kellas was first floor. She did not have far to go. She only needed 10 seconds of peace. But she heard, before she reached the top, the sound of the first floor corridor door swing open.
It was too late to turn back. She almost at the top. She had to keep going. If it was Kearns, everything was over. But if it were anyone else, they might raise the alert, but not stop her. She might still have a few more precious minutes to find Kellas before she was caught.
She reached the top of the stairs and almost hurtled past the senior, except he caught her, his two hands seizing hold of her arms, as if he’d know she were coming, and had readied himself to catch her.
‘Lennox. What are you doing here?’
It was Kellas. They had a chance. But not if she stopped to talk.
‘I need your help,’ she told him, pulling herself free from his grip. ‘Come.’
She raced back down the stairs, knowing he would follow, and, as the ground floor was clear, she ran, light footed, all the way out into the dark courtyard. Then she swept her gaze across the open dark space. Duncan could be anywhere.
Kellas caught up with her.
‘What are you doing?’
There was an edge of anger now in his voice. She was going to have to be careful; and blunt.
‘Duncan took Mannik’s Guardian. I think he’s taking it to Don.’
Kellas gagged. He looked sick.
‘How? No.’ He stopped himself, and her. ‘No. Don’t tell me. Time for talking later. Have you any idea which way he will have gone?’
She shook her head and, because there was nothing else to say, but so much to do, she began running. Together they stopped outside the walls, overlooking the slopes. There was nothing to see. Only darkness.
‘We’re going to need help.’ Kellas said.
‘There’s no time.’
Lennox knew she was panicking. She didn’t care. They had to move fast.
She sprinted down the slope in the direction of the Dark Hills. They’d come from there, and it was the closest route to the border. It was as good a place as any to look.
She’d reached the point where the land started to rise, when something behind made her slow. It wasn’t Kellas. She knew he was following her lead. A dark shape shot past her. For a moment, she saw a pale, shadow streaking across the ground. Then it shimmered, and vanished, as Kellas caught up with her once more.
‘Did you see that?’
Kellas ignored her.
‘This way,’ he said, with a new certainty, and set off.
It was a perfect night. Cold, and cloudless, the night sky was studded with light, the earth below was dry, and silver edged. If only there had been a different purpose to their run. If only she could forget about Mannik, and his despair, and think instead of Kellas.
She followed him, through grass as high as her waist, through gorse than scratched and needled her legs, under trees where ferns brushed like fingers against her sore skin. There was no path, and no direction, it seemed, for he veered haphazardly, changing direction frequently, yet all the time forcing the pace, resolute, sure, of something.
When he stopped, it was suddenly. He dropped low, sheltered behind a lone pine.
‘What is it?’
She knew there was something out there. All her nerves were screaming at her.
He shook his head once. Then he spoke the other way, his way.
He’s just over there, by the rocks. He’s crossed the border. And he’s waiting.
‘And why are we waiting?’
He frowned as she whispered. But there was no other way for her.
He’s not alone.
She stared at him, and he knew what she meant, what she wanted to know.
His guardian is there too.
But it still didn’t answer her question.
She opened her mouth to question him again, but he silenced her with a scowl.
A wolf.
She shut her mouth, her question answered. Long ago, when they had walked into Balreaig, Duncan had warned her. He had said lambs still disappeared. He had known what he was talking about.
Moments later, movement in the moonlight caught her attention. By her side, Kellas has stiffened. From a small copse of trees beyond the rocks, an animal came tearing across the stony ground.
Don’s guardian.
It was another wolf, enormous and grey, such as had apparently died out hundreds of years ago. After the grey wolf, came Don, enormous and threatening. As the wolf reached the rocks, Duncan and a fiery red wolf came forward to meet it. The wolves met muzzle to muzzle, and there was an eerie growl from the grey wolf, before the red wolf backed away, and lowered, slowly, to the ground in respect.
She glanced at Kellas in dismay. What chance did they have against two wolves, Don and Duncan?
But Kellas’ attention was focused on the scene ahead.
Don and Duncan spoke softly, too softly for Lennox to hear. She didn’t need to hear to understand what was happening. Duncan uncovered the whittled box, and handed it to Don, who regarded it with a satisfaction.
She looked at Kellas again, this time in desperation. Soon it would be too late.
The box disappeared, and Don looked ready to go, but there was an exchange of words between him and Duncan which stopped him. Their voices rose.
‘I can’t go back. Not now,’ she heard Duncan say, clearly angry
Whatever Don replied, it wasn’t what Duncan wanted to hear. He threw an arm wide in frustration. But Don turned his back on Duncan, walked away. His wolf stood its ground.
Lennox dropped her hand onto Kellas’ arm. She could feel the muscles tight underneath.
He snapped his head round.
‘Please,’ she mouthed. Don was leaving, and he had Mannik’s guardian.
He nodded once, and rose slowly, to a crouch. Moments later he was running, his feet falling like snow, silently, but in the open, visible.
Duncan saw him at once.
‘Don.’ He barked. ‘Company.’
Don looked over his shoulder.
‘He’s all yours,’ he said.
But that wasn’t true. As Duncan readied himself to fight, the wolves did as well. The grey wolf dropped low in a hunting prowl, the red wolf circled lower.
Kellas was outmanoeuvred before the fight had begun. What ha
d she done? What had she asked him to do? And Don was leaving, box in hand, without a backwards glance.
It was all going horribly wrong
Movement further up the hillside caught her attention. A streak of silver, running as a river flows, was racing down the slope, straight at Don. Lennox stared, transfixed, appalled, not quite believing what she was seeing.
Don saw it too, and burst into a run. But he was not as fast. The animal drew closer at an alarming rate, flying down the slope, barely seeming to touch the land. Lennox shook her head, disbelievingly. It was a leopard, snow white, lightning fast, deadly, and advancing on Don.
‘This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,’ Duncan said, advancing on Kellas.
In reply, Kellas simply readied himself. He brought his arms up, his chin low, and he had begun to move, lightly, heels raised, adjusting his position so he could face all three of his opponents.
A sudden break from the wolves brought a cry to Lennox’s lips. They both leapt forwards, snarling. Kellas didn’t flinch. As the wolves leapt, he darted side to side, each arm striking a solid blow to the wolf nearest, which sent them both crashing to the ground.
But Kellas did not have time to blink. Duncan threw himself at Kellas and brought him down to the ground with such force, Lennox heard his head thud. The wolves were back on their feet at once, and racing for Kellas’ head.
Lennox couldn’t watch any longer.
She rose from her hiding place into a sprint, her blood pounding. She had no idea what she would do. She never did. But she had to act.
Duncan saw her almost instantly, as if he had been waiting for her.
‘There you are,’ he said.
He left Kellas, rolling on the ground, arms raised, fending off the wolves. With one look, she knew what Duncan wanted. She knew why he had been preparing to go back to Calgacos. He wanted her.
She backed very slowly away. Duncan following. If she could help Kellas, if they could just get out of here, alive, unscathed. Further up the slope. Don had drawn a hunting knife, and held the leopard at bay. He, at least, had his own problems.
‘You couldn’t stay away from me, could you?’
Duncan was frighteningly calm. Duncan could have been walking the corridors of Calgacos, supervising the weekend clean. He was almost smiling. Behind him, Kellas had rolled back to his feet and had drawn a knife on the wolves. As Lennox watched, he swiped and forced the red wolf to scramble back.
‘You’ve got no-one else. No one will take care of you like I will.’ Duncan told her.
She had backed all the way to the pine tree where they had sheltered, where the land sloped steeply, and gorse grew in thick crown. She would fall, if she walked backwards here. She should either face him, or turn and run. And that meant leaving Kellas, who was only here because she’d asked him.
There was no choice. She braced herself. She had to do this very carefully.
‘Even better,’ Duncan murmured. He knew she was readying to fight. It excited him.
Before, when the accidents had happened, Lennox had not known what was happening. It was akin to a fever. She had burned, and lost control, as if in a dream world. Then, after ‘waking’ there was always blood, and always trouble. But she never remembered what had happened. This was very different. She was in a state of cold fear, excruciatingly aware. For the first time in her wife, she was willing herself to attack someone, and she didn’t know how to start.
Duncan was laughing at her before she had even begun. He could read her every thought. He knew she had no chance. She felt like she was wading through mud. Her movements slow, clumsy. But as she struggled, jabbing with her fists, which Duncan deflected effortlessly, the world around her had changed.
She could never quite remember what she noticed first. One moment the sky was an endless dark sea of stillness, and Duncan was laughing, in control. The next, there was a storm all around and Duncan was gone, replaced by white fury. The air around them hissed, and came alive. A bird, falling like a bomb, dived straight at Duncan’s face. His reaction was quick. His left hand shot to his face to bat away the bird, but it came away with blood dripping. Another bird, an owl, its wings as wide as branches, swooped down on him, screaming as its claws fell, outstretched.
Then she forgot all about what was happening in the sky for a hyena, and a coyote materialised from the darkness and circled him, their hackles raised, their teeth ready, snarling like thunder.
Seconds later the wolves appeared. Taking up position in front of Duncan, allowing him to turn, and run.
Only then did she remember the box, and Don. But he was already gone. There was nothing left to see except Duncan’s retreating back, then the two wolves, racing like wind, the grass as high as their bellies, only their snouts and tails visible as they ran after him.
It was over as quickly as it had begun. The night sky empty apart from the legions of stars, and the moon, hovering over them close enough to touch, the birds gone as suddenly as they had arrived. To her left and her right, in the long grass, only prints where Duncan had stood, and the hyena and coyote were gone like ghosts. Nobody was left but Kellas, striding down the slope towards her, the leopard stalking close by his heels.
It was carrying something in its mouth, revealing its curved front teeth, each one as long as a finger. Its coat was a smoky grey, fading to pure cloud white, but speckled with large prints of dark ash. It was undoubtably the most stunning creature Lennoc had ever seen. As it drew closer, as she could pick out a few slender dark whiskers, and the line of pink marking its mouth; she shivered. It was a killer.
‘Come,’ said Kellas, holding out a hand as he drew near.
But she shied away, her eyes on the leopard.
As she watched, the leopard lowered its fine head, and placed the object on the grass. It was Mannik’s box.
‘Do you know who this is?’ Kellas asked.
‘No.’
She could not take her eyes from its stately grace, its deadly white teeth.
‘This is my guardian. Sallek. She has been wanting to meet you for some time.’
‘She?’
Lennox had assumed the leopard was male, like Kellas. She raised her glance to look eye to eye with Sallek. As she did, everything made sense. For Sallek’s eyes were a treasure chest of green and gold. They were exactly the same eyes that had bewitched her already. She could have been looking at Kellas. Then she knew she was safe. For her, Sellak was not a killer. She bent down and collected Mannik’s box.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered to Sellak.
Finally she turned to him. He was watching very carefully.
‘Let’s get you back,’ he decided.
‘Not Pineham,’ she pleaded. ‘Anything but Pineham.’
And Kellas smiled.
‘No, we’ll go to Calgacos. I don’t think Pineham would accept you, at this time of night. They’re a proper school.’
