The Hunger of Wolves

by Ashley Ruggiero

  "That's true." Victoria trailed off and found her way into a section about celestial vampires.

  "What's this about?" Raduta asked, pausing her search.

  Victoria sighed. "Albert was out of my life for only a few years, and I feel like we've completely lost touch with each other. I thought I could always rely on him, but now…" Victoria sighed. "I know everyone secretly makes fun of me." The two were silent for a moment before Victoria spoke up again. "It wasn't always like this, you know."

  "Really?"

  Victoria nodded. "When I was a child, I could swear that I could hear the sound of the wind calling my name. It was my destiny to become a mighty warrior for Sangera, and it was as if the magic around me knew. I'd go play in the woods and the creatures of the forest would leave me things, little gifts. I'd just be walking one day when a trail of willow-the-wisps would light up and lead me to a flower crown or little animals made from sticks and leaves by the children of the forest. I still have a few of them."

  "So, what happened? Why did you stop going into the forest?"

  Victoria took a deep breath. "My brother died. At first, it was just because I was too sad to go back into the woods where we played. Everything there reminded me of him. It took me many months before I was able to go back to our old fishing spot. Then I figured it was a dishonor to not enjoy the things we loved together, so I went back." Victoria frowned at the memory. "My mother freaked. She had the hounds looking for me. When she saw me sitting by the river with a fishing pole in my hand and wearing a flower crown from the forest… I'll never forget the fury and the fear in her eyes that night. She tore that crown from my head and snapped the pole in two telling me that I wasn't allowed to go into the forest anymore."

  "Did you ever ask why?"

  Victoria shook her head. "Back then I was too scared to ask. Eventually, I just stopped caring." She looked over at Raduta who had been listening to her story. "You probably think I'm crazy. That's what everyone thinks. It's what my mother thought when I told her."

  "I don't think you're crazy. This world of magic may be new to me, but I'm wise enough to understand that we're only limited by what we're able to accept. So, maybe you are a cripple. That doesn't mean that you're still not meant for great things."

  Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Adrian who carried several old and dark looking books. "I found some books about Necromancy and Reanimation in the back of the library with a bunch of other books about spirit abilities. You might find your Planeswalking book back there."

  Raduta shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

  The three of them made their way to the back of the stacks. On their way, they bumped into Albert who was huddled in a corner advertising Terrarum fairy tales. "I thought these books would have pictures, but it's just a bunch of nonsense and conspiracies." He went to pull a book from the bottom shelf, but it wouldn't budge. "You can't even read this one. It's a real shame, too. It's all about the conspiracies surrounding the royal families."

  "As intriguing as I'm sure you would find that, make yourself useful. Help us look for books."

  "Yes, ma'am," he replied with a small salute. "I live to serve the monarchy."

  The group had been looking through the stacks for about ten minutes and had indeed found some related to Raduta's ability of Planeswalking. At long last, Victoria caught a flash of sunshine blond hair as the last member of their group found them.

  "Some bodyguard you are," Victoria teased. "Don't you realize I could have died between now and lunch?"

  "Sorry," he said with a wince. "I really tried with Charlize but she's even more stubborn than you are. She refuses to spend any time with me that is also spent with you."

  "Well, that's rude. We're the ones trying to make things better, but she has the audacity to treat us like monsters?" Victoria shook her head.

  "I know. It is what it is. If she keeps it up, I'm going to—"

  They all stumbled as the ground shook. "What's going on?" Raduta asked.

  Alex shook his head. "I'm not sure." He moved over to the glass wall that lead out to the roof and his face paled. "We need to go." He moved to grab Victoria, but the ground shook again, accompanied by screaming this time. "Run," he told them.

  Victoria scrambled to her feet and began to move towards the exit only to find her way blocked. The bookshelves had fallen over by where they had found Albert and there was no way out. Another tremor sent more bookshelves falling around her. Dust filled her nose and lungs and she coughed as all of the worst-case scenarios filled her mind. "It's blocked!" she called turning back only to find herself alone. The way that she had come from was also blocked, trapping her between the stacks. "Alex!" she called running over to where they would be. "Are you guys okay?" She could have sworn that she heard muffled shouting but couldn't make out anything the other person was saying. In the direction of the exit, the sounds of running met her ears. "Help!" she cried.

  "There's no help for you where you're going," a voice called out to her.

  Victoria froze at those words and as everything she ever feared came true. She was trapped with nowhere to go.

  She found herself helpless as the whole world was lit by fire.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Vampires and Books are Equally Flammable

  Victoria was seeing red and smelling it everywhere. The blood of vampires was strong, and it made her weak to her stomach. It was an unnatural scent that made her want to vomit.

  But wait.

  There was another smell. A smell that made her open her eyes and sit up as if drawn by some invisible tether. It drove her wild. It was unlike anything she had ever sensed before. Coppery and…sweet. It smelled absolutely delicious. She found herself mad from desire.

  Victoria became vaguely aware that she was drooling and wiped at her mouth leaving a trail of her own blood smeared across her face. But she didn't care. She didn't care about that revolting smell anymore or the pains that wracked her body.

  Because she needed that scent.

  She would do anything to get it.

  She would kill for it.

  Victoria picked her way through the ash and debris madly sniffing the air. A hole had been blown through the overturned bookshelves and Victoria mindlessly walked through it. She was on the right trail, and She was getting closer.

  "Where, where, where." She was muttering to herself in a crazed delirium. "There!" She halted when she at last came upon the smell. It was overpowering and overwhelmingly intoxicating.

  "There—"

  She stopped when she at last saw the source.

  There was a wizard.

  Here. In Sangera. In Viata Castle.

  In her home.

  They had attacked her home.

  Victoria's screaming pierced the air as fear swept through her body at the wizard and at herself, for so badly craving the blood of a magical creature.

  She saw the blood-soaked floor and was taken away to another night. Another tragedy. She had been screaming there, too.

  "No, no, no!" she screamed. "Somebody help me!"

  Her breath was coming hard and fast, and she couldn't stop. It was as if the world were spinning around her, and there wasn't enough oxygen to fill her lungs. The world began to go black, and she was seeing it from far, far away. She was observing the horrors through a tunnel, as if it were impossible for anything this horrendous to be real.

  But then the wind blew through the shattered wall of the library and that mesmerizing scent wafted through the air into Victoria's direction and all worry went out of her mind as she again found herself crazed at the presence of wizard blood. She bent down getting his delicious red blood all over her fingers. She wanted to be engulfed by it. She wanted to bathe in it. Animal blood seemed so weak and filthy now compared to what she had on her fingertips. As she slowly raised those bloodied fingers to her lips, she looked past her hands and saw that the wizard was staring at her. He was not unconscious. In her delirium, she neglected to notice that thi
s wizard was very much still alive and watching her every movement.

  Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.

  The thought rang through her head like victory bells, like a command that she had no choice but to follow.

  The force of it sent her crawling back away from the wizard in the debris. She couldn't.

  Yes, you can. Just one slash across the throat and he'll be yours.

  Victoria shook her head trying to ignore her ever-dwindling self-control.

  That wizard looked behind her, relief flooding his face. Victoria was too dazed to properly prepare for whoever it was approaching.

  Then that person was grabbing her tightly. She began to scream louder, too disoriented to properly understand what was happening. Her claws elongated and she was slashing through the air. She vaguely became aware of them making contact with somebody and the grunts of pain that followed.

  Still, she was held firm, and she knew her wizard captors wanted nothing more than to make her suffer.

  "Victoria!" Someone was shouting her name, but they wouldn't reach her in time. They sounded too far away. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to cry out for help. But no one came to stop them as she was being carried far, far away from safety.

  Ω

  She wasn't sure when it happened, but Victoria must have lost consciousness during her kidnapping. Although the knot on her head led her to believe that they knocked her out for an easier getaway.

  She felt cold metal on her wrists and wrenched her hands up only to have them smack back down on the bed where she lay. She dared to peek an eye open and found herself looking at a very familiar ceiling. The constellations stretched out across the midnight blue paint and she recognized Draco wrapping around the North Star.

  "Wha—"

  Someone grunted in a chair beside her and she looked over to where Alex slept in what appeared to be a very uncomfortable position. His face was scratched and large bandages covered his arms and disappeared under his shirt. He looked like he had gone into battle with a monster.

  She was home. But, then, why was she chained up? And what had happened in the library?

  "Alex," Victoria croaked out. Her voice was hoarse, but he immediately shot up and was at her side.

  "Victoria! Are you alright? Are you in any pain?" He was scanning her injuries ignoring the pain he no doubt felt from his own.

  "I'm fine," she replied. She tried to scoot back as he was unnervingly close. "What happened?"

  "There was a bomb." He sat back down in his chair and she realized he had bags under his eyes. How long had he been there? "That was four nights ago. You've been asleep the whole time."

  "Four nights?" she rattled her hands against the restraints.

  "Sorry," he said. Shame crossed his face. "We had to. You were going crazy screaming at the top of your lungs. Then your claws were out and," he gestured to his arm where claw marks dragged across his skin. "Well, it was a relief you ended up knocking yourself out. Although, I must say, I wish it had been on something other than my head." He rubbed a spot on the side of his own head where there was a large bump.

  "I'm sorry." She looked down at her normal looking hands. Four nights ago, they had been the hands of a monster. How could she, a powerless, pathetic thing, have done so much damage to him?

  "How is everyone?" she asked as the memory of the night came back to her.

  "There were no casualties, just major injuries. You were the worst of them all since you were right next to the bomb when it blew up. Raduta, Adrian, and Albert are fine. They let them out two days ago. Since then, Albert and I have been exchanging shifts of staying here with you. He's likely sleeping back at Viata Castle right now." He scanned Victoria's face, and she noticed worry creased his brow. "We don't have to talk about what happened if you don't want to but know that I'm always here to listen."

  "You mean, only if your other friends aren't taking up your free time?"

  "Nope. I mean whenever and wherever. You and I are friends. I'm sorry, but I won't let you back out now."

  Victoria gave a wry smile. "Thank you." For the first time in a while, she felt like she might actually be a part of a family.

  Ω

  The next night, Alex went to Viata Castle and told everyone how Victoria was doing. After which, they all demanded that they go and see her. That is the reason why a large group of people crowded into her hospital room one Thursday evening. The nurses had refused to let them through, at first, but as soon as they saw Albert, they let them all go.

  "Victoria!" Raduta squealed as she ran into the room and embraced her in a hug.

  "Careful!" Alex barked. "She's not completely healed yet."

  She and Raduta exchanged a look at the return of Alex's overprotective nature.

  It wasn't long until they were all joined by Prometheus and Victoria's mother. She arrived looking just as proper as ever and not even the slightest bit worried about her daughter.

  "Good news, princess," Prometheus said clapping his hands together. "Despite your extended stay here at the hospital, you are expected to live."

  "So, why is it taking so long for her to heal?" Albert asked.

  "She was poisoned," Prometheus looked concerned, and Victoria understood why at his next words. "By something that I have never seen before. After a quick examination of a few of the ingredients, I'm certain this recipe must have come from a Tenebris grimoire. The question is why would someone be foolish enough to make such a thing after the events of ten years ago."

  "What is a Tenebris grimoire?" Raduta asked.

  "A grimoire," Prometheus explained. "Is a book of spells and potions. The wizards recipe book, if you will. The Tenebris were a group of wizards that once had existed for centuries until ten years ago when their practices were deemed so vile and despicable that they were purged from the world. They were practitioners of dark magic and caused many of the disasters that have occurred in Terrarum. Both Vlad and Artur have had to put down their fair share of Tenebris mistakes over the years." He looked over at the queen who nodded.

  Raduta gulped. "And by purged you mean…"

  "Hunted down and killed. Since then, there hasn't been a single Tenebris sighting, until perhaps now."

  "I thought you guys were certain that Nicolae Blake was behind these attacks?" Albert asked. "Is he some long lost member of the Tenebris that somehow survived?"

  Prometheus looked at Victoria's mother again, as if asking for permission. Instead, she spoke. "Nicolae Blake is a story in itself, but it is not one that you kids need to worry about. I will tell you that it is believed that he may have ancestors who were a part of the group, which would give him certain access to their resources and abilities."

  "What do you mean 'believed?'" Victoria asked. "Does no one know where he came from."

  Her mother shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that is all I feel comfortable with telling you." Alina Speranta walked over and gripped her daughter's hand. "I'm glad you're safe. I just came to check-in for a bit, but I see that you're in very capable hands." With that, she marched out. Prometheus gave a little wave before following her out.

  "Man, what is it with you Speranta's and showing emotion? Is it not allowed, or something?" Raduta asked.

  "It's allowed," Victoria teased. "It's just generally frowned upon."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Sweet Dreams are Made of This

  A few more nights passed, and Victoria was finally released from the hospital with most of her wounds fully healed.

  "No strenuous activity," the nurse warned her when she was getting checked out. Her friends circled around her and her mother as she received her instructions on how to better heal within the next few nights. "No fighting. Danger seems to be following you rather closely, Princess Speranta. I would recommend staying indoors with an armed guard for a while."

  "I was indoors with many armed guards when the bomb went off, ma'am. I don't think that was ever the problem."

  The nurse pursed her lips at her. "Th
en just do your best to stay out of trouble. Sangera will need an heir to inherit the throne one day."

  Victoria's mother cast the nurse a glare that promised all kinds of violence. The woman got the message and quickly escaped from the queen's glare pawning her task off to someone else. Victoria could have sworn she heard her mother say a couple of words under her breath that were not befitting of a queen. Every once in a while, that warrior within her mother would bare its teeth and show its claws. That was when people usually did whatever they could to escape.

  No one was allowed on the top floor of Viata Castle while construction went on. Victoria wondered how many important texts had been lost in the explosion. It was a blessing from the creator that no one had been killed.

  Word was spreading that the bomb had been planted specifically to target Victoria. Now, wherever she went, her friends followed. If anything bad happened to her, they wanted to be there to help. It was a nice sentiment, though it grew to be a little stifling.

  Victoria, Adrian, and Raduta were sitting in their Terrarum history class one night when there were shrieks in the hall. Raduta and Adrian immediately shielded Victoria, while Alex had run out into the hall from where he had been lurking in a corner. The disturbance had been nothing more than a false alarm. Even so, Raduta and Adrian held Victoria back in the class, and Alex went to check the halls before letting her leave.

  At lunch Victoria picked up her goblet of blood but held it in front of them. "Is it alright if I drink this or does one of you want to taste it first."

  "Well, now that you mention it—" Albert began.

  "No," she cut him off and began chugging her drink.

  "We're sorry, Victoria," Adrian said. "We just want to make sure you stay safe."

  "He's right," Raduta added. "It's no coincidence that you happened to be separated from everyone else and that the bomb exploded right next to you. Someone's targeting you."

  Victoria sighed. "I know, and I appreciate the thought, but can we tone down the protection detail just a bit. That would put me more at ease than anything else."