Token Huntress

  Again he was behind me. His hands grabbed me from behind and he held me firmly, his chest hard against my back.

  “You looked sexier in your leather.” I felt his cold fingers lightly brush over my neck. I sucked in my breath, unsure as to whether he was going to rip out my neck or if he was seducing me.

  All of a sudden, I was very alone. I spun quickly, no longer able to feel his presence. He had disappeared. I looked down at my white robe. He had slid down part of the collar, revealing my shoulder. That was where his touch lingered from when his finger trailed down my shoulder. I grabbed the robe, covering myself in disbelief. How did he know my name? Why did he flee?

  “Esmore!”

  James burst out of the forest, looking at me oddly. I quickly changed my open expression. I looked behind me again in search of the Council vampire whom I had just made contact with. How did he know my name? So many questions infuriated me. My heart still beat and for some reason my breath came out in staggered breaths. His face kept flashing in front of me as he lingered on my mind.

  “What happened?” James said, coming to me and pulling me close to him. Instead of flinching, I accepted his embrace. My head rested into the warmth of his chest as I battled with myself. Who was that, and what is this strange feeling that he has left behind?

  J ames led me back to the wall. We walked around to where the large doors would open for us. I felt like a stray, like an animal that had been abandoned by their owner and was taken in by another. I was familiar with James, yet when I walked within the walls everything felt different. What is this sudden change?

  “What did you see out there?” James prodded. I thought of the mysterious vampire I met, reminding myself of why it was I went there. Wasn’t he doing something to Dillian? Dillian only started acting bizarrely when that vampire’s presence was close.

  “Where is Dillian?” I demanded.

  “Do not ask a question with a question,” Campture said sharply as we walked into the room. I couldn’t refrain from throwing a contemptuous look at James. Of course he and Campture were in cahoots. “You jumped the fence again. What did you see?”

  Again I felt an unfamiliar strength rise within me. I didn’t know exactly what to report, as I had not yet concluded on anything myself.

  “Why are you wearing this robe?” she questioned, storming toward me. I stepped away, on reflex more than anything. Why did I not trust her?

  “Take your robe off!”

  “Es...” James trailed off, as if trying to sooth the situation. In that moment it only made me feel even more disgusted by him. He always wanted me to play by the rules. Never did he support me. I tore the white robe off, revealing my damaged leather clothing. They both assessed it quickly.

  “When bringing Corso back he began to perspire acid onto me,” I explained quietly, trying to contain the beast inside of me. I felt trapped by them.

  “What’s wrong with your head?” Campture grimaced in rage as she stormed toward me.

  “What do you mean?” I touched my face, expecting to retrieve blood from a wound.

  “I cannot study your thoughts? Who has distorted your mind? It’s similar to the distorted minds of those who have exited the Council.”

  The accusation startled both me and everyone else around us. I processed her words. My mind was not distorted. I internally frowned, thinking of the mysterious figure at the river. Did he jumble my mind? James simply stared at me as Campture advanced on me.

  “Do not touch me!” I spat at her now. She stretched her long fingers toward me. My instinct interjected as she tried to touch my mind to connect with me. My inner voice was very clear at that moment. I do not trust you.

  I hit her hand away from me. The loud smack of defiance echoed in the room. Her fluorescent yellow eyes grew very thin.

  “Miss. Campture, I think a lot has happened today, maybe we should—”

  Kelf was quickly cut off by Campture. “Hold her in the cell!” she demanded.

  I stood there breathing slowly, trying to contain what it was within me that eyed her neck, wanting to rip her voice box out. I could not defend myself in such a state. If I did, I wasn’t sure what extremes my body would take. I could not fight these hunters. They are my people, I tried to convince myself. Whatever was to come would not last long. I am a Token Huntress. All will be well. This is where I belong.

  The hunters who guarded the door surrounded me timidly. If I wanted to, I could have escaped. James looked at me, unsure of what he should do. I gave him a look which told him to keep away from me. He was the last person I wanted touching me.

  “I do not need to be tied down like an animal to be taken to a cage. I can walk myself.” I spat on the ground at Campture’s feet. I could no longer respect her as my Guild headmistress. They couldn't keep me in a prisoner cell for long. I am a Token Huntress and I have done nothing wrong. She can’t hold anything against me. Until I was free I would stay silent until she finally decided to stop treating me like the enemy.

  I walked to the cell which was close to the north side of the wall in a separate underground tunnel. It was separate so it was not so close to the training, education, infirmary, and eating areas. There were three different cell rooms.

  The first silver door was opened for me. There was only a chair and small window up top. Usually this was placed in here to serve as a discomfort to the vampires we kept. Usually they were tied to the wooden chair, which was the only thing in here. This was directly under where the sun would shine during the day. We tied them with silver rope — it was the only thing that truly affected their strength substantially and the silver burnt them. It was one of the few objects that we could use against them which decreased their will to fight. One of my fellow hunters closed the door behind me.

  I began pacing the room with my arms crossed over my chest, thinking about the day’s events. I again looked at the scar that should have been on my arm after Teary burnt it, but nothing was there. How had I healed in such a way? I thought of the vampire from the Council. How was he so much faster than me? I punched the wall in rage. How had everything fallen so quickly? I retracted my hand noticing a small trail of blood from where I had busted my knuckles. I refocused. A member of the Council knew where we were. This could destroy us and yet I was now locked in a cell, unable to tell anyone. I would tell Campture of the vampire when she came to release me.

  I leaned the against the wall. I closed my eyes for only a second but the exhaustion of my body quickly put me into a deep sleep.

  *

  There was fog everywhere, like always. But this time it was thicker and trailed over the water where our fishing nets were. I looked closely, noting that this was the exact spot I killed the vampire who was a part of the Council. Lurking in the river was the same shadowy figure I had recently met. He was washing his face again. The moon shone dimly, causing the wet blue gem on his left ear to sparkle.

  I was not alarmed, and my hands did not grab for my weapons. Here I was at ease with him. I searched my surroundings, unsure of what was happening. “Is this a dream?” I asked, my voice echoing in the enchanted forest. It felt as if we were the only ones present, that no one else existed. I could not hear forest animals or others nearby. Right now, it was only him and me.

  “You could call it that,” he said, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

  “Did you do something to me?” I asked. Campture could no longer read my thoughts, and that hadn’t happened until I had confronted him. It was odd... I felt so soothed, so human. I felt vulnerable, yet safe at the same time. He slowly walked over to me, the water dripping over his face and muscular frame. A few droplets from his dripping hair landed on his leather. A small line of water trailed down his stomach, illuminating his abs.

  I could not describe the exotic intensity that swirled around us. In this place we were familiar with one another. I hungered for his touch. It was as if we were lovers reunited. In this dream world I was encompassed by his smell, his allure, his e
verything.

  “Your eyes are greedy,” he whispered with a lustful look. He came closer to me before reaching for my face and cupping it. He pushed aside my golden fringe, looking at me longingly. “You are ravishing.”

  I stared at his beautiful lips as he spoke. Something was enticing me, I wanted to pull him in. He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his hard chest. His skin was cold, yet somehow I felt an electrifying warmth.

  “You are so cold, yet you feel warm to me,” I said in a distant tone.

  “That is because we are familiars,” he said, his thumb stroking my cheek. His thumb trailed down my cheek and down my neck, before stroking my collarbone.

  “We have met?”

  “No Esmore, our souls are familiar. We are of the same.”

  His words made no sense to me, yet I lingered upon every word. He did feel so familiar. We had such a fierce connection. My hand trailed slowly over his chiselled stomach, stopping near the belt of his dark-blue jeans.

  “But I don’t know your name,” I said, fully captivated by my desire. His hand lightly brushed over my breast as he pulled me in. He held me endearingly as he leant in to kiss me.

  “My name is Chase.” His words thinned into a whisper before I could feel our lips touch.

  *

  Hitting reality hard, I jolted up from where I was sitting against the cold wall. I was still in the cell. I looked above me, remembering my dream. “What the f...” A loud banging noise broke through the silence. I straightened myself and noticed the sudden rash that had spread across my body. I looked at my skin, noticing it wasn’t a rash at all. I was simply too hot. I stood, listening as someone walked down the stairs toward my cell. I held my head high, waiting for the accusations they would soon throw at me. The sooner this was over, the sooner I would be able to inform them of the immediate danger we were in. The sun protruding through the window informed me that it was now day. I must have slept all night.

  Campture walked in with her lips pursed tight. She too held her head high. “You need to go out to find more information.” I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. “It seems as though one of your members, Dillian, has yet another specialty in his gift. He can foresee,” she said as she avoided eye-contact with me.

  Kelf was standing behind her, looking at me respectfully, like he always did. Kelf didn’t hold the same bitter distaste for me as Campture did. He was one of the first to nominate me as Token Huntress.

  “Dillian cannot foresee the future,” I said suspiciously. He could only see long-distance.

  “I thought the same, Miss. Aguire. I thought he was playing mind games... trying to relieve you of your punishment. But, after connecting with his mind, I saw the same visuals that he did. And it is not a lie. He was very clear about the few members who should go. And you, Esmore, were one of them.”

  “And you will let me go without punishment?” I asked, almost not believing her words. Her lips tightened again and I could see one of the veins in her neck protrude.

  “We had to send another raid team out yesterday morning. The transport team did not return. We had another team follow afterward to make sure the human was untouched. Both teams have yet to return.”

  There was silence for a moment. I thought about Golipse, who was a part of that team. It was a very stormy day indeed, hopefully it didn’t give the vampires the advantage. “I see. So, have you revoked my Token title yet?” I said with arrogance, folding my arms over my chest.

  Her eyes were quick on mine. I could sense her rage boiling. Whatever it was she wanted to say, she held the words back. It must have infuriated her that she could not read my thoughts. I did have the feeling that the vampire I met had created the blockage.

  “Foresight is a very powerful gift. You all have your part to play. This is how we will find the Council. I will not let your attitude or almighty pride get in the way. You cannot simply dismiss a Token. But you have disappointed me greatly,” her tone thickened. “And there will be punishment; you will not come out of this unscathed.”

  I did not take her threat lightly. I knew when I got back there would be consequences for defying her. But at least now I knew Dillian was safe, and we might have the upper hand in the fight.

  “When do we leave?” I asked My body was now rejuvenated. I was ready to attack the Council. Finally, we had the chance.

  “Now.”

  I changed my clothes into my usual attire. I decided it was best just for now to wear a long leather shirt instead of my sleeveless one. I didn’t want them asking me questions that I obviously couldn’t answer. I met my team in the weaponry room again.

  The team was smaller than what it had been yesterday. Kora and Kasey looked at me suspiciously; Teary indifferently; and James just pouted angrily, not able to make eye-contact. Dillian looked tired, the bags under his eye evidence that the foresight took much out of him. But it did not break his spirits, and he gave me a small smile. One James obviously begrudged, as he immediately shot Dillian a murderous look. I couldn’t help but want to walk up and slap him for his stupid jealousy. When we got back, this would be something I would have to deal with.

  To my surprise, Tori was standing with everyone, his hands crossed over his chest. When he looked at me, it was not with his usual contempt. His eyes were filled with respect and he now looked like a man. I was saddened to know that such terrible circumstances had to happen for him to respect me as his Token.

  “What of Corso?” I asked. Everyone looked down, except Dillian. I inhaled deeply, preparing myself for what they would now say. I had failed him; he must be dead. I failed. The tally of members who had died under my charge had grown. Were we out of our league? I internally slapped myself. No. I have never, and will never, doubt my skill or that of my fellow hunters. This was because Campture permitted him to use such a stupid weapon from the past.

  “His leg had to be amputated,” Kasey explained nonchalantly. Her upbeat tone bothered me. I gave her a pointed look. She shrugged her shoulders at me childishly. “What? He could have died. It’s good that it is just his leg.”

  “He is still battling for his life, though,” Kora interrupted, slightly more seriously. “It’s all up to the infirmary now. We did what we could. He has been dismissed from the raid team. He cannot function with one leg.”

  Swallowing this, I nodded, thanking them. I felt almost sorry for the loud-mouthed Corso — he lived for the raid team. But now with only one leg, who knew what would happen to him?

  “Status update on the transport team?” I asked. Campture was being vague in her descriptions; she would usually go into far greater detail.

  “Nothing yet, no one has returned. We aren’t yet sure if it was delayed, if they are in hiding, or if something else has happened,” Teary answered.

  “Can you not see them?” I asked Dillian. He looked at me as if he had only just walked into the conversation, his mouth slightly open. He looked horrible and so awfully tired. In fact, I was hesitant to take him on our outing.

  “It doesn’t work like that, Es,” James said. My glare was more intense than I had intended it to be. He quickly dropped his gaze.

  “I am still trying to understand it myself,” Dillian interrupted. “But I get shown things. I don’t get to choose, they just happen. I saw a few things, and pieced them together over the night with Campture, who could see the same as me when she read my mind. Everything leads to this exact team going back into the city. There we will find a Council member, fight off a few more. It will be a challenge but everyone will be unharmed. This is what will lead us to the right information about where the Council is stationed. This much Campture and I clued together.”

  This was good news indeed. Suddenly an image of Chase flashed into my mind: the water dripping over his lips, his stone-cold abs... I closed my eyes in irritation. Why am I seeing him? When I opened them again, everyone was looking at me in suspicion.

  “Teary, what have they supplied you with?” I asked, dismissing their looks and walki
ng over to assess what was in her bag.

  “The same as last time, except I was given three grenades as well.”

  I thought about this for a while. Grenade. The word rang a bell. She pulled one out from her bag, and I held it up to the team. “These were used a few times when Drue was Token. They are effective when there are a lot of vampires surrounding. All you do is pull this pin. They have adjusted these ones, however. Last time they used one, another hunter was blown apart because they were too close. Now there is a time limit on them. So once the pin is pulled, ten seconds is allowed. Obviously our team will be aware of this timeframe and find cover by then.”

  “Esmore?” Tori called, walking toward me with my sword and Barnett bow in hand. His head was bowed reverently as he offered the items to me. I now looked at him differently. He held much respect for me, I could tell from the way he looked at me. It was reassuring to know he did not hate me because I was unable to protect his fellow apprentice. His gift of my weapons was a token of that respect. “Campture wanted me to give you back your weapons.”

  I took them from him with feigned indifference.

  “Well, if that is all, we will leave now. I saw no clouds, so this will be a full days’ run. We won’t stop until we are at the edge of the city. We will rest there for the night. If anyone cannot come, they must speak now. I will not hold it against anyone if they don’t think they are up to it.”

  I had Dillian in mind as I said this, he looked terrible. But no one stepped forward. Dillian deliberately ignored my eyes, knowing that statement was intended for him.

  “Right, move out.”

  *

  We only made two stops. Each time I called for refreshments and a small break, mostly for Dillian’s sake. I could see he was struggling with the pace after very little sleep. I didn’t know how this new foreseeing skill of his worked, but by his exhausted expression and sunken eyes, it took a lot out of him, I could tell that much. I had great respect for the fact that he did not ask me to stop. He continued pushing.