Chapter Twenty Three: The Hunt

After the unfortunate incident with the monks we decided to get out of town as soon as possible and managed to slip through without anyone causing any problems or barring our way.

“So, magic?” asked Bell, making sure her weapons were strapped securely to her person.

I nodded in her direction as I reattached my mask, making sure it wouldn't shake or move while I ran. “Yes, We'll keep the pace as long as we're able. If you girls start to get tired, let me know immediately and we'll take a short break, don't want you to burn out before we reach the Red Citadel. Understood?”

Each of the girls gave me an affirming nod before I turned and aimed myself down the road and towards the trees. I began to draw in mana, activating aspect of air and taking off, spring forwards into the forest. I felt the girls behind me, falling behind fast, so I slowed myself slightly to allow them to keep pace.

Moving at the speed of sound is a rather amazing thing, the world just kind of flies past you, painting your reality in a medley of colour that's gone before you can make sense of it. As mages, we were all protected from the backlash of moving at this speed, a non-magical person would have been ripped apart by now.

While the girls didn't have access to Aspect of Air as it required centuries of studying the air element, they all had their own variations. The closest was Ada, but she was merely moving the air from it front of her and placing it behind her, making it move her body faster than would have normally be possible. In a way, this was even more complicated than simply using a spell and I was impressed yet again by her prodigious talent. The others were similarly skilled, using their own ways to increase their speed. Bell was manipulating heat to send her forwards in short bursts that had to be perfectly timed, else she would fall the ground. Ursula manipulated the earth to move her forwards, rather than her running, the ground pushed up against her, sending her shooting ahead in large strides, similar to what Bell was doing with her element. Leigh was the slowest and I could understand why. Water was her element and a hard one to use to increase one's forward momentum. I think she was just relying on good old fashioned muscle work, drawing in mana to increase her strength and running with all she was worth. I would have to remember to take a break every hour or so. The others would be ok, but Leigh would trail behind if she was forced to keep a pace with the rest of us.

The journey was rather uneventful, nothing but trees as far as the eye could see and no tangible threats that caused any worry. It was just before midday when we took our final rest before arriving at the Red Citadel, Leigh falling to the ground, drenched in sweat as the others brought her some water from a nearby stream, the reason I had chosen to stop here. While getting there as soon as possible was all well and good, I didn't want to strain Black Tusk before we arrived.

“Gods, how are you not out of breath? I'm not as bad as Leigh but this is one hell of a pace you're setting.” Bell said with a tired smile, sweating and slightly winded from the run.

I smiled “Practice. Remember I've been training my magic a lot longer than you girls. I was lucky to be quite gifted in it, although I started a lot later than anyone else.”

“Really? When did you start to practice?”

“Well, I was already a grown man, working with a mercenary unit out of Mytos, so about your age, I guess.” I mused, thinking back to those times as a hired sword. It was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, and the camaraderie that was shared between members was something I wanted to create between my Knight's and I. But mercenary life required one to leave their heart at the door at times, something that put a strain on me. I didn't remain with them for long.

Bell stared at me for a second, shocked. “That's incredible. Who taught you?”

I shrugged. “I taught myself, I was far from Callai and Marwen, who I hadn't seen in some years, so I made do and managed to procure some books on magic at a discount from an acquaintance.”

Of course, that wasn't the whole story, but I believe I'm entitled to some secrets.

“Gods, self taught... and you're so strong. Have you had Insight's?” Bell asked, awe in her voice.

What Bell was referring too here were Insight's into an element. When one has a full understanding of an element and have spent long enough understanding that elements truth, they will gain an Insight into how it functions, a small part of a greater thing, which allows them to utilise and control an Aspect.

“Yes, like I said, I was lucky. Magic made sense to me. I've had ten Insight's in total.”

“t- ten?” Bell stuttered, staring at me with that same look she had worn in Ellai, like I was some sort of God.

I held up a hand. “ Believe me, Bell, it's not really that impressive. I may be able to utilise Aspects but that doesn't mean I'm unbeatable, or all powerful. For example, Cinder has always had a greater control of water magic than me. She received the Insight's into Ice and Water much faster than I was able to.”

Bell thought about that for a second. Then her eyes widened in panic “Shit!”

Before I could ask, she had turned and run back to her pack. Digging through it, she took out a small tome and began to flip through the pages.

“shit, shit shit, shit.” She kept muttering, the panic I had seen in her eyes now leaking out into her voice.

“SHIT!” She roared and threw the book across the small clearing we had camped in and clamped her hands against her head.

“Bell? What's wrong?” Leigh asked and walked up to her, having recovered from her exhaustion. “Do you need healing, did you hurt yourself?”

Bell just waved Leigh away and sat there in silence, her hands hiding her face.

“Hey, asshole, did you say anything to her?” Ursula said, her eyes slightly threatening.

“No, Ursula, I didn't. I have no idea what this is about.” I replied, returning my gaze to Bell, who continued to be unmoving.

Had I done something? I don't think so, we were talking about Cinder and then she just went off in a panic.

“Bell, is something wrong?” Ada said as she walked up to her friend and took a knee in front of her.

The Vampire commander was silent for a second before looking up silently, she turned her head and looked at me for a second. She was afraid, but not of something she had read in that book. She was afraid of me, of how I would react to what was in the book.

“Bell.” I said, more firmly this time, my smile gone as I stared at the girl, looking for some kind of answer.

The vampire took a deep breath and jumped to her feet. “Sorry, Corus, but it looks like we'll be arriving in The Red Citadel at the worst possible time.”

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I remained silent, as did the others, waiting for her to continue.

“I just checked my log and... well... today is the third of the month”

“And? Is there some significance to the date?” I asked curiously, knowing that I wouldn't like the answer.

Bell sighed “Today is the day of Cinder's Hunt. She has one every month.”

“Cin has a monthly hunt?” I asked, already slightly worried.

There was a reason that Cinder was called my Huntress.

In the beginning I had tried everything to give Cin a normal childhood. Everything. But her need to feed was too strong. It was a hunger that consumed her completely at times. In the past, I had to restrain her before she went to far and started attacking innocents in Ellai. As time went on, her control grew. I gave her my blood, a little every day, to allow her to keep on top of her hunger, but eventually that wasn't enough. One day she came to me and asked if she could help with the fight against the church. I remember it now as clear as day. It is a rather strange thing to see a child, who looked nine years old, approach you and ask if you want her to kill anyone.

But I had to treat it differently, I had to treat Cinder differently. Killing was second nature to her, and by that point, to me as well.

That very night, Cin was named one of my Knight's and sent on her first mission the next day: Hunt down a church official in Vermalia who had been putting mages to death.

It was a success. Tales of her brutality and savagery spread to the Church and they learned to fear the little girl who always walked in the King's shadow.

“What does this monthly hunt entail?” I asked quietly as I walked over to a nearby stump and took a seat preparing myself for the worst.

Bell hesitated for a second before standing before me, her head bowed.

“Cinder shuts down one district of the Red Citadel, there's never any rhythm or reason to it, she just shuts down whichever one she wants randomly. Once that's done, she asks for volunteers to enter the district. It's an elaborate game of hide and seek. If you can hide from her for six hours then you walk out with a chest full of gold.”

“And if you don't?” I asked, my gaze on the ground.

Bell gave a bitter smile “Then you don't walk out at all.”

All of us were silent for a second, staring at the ground.

“Sorry! Just one quick question... If she shuts down a whole district, shouldn't there be some repercussions for that? I mean, if she shuts down the merchants district then she loses out on a lot of gold, right?” Ada asked, more curious about the situation than horrified.

Bell looked a bit baffled at the odd question.

“Well, everyone knows that that the Hunt takes place on the third of every month, so business is light and most tourists leave well before then, lest they accidentally find themselves taking part.”

“I've heard of it before, but I never imagined it was anything like this. I just thought it was some kind of blood sport or something. Has anyone ever won the Hunt?” Ursula asked.

I let out a snort of laughter at her question, unable to contain myself. Cinder. Lose? The idea of some idiot thinking he can get gold out of this by volunteering is ridiculous. Cin hunted people for fun, she didn't do it out of any obligation towards me, she did it because she enjoyed it. I just can't fucking believe that this had been allowed to go on. Marwenna is one thing, but Faral and Abhor should have told Cin to stop. She may not have listened to them, but at the very least they could've said that it wasn't what I wanted. Invoking my name might've been enough for her to not carry out this madness.

Ursula gave me a glare.

“To answer your question, Ursula, yes, one person managed to beat the odds and win.” Bell said, making me raise my head and stare at her curiously.

“Who?” Leigh asked

“The Knight Abhor took part in the first ever Hunt, about two hundred years ago.”

“Abhor? He came to the Red Citadel to see Cin?” I asked, excited that my Knight had at least tried to save my daughter from herself.

Bell nodded. “He learned what Cinder was doing and visited. I remember them arguing in the throne room for hours, Abhors roars could be heard from outside the keep.”

“But he was unable to convince her...” I said, my eyes finding the ground again.

Bell shook her head “No. Knight Abhor thought that he could teach her a lesson by taking part in the first Hunt and make it impossible for her to feed off the volunteers. It didn't end well. The whole district was nearly destroyed in their fight and Cinder still managed to kill and drink from all people who had taken part.”

I nodded slowly. I didn't expect him to be able to defeat her. Abhor was powerful, one of the greatest mages on Vita, but he had morals, a code. He wouldn't have wanted to hurt Cin, he would have wanted to teach her the error of her ways. If Cinder had returned to how she was before I found her, then the hunger was the thing that drove her above all else.

“It was part of the reason I asked you to return. I thought that if Cin saw you, you could stop her from going down this path. She was fine in the beginning but she's been getting worse as the years went by. My mother does her best to help her, but most of the time she doesn't want help. She's still in pain, she thinks she's alone.” Bell said quietly, her eyes looking at me, pleading with me. “I love Cinder, but her mind is not in the right place any more. The hunger kicks in and she just... drinks.”

I looked at this girl, this commander, who had been a sister to my daughter. Who had tried to save her from herself. She thinks she and her mother didn't help Cinder, but I know that is not the case. If they weren't around, it was likely that things could've become much worse.

It was time for me to look after my family.

“Worry not, Bell. Cinder will be fine. These Hunts will end, you have my word.” I said with a smile. I needed to get to the Red Citadel before she killed anyone. I just hoped she was willing to listen. If she was deep enough inside the hunger, she wouldn't hear my words, all she would see is my blood.

* * *

Merrick ran down the alley, his back pressed against the wall as his hands roughly gripped his old spear. Sweat fell down over his eyes, blinding him as he rubbed it away, his gaze wild as he looked everywhere, searching for her.

He didn't know how long he had been running for, but it seemed like an eternity. He had taken part in the Hunt because he was desperate, because his family had no other way to get out of the hovel they called a home. They were drinking blood from rats for fucks sake.

The Hunt offered a way out. A way to provide a tangible future for his wife and child. All he had to do was survive, to stay away from the Queen long enough to be able to claim the prize, enough gold to start a new, debt free life.

Already he had seen three people be ripped apart, their blood plastering the road, and a shadow behind them, laughing.

He had ran, as fast and as far as he could. He could hear screams in the distance, cries for help, but he paid them no heed and made his way forwards, his grip on the spear trembling as he approached yet another alley.

He dashed inside of it, pressing him up against the side of the wall and lowered his spear, his ears straining to hear anything that was going on in the street beyond.

He didn't know how long he stood there, seconds, minutes, hours. but he didn't move once, his body as tense as a coil. His hands wrapped around his spear in a white-knuckled grip. He would survive this, for Kani, for Timar, he would survive this. That was when he heard it.

Footsteps.

Making their way down the road towards his location, hidden in the small alley. They were relaxed and leisurely, like somebody taking a stroll. If he listened harder he could hear this person humming a tune under their breath. A sound that sent shivers down Merrick's spine.

“Where are you?” A woman's voice rung out into the air, light and merry, it hit the stones like a bell and echoed around the alley in which Merrick stood.

He didn't speak, nor did he move. A wet stain appeared around his trousers as he pissed himself, unable to control it. He could only close his eyes, the sweat pouring off of him as he prayed to every God he could think of to save him from this monster.

Then the footsteps stopped.

“You're close... I can smell you.” The thing said again, a little laugh following her statement as he felt her footsteps increase in speed. Coming closer and closer.

Merrick began to back away slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible, his spear aimed at the entrance to the alley.

“Gotcha”

The whisper hissed into his ear from behind and Merrick couldn't contain himself. He screamed and threw himself forwards, making a beeline towards the entrance. Laughter echoing out behind him.

“Stop running! How am I supposed to fucking eat you if you keep fucking running!”

Merrick kept running, further and further into the twisting streets of the district, desperate to get away from the monster who ruled this place.

“SEE YOU SOON!” came a cry from behind him, filled with a merciless glee as the woman began to giggle uncontrollably.

Then, at a leisurely pace, Queen Cinder of the Red Citadel began to walk after the little man. Humming the same tune she had been a moment before. It was an old song.

It was something her Father used to sing.