The pain in his torso was fading and his eyes could see clearly, for the most part. The brown werewolf that stood over him made no movement to attack or restrain him. His tail was hanging behind him. It was not limp, but not in an upright attack position either. William stood their allowing his body to take deeper and deeper breaths until he was breathing normally again. He looked around the tunnel when they stood. He noticed that the light that illuminated their surroundings was emanating from a single torch that was held to the tunnel wall in a cast iron bracket. It was medieval in design, and he wondered if that torch would lead him to some form of medieval torture.
Looking behind him, William saw the entrance that he and Aceso had come through looked like a solid rock wall. There was no seam and no sign that there had ever been anything other than solid rock there. From the wall a wide tunnel stretched out and down into the mountain. The walls were smooth and black. The ground he was standing on was smooth and black as well, like it was covered in the purest black marble or obsidian.
He turned away from the exit that wasn’t there anymore. He raised himself up to his full height and faced the massive werewolf that stood over him. “Where are those guys taking Aceso?”
The werewolf stood.
“Who are you?” The werewolf folded his arms across his chest still not answering. “Well, you just stand there like an idiot while I go find out what happened to my friend.”
William tried to get around the massive wall of flesh and muscle that blocked his path. The werewolf moved to stay in front of William. He dodged to the right then cut back to the left. Every time, the werewolf was a half-step ahead of him and stayed in front of William, not yielding an inch.
“You son of a bitch, move or talk to me, What the hell is this and where is Aceso being taken?” The werewolf didn’t respond in any way. William was going to make a break for it. He allowed his muscles to tense as he prepared to throw himself down the tunnel away from the silent sentry.
“I wouldn’t try that if I were you.”
William stopped cold as the human voice spoke out against the cold stone of the tunnel. He turned around and saw a rather large man coming out of a tunnel that William hadn’t even noticed. He was wearing regular clothes. He had on blue jeans and a button up shirt that was a vibrant orange. His skin was black as a starless night and the white of his eyes jumped out of his dark face. He even wore a pair of black and deep blue shoes. The man could be called attractive and he was powerfully built with broad shoulders and huge hands that swung easily at his side as he walked.
William watched as the newcomer approached. “Try what?”
The man laughed deeply and pointed back at the werewolf that was standing behind William. “You try to run off down that tunnel again and Ares might take your head off.”
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William looked back at the large werewolf. He took one last look down the tunnel where Aceso had disappeared. “Where did they take Aceso?”
The newcomer raised an eyebrow. “Where they took her is none of your business.”
The man closed the distance to stand within inches of William. William held his ground. The two men stood about equal height. The guy was about twice as wide as William was but he was betting on his speed and agility to equal things out if it came to trading blows with this man.
“The only skin you should be worrying about right now is your own, pup.” He started to walk around William and William rotated to continue to face him. “This is The Mountain. This is my home and while you are in my home you will follow my instructions, or you will be punished… severely if need be.” The man stopped and looked William in the eye.
William met that cold stare. “Who are you?”
He didn’t seem to move. Yet William’s stomach exploded with pain and once again he couldn’t breathe. His legs buckled under him, and he fell to his knees. He gasped for air as he tried to stand up. The man towered over him. His huge hands had tightened into massive fists.
“Rule number one, pup, you don’t talk unless I tell you to.”
William struggled but was able to regain his feet with more effort than he wanted to admit. He noticed that the werewolf had a look on his face that remained completely passive. It took his eyes off William and looked at the broad-shouldered assailant who was now standing in front of William. William allowed his eyes to drift from the werewolf back to his attacker.
The guy was talking again. “You have pretty good stamina, pup. Usually new blood has the good sense to stay down once I drop them.” William tensed his abdomen and readied himself for another attack. But the blow never came. Instead, he turned his back on William and walked a few steps away down the tunnel he had immerged from.
William stared after the man as he disappeared down the dark shaft. He felt a rough shove from behind. He stumbled forward and looked over his shoulder. He saw the werewolf motion down the tunnel in front of him. Push me like that again, and you and I are going to have some serious problems. He knew that he couldn’t take the werewolf as he was now. But every month brought a new full moon and then he would see about who was shoving who. As William entered the tunnel the werewolf grabbed the torch from the bracket and followed him down the dark passage.
His new guide was walking down the tunnel. He was almost strolling. He didn’t seem to care that William had joined him. They walked in silence. William was walking in between the two just as Aceso had done. The flames from the torch danced and moved their shadows along the wall. William could smell the werewolf. He didn’t smell unlike Aceso, he put off the same kind of earthy musky smell that she did. There was something different about his smell though. His smell seemed, bloodier somehow. There was power and strength in his smell. There was no scent coming from the guy though, neither a sweaty unclean smell, or a garish scent of deodorant or body spray. William couldn’t smell him at all, that may have been the point.
The silence stretched out between them. The tunnel wound its way deeper into the mountain. William wanted answers and he was going to get them.
“Who are you?”
He was slammed up against the smooth tunnel wall before he knew what happened. A Large human forearm was pressed up against William’s throat and he found it rather difficult to breathe as he was forced to look into the dark brown eyes of his guide. He grabbed the man’s arm and was now pressing against the iron grip trying to lessen the pressure against his windpipe. His eyesight began to blur and he was able to suck in less and less air. Tears began to drip from his eyes as the life was being crushed out of him. The strength was draining from his body as he was held in place against the wall.