Another piece of his clothing hung from a branch dripping blood to the cold and unforgiving ground. It was a path and I hoped those bread crumbs would lead me to his whereabouts. I didn’t know what the universe was telling me. There was no way that I was going to abandon him in his moment of need. I was swimming upstream against several different thoughts including how I was wasting time when help could be moments away.
There was another piece of cloth but this one was different. The scratch marks of an animal were punctured into the surface. Had he come afoul of some wild animal looking for its next meal? In his current condition he would be easy pickings and there was no telling what animal the claws belonged to. I was well versed on those animals that called these woods their home. For some reason, these claw marks instilled a cold chill of fear down my spine.
I didn’t recognize them but it was of a species that seemed to mimic the qualities of a wolf. These claws were substantially bigger and to meet something like this in a dark alley wou
ld make anybody second guess their mortality. I stared at those claw marks committing them to memory. My mind couldn’t justify going any further without some kind of weapon to defend myself.
It was beautiful and the setting sun with its multitude of colors would’ve been a romantic backdrop. I had a feeling his intention was to enjoy the sunset from on top of the mountain. He would’ve wanted me to lower my guard and to seal the evening with a kiss, which might lead to a little bit of groping. I was actually open to the idea of extending the intimacy created by doing something crazy.
There was the smell of smoke and I could see the tendril through the trees. It had to be a mile off and the idea he could make it that far in his current condition was simply unheard of. It would be a testament to his strength of character. It didn’t explain why he would leave me unless he wasn’t thinking straight. There was only one way to find out and I was determined to drag him out of here kicking and screaming if necessary.
I used my tracking abilities to follow those bits of cloth but it seemed awfully coincidental. I didn’t want to believe this was some kind of game but everything pointed to him making himself into a human scavenger hunt. It made me angry and I was going to have a few choice words to say to him.
It was like the darkness had lifted and it suddenly dawned on me that he wasn’t whom he said he was. I didn’t have any reference and his voice wasn’t the same but he could disguise that somehow. I didn’t have anything to prove my hypothesis.
Callan was known to play these games without coming out and saying what he was feeling. Daniel and Callan were the same person in my opinion.
There was no way I could let him get away with this madness. I began running but still watching my step, afraid that I was going to tumble over some branch and break my fall with my face. Losing a tooth and breaking a rib would serve him right but I had no interest in rehabilitating for months to get back on my feet.
There was obviously a clearing ahead and I could see the faint flicker of embers drawing me closer to the flames. I was going to confront him and see what his response was going to be when he was faced with the truth. The clothing was purposely left behind and somehow he had perpetrated the fall. I was still working out the logistics.
My skin prickled and I touched the back of my neck to feel this unforeseen heat on my fingertips. It was a warning sign of danger but I wasn’t about to listen to it. My anger superseded my natural inclination to keep my wits about me. I was becoming reckless completely relying on those latent animal instincts under the surface of good sense and judgment.
There was no turning back when I had come so far. There was nothing I could do and there was no help coming.
I heard drums pounding rhythmically with a chorus of chanting. It was almost tribal and I was shaking at the knees wondering what I was getting myself into.
I had studied many things, including African culture. It was a part of my training and I had excelled in many aspects, including learning about the history of tribal nations. I tried to question Callan but instead of answering me he had given me a talon which was around my neck. I touched it and saw that it was glowing warm against my skin.
“It looks like somebody has come looking for something she has lost. We figured you would make your presence known but we didn’t think you were foolish enough to take the bait.” I didn’t turn but I could feel the nudge of something sharp against my back making it necessary to be on my best behavior.
“I want to know what the hell is going on around here.” I was in no position to make demands.
“You really don’t know? It’s almost laughable when you think about it. The legend has been foretold for quite some time. Every generation there is a chosen one. She becomes known the closer she gets to her twenty-first birthday. Callan was always reckless but he will not be getting out of his gilded cage this time. You’re going to witness something momentous.” The man behind me wasn’t taking no for an answer but I had nothing to lose by questioning him.
“He better be in one piece,” I uttered in contempt feeling it necessary to tell him exactly where I stood.
“Everything went according to plan better than expected. Unfortunately, a sacrifice had to be made. You’ll understand everything shortly. Killing you was never the objective. The Alpha is a moniker reserved for a select few. Callan is one of ten, no matter what he might say to the contrary. It’s not like he hasn’t done everything in his power to eliminate the rest of them from the competition. There were 20 and he systematically took them apart one by one. It’s time somebody does something about his tyranny.” He was giving me snippets of information and I was savoring every last drop.
“What does this have to do with me? This sounds like rival gangs after each other’s territory. I don’t want any part of it. Why you insist on dragging me into this mess is beyond me.” I stopped, unwilling to go any further but the consistent jabbing in my ribs with something sharp was certainly a motivator.
“I never said you could stop. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. The Alpha told me to bring you to him but he never said how many pieces. The only prerequisite was that you had to be breathing. You people are all alike, thinking that you’re owed something. I don’t agree with the scripture and it seems antiquated but you can’t tell that to them. My duty is clear and I must follow strict adherence to the guidelines. The timing is crucial and you’re wasting too much of it,” he said with the drums getting louder. The chanting was in a language I didn’t understand.
There was no talking him out of anything but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. The nervous energy in the air was palpable and I could almost cut it with a knife. My only saving grace was looking for an opening I could capitalize on. I just had to bide my time but fighting one man was far more appealing than being surrounded by others of like mind.
I took a deep breath and spun on my heel with my foot outstretched for maximum impact. He grunted in response dropping the spear and doubling over in pain. I followed up on the attack with an elbow strike to the side of his temple. He wavered and stumbled but he didn’t fall. There was no reason to let up and I continued to tactically remove him from the equation.
He swung wildly with a glancing blow to the tip of my nose. It hurt, but I used it as a tether. I ran toward him and leapt into the air with my knee catching him on the side of his head. I stepped down on the end of the spear and the handle came up to greet me. I snatched it to jab it into his stomach, lifting him off the ground with the blunt end coming up to snap him to attention under his chin.
His head snapped back and it was a miracle he was still on his feet. A roundhouse kick knocked him to the ground and I landed on top of him with several rights and lefts while tightening my thigh muscles against his ribs. He tried to lift a finger but his eyes fluttered in response to my attack. He slumped onto the ground still breathing but in no condition to be of any threat to me. He had underestimated his opponent and I used that to my advantage.
I walked away from him careful not to make a spectacle of myself. Rushing in without a plan was stupid. I was on the outskirts of some kind of camp and I hazarded a glance unprepared for what I was going to see.
I was thunderstruck by the sight in front of me.
A naked man was secured to a post surrounded by rocks and men in loincloths were dancing around him with torches. I couldn’t see his face but I did see the crumpled form of another man, forgotten, lying face down in the dirt.
Chapter Eight