Chapter 26

Queen Wazir and her mercenary hunters arrived like knight riders racing the wind.

Queen Wazir led the charge, with a group of 8 Hunters. She stormed through in the middle. The Queen no longer wore the fancy blue dress of wealth. No, today she wore a shiny, metallic, statement with blades right under her palms. She walked with purpose, walked with a weapon, her expression was eerily cold.

“Is that armor?” I snickered, and several of the Hunters gave a blink at the sound of my clear voice. I had been projecting an air of command from the second I opened my mouth. “Feeling threatened now, are we?” Good.

“Beast,” Queen Wazir coldly interjected. “Where is my son?” Her demand is equally venom as it was sharpened glass.

“Right here, Miss,” And with that, I reached backward, claws grasping onto cloth and throwing a body behind me.

Just so the enemy couldn’t try to run forward and snatch him up.

Rook flopped onto the ground, unmoving. He was slumped over in the flowers, bruises littering his skin, along with grass and dirt stains along his pale clothes. Rook’s lip is busted, along with the bleeding cut on one of his long ears, still sluggishly leaking red. Rook breathed sluggishly, as if panting while asleep. He had no other reaction as he looked dead to the world.

“Rook!” Queen Wazir gapped and swiftly took two steps, quickly wary of my low growl in warning. “You Beast, have you ruined him?!”

What the heck is that supposed to translate to? Dullings of this world are just as whimsical as the humans of my last one. Absurdity to match their disbelief? Is that what this was?

“Not any more than what you’ve done to my own.” I can hear the bend of bow string focusing in my direction. The several hunters quieted their breath, preparing to fight. “How nice for Goldfish to be absent! I suppose that one won’t be coming back, but we’re not here about her. Where are they?”

Queen Wazir snarled at me, her eyes frosted in parasitic, dark ice.

Fitting, considering how she ended the last ‘game.’

Wazir had struck first. My family. My wards!

“You’d harm my most precious of all rather than become a member of my staff?” Queen Wazir slowly accused, her low voice rolling into a louder hiss like a growing snowball.

“Unpaid labor is slavery.” I smoothly told her as a no brainer. “The twins,” I lifted a leg, and slammed it onto the dirt.

Dirt and rocks creaked and splinted. A tree nearby creaked loudly as the damage had spread, eerily close to where Rook lay. Wazir’s fast beating heart told me she knew of the danger.

“Do you think I won’t crack your offspring’s head like a watermelon?” I spat. “Leave him to fall in between the earth where he’ll choke to death on rocks? You have three seconds. One. Two—“ How dare they toy with me.

I will make you regret!

Wazir’s eyes stretched wild. Whatever calm waters in her eyes stretched to the depths of oceans, dark and unknown. She raised a two-fingered fist, eyes on her unconscious boy.

“She…Shepard!” Cried a familiar black wolf.

A whine crawled out of my throat, stopped by the sharp clack of fangs. I turned to look, the tufts of my ears creating a show of perked attention to prevent ambushes.

Both Ebony and Ivory were locked in the same rolling cage. I suspected this was easier, the twins could not be separated without losing fingers or limbs.

Ivovy was unmoving. There is ringing in my ears as I think myself as descending into madness.

“Ivory is okay!” Ebony yelled, echoing across the trees in a haunted misery. “He is alright! Simply drugged, Shepard, do not lose yourself to anger!” The pitch in his voice, tremor in each word.

Why must Ebony sound so desperate? It was enough to briefly cool my burning head like it did before.

And enough to alert me of the poisoned magic arrow flying toward the neck.

I leapt forward, claws on the ground and launched myself without a second further of hesitation. I was free-lunging in the air, a flare of emerald flame engulfed me, to which I sacrificed my remaining cloak with a wave of the arm. By the time I touched the ground, both Wazir and I were face to face and practically sneering at one another.

It was difficult to tell which one of us was the beast.

A howl reached the sky.

Ah, my brave wards decided to come in earlier than expected. They truly had a bone to pick with these greedy Dullings.

Within seconds, my wards pounced. Hunters screamed and cursed alike.

The fastest, strongest wolves were present and leading. The quick but less-power focused members backed them up with support and snapping jaws. It was impossible to pin one when multiple were active and ready to tear someone open for trying.

“Are those the Gem Wolves?!” My ears detected the clamored glee in one of the Wooden’s Hunter’s. “We could be rich if we bag them!” Soon after, their furious shout of pain delighted my heart.

Little Ruby was present too. The other wolves must have allowed it, this payback must be therapeutic.

Wazir took a step in the direction of her downed son. The movement snatched my attention in the chaos.

I took my own step, in the opposite direction, edging closer to my brothers.

We eyed one another, side-glancing, judging.

As much as I hated her, we had priorities.

I dashed to the cage, my ears twitching at the frantic wheeze of Wazir’s breaths.

She had quickly rocketed herself to the prince and began to check Rook over.

Absolutely ironic considering her earlier malice.

“Rook! Oh, Rook, you ridiculous child of mine, how could you be so reckless…!” Wazir mourned, tears in her throat.

“Mother,” Rook croaked. “I apologize for being so weak. Auntie would be angry.”

I tuned both Dullings out, scratching at the thorny cage. The ‘thorns’ were pop-up spikes from a magic porcupine. The scratches and scrapes against my claws were nothing as I kept sawing down a weak point in the cage. I didn’t want the structure to collapse when Ivory was very much unconscious.

Ebony barked, sharp and warning.

I dodged to the side, a dart hitting the cage’s bars. I swiftly rip several of the ‘thorns’ off the cage then send them flying with a flick of the wrist.

A hunter shrieked, falling over with a foamed gurgle. Thorns were embedded in their face and ears.

“Shepard,” Ebony began, hoarse. “Are you unharmed?”

He wasn’t asking about the current battlefield.

“Quit asking me stupid questions when you were the one captured.” I resist the urge to bite at the cage, the position of the quill-thorns could be nasty. “You two can tell me what happened later, right now, I’m freeing you.” So be a dear and keep an eye out!

I can hear my wards furiously fighting on. The Hunters are skilled, but there were simply more wolves than expected. The smell of blood stained the air, most of it from the Dullings. Ivory had done an excellent job in giving the wolves additional training while I had been stuck with Ebony’s teachings. To maximize your instincts and senses, the Gem Wolves were in sync.

“We couldn’t protect you—We, no, I failed!” Ebony stuttered in quick, too fast breaths. “We couldn’t save Opal, couldn’t take the darn book,” Ebony choked, succumbing to a panicked wheeze, his eyes swirling in the deeper dark.

“Ebony, I will literally punch you if you don’t let me focus.” The thorns are finally sawed into dust by my claws. My fangs find purchase in the middle as I deliver a punch to the upper bars.

With the added pressure from fangs and the contrasting hit, a sizable hole was torn into the bars.

Ebony gazed upon me with guilt, eyes shiny with emotion.

I offered him a claw.

Ebony snatched up Ivory’s delirious form into his arms and allowed me to help them exit the cage. I held onto him tightly, and Ebony did not look away, his ears raised and alert. For the first time since this living nightmare, I felt relieved.

“Urgh,” Ivory groaned. “My head aches. Why am I smelling that Prince?”

“I beat him up,” I replied truthfully, as a Hunter wailed, a wolf biting their ankles.

“You what,” Ivory gritted despite his grogginess, and I wonder his reaction in the future to what Rook agreed to in exchange for this rescue.

“You cursed thing!” Screamed a Hunter, too close, highly stealthed, how many magical creatures did they skin to make more of these troublesome clothes? “Perish, back to where demons like you belong!”

I caught their wrist, lips curved to expose my fangs.

It was then I heard a click.

“Mother, no!” Rook caterwauled.

Is that a gun, I whirled, diving at my brothers tackling them both the second gunpowder shot through the air. I am reminded of the wooden arrow from long ago, aimed at Ruby, then the one at Ivory; this was a magic infused weapon. The Hunters only hunt with lethality.

I then began to listen to my brother’s hearts, but no, both of the twins were breathing the same pace as seconds ago.

My heartbeat slowed. There is a pain tickling my fingers, climbing to the chest. Seconds ticked on.

Odd. I don’t have a clock?

Perhaps it was the ground, but even with the heartbeat and warm arms suddenly holding onto me, the timing is off. Too fast, too frenzied.

Moving felt impossible, my body refused to listen.

I can distantly hear Ebony shrieking, screaming, howling in grief. I knew him to be loud when wronged, dramatic, like his counterpart, and my veins felt like liquid iron. Breathing was difficult. Still, I am amazed, Ebony sounded like an independent person I truly wanted him to be. He sounded like an angry wolf ready to snap his jaws at the world.

Fingers I recognized to be Ivory’s, gave my shoulders a firm shake. He was equally in disbelief. Warm, then cold droplets fell on my neck and face. Was Ivory crying? How dare anyone make that ice king cry.

“Sister,” Ivory wept. “Sister, do not—You are not allowed to go. Please,”

Darkness claimed me in the matter of seconds, but all I could think is:

At least they’re here with me this time.