Page 62 of A Hunt So Wicked
"Corvus," King Ero said, gesturing for his sorcerer to step to the front of them before addressing us once more. "Your first shift is the most difficult in regards to breaking through the mental fog and accessing your memories. Corvus is going to help speed up your ability to remember. Before doing so, I ask that each of you keep an open mind. When we were cursed all those years ago, stipulations were placed. Things which served to make it harder for us to shift and to become one with our beasts. I ask that you trust and believe us when we say this was the only way. The curse demands blood to be spilled, which is why we do The Hunt. Without fresh blood, you would shift once and only once. Your beasts would fade away into the ether, and you would not be able to pass your gift to your own sons."
A few of my friends shifted on their feet at Ero's words, and I started to feel like perhaps the dream I'd had... hadn't been a dream at all.
"Sacrifices must be made!" Ekpen said loudly.
"We do what we must. For Quintaria!" King Eamon shouted, once again earning cheers.
Ero raised his hands, silencing the room. "All I ask is that you take a moment to process the things you're about to see. Think about it. We will give you an hour, and then rejoin the room to answer more questions." Our fathers began heading to the door, leaving all of us with questioning looks. Catching Torin's eye, he gave away nothing in his expression. It was the first time I'd been able to say that he'd made a face that resembled his father.
Once the door closed, all eyes were on Corvus. "Repeat after me and learn the truth."
He began chanting, words that were foreign and ancient, and one by one, everyone in the room joined in. A rhythm formed among our voices and the room suddenly felt heavy, like the air was thick and weighted. The hair on my arms lifted with each cycle of the magical words, and then, from the dark depths of my mind, the memories returned. I grunted as pain shot through my head with flashes of images and moments in time.
Running into the forest next to Alden. Meeting his yellow eyes, the both of us letting out a roar. Taj and Mosi raced past us, using the trees as launch pads, depositing deep claw marks in the trees. The wolves grouped off and disappeared into the night, leaving only the eeriness of their howls behind.
Movement to my left. A stag. Mine. Blood exploded in my mouth as I sank my teeth into its neck while Alden tore into its hind leg.
We worked as a team, killing many animals as the moon hung high in the sky. It wasn't until the sun was at its peak the following day that I caught my first whiff of new prey. I had to have it.
Screams. Women and guards running to the gates. Flesh being flayed with the swipe of my massive paws, claws severing flesh and tendon as if there was no resistance whatsoever. How absolutely satisfied I felt being covered in the blood of the new prey.
Watching Torin from land the next day as he sailed over the sea, igniting one of the ships with fire.
A most enticing scent. A familiar one. It called to me as I prowled closer. I could hear the rapid pitter patter of two heartbeats...
"No." I whispered, knowing what was to come.
Evie's face, full of fear. Her beautiful eyes wide with terror as I stood high above her.Please, Goddess, tell me I didn't slay her as I did so many others.
She yelled my name. My name. She knew. I remembered how my name from her lips had given me pause. Confused me. Her friend slipped away, and I barely noticed her guard helping Isla to safety.
Mine. Mine. MINE!
My beast seemed to demand I take notice of his claim on this woman. Saliva dripped from my maw as she stared at me. A loud crashing through the trees shifted my gaze, and I watched as Torin appeared and blasted Evie's guard with fire. In my animal form, I was furious. They were to be my prey. Not. His. So, I attacked him. That's where the memory reel ended, and I searched the room for Torin, finding him with his eyes closed, his own memories still returning. My feet were moving before I was aware, and when my best friend's eyes opened, I was the first thing he saw.
"Dair," he said calmly.
"Did we kill her?" I demanded, going nose to nose with him.
He sighed in frustration at my closeness and stepped back, putting a small amount of space between us. "It wasn't in my memories."
I exhaled, some of the anxiety and dread leaving my body, but I wouldn’t feel better until I saw her with my own eyes.
The rest of the room was a mixture of low conversation and men stunned into silence. I'd maimed and slaughtered people from my realm. Something I'd sworn to never do. I was supposed to protect them, and instead, I'd betrayed them.
Torin straightened his jacket and stood tall as he looked around the room. "Gentlemen." Everyone went silent and looked to Torin, waiting for him to speak. "What we've just seen was a shock, to say the least."
"I would have never done something like that!" Taj boomed, angry.
Torin held up his hand. "I know, brother. I don't believe that any of us would have, but we have to listen to what our fathers have said. It wasn't our fault—it is the fault of the sorcerer who placed this curse upon our bloodlines! We were left with no choice but to resort to this...violence."
"I'd like to see his head upon a pike!" Ciar ranted, growling low.
"As nobody has seen that traitor since the fall of Sova, that may be difficult to achieve," Alden said, speaking for the first time. I looked at my brother and found his face devoid of color. For the first time in my life, I questioned the reason why we’d been cursed in the first place. I thought about the four kings who had taught each of us everything we knew. They hadn’t been completely truthful with us, so what else hadn’t we been told?
Mosi slammed his fists on a table. "Why the women? Why bring us here to choose a wife only to have the potentials slain by our own teeth and claws?!"
The room exploded in discussion, and theories were tossed about with the same speed as the waves of the sea during a storm.
