Huntress

Chapter 78

Ryder was immediately on alert. Like he was on a swivel, he panned back and forth, back and forth around the room. Just a little while ago, I had been admiring how refined he looked. Wrapped up in that suit, he was a businessman with everything under control. But now, he looked positively feral, coming apart at the seams.

"I don't see anyone new," he said through clenched teeth. "We can split up and look separately, fan out around the room. I can remember most people from last year and someone here with have loose enough lips to let a name slip. They always do."

"Ryder." It was Keiko who spoke, her voice quiet, but sharp. "We are not splitting up and putting our noses to the ground. Some of these people already think that we are godless dogs. We are not going to prove them right."

"But—"

"If you think we don't want to solve this, you are out of your mind. But Ryder, please consider the other factors at play here. This is not a hunt. This is not something we can accuse someone of lightly. Is it suspicious? Yes, absolutely. Does that mean that anything? No. Listen, the meeting is about to start. We will sit through it quietly and use our ears instead of our teeth."

Ryder looked like he was fighting his demons, but an MC stepped up to a small podium and picked up a wireless microphone.

When Ryder grabbed my hand, I wasn't sure if it was more grounding for me or him. On the brink of going utterly feral, he sought me out to keep him in his true self, to keep him mindful. And he was my anchor in a sea of creatures that shouldn't have existed. And quite frankly could have probably killed me with about as much as the snap of two fingers.

Ajax and Keiko sat down, marking off four seat at the end of a row. Vaguely, in the back of my mind, I thought that this room and these chairs had probably been used for someone's upper middle-class wedding. And now I was here, feeling like I was teetering on the edge of madness. The beautiful woman MCing for the day smiled out at the small crowd, going through the agenda for the day while I struggled to grasp reality.

Sirens, commanders of the sea. Wind Howlers, controllers of the sky. What was that man, Max? Was he a vampire like I suspected? What did Ajax mean when he said they had their own dealings with humans? Could they really have them housed like cattle?

"Are there any sirens here today?" the woman on stage asked.

Her question was met with a silence so strong and so loaded that it pulled me out of my downward spiral. Eyes moved around the room, looking at each other for guidance, or perhaps something less wholesome, like they were having their own suspicions confirmed. The anxiety brewing in my belly turned to a full boil when I saw Ajax and Keiko staring straight ahead, mouths flat, features trained into a neutral expression.

I turned to look at Ryder, but he squeezed my hand gently before our gazes connected and I forced myself to stop. Whatever this was, it was bigger than us right now.

"No sirens in attendance?" the woman asked again.

More silence, growing heavier by the second.

The woman squared her shoulders and turned her attention to the werewolf king and queen. "I'm going to assume that you are aware of the rumors circulating. Are you able to confirm or deny anything at this time?"

"We are unable to provide any information at this time," Keiko said, her voice final.

"How could an entire species go missing and no one knows anything?" someone demanded from the crowd. "The rumors are all we have and they are pointing to the werewolves!"

"We have been looking into it and have not been able to find anything tangible at this time. That doesn't mean that we don't spend everyday looking for more information. That doesn't mean that we aren't trying to get to the bottom of this."

"I have some questions about that!" another person interjected. "Last year, you come in with this man that you claim is not only unkillable but can also help you keep balance and order in your realm. Why are you not using him to help you? Didn't you claim that this man was able to have visions? Shouldn't he be able to confirm whether or not a werewolf is to cause for this? Where is he now? Did he die?"

The only glimpse of panic was Keiko's bouncing foot, but it would have been out of sight for most of the others. "He is alive and well and he is still learning the extent of his powers. Like we said at our last meeting, a werewolf is only given this curse once every two hundred years or so. Because of that, the documentation is incredibly limited. We are learning as we go."

"So you admit that there is a chance that something could be happening right under your noses?"

Ajax took over then, slumping in his chair like they were arguing over college football. "There's a chance with every single one of us. There's a chance that humans have turned on us. I cannot say that a werewolf is not involved. I can say that werewolves have had an alliance with sirens since King Archer and Queen Ember fought in the war together. We have no reason and no desire to go against the sirens and certainly would not break a treaty."

Little bubbles of conversations rumbled through the crowd. I sat tense, waiting. But each side conversation dissolved and the woman at the podium plastered a smile on, turning the conversation to vampires. I went entirely rigid when the vampires admitted that they were still purchasing desperate humans, but claimed it was all according to parameters that had been set. In fact, they seemed to think that they were doing desperate humans a favor, especially a certain group, helping them pay for costly surgeries of loved ones. They just had to sell themselves for a few years.

I resisted the urge to jam the heels of my hands into my eyes.

The wind howlers came next. It was a wild conversation, the group saying they were doing as much as they possibly could to combat climate change and ease weather patterns. My head span a little and I started to feel a little dizzy.

Then came the alchemist. And everyone perked immediately.

Though everyone else had given their updates from their seats, the alchemist rose to his feet. He was a short man with hair so white it was almost strange to look at. His clothing was a testament to his age, fashioned years before my time or even my parents' time. Even still, his face was devoid of any wrinkles, eyes sparkling with clarity. But there was something off, something strange about him. He seemed to waver under my gaze.

"We thought you were gone," Max, the vampire gasped. For a man who sucked the blood of innocent humans, he seemed utterly startled. Obviously, he hadn't believed the rumor.

"You haven't come to any conferences in years. You were said to be extinct. Yet here you are. Very much alive," the MC said, a little barb to her words. "Is there anything you would like to tell us now that you have returned?"

"Well, as you can see, it is only me from my group. I cannot reveal much about my counterparts. You will understand later why I do not wish to say too much. Though we are not extinct, our numbers are severely lower than they have ever been. We have been hunted."

The room sucked in a unanimous breath of astonishment. I didn't know much about this world. In fact, I was certain that I had barely scratched the surface. But even I understood the strength of the alliances and treaties. With the way Ajax and Keiko were acting, it was clear that even microaggression were not tolerated.

"Hunted?" someone repeated.

"Yes, hunted down like dogs. Which is quite ironic."

Ajax finally showed a glimpse of humanity, flinching hard as if he had been slapped. Keiko stilled. "You aren't implying..."

"No, I am not implying. I'm telling you that werewolves slaughtered my people and those that survived barely made it out with their lives."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Happy Victoria Day! I have a lil announcement on my page if you would like to support me as an author and you are interested in reading my published work.

Question of the Day: What is one cool feature you would want in your dream house?

I would want a built in library with one of those rolling ladders.