The Hunted: Book One In The Hunted Trilogy

Party

Sally glided down the stairwell. It was only eight o'clock and someone very important was in front of the door.

"Why are you not by the woods?!" the old man by the door had two straps forming an X across his chest, both straps had a pistol on it. With each pistol, there where twenty bullets on each strap. The man, though he was about sixty, had dark midnight colored hair which rested over his right eye.

"I haven't seen a wild werewolf sense I was five," Sally rolled her eyes, "and I don't even remember what that monster looked like the only reason I know is from books and in the prison when I was at school!"

"It could-" Menark froze.

"What," Mrs. Danshum stormed in from the dinning room, "is Menark the werewolf slayer doing in my house?!"

"Nothing," Menark gave Mrs. Danshum an evil glare, "unless someone done something she shouldn't."

"You unfairly accused us!" Mrs. Danshum was screaming making servants start to stare.

"I had, and still have, every ounce of evidence I needed," Menark smiled slyly.

"I had NO control," Mrs. Danshums glare gave Sally a start, "over what happened that night."

"You never do," Menark laughed, twitching threateningly at his pistols, "now do you?"

"Ok," Sally smacked her forehead, "will one of you pleas explain what the heck is going on?!"

"YOU NEVER TOLD HER!" Menark, who had looked at Sally when she spoke, wheeled around to Mrs. Danshum, a look of pure loathing on his face, "you lying witch!"

"I have my secrets," Mrs. Danshum growled, Sally swore the growl was one like she heard from werewolves shed seen in the prison at Sampsons, "you have yours to, and one that even your master won't tell your students!"

"HE KILLED HER MOTHER!" Menark was now in Mrs. Danshums face.

"EXCUSE ME!" Sally screamed, now angrier then ever at the mention of the night she lost her mother, "TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON NOW!"

"You'll find out soon enough," Menark's face was bright red, turning purple, "get your pistol, you'll be more use hear then by the woods!"

"What's that supposed to mean," Mrs. Danshums eyes were bright with anger.

"You know," Menark slammed the huge oak doors behind him, Sally heard his horse gallop away.

"You look lovely," Mrs. Danshum her tongue flicking distaste with every word.

Sally headed to the lounge, trying to contemplate what she had heard from Mrs. Danshum and Menark's argument. Mrs. Danshum was very icy toward Sally for the rest of the night. Referring to her as 'house maid' when anyone asked about her. A few faces Sally recognized, she noticed the carriage driver from that after noon, as well as one of the bakers from town. She was sure she recognized a face from a vampire attack a few month before, but when she looked again only Mrs. Danshum was there. By ten o'clock dinner was ready in the grand dinning hall, Sally was especially excited about that because she was never aloud in the room before now.

"Dinner," a strong looking male servant bowed lowly to the large party, "is served, pleas follow me toward the grand dinning hall."

"You might as well come," Mrs. Danshum stuck her nose into the air, "don't want to make him angry."

Sally knew who the him was and, also, knew Mrs. Danshum was right, went to sit down. The door to the hall was at least twenty feet high. Leaf décor flowed over the door. Once inside, Sally saw another candler, larger then the entrance way, it gave off a bright yellow glow around the room. In the middle of the room was a twenty five foot long table. Set across it was a great bounty of food.

"Wow!" Sally gasped looking at the tiny angels in each little square that covered the wall.

"It is amazing, isn't it?" a girl, making Sally jump, stood beside Sally wearing the same golden color that Sally wore.

"Janace!" Sally sprung onto her friends neck, "I thought you where off in Transylvania hunting banshees!"

"Got a hint," Janace and Sally started to walk toward the table, "A reliable source told me that an attack has been planned for tonight from this house."

"No wonder," Sally sat by Janace at the large table, which oddly had mostly raw food on it, "Menark was freaking out at me for not being by the woods at eight o'clock tonight."

"Do you have your pistols?"

"Yes, under my dress, Menark kinda scared me, so I grabbed it."

"Good, but you shouldn't let someone scare you so easily, I mean, you are a werewolf hunter."

"Speaking of which, Henry completely blew me off when I asked about going to the peak tonight!"

"Well, if we where two normal girls I would say it was to keep you safe."

"But we aren't normal, he hunts flipping vampires and I hunt werewolves!"

"You are about as safe as can be."

"I told him that but then he said 'that's why'!"

"He wouldn't cheat on you, he's a gentlemen!"

"You read my mind!"

"What are best friends for?" The girls conversation was cut short by a clicking of a thin glass.

"Excuse me," Mrs. Danshum stood in her red velvet dress at the head of the table, "my friend and I would like to welcome all you hunters to my humble home."

"What?" Sally looked around the table.

Then, with a jolt of surprise, Sally recognized half the faces as people from Sampsons school that were either in their last year or had all ready graduated. The banshee hunters, Eric, Janace, Peter, and Jack. The Dragon Slayers, Jacob, Lance, Kanye, and Lacy. Fellow werewolf hunters, Samantha, Ace, and Marco. As well as Henry's fellow vampire hunters, Johnny and Anna, the other was now a vampire bitten in the last attack. But the rest must be Mrs. Danshums friends.

"You where invited here," Mrs. Danshum seemed to be holding back a scowl, "for us to thank you for keeping our small village safe from......monsters," Seeming to force the last word out.

"No problem," the hunters chanted the line that had been drilled into their heads sense the first class of school.

"But," Mrs. Danshum said, every hunter looked at the other and darted to put their hand on their weapons, "not everyone is happy with how you do it."

"Not all of you filthy hunters are as dumb as we thought," a pale woman, who now Sally was sure was a vampire, laughed as all hunters jerked up pulling out pistols, bows, wood spikes, and swords.

"Well," Mrs. Danshum sent an vile smile right at sally, "almost midnight, chow time!"

"MOVE!" Menark appeared from behind the huge doors in the back of the hall, pistol aimed right at Mrs. Danshum, he shot her strait in the heart