The Crimson Trail

Chapter-5

After getting the signal, Claire stepped out of her cell and went straightaway to open up the rest. She had to be careful. A slight delay and these Newlings could harm each other. One by one, each of the doors were unlocked meticulously within an interval of few seconds. She sped outside the cavern to oversee the execution that was about to start.
She skimmed over a boulder from where she could scan a larger part of the region. Her eyes, which were busy searching the perimeters, suddenly came to a halt. A trail of trickling blood, leading towards the lakeshore lay, emerging not far away from the entrance. From the way it screamed attention, it was obvious to decipher that it had not appeared by chance, but by a deliberate attempt.

In a miffed voice she exclaimed, “I had asked him not to overdo it!”
Dismissing her annoyance, she fastened towards the rocky door, before this desperate militia could flood out in the open.

All the Newlings had stepped outside their cells, aggressive and impatient. As one of them attempted to get past her, she gave him a firm push inside and let out a ferocious growl. Before he could attack further, her voice resonated through the muddy walls, hypnotising them all.

“Seek the crimson trail and it will lead you where you are meant to be. Hunt them down and feed on them, for they come to kill you.”  

As if these words ushered a wind of fury, all of them headed out at one go. Starving from long; the sight of blood captivated them and the smell of blood pervaded their senses, only to heighten their craving. Rushing and tearing the wind apart, they set out towards the lake.
******
Oliver darted in the direction of the approaching sounds. As he reached closer, he saw a troop of fifty, all set to attack the house.  He recognized a few faces from his previous encounters; and tried to reason that the other additions were kept hidden from him. The finest of Lord Ruthven’; they could easily beat Darren together. Estimating the threat that they posed, Oliver changed his manoeuvre to suit their tempers. As they were about to reach, he sprinted towards the outskirts. There, standing firmly in the middle of nowhere, he took out a small shining jewel from his pocket.

It was a Tanzanite; one of the rarest gems to be found on earth that could dress up a different colour depending upon the angle from which it was seen and the amount of light in which it was placed. Its unparalleled glitter and vibrant hues from burgundy to red couldn’t be overlooked at any cost. Such a precious stone could only belong to someone equally valuable. In this case, it was Oliver; Lord Ruthven’s finest bounty hunter.

As soon as the lot sensed the presence of such high vibrations, they decided to take a small detour. Reaching where Oliver stood princely, they arranged themselves in a meticulous order as if summoned; hands folded and heads lowered. Only three people, two men and a woman, emerged from the group to face Oliver head to head.

“What is our use here when you yourself are present?” – One of them smiled while taking out his gem, as if wanting to compare it with Oliver’s. “Mine is not as good as yours. I must say.”

Oliver held out his stone again and said, “The stone gains its glitter from the mind of its owner. Harness your inner energy to come equivalent to mine, if you can.” Oliver shot a mocking glare at the man. 

Oliver had no time for any playful charades. He continued to speak, “All three of you will head towards the house. He is there. Alone. Take twenty of these finest with you.”

“But why not all?” – The one who had spoken earlier poked again.
Throwing a scornful look at him, Oliver continued – “He is way too smart to keep that feeble human in the most predictable place. I am dubious that he has moved that Flangton creature somewhere away near the lake. The rest of you will go there. It is the man we seek, not Darren.”

“What do we do with Darren? He is extremely powerful. He won’t let us come back alive.” – The girl was direct.

Smiling to himself, Oliver strolled away in the direction of the moon and keeping his back towards them said, “Try...and kill him. If not, get killed. That’s all.”