A Tale of Red Riding: Rise of the Alpha Huntress (The Alpha Huntress Series Book 1) (20 page)

Chapter 22

Minutes after Red’s troubling conversation with her father, she was wearing a pair of her mother’s old denim pants, a tank top, and a light jacket. Over her shoulder hung a sheath made of old cloth and rope, which concealed her sword inside. Her hair had been brushed back into a sloppy ponytail, and she had wiped her face clean, though she still felt quite dirty. Not that it mattered to her in the least; there were far more pressing concerns on her mind.

“Wolfgang and I need to have a little chat,” she said aloud.

Red spotted him on the far end of the clearing, crouched down next to her motorcycle. Without making the faintest sound, she walked up behind him. From what she could tell, he was making some sort of mechanical adjustment to the engine.

“So is he running, or what?” Red asked.

Deathly startled, Wolfgang spun around. “I see you’ve been working on those stealth skills.”

“Yeah, it’s totally impressive. Now is my little man good to go, or not?”

Wolfgang bit down on his lip, frustrated with the harshness of her tone. “I was just checking the intake valve, but yes, your boy is primed and ready to roll.”

“See, giving me a straight answer wasn’t so hard. Try making a habit of it.” Red grabbed the handlebars of her motorcycle and rolled it toward the outskirts of the clearing.

Wolfgang raced after her. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“For what exactly?”

“What do you mean for what? Do you think the little guy there fixed himself?”

“Where are my manners? Thanks for breaking my bike and then fixing it.” Red reached the path leading off into the woods and sat on the seat of her motorcycle.

“You going somewhere?” Wolfgang asked.

“No,
we
are.” Red hit the kick-starter. Her motorcycle started up with a roar.

Wolfgang smiled with pride. “Now that’s what a well-tuned motor sounds like.”

“You getting on, or what?” Red glanced back to the house and saw Ash and Dote were stepping out onto the front porch. She revved the throttle a few times. “I don’t got all night, Wolf Boy.”

“Whatever.” Wolfgang climbed onto the back of the seat. There was hardly enough space for both of them.

Red squeezed the throttle, and they sped off into the dark forest, kicking up a blast of mud in their wake.

“It feels weird riding on the back. It’s usually the other way around when I’m cruising with a lady,” Wolfgang said.

“That is
soooo
interesting.” Red bit down on her lip and glared straight ahead.

“You’re a little intense tonight. Things work out okay with your old man?” Wolfgang asked.

Red squeezed the throttle, pushing her little motorcycle even faster. “The Omega Gem. Tell me what you know about it.”

“From what I hear, it’s a moonstone that’s supposed to give the Alpha some major butt-kicking powers. Most people say it’s just a myth,” Wolfgang said.

“So then you wouldn’t have any idea where to find it, would you?”

“Why would I?”

“That was a question. I asked for an answer.” Red made a hard turn into a curve. It was so fast the she had to plant a foot on the ground to keep the wheels from losing traction on the wet dirt.

Wolfgang tightened his grip around Red’s waist to avoid falling off the back. “Going a little hard there tonight. I gotta admit I’m liking it.”

Red gritted her teeth. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“You mean about the Omega Gem?”

“Of course I mean the Omega Gem.” Red pushed into another hard turn. She cut away from the safety of the path and headed off into the dark woods. Without letting up on the throttle, she maneuvered over the bumpy terrain and around the massive trees.

“Red, I don’t know what’s going on with you tonight, but you need to calm down a whole lot,” Wolfgang said.

“Maybe I’ll calm down when you answer my question. Do you know where the Omega Gem is?”

“Why do you want to know so much?”

“Why won’t you just answer my question?”

“Maybe you need to start asking a lot nicer, Miss Riding.”

“Maybe you need to start telling me the truth about some things, Mister Helheim.”

“I’ve never lied to you about anything.”

“Oh, that is
it
.”

Red thrust her elbow into Wolfgang’s chest, knocking him off the back of her motorcycle. In the rearview mirror, she saw him slamming back first into the hard ground. She hit the brakes and skidded for several yards before coming to a stop.

“I’ll show you how I calm down.”

Red jumped off her motorcycle and let it fall into the mud. In a flash she pulled her sword and turned into her werewolf form. Before Wolfgang could catch his breath, she grabbed him by the throat, slammed his back up against a large oak tree, and jammed the blade of her sword up to his neck.

“Red, what is your issue?”

“Your endless lies are my issue.”

“If you’re still talking about the Omega Gem, I don’t know where it is.”

“Fine, then let’s forget about that and flash back to the night when your father killed my mother.” Red slammed Wolfgang into the tree.

A look of guilt filled Wolfgang’s eyes. “So that’s what this is about. The big lug told you.”

“So you do know. Why did you keep it from me?” Red again bashed Wolfgang into the tree.

Wolfgang groaned. “It’s not like we’ve had a lot of time for meaningful conversation since you got to town.”

Red’s eyes swelled with tears. “How can you look me in the eye knowing what your family did to me?”

“Hey, it’s not like my old man didn’t get it for what he did. Your dad lobbed his head clean off, so maybe we can call it even.”

“My father didn’t bust into your home with the intention of killing your family. Of killing me.” Red said.

“If you think taking me out will make you feel better about it, then go ahead. I won’t even fight back.”

Red looked Wolfgang in the eyes as she pushed her blade tighter against his throat.

True to his word, he didn’t move a muscle. “Go ahead, Red. You deserve justice.”

“I don’t want justice. I want my family back.”

“I would give you that if I could, but I can’t change what my family did to yours. The best I can offer you is my life.”

Red’s heart swelled with rage. She wanted nothing more than to unleash her desire for vengeance onto Wolfgang. He had been only a child when it all happened, so it didn’t feel right to hold him responsible. She lowered the blade from his throat and then bashed him across the face with the hilt.

“That’s for not telling me you knew about this before.” Red then kicked him in the shin, knocking him to his knees. “And that’s because I just felt like doing it.”

Wolfgang gasped to catch his breath. “You’re disappointing me, Riding. Don’t hold back now. I don’t deserve your pity, and I don’t want it.”

Red paced around in a frantic fit. “The worst part of it is, I actually thought I felt something for you. How could I have been so stupid?”

Wolfgang cracked a grin. “You felt something for me?”

“It was only for one second, and it was a major mistake. Don’t go getting any crazy ideas in that big dumb head of yours, Wolf Boy.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Because that’s what you are. A pathetic little Wolf Boy.”

Wolfgang clutched a hand over his head. “There’s more to it than that. When you say it, I see you, but it’s not you. It’s more like you, when we were …”

A rather unsettling feeling overcame Red. “Time out. Back up. It was more like me when I was what?”

“Little Red.” Wolfgang squinted in pain.

“Little Red?” Red gasped nervously.

Wolfgang again shook his head in pain. “I can’t think straight. It’s all mixed up.” He grabbed Red and looked her in the eyes. “Red, listen to me, you need to get out of here, right now. She must be nearby. You have to hurry.”

“Who is this
she
you’re talking about?” He didn’t answer. “Wolfgang, tell me what’s going on here!” she demanded.

Wolfgang dashed over to Red’s motorcycle and picked it up out of the mud. “Ash was right about me."

Red looked Wolfgang in the eyes. “You mean the part where you saved me from Ice for some secret selfish reason?”

“That’s right. Only I was totally wrong. Now you need to get out of here before things get worse,” Wolfgang said.

Red held the tip of her sword to Wolfgang’s throat. “I already know how they were going to kill me so they could give you the Alpha Power.”

“It’s true. Just like Ice, I was also born at the exact same time as you. The thing is, with you and me it’s a lot more complicated,” Wolfgang said.

Red lowered her sword as she considered this curious notion. “How do you mean?”

Wolfgang hit the kick-starter on Red’s motorcycle, firing up the engine. “I promise to explain later, but for now you need to go.” He whispered, “She’s coming for you.”

Red shivered as the temperature dropped, so much so she could see her own breath in the air. There was no doubt something evil was approaching from behind her. She turned around and gasped in horror.

A middle-aged woman with glowing red eyes was emerging from the trees. She had ratty black hair and skin that looked as rough as sandpaper. From her waist stemmed six arachnid legs.

“Hello there, little Alpha Huntress,” the arachnid-woman said with a wicked, high-pitched voice.

Wolfgang was overcome with a look of guilt. “I’m sorry, Red. I was wrong about you.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, Wolfgang,” the arachnid-woman said. “You did the right thing, leading me to the Alpha.”

Red’s eyes filled with rage. “Wolfgang, you set me up?”

“It’s not like that, Red. She put a spellcraft on me. But that was before I got to know you.”

Red got onto her motorcycle and hit the throttle. “Stay away from me, Helheim. You’re a monster.”

Wolfgang slumped over, devastated by her words.

“Leaving so soon, Alpha?” The arachnid-woman fired webs from her fingertips, binding the back wheel of Red’s motorcycle.

Wolfgang jumped between Red and the arachnid-woman. “Mother, please don’t do this.”

“I’ll deal with you later.” The arachnid-woman shoved Wolfgang into a tree and fired her webs, binding him to the trunk.

“That thing is your mother?” Red’s eyes filled with furious rage. She let off the throttle and leaped off her motorcycle.

“That’s right, little Alpha. Your mother knew me as Eyona. You have her eyes. I will enjoy plucking them from your head.”

Red raised her sword. “If you want them, come and get them.”

“You have to run, Red.” Wolfgang said. “You can’t win this.”

“Silence, my precious boy.” Eyona fired her webs at Wolfgang’s mouth, sealing it shut. “Well, well, Alpha Huntress, you’ve seduced my son to your favor.”

“I have no idea how a freak like you could be Wolfgang’s mother, and I don’t care.” Red tightened her grip on her sword as Eyona advanced on her. “Your little boy is dead to me. I’ll deal with him just as soon as I’m done dealing with you.”

Eyona gave a wicked laugh. “You may be the Alpha, but you’re not yet strong enough to begin dealing with me.”

“We’ll just see about that.” Red swung her sword at one of Eyona’s six legs.

“Foolish child.” Eyona fired a web, catching Red’s blade before it connected. With a powerful yank, she pulled the sword out of Red’s hands and flipped it into her own. “This was the sword your mother used to defend you on the night of her death. How fitting that you would carry it on the night of yours.”

“I’m not finished yet.”

Red charged at Eyona, swinging her claws in a furious mêlée. Eyona blocked each strike with ease while delivering powerful counterstrikes. It wasn’t long before Red knew that Wolfgang was right when he had said there was no way she could win this fight.

“I do hope you are almost done dealing with me,” Eyona said. “I so eagerly look forward to
dealing
with you.”

As much as Red hated admitting defeat, her only hope was to turn tail and make a run for it. She dashed for the nearest tree and tried to make a quick climb to safety.

Eyona fired her webs, binding Red’s legs. With only the use of her arms, Red jammed her claws into the brittle bark and began to work her way up the side.

“Don’t give up now, Alpha. The higher you get, the more hopeful you will become that you can escape my grasp,” Eyona said.

Every inch Red climbed became more exhausting than the last as Eyona tried to pull her back down. When Red at last reached a limb strong enough to support her weight, she was able to slash her way free of the webbing.

For a moment she through that she was going to be okay. This changed in an instant when she saw that Eyona was climbing up the tree and would soon reach her.

“Don’t give up now,” Eyona said. “I want you to truly believe you can escape me.”

As far as Red could figure, her last chance to escape was to make a jump for a nearby tree. She locked eyes on a suitable branch over twenty feet away and struggled to get her balance as she stood up on the narrow branch. Using it to get a running start without falling would require agility she was unsure she had.

“You’d better hurry or I’m going to get you.” Eyona said.

Putting her fears aside, she dashed forward for about ten feet and lunged off the branch with all of her might. Red felt like the world was moving in slow motion as she soared through the air.

It overwhelmed her with a mix of excitement and outright terror. There was no doubt that she had enough forward momentum to make it all the way, but just as fast as hope came, it was stolen away. Eyona fired her webs and hooked Red around the waist.

The jolt that stopped Red in mid-flight was so hard it knocked the breath right out of her. The next thing she knew, she was dangling upside down from the tree she had jumped from. Eyona descended on a web and hung in front of her. It sickened Red to see the witch grinning with such malicious delight.

“Now, the real fun begins,” Eyona said.

Eyona’s hands moved at lightning speed as she weaved a cocoon around Red’s body. The webs squeezed so tightly that it was impossible to move even a muscle. Without hope of escape or rescue, Red could only await her unknown fate.