Pursuer (Alwahi Series) (9 page)

“
If you say so,” Zanas replied softly. Desstina let out a small exhalation of fury and Zanas heard a chuckle across from her.

“
You’ll have to get use to her, Desstina,” he said in a low voice. “She is to join our team for her trial.” Desstina threw her bread on the table, slamming her hand down with a loud smack.

“
I will not hunt with an abomination,” she said angrily. Anessa finally looked up from her food and gave Desstina a look that halted her.

“
You do what I tell you to do. I am clan leader here, Desstina,” Anessa said with a dark growl. Desstina collected her plate and left the room in anger, saying nothing more. Zanas heard that low chuckle once again and looked up into his emerald eyes.

“
Welcome Zanas,” Her name coming from his lips made her shiver. “I’m Dressdon; I look forward to hunting with you.” His voice took on that predatory hum, buzzing through her ears and her veins. He winked at her, and then he too collected his plates and left.

Zanas was taken back to her room where she deposited the food that she had brought Maleek on the floor in front of him. He opened one eye as he glanced at the food. He quickly gobbled it into his mouth, licking his lips, and expressing that he was very happy. The fire had begun to die down. She walked over to it and added some of the logs that had been piled in the corner, and as she walked back to the bed, a window caught her attention. Finding it hard to imagine why there would be a window in a room created in rock, she pushed the window open, and gave a small gasp of astonishment.

She was looking at the city below. The Pursuer’s hold was cut into the high walls of the mountainous cave. Zanas glanced up at the sky that was above her. Although, it was much more beautiful than any sky she had ever seen. It twinkled and blinked before her eyes and her vision began to blur.

Zanas realized that she was very tired. She closed the window, blocking out the soft glow of the light, and crawled into the furs on her bed. She found that the furs were very thick and extremely comfortable. She was just starting to doze off when she felt a movement beside her, and then the warm body of Maleek.

Zanas awoke to pounding on her door. Maleek was standing on the floor growling. The door was suddenly thrust open and Dressdon came striding in. Maleek raised his fur and it vibrated a blue color. Dressdon came to an abrupt stop.

“
Well, well. Aren’t you full of surprises?” he said narrowing his eyes at Maleek. “I’ve never heard of any one taming a wanwalf.”

“
I wouldn’t call him tame. So I would think twice before barging in here again,” she replied, her eyes narrowing. Dressdon immediately launched into laughter.

“
Feisty,” he said with a grin. “I wouldn’t have dared to enter your chamber my lady,” he said with a mocking bow and then straightening himself in seriousness. “I was banging on your door for forever,” he added with a shrug.

“
Where are we going?” Zanas asked. Dressdon stared at Maleek for a moment and then looked up at her with a mischievous look in his eyes.

“
Oh, only your first test. And we really should have left a long time ago,” he said, smiling boyishly. “However, if you can run fast, we could still make it.” Zanas found herself returning his smile, and then they were racing through the tunnels.

He ran fast, she found herself thinking, as they raced side by side. She had never run with someone that pushed her. Zanas usually needed to slow herself when she ran with a partner. The only one that had come close to keeping pace with her was Arrelia. But Dressdon was different. He raced through the tunnels with wind like speed.

Zanas had no clue where they were running. Some of the turns that they made were extremely sharp, but Zanas just kept a close eye on Dressdon and she could guess when he was going to turn or slow down, running with delight in the dark corridors of the earth.

They burst through into a larger, much older section. This area had passageways of varying shapes and sizes, with uneven stony walls, not the smooth man created walls of the interior of the hold. In some areas, too much movement in one direction or the other would result in a head injury. Zanas could sense a slowing in Dressdon’s movement, and they came to a stop in small cave. She looked up at the pointy ceiling, stalactites shinning in the glow of the mold. They were alone in the chamber and Zanas could feel him watching her.

“
You run faster than I expected,” he said, with a grin of respect. “I guess we aren’t late after all.”

Zanas stared at him for a moment. Neither of them was short of breath, she had to admit she was impressed with his speed as well. He was finally wearing a shirt, and maybe for that reason she felt more at ease in his presence. She glanced up at the roof of the cave again.

“
What do you call this?” Zanas asked. From the strange look he gave her, she could tell that he had assumed she had already known. His eyes seemed to convey a deeper understanding of her, and Zanas wondered what he was thinking, but he gave no voice to it.

“
It’s Ulwahi, the body of Alwahi,” he said, his voice low.

She heard noise coming through the tunnel and they were joined by four others. Zanas recognized Desstina, her hair pulled back into a tight knot at the back of her head. Besides Zanas, there was one other girl with short spikey black hair, her face painted with black stripes. Last, were two tall males, their faces identical, both sporting short-cropped blond hair.

“
So, we are to hunt with
this,
” Zanas heard Desstina jeer. “You won’t be able to keep up, girl. And when you don’t, we will leave you alone and lost in the dark.”

Zanas said nothing, but gave the blonde a hard look. She could feel the tension growing between them and she knew that eventually there would need to be a conclusion. The spikey haired girl walked forward and Zanas was reminded of a punk rocker she had once seen.

“
Don’t mind her,” the girl said pointing to Desstina. “I’m Ressna and these two logs are Tress and Fless,” she said moving her gloved hand over to the brothers.

The twins stood with their bulky arms crossed, looking down at Zanas through narrowed eyes. She realized that she had to look uncomfortably up at them, they towered over her, and their muscled bodies seemed to block the way. She understood why Ressna would call them logs. They said nothing in any kind of greeting, and Zanas could see Desstina grinning hatefully behind them. Zanas returned their aggressive eyes with those of her own. It seemed that they might stare at each other for all time, when Dressdon walked in front of them.

“
All right,” he said clapping his hands in a mocking way. “Now that friendly introductions are over, let’s get going.” He turned and began to lead the way, the brothers picking up pace behind him, and Desstina in a close third. Zanas and Ressna took up the rear.

Dressdon set the pace, and they were soon running swiftly through the earthy corridors. They traveled through cave after cave filled with Ulwahi, but they also traveled through large expanses of dark tunnels. Zanas found herself barely able to see those in front of her, but she let her senses make up for the rest. She was able to
feel
where her running team was. She matched her breathing to theirs, her pace to theirs, until it seemed like not six people were running down the dark tunnel, but one.

They paused for a moment and Dressdon conferred with the others at what path they should take. Desstina immediately chimed in.

“
We take the south entrance,” she said, and then turned and looked at Zanas, flashing her pointy teeth in an aggressive grin. Zanas found herself looking for him, and saw his green eyes staring at her from across the cave. She could not tell what kind of emotion that he had. His normal mischievously twinkling eyes were serious. Zanas sensed when he was ready to pick up pace again and this time she ran past the others and took position by his side.

Once again, she felt as though she was being pushed. Zanas matched each step that Dressdon placed, listening to the steady beating of her heart and the rhythmic inhale and exhale of breath. Dressdon raced beside her, his breathing matching hers note for note. She felt a break in the connection when he seemed to hold his breath, and she heard him, but only just barely.

“
Do not fear.”

He overtook her, took five mighty sprints, and launched himself into a dark abyss. Zanas had only a split second to react; she let his words echo as she copied his movements and heaved herself forward into the gloomy emptiness.

She was falling. Everything else around her seemed to get shut out, her senses heightening. She could hear the wind that she made as she fell, a high-pitched whistle that rushed past her ears. Her weightless body fell with abandon, and exhilaration flowed through her as she opened her arms, floating through the air. Her lips pulled back in an uncontrollable grin, the freedom in the fall bursting through her.

It seemed as though she might continue falling forever, when another sound hit her ears, the splashing of a body hitting water. Zanas braced herself and seconds later, she was being deposited into the dark water.

She was disoriented. She did not know which direction she had hit the water. Was she right side up? She started to panic for a moment, when she felt a hand on her wrist. Dressdon pulled her slightly to the side, and a lighted tunnel became visible. He tugged at her once more, letting her go and swimming ahead, she quickly began to follow. They seemed like the only two living things in the murky water that enveloped them.

They swam through the tunnel, bubbles escaped from their mouths and glittering upwards. The sides seemed almost to pulsate, the bright glow dimming and then reemerging. It seemed as though they were swimming into some alien creature, through its radiating body.

She watched as he picked up speed and headed towards the surface. She gasped in air as she broke through, glancing up at the shadowy cave; there was no Ulwahi on these walls. The only light came from the tunnel below. Zanas shivered slightly as she floated in the water. Dressdon swam next to her, a smile on his face.

“
So young. You are still a little afraid,” he said softly and grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming in the shadows. His eyes sparkled for a moment, and Zanas was once again reminded of the wolf she had met that long ago day in the woods. She watched as his grin widened. The rest of their team broke through the surface, and the spell was broken.

They climbed out of the water and onto the shore. Zanas felt herself shivering slightly as she waited, the brothers staring at her.

“
I thought for sure you wouldn’t jump,” the first one said speaking in her direction.

“
Didn’t even scream,” the second one said with a teasing smile.

Zanas found herself smiling back. She looked pointedly at Dressdon and said, “I am not afraid.” She was answered by a wide grin and a soft chuckle as he came walking towards her.

“
You will be tested on that statement. There is no room for fear in our clan. A true Pursuer must let go of all fear. There will be no lighted tunnels where we are going. Alwahi chooses the Pursuers. She will accept you, or you will die in the heart of her embrace.” He stared at her for a moment. Once again, she could not read his face, his cocky smile was gone. Desstina walked forward pulling her knife from her waist.

“
I will get first blood,” she said with a mocking look at Zanas and then she hurried down the dark tunnel. The twins pushed each other in a joking manner, each trying to get into the cavern next. Ressna looked over her shoulder and flashed a grin, as she too disappeared. It was only her and Dressdon. He stared at her, his eyes once again glowing in the dark.

“
Let go of your fear,” he said as he pulled his knife from his belt and disappeared into the black mouth. Zanas stood there for a moment, her heart pounding. But it was not pounding from fear. She did not understand why, but the thought of wandering into the unknown, in a pitch-black tunnel, did not worry her. Her heart was racing, she realized, from excitement. She was excited by the challenge. Zanas pulled out her knife and entered the tunnel.

She could not see in front of her. She reached out and felt the walls, tracing her fingertips across the surface, moving further down the passageway and coming to a chamber of tunnels. Zanas circled the area twice, feeling with her hands and she realized there were four different tunnels. She had no idea which one to take, and felt frustrated for a moment, then she remembered what Dressdon had said. Alwahi would accept her or reject her. She laid her hands once again on the cold surface of the walls.

Zanas already felt the changes that Alwahi was making in her. She reached down within herself, trying to call up what she felt when she was hunting. However, she was looking deeper this time; she wanted to open herself fully to Alwahi. She felt a burning begin behind her eyes and reached her hand up, holding it to her head. The pain intensified and she felt as though she was blown back, thrown to the ground.