The First Touch (47 page)

Mirth spoke first
, “
I believe that you have not yet faced the final member of the council. Additionally there are other
challengers
who would like to test.”

Autumn
hissed at him still holding her stomach and then turned towards the council, “I need to eat.” Then she dropped to one knee.

Grayton stepped closer and Mirth held his hand up, “What is it?”
Autumn
hissed as another twist in her skin sent pain wracking through her body.

Grayton stepped closer then ignoring Mirth this time, and
Autumn
stopped him with sharp words
, “
Get away.” Then she stood and said
, “
I am going
.
I will be back tonight.” Mirth, out of all people, slid his hand out and grabbed her arm. She g
rowled and yanked away. Then
she tried to make her way out but Henry and Galen were standing in
front of the door blocking the way.

Autumn
hissed
, “
Move.”

Henry spoke first, “I am sorry
Autumn
we will have to finish first.”

A
young man came out with a pitcher of blood,
“T
hat is the last of the stores, with all of the guests, well we weren’t expecting all of these...and she drinks like a...” His voice faded off.

Autumn
handed him back the empty pitcher. “Thank you
,”
she nearly growled, he backed away slowly looking
anxious
.
Autumn
hissed watching his back away
, “
Henry you should move all non
essential
personal from the building. I will not be able to control myself after I heal Ivan.”

Henry nodded, and he turned towards the guards, Galen stood blocking the door and
Autumn
turned back to the stage where Ivan was already standing. Ivan morphed into Henry and stepped back bending his knees.
Autumn
hissed, and then cursed, “I hope you are as strong as you look.” He nodded,
though his eyes had a hint of anger
as he caught sight of something behind her, something that
shuffled
.
Autumn
heard Mirth backing away
at Ivan’s look
and
Autumn
felt her skin twitch.
She glanced behind her thinking,
where
had the shuffler gone?
She turned and saw him still standing by himself,
the same gnarled face that she had awoken
to before
and suddenly the temptation was too much.

She
lifted her hand and threw Gregory across the room at Mirth’s head
, she missed but Gregory was crushed to a pulp
. Mirth watched seeming amused by her gesture. Then
Autumn
tu
rned back to Ivan, stepping
forward her mind
reeling
.
What next?
Then it hit her
,
she closed her eyes and formed an energy ball and then blew into her other hand and
a fire ball appeared. She tossed the first, and
made a slicing motion
,
and
with it
the roof shook.

Then as the second ball left her hand
,
she pushed the ceiling dow
n on top of the audience. S
he eyed
the ten bodies that were sitting upon the roof
top
. They did n
ot scramble like the others did
though
,
they stayed exact
ly where they were planted. O
n all four
s
, and
all eyes watching her intently, their
blue veins
explaining their stances, Mirth’s men
.

Ivan tackled her to the ground, but she
pushed him off easily smiling at him playfully and then tossing him through the wall behind him. He came back quickly as
Autumn
continued to watch the eyes of the
crouched
bodies
on top
of the
collapsed
roof
, more worried about them than Ivan at the moment
.
She also watched
as the roof began to break apart in sections
, as the audience began tearing
through it
, freeing themselves
.
A few seconds later, she
turned back to see Ivan
coming
after her a second time
,
and she moved quickly barely avoiding his hands.

H
e changed painfully to Grayton, and began tossing
debris
at her head, while she dodged,
c
atching
one in
mid air, with her mind, and sending
it flying back at him. Ivan growled again and his body changed to Galen leaping into the air and then to
Flanagan as he came back down, h
itting a pile of rubble behind her lighting it on fire.

Then he growled and changed to
Drake
and began throwing fireballs sending her backwards into the flames.
Autumn
walked back through it and did not feel any pain. The soles of her feet began to blacken
,
as Ivan danced around the flames attempting to keep her in there.
Autumn
noticed that her hands and eventually her legs began to blacken as well
, and for the first time worried that she had let this go on a little too long.
Ivan did not advance
into the flames after her though, and as her stomach growled again a plan formed in her brain
.

She
picked up the pile with the av
ailable energy,
from the flames
,
and threw it at Ivan. He tried
desperately
to avoid it but fail
ed
miserably. He growled loudly and shook
off the flames turning
back into Henry. Then he landed in front of her
,
surprising her
,
and picked her up by her neck and watched her struggle. Then he growled, “Why aren’t you fighting?”
Autumn
did not answer, and
he asked again, “You could have finished this quickly.”

Autumn
attempted to free herself from his grip again and finally hissed, “I don’t want to hurt you.” Ivan changed back to Ivan and then
Autumn
propped her left foot on his chest and kicked him with all her might using her right. It crushed the side of his head.
Autumn
did not look at it though, she kept her eyes closed the entire time, but still
she
felt the crunch. As they fell together
,
she felt Mirth at her side, “Back up Mirth.” She felt h
im take a few steps back and
she positioned herself so that her head was facing him.

Then
she
slid her hands desperately to the wound sight and slowly breathed life back into her mate. It took longer than she had hoped, but she refused to take her eyes off of Mirth. She also felt the entire audience on top of the roof top now. They were obviously waiting for her challengers to step up and begin the second phase in the process. As soon as he sat up
,
“Sorry I hurt you
.” He nodded and stood slowly holding the side of h
is face
.

Challenges

Grayton was already attempting to help Ivan to his seat when Mirth began, “I would like to begin the challenges.”
Autumn
nodded and looked at Henry.

He smiled and gestured, “What and who are you challenging.”

Mirth smiled, “My strongest against your strongest for a position in your clan.”

Autumn
looked at Henry confused
, “
What?”

Henry replied, “His entire clan is not strong enough to beat us so he wants to try and replace one of ours with one of his.”

“Who is our strongest?”

Henry did not
miss a beat, asking
, “You want our clan to be your protectors?”

She
nodded, “Of course why wouldn’t I?”

Mirth added then, “You do not have to choose the council as your protectors. There are six other clans. You have not even been formally introduced to them.”

Autumn
looked at him for a moment and then said, “
Isisa
hand-picked
them didn’t she?” Mirth nodded, and
Autumn
replied, “Because they were the strongest?”

Mirth shook his head, “Not necessarily.”

“I trust her judgment.”
She replied ending the conversation.

“You may change your mind once the dust settles.”
Mirth replied tightly refusing to take no for an answer.

Then Mirth Gestured for one of the largest of his males to come forward on to the war zone of a stage. Then Henry gestured towards Ivan, who stood and staggered a bit still holding the side of his face.
Autumn
stepped in between the two of them instantly, “What’s the big idea Henry?”

Henry had a seriou
s look on his face now, “A
challenge is a challenge.”

Autumn
snapped, “What?”

Mirth answered, “If Ivan refuses the challenge then Mirth’s male receives the position.”

Autumn
huffed
, “
So are there any other rules?”

Flora stepped forward and said, “No one may inte
rfere, and it is to the death.”

“And if interference occurs?”

Flora frowned, “Then the challenger is killed as is the person who aids them.”

Then she asked
, “
S
o no help, no refusing, and it
is
to the death?” Flora nodded gravely, and
Autumn
frowned, “That sucks.”

Flora asked
, “Anymore questions?”

Autumn
nodded, “If Mirth’s man wins can I kill him?”

Mirth’s man’s posture changed then as did Ivan’s. Then
she
asked realizing that some of her questions might
begin
the war scene sooner than anticipated
,
so
she continued her questions in her head
instead. D
irecting it to her clan
,
she asked,
“Can we speak privately for a moment I h
ave a lot more questions?” They all nodded in unison
,
and
she smiled a toothy dark grin
, asking inside,
“When Ivan is done killing Mirth’s man then can I kill, Mirth?”

Flora frowned, “You have to have a cause to kill him.”

Autumn
smiled
, thinking to them all,
“
I do, he lied and he is manipulating the situation in hopes of killing a key member of my clan.”

Flora smiled, “Good enough for me.”

Henry
frowned
his disapproval, “Not wise.”

Autumn
did not look
deterred
, “I am ok with that.”
Drake
and Flanagan both smiled and Henry frowned.
Autumn
frowned thinking then
, “Is there a way to head them off before they attack?”

Drake
interjected, “If you drink
your fill you will have all of your questions answered
.”

She
nodded,
saying aloud,
“Good idea.”
Mirth’s man shifted again, glancing at Mirth. Who was staring a hole in the side of
Autumn’s
head, as he tried desperately to catch the conversation taking place just outside of his reach.

Henry frowned again, and
Autumn
smiled saying aloud again,
“Alright
let’s
take a vote then.” They all seemed taken aback by her words,
and
asking in her head,
“What is there a rule against that too?”

Flora spoke
, “
No. You are the eye.”