Chapter Thirty-One #2
“Revellers, Rabbits and Miscreants,” Kalen booms over the excited crowd. “The time has come for our greatest showdown. I hope you’ve packed your running shoes because it’s time to flee. For one night only, the hunters become the hunted.”
A massive foghorn sounds and everyone bolts like they were waiting for this moment.
Kalen cracks his whip over the heads of the crowd and cackles like a lunatic as we all take off into the dark.
We run blindly, panic and chaos, fear and carnage dictating our route.
There are too many people, too out of it, and I’m being pushed and shoved all over the place.
In amongst all of the dark outfits, the flashes of white bunnies disappearing into the darkness are too easy to see.
Everyone may be playing the game, but I know who the real hunted are here. I’m glad I changed.
Breaking away from the crowd, I contemplate which way to go, when I hear it: a loud sharp whistle followed by the howling of dogs.
Real fear pierces my gut and for a second I’m frozen.
“Run rabbit, run rabbit, run run run,” I hear Kalen crow. He’s loving this, the master of chaos. Has he forgotten I’m involved? Or does he just not care?
I need to move.
Diving deeper into the woods, I’m half convinced I’m not even on school premises anymore. I’m starting to worry. I know there’s no way I can outrun those dogs, their ferocious barks are already sounding too close for comfort.
And then I see it: the perfect hiding place. A tall tree with long, low hanging limbs. I know, thanks to my training, that I can easily climb that tree now. I hope if I can just get high enough, the dogs won’t be able to scent me, and no one will be able to see me. People rarely look up anyway.
Taking a short run up, I jump and grasp the lowest branch.
I use my momentum from the run to pull myself up and once I’m standing on the rough tree branches – eternally grateful to Frost for the shoes now – I quickly start to scramble up the tree.
I’m just situated on a fairly comfortable branch when I hear footsteps break into the clearing below.
“Where is she?” My heart thunders at Onyx’s voice. They’re talking about me.
“She came this way, I swear,” Kalen insists.
“Well she can’t have gotten that far in those bloody heels!” Onyx snaps back.
“Maybe she took them off. You know Amelie, she’s pretty resourceful. And she hates heels.” I have to bite back a laugh at the truth in Slate’s words. He knows me well.
“Yeah, well, it won’t look good on us if we let her go too long without being caught. Grandfather will tan our asses.”
“I don’t know why you’re still following the old fool’s instructions. He clearly has it out for Amelie,” Onyx mumbles to Kalen.
“I’m not following his instructions!” he replies hotly. “I’m protecting her. You think you’re so smart, O, always the brains of the operation, but did you stop to think what he’ll do to her if she shows him up again by being one of the last ones to get caught?”
“Well, we’re not going to find her, so what do you propose?” I can feel the tension in the air, it’s like a blanket shrouding me. So long as they keep bickering, I don’t have to worry about being seen or heard.
“Call over the dogs. I made the magicians use a stronger spray on Amelie, the dogs have been trained all week to go after the stronger scent, but they will deviate from their path if they cross-scent another initiate.”
That fucker! Rage so hot it blinds floods my senses and it takes everything I have to remain in the tree when all I want to do is drop to the ground and pummel his ass!
To think that less than an hour ago his mouth was on me!
Yeah, well, that won’t be happening again.
Not without some serious grovelling first.
Onyx gives a sharp whistle and a pack of countless dogs burst into the clearing.
My heart stops beating, convinced that in seconds they’ll be barking around the base of my hiding place tree, but the funniest thing happens: all of a sudden the dogs change direction and pounce on Kalen, snapping and snarling.
I can barely contain my laughter that my plan to rub against Kalen worked!
Thank God Taco explained about the spray to me.
“Stop! Stop, you stupid mutts!” Kalen crows, trying to bat them away. “What’s wrong with them? Why are they doing this? O, help me!”
Onyx whistles again but the dogs completely ignore him, still going after Kalen who has started running in circles in an attempt to throw them off.
It’s too funny. Tears pool at my eyes and I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
Although, he’s screaming now, making a right commotion and it affords me enough cover to let a quiet laugh slip free.
Sharp as a whip, Slate’s eyes snap to my tree and he squints up at the branches surrounding me. There’s no way he could have heard me over Kalen’s cacophony of squeals. I hold my breath, but Slate shakes his head in amusement and looks back at Kalen.
“O! Do something!”
“I’m trying!”
“I don’t think they’re going to heel, Kalen,”
Slate calls out. “They've got your scent.”
“So what do I do?”
“Run.”
Kalen heeds Slate’s advice and takes off into the darkness, the pack of excited hounds hot on his tail.
“What the hell was that?” Onyx asks Slate, shaking his head as they take off after Kalen.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Slate replies. I can hear the amusement in his voice.
“Amelie,” they both say at the same time.
I chuckle and settle back against the tree. It may be a long, uncomfortable night ahead, but damn, it’ll be worth it to see their faces in the morning.