51. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The Blood Wolf, Leukos, Nik… Everything disappeared behind a veil of light.
For a single heartbeat, the world fell silent, and Alena found herself lost in a sea of luminous white.
And then, images flashed before her eyes.
A shabby, wooden hut. Heavy rain battering down outside and seeping through the thin roof.
Three women huddled in a corner, their silver eyes glimmering in the dim light. Children grasped against their chests.
Rasennan soldiers dressed in furs, their weapons drawn.
The Blood Wolf standing tall in the hut. “Grab the priestess and the children. Be careful with those eyes. They’ll fetch a hefty price back in Kisra.”
The images went faster.
No, not images—the Blood Wolf’s memories.
The heart-wrenching cry of an Amazon chained to a wall.
Screams. Horrible, blood-curdling screams.
“Please, I’ll tell you.” The priestess’ face was strewn with dirt, blood, and tears. “Let the others live, and I’ll give you her name!”
The memories came so fast Alena couldn’t process them all.
A small marble temple in the woods covered in snow.
The Amazons, manacled and wrapped in thin cloaks, shivering and clinging to each other in fear. The trackers, holding wolf cubs in their arms.
A cloaked woman stood between them, cradling a baby. “Husband, why have you brought us here? This is no place for the babe.”
The Blood Wolf peered down at the sleeping child. “The Huntress demands a sacrifice, and I need your help.”
Their figures disappeared in a swirl of colours, replaced by a stone altar. A roe deer lay lifeless across it, blood dripping from its open throat.
The Blood Wolf knelt before it, muttering under his breath, palms outstretched. His men placed the cubs and babe beside the deer. The Blood Wolf pulled out a knife.
The Amazons’ screams drowned the tracker’s prayers to the goddess.
“O Huntress of wild beasts and Mistress of the Moon, on my knees I entreat thee. Hear my prayer, see the sacrifices I make in thy name and reward me with your Gift. O Golden Daughter of the Great God, our Father. I call thy sacred name, I call upon thee, Art—”
The memories faded into a blinding light, and Alena shielded her eyes.
When she opened them again, she stood on a rocky mountainside surrounded by tufts of white clouds. Above her stretched a brilliant blue sky.
No sign of the clearing, the forest, or the others remained. Her wounds were still visible, dried blood smeared across her sliced thigh, but the pain was gone.
With each deep breath, the ebb of panic receded, and with no other option, she headed for a set of stone steps leading down the craggy cliff. She tightened her fingers on the granite wall, though her injured leg remained steady.
The carved steps gave way to a ledge, a desolate circular clearing cut within the mountainside. A conifer tree that Alena didn’t recognise brooded at its centre. The gnarled trunk sprouted from between the rocks, and its branches, covered in needle-like foliage, bobbed in the gentle breeze, emitting a rich scent.
Dark shapes lay in the shadows, half-swallowed behind the slender stems of a shrub crowned with clusters of crimson flowers that shot up from the rocky ground.
The roe deer, from the Blood Wolf’s memories, rested on its flank, its white fur stained dark with blood. Two wolf cubs were positioned on the other side, immobile beside the bundle of blankets holding the newborn, and further still lay the dead Amazons.
Alena’s pulse quickened. She scrambled away, struggling to comprehend what was happening. Where had she been brought? Where were the others?
Across the clearing, an alcove cut in the granite, shimmering with silver light, caught her eye. Sensing magic thrumming from the cave, Alena took a cautious step.
A young girl dressed in rags appeared inside. When she spotted Alena, she drew closer, her face gaunt and marked by the toll of hunger. Her hands were tied with silver chains that dug into her wrists and broke her skin.
Alena blinked at her. How had a young girl with tied hands survived in a cave?
The girl lifted her gaze, her eyes the shade of a sombre sky.
“It’s all right, I’ll help you,” Alena whispered.
The cave emitted something very strange, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The air was saturated with magic, a suffocating force that seemed to press on her from all sides, yet no one else was inside other than the girl.
Raising a hand, the girl pressed it against an invisible barrier, which rippled with a silver sheen at the cave’s entrance.
Alena paused, unsure how to proceed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you out.”
She cast a quick look back at the clearing, scouring for rocks, and once the girl moved aside, she hurled a couple of sizable stones at the cave. Upon hitting the invisible barrier, they cracked without making any impact.
Next, Alena picked up a fallen branch and swung it like a hammer. No matter how much strength she used, the barrier remained, shimmering with each hit before fading from view again.
Breathing hard, she discarded the heavy branch. “There must be something I can do.”
The young girl said nothing, a solemn look on her face. She raised her hand again and placed it on the barrier. Silver light grew brighter beneath her fingertips, and magic danced in the air, sizzling over Alena’s skin.
Alena’s instincts drew her closer, and she rested her palm against the girl’s.
Golden light exploded between their hands and rippled up her arm. Alena gasped in awe as the vibrant wave of magic surged, cocooning her in its radiant warmth. It flowed through her entire being and took root inside her very soul.
Light cracked the barrier as if it were made of glass and, within moments, it shattered into hundreds of blinding shards, knocking Alena backwards.
Her body collided with the rocky surface, but she experienced no pain. Propping herself on one elbow, she squinted back at the cave.
Everything was still and silent. Then, from the shadows of the cave, an ethereal figure stepped into the light.
Alena’s heart leapt to her throat.
The young girl was gone. In her place stood a woman, taller than Katell, and beautiful—indescribable. She wore a knee-length white chiton threaded with silver and gold and had a bow strapped across her shoulders that shone like molten sunlight. Her golden skin was smooth like marble, and her brilliant blue eyes were richer than any sky, lake, or river Alena had ever seen. They glittered with a thousand stars, hinting at her divine power.
The goddess towered above Alena. Her rich walnut curls were pulled back into a bun, and her bright gaze held a spark of mischief as they assessed her.
Alena’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she came to her senses again and scrambled to her feet.
“Are you”—she cleared her throat—“are you the Huntress?”
“Indeed, I am.” Her soft voice rang as clear as a bell.
Alena’s mind reeled. The gods didn’t appear before mortals like this, unless—
“Did I die? Did the Blood Wolf win?”
The Huntress tilted her head to one side, a knowing glint in her eye. “Quite the opposite. He will rue the day his path crossed yours, child.”
“I don’t understand.”
The Huntress extended her hand, brushing her fingertips against Alena’s left hand, drawing her attention to it. Whereas before the skin had been bare, now a golden Mark shimmered from the back of it. Unlike the usual intricate pattern of lines and swirls Alena had seen in the others, hers was simple.
A symbol she’d learned as a child from her father—the Koine letter, Omega.
A warrior sent by an ancient goddess to eradicate evil.
“How is this possible?” Alena’s mind swam. “I haven’t made any sacrifice.”
The goddess reached for her face, tilting her chin until their eyes met. “This Mark is not my own. It belongs to the Mother Goddess, more ancient and more powerful than the Achaean Twelve. Your magic was to be kept hidden from all until you left the Freefolk Lands and came to face danger.”
The Huntress’ gaze shifted to the conifer tree behind them. The corpses were gone, and the foliage seemed more vibrant, its branches shifting and growing before their eyes.
“More perils await. Your enemy is already looking for you so I’ll Gift you the same magic that man once took from me. Others will follow.”
“How did the Blood Wolf do it?” Alena asked. “How could he force you?”
“The gods are compelled to seal a pact whenever their true name is invoked. The strongest of us can ignore any offering we deem unworthy, but the Emperor and his legions have killed too many Amazons, leaving me weakened without their worship. I had no other choice.”
The goddess pressed a kiss upon Alena’s head. It filled her with instant warmth. A silvery fire moved through her, healing every cut and bruise across her body.
Alena stared at the smooth skin of her arms, speechless. The gash on her thigh was gone, too.
The Huntress retreated, and a brilliant silver light enveloped her body, highlighting the sly quirk on her lips. “I gave you teeth, child. Now go claim your place in the world and make him pay.”
Their surroundings were swallowed in pure white, and when the brightness subsided, Alena found herself back in the forest clearing.
A faint golden sheen surrounded her, wrapping her skin and clothes, and pooling around her feet. Wisps of magic, once hidden from sight, now swirled all around her, weaving a vibrant tapestry. From the Messenger’s to the North Wind’s, ethereal threads of magic danced in a dazzling array of colours. Among them, countless silver tendrils branched out of her, connecting with every wolf in the clearing and beyond.
In the forest.
In the mountains.
The Huntress’s Gift had bonded them to her.
Alena closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of the forest. Serene calmness seeped through her.
“Alena?”
When she looked again, all the threads had faded, leaving the world as she had always known it except for the shimmering sheen still surrounding her body.
Leukos lay on the ground, his arms and legs smeared with blood. His breaths came in heavy gasps, but he didn’t seem to notice any of it.
His gaze was locked on her, unblinking.
The Blood Wolf had fallen to his knees, his hand no longer around Alena’s throat but clasping his face.
“What have you done?” He raised his head, and his hand fell away, revealing bleeding red flesh around his eye as if his silver Mark had been ripped away.
“What have you done?!” he roared, wobbling to his feet. His boot caught in his black fur coat, and he stumbled. The fearsome bear-man Alena had once envisioned during their first meeting was gone.
Stripped of his Gift, the tracker appeared human once more, diminished and frail. His tawny eyes had reverted to a dull brown filled with spitting anger.
He twisted around to the wolves. “Kill her! Rip the flesh from her bones! Kill her, now!”
But the collective focus of the wolves was on her, every beast waiting.
They no longer answered to the Blood Wolf.
They were hers now. And she was theirs to protect.
The ones at her back broke away from San and Kaixo and trotted closer, flanking her.
“The pact is broken.” Alena peered at the pathetic man who had once terrified her and beat Leukos to a pulp. “You’re finished. The Huntress made it so.”
Panic swept across his face, and he backed away. “No, kill her! Kill her!”
He turned to his companion, who still held Nik in his grasp.
With a single thought from Alena, the wolves left her side and ran towards him. The tracker released Nik, staggering back in terror, then tried to run.
But he was no match for the wolves. They caught up to him, and he fell with a horrifying scream as the beasts tore him to shreds.
The Blood Wolf’s eyes widened, then shifted to Alena. He unsheathed the dagger at his belt. “Vanth be damned, I will cut your throat!”
Enraged, he charged at her, but Alena didn’t flinch. The wolves beside Leukos lunged at their previous master. They leapt and brought him down, sinking their teeth into his flesh.
The Blood Wolf arched, cursing until his words turned to screams.
Alena sent a silent prayer to the Huntress. The gold sheen of light brightened in answer, permeating the air with magic until it seeped back into her body and disappeared.
Magic, raw and ancient, now belonged to her.
Nik rushed to Leukos’ side, helping him to his feet. They backed away from the wolves’ frenzied attack and stared at her with frozen expressions.
“Alena.”
She flinched at Leukos’ loud voice. When she faced him, her eyes perceived every open wound in detail, every scratch and bite along his arms and legs.
“You… took his Gift?”
She winced again. His voice grated her ears.
The sounds of tearing and cracking from the wolves were like scratches inside her skull, and the sharp metallic scent of blood in the air made her nauseous.
Something wasn’t right.
She tried to flee, but in her haste, she stumbled and fell to her knees.
“Alena!”
The shout pierced her head, and she bent over, covering her ears. It was too loud. Everything was too loud.
Bones cracked. Wolves growled. Claws scraped.
Footsteps thundered against the ground, resonating inside her head, and she shrieked. “Stop it… please, stop…”
Desperate to muffle the sounds, she curled up in a ball and shut her eyes tight. Darkness crept at the corners of her mind, and she welcomed it with open arms, embracing the relief of silence.