Sapphire A Huntress no more (Sapphire Book 1)

The scouts came back empty handed as they lost track of the traitor at the shore line. The electronic devices she had on her were at the bottom of the see broke in half or smashed. Cole would not be happy about any of it. Alice was his pride and joy and her betrayal, regardless of the reason she had done what she did, triggered something in Cole. A fury never seen by any of us before. He had high hopes for her, he wanted to make of her the next pure blooded leader of Hunters. A killer like no other, someone of no affiliation whatsoever. That would have been disastrous.

In truth Cole was not the higher power of us hunters, but he was the most feared and so no one opposed him. Such being the current situation we had to think of ways in which to eliminate him from power, either by force or otherwise. The times when supernatural creatures were a danger to us humans had long gone after the Great War. Not all of us understood that and Cole’s family kept their belief that we should not let our guard down whatever the times. Once there was an attempt to take the power away from him but it backfired on us. Cole eliminated the nuisance, as he described the massager we sent in order to convince him to retire. Now I was the one appointed to eliminate him, if only it was that easy. Until Alice disappeared a few days ago, I had no idea on how to accomplish my task. Now though, maybe there was a slight chance of that by getting Alice’s help. That is if I could find her before Cole’s underlings do.

‘Kuno do you by any chance know the reason she left?’ Cole said looking out the window, his back facing his desk and me at the same time. His voice was steady, too calm for my liking.

‘No sir, the last time I saw her was a few month back, we never really crossed paths.’

‘Not even in training? From what I can remember I requested her in your class. Did I not?’

‘Indeed sir, you appointed her to my squad. She showed no sign of change whenever she had training.’

‘I should have put you in charge of her when I had the chance.’ He said turning to face me. A look of loss covering his features. Even though he was a ruthless man he cared about Alice, maybe she had been the only one he had some feelings for.

I wander what he will do when I also disappear from under his nose. I am too, a massager of the council, sent to take care of their problem. In reality supernatural creatures are hunters too. I should know, as I am one myself. To be more precise I am a wizard. I was found by a human family as a baby and raised in the true hunter community. Far from Cole and his madmen, away from the unnecessary bloodshed, from the past that no one wanted to forget.

The Hunter society was now one with those they once wanted to exterminate. They united their forces in order to fight a common enemy, the rogues. Even though they had a common ground not all trusted the hunters. They still believed they were in danger and in a way it was true. As long as Cole had power no one was safe, not even the hunters themselves.

The weather worsened as it was close to December. Storm after storm shook the earth as November came to a close. Violent waves shook the boat as I neared the shore of Scotland. I made myself disappear from Cole’s side without much effort. In his quest to find Alice he forgot about anything else and so I slipped away unnoticed.

Scotland was the main base of the current werewolf leader and the only destination the wolves Alice was with, will have. The council’s second seat advised me to start looking for her at the royal court. It was the only path they would had took and from what I knew Alice would go with them willingly. What I was curious about though was what made her betray Cole so soon. It was there, the defiance she had in her blood, even when she had been training under my supervision. She was never one to follow an order blindly, without questioning the reason behind. Or so I think, I never really knew her. And now here I am following after her in order to seek her help and try to ask for the werewolves help.

The palace grounds were deep under the earth’s surface, a bridge connected the palace walls to the tunnel connected with the outside. The cave was high and the air was humid as a river passed through just under the bridge encircling the palace walls. On each level of the construction guards stood proudly and unmoving as well as at the entrance, a big wooden door with metal carvings and golden knobs. The inside was as majestic as the outside, marble walls and silver statues, contrary to the hunter belief that silver was werewolves’ weakness. Passing many rooms and many other hallways they arrived in the throne room. Full of windows the room was lit by candles and through the windows the cave’s walls were sparkling and giving the impression of a night sky.

‘Come forth child.’ The man on the throne spoke and only then I saw all the other people in the room. Guards and warriors, women and men all looking at me. The one who spoke was none other than their king. He looked like the king I knew from the movies Cole showed me and the rest of the recruits. At the same time, he was slightly different, he looked more like the woman besides him, his mother I thought as she was imposing and delicate at the same time. Plus she was wearing a ring on her finger, he was not.

‘Our king asked you a question hunter.’ One of the men besides the king shouted as I once again woke up from a dream like state.

‘Sorry about that, I was daydreaming. What was the question again?’

‘Be more respectful, your life is in our hands murderer.’ The same man growled and stepped forward ready to attack.

‘Stand down Stephen, she did not disrespect the king intentionally. The question was – what is your business here at the royal court, why did you leave the hunters?’

‘Thank you Lucy, and you are right I mean no disrespect. I thought the king was dead, I see now that is not the case.’ The man Stephen growled at me again. He was an impatient man all right. ‘To answer your question…your majesty…I came in order to learn more about this world, and make a decision about my life from now on, oh and to escort your three scouts here.’ All were silent and doubtful. The king had no expression on his face what so ever. He had a calm stoic look as he listened to my answer. His guards and his mother showed a little doubt in their eyes but the most bothered by it all was Stephen. Lucy, Joshua and Matt stood quietly on my right while on the other side were some of the royal warriors.

‘That is not all, true you did come here to find answers but you let out some information.’

‘Not at all. You already know I become a werewolf and that is one of the reasons I am here. Those three informed you, sorry Lucy has informed your highness about what I have become. Is that not the case?’

‘Indeed, what I…we do not know is how? How are you able to anticipate what we think and do, before we even think about it?’

‘Hmm you do know I am a hunter, well was one. What you don’t know is that I was Cole’s right hand. He trained me to be his successor.’

‘And what does that have to do with what out king asked you?’ This time it was the former queen herself that spoke, silencing the room without any effort.

‘That is the reason I know what I know. I was trained in strategy, strength and was made to study every little thing about supernatural creatures, especially werewolves. I was his rising star, well until I shifted.’

The questions kept coming one after another and not only from the king but the other people too. Stephen was curious about hunter operations and trainings, he was one of the instructors I was later informed and his hate had good reasons, no one told me those reasons but I assumed someone he knew was killed by hunters.

Later that day, or night I was not sure which, they showed me to my room for the time being. Two guards were outside on each side of the door. They were yet to reach a decision about what to do with me and I had to convince them and myself that I could be useful in some way or another.