Page 4 of Huntress

“I’m not supposed to tell you about it. My mother doesn’t like the hunters.” She looked at him from head to toe, curling her lip as she did. He took himself too seriously for a man who barely had any magic. “Neither do I.”

He burst out laughing, tossing the remains of his cigar to the ground and grinding it into the dirt. “No, I don’t suppose she does. But we’ve agreed to take care of you in exchange for her promise not to target us without cause for the next century. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

“Because you don’t want the Shadow King to eat you,” Elsie scoffed, stuffing her grief and fear aside until she could be alone. She’d seen his type in hell dimensions before, and knew better than to show weakness to men like him.

“You’re feisty! I like that. I’ll have to be careful, I wouldn’t want to incur the wrath of a demigoddess,” the general teased, and Elsie felt her cheeks burn.

Without her ethereal magic, she wasn’t powerful enough for him to worry too much about her temper. She’d have to get stronger.

“Well, let me show you around the compound. You’ll have your own room, and a full-time tutor. There aren’t any kids your age here. The children live in the colonies, but we’ll keep you busy enough that you won’t get too lonely,” he said. “Do you prefer to be called Elspeth?”

She firmly looked him in the eye, deciding that nobody would call her that until her mother came for her. “No, just Elsie.”

“Alright, just Elsie. Welcome to your new home.”

Chapter one

Chapter 1

She tasted blood in the air, both old and new. Sweat, tears, and the overwhelming rot of death had all built up over decades to develop a pungent, coppery stench that was distinctly the arena. Elsie stood in the center, ignoring the crowd packed into the stands above as they watched her every move.

Her eyes burned, body heavy and sluggish from lack of sleep. Her team had returned late last night, and she’d stayed up for her debriefing, which meant she’d managed all of twenty minutes of shut-eye before Albright had come pounding on her door.

He’d dragged her out of bed wearing the same clothes from the day before, hair in disarray. Her only weapon was the knife she’d grabbed on the way out. At least he’d allowed her time enough to put her boots on. The rust-tinged sand of the arena floor was cold this early in the morning.

Exhaustion didn’t matter when she’d been thrown into a fight she hadn’t asked for. Years of training had her operating on instinct. Her muscles relaxed, hands loose at her sides as she watched the gate.

The metallic shriek of heavy chains grinding into motion filled the air, grating against Elsie’s nerves. The din of the crowd fell away until all she heard was the creaking and groaning as the gate slowly drew upward. Whatever came out of there, she was not afraid.

Pale lavender eyes lifted, trained on the opening. She waited, expecting a demon to come bursting out of its cage, ready for a fight. They were smart creatures, demons. They knew there was no point in trying to bargain or plead for their lives. Their only hope for survival was to fight their way out. An unfortunate impossibility, since in its history, not a single demon had managed to escape the arena.

Albright hadn’t given her any information of practical use going into this fight. Not that a warning would have been useful, given the lack of prep time. The bastards hadn’t even let her get a proper cup of coffee.

The gate clamored to a stop, standing fully open, but nothing happened. All she saw was darkness. Onlookers murmured in the stands as they leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of whatever creature hid within.

The beast kept them waiting, building anticipation. A low hum came from above, with a few soldiers hanging over the top railing to try getting a better look. The noise grew with every second of delayed action.

This demon was cautious, assessing the new situation and letting its eyes adjust to the sudden influx of light. The practice demons were kept in a dark box to keep them calm and quiet, right up until they were released into the arena. When that gate opened, the sights, scents, and sounds added to a rush of adrenaline that usually pushed them into immediate action.

“By all means, take your time,” Elsie muttered, her patience growing thin. The faster she finished this fight, the faster she was cozy in bed back in the officer’s quarters.

The softest of sounds came from within, and her ears pricked with interest. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, ready to spring in any direction necessary. The footsteps of something inhuman padded toward the gate on four massive paws.

A snout appeared in the opening, and the damned thing had to bow its head to fit, shoulders brushing the gate as it came through. The demon took its time, observing its surroundings, even looking up into the stands before its gaze settled on Elsie. The tendrils of his mind reached out to prod at her mental defenses, gauging the situation.

This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

In her experience, demons that big were more often than not using a glamour or illusion magic to give them the appearance of size. This was not one of them. He didn’t have to pretend to be something he wasn’t. This demon had power, and a lot of it. Worse, his scrutiny was already proving he had the brains to use it properly.

Bristling with rage and fear, his dark, steel-gray fur glistened with iridescent flecks of soot and silver that stood out under the arena’s harsh lights. His lips drew back in a snarl, a low growl in his throat. Elsie swallowed and cursed under her breath. Where the fuck had they found a wolfhound demon?

The crowd above drew in a loud, collective gasp, and she couldn’t blame them. The beast was an impressive sight.

Wolfhound demons were rare, and his power level was well beyond the arena’s typical training demons. She’d certainly never fought anything this strong on her own before.

Elsie was the best the hunters had, and she knew it. But they wanted her to fight this monster alone, with no sleep, no preparation, and no proper weapons?! This was clearly harassment.

And for what, a training demonstration for the new recruits? Were the educators intending to scare them out of their wits before they hit the field?