Deviation Actions
Part 1
Part 2
Suddenly, the door burst open. The man whirled around. His eyes narrowed as he saw the newcomer. “You,” he growled.
I hid my knife behind my back and looked past the huntsman.
The newcomer was a young man with shaggy dark hair and grey eyes. His clothes were torn and dirty. He glared at the huntsman with fire in his eyes. “You will not hurt her,” he said quietly.
The huntsman’s knife flashed to my throat once again. “Come any closer and I’ll kill her,” he threatened.
I gripped my knife tightly in my closed fist. I knew what I’d have to do. I caught the newcomer’s eyes, then glanced down towards my hand. His eyes flickered downwards, then landed back on the huntsman’s face.
“There will be no need to kill her,” the man said calmly. The huntsman frowned. “You’ve already lost, you see. In here, you’re outnumbered two to one, and I have the building surrounded. I’ve also notified The Huntsman--anonymously, of course--of your location.”
“You’re lying,” the huntsman said.
“No. They’ll attack at my call. You stand no chance unless you surrender.”
“I will not surrender!”
The young man shook his head. “You don’t understand. You must--or you die.”
“Fine. Give me the girl and I’ll surrender.”
“No. The girl stays with us.”
“Those are my terms! I will not surrender under any others!”
“No? I’ll give you a better offer--you give us the girl and we’ll let you escape.”
The huntsman hesitated.
I dared to hope he’d let me go, but I should’ve known better.
A sudden, sharp sting flashed across my cheek. My hand flew up, almost of it’s own accord. I pulled it away and stared, shocked, at the still-warm blood that covered my hand. The pain rushed into the wound merely seconds later.
“It seems as if we’re at an impasse,” the huntsman said, his bloodied knife now leveled back at my throat. “We both want the girl, but I’m willing to kill her if I can’t have her. She’s dead if you try to free her or kill me, so if you want her to live, it’s in your best interests to let us go.”
“I’ve already told you what happens if you try to leave.”
“If, in fact, that little story of yours was true, then I’d just use the girl as my shield. Your men would have orders not to kill her, and they wouldn’t risk her death just to kill me. But face it, you’re alone here. And since your story isn’t true, you’ll just have to move aside and let us leave as we please.”
“I don’t please,” I muttered. Somehow, despite the fact that I was trembling with fear, I had managed to be sarcastic. All was not lost.
“SILENCE!” the huntsman roared at me. “I am trying to have a civil conversation with this savage over here. I’ll not have you interrupting me!”
I noticed the “savage” trying to hide a smirk. I said nothing, but the smile lifted my spirits a bit. He seemed so relaxed. He had to know something the huntsman and I didn’t, something that might save me after all.
The huntsman turned back to the young man, who’d hidden his smile in time, and waited for a reply.
“Maybe you’re right,” the young man said. “Maybe I did lie. But that doesn’t change the fact that killing the girl would be an unwise decision. The Huntsman would eventually find out about your crime, and you know all too well what happens when you cross that man. Besides, I--”
He stopped, his face paling. The huntsman took the opportunity to jump in. “I’m already on the run from The Huntsman, so one more crime wouldn’t change much. Let me have the girl while I’m still alive. You may do whatever you want with her when The Huntsman catches up with me.”
“You don’t know, do you? You don’t know who the girl is.”
“She’s no one special, that’s for sure. Who did you think she was?” the huntsman sneered.
“If you don’t know, I’ll not be the one to tell you.”
“Fine. Have it your way. I don’t know who she is, she doesn’t know who you are. Enough with the names. Now, let us go.”
“No.” The young man took a breath and stared grimly at the huntsman. “Give me the girl, and I’ll give you this.” He held up a silver locket. The huntsman breathed in sharply. “You know what this is, and you know what it can do. You also know the price I’ll be paying to give you this. But if you give me the girl, it’s yours.”
The huntsman lunged, dagger stretched in front of him. The young man stepped aside and held out his own long knife to block the attack, at the same time closing his fist over the locket. When he opened it again, the locket was gone.
“GIVE THAT TO ME!” the huntsman yelled. He swung his dagger up again in another attack, and once again, the young man deftly stepped out of the way.
“You don’t get the locket until the girl is safe and you stop trying to kill me.”
The huntsman ignored him and attacked in earnest now, swinging the dagger in a series of uncontrolled, anger-fueled swipes. The young man blocked every one. His eyes met mine, then flicked towards the door. He was gradually leading the huntsman away from the door, leaving a path for my escape. I nodded to show I understood and started to move slowly towards the exit, hoping not to attract the attention of the huntsman.
I should’ve just run.
The huntsman must’ve seen me out of the corner of his eye. He turned and ran to block the door. I lunged through, only a few steps ahead of him, and he ran through after me.
Night had fallen while I’d been held captive in my grandmother’s cottage. The clouds that had dominated the sky earlier were far on the horizon. The stars sprinkled the sky, making it look a milky bluish-gray color. A full moon lit up the woods beyond the clearing, casting deep shadows into already dark places.
Normally, I’d have stopped to stare for a couple hours at the beauty above me, but there were more pressing issues at the moment. The huntsman was catching up with me.
I ran through the clearing as quickly as I could, huffing and puffing in the cold night air. I stumbled over the cold, uneven ground, the rocks and twigs poking my bare feet. The grass and weeds were wet with dew. I was heading towards the woods. I wasn’t sure what I’d do when I got there, vaguely thinking that maybe I could lose him in the trees. Mostly, I was just trying to focus on putting on more speed.
There came a faint yell behind me, as if someone was in pain. I didn’t look back.
Maybe it was my imagination, but the huntsman’s heavy steps seemed to be getting louder and louder. I was getting tired. My breath was coming in short, ragged bursts, and I wasn’t even almost to the treeline.
Suddenly, the man gave a strangled cry, and a menacing growl answered back. I twisted around and nearly fell, but somehow I managed to stay on my feet.
The huntsman was on the ground, wrestling with a huge, dark-furred wolf.
“This is who your savior is!” he yelled. “I was only trying to protect you from a monster!”
I stared, frozen, at the fight taking place before my eyes, only half hearing the huntsman. The wolf was biting viciously at the man’s head, pinning his sword arm under an oversized paw. The huntsman was barely holding him off with the one hand he had free, twisting and trying to dodge the wolf’s glistening maws, and attempting in vain to get the wolf off his body.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what happened, but quickly opened them again. The huntsman was clearly at a disadvantage. Maybe I could help.
What are you thinking? I thought. He was threatening to kill you earlier!
Just then, the wolf started to change. It’s fur disappeared into it’s form, and it’s body twisted grossly out of shape. The wolf-creature’s howl was agonized, but it managed to keep one paw firmly on the huntsman’s arm.
Suddenly, the transformation was over, and I recognized the wolf for what he really was. Before me, the young man who’d tried to save me earlier had collapsed next to the huntsman, breathing heavily.
He was a werewolf.
Part 4 here.
