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“Where are they taking us?” Lyra whispers.
Glancing about, I realize that I was so caught up in trying to figure out the prince that I wasn’t paying attention to where we were being herded. We’re nowhere near the tower they’ve been keeping us in. I know it’s foolish to hope they would return us there. It would’ve been too simple to slip away with Lyra. We could’ve blended in with the crowds that have swarmed the castle for today’s Choosing.
“Quiet,” a guard barks before I can answer Lyra.
I’m reminded of our first night in the castle as we’re led through winding hallways. Finally, we come to a small room. There’s nothing inside the room other than four clay jars of water. We’ve unceremoniously shoved into the room. The lock clicking shut fills the room for a moment. Slowly, the women collapse. Tears and exhaustion from holding back their emotions pull at them as they fall to the ground.
“This is worse than I expected,” one says.
I almost ask her what she was expecting. Rumors are plentiful back in the city about what happens here. I’m sure she must have heard some. Every single woman here must have some idea that what happens next is not going to be pleasant.
“Avoid the water,” I whisper to Lyra. “I’m not sure I trust it.”
Lyra says nothing as her eyes land on the jugs of water. Moving across the room, I find a small window that looks out over the crowd below. Iron bars across the glass taunt me, reminding me that I failed to save Lyra when I had the chance. It doesn’t matter. This is just a small setback in my plan to get us out of here.
Pressing my nose to the glass, I note that the sun is still high in the sky. If I’ve learned one thing while here, it’s that we will be waiting for a long time. I turn back to Lyra, finding her softly comforting a woman. Several others have recovered from their hysterics and have moved toward the jugs. I open my mouth to warn them, but they’ve already dipped their hands into the water, bringing it to their lips and drinking deeply.
With just the jugs to see us over, I don’t imagine we’ll be fed again. They don’t want us at our strongest. Keeping us desperate for the essentials will only cause us to make rash decisions when we’re released from here. I don’t like that thought. I’m unsure what the Hunt is, and I’m not sure I want to know before I’m forced to face it.
Sticking by the window, I watch the crowds below. I expect them to thin, but it seems that the opposite is happening. Every time I glance down, I swear the number of heads has doubled. Just how many wolves have come to watch this? I don’t really want to know. I’m aware that the balance between humans and the wolves is delicate. But I think we still outnumber them. Not that it’s done any good. It doesn’t keep them from stealing us away, murdering us for their own gain.
I track the sun as it slowly moves through the sky. The women who drink the water soon start to complain. I keep my mouth closed as they shift, uncomfortable with their overfilled bladders. It’s not long until they have no choice but to relieve themselves in a corner. The wolves mean to strip us of our humanity, stealing away our dignity and pride in the process. I wish the others could see it, but they continue to drink the water.
“Lyra,” I hiss when I see her dip her hands into the jugs.
She glances at me, her cheeks flaming at being caught. Still, she brings the water to her lips. I shake my head at her before dragging my eyes back to the window. She’s quiet as she comes to stand next to me.
“I can’t help it,” she says. “None of us can. We’re starving and thirsty.”
“You still shouldn’t drink the water.”
“What would you have me do?”
I shrug at this. “It’s just another way for the wolves to break us. To deprive us of water and food when we need it the most. I don’t trust that the water is even safe.”
Her eyes widen at this. She presses her lips into a thin line as she stares at the jug. Another woman scurries to the corner. I frown. It didn’t take long for the wolves to steal away our dignity. I shudder to think how quickly they’ll steal away the rest of what makes us humans. We’re not the first women that have been tucked away in this room. And we won’t be the last. I hate that thought. Along with the realization that years of doing this to women have taught the wolves just how to break us. I can’t fault them for being efficient in it.
Lyra’s stomach gives a low grumble. She presses a hand to it as I glance at her. I sigh as I see her gaze on the jugs. It doesn’t matter what warning I give her. In the end, her desire to fill her stomach will be her undoing. Guilt hits me as I think this. Unlike me, the rest of these women have probably never had to want for food or water before. Even in the cart on the way here, we were given more food than I saw most days in the city. No wonder they’re unable to stop themselves from moving back to the jugs, even after relieving themselves in the corner.
“I’m starving,” Lyra mutters.
“It’s not worth it.”
She sighs. But only several minutes pass before she slips away from my side. I hear her gentle footsteps as she approaches the jugs. I don’t have the heart to warn her away from another sip. She’ll learn soon enough what a mistake it is to drink from them. We’ll all learn, I fear, what a mistake it is to trust what the wolves have thought to give us. Staring at the water, I still can’t bring myself to trust that it’s not been tampered with.
The sun moves slowly toward the horizon as the women become restless. They drift about the room, wringing their hands. Soft whispers reach my ears as they try to figure out what tonight will hold. I’m not sure any of us wants to know. The Hunt doesn’t fill me with confidence that they expect us to live to see the sunrise. Tomorrow holds too much promise, I realize. Perhaps they’re as desperate for heirs as we’ve been led to believe, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re bloodthirsty creatures. I wonder if the Hunt is meant to weed out the weaker women, to ensure those remaining are strong enough to bear half-wolf children.
“You’ve grown pale,” Lyra comments, appearing back at my side.
I glance at her before admitting, “My imagination has proven to be more vivid than I remember it ever being.”
“You aren’t alone in that. My mind won’t stop coming up with terrible things that await us when the wolves finally come for us.”
“We will survive, no matter what they throw at us. We will.”
She nods, a soft smile on her face. Her silence tells me that she doesn’t fully believe me. I wish I knew better words to use to convince her. No matter what the wolves have in store for us, I refuse to let them win. They will not succeed in breaking me, and I will not let them sink a single claw into Lyra. She is too good for them. Breaking her will get them nothing.
“I’m glad that you are here, Rose,” Lyra tells me.
