AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was some kind of ritual and there was no way to get close to check on the condition of Daniel, lying there not moving a single inch. The man I had tangled with was a force of nature and it had taken all of my resolve to overcome his dominance. It certainly did take the wind out of me and I could feel my muscles burning like never before. Taxing my body was causing me to realize there were limits to what I could do in the spur of the moment.
Those brandishing the torches were lighting up the area making it ea
sier to see what was transpiring. It was antiquated and barbaric but there was an inkling of familiarity. Each one of them wore a different brand of tribal marking on their bodies.
The one that I took a special interest in reminded me of a history lesson. Callan made sure to burn into my psyche the knowledge of a New Guinea tribe. They were said to worship white wolves. What I had learned about them was startling. They were caught up in the past, living for the recollection of what the Elders had told them about their legacy.
Modern technology was banned and the members were forbidden to venture outside of the Clan at the threat of death. There were exceptions and they paid the price with their lives. It didn’t make any sense for them to be in the United States, away from their homeland for an extended amount of time. It was sacrilege and would be considered an act of defiance. It had to be a rogue faction stepping out on their own, thinking that what they were doing was the right thing for their people.
“This man has been a thorn in our side for too long. We sat idly by and let him and his brothers dictate everything. The Black name is synonymous with power but they have been corrupted by their own high opinion of themselves. They won’t listen to anybody and rival opinions are met with strict enforcement of the rules.” He was a man with the gift of speech and I could tell how he was drawing them to him with every word spoken out of his mouth.
He was a leader, quite personable, and knew what to say to garner their respect and loyalty. These were traits quite familiar and cult leaders had been famous for making victims of their followers. I had no doubt this man with a very intricate tribal tattoo on his face felt the same way.
The scene was right out of my favorite novel, The Lord of the Flies. It was a story of young and impressionable children, taking on the guise of barbarism to survive being abandoned on an island. Power was coveted and some would do practically anything to get it, including killing.
Those around the rocks in front of me were children in adult bodies.
I slowly moved around the perimeter getting a better idea of what I was stepping into. Were they truly going to sacrifice this man out of a misplaced loyalty for the old ways? I didn’t want to believe it but the proof could be seen in the leader’s eyes.
“I’ve never been given the chance to rise above expectations. This was the final straw. Everybody has the right to make their proposal to the chosen one. Every Alpha is given the chance to be heard, but they have done everything in their power to keep the chosen one to themselves, selfishly denying us the same opportunity. This will strike a blow and nobody will be able to deny us after this.” His speech was eloquent but it was meant to stir antagonizing feelings from those who were listening intently.
“Sacrifice is necessary and there is no way we’re going to get close without threatening everything they believe in. Make no mistake about it, this is an act of war and we must be prepared for the consequences. Decker is right but this is essentially mutiny. There’s no going back but I’ve come here in good faith to stake my claim to the Chosen One like the rest of you. Let her decide the right path by being given all the information.” This man had white hair all over his body but his age gave him the unfair advantage of having wisdom.
“August is correct and I would never deny any of you the chance to speak your mind, unlike certain others. Their family has always held the power in the palm of their hands. Nobody has dared speak up against them at the threat of being just another victim. I don’t know what is taking Clover this long to detain one human female. It was masterful how he devised the plan to get her to come to us. She will bear witness to a changing of the guard,” Decker declared with an over-embellished swing of his arms making the flame whoosh with the movement.
There was no telling when Clover would wake up after his thrashing. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be in the mood to listen to reason. They huddled and once again began chanting and I found my window of opportunity to approach with stealth.
I got down on my hands and knees and carefully crawled across the ground on my belly to avoid detection. Holding my breath wasn’t necessary but it was a human response. They spoke like they were a different species yet they still looked like humans from all outward appearances.
I stopped and hid behind an outcropping of rocks when three black wolves came into focus. They elicited respect and those in attendance stepped away from the naked man secured to the post. The wolves stepped into the crowd and I craned my neck to see what was going on.
I slapped my hand over my mouth when those wolves began to writhe on the ground twisting and turning in place. It wasn’t like I could disprove what I was seeing with my own two eyes. The pieces that didn’t make any sense when I was growing up were slowly falling into place. The wolves were changing, morphing grotesquely into something that couldn’t be defined as human or animal.
The transformation continued and I could hear the unmistakable cracking of bones. It brought to mind what I had heard when Daniel had fallen from that dizzying height. The eerie similarity was a startling revelation. Those wolves turned into humans over the course of a minute, screaming in pain. They stood united and were welcomed with open arms by the rest of them.
“We apologize for our late arrival. It appears you started without us but I respect the tradition. This act was utilized for centuries to limit one family from having all the power. You can expect the other two to come looking for revenge. My brothers and I will take it upon ourselves to answer the challenge. There’s a reason there has been bad blood between the Black family and the Cyrus Clan. It’s time blood is spilled and we can no longer stand idly by.” He was given a torch and they poured gasoline around the rocks where the man was restrained by what I could see were chains from this distance.
They were about to light him up like the fourth of July.
I had my mouth open and my hand raised in protest but I didn’t get a chance to say anything.
“This is highly irregular and I demand the right of the Aegis. He will fight to the death. Do any of you have the stones to put up or shut up? Think carefully, the one you choose to be sacrificed won’t get another chance.” Wesley was standing there in regal formation with his arms behind his back showing no outward sign of a threatening gesture.
“Wesley, I should’ve known you would resort to these measures. I know about this antiquated law. The Aegis hasn’t been used to settle differences since the day of my grandfather. I won’t let anybody do something that I’m not willing to do myself.” This man had long black hair and cold dead blue eyes, causing a shiver to run down my spine, to make me tremble in response to his answer.
“Donovan, I would be very careful what you volunteer for. You are one member of your trio and should you perish the other two will be shunned. They will no longer have the protection of the community. Are you sure you want to take that risk? Perhaps, it would be best to sleep on it before you make such a rash decision,” Wesley urged with a chorus of dissension amongst those in attendance.
“I see what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. He’s weakened and giving him the chance to regain his strength is foolish. There is no rule in the aegis where both opponents have to be one hundred percent physically healthy. It was crafty and I admire how you fight for your brothers. None of us would do anything differently in your shoes. Prepare your brother for his demise.” Donovan smugly picked up a spear and began spinning it with a proficiency that was almost alarming.
“It’s just like you to take advantage of his condition. Are you afraid of a fair fight? It’s cowardly to prey on the innocent. This is the old school of thinking. Let this be a reminder to the rest of you. The Aegis is written clearly and the battle that I request on behalf of my brother is the Natural Order.” The silence was deafening and everybody stared in shock at what Wesley had propositioned.
Their distraction made it easier to crawl into the shadow away from scrutiny. I turned over the body and it was Daniel. He was breathing but it was labored and there were black and blue bruises all over his body. I touched them to assess his injuries and he winced noticeably with his eyes closed. I took the risk of standing up and used my considerable upper body strength to drag him away from the scene of the crime.
“Do you really think he has a chance of fighting me in his natural form of human? Give him a fighting chance by tapping into the animal. You must really hate him to throw him to the wolves,” Donovan said with a trace of a snicker underneath his breath.
The rest of those painted in warfare colors began laughing hysterically at his play on words. He really did know how to play to the crowd and Wesley was relying on the rule of law instead of garnering respect and allies. He probably thought he had no other choice but I wondered what his brother would think about that. I didn’t want to say it out loud but the knowledge that Callan was in trouble made my blood run cold.
“So you consider yourself a comedian. We’ll just see who’s laughing when the dust settles. You have shown us disrespect for the last time. We will settle this family feud the way the ancestors did back in the day. We’ve been avoiding each other but we have heard rumors of you saying bad things about us behind our backs. They were only words until you took it too far,” Wesley informed and I had to admit the strength in his words showed him to be a man in a league of his own.
