Moonlight War- Act II (The Realmers Book 3) Read online

  A huge commotion exploded at this news. A symphony of growls that sounded like a car revving, drawled from the circle of wolves at the back, whilst Kane and Serren roared violent abuse.

  Brooke fought the urge to flee, thankful for Quinn who stood in front of them, blocking them from Kane’s path.

  “Stand aside Quinn,” Kane’s face distorted for a second, the beast inside him starting to emerge.

  Titchy chuckled quietly, chewing his cigar as he observed the pack curiously. He looked like a thrilled schoolboy on a day out. Unlike them, Titchy didn’t have to fear for his life.

  “This abomination comes here,” Kane jabbed a finger at Arantay, “knowing full well that his vampires inflicted Andon’s madness. And if it wasn’t a vampire bite, it was a Venator spell.”

  “No!” Brooke shouted. It felt like someone else’s voice had come from her mouth, but she kept speaking, not knowing where her bravery came from. “It wasn’t the vampires or us, it was-”

  “Enough lies. You and the vampires shall pay for Andon’s destruction.” Kane surged toward them.

  Magic flared at her fingertips and Arantay crouched into a fighting stance, but it was Quinn that got there first, holding Kane back.

  “Hear them out,” he urged.

  Kane seized Quinn and threw him to the floor. “You do not command me.”

  “No. I do.” A new voice rumbled from the far side of the cellar.

  A huge figure emerged from the darkness beyond their circle. A monster of a man moved quietly into their midst, his midnight black skin rippling with unparalleled power. He dwarfed everyone else in the room, yet he moved with an easy grace that belied his size. Though he still resembled a human, he was scarier than any of his pack in wolf form. His eyes were like huge round coins, shining with a fierce pride. He was Vore, the pack leader, the alpha, the Hellwolf.

  Vore came to a halt between Kane and Serren, his molten gold eyes studying Brooke and Arantay from behind a forest of tangled dreadlocks.

  Every single wolf and shifter bowed their head respectfully in Vore’s presence. Even Kane acquiesced.

  Brooke realised there was no way to get out of this situation safely if it got out of hand now. Arantay may have inhuman reflexes, but she doubted if anyone could match Vore in strength.

  “You are the ones who hunted Andon?” Vore’s deep voice rang out thunderously.

  “Yeah, they are,” Kane shouted. “I saw them not three nights past. And they had silver on their swords. Veneseron sent them to destroy Andon, and they accomplished their mission. Now, they dare to come here, mere days after slaying our kin.”

  Vore’s eyes pierced her own. “Speak,” he rumbled. “Do you deny hunting Andon?”

  She looked to Arantay for guidance, unable to meet Vore’s gaze any longer.

  “No,” said Arantay, “but our mission wasn’t specifically to slay Andon. It was just to neutralize the lycan rampaging through the streets, to cure him if possible. We discovered Andon’s insanity was brought on by a magical curse, but not one we put on him.”

  “Where’s your proof?” Kane burst in. He looked likely to say more, but fell silent as Vore held up a hand.

  This was a huge mistake! Brooke’s thoughts screamed. They’ll never let us leave here alive.

  “You claim to have information on the source of Andon’s madness.” Vore said shortly. “Yet you do not deny hunting one of my pack. This act must be punished.”

  Brooke’s heart fluttered, and her mouth went dry.

  “But I will give you a chance to escape your punishment,” said Vore, “at least for now. If you pass the testing, I will allow you to speak freely. And if I am satisfied with your information, I will permit you to leave here.”

  “What’s the testing?” Titchy asked brightly. Brooke supposed it didn’t really matter to him whether she and Tay lived or died.

  “A simple fight,” said Vore. “Whoever beats the other into unconsciousness, wins. It is what all must pass, if they wish to join my pack. Of course, you may refuse the testing, but then neither of you shall leave here alive.” It wasn’t just the menace in Vore’s tone, but it the sheer dominance that emanated from him that caused Brooke’s insides to squirm.

  Kane’s face split into an animalistic grin the moment Vore had mentioned the testing. “Please Vore, let me have the honours.”

  Vore regarded the werepanther, then looked back to Arantay. “Yes, you’ll do well enough.”

  “What?” Arantay inched closer to her, thinking to protect her from harm, no doubt.

  “You will face me, Elfpire.” Kane snapped his jaws together in excitement.

  “No weapons, Venator,” Serren warned as Kane backed into the centre of the room. The rest of the pack formed into a wider circle, enclosing Brooke and Arantay both.

  She stared out at their leering, snarling faces, afraid to be left alone with them, afraid for Arantay to leave her at all. Then Quinn’s face swam into view, his expression kind and concerned.

  “I’ll make sure none of the others harm her,” Quinn promised Arantay, who nodded gratefully as he pulled off his jacket and shirt, stepped out of his jeans and stood, clad only in the skin-tight Venator armour. He unzipped his breastplate, so he was shirtless like Kane.

  “Should’ve kept your armour on, Elfpire,” Kane growled. “Now I might ‘accidentally’ kill you by mistake.”

  Arantay ignored him and turned to Brooke one last time. “It will be over soon,” he promised.

  Quinn’s touch was surprisingly mild as he led her away from the centre of the circle, careful not to take her too close to any of the wolves. Unfortunately, the least crowded area was where Vore stood, overseeing the scene dispassionately. Serren was beside him, glaring at Brooke and Quinn both.

  “Just leave me on the battlefield then,” Titchy grumbled as he ambled over to her. “No one cares if Titchy gets hurt, do they?”

  “You’re already dead,” Brooke replied, trying to keep calm, though her head was swirling. She worked on keeping her magic near to the surface, aware that if Arantay lost to Kane, she would use it to try and get them both out of here. Even if she didn’t stand a chance of escape, she had to try.

  Arantay and Kane circled one another. Tay’s scarlet eyes flitted around the room, taking in the crowd, making sure she was safe, and sizing Kane up.

  “Let’s see if that tainted blood in your veins runs red,” Kane hissed. Then he sprang, moving with frightening speed.

  Arantay moved faster still, ducking Kane’s fist and rolling across the stone floor. He then sprang back up and landed a round-house kick to Kane’s leg, all in one rapid movement.

  Kane lashed out wildly, his form shifting to that of the beast. His face distorted and lengthened, but the long claws posed the biggest threat.

  Arantay dodged Kane’s swipes magnificently, using sharp kicks whenever Kane was too slow to stop him, which was often.

  Black fur burgeoned across Kane’s vast torso. He roared ferociously, completing his transformation, and charged forward.

  Arantay leapt inhumanly high, clear over the brute and to the other side. But Kane swiped blindly, his paw smashing into Arantay’s face and sending him sprawling.

  Brooke gasped as Tay fell and Kane jumped on top of him, attempting to pound Arantay’s face in until he was unconscious, or worse. Arantay got his feet up as Kane leaned over him, however, and launched the werepanther up and over his head, using Kane’s own momentum.

  Arantay flipped back to his feet and faced Kane as the brute bellowed and swiped at him again. Arantay evaded the first three, but the fourth swing caught the side of his head and sent him veering into the crowd.

  The wall of hairy wolf flesh roared as Arantay barrelled into them and pushed him back into the circle. Brooke cried out as Kane caught Arantay’s body in his mammoth arms and squeezed. The werepanther was more like a giant ape, as he strived to crush the very life from Arantay.

  Quinn winced beside her and Titchy whooped. Brooke re
adied herself to intervene. She couldn’t let Tay be crushed to death.

  Just when it looked like his bones were about to snap, Arantay fought back with new life. He drove his knees swiftly into Kane’s stomach. The first few blows had no effect on the brute, but as Arantay continued his strikes, Kane was forced to let go, the breath knocked out of him.

  As Kane dropped him, Tay connected with a brutal uppercut to the werepanther’s chin. Kane staggered and dropped to a knee. With awesome agility and power, Arantay hit a running kick, his boot slamming into Kane’s head.

  The shifter’s skull snapped back and hit the ground with a slap. Kane laid still then, unconscious.

  The wolves in the circle howled their frustration, but hastily quietened when Vore stepped forward.

  “Very well.” Vore signalled and two wolves loped forwards to drag Kane away. Vore turned to her. “Andon was my brother. He was next in line to be pack leader should I fall. Thus, this issue is personal to me. I will hear whatever information you have, but be warned, I will smell out your lies.”

  Arantay could barely catch his breath as he stared back at the pack leader. Blood dripped where Kane had caught the side of his head, and more than one of his ribs were probably broken from the bear-hug.

  “It was Dark-Venators,” Brooke said, whilst Arantay regained his composure.

  “They bewitched Andon, both to ignite a war between you and the vampires, and to endanger the humans and cause trouble for us at Veneseron. They knew we Venators would get involved and that you would blame us and the vampires, or both.”

  At her words, the shifters and werewolves went crazy, howling so loudly she was surprised those in the club above couldn’t hear it, even above the deafening music.

  “The Rakarn live to create chaos and bloodshed, to divide all the races and to help the demons wherever they can,” Arantay explained.

  Vore ordered his pack to some semblance of calm as he considered what they had said. His gargantuan body seemed to be seething.

  “But all I have is your word on this?” Vore addressed them at last. “Do you have no evidence.”

  “We have a letter from Hallia,” Brooke said. “Explaining how she has heard the Rakarn’s thoughts with her gift. She-”

  Serren interrupted her with a violent snort. “You think we’d take a vampire’s word for it? Stupid girl.”

  “We have a witness,” Arantay rasped, clutching his side. “The ghost we brought with us, he saw Dark-Venators hunting Andon down and using their sorcery on him.”

  “This ghost has a name, you know,” Titchy said, striding up to Vore. The top of Titchy’s head barely reached Vore’s kneecap.

  “But what the Elfpire chap says is right. Saw it all, I did. An’ I know it was these Dark-Venators, not these ones,” Titchy pointed at her and Tay. “The folk from Veneseron have red armour you see, the Rakarn have black. So I know’s the difference.”

  “What did Andon look like?” Vore asked.

  Brooke tried not to give herself false hope, but it looked like Vore was on the verge of believing them.

  “When he wasn’t a dog, you mean?” Titchy said, triggering a cacophony of growls from the werewolves around him. “I means to say when Andon was in ‘is human form.” Titchy continued with an uneasy chuckle. “Well, he turned pretty quickly once the Rakarn chased him into this empty factory, but before he transformed, he was a tall fellow. He looked much like yourself, Mr Vore, ‘cept he was skinnier than you and his head was shaved. He also had scar running through his eyebrow, if I remember rightly.”

  Vore nodded silently.

  “Well, it was during the middle of the night. I was at the factory I used work at, trying to get to sleep actually. We ghosts can’t actually sleep see, but I-“

  “Just get to the point,” Serren spoke over him.

  Titchy pulled a face, but did as she asked. “Fine, I hear this mad cackling out of nowhere and poke my head through the wall to see a young man running from a group of teens hurling this bright magic spells at him. The young man, Andon, runs into one of the factories to escape, but as I follow he’s already changed into a wolfman. He fights the magic men, roaring furiously. Then, all of a sudden-like, one of these Dark-Venators throws a spell that makes Andon stop fighting all at once. He looked like he was in a daze. The magic hoodlums left, laughing happily. I waited around a little and eventually Andon came out of his trance and just went crazy, completely off-his-rocker. He smashed the warehouse up and bit his own arms for no reason, scratching the walls ‘till his paws went bloody. Right weird it was. I left then, the roars were getting on my wick,” Titchy finished.

  Brooke could see Vore was affected by his brother’s demise, but he was trying not to show it. He was still scowling, but his eyes watered.

  “Well,” Vore said at last. “You got Andon’s description right, at least. And the story sounds plausible. Only magic or something else that causes madness, would make my brother slaughter innocents. I have heard many tales of these Dark-Venators, also. Magic is an evil thing.” Vore’s eyes flashed in her direction. “No matter who wields it.”

  “The Venators of Veneseron work to aid the humans and the other races against demons and the Rakarn,” Arantay argued. “We are working to stop this war before anyone else gets hurt. The Dark-Venators don’t care for the casualties; they relish the pain and destruction they cause.”

  Vore stood, still as a statue. His expression was unreadable once more, but Brooke sensed he was thinking it through.

  “Perhaps we should believe them,” Quinn spoke up. “Why would Brooke and Arantay come here if they were guilty? And why would they go through the trouble of making Andon insane, just to kill him afterwards?

  “To use Andon as a scapegoat,” said Serren. “Maybe they made Andon mad so they had an excuse to kill him. Or maybe one of Hallia’s coven bit Andon and they paid the Venators to cover for them.”

  “That’s ludicrous,” Arantay said. “You’re just looking for reasons to blame us.”

  “The facts,” said Quinn, turning to Vore, “is that the Rakarn attacked your own brother, my lord. And they hoped to start all-out war between us and Hallia’s coven. They meant to destroy you. We must destroy them instead.”

  Brooke felt a rush of gratitude towards the boy as he spoke to the pack leader on their behalf. Vore looked as if he was about to heed Quinn’s words, but then another voice cried, “Don’t listen to them.”

  Brooke turned to see Kane limping toward them. He still looked dazed from the fight, but he’d obviously recovered from unconsciousness enough to hound them again.

  “Vore, I beg of you. They’re leading you into a trap. That one,” Kane pointed at Arantay, “I saw him rip Markus’s head off his body with my own eyes.”

  “That was self-defence,” Arantay growled back.

  Brooke grabbed Tay’s arm. “Don’t lose your temper.” Don’t let everything fall apart. We’re almost there.

  An agony filled howl erupted around the room. Everyone in the cellar looked to see one of the wolves in the circle start jerking spasmodically, his eyes bulging and mouth frothing.

  “What’s happening to him!” Serren shrieked.

  Suddenly the lycan turned on the one nearest to him, clamping his massive jaws down on his brethren’s shoulder.

  “It’s just like Andon,” Quinn stared, mesmerised.

  “You,” Vore’s huge head abruptly snapped in Brooke’s direction. “You and your magic did this.”

  “Magic yes, but not ours,” Arantay shouted.

  The crazed wolf barrelled into a shifter next as he roared hysterically.

  “She is the only magic-user here.” Vore snarled Brooke’s way. “You say the Rakarn are behind this, but where are they? I only see you and the magic at your fingertips. You, who slaughtered my brother.”

  Vore shook his head as he began to mutate. His skin stretched and transmuted erratically as the wolf inside was unleashed. “Kill them,” his voice distorted gutturally as he co
mpleted the change.

  “RUN!” Quinn pushed her back.

  Brooke didn’t need much more encouragement, but when she turned back to the stairs, a line of transformed werewolves stood in front of her.

  Arantay ran to her side even as her magic came to the surface. Her body quivered with sorcery and fear alike.

  There was no way out. They were surrounded by dozens of lycans and Shifters, too many that they couldn’t hope to escape.

  Suddenly, the ceiling above shook and shards of rubble dropped to the floor.

  Arantay looked up in confusion, then reacted a second before the whole ceiling caved in. He dived to the side, grabbing Brooke and saving them both from the falling rock.

  A hole in the ceiling was blown to pieces and three forms crashed into the cellar amidst a tempest of stone. They were Arch-Realmers, fully clothed in Venator armour and equipped with enchanted blades.

  The reinforcements from Veneseron had arrived.

  Chapter 35-The Sewers of Sarume

  A rat scurried across Taija's foot. She was that hungry she was tempted to grab it and stuff it into her mouth. Even worse than the hunger, was the dehydration. It had been maybe a day and a half since she escaped from him.

  After hours of stumbling through filth encrusted tunnels Taija had finally slumped in a narrow alcove that was relatively dry. She had caught snippets of sleep there, without meaning too. She kept expecting to see the huge form of Mikhail appear from the gloom, or else rip off a sewer grate from high above and jump down to seize her.

  Each hour her mind became a little clearer. She was sure now that the asylum doctors had been drugging her to forget everything. But after a day without them, she was almost herself again. Taija still remembered nothing of her parents, or how she’d come to be owned like property, but she guessed she’d never had those memories before the drugs. She knew now that she’d been a slave since she was six years old and that she’d been determined to escape her shackles ever since. She remembered how she’d preferred to hang out with the male slaves, and how she’d often brawled with them. She’d never had any true friends, not until Kachina. No! Taija would rather her memories of Kachina had never come back. Whenever she thought of her it felt like she’d been stabbed in the chest.