The Darkness That Hunts
Chapter 10

The Director dismisses all but the campstaff, chief of security and cabin leaders. As we file out, I spot Sandra andKamiron heading for the stage. As if sensing my stare, Sandra turns and hergaze centers on me. She gives a sweet smile that could melt butter and Ihastily turn away, sticking close to Dace and Hamilton. Once outside and in thechill night air of the Smokey Mountains, I grab Dace and drag him to the side.We walk over to an elaborate statue of a sitting Buddha, hovering near a stoneplaque that reads, “Enlightenment isalways with you. There is no need to think about it. Your busy life itself isenlightened activity. Because it is always with you, difficulty itself isEnlightenment.”

Difficulty is enlightenment? Then Imust be the Dalai Lama.

Swiveling away from the cryptic messageI brace myself to confide in my friends. Dace and Hamilton watch me as I try toorganize my thoughts, but when I hesitate, Dace seizes the initiative.

“You’ve seen that before.”

It is a statement that leaves no roomfor denial. I avoid their direct gaze and focus on the svelte curves of theJ.B. Rhine Auditorium.

“I have.” Before they can ask me tofurther elaborate, I tap Dace’s sketchpad. “I need a huge favor. Can you replaceout as much as possible about that mark?”

Dace studies Hamilton’s drawing andshrugs. “Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Might have to do some finessing toget past the stupid firewalls they put up, but that’s not big deal. What’s itfor?”

I bite my lip; Sandra’s warning ringsin the recesses of my confused mind. I have to keep them safe and for the timebeing that means keeping them in the dark as much as possible. At least until Ihave proof. The last thing I want is another incident like with Kamiron.

“I’ll explain later. Until then, thisstays between us three, ok?”

“Roger that. Guess I’m heading to thecomputer labs.” Dace tucks his sketchpad into the back pocket of his shorts anddeparts. I manage a half-hearted smile at Hamilton, but his purple eyes onlynarrow and I know that I will not get away so easy.

“No,” he confirms, “You won’t.” Heslips his arm around my waist and ushers me away from the cliques of peopletalking by the front of the auditorium. We follow a side trail that dead endsat a rock garden encircled by trees. Once Hamilton’s satisfied we are farenough away from everyone and hidden from prying eyes, he backs me against thetrunk of a spruce and blocks me with his body.

“Spill it, Georgia. All of it.”

I try not to focus on the fact that Ihave such a gorgeous guy so close to me. I can smell his earthy scent. Feel theheat of his skin against mine. Hear the measured breaths he takes as he waits.Back home, no guy would have noticed me. Especially not someone like Hamilton.

“Telling you would put your life indanger, and I can’t make that mistake again.”

He tilts my head up to his, staringinto my eyes as if he could read my thoughts. Knowing him, he probably can.“You told someone else.”

I try to look away but the intensity ofhis amethyst eyes contrasted by the roasted golden skin and black hair is asintoxicating as it is overwhelming. Warmth flushes through me and I replace Icannot guard my thoughts much less my responses. “Kamiron.”

He eyes shut as if wounded and he stepsback, granting me space to breath and retrain my brain how to think. “He didn’ttake it well.”

I snicker. “He won’t even talk to menow.”

Hamilton takes my hand, running histhumb back and forth over my knuckles methodically. “Tell me, Shari. I’m notgoing anywhere. Whatever danger it is, I’d rather know what to expect.”

I don’t know if it’s his proximity tome, my raging hormones, or the magic his thumb is working on my hand, but mydefenses waver and unload some of my burden.

“That mark you saw, it is the personalinsignia of Andhakar.”

I brace myself, ready for Hamilton topull away. Prepared for the accusations and insults, but he only watches meexpectantly. His encouraging expression is the last nudge I need and I replacemyself telling him about my memory of Ater, about the Blood Shield and the notefrom the druid who helped me escape.

“Do you have it with you right now?”

I dislodge my hand from his. “It wasstolen.”

“By who?”

I want to retreat, but I can’t bringmyself to move. I bat away thoughts of Sandra and Starjungle and her warning tome as she snatched my note. I can’t let Ham know, but what can I say instead?

“So Sandra’s one of them.”

I inhale sharply. Telepathy. Why do Ikeep forgetting that? “In Ater she is known as the Steel Fang,” I admitreluctantly, “The Darkness-That-Hunts’ right hand.”

Hamilton’s teeth tug at his lower lip.An unbidden desire to kiss him strikes me. I clear my throat and peel my gazeaway from temptation.

“I can see why Kam would walk away.”

I refuse to look at him. “I shouldn’thave---”

Hamilton twines his fingers aroundmine. “Te creo, Shari. I’ve alwaysbelieved you.”

Dumbfounded, I can only stare up athim. His hair falls over his left shoulder, parted so that I can’t see theshaved part of his head.

“Thank you---that means a lot to me.”

Smiling, he tugs me along. We return tothe side path and head back towards the auditorium. The night is moonless, thestars obscured by thick clouds. The J.B. Rhine building is deserted, everyonehaving retreated to his or her cabins or respective halls.

“You obviously can’t go this alone.I’ll help you. Dace and Zakk also.”

I open my mouth to protest, butHamilton shakes his head. “Dace lives for this kind of thing. You can’tseriously expect him to not want to know once he replaces the intel.”

Good point.

“And Zakk’s an empath. He and I knewsomething was wrong with Sandra from day one but since Kam is like a puppy forher...” Hamilton shakes his head and redirects our path towards the cabins.“Kam’ll need irrefutable proof---I take it that’s why you had Dace look up thatstuff?”

“And because those who follow Andhakarbear his mark somewhere on their bodies---usually their neck.”

“Sandra included?” Seeing my nod,Hamilton continues. “So if Kamiron sees the mark . . .”

“Exactly.”

“We’ll need to set up surveillance.”

I skid to a halt. “No way. Toodangerous.”

“We’ll be fine, Shari, really. Besides,you have a telepath on your side. I can catch glimpses of her in the minds ofothers. Zakk and even Dace, for all his goofing off, know how to be subtle. Ifwe keep a tally on the places she goes, maybe we’ll replace a clue. Does sheconverse with The Darkness-That-Hunts at all?”

I finally catch the gist of hismotives. “You think she communicates with him and if we replace out when . . .”

“We can replace out what they plan.Between the four of us, we’ll figure this out, Shari.” Ham gives my hand areassuring squeeze. I hug him, more hopeful than I’ve been since I’ve arrived.Soft lips brush against my temple before Hamilton pulls away and heads forFirestarter.

The scrape of a screen door slidingopen jolts me awake. I lay unmoving in the darkness, listening to the heavybreathing of my cabinmates. I hear the screen slide closed, but no footsteps.

Someone has just snuck out.

Propping up on my elbows, I squint atthe clock that dangles on the wall above the open door. Three in the morning.Who could possibly have somewhere to go at this hour?

Before I can talk myself out of it, Islip out of bed, slide on my shoes and wrestle on a light jacket. I sneak outof the communal room and notice Melissa and Sandra’s door is ajar.

Three guesses who’s not there.

The night is chilly but still humid. Ican only see a sliver of the waning moon beyond misty clouds. It must haverained sometime during the night because the wooden steps are damp and thewoods around me steam. The wet grass does not crunch beneath my feet as I stickto the tree line and shadows. Sandra doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. She walksconfidently, her strawberry hair shifting back and forth across her shouldersin a serpentine fashion. If she knows she’s being followed, she gives noindication.

Sandra leads me to a clearing, the onewhere Dace told the story of the Legend of Andhakar Lake. The shells of burnedout logs jut out of the fire pit like discarded bones. Empty benches litter thearea. Crouching between the tree trunks and tangled bushes, I hide far enoughaway to avoid being seen but close enough to still hear.

Sandra digs into the pocket of herdesigner jacket and pulls out what looks to be an envelope. She walks backwardsaround the fire pit, muttering words in an arcane language. As she chants, shereaches into the envelope and sprinkles what looks to be ashes or powder intothe center of the fire pit. She then dips her hands into the envelope again anddraws the insignia of Andhakar on her forehead.

It glows the hellish green of hishounds’ eyes and a wind picks up, rustling the boughs around us. An unnaturalcold slithers over the clearing and I watch as hoarfrost crawls across log andstone. Between one blink and the next, The Darkness-That-Hunts materializes inthe center of Sandra’s circle, hovering knee-deep in the fire pit. He makes nomove to break free. Instead, he turns about as if orientating himself to his newsurroundings. As a creature, he is neither beautiful nor ugly, but his face isforeign. A strong jaw, a nose that looks almost feminine and yet not. His hair,the color of cobalt, stretches down his back to his waist. Even knee deep inthe pit, he looms over Sandra and yet his presence seems oddly muted. I realizethat he’s not physically here, but a projection summoned by Sandra who genuflectson one knee.

After a pregnant pause, he allows herto stand. “A summoning?”

“It was the easiest way to contact you,my heart.”

“A life had to have been taken.”

“No one is any the wiser. I didn’tleave a mark when I ate his essence.”

“I cannot afford attention, Steel Fang.”

She bows and offers up my note. “It wasnecessary to get this to you.”

A scarlet flash flares through thenight and to my surprise, Andhakar is holding the druid’s message. “You foundthis on her?”

“I haven’t figured out who wrote it,but whomever did was the one who helped her cross. I request I be allowed toreturn to hunt down this traitor.”

I watch The Darkness-That-Hunts skimthe note, committing it to memory. “Your request is denied.”

The openmouthed shock on Sandra’s facewould have been enough to make me laugh---if I knew I wouldn’t die as soon asmy voice was heard.

“But I’m hardly needed here---”

“You will do as I command, Steel Fang.” Andhakar turns andglances in my direction. I duck, letting the foliage swallow me, but not beforeI notice a glint in his golden eyes---recognition? But he says nothing. “Youwill make sure to return this to Shari.”

A flash of rust and the note is again in Sandra’s palm. Shegapes at him though he continues to scan the tree line and doesn’t appear tonotice. “But the summoning was so that you could keep it in Ater! Give it tothe Dark Fae, surely one of their ilk can sniff out the writer---”

“So that I could ‘keep it in Ater,’ you say?” Andhakar turnsback to Sandra, his black eyebrows raised in amusement. “And the increase inpower from the Kiss was but a minor consideration, I suppose?”

A blush stains Sandra’s cheeks. “It’s been so long sinceI’ve fed. And to bring you over . . .”

“There are others in this plot against me, Sandra, and Iwill have them all.”

“Then I’ll torture it out of her.”

“You will not harm Shari.” Andhakar’s tone is unyielding andhe begins to fade. “Or I will rip your throat out myself.”

The Darkness-That-Hunts disappears entirely but the icechoking the clearing does not thaw. For a moment Sandra stands there, staringinto the fire pit and the circle of stones that guard it. The glowing emblem onher forehead dims and then winks out. Ash mars her perfect skin.

My note crumples in her fist. “Exactly what is she to you,my heart?” Venom drips from her voice. “I look forward to the moment when Ipaint my face with her blood.”

Sandra’s hair whips around her as she turns her back to meand stalks off.