Chapter Four

Wilder

The first thing that I feel is the cold stone floor pressed against my cheek. I shift and am forced to suck in a breath through clenched teeth as pain sears through my side.

"Easy Wilds. You're still healing." Aiden's voice comes from across the dark room.

"From what?" I grumble as I sit myself up and lean against yet another cold stone wall.

"A grenade. Laced with Wolfsbane and Vervain." Akira answers. I can barely make out her pale face and long dark hair against the dark wall behind her. "You and Roan were pretty banged up, but you healed. Then Roan healed Elia." She says and Roan waves to me like the child he is. I chuckle and wave back. Elia sits next to me and reaches for my hand. I squeeze her pale hand and she smiles at me. I know that Roan healed her, but she is still too pale. I gently caress her cheek and she leans into my touch and closes her beautiful eyes.

"Do we have a plan on how to get out of here, or are we just going to wait for them to come and kill us?" Roan asks, just as the heavy metal door is opened slowly.

"Easy." Aiden breathes the word. Through the door, steps the lead hunter, flanked by four hunters. A giant smirk is plastered on his face.

"Seven years ago, when I was just a hunter initiate, I was part of a raid on a small town known to support and even hide witches. I went into a house, looking for a family of witches, only to find a middle-aged woman with tightly braided blond hair and golden eyes." He looks above our heads as if lost in a memory. The guns of the other hunters aim at each of us, forcing us to hear this story. "She just sat on the ground in front of the fireplace. She looked at me and said 'I have been awaiting you, hunter Cain.' I was not as surprised as I expected to be. You see, this witch was a well-known seer. But I had no time for her trickery, as her family was running. So I took out my dagger and threw myself at her, impaling her stomach. She fell backward and landed on her back, blood pooling around her. A hunter's first supernatural kill is something to be celebrated, so I cut off a strand of her hair as a spoil of success. But as I leaned in to cut the hair, she whispered something:

'As an ancient wrong be righted,

The split folk shall be once again united,

One of each with boundless power,

The Hidden World shall empower,

Their world shall restart,

With the pure of heart.'

Her dying breath was used to utter this prophecy. Your prophecy. And that information is how I go to where I am today."

"How do we know that you aren't just making this up?" Roan asks. The hunter looks at him with both disgust and self-satisfaction. As if he hates looking at anything supernatural but he is glad that Roan asked the question. We are not going to like the answer.

"You will know that I am not making this up as I have the name of the witch who uttered the prophecy. Her name..." He looks directly at Elia, whose face displays the anger and hatred she feels for the hunter. "...was Esmeralda Moon." Elia lets out a quiet sob that wracks her entire frame. She glares daggers at Cain, her eyes shining with power. Cain just laughs. He turns around and walks out of the room.

"Get comfortable, cause you are never leaving." He says over his shoulder as the door swings shut behind him. I place my hand on Eloa's shoulder. She swings her head around and the power in her eyes is terrifying. Their pink color is spreading and covering the whites of her eyes. I cup her cheek and feel the wet tracks of her tears. I pull her to my chest and she buries her face in my torso. Wrapping my arms around her, I can feel her shaking. She balls my shirt into her hands as she squeezes them into tight fists. We sit like that for a long time. Everyone silent. Eventually, Elia falls asleep, alongside Meera and Roan.

"We need to get out of here." Aiden breaks the silence.

"What about the prophecy?" Akira asks.

"I don't know." Aiden hangs his head. "I've heard of Esmeralda Moon and her prophecies. But if he's right-"

"He's right." Elia's quiet voice cuts Aiden off. We all turn to her. "My mom would always tell me and my siblings about these six rulers, one of each species, that would unite our world and bring us home. I thought it was just a story. But it is real. And we are the six rulers of the story. It is our job to unite our people."

"I don't know El, that sounds like a lot of work." Roan speaks up as he shakes Meera's shoulder.

"Come on, Ro! You're just sad that you have to give up your nap times." I respond.

"Wait! My nap times? No one said that!" He panics and Meera elbows him. We all burst out laughing.

"I'm in, it's about time someone unites our stingy people." Meera says proudly.

"Me too!" Akira jumps in.

"And me." I say.

"I'm in." Elia says.

"Fine, I'll sacrifice my nap times." Roan grumbles. We all turn to Aiden.

"Well then, I guess that we are uniting our people." Aiden says. Just as he says it, a burning sensation overtakes the inside of my right wrist. I hiss and look down at my arm, only to find a mark that was not there before. A silhouette of a brown wolf with a golden crown resting on its head. The crown actually glistens. I look up to find each of my friends looking at their own wrists.

"Incredible, the prophecy has claimed us." Elia whispers. I look over at her to find a pink triple moon symbol on her wrist, with a golden crown resting atop the full moon.

"I guess that there is no turning back now." Roan says.

"No. So time for step one, getting out of here." Aiden states. Akira jumps up.

"Oh, I got this." She throws her hands forwards and shoots lightning at the metal door.