Nether Flame

Clan: Akantha

Emerick 1

Kneeling on the cold, paneled floor I bowed my head before my father, the leader of the Akantha clan. In the same position, sat next to me, kneeled my older brother, Vadim, similarly bowing his head.

I felt more than saw my father approach us, his steps soft and quite over the wooden floor, moving so delicately as he always did. His robes danced in the periphery of my vision as he stopped before us, and I continued to stare downward.

Though his steps were light and soft, his voice was anything but as he spoke to us. ‘My sons. Rise.’

In unison, myself and Vadim rose to meet out father’s gaze in a fluid motion. He looked us both once in the eye before speaking. ‘The Great Hunt is to commence tomorrow morning, as you both well know. The clan elders have selected both of you to take part as you are of a suitable mating age.’ He looked away from us then, grave shadows cloaking his dark eyes. ‘As my sons, you must remember that you are not competing against each other. Vadim my son of blood- ‘he gestured to my right, at my brother standing tall and proud. ‘I hope that The Soldier brings you strength.’

That’s right, Vadim his son by blood. And me, a burden thrusted upon him by some unknown obligation.

I don’t remember my birth parents; all I know is the whisperings that have spread throughout the Akantha clan over the twenty-one years I have lived here.

From what I’ve gathered, as my father refuses to speak of it, my mother was a low born human woman who seeked refuge in our clan as it is one of the few demon clans who welcome humans. She’d been living here all of one month when a demon male forced himself upon her and then fled the territory. She fell pregnant with me and died during the birth, and so I was taken in by the clan leader for some strange reason that still escapes me.

But as long as I live here the whispers will always follow me. As I go to collect my leathers from the laundry maidens, ‘cursed child.’ Chopping wood for fires in the groves as fellow clan members pass by, ‘a child born of hate has no place in the Akantha clan.’ Trudging back to my father’s residence, the only permanent structure at our winter camp, hushed tones of ‘to think our leader allows that under his roof.’

‘Emerick.’

Suddenly I was back in the room with my father and brother, staring at my father’s disapproving expression.

His furrowed brows relaxed slightly as he said to me, ‘Emerick, my son of…’ he paused at the words, both of us wondering what kind of son I was to him. For he had raised me, but in the Akantha clan blood meant everything. You were loyal to your blood, weather it be demon or human. But me?

I waited for him to go on.

He took another step towards me, cupping my face with one hand. ‘Emerick my son of circumstance, I hope that The Trickster brings you wit in the trials ahead.’

Of course, our father was going to wish us well tonight, for tonight may be the last time we meet. Because tomorrow was indeed The Great Hunt, a sacred mating ritual unique to the Akantha clan. A fight to the death to earn the honor of a female, that occurred every five years.

Every eligible female in the Akantha clan was taken up Grey Tusk Mountain: the tallest of the peaks in the Crags~ range. The most covetable female in the clan, at the present time, was placed near the summit with the desirability of females decreasing as you descend the slope. Only the strongest males could reach the most sort-after females.

My father had explained to me that it made for good breeding, and thus a stronger clan.

I could remember the last one, as I was sixteen at the time. Males came back from Grey Tusk Mountain haggard and weary, their claimed females at their sides. Or slung over a shoulder like a prized sack of potatoes. Some of their injuries were brutal, all of their faces were somber…those that survived anyway.

I remember that year there had been more males than females, which meant the males who had failed to capture a mate had to stay up the mountain and wait for a cold death to claim them, or worse face the dishonor of coming down Grey Tusk empty handed. None of them did.

My father had informed us that this year the number of females was greater than that of males, so none of us had to die, so long as we claimed one of them. But for any unclaimed females it would be the life of a lonely spinster for them, and that’s if they could make it down the mountain themselves.

It was a harsh custom, but one my father claimed had to be observed, or else much more blood would be shed over the most charming females, like it had been in the past. Previously the strongest males had died fighting over females who often perished along with them, leaving only the weak behind. So, The Great Hunt was formulated to create order and strengthen blood lines within the Akantha clan.

‘May the healer bless you both and watch over you while I cannot.’ My father extended his hands to me and Vadim, and then turned around and left the dimly lit room. The next time I’d see him would be tomorrow morning. Possibly the last time I’d see either him or my brother.

Vadim and I silently left our father’s hut after his exit was sufficient dismissal. I turned to my brother on the threshold of the small wooden cabin, having to crane my neck to reach his eye level. His full demon blood flowing through his toned, muscular physique. His golden, shoulder-length hair glowing in the firelight of the torches that hung from every corner of the building.

‘Good luck, brother.’ I said to him, genuinely wishing him well .

He halted in place, turning to me slowly on one heel. Looking down towards me he said, ‘Save that luck for yourself, and go and pray to the demi-gods; you’ll need it tomorrow and beyond,’ he looked me up and down once ‘if you make it that far.’

Blinking up at him, my mouth agape, I could summon nothing but silence as his words clanged through me.

As brothers we had never exchanged many words between each other, but we’d never been hostile. But this- ‘Vadim.’ I said shocked, but I had nothing else to follow up with.

He bared his teeth at me as he spat, ‘Save your energy for the hunt,’ and stalked into the night.

I stood there in shock as a low whistle sounded from round the corner to my left. I knew who it was before the sly tone of her voice reached me.

‘Well, that was a pleasant encounter for me to witness.’ She giggled as she rounded the corner to face me.

‘Don’t Naaz, now is not a good time.’ I said to the young girl who had been my childhood friend. My only friend.

I made to walk away in the opposite direction Vadim had gone but Naaz blocked my path, the torchlight from the cabin flickering in her emerald-green eyes.

She purred to me, her mouth twisting to the side the way it always did before she said something that would annoy me, ‘Oh c’mon, Emmie boy. Don’t you want me to keep you company before the big day?’

‘No.’ I said adamantly. ‘And don’t call me that. It’s your big day as well in case you’ve forgotten.’

‘Ugh, don’t remind me.’ She sighed, falling into step beside me as I marched towards the east side of camp where earlier, I’d stashed supplies to make a shelter in a quiet part of the wood.

It was customary for every male, competing in The Great Hunt, to construct his own shelter and stay in it the night before, regardless of his station within the society.

Naaz nudged my side and batted her eyelashes as she said, ‘If I help you erect your tent tonight, will you let me stay in it with you?’

‘No.’

‘Do you think Vadim would let me stay in his?’

I halted in my stride and whorled on her. ‘Don’t joke about that. Not that he’d let you but if you slept in anyone’s tent tonight you wouldn’t be able to take part in The Great Hunt; they’d think you’d been sullied. Is that what you really want?’

Without hesitation Naaz replied, ‘Yes.’

I grabbed her by her slim shoulder and pulled her along with me as I walked eastward. ‘At least if you participate in the hunt, you’ll have a chance at a normal, happy life. Don’t you want that, Naaz?’

She scoffed a laugh and shook off my touch, but continued walking. ‘No Emerick,’ she spat my name at me, ‘you’ll have a chance at a normal, happy life, because you get to choose. Look at me.’ I stared at her blinking.

After a long moment she grabbed my chin in emphasis, pulling our faces closer together and demanded , ‘Look at me, Em. I’m a female, and what’s more I’m this.’ She gestured to herself.

I took the sight of her in. From the slightly tanned skin, to the freckled cheeks. The fox like ears and ginger, fluffy noise. Her slight figure and green eyes that were always so bright despite the dreary weather that persisted over this camp.

‘So what? You’re a feral.’ A demon who possess animal like features and qualities. ‘What’s wrong with that?’

‘Don’t play dumb, you know what’s wrong.’ She put a hand on her chest, an expression befalling her face that I’d never seen there before. ‘I’m undesirable, especially among the Akantha, who worship human beauty. That’s why they mate with humans, to weed out these beastly attributes.’ She motioned to her face again. There was something about that gesture that I hated.

‘So, why don’t you just leave the Akantha clan?’ I questioned, a sharpness to my tone that I did not intend.

Hurt stung in her eyes as she said to me, her voice almost breaking, ‘Leave? I can’t just run away; this is all I know. Besides, you’re an outcast here just as much as I am. Why don’t you leave?’ A pause, and then, ‘We could leave together.’ She looked at me, light dancing in her eyes.

‘No.’ She flinched at the word, but I went on in a softer tone. ‘Naaz, you’ll be chosen tomorrow, you’ll see. And even if not, you’ll be fine.’

‘If I’m not chosen, I’ll die. This stupid hunt thing might as well be a death sentence for females like me.’

‘What? How could that be?’ I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

‘Don’t you know what they do to females during this stupid tradition? They bind us so we can’t move. They injure us so we can’t walk. They cover our eyes so we can’t cast our minds out if we have any gifts. They make it impossible for us to escape without being claimed by a male.’ Her voice was seething with range by the time she had finished speaking.

I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t known it was quite so…brutal.

I fumbled for any words I could muster. ‘So, tomorrow if you don’t get picked…?’

She said it before I could finish. ‘That’s right. I’ll die.’

I was speechless as she turned from me and strode off into the darkness, to gods knew where.