Trials Chapter 25: Alpha

                Lemere was down. Her body collapsed on the ground among the rubble that was once the statue of Volsta and a number of lynx bodies either unconscious or dead. Blood was still seeping from her open wounds, but she was still breathing and that was all Alaster needed to continue fighting.

                “What!?” Lillian gasped under her breath. She wasn’t entirely sure she had heard correctly. It must have been her age catching up with her.

                Ellie turned her head gazing into Lily’s eyes and as they met she could see something in the cat something resolute, something old. “I said you will all die today. I hope that’s not a problem.” She continued to smile nestled against her.

                “This isn’t time for one of your games, Ellie.” She commanded.

                “I think it’s the perfect time.” She rose from Lillian’s lap to sit across from her. She leaned into the pool taking of few laps of water. “We only have to decide which one.”

                “Who are you?”

                “Oh! That’s a good game!” Ellie cheered. “If you can figure it out I’ll spare them.” She was beaming with anticipation. In the pool it one of the warriors had completely collapsed. “You might want to hurry I don’t think they have much time.”

                Alaster was cornered. He had managed to pin Lemere and himself against a large tree, the trunk alone seemed as wide as a house. With it to his back he knew they couldn’t surround him but he also had no escape. The lynx had stopped their encroachment giving him and the reach of his hammer a wide berth. He had taught them the danger of getting too close, but his wounds were still bleeding. The scratches were starting the fester and his body was going numb. He could hear the lynx taunting him and see the smirks on their faces. They were going to wait him out. They had already won.

                “You have three gues...” Ellie smiled.

                “You’re an alpha.” Lillian guessed immediately. “A leader of the lynx and their closest equivalent to a queen.”

                “Wow that was fast!” Ellie beamed. “I didn’t think you’d agree so quickly.”

                “Well?” said Lillian sternly and impatient.

                “No. You’re wrong. Alpha’s are ten feet tall and have golden fangs.” She grinned widely showing her sharp canines. “That was a good guess though.”

                Alaster never fully understood the amazon’s life debt. Apparently it was how they found mates. Yet Lemere hadn’t once alluded to any romantic interest in him and for the most part it was mutual. Instead she dragged him around like a servant during her different escapades. Yet now he felt something. In these last moments he had felt some sort of comradery he hadn’t expected. He could remember the day they had met, the day he was betrayed by his own men and to his embarrassment he was saved by a women. Now was the day he would repay that debt back. Alaster dropped his hammer.

                “I’ll give you a hint.” Ellie smiled. “I’m really, really old.”

                “That’s not much of hint.” Lillian grumbled.

                “That was the point.” She giggled.

                Lillian frowned. She wasn’t used to being manipulated and she detested games even more. She looked at Ellie; behind her mischievous demeanor she could see the darkness behind it. Her eyes were more slanted, her fur was darker, and she seemed to be growing infinitely more dangerous by the minute. Even the streams of light that broke the darkness of the canopy seemed to pass through her. It was then Lillian was reminded of the stories she heard as a child. For so long she had dismissed those tales as myths for scaring children. She had forgotten this forest was a resting place for spirits. This forest was haunted.

                “You’re a ghost.” She tried. “The vengeful spirit of a lynx named Ellie who was hunted down by the amazons during the ten year war.”

                Ellie burst into hysterical laughter.

                “Am a wrong!?”

                “I never expected an answer like that from you!” She tried to stifle her giggles but they kept coming out.

                “Am I wrong!?” Lillian repeated. She was growing increasingly annoyed.

                “Yes and no.” Ellie answered behind her laughter. “I am a spirit but I’m far older than that. So you’re half right. Unfortunately being half right doesn’t count.”

                The hammer was never Alaster’s weapon of choice. From boyhood all Northerner’s both men and women learned how to defend themselves with their fists and that was what he excelled at. When his hammer fell the lynx foolishly thought he had relented and eagerly rushed in for the finishing blow. That was a mistake. One punch knocked an assailant backward into the crowd forging a temporary path through the crowd. Alaster went on the offensive rampaging barehanded. Not a single lynx was permitted to pass his blockade. He no longer cared about defense or injury each scrape or scratch was returned tenfold.

                The lynx soon learned to back of content to wait him out picking at him with arrows, but that wouldn’t work this time. His blood was up and he knew he would die. He charged determined that this time he would be their tormentor.

                “You have one guess left.” Ellie teased. “You better hurry if you want to save them.”

                Lillian was legitimately stumped. Ellie had played them all for fools. What was she and how could she possibly have the power to save those two or kill them all? For a moment she thought this might all be one of her pranks, some elaborate scheme to make her look like a full, yet as time passed she felt less and less like her authority had any merit. It was as if she were with a being so far above her that nothing she could do would matter. She had only felt like this once and that was in the presence of the goddess herself.

                Lemere wasn’t moving. Alaster had managed to clear a path for the amazon but she still laid motionless on the ground. He was losing hope not able to see if she was even breathing anymore. He swore if she was dead he would kill them all.

                It was impossible. The sisters had left centuries ago. She couldn’t possibly be one of them. The only things she knew older than them were legends. Suddenly he found himself alone. The cats had retreated into the branches above. Had he managed to scare them off? He tried to keep his stance but with the immediate danger over he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion wanting nothing more than to close his eyes and see the shining halls of Orion, but he couldn’t give in. He crawled over to Lemere and smiled. Somehow she was still breathing. Summoning what minor strength he had left he hoisted her over his shoulder. He wasn’t sure where they were or how much time they had left but as long as he was still alive he still had hope.  He limped toward the direction he best thought was the way back to town when he heard a loud roar. The birds in the trees scattered in fear. Out of the trees lunged a monster, ten feet tall, covered in dark fur, brandishing fierce golden fangs.

                “What is your last guess?”

                “Your, Ellisandra the spirit of the forest.” She whispered unable to believe what she had just said. “Y-You struck a deal with Celina to protect the forest and it’s people in exchange for a home for hers.”

                The cat said nothing for a moment. Her once cheerful face had turned mournful and solemn.

                “Your right.” She murmured. “But they broke that promise.” She stood up to her full height looking taller than she actually was. “Your people have brought war and destruction into my home, even now my children die by your hands.”

                “The war wasn’t are fault!” Lillian defended. “It was man who invaded and-“

                “And whose was supposed to prevent that very thing from happening!” She yelled. “Even after the war I gave you amazon’s a second chance there are two sides to every story after all. I spent years among you in different forms.” As she continued to talk Ellie changed into different forms, some she recognized, but most she didn’t until finally she was again Ellie the lynx slave. “Till I found this girl, but a child slain and dishonored by a group of marauders. Living as her I discovered not only where you amazons just as cruel as the humans you hold such little regard for, but that you’ve learned nothing from your past mistakes.”

                Lillian remained silent. For once she felt like the child being scolded.

                “And now you’re on the brink of another war. One that threatens to be more devastating than the last.” She crouched down again staring at the pool. One of the pair was grappling desperately with an alpha. The apex predator had him pinned against the ground. “I just want you all to leave.”

                “What about our deal?” Lillian pointed towards the pool. “What about them?”

                “Yes, I suppose you did win our little game.” Ellie snapped her fingers and a gust of wind blew through the canopy causing a small branch to dislodge and plummeted towards the ground. “They will live.” She then walked back toward Lillian once again resting within her lap.

                “And the rest of us?” asked.

                “That remains to be seen.” Ellie proceeded to nudge at Lillian’s hands purring and looking up at her expectant.

                Lillian returned her gaze with questioning eyebrow.

                “Don’t make me ask.” Ellie purred.

                If she wasn’t so tired she might have been surprised. She scratched the spoiled cat behind her ears. “Good kitty.”

                Ramsey heard is name and awoke in the cold darkness. He was shivering.

                “Ramsey wake up.” He heard again. He couldn’t make out who it was but he was getting louder.

                “I think he’s dead.” He heard another voice. They sounded so familiar.

                “Wake up soldier!” It yelled

                He eyes snapped open and he saw the face of a man that looked strangely familiar. He had short blonde hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a very familiar uniform and on his chest was familiar badge with the symbol of an owl.

                “He lives!” he heard someone shout.

                The man extended him a hand and raised him up off the ground. He looked into his face and smiled laughing joyously and slapping him on the back. “Ramsey Lench welcome back to the scouting legion.”