The Huntress' Name (sequel to The Huntress)

Chapter 24

The door creaked as it opened slowly. I looked into the darkness, finding no one on the other side. "Really? They're going with the self-opening door? And here I thought they were going to be interesting."

Isaac glared at me, obviously not appreciative of my remarks. They were dark witches after all. 

"That bracelet may protect you from magic," he whispered, "but it won't protect you from a physical attack."

I rolled my eyes. As if I couldn't protect myself. 

"Who dares enter the house of Wilde?" A large voice echoed off the walls. It was impossible to tell where it had originated from, most likely another of their magic tricks. 

"Members of the Torch who seek your audience." Isaac's voice echoed around the vast space. 

As I peered into the darkness, it seemed never ending, as if we'd set foot inside an empty void. I'd never experienced the magic of witches first hand, and what I saw made me glad I never had. 

A crack made me jump. A spray of blue and purple sparks followed the cacophonous sound. The sparks fell to the ground just in front of our feet. The heat at my wrist told me they'd tried to attack, but the bracelets had done their job. At least they had that time. 

"You've come prepared, hunters." The voice was smooth as silk this time. Softer, more fluid, and definitely feminine. 

A woman stepped from the darkness, or maybe she'd been standing there all along and was only now permitting us to see her. A short, red dress showed off her dark legs, and the braids of her hair fell just past her waist. A silver band around her upper right arm flashed as she gestured widely. 

"What can the women of Wilde do for The Torch? We are just dying to help the hunters after they placed watch over our home, invaded our privacy, and tried to keep track of every ritual our coven performs." A darkness burned in her brown eyes, but it wasn't one of anger, though that had most definitely spurred it. It was the darkness of the magic inside that manifested in a physical form. It was close to the surface, ready to use at a moment's notice. 

"You were, and still are, performing dark magic," Isaac said. He did not shrink from that burning gaze. 

"Who are you to decide what magic is dark and what is not? Magic is neither good nor evil. We use the gifts that were bestowed upon us from the past Sisters of Wilde in the manner we see fit. It is not up to mortals like you and your fellow men to decide if we are good or bad." The woman's chin tilted up. 

"We are looking out for the human race. It is our duty to watch over your world to make ensure our kind is safe."

"A duty you bestowed upon yourself." She looked down her nose at us. 

"We were born into it just as you were born into magic."

"But your people made the choice in the beginning. Our magic was gifted by the Goddess of the Moon."

"And our willpower grew the night a werewolf mutilated our founders wife, leaving her to die in his arms."

"And you mortals think one death is means for confining an entire world you can never really contain? You do realize you're one small misstep from going extinct. You all think you have what it takes to go against our world, but the only thing keeping you alive is the fact you fit in with human society, and most of our world believes you to be but a fairytale. If they knew you truly existed, and that all the vile things you're told to have done are only the beginning, your entire race would be obliterated just to be free of you."

Isaac's nostrils flared. I'd never seen him truly angry like he was facing down that witch. I'd only felt a creeping fear, one that said she was right. We were only a small step away from extinction. The only way to save ourself was to truly find a way for the supernatural to live along side the humans. A way that required no hunting and no killing of each other.