The Call of The Crescent

Chapter 9

The sky was beginning to dim, and I knew that it would soon be time for me to face both Jesse and Riven.

I had spent majority of the day training with Jake and Minnaloushe, and now that I sat waiting, I began to worry over my plan.

The ‘arena’ as they called it was a large round area covered in grass, the walls reminded me of something you would see when watching gladiator movies.

Jake sat down beside me, “Minx, I can see your mind running. What’s bothering you?”

“What if I fail, Jake? What if I can’t do this?”

He squeezed my knee, “I wish that I could tell you something wise and reassuring, but I can’t, because I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight and I’m terrified.”

Sighing, I leaned my head down on his shoulder, “Jake, I never thanked you, yet. For trying to avoid bringing me into this mess of a life.”

I felt him shift slightly, “Just... Don’t let me lose you out there tonight, okay?”

I nodded silently, my eyes finding Minnaloushe who smiled as she watched us.  

“No matter what happens tonight, don’t get involved, Jake. If something happens to me before I get Riven the antidote, Masha and River are going to need you.”

He was about to speak when we saw Jesse walking towards us, Riven at his side.

I stood, as did Jake.

He smiled at us as he got closer, “Shall we get ready, little wolf? Or would you rather wait for the spectators?”

Minnaloushe joined us, “There are not many of our people welcome here for this. Stop running your mouth and get ready, Jesse,” she waited until he had walked away before turning to me, “We will be right here, on the top of the wall.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to Jesse who had a smirk on his face as Jake and Minnaloushe walked away.

I noticed that a few trolls, fae and ogres had taken seats above the walls.

Once the gates were sealed, locking us in, Jesse smiled, holding his arms up.

He spoke in a loudly raised voice, “You will all bare witness to the power of a King tonight! Tonight you will see why the ogres and I should rule Flora.”

I frowned, Flora had nothing to do with this, but of course Jesse would attempt to turn this into something that could benefit him.

He smiled at me, “Don’t worry, Harley, if you beg enough I may not kill you.”

I refused to engage in any banter with him, I was here to do a job and that was all I would focus on.

Jesse took only one step forward when Riven began walking large circles around us, his eyes on me.

Jesse surprised me, only his hands changed into large wolf claws, which I assumed he could do due to his new Hybrid status.

I needed to shift, but was unsure of how safe that would be with Riven prowling around me with his fangs bared.

Backing up against one of the walls, I decided I would let Jesse come to me, and not leave my back exposed to a possible attack from Riven.

Jesse sighed and closed the distance between us, wrapping his claw around my neck, “I must say, I expected more of a fight from you.”

I smiled, “Good.” I lifted my leg, kicking him in his chest, and as he fell back, I jumped, shifting as I fell on top of him, and clawing at his face and neck.

My upper hand was short lived when Riven’s teeth sank into my back as he threw me off of Jesse.

Landing on the sand I got up on all fours with both Jesse and Riven keeping me surrounded.

Riven pounced for me and I felt the air knocked out of me as he pushed me back to the ground.

Growling, I bit into his front leg, causing him to let out an ear piercing roar, but unfortunately all it did was anger him and he swiped at my face, instantly drawing blood.

Clawing at his chest, I managed to get him off of me and get back to my feet, just as Jesse slammed a fist into my side.

Spinning, I lunged for him, managing to attach my teeth into his arm.

He brought an elbow down into my back and I let go of my hold on his arm, standing on two hind legs I snarled at him, swiping a gash into his neck.

His eyes flashed and his fangs elongated, but before either of us could do anything, Riven was once again on top of me, his teeth sinking into the flesh on my neck, right above Jake’s mark.

He shook me like I was a toy before tossing me to the side.

Shaking my head, I started to get up again, my eyes darting between the two of them.

Jesse snarled, coming towards me, but before he could get to me, Jake jumped in.

He was in wolf form as he tackled Jesse.

Riven, seeing a new threat, turned his attention to Jake’s exposed back, pouncing.

Forcing myself up, I sprinted over to them, tackling Riven off of Jake. We rolled for a few feet before I jumped back to my paws, blocking him from Jake.

I had no doubt in my mind that he would kill Jake if given the chance.

He snarled at me, and in that moment I realised that I would need to stop thinking of him as Riven until I managed to give him the antidote.

I pounced onto him, sinking my teeth into his neck as he reared up and bucked underneath me, he shook himself, trying to get me off of his back, but couldn’t reach me as he ran and bucked beneath me, too scared to take the antidote from the string around my neck in case I dropped it.

What I wasn’t expecting was how he ran straight into Jake with me still on his back, knocking Jake to the ground.

Dropping, I, tackled Riven once again, biting into the side of his neck; I was covered in blood, both his and mine.

He threw me off and bit into my hind leg as I tried to run over to help Jake who had Jesse standing above him, claws out.

I was distracted by the scene and Riven overpowered me, with my eyes still on Jake and Jesse.

Pushing me up against the wall, he sunk his teeth into the side of my neck, and the realisation hit me, he was about to kill me.

My eyes found Jake and I could feel the last flicker of hope within me whither away, Jesse looked up with a cruel smile on his face as he bit into Jake.

But as Riven ripped painfully into my neck, I realised something, he was exposed.

Ripping the vial from my neck, I stuck it into his shoulder.

He roared out as he pulled away from me, but it was too late the antidote had been administered.

I dropped down as I felt the blood pooling out of my neck, watching as Riven bucked and thrashed from the antidote.

I saw the look on Jesse’s face as he watched, leaving Jake’s discarded body, now in human form laying motionless.

I grinned at him, “You lost, you son of a bitch.”

He took another look at Riven before glaring at me, “Jake is dead. And you will be too. I haven’t lost anything.”

I felt my body shift to it’s human form and lifted a hand up to my neck, I was aware of the amount of blood I had already lost, I was covered in it, but still, I forced myself over to Jake just as Minnaloushe came running to me, placing a large cloth over me.

“I sent for my mother as soon as you were attacked, hold on and she will help you.”

Jesse took a step forward and Minnaloushe spun, electric blue light flying out of her hands and hitting him, sending him tumbling back.

Dropping my head to Jake’s bare chest, I looked up to see Riven in human form.

His face was a mixture of pain and horror as he dropped to his knees beside me.

“Harley,” he choked out.

I felt Jake shift under me, a spurt of joy ran through my body, he wasn’t dead.

But I was sure I was about to be as the blackness consumed me.