Eclipse On Luna

Chapter-9

[Irene Miles’ POV]

The soldiers of the Umbra pack — over a hundred — were standing against our group of thirty ladies. So many soldiers for only helpless ladies? It made me wonder who set the trap and for whom. For the ladies or for me? The amount of preparation they had made for the games was right in front of me. And that preparation was not made for thirty feeble ladies.

From the very beginning, I knew there was something not right about the news of the games spreading to other packs. For years, they held those games in silent corners of the Umbra pack, with no ladies from other packs ever getting involved. But that year, suddenly, Kage thought of kidnapping the ladies from other packs? Stop kidding me. It was at that moment I realised that someone had weaved a complex web by trapping ladies from other packs. But their chief aim was to lure me there. 

Why me? How did they know about my powers and to what extent they could be destructive? Whatever happened on the beach was among a very confined number of people. Each of them could be trusted. There was no way for Kage to know about my actual strength, but the army in front of me said he knew.

Not only were they sure that I would come, but also that I would try to save the ladies before the game started. Their plan was flawless. But who was behind such a large-scale plan? I skimmed my eyes over the army, but all of them looked like normal soldiers. Where was the leader? The churning in my stomach made things worse when I thought of the possibility that Virgil had somehow escaped. I threw out this idea because his sister was one of us. If he were behind all this, he wouldn’t have risked his sister’s life. Not at any cost.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the voices. Filtering out voices of the ladies, soldiers, horses, swords clanging, grips tightening on the hilt, clenching of jaws, I finally reached the voices I was looking for.

“Told you, these ladies aren’t just good at looks, but also at skills and fighting.” I heard someone speak. Since there were over hundreds of soldiers in front of me, I couldn’t see who it was, but from the voice — it was Kage.

“The one who blasted the wall. The red flames. I want her.” It was a voice I hadn’t heard ever in my life.

“You mean to say Luna Irene has really come here? I can’t believe it. That was her power? Oh my God, no wonder you asked me to prepare an entire army. Those walls are bomb-proof walls. No ammunition could destroy them. My lord, the games might not happen this year, or maybe we can hold them later. I have this golden opportunity to get the biggest thorn out of my path — Irene Miles Eliezer.” Kage said, and I clenched my fist around the hilt.

“No, Kage. The games will happen…”

“But lord, if it happens, I will be in trouble. We can organise them later with better women.”

“No Kage. I want these ladies. I want Luna Irene Miles Eliezer. Alpha Zane won’t be here, anyway. You don’t need to worry. I want to see how they escape and also I want to see how your thorn, Luna Irene, saves them all. Haha. I am so excited, Kage, that I will not wait for a second more…”

“But, my lord…”

There was a flash of thunder and we were all in the private forest of the Umbra palace where the games were about to be held. Thalia hugged my hand. Even with all that training, just entering the forest with screeches, growls, roars and rustling of leaves sent chills down our spines. I scanned the nearby area and saw archers pointing arrows at us.

“What the hell happened?”

“How are we here?”

“What happened?”

“Weren’t we outside the wall?”

“Yeah, there were soldiers, too. No, an entire army.”

“So, how come we are here in a flash?”

The ladies panicked, but I knew we were all teleported there. It must have been the other voice who was talking to Kage. But who could be so powerful as to pull off something like that? Teleporting thirty ladies needed massive power. Who was I fighting against? There was no way I could take him lightly. Why was he after me? A wielder? No. Then who?

Soon we heard a voice that explained to us the rules that we already knew. “Ladies, remember what we planned? Try staying under the trees away from their vision. They are on the walls around this small confined forest. Stay together and in the middle of this circular forest.” Alana said, and they nodded. “Remember, it’s only the beginning of a perpetual fight. We will win this.”

The drums growled, and the game began. We started jogging. I kept thinking of every person I had come across till date. No, that voice didn’t belong to any of them. I knew I should have concentrated on saving the ladies, but there was no way I could get such a huge matter out of my mind.

The arrows started raining from the walls. I heard the screams of several ladies and my heart clenched. “Keep moving everyone! Don’t pay attention to those sounds!” I said, running with my group.

One lady stumbled on the propped root of a tree and fell. An arrow immediately shot in her direction. I stopped it with my hand, picked her up, and helped her run. “Keep running! Keep running! Keep running!” I shouted.

Every lady had a look that asked me without words — who are you? What was that power? But I neither had time nor the mental state to explain anything to anyone. 

Time’s up! No matter what the outcome might be, I had to stop the game before any more lives were risked. I stopped running and skimmed my eyes on every archer who had pointed their arrows at me. I felt the warmth at the centre of my palm increase. Before I could burn all of them with Fenrir’s red flame, I saw them drop off the walls one by one. 

Zane’s soldiers! They came? Thank God!

I cupped my palm around my mouth and howled three times. It was our gathering signal. The others appointed to killer duty knew about this howl of mine. I asked them to run immediately to the howl when they heard one. “Ladies! Let’s retreat! This game is over! Right on time!” 

We ran back to the entrance where we reunited with the other groups, but…

“Status?” I asked.

“One of my group was caught in a trap and…” Alana clenched her jaws and fists. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “The trap triggered so fast that before I could do anything… we lost her.”

“Arrows shot two from my group,” Julie said. We suffered losses within fifteen minutes of the game starting. Each group had lost ladies except mine. 

I rubbed my neck, my head was getting heavier, “nevermind. The game has stopped now. We need to find a way to get out…”

“What is happening here? Who are you?” Thalia asked, peering with furrowed eyebrows.

There was a destructive explosion at the entrance gate. We were some distance from the gate, so no one was injured. When I opened my eyes after the dust had settled, I could see blue flames engulf the entrance and through the flames Zane emerged on his horse. He was in his military attire with his alpha cloak fluttering as he raced his horse towards us. The only emotion on his face was — wrath. Clopping his horse nearer to us, he looked at every lady.

How did he get here so fast? There was no way… wait, could it be that he got to know about their actual plan to lure me here? I thought. I wanted to run to him, but I stepped back.

A man emerged from behind Zane on his horse. It was Ajax. I covered my mouth, seeing both of them head towards us. Zane’s face was completely impassive, but his eyes were searching for me. I had hidden behind a tree by then. There was no reason to hide because I was wearing the mask, yet I didn’t know why I felt I shouldn’t see him then.

A train of soldiers raced into the forest and the entire forest that was once filled with screams of ladies and filled with screams of the soldiers from the Umbra pack.

The fact that Zane blew the entrance using his Asena powers said he was desperately looking for me. He refrained from using the power of myth for normal combat and battles. But how was Ajax with him? What happened after I left? God! 

“Take the ladies to safety and search every corner of Nodia!” Zane ordered the general behind him. He bowed and raced into the forest on his horse with several others. 

He is angry. He is angry. He is angry. What do I do now? 

I didn’t even get enough time to think when men covered in pure white jumped out of the trees and attacked the ladies. I lunged at them. They weren’t normal soldiers. Something was different about them. I didn’t even sense their presence. No, they weren’t there before. Then how did they suddenly appear?

Zane and his people couldn’t do a thing because they held us all on sword’s tip. “Don’t move an inch if you don’t want us to slit their throats. Retreat and take your army with you.” One of those masked men said, addressing Zane.

Zane jumped down from his horse and so did Ajax. “Let. The. Ladies. Go.” His glare was piercing like a red-heated iron dagger. I knew Zane could be really scary at times, but something about him was really off. It was as if he was trying to keep himself in control, but even a small trigger and he would ravage the entire pack alone.

“Yeah, as if… do as I said or…” before the white masked men could say a word more…

“Now!” Alana yelled, and all the ladies put their combat practice to use. They seized their wrists, twisted them, got their swords and slammed all those masked men on the ground. It happened in an unbelievable sync that even shocked me. 

Zane and the other soldiers were taken aback too. I was so proud of my ladies. Some more masked men came, and the place became an unfathomable and chaotic war ground. Zane’s soldiers were trying to escort the ladies out safely. I helped myself with a sword from the enemy and aided them in escorting the ladies. I was so busy parrying off those evil in white that I didn’t hear Alana’s scream. I turned around and saw Thalia standing in front of Alana and Niya, who were on the ground. I jumped right behind the enemy, who was about to attack them, and pierced the sword through his back.

Soon, the other soldiers came to the rescue. I helped Alana get up and walk out of the forest. Outside, it was even worse with soldiers from both packs at war. My soldiers surrounded us and took us to safety. We reached the outskirts of Nodia by midnight. Alana had a deep cut on her thighs and shoulders. Thalia had a shallow but long cut on her back. There were tents hidden in the forests of the Liberta corridor. That was the coordination centre for our army. All the ladies were taken to a medical aid tent. Everyone was wounded. The doctors there addressed their wounds. Except me, everyone was hurt. I held my head low in my hands. 

Out of thirty, twenty-two could survive. There was no use in me going there. I couldn’t save them all. I kept blaming myself for all of it. Above that, there was a person who planned all this to bring me there. Who was he? I kept fidgeting.

After an hour or two, our soldiers returned one by one.

“What are your orders, Alpha?” I heard voices from outside.

“Keep searching for Kage. That coward escaped alone, leaving his family, his pack, behind. I will stay here for a while and go search for him myself. Where are the ladies?” I heard Zane’s voice coming from outside the tent. The pounding of my heart made it difficult for me to hear any other voice clearly.

“They are in this tent, Alpha. Do you want to see them?”

“No. Send a few of them who aren’t severely injured to my tent. I need to know what happened to them and proceed accordingly.”

“Yes, alpha.”

After that, the soldier entered our tent and asked for the ladies who weren’t severely injured. Everyone else was injured, so I, along with Thalia and Julie, entered Zane’s tent. My heart was in my throat. I always start the disguise game, but it always ends up with me coming across Zane at the end.