Dark Hunger

Elize adjusted her satchel as her hand went to the dagger she had strapped in a belt around her waist. 

The man veered to the left and Elize followed him. All at the once the drunkard who had touched her earlier when she was going to the opium den confronted her again. The man held her hand and dragged her all the way into a tabernae on the right, where he started groping her. Elize elbowed him under his chin and then kicked him in his knees. She didn't know when but the whole thing got converted into a brutal brawl. Before she knew what was happening, she was fighting brutally with the drunk werewolf. 

Soldiers ran inside the tabernae to check it, but Elize had vanished only a few moments back before the soldiers could catch her and take her to the dungeons. As her nose bled down her face, she wiped it with her shirt. She spat blood on the cobblestone street and looked at the man who was supposed to take her to the foothills of the mountains from where the real track began. She leaned against the wall of the tabernae to catch a breath and glanced at her guide, who was standing and watching the action with least interest. When their gaze met, the man smirked and then disappeared into the street on the right. Elize's throat was parched and her stomach was rumbling. She wanted to sink her fangs in the man in front of her and drink his blood for being such a douchebag. Slowly, she peeled herself off the side of the wall and followed him. Her head was spinning and the last thing she wanted at this point of time was to fall down on the road and miss the lead she had in her hand. 

She racked her mental bond again and called Caleb. There was no answer, just a long, terrible silence. Swallowing down her saliva, she walked into the alley off the main street where the man disappeared. As she followed him, feeling like a complete mess, she was content that at least there were no bright lights to mar her vision. All of a sudden, she banged into a woman reeking of sweat and brew. She stared at the wrinkly face of the woman who cursed her, "Bloody slut, are you here to grab my man?" 

Elize jerked her head back. She blinked at the woman and the man she was talking about… a crumpled mess lying on the floor crammed with garbage. When the woman's filthy face came into view, Elize pursed her lips and then put her hands up, quickly going away from them. "I apologize." 

Elize drew a shaky breath and then looked at her guide. The bastard hadn't slowed down. So, she rushed after him. It was after half an hour through several winding streets and backyards of the houses or inns that they arrived at the point in foothills from where she had to go alone. And from here Elize could see the pine firs that marched down the snow-covered slopes like sentinels. The darkness that extended over them and beyond swirled around her. 

She turned to thank the man but her eyes caught a movement of a blade flashing at her, glinting in the moonlight. Elize jumped back in time to save herself from a brutal attack. She tumbled back and then rolled. She pushed herself up and found the man with a dagger in his hands. She hissed, not at all surprised.

"Hand over the purse to me, bitch, and then maybe I will let you live!" the man growled, peeling his lips from his teeth. 

She arched an eyebrow and shook her head. "You should have asked nicely for the money, dickhead!" she scoffed. "And then maybe I would have given it to you!" 

Provoked, the man lunged at her with his dagger, but thanks to her earlier training with Caleb, she easily outmaneuvered him. She ducked and then spun behind him. She kicked him in the back with force that came as a shock to the werewolf who stumbled on the ground. He got up to face her, but by then Elize had thrust her hands forward. A red blinding light emerged and it hit the man with so much force that he was thrown some twenty feet away, with his head twisted and body sprawled over snow, motionless. Elize was spent. She was half-suspecting this attack on her because of the way the man was treating her. It was as if he was waiting for her to get tired. 

Hungry and cold and alone, she picked up her satchel and walked slowly to the nearby pine. Tired and breathless, she leaned against its damp wood. "Where are you, Caleb?" she whispered. She looked up at the vastness of the slopes that were in front of her and then took in a deep breath. Except for the smells of mist and snow and pine, there was nothing else. And of course, the blood that spilled on the ground. With one last look at the man who was now lying dead, she entered the tree-covered slopes, relying on the faint moon that was scudded by the clouds. 

The night became colder as she walked up the slope. Temperatures plummeted as thunder grumbled in the distance. Other than her magic the only weapon she had was her dagger. Each step that she took forward was heavier than the last one. Her better judgment said that she should start looking for a place to spend the night, else she would be totally exhausted. And the fact that she was frantically looking for a clue to reach the demon's lair. Why wasn't she able to smell her husband? As the thought worried her, she continued to move up until she found a shallow cave over a stony ledge. As soon as Elize was in the cave, thunder above her cracked with lightning and gave way to rain. 

Hungry as hell, she opened her satchel to dig out a bag of animal blood Byrd had given her. After she drank from it as much as she could stand, she leaned against the wall of the cave, closing her eyes, desperate to sleep but the thought of reaching Caleb didn't let the sleep come to her. Why did he have to come here alone? He had absolutely no value for his life. She knew that she was going to fight with him the moment she met him and then— A whimper left her body all shaken up. When she opened her eyes, she caught a scent. Her instincts came on high alert. The rains stopped almost as soon as they had begun and the sky was rendered with bright flashes of lightning. The forest around her had gone absolutely quiet. She removed her dagger from its sheath as she uncoiled to her feet and crawled to the entrance of the cave. The hair on the back of her neck rose, as the scent became stronger. And it was a familiar one. Demon or demons were somewhere very near. 

Elize felt that the stay in the cave, that brief rest was the stupidest thing she did.. The silence around her intensified.