Enjoy!

5. Backstabber

The ballroom was completely empty, apart from a large cage that was placed in the middle of the room. It reminded Anna of the one she had spent the past day trapped in. There was a man stood within the metal enclosure, he was grasping the bars, a panic expression spread across his face. The young rebel recognised who it was instantly, it was Kidd. Her lips parted to shout his name, but no sound came out. She feared drawing attention to herself, she didn't want Reaver's guests knowing who she was. They may demand she be thrown in the cage alongside Kidd.

The rebel remained at the back of the crowd as they all gawked and sneered at the man in the cage. As they did so, she began to think where the other members of her small group were. Could Reaver have killed them? Most likely, but it didn't entirely make sense why he had left herself and Kidd alive.

Suddenly, the ballroom doors burst open and in ran two people, a man and a woman, dressed similarly to those attending the party. Despite the mask covering her face, Anna recognised the woman almost immediately, it was Page. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, bitterness and rage overwhelming the young rebel. It was because of Page that Anna was now in this mess.

"There's one of my men," Page announced, pointing at Kidd in the cage. Neither Page or the mystery man beside her had realised that there was a party of people standing on the balcony watching them.

Reaver stood in the front of the group, giving him the best view of the events unfolding below. He turned his head to Anna and beckoned her over. Without objecting, Anna walked towards him. Her eyes stayed glued to the cage where Kidd was trapped, and her mind continued to think about the rest of her friends and Page's role in their capture.

"Kidd, are you alright-" Page was cut off.
"Get out now!" he shouted at the couple but they made no attempt to leave.
"Where are the others?" Page questioned him.
"All dead. Reaver knew you'd come. He's been waiting for you!"
"What?!"

Anna felt her heart sink. They were dead. While she had been eating expensive food and sipping exquisite wine, her friends had been dead. She wasn't sure who to blame. Reaver was the one who pulled the trigger, but it was due to Page that they were in the line of fire. The Rebel Leader had sent her own men to die in cold blood. She was someone who had always prided herself on being care and wanting equality, but she was no better than Reaver was. Anna's jaw clenched as she fought the anger that built up inside her.

"I'll get him out," the man announced, grasping the cage bars. As if on queue the cage began to rise from the floor, lifting the mystery man into the air. He groaned, his teeth gritted, as he held on tightly, pulling himself up. Anna forced herself to look away from the Rebel Leader, watching as the man held onto the metal enclosure. He sure was strong, but there was very little chance he'd actually be able to free Kidd.

"My, my, my, more little busy bees here to steal Reaver's honey. So industrious. So committed. So bloody annoying. When will you people learn to enjoy life?" Reaver finally spoke, a smug expression plastered across his face.

"I'll enjoy killing you. Does that count?" Page spat back at the business tycoon.

"Oh, you're just full of spunk, aren't you? Just like your little friend here," Reaver smirked, his arm snaking around Anna's waist as he pulled her towards him. A gasp left the young rebel's lips as she was once again under Reaver's control.

"Anna!" Page exclaimed, but she got no reply from the girl. All Anna could feel for the woman was hatred and it burned strongly inside her. Reaver glanced at the young rebel in his arms, instantly reading the anger that spread across her face.

"And now, as promised, the evening's piece de la resistance. Another piece of the resistance," Reaver chuckled darkly as he pulled a leaver with his free hand, instantly causing the cage to halt, "Voila!"

Due the sudden stop of the metal enclosure, the mysterious man's grip gave way and he fell to the floor. Both Anna and Reaver, looked at the rebel in the cage but their stares were opposites. Anna looked at Kidd with a sad and scared expression, whereas Reaver watched him like he was captured prey. He raised his gloved hand and waved mockingly at Kidd.

The business tycoon's attention quickly diverted to the couple who stood in the ball room, "Do try to put on a good show for my guests, won't you?"

"Show? You expect us to entertain you?" Page exclaimed in shock, clenching her fists in rage.

"But of course. It's just a game, my little sweet," Reaver drawled. Releasing Anna from his grasp, he stepped forward and gestured to the large wheel on ballroom wall. It was solid gold and had a dial in the middle that when spun would point at a range of different pictures. The wheel was clearly visible to Page and the man below, but Anna and the other guests could barely see it at all.

"The Wheel of Misfortune," Reaver announced, "It's rather simple. I spin, you die, we watch. Really, it's… it's a riot."

Reaver let out a dark laugh, tapping his cane upon the marble floor, the dial span and the game began.

Anna had never seen so much blood and carnage before, and with each round that passed it increased. Page and the man fought through packs of Hobbes, which were another new sight for Anna. She'd heard of the short, bulging creatures that dwelled in caves all over Albion, but she had never seen one in person until now. They were incredibly ugly things, but at the same time, rather amusing things too.

Both Page and the unknown man made it through the Hobbe round without a scratch. Anna was somewhat surprised by the fact, she had never seen Page as much of a fighter. She was always better behind the scenes, planning and formulating ideas.

The carnage did not end with the Hobbes, it progressed to harder enemies but the couple came out alive each time.

"Enough, Reaver!" Page panted, clearly exhausted by the amount of fighting and killing.

"You holier-than-thou idealists, always thinking in the simplest, most binary of ways. But I quite agree. This game grows tiresome. And my guests, they grow… restless."

Behind the crowd stood Barry, the ginger butler that Anna had made the acquaintance of earlier. He had enjoyed watching the entertainment, along with the rest of Reaver's guests but even he was growing bored of the endless fighting. He turned his attention to the lady stood next to him. She had a sour look on her face as she watched the rebels below.

"No need to get restless, sweetheart. Barry Hatch is here to take care of you. Fancy a quick jig?" Barry suggested, taking hold of her hand and casually spinning her away from him. As they danced, Barry's heard turned away from his partner as she changed in a way that Anna had never seen before. Her entire body began to grow hair as it morphed and changed into something unhuman.

"You're a rough one, aint ya? I like that in a woman You're just…," Barry turned to face his dance partner who had completely transitioned into a monster. Before the butler had chance to react the transformed guest leaped upon him, teeth bared and ready to kill, "What?! Reaver! Reaver! Help!" Barry wailed as he was savaged to death.

"Oh, dear. Do you brutes have any idea how hard it is to find good staff? Still, one might as well enjoy the show. What's the use of a secret society without a little secret, after all," Reaver chuckled darkly as all the guests but him and Anna had transformed into the wolf like beasts, known only as Balverines.

Although Anna thought of Reaver as a monster, he seemed to be less of a monster in the current situation and because of that, she found herself edging close to him. The two of them watched as Page and the Prince slaughtered the Balverines, one by one.

"This is the last party I take you to," The Prince said to Page, panting from all the fighting he had just done. As he spoke, the last Balverine appeared behind him. Teeth and claws ready for the kill.

"Look out!" Page shouted, pointing her gun and pulling the trigger with no warning. The beast fell backwards, collapsing in a pool of its own blood.

"Well, I must say, you've made me out to be a somewhat poor host. Rather rude of you to dispose of almost all my guests."

"Now it's your turn, Reaver," Page announced.

The silver bullet left the barrel of Page's gun and time suddenly seemed to move slowly. Anna's eyes widened as bullet cut through the air, coming directly towards her and Reaver. Without pausing to think, she buried her head in Reaver's chest, attempting to shield herself from a potential bullet hole. But the pain she anticipated never arrived. With one swift, effortless movement, Reaver raised his cane, miraculously knocking the bullet off course. There was a 'ding' when the two metals collided and Anna cautiously pulled away from the deviant, astonished by what had just happened. Reaver didn't seem bothered at all.

"Oh, my dear girl, why not stop all this bickering? We could all go up to my quarters and have a private party," Reaver suggested, unphased by the attempt that had been made on his life.

"Do you have any idea who this is? It's Logan's brother. The Prince," Page announced. Anna looked down at the mystery man, realising he must have been the man who had entered the Resistance Headquarters recently. The man Reaver had asked her about, the Hero. The young rebel had known of his Hero status but not of his royal connection. Although it did make sense to her, before Logan became king, Albion was ruled by the Hero Queen. It was no surprise that the Prince, her son, was also a Hero.

"The King's brother, a bona fide Hero. Well, I wouldn't dream of coming between siblings," Reaver paused, taking hold of Anna's wrist and casually leading her out of the room, continuing to ramble as he did so, "Well, that's not strictly true… There was that time… Anyway, best of luck with this whole revolution lark. Perhaps we'll meet again one day. Tatty-bye."

As the door swung close behind Reaver and Anna, another gun shot was heard, causing Anna to flinch. She was flabbergasted by Page's thoughtless attempts at shooting Reaver. The young rebel could not quite believe it. Page was not overly skilled with a pistol, she could have easily missed Reaver and hit Anna instead.

"That bitch shot at me," she said through gritted teeth. The anger that Anna had previously felt for Page had magnified.

"Actually, my dear, she shot me," Reaver corrected her as he continued to lead her down the twisting corridors in his manor.

"Well, Page hasn't got the best of shots, she could have killed me!" Anna exclaimed. The businessman continued to be unphased by the whole situation as he softly chuckled at Anna's remark.

As Anna let the events of the night replay in her mind, she paid little thought to where Reaver was taking her. She'd had hoped that Page would have attempted to rescue her, but instead she'd attempted to kill her. No matter what Reaver said, that bullet was a lot more likely to hit her than him.

She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Reaver led her through a door and into the dimly lit room she had gotten ready in. As they walked in, he released her from his grip.

"Stay," he instructed before exiting the room and closing the door behind her. She heard the turning of a key and a lock click and the overwhelming sense of dread came flooding back. Anna had managed to survive the night, but she was still trapped in Reaver's Manor and still under his complete control.