Chapter 18

(Ryan)

Ryan watched helplessly as what appeared to be a colossal green dragon soared skyward, clutching him tightly in its deadly talons.

It was an illusion of course, he was still on solid ground—bound and gagged by Huan the wonder prick.

"Well, that should keep her busy for a while," Huan said with a grin.

"She really is quite the little hero, isn't she?" he asked, turning to him. "Oh, sorry, forgot about that," he said, pointing to the gag around Ryan's mouth. "Can't have you spoiling things…"

Ryan just glared at him, straining against the ropes that bound his arms painfully behind his back.

"What's the matter, suit? Not eager to spend some quality time together?" Huan asked.

"We're on the same team, after all. Well, we're supposed to be…"

Huan paused, looking down at him with disdain. "You haven't let her get into your head, have you?" he asked.

Ryan strained against his restraints once more, struggling to get off his knees.

"You two really have become quite close…" Huan mused, ignoring his efforts to break free.

"But maybe not so much anymore. A little birdie told me you two had a fight," Huan said, pouting as he traced the path of an imaginary tear down his cheek.

Ryan simply clenched his jaw in response.

"But I do see why you got so distracted…" Huan mused. "She really is quite pretty… and damn, that body!" He let out a low whistle.

"If she hadn't just murdered my brother, I'd be trying to screw her too…"

Something inside him snapped— Ryan lunged forward on his knees, imagining nothing more satisfying than strangling the bastard with his bare hands.

Unfortunately, all he succeeded in doing was landing flat on his face. He could feel a trickle of blood running down his forehead.

Huan cackled in delight.

"Oh, please," he said between laughs. "You're no noble protector! You know Malivore is going to drain her like a battery and yet here you are, leading her like a lamb to the slaughter!"

Ryan looked up at Huan in confusion.

"Oh?" Huan asked. "Daddy hasn't shared the details of his plan with you yet? That's rich!"

Drain her like a battery? He knew Malivore would try to neutralize Hope, but that made it sound a lot like…

"Need me to fill you in?" Huan asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Huan," a female voice called from nearby.

Ryan could see a pair of sandaled feet approaching. He strained his neck, trying to get a better view, but his position on the ground made it next to impossible.

"Akane!" Huan greeted her. "I didn't expect you back so soon—did you get her in position?" he asked.

"Yes," the woman answered. "She's headed back towards the forest, searching for that one," she said, tapping Ryan with her foot.

"I'll intercept her soon so we can make the delivery together," she said.

"Perfect," said Huan. "I'll move Clarke back to base and get him up to speed."

Huan reached down and grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, hauling him up to his feet.

Ryan turned to look at the woman Huan called Akane—she was a young Asian woman with long, dark hair and delicate features. She appeared no older than her mid-twenties, but something about the way she carried herself indicated that she was likely much, much older.

"Clarke, meet Akane," Huan said, slapping him on the back.

Ryan narrowed his eyes, looking between the two in frustration.

"Oh yeah, silly me…" Huan said, yanking the gag off.

Ryan gasped, turning to face Huan.

"Listen here, you little weasel, I want no part of whatever plan you've put together. I'm not in the business of helping anyone but myself," he spat.

"As for you," he turned to Akane, who was watching him with a bemused expression. "I don't know who the hell you are, but no one is going to lay a finger on Hope. I have orders to bring to her to Malivore alive, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Does Hope know that you're going to betray her?" Akane asked, her voice was practically a purr.

"I'm not betraying anyone—Hope wants to reach Malivore, Malivore wants Hope brought to him. Whatever happens from there is out of my control," he snapped.

"I do love well-reasoned justification," she said with a wicked smile, revealing distinctly inhuman canines.

"It's not a justification," Ryan said irritably. "Hope and I have an arrangement…she's just not aware of all of the players."

"You mean she's really that foolish?" Akane asked.

Huan laughed at that. "Careful, Akane, he's got a bit of a thing for Hope…"

"Oh really? Well, that could be useful," she said with a smirk.

"And does Hope return these feelings?" she asked.

"No way," Huan answered quickly. "When she first met me, she couldn't take her eyes off me," he boasted.

"You son of a—" Ryan snapped, lunging at Huan despite his limited range of motion.

Akane laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

"Well, regardless, it's a useful piece of information to have…" she said with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked, glaring down at the petite woman.

Suddenly, they were eye to eye as Akane grew in stature. He watched in horror as a mere moment later he was looking at an exact replica of himself.

"I'm off to collect the tribred princess," Akane said in a perfect imitation of his own voice.

"Let's find out if she's happy to see me…" she taunted before disappearing down the cliffside.

Ryan stood there dumbfounded—this was much worse than he had anticipated.

"Akane really is something isn't she? I met her after Hope killed my brother," Huan said from behind him.

"She's a kitsune—are you familiar with them?" he asked.

"Of course I'm familiar with them," Ryan snapped. "My literal job was researching monsters."

"So you'll know how cunning and mischievous they can be. She'll probably want to play around with Hope before bringing her back, but that's fine. We need a little time to get everything together," Huan said with a grin.

"We?" asked Ryan. "I certainly hope you don't think that includes me."

"Oh, but it does," said Huan.

"There's nothing you can do to make me help you, and as soon as I get free I'm going to murder you," he snarled.

Huan laughed again—the sound was working his last nerve.

"I think this may change your mind," Huan said, reaching under his shirt to pull out a small, velvet pouch hanging around his neck.

"A bad taste in fashion?" Ryan asked dryly.

Huan reached inside, pulling out a small, clay figure of man.

Ryan's blood instantly turned to ice.

"No—" Ryan said in horror.

"Where did you get that? How?" he asked, barely able to speak the words.

"Malivore facilitated a little trip to the other side," Huan said with a wicked grin. "Told me what to look for…"

"You can't do this," Ryan whispered.

Terror couldn't begin to describe the way he was feeling.

"Oh, but I already did," said Huan, beaming from ear to ear. "And now it's time for you to play your part…"

(Hope)

Hope felt like she was going to throw up. The image of Huan carrying Clarke over the canyon was burned in her memory, replaying itself over and over and over again.

She remembered the way Huan and Wei's claws had felt on her back and she could only imagine the pain of being carried by one of those monsters.

She warred with herself. She was still beyond pissed at him, but she couldn't help the undeniable pull to have him back by her side, safe and unharmed.

Huan was barely a speck in the sky as she followed his trail down the rocky cliffs. By the time she reached ground level, she was almost back where they had started, at the edge of the forest once more.

Hope looked up at the dark sky, searching for any sign of Clarke and the dragon, but they had disappeared somewhere over the trees.

Perfect.

The last thing she wanted was to go back into the woods—it would take her hours, if not days, out of her way.

But what else could she do? She couldn't just leave Clarke behind, not after everything they had been through together…

"Clarke?" she called hesitantly into the treeline, fearing unwanted attention from the creatures she knew dwelled inside.

There was nothing but eerie silence in reply. She pulled tightly on her pendant, causing the chain to bite into her neck.

If she had to go back into that godforsaken forest, she wasn't going to just wander in blindly.

Time for a locator spell…

"Ahsorum, dolusantum, infidictus," Hope whispered, closing her eyes in concentration. This would work much better with a map of some sort, but it was worth a try.

A moment passed, then another— Nothing.

She tried focusing on Clarke—tall, dark eyes, curly hair, snarky mouth… she found herself touching her lips.

As soon as she did, an image emerged, rippling like water— Clarke was bound and gagged, Huan hovered over him with a nasty grin on his face. As quickly as the image came, it was replaced by another; Clarke was wandering through a dark patch of woods, calling her name— he was close.

That was odd…locator spells typically indicated where a target was currently, but Clarke couldn't be in two places at once…

For some reason, the vision must have been depicting a sequence of events—Clarke must have escaped Huan and was now looking for her in the forest.

She briefly thought about the tarot card she had found earlier—it warned of illusions. What if this was some kind of trap?

She reached out for Clarke's energy, hoping for some kind of clue. She took a deep breath, centering herself. She reached out her heart, her mind, her soul. It made her feel vulnerable as hell, but she pressed on, reaching out for him.

Then, she felt a spike of pure panic. It was Clarke—his anxiety was palpable. Her eyes snapped open as she broke out into a cold sweat. It was as if she had taken on the entirety of the feeling, his raw fear consumed her.

"Oh my God," she choked, clutching her chest. "What's happening to you?"

There was no choice, she'd have to search for him, trap or not. Whatever situation he was in, it was dire.

She made her way into the woods, trying to maintain the link to his energy signature. She kept a leery eye on her surroundings. There was no telling what could be hiding in the woods— including Huan.

She didn't know how Clarke had escaped him, but chances were that he'd be out for blood after what she did to his brother.

She had only been walking for about fifteen minutes before she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around, feeling white hot adrenaline course through her veins.

"You found me," said a familiar voice. A moment later, Clarke stepped out from behind a tree.

"Clarke!" she shouted in relief.

That was a lot easier than she had anticipated.

"Are you okay? I saw Huan carry you off and—"

"And you came to rescue me," Clarke finished with a wide smile.

"Of course," she said. "I mean, I couldn't let Huan rip you limb from limb for something I did…"

"Yes, he is quite… displeased about that," Clarke answered.

"Displeased?" Hope asked in disbelief. "I'm sure he's a little more than displeased …"

"Well, that doesn't matter now," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

"What's important is that I got away and we're finally back together," Clarke said, still smiling.

"You're awfully cheerful for someone who just took the world's worst aerial tour,"she said suspiciously.

Something felt… off.

"I'm just relieved that you found me," he said softly, drawing in closer.

"Uh huh…" she mumbled, taking half a step back.

Why was he so close?

He reached out a hand, gently tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

Hope felt an all too familiar rush of heat flood her body. She was instantly reminded of the way he had cornered her earlier, brushing his lips against hers—

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered, taking another unsteady step backwards.

For some reason, her reaction seemed to amuse him—Clarke smiled down at her, letting out a low chuckle.

"Interesting…" he said, seemingly to himself.

"What's interesting?" she snapped, finding herself growing annoyed.

"Oh, nothing," he said. "Should we get going?"

"Yeah, I think we should," she agreed.

"Time to get back to the cliffs," she said, turning to exit the woods from the way she came.

"Actually, I know a shortcut," he said, reaching out to stop her.

"Huan let something slip while I was with him."

"About that...how did you manage to escape?" she asked. "I saw you bound and gagged."

He considered her for a moment, something like calculation in his eyes.

"Huan agreed to let me go if I led him to you, but I tricked him—made a break for it," he explained.

"So he's looking for us now?" she asked, glancing around.

"Presumably," he said with a shrug. "But he'll be expecting us to head straight back to the cliffs. It's best if we lay low in the woods for a while," he said.

"I can't wait any longer," she said. "I have to get to Malivore before something terrible happens. It's been too long already…"

"Oh, Malivore won't be going anywhere," Clarke said confidently. "Huan made it clear that he won't make a move until you're…dealt with."

"Why would he tell you that?" she asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Cliché villain monologue. He probably thought he was persuading me to his side," he explained, shrugging his shoulders again.

"It turns out you're quite the commodity. Everybody seems to… want you," he said, taking a step forward.

His eyes traveled up her body, lingering on her hips, her chest— her lips.

She felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest.

"Um, Clarke?" she asked anxiously. "What are you doing?"

"You seem a little flushed… is everything alright?" he asked gently.

She reached out to read his intentions, his emotions, anything— but came up empty handed.

It was so strange.

It was like he wasn't there at all…

As if sensing her suspicion, he backed away, demeanor changing completely.

"Let's make camp for the night," he suggested casually. "Huan won't expect us to linger in the woods, and you look like you need some rest."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

"Sure it is," he said. "Why don't you just lay down and I'll keep watch…"

Something about the way he said it made her want to believe him. There was something so persuasive about his words…

"Alright," she agreed, laying down at the base of a nearby tree. "I suppose a little rest wouldn't be a bad idea…"

"Sweet dreams, Hope," Clarke said, sitting down beside her.

She swore she detected a sweet smelling smoke filling her senses as her eyelids fluttered shut.

Something inside her shouted out a warning— but a moment later, she found herself lulled into a strange, strange dream…

"Kitsune in the literal sense is the Japanese word for fox. A kitsune may take on human form, an ability learned when it reaches a certain age – usually 100 years, although some tales say 50.

Common forms assumed by kitsune include beautiful women, young girls, elderly men, and less often young boys. These shapes are not limited by the fox's own age or gender, and a kitsune can duplicate the appearance of a specific person…

Other supernatural abilities commonly attributed to kitsune include possession, generating fire or lightning, willful manifestation in the dreams of others, flight, invisibility, and the creation of illusions so elaborate as to be almost indistinguishable from reality."