She moved out of their hold and turned so that she faced the opening into the hub. She spoke, clearly but loud enough for her voice to echo around the eerily silent hub, "Come out Hunters! I know you have found us, so show yourselves instead of hiding in the shadows."
They watched intrigued as silhouettes appeared to rise from the shadows before they transformed into their true form. The Shadow Hunters were only what Jack could describe as living shadows. The creature was a 3-D shadow monster, just like those that kids are scared of and see in their dreams.
What he could only describe as the body stood about 3 feet tall. They had a long almost beak-like noses; a mouth that showed about 4 rows of razor sharp teeth, similar to that of a shark; and 3 sets of large tilted oval eyes, much like those of a monster in the old movies. They had rotund stomachs, spikes down what he could only assume was a spine and wings that almost every gothic monster had. However their bodies seemed to come to a point – no legs, just a wisp of shadow. And if that wasn't enough, they had two set of very long arms with long sharp claws instead of fingers, which gleamed as it to show how sharp they were.
He held Ianto's hand in a death-like grip, and as Ianto looked down he wasn't surprised that both their knuckles showed up white as he was returning Jack's strong grip. He glanced behind him, realising that Jen and Ben were in a similar position to him and Ianto. He also noticed that Sable was growling, hackles raised and green eyes sparkling menacingly.
The Hunter with yellow and green eyes came forward slightly, signalling to Jack that it was the leader, and spoke. It had a odd voice, that was slightly shrill and reminded Jenny of the way a man spoke when he had been hit in the balls! "We, the Shangbone family clan of the Mighty Shadow Hunters, have come for you Phoenix! You will come with us willingly or we will be forced to make you come." Suddenly everyone in the room were surrounded by the Hunters, their fingers or claws at their throats.
A Hunter with starling blue eyes came forward and said to the leader, "Brother, I don't think that this pathetic Phoenix will come with us willingly. I say we should take them all by force, and see who she wishes to save and who she will save! I will take great delight in killing these creatures!" Jack noticed the way Mel tensed and went pale. She was about to say something when the leader spoke once more.
"Sister, I have told you she is the last Phoenix in existence, as we are the last of our kind!" Everyone stared wide-eyed at the Leader. The blue-eyed Hunter was the leader's sister!? The blue-eyed one had spoken in a much deeper and more masculine voice than the leader, but sometimes that did happen. "She must be willing to come or we will not have the key, and without the key then the ritual is useless. And once we have finished with the ritual then you may do to the others what you wish."
"But Brother..." The leader suddenly turned, with his yellow and green eyes glowing eerily with his anger. She immediately adopted a submissive position as he screamed at her, "Enough! I have spoken Sister, you will bend to my wishes or suffer the consequences!" He turned back to Mel and asked her, "Are you willing to come with us Phoenix? Or will we have to force you? Are you ready?"
Mel looked over her shoulder at them, and asked, "You lot ready to face what's coming? I'll tell you now that it won't be pretty, but it has to be done!" She looked at Ianto in the eyes, he tugged Jack forward with him, as he refused to let go of his Captain's hand. He kissed her cheek and nodded. Next she looked into Jack's eyes which he hadn't been expecting but when she smiled at him he copied Ianto's movements. She looked over Ianto's shoulder and met Jenny's and Ben's eyes and after looking at one another, they also nodded.
Mel looked down and wasn't surprised to see Sable sitting by her side looking up at her ready to face whatever this ordeal would hold. She knew he would stand by her side and take whatever would happen to her along with her. She stroked his head affectionately, ruffled his ears and then turned to face the Hunters. She said, in a voice that foretold the danger that they would be in, "I am ready to go with you Shangbone clan. But before I do, I wish to state that if any of these people, or any others that you use for the elements, are harmed in anyway that does not concern the ritual then I will destroy you all! And I warn you that I am a force that Mother Nature herself is frightened of!" She turned round to the group who were now standing together behind her, and gave them a wink before they were surrounded by a blinding blue light.