Chapter 10

Predator and Prey

Lucy's heart hammered against her chest, one thunderous beat at a time.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Her usually friendly brown eyes scanned the room in suspicion, staring intensely at each face that she had grown to know, wondering which one was the one that she actually didn't know at all.

Natsu appeared at her side. His hand dangled so close to her own that she thought he might have held it if they were lucky enough to be alone.

But they weren't. There was a killer among them.

"We're going to catch him in time." He whispered to her softly. "And I'm not going to let him lay a finger on you. Whoever he is. That's a promise."

Lucy nodded once as she returned his fierce, unwavering gaze.

"Thank you." She whispered.

At this moment, Natsu was the only person she could truly trust. He was right beside her when the assassination attempt was made on her life. He had saved her, moved her out of the path of a speeding arrow. Her heart softened at the comforting thought that at least the assassin couldn't be Natsu.

"Everybody line up in a straight line." Laxus demanded his booming voice bringing all of the shocked faces back into reality. "The princess stays next to me. If the assassin isn't identified in half an hour we are all going to die. I will identify that person in an orderly fashion. That means my orders must be followed without exception. Is everyone clear on that?"

There were some nods and many of the contestants- Elfman, Gajeel, Loke, Jet, Droy, Sting, Rogue- complied and stood in a line facing Laxus and the princess.

"I was with Lucy that night. I can't be the assassin." Natsu said stubbornly, reluctant to leave the blonde's side. She smiled softly.

"I don't care." Laxus said. "For all I know you could be involved. Now line up."

"No way!"

"For once the idiot is right." Gray said, taking a step towards the large and muscular blonde general. "Natsu is the only one that we know for sure is innocent. You, on the other hand, could be the guilty one."

"Be careful where you place your accusations, Prince Gray." Laxus said, his voice slow and dangerous. "I am the Chief Commanding General of the Fiore Army. I dedicate my life to helping this country and its royal family."

"Yes, you do." Erza said. She had been thinking quietly after she read the note out loud, but now she was ready to deal with it. "However, the prince is right. For the sake of fairness in this investigation you must be treated as a suspect. Please line up with the others, General."

Laxus gritted his teeth as a bulging vein appeared to almost pop out of his forehead.

"Very well." He said and then went to join the line of other suspects. Satisfied, Gray followed in suit.

"As the note made it clear that one of the contestants is the assassin who attempted to murder the princess, it is only logical that I lead the investigation." Erza said. "We have no choice but to identify this assassin before the end of the half hour we were given. Unfortunately, we have already wasted five of those minutes, so we must begin immediately. I will ask questions of each of you regarding the night of the Ball. Answer them honestly and speak loud enough so that everyone will hear. It is going to take all of our collective brainpower and intuition to identify the assassin off testimony alone. Natsu, you will be exempt from the investigation since you were the one who saved Princess Lucy's life during the incident. Stay close and protect her."

Lucy knew that Natsu didn't need to be told twice.

"But how do we even know that whoever wrote that letter is telling the truth?" Sting asked, speaking up after throwing a glance at Natsu that Lucy couldn't interpret. "This could just be an attempt to turn us against each other."

"It is strange." Gajeel added. His arms were crossed over his chest and his red eyes were extremely skeptical. Lucy got the feeling he wasn't taking this life or death situation too seriously. That was his reputation, though. Even though he was knight, a skilled warrior known for discipline and bravery, he was still brash and reckless. He was the kind of guy who never had a chance to be brave because of his unconditional fearlessness. It was part of what made him so respected and feared on the battlefield. "Why would this guy admit to being behind the whole thing if he had a minion working for him who could easily take the fall? This could just be a lunatic playing with us. We don't even know if there is a poisonous gas in this room. I sure as hell can't sense anything."

"Yet it could prove to be lethal if we don't take the note seriously." Erza said. "We have no other choice but to take the letter as fact."

Gajeel shrugged and fell back into silence.

Erza started to her right, intending to work her way down the row of men with her questions.

"Prince Jet." Erza addressed the tall and wispy redhead with cautious respect. "Where were you and what were you doing at the time of the assassination attempt?"

"In the Grand Hall!" He replied promptly. His voice was high-pitched and frightened. His eyes flickered to the other contestants in fear, wondering which one of them was capable of murder. "Where else would I have been? I was with my brother! We were talking to the Duke of Brighton!"

"It's true. I swear." Droy added quietly in a wavering voice. He was much less frantic, but equally frightened. Lucy quickly decided that in a scary situation, Jet was the kind of person to run for the hills while Droy would be the guy to cower in a corner. Somehow Lucy couldn't help but think that neither were preferable qualities for a King.

"We shouldn't waste our time on them." Loke, the suave gentleman with cat-like eyes said. "The assassin was working alone. If they both say they were together in the Grand Hall during the incident, both are ruled out as the culprit. They're each other's alibi."

"Unless one brother is covering up for the other." Laxus added through narrow eyes. Lucy felt a sting of pity for the two princes from Bosco as they cowered in their boots under his harsh gaze.

Rogue sighed. His eyes were closed. Lucy wasn't sure if that was out of boredom or contemplation, but he spoke steadily nevertheless.

"If you were hiring someone for murder, wouldn't the prince of another country be one of last people you would choose?"

That cord of logic struck everyone so hard that there was no doubt left in anyone's mind that Jet or Droy was the criminal.

"Guess that rules me out too, huh?" Gray said with a pleased smirk.

"For now, yes." Erza said with a satisfied nod.

"Good, because I can't for the life of me remember where I was at that time."

"Probably eating all the fried pickles." Natsu said offhandedly.

"You still hung up on that?"

"You still a thieving jerk-face?"

"That pickle was fair game!"

"BOYS!" Erza roared over their squabble. Both of them silenced immediately.

Lucy bit back a smile. Both of them had a way of lightening the mood. The weight on Lucy's shoulders felt to be significantly less while she was wondering what beef those two had over a fried pickle. She'd have to ask them about that later.

Next Erza moved on to question Loke. He gave a long and descriptive anecdote about all the woman that begged him for dances and how he refused because his heart belonged to the princess. Lucy would have giggled under literally any other circumstance.

"I can vouch for him." Gray offered. His friend nodded in appreciation. "He didn't act suspicious on the trip here and never disappeared at any time."

Lucy wished that was enough, but the word of a friend was simply not enough to confirm one's innocence. She didn't think that anyone in this room was guilty, but clearly someone was. Her heart rate started to pick up again. What if they couldn't identify who it was? If they didn't soon, then they would all die. Subconsciously, she shifted closer to Natsu. If anything happened to him it would be her fault. She was the one who convinced him to join this whole competition.

Next down the row was Sting and Rogue. They each told Erza where they were and what they were doing.

She felt Natsu bristle beside her as he listened to their stories. Lucy didn't comment, but grew nervous. Did Natsu suspect one of them?

Gajeel gave a gruff and undetailed response to Erza's questions. No one suspected him, however. He was a knight, sworn to protect the royal family and subjected to extensive background checks before he could even begin his training. The same went for Laxus as Erza went through the protocol of asking him the same questions she asked everyone else.

Soon all the suspects had been questioned except for one. Elfman.

Lucy felt her stomach drop.

If it didn't make any sense to hire someone well known and of royalty such as a prince to be an assassin, then it did make sense to hire a lowly farmer. Someone that no one knew. Someone that no one would look twice at in a room. Someone strong and tough. Someone like Elfman.

"Where were you and what were you doing at the time of the assassination attempt?" Erza asked. Lucy looked at the redhead. Erza must suspect him as well.

There was only ten minutes left. Was there enough time to be sure?

"I was in the Grand Hall just like everyone else." He said. He swung his head from left to right. Everyone was staring at him. Everyone was solemn and suspicious. Everyone was on the same page as Lucy. He was the only one that made sense. "I was talking to a guy named Jackson. He came from a farm just like me and wanted a chance to see the inside of the Fiore Castle."

His voice sounded so genuine. His eyes were filled with worry and his hands were clasped in front of him tightly as some sort of helpless defense against all of the accusatory eyes focused on him.

Lucy shook her head. Nothing made sense. He was also so sweet and unassuming when the spoke. He had such a gentle soul.

What a fantastic liar he would have to be to pull that off…

"And why are you here?" Erza pressed. "Why did you enter the Coronal Contests?"

"Well, I just thought why not give it a shot?" He said. Nerves were dripping from his voice. "I thought it would be fun to take a break from working on the farm and visit Crocus. I never expected for the princess to notice me and choose me to continue on!"

Erza frowned.

"Elfman." Laxus said, stepping out from his place along the line to stand next to Erza. Although he and Elfman were near the same height, the blonde man seemed to tower over his white haired junior. "I'm sure you are wise enough to understand what is going on here. No one here knew you before the Contests. You are a poor farmer. Easily persuaded. I assume he offered you money? New land? Perhaps someone you loved was threatened. If you admit to what you have done now, punishment for your crime may not be execution. There is a chance that the King might allow you to live if you hand yourself in now to save the princess' life."

"What?!" Elfman said in shock. He shook his head furiously in denial. Tears even began to stream down his face. "It wasn't me! I would never do something like that! You have the wrong person!"

"Deny it any longer and you make your death absolute." The General spoke without mercy.

Lucy's heart pounded just as hard as before, but for a different reason. He sounded so desperate. The way his voice cracked, the way the salty tears left stains on his cheeks as they rolled down to the floor… what if they really were accusing the wrong person?

"I'm not the assassin!" He insisted. Both his voice and his stance had become unmistakable, unashamed begging. "Please, you can't just accuse me like this without any evidence! I have two sisters. They were the real reason why I came here. They wanted me to come. Our parents are dead and we handle the family farm on our own. It takes a lot of work, but we work together! We're happy! Please don't take me away from them. Please don't make them live without their brother! I beg you! It wasn't me."

"Elfman." Erza placed her hand out to stop Laxus from speaking again. Her voice was calm and sympathetic in comparison to his. "You said that during the assassination attempt, you were talking to a fellow farmer named Jackson. Can you tell us more about him? Where was his farm located?"

"Sure, no problem." He said, relieved that the woman had not condemned him just yet. A little light of hope sparked in his eyes. However, that hope quickly faded away and was replaced by a horrified confusion. "Jackson's farm was… it was eastward. Or was it to the west? I can't remember what town it was near…"

"And did Jackson mention what kind of crop he grew?"

"No… he must not have. I don't remember…"

"Did he speak of his family?"

"I- I don't know."

"Did he ask you about yours?"

"I can't remember."

"Do you recall anything about your conversation whatsoever?" Erza asked.

"No." Elfman breathed out. He unclasped his hands and stared at them as if he were expecting them to be covered in blood. His voice grew in agonized desperation. "I can't remember anything about it. Why don't I remember anything?!"

Erza sighed in pity. Lucy looked on in horror. She glanced up at Natsu and saw that his eyes held nothing but sympathy for the sorry, confused man.

"If I'm correct," Erza said slowly. "You've been brainwashed, Elfman. This person, the one pulling the strings, must have persuaded you to assassinate the princess and then wiped your memories of it afterwards, leaving you with a shallow memory of a possible alibi. He has shown that he is capable of magic. Who knows what else he can do?"

Lucy gasped. For a moment she couldn't believe it. But then Elfman spoke.

"Brainwashed? No it can't be I-" Elfman stopped speaking midsentence and froze. His muscles constricted and his back straightened sharply, stiff as a board. His pupils rolled back into his head for a second and when they returned, the young man named Elfman was completely different.

His muscles loosened. He placed a hand on his him with arrogant ease. His narrowed eyes were sinister. Evil.

"Congratulations, you pass the test." He said. His voice still belonged to Elfman, but it was different. The pitch, tone, inflection, it was all wrong. It was like it was coming from the wrong body. "Although it was actually the redhead who did most of the work. The rest of you were quite useless. I doubt the princess will be too impressed."

"Who are you?" Laxus demanded.

"What would be the fun in telling you?" Elfman replied. "Secrets are what keep life from becoming too boring."

"You're him." Erza said. "The one who wrote the letter. You did take control of Elfman."

"Yes, yes keep up." He snapped. "However, it's not as bad as it sounds. I can't possess someone unless they are willing, so my dear Elfman did agree to my powers of… persuasion."

"He would never agree to letting someone like you control him." Natsu said. Lucy was shocked that he spoke. Her body tightened as Elfman's amused gaze was now directed at the two of them.

"Oh, but he did. Quite willingly too, I might add. After I threatened to kill his two pretty sisters he was very agreeable."

"I knew it." Natsu said. "Elfman was a good person."

"Too good in my opinion." The possessed Elfman said quickly. "Yet Mr. General over here was still prepared to string him up."

"We will find the real you." Laxus said nobly. "Justice will be served."

"How dreadfully boring you are. Nevertheless, I do believe in justice just like you. You succeeded in identifying the assassin and so you are free to go." Elfman snapped his fingers and the doors to the room flew open.

"What about the poisonous gas?" Erza said quickly.

Elfman laughed. It was a positively sinister laugh that sounded all wrong coming from his body.

"There was never any poisonous gas." He said. "That was just for dramatic effect. It worked quite nicely, don't you think?"

"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to kill the princess?!" Laxus demanded in an angry shout.

"Well, this was fun. Hope we can do it again sometime. Enjoy the Contests, my princess. I wish you the best of luck on your journey to find love."

Elfman's eyes rolled back into his head and he promptly collapsed onto the ground. Everyone stared at him, frozen in shock. But it was Lucy who couldn't bear to stand still anymore. She rushed to his side and knelt beside him.

"Elfman." She said. "Elfman, are you okay?"

She tried to turn Elfman over so that she could see his face, but he was just too big and heavy for her to move. In a flash, Natsu was beside her again, helping her. Together they turned the large man over on his back.

His eyes were wide open but his pupils had not returned to their ordinary positions.

"Elfman?" Natsu said.

Fear and a painful realization shot down Lucy's spine.

Elfman wasn't breathing.

Lucy placed two hesitant fingers on the side of his neck. There was no pulse. No sign of life. Everyone looking on was silent. No one dared speak a word. But she was the princess. She had to say something.

"He's dead." She whispered. "Elfman's dead."

Silence fell back over the room. The mood changed. She didn't think it was possible for things to feel any grimmer than before, but it did. It did.

Whoever this person was, whatever this psychopath was trying to accomplish, he didn't mind killing to do it. It was easier before. It was easier think of her assassin as a nameless, voiceless criminal. It was easier to think of him as a thug looking for money or a conspiracy theorist wanting revenge. But now she knew. Whoever was trying to kill her was not an ordinary criminal. He could use magic. He didn't mind killing others on his way to her. And he was bored.

And that was the most terrifying thing of all.

XXX

Heavy raindrops splattered against the cobblestone path, creating a melody of rebirth as the water washed away all of the grime and dirt that normally marred the alley. Tall, dark buildings rose up like prison walls on either side of the alley, dwarfing the dark silhouette that made its way below them with only the hood of a cloak as protection against the rain.

Eldia drew her hood closer around her face, worried that the filthy precipitation might distort the carefully assembly of makeup coloring her otherwise pale complexion. The drumming of the rain muffled the clicking sound that her heels would usually make against the cobblestone path of the alley. That was the only part of the weather that pleased her. Well, that and the fact that it was dark. The shadowy hood of clouds made the dark alley even more obscure, allowing her to move through the darkness unnoticed by any potential on lookers.

Yes, her business today was best done in the dark.

"Beautiful day."

The voice that spoke out above the rain was not hers. Eldia stopped abruptly in her tracks, almost losing her balance on the unstable platform of her shoes.

A man, face shielded by a dark hood of his own, stepped out of a shadow blacker than the rest. It wasn't until then that she could detect his presence, his gleaming black eyes, his cool composure, his sinister blank face. He regarded her with unperturbed comfort, effortless superiority. The contempt in his eyes was married with an almost unnoticeable tinge of amusement. Eldia had enough nightmares about those eyes to know that the amusement was at her expense.

How foolish she had been to think the darkness was her territory. It clearly belonged to him.

Nevertheless, Eldia swallowed and regained her composure. Those calculating eyes could see every minute change in her appearance even in the shadows. She had to project strength. The strength of an equal.

"Perhaps." She kept her voice cold and nose high, taking advantage of their difference it height. "However, I've had better."

"And why might that be?" He asked. Eldia felt a jolt of frustration. He knew very well why she was angry.

"Sting and Rogue told me about the events of the First Contest." She said. "I can only assume that the assassination attempt on the princess' life was you're doing?"

The man didn't bother to answer her question. They both knew the response. Eldia continued.

"That was not a part of our agreement. The princess is to remain unharmed. That is crucial."

The man titled his head to the left in boredom and then shifted it back over to the right.

"You're wasting my time." He said. "I'm not interested in listening to your every complaint."

"This is more than a complaint. Through your brainwashed minion, you attempted to kill the princess. That is unacceptable!"

"If I wanted Lucy dead." The man said slowly, letting his words sink into the night like a heavy fog. "She'd be dead. The girl was never in any real danger."

Eldia paused, taken aback. His words didn't match his actions, but she knew better than to not take him seriously.

"And why is that?"

The man let out a small laugh but there was nothing humorous about it.

"I always keep my end of a bargain. If it concerns you so much, I'll stay away from the princess." He said, eyes glowering with a new intensity and perverse pleasure. "She doesn't interest me in the slightest. But the boy- he fascinates me very much. I have so much fun playing with him."

With that, the man turned and walked away, sauntering into the shadows with effortless invisibility. A heart beat later his presence had vanished entirely and only a chill running down Eldia's spine remained as proof of their meeting. Eldia nodded and turned to walk back in the direction she had come, a new understanding resonating in her like music.

He does always enjoy messing with his play things. Eldia thought with a smile of the hooded man. He targeted the princess simply because he knew Natsu would save her.

As if the sky chose to recede along with the intensity of the meeting, the rain began to slow to a drizzle, allowing Eldia to pull back her hood and look up at the dark gray blanket that shielded the Earth from the sun. She smiled a wicked smile.

I wonder what that boy could have possibly done to catch his eye. Zeref doesn't chose his prey lightly.

She felt a small pang of sadness that she may have to share her right to torment the pink haired brat with another, but she would not dare stand in Zeref's way when he wanted something. So long as he allowed the boy to live through the end of the Contests, she would have to stand back and watch another hunter take what had been her prey for so many years. That wouldn't be a problem though. He was a lot like her.

Zeref liked to play with his prey before making it a meal.

She was going to enjoy watching the boy squirm.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys! Thanks for bearing with me on the slow updates. You guys are the best.

Zeref is here! And his real target is not other than Natsu. What will happen next? Stay tuned. Or leave and come back in a month for the next chapter. Haha, just kidding. Sort of.