The Hunter Games
Xxx
As a light rain fell in Houston, twenty-four year old Anne Maria Ricciardi made her way home from her part-time job. The brunette worked at local clothing store, though that was not her primary job. She was a witch first and foremost. Her duty to protect innocents came before everything else, including college and dating. However, she still needed to pay rent, which was how she ended up at the clothing store. When she heard her phone ring in her purse, she stopped for cover and saw it was her mother. That time of year was coming, so Anne declined the call, not wanting to deal with all of that right now.
"Sorry mom, I just can't right now." Anne noted.
Anne continued her way home and made her way up the steps to the apartment she shared with her friends. She had lived there for two years, ever since meeting her friends and becoming the new incarnation of the Chosen, a coven of powerful witches meant to protect the world from evil. Being given this opportunity and meeting her friends had given Anne a new purpose after a dark period in her life, so she was grateful it every day.
As she reached her apartment, Anne was greeted by her familiar, Bella. The moment she crossed eyes with the red tabby cat, she was overwhelmed by fear and distress. Through her ability to sense the emotions of animals, Anne realized that Bella was trying to warn her. Something was very wrong. Anne kneeled down and picked up the cat, hiding around the corner while trying to learn more through her empathic skill. She needed to know if she was dealing with demons, warlocks or something else.
"Come on, girl." Anne whispered. "Tell me what happened."
Images flashed through her mind, she saw her roommates in the apartment when the door burst open and windows were shattered. It wasn't demons or another force of evil that attacked, it were masked men with weapons. It all happened so fast that her friends were overwhelmed and shot with tranquilizer guns, putting them to sleep. The men took her friends away while searching the apartment, finding a picture of the three of them at a bar. The man in charge told the others there was one more witch and ordered his men to set a trap.
"Witch Hunters." Anne gasped as the images ended. "Oh no, Macy, Sabine."
Anne put her familiar down on the floor and prepared herself for a fight. The hunters thought they could set a trap, but Anne knew what coming. Her friends needed her and she would not let them down. Luckily, they were in her apartment, where she had set a trap of her own. Her power was that of nature, meaning she had control over all the plants she kept. Her eyes started to glow green as she connected to the plants, sensing exactly where the hunters were. The moment she opened the door, her plants grew into vines that lashed out.
One of the hunters was pulled against the wall as vines wrapped around his limbs tightly, while the other was dragged over the floor and slammed into the kitchen table, where the vines ensnared him entirely. Anne walked up to the hunter pinned against the wall and removed his mask, revealing a gruff man with a military haircut.
"Where are my friends?" Anne asked.
"I'm not telling you anything, witch." The hunter snapped.
"Think again." Anne replied as she tightened the grip of her vines. "Why are you here and where did you take my friends?"
"All witches deserve to burn." The hunter groaned in pain. "You're the one we were really after, your friends were just an added bonus."
"Why me?" Anne asked. "What makes me different from them?"
"I'm not telling you anything else." The hunter replied. "I'll die for our cause."
Before Anne had a chance to react, the hunter clenched his teeth and suddenly started to foam from the mouth. He started to seizure and soon fell silent. A broken capsule fell out his mouth and Anne realized it contained poison. She thought things like that only existed in movies. She quickly turned to the other hunter, but she was too late. He had also ended his own life before she could get any more information out of him. Her eyes glowed again for a moment as her vines retreated and returned to their natural state.
"Kyle!" Anne called out.
A column of orbs descended down from the ceiling and formed into her Whitelighter, Kyle Body. He looked around and saw the bodies of the hunters.
"What happened?" Kyle asked. "Where are Macy and Sabine?"
"The hunters took them." Anne replied. "I just got home. They set a trap for me, but Bella warned me just in time."
Kyle nodded and walked over to the hunter on the table to examine him. He picked up the broken capsule and looked at it.
"Cyanide." Kyle noted. "They keep it in their mouths as a fake tooth during missions in case they are captured."
"They said they were after me specifically." Anne said. "The others were just in their way. Why would they want just me?"
"I don't know." Kyle replied. "If they were after the Chosen, you would all be equally important. Your powers are evenly matched."
"Can you sense their location?" Anne asked.
"I already tried." Kyle relied. "Something is preventing me from sensing them."
"But they're still alive, right?" Anne asked as her concern grew.
"Yes, of course." Kyle said. "You share a connection to them, just like me. If they were dead, we would have felt it. That means we still have a chance to save them."
"Good." Anne said determined. "I'm not losing anyone important to me again, especially not now."
"Your sister." Kyle noted. "I know the anniversary of her death is coming up. Anne Maria, are you sure you're up for all of this?"
"Do I have a choice?" Anne asked. "They're my friends. I'm not going to stand by and do nothing."
"Alright, I understand." Kyle replied. "But we're still going to need help. I have a contact I can reach out to. If hunters are involved, she'll want to know."
"You mean your mysterious government connection?" Anne asked. "The one you refuse to talk about? Why would they be interested in hunters?"
"Let's just say she has history with them." Kyle said as he looked at the trashed apartment and the bodies of the hunters. "She'll help clean up this mess as well."
"Call her." Anne said determined. "I'll get changed and take what is needed. This place isn't safe anymore."
Anne headed to her bedroom and closed the door. The moment it closed, her brave demeanor was shattered and she leaned down against the door in tears. She was scared for her friends. She could not lose them like she had lost Antoinette. Memories of her sister's death came flooding back to her. She could not go through that pain again. Anne had failed her sister, but she would not fail her friends. She picked herself up from the floor and pushed those memories away. She needed to be strong and determined.
Xxx
Across the country in Boston, A black SUV stopped in front of an industrial complex. The door opened and a woman in her early forties stepped out. She was wearing a leather jacket and her brown hair was tied in a practical ponytail. She walked to the entrance of the complex, where an armed guard stood in front of the door. He saluted her and quickly opened the door. The woman entered a large hallway where several more armed men were training and preparing their weapons. One of the men, the one who appeared in charge, walked over to her. He had short blond hair and a smug face.
"Garrett, how are we doing?" The woman asked.
"We've had a slight setback with the Houston team, ma'am." Garett replied. "We managed to catch two of the witches, the third one wasn't there. We left men behind to set a trap, but we lost contact with them."
"So your trap failed." The woman said. "How many men did you leave behind?"
"Two, ma'am." Garrett replied.
"Two?" The woman asked with a frown. "You sent an entire team after three of the most powerful witches and you only left two men behind?"
"We figured that she wouldn't be that much of a threat on her own." Garrett noted.
"What's the first lesson of hunting witches?" The woman asked. "Never underestimate them. Their magic is unpredictable."
"I'm sorry, we'll get her eventually, ma'am." Garrett said.
"Did you at least get the one we were really after?" The woman asked. "The Ricciardi girl?"
"Actually, she is the one that got away." Garrett admitted.
"I see." The woman replied in a disappointed tone. "Learn from this, Garrett, do not make the same mistake again. Use every resource available."
"Don't worry, I won't let this happen again." Garrett said determined. "You have my word."
"Good." The woman replied. "At least there is a silver lining. We have the other two, which means the third will come to rescue them."
"They are being transported here as we speak." Garrett noted. "We'll put them in the holding cells until it is time for their trial by fire."
"Excellent." The woman asked. "How about the other teams?"
"Teams two and three are on route to San Francisco, team five is headed to Portland." Garrett replied. "Team four should be arriving in London as we speak."
"Good, keep me posted." The woman said. "I'm going to talk to our special guest."
"That one gives me the creeps." Garrett admitted. "I can't tell if we're the ones in charge or if she is. She stares right through you."
"She's useful for the time being." The woman replied.
Garrett nodded understandingly and resumed his work. The woman headed further down the hallway and entered the elevator, which led her to the lower floors. She passed several holding cells, which were empty at the moment, but would soon be filled. She stepped onto a balcony overlooking a large round room. Down below her, several men were installing several metal stakes attached to gas burners. The woman kept walking as the men below tested the flames. An effective and just way to sentence their enemies to their deaths. The woman reached another door and the hunter standing guard opened it for her. She entered a room that was both a prison cell and a room of luxury to keep their guest satisfied.
"A visitor." A voice sounded. "The queen of the hunters herself, Makayla Porter."
"I'm no queen." Makayla replied. "I might be the one in charge, but I'm not more or less than any my men. Show yourself."
A figure moved in the shadows and stepped into the light. Sonya Barinov was a witch with long flowing red hair and dark eyes. She was dressed entirely in red and always acted as if she was in control of the situation, despite the fact that she was surrounded by hunters that hated her kind. Makayla could not guess her age, but she claimed to have lived for centuries. She had a vague eastern European accent, but it was impossible to narrow down.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Sonya asked. "If my predictions are correct, you have already captured the first of the witches."
"One of them escaped." Makayla replied. "But that's only a temporary setback."
"Your men were not prepared for a witch that can control nature." Sonya noted.
"You knew this would happen?" Makayla asked.
"The future is not set in stone, dear." Sonya replied. "I can see many things, but every choice and action can change the outcome."
"Save me the fortune teller nonsense." Makayla remarked. "I need to know if the other teams are going to succeed or not. If things have changed, I need to know."
"Come sit." Sonya replied.
As Makayla reluctantly sat down at a table, the red-haired witch opened a cabinet, which housed a limited number of magical artifacts she was allowed to keep. She selected a deck of tarot cards and sat across of the hunter at the table. She placed the cards on the table before her.
"Pick three cards." Sonya said.
"Are you serious?" Makayla asked. "Can't you just tell me what I need to know?"
"It doesn't work like that." Sonya replied. "You have to make the choice."
Makayla sighed and picked out three cards. Sonya placed them in front of her and revealed them in the order she had picked them, a magician, ten cups and a tower.
"What do they mean?" Makayla asked.
"Very powerful cards." Sonya replied. "The magician represents willpower, which means you are determined to fulfill your desires. The cups signify family, meaning there will be reunion. And lastly, the tower means destruction, which tells us how all of this will end."
"Interesting." Makayla said. "You see, I did a little research into divination when we started working with you. The magician also means manipulation, so who is to say that you're not manipulating me as we speak?"
"Maybe I am." Sonya noted. "Are we not both using each other for our own goals?"
"You never really told me what your goal is." Makayla said. "You promised to find me witches if I brought you the blood of nine of them. Why do you need their blood?"
"That is my business." Sonya replied. "Once I have the blood, this partnership is over and I will leave. I don't care what you do with the witches, but turn on me and you will regret it."
"Same to you." Makayla said.
Makayla heard enough, so she got up and left the room. She knew she could not trust Sonya, but the witch had provided her with useful information so far. The two had a mutual understanding. It was only a question of who would stab the other one in the back first. As Makayla headed back to the main hall, one thing kept lingering in her mind. A family reunion. She had seen their names of the list of witches, but they were not her family. She would never view witches as such, they were a proud family of hunters after all. If anything, they deserved to burn more than any other for what they had done to her brother.
Xxx
In a busy London street, nineteen year old Simon Marks the second was having lunch in one of his favorite restaurants. The young nobleman had taken a few days off from his education at Newcastle College of Magical Arts to clear his mind and do some shopping. The last year had been stressful, as he had to decide his future after school and while also making his family proud. His father especially was pushing him to follow in his footsteps and join the family business, though Simon wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. Part of him wanted to follow his dreams like his cousin Callum and study the arts, but his father would never allow it. The Marks were already ashamed enough that one of their own had taken such mediocre career path.
As he was finishing up his lunch, Simon was startled when a beautiful girl with fiery red hair and gorgeous eyes sat across from him. Despite her beauty, she was hardly dressed for such a restaurant, wearing a jacket and jeans with black boots.
"Excuse me." Simon noted with a frown. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, I'm here to help you." The girl replied in an American accent. "We need to get out of here."
"How? Why?" Simon muttered. "Who are you?"
"We don't have time for this, mister stiff upper lip." The girl replied. "The name is Margot and you're in danger."
"That is preposterous." Simon noted. "My family has been coming here for ages, it is perfectly safe."
"Look, my brother had a premonition of you being attacked." Margot said. "We have no idea why, but we just couldn't stand by and do nothing."
"Your brother has premonitions?" Simon asked.
"Well, sometimes." Margot noted as she rolled her eyes. "It's not really his power, but he's sort-of a copycat when it comes to powers. Anyways, you just need to trust me."
"Alright, this is very strange, but I'll take your word for it." Simon said.
The two of them got up from the table and headed to the door, but at that moment, two large and mean looking men entered the restaurant. Margot pulled Simon to the side to hide behind a wall. As they peeked around the corner, Simon could see the men were concealing weapons in their coats.
"Dammit, they're early." Margot whispered. "We need to get out of here."
"Well, I can orb." Simon replied.
"Great, my brother is just outside in the alley." Margot said. "Go, go!"
Simon nodded and grabbed the girl tightly, catching a whiff of her sweet perfume. He focused his thoughts on getting out of there and they dissolved into a swirl of orbs. Reappearing outside, the girl quickly pushed Simon off her. A young man with black hair and blue eyes was waiting for them.
"Liam, they're already in the restaurant." Margot said.
"We need to get out of here." Liam replied. "There is more of them than we thought."
At that moment, the men from the restaurant burst through the side door, while more men in black tactical suits entered the alleyway from both sides, completely surrounding them.
"Margot, we need a distraction." Liam said.
"Got it." Margot replied. "Stay close."
Simon looked at the girl and saw her eyes started to glow for a moment, making them sparkle even more than regular. Instantly, a thick fog rose up from the ground around them, covering the entire alley and making it impossible to see anything. They heard the men yelling and getting closer, though Simon felt Margot grab his arm and he instinctively orbed them all to safety.
xxx
