We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action.

“Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan.

“Don’t worry,

We had finally managed to locate the wereheretic. She was moving towards the Barrenwoods. Now, it was time to put the plan into action.

“Remember this Justin, You cannot afford to make mistakes. The plan has to proceed flawlessly. If we fail, we will lose the element of surprise and it will be impossible to carry out a similar plan in the future,” Melinda said in a hushed whisper as she crouched beside me. She was to be the point of contact between me and the Lycan King throughout the plan.

“Don’t worry, Melinda. I will keep everything you said in mind.”

She raised two of her fingers and swirled them in the air once before climbing the nearby tree and concealing herself in the thick foliage. She was here just to be the Lycan King’s eyes.

I held my breath and crouched lower making sure that the bushes covered me well. The anticipation mounted, making my heart beat with a frenzied rhythm. My entire body got covered in a thin layer of sweat. Those few minutes of wait were probably the most excruciating moments of my life.

There was a soft rustle, then the sound of crunching leaves. She walked into my line of sight just like an angel ascending from heaven; bathed in the soft glow of the sunlight streaming through the leaves.

She had donned a checked shirt and let her hair down adding a kind of softness to her features. Her soft golden eyes caught the glint of the sunlight revealing their soft purple streaks that were concealed earlier. Everything in the surroundings faded. Her beauty held me captive rendering me incapable of movement. I was hypnotized.

The sound of cracking bones followed by a scream pierced through my haze, pulling me back to reality. My gaze shifted to her left to find a man lying under her left foot. Blood spluttered out of his mouth with short coughs. She increased the pressure on his chest and mere seconds later his head rolled to one side.

My hand flew to my mouth and tears stung my eyes. What was wrong with me? How did I end up comparing someone like her to an angel? She was a killer, someone who had killed my mother in cold blood.

Growls and roars echoed in the clearing as the rest of the men attacked her in their wolf forms. Soon, she was surrounded by a pack of about twenty wolves. There were so many of them yet she didn’t sweat a beat.

She dodged their attacks flawlessly, moving with such swiftness that she became just a blur. One of the wolves kicked a stone toward me. It was my cue to play my part.

I tried to get up but my feet had turned to jelly. The wolf cocked its head and gave a soft growl but I still couldn’t move; petrified to a level that my body was not in my control.

One by one the wolves fell to the ground meeting their sad fate. Now, there were only four of them left.

She stopped attacking and closed her eyes momentarily. When her eyelashes lifted again, her pupils had turned into a soft shade of purple. My heart went numb. She was going to use magic. Once she did that, I wouldn’t get a chance to act out my part.

Pulling myself together, I grabbed the bushes and tried to stand up. My numb feet wobbled and I dropped to the ground with a thud.

Everything happened so quickly after that, it was almost a blur. Someone grabbed me from the back, pulled me to my feet, and pushed me forward. I staggered and was about to fall but a shove pushed me towards the wereheretic.

I slammed into her back and then slash! A sharp dagger lodged itself in my abdomen.

An intense wave of pain seared through me and everything grew bleak. With the last shred of consciousness I had, I managed to stutter, “I am glad that you are safe.’

***

I groaned in anguish as I tried to move. It felt like someone had trapped a large cinder of burning wood within me. This wasn’t right. Why was I still suffering? I was supposed to heal after the dagger was removed. Unless…

My hand went to my abdomen reflexively. My fingers brushed across the coarse fabric. Someone had wrapped me up with bandages. With a soft grunt, I forced myself to open my eyes. The blinding light of the sun blurred my vision again. All I could see was a silhouette of someone standing in front of me.

My heart skipped a beat and I looked around to find that we were in a barren clearing of grass. We were alone. Through the numbness, I felt the hard bark of the tree pressing against my back. Another gasp left my lips as I tried to get up.

The figure turned around and stepped closer. After blinking a couple of times, my vision cleared. The one standing in front of me wasn’t the wereheretic. It was a young boy with stark handsome features. This could only mean one thing; I had failed. A sigh laced with defeat and disappointment left my lips.

The boy’s eyes lit up and he rushed towards me. His lips curved in a small smile as he took my wrist. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, “The wound didn’t get infected. So, you will live.” He smiled again, this time a brighter one.

“Why didn’t I heal as usual?” My thoughts left my lips before I could stop myself. “I am a werewolf, an iron dagger shouldn’t injure me like this.”

His eyebrows furrowed, “You sound surprised….”

“That dagger was laced with magic,” a sweet, alluring voice sounded to my right, causing me to turn in that direction. I was still in a daze and could only see a vague outline against the backdrop of the bright light. I had, however, recognized that voice. My breath hitched and my heartbeat started fluttering like a hummingbird.

“The spell on the dagger will remain active for seven days. You won’t be able to heal yourself before that,” she explained as she drew closer, step by step. A gasp left my lips as she came into view. She was indeed the Wereheretic. I hadn’t failed after all.

“I have a question,” she said, coming to a halt a few meters from me.

“Yes,” I stuttered, scrambling to my feet. Something about the tone in her voice made me shudder. This wasn’t going to end well for me.

“You have seen what I am capable of at Alpha Azarel’s Packhouse.” Her expression hardened, “You must have known that the dagger would do nothing to me….” Something deeply sinister flashed in her eyes and with a swish of her hands, she pinned me to the trunk of the tree using magic. “Why did you pretend to save me?”

My heart sank as my death sentence presented itself in the form of her question. Who would have thought that she noticed my presence at the packhouse? I racked my brain trying hard to think. If I didn’t come up with something quickly, I would die.

She drew closer and ran the tip of her finger along my cheeks. Another wave of shudder coursed through me and I gulped. Drawing in a deep breath, I managed to stutter, “I… I wasn’t pretending. It was more of a reflex. I saw that man lunge at you with the dagger and I ended up intervening. I would have done the same for anyone.” I let out a sigh of relief internally; glad that I could come up with a perfect response. “I am the Alpha’s son, you know. It is my job to protect everyone.”

Her eyes twinkled and she released me. Her lips curved ever so lightly, “So, you are one of those who suffer from a Superhero Complex.”

I shrugged, “I don’t know what that means but saving people gives me happiness.”

She lifted my chin with her forefingers; her gaze piercing into me. It was as if she were unraveling the very depths of my soul. She drew closer, her nose lingering along my jawline until she reached my ears.

“So, you had no ulterior motives at all?” She whispered softly, close to my ears. The hair on my neck bristled and a tickling sensation traveled all over my shoulders. If my life wasn’t at stake, I would have found that action sexy.

It took a moment to gather my wits. When I spoke, my voice was firm, “Is this how you thank someone who saved your life? Accuse them of having ulterior motives?”

Uncertainty crossed her features reassuring me that I was going on the right track. I glared at her defiantly and snapped, “I wish I hadn’t saved you at all…” A sigh left my lips as I ducked under her arm and crawled out of her way.

Straightening my back, I stated in a decisive voice, “Let us just go our separate ways and forget all about this.” Then, I walked away without as much as a second glance. The only way to get her to trust me was to pretend to be nonchalant.

I have to say that my plan worked spectacularly. I had barely walked a few meters when she called after me, “Did I allow you to leave?”

I didn’t stop. Instead, I continued walking. Moments later, wisps of blue light crept over my legs causing me to falter. She appeared before me and said in a voice laced with arrogance, “No one can defy me.”

She rubbed her chin, as if in deep thought, “You said that you enjoy saving lives, right?”

“Y..Yes…”

Her eyes twinkled and her lips lifted in an evil smirk, “Why don’t we test that?”

“Test? What kind of test are you talking about?”

She grabbed my arm, “You will find out soon and I can bet; you are so not gonna love this.”

My heart sank and a wave of fear gripped me. I had a feeling that this stupid plan of mine was going to backfire badly….

I trudged behind the wereheretic bound by invisible threads of magic. We had been walking for about an hour and she wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded but every time I took a step, a sharp pang of pain seared through me.

My gaze shifted to the young boy accompanying us. He had been walking at a constant pace the entire time; exactly two steps behind the wereheretic. I wondered if he was bound by magic just like me. He had to be. Why would anyone in the right state of mind follow a sadist maniac?

My steps must have faltered because I felt a sharp tug causing me to stagger forward. I stumbled but another wisp of magic stabilized me before I hit the ground. The wereheretic slowed down to match my steps.

With a condescending sideward glance, she snapped, “Can’t you walk faster? At this pace, it will be days before we reach our destination.”

I glared right back at her and crossed my arms over my chest, “I am wounded and not as powerful as you. What did you expect? If you think that taking me along is cumbersome, just leave me here.”

She sighed, her gaze drifting toward my bandaged abdomen. Blood had seeped through the coarse fabric staining it red. She motioned to the young boy, “Carry him.”

My eyes bulged out. This woman was totally crazy. What made her think that a frail, young boy could carry me? Drawing in a deep breath, I said in a resigned voice, “There is no need to torture him, I will try to walk faster.”

She spun to face me so fast that a gasp left my lips. Her eyebrows twitched in amusement, “What makes you think I am torturing him?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” I pointed towards the young boy, “Look at him and then look at me. How in the world can he carry twice his weight?”

She smiled mysteriously and patted my back, “He can carry even thrice his weight...” Her gaze turned softer as they drifted to the boy who was standing beside me, “Dreki is the only one in the world I would never hurt.”

He grabbed my hands and slung them around his neck. With a swift jostle, he managed to propel me to his back. To my astonishment, he walked with great ease even with me on his back. His steps were fluid and evenly matched with the wereheretic.

Gosh! I was tired of using the term ‘Wereheretic’ even in my thoughts. Clearing my throat, I tried to strike up a conversation with her, “I know that everyone refers to you by the term ‘Wereheretic.’ But, you must have a normal name too; like he has, Dreki.”

She shrugged with nonchalance, “What if I do? What if I don’t? It is none of your business.”

“Oh, come on. It is just a name. Do you have to be so stingy?”

Her gaze turned towards me, her piercing gaze boring into mine. My mouth went dry and I gulped. “If you don’t want to tell me, it is totally fine,” I stuttered. “I will just call you Hera; like a short for ‘Hellraiser.”

She raised her eyebrows but didn’t comment. We continued to walk in silence, passing by a section of wild oak trees, then came the bushy wilderness. The forest thinned and we soon reached a lake.

“Umm…mmm…mmm,” I wanted to ask where we were headed but only muffled sounds left my lips. She had probably used magic to silence me. Damn that stupid witch! How was I going to find out anything about her if I couldn’t even speak?

After walking for about an hour more, we entered something that looked like an ancient human town. The boy set me on the ground and we continued walking at a slower pace. I stole a glance at him to find that he hadn’t even broken a sweat; his breathing seemed even too.

“What are you?” The question left my lips before I could even think. I noted with delight that the effect of the spell had worn out and I could speak again.

Dreki smiled, a pure innocent one. Looking at Hera, he confessed, “I am her slave.”

Hera stopped walking, waiting for him to catch up. She ruffled his hair and something shifted in her eyes, “How many times have I told you not to say that?”

His smile widened, “I am only telling the truth. I owe my life to you….”

Hera’s gaze widened and she motioned to me. At this, the boy hung his head as if apologizing. She caressed his head, “Let us just continue walking.”

One thing was sure, Dreki meant something to Hera; or maybe it was just an act on her part. I had to observe longer to be sure.

The dusk had fallen, casting a strange orange glow over the town. The old, medieval-style buildings that flanked the road had started putting up lanterns to light up the surroundings.

I wouldn’t say that the streets were crowded but it was desolate either. We would run into a couple or so every few minutes. They all seemed to be in a haste; panic and fear evident on their faces.

Hera’s eyes suddenly lit up as if she had sensed something. She grabbed my arm and dragged me at a faster pace, “We must hurry or it will be gone.”

I was going to ask her more about it when a thunderous growl shook the ground. My gaze landed on a public park at the end of the market. There in the middle of the park was the largest werewolf I had seen. It was twice the size of normal ones. What alarmed me was its eyes; they were ruby red. This could mean only one thing, the wolf had lost its cognition. It could no longer think rationally. It was purely driven by its thirst for violence and blood.

It stomped through the crowds; sending people flying in all directions.

Once in a while, it lowered its body and grabbed someone before throwing him away. Men, women, and children scurried to the exit as fast as they could. They tried to open the gate but it wouldn’t open.

Hera drew closer and whispered, “Are you waiting for your superhero complex to kick in, or?”

It was then it dawned on me. Hera had brought me here to test me. She wanted to know if I had lied to her. A deep sense of dread gripped my heart as my gaze drifted from her to the monster slaughtering people. If I jumped into the crowd to save the people, I would die. If I didn’t, it would be proven that I had lied to Hera and she would kill me.

Today, I understood the meaning of the statement ‘Stuck between the devil and the deep sea’. I stood there frozen; too terrified to move.

1212/5000

She grabbed my hair and spun me around; her eyes dancing with menace, “I can see that your complex has still not kicked in. A little bit of motivation might help.”

With a wave of her hand, she sent me slamming against the gate. It opened up with a creak and I stumbled inside. Screeches and piercing shouts echoed in the playground as everyone tried to get out of the playground.

I was shoved and tossed around like a play doll by the crowd until I finally managed to grab the edge of a slide and ducked under it. Shielded from the frenzied crowd, I watched Hera as she jumped right in front of the monster. It towered over her by a good ten meters but she didn’t seem perturbed by its size.

She looked at it right in the eyes, her gaze fixed on his movements. The monster lunged at her but she dodged it swiftly. The monster let out a fierce growl as he struck again and again. She dodged each of its movements like liquid electricity.

A young boy was huddled close to the swing, his face pallid with fear. He was looking across at his mother who was trying to get past the monster. Every time she tried to get past him, the beast shifted his position or struck at something, causing her to step back.

After some time, the boy overcame his fear and tried to get past the monster. His mother shook her head vehemently, telling him to stay in his place. But, it was already too late. The monster had noticed the small boy. ‘

He lowered himself from his waist and grabbed the boy by his neck; holding him aloft in the air. The boy’s legs dangled in the air as he shouted and cried helplessly.

There was a flash of blue light and the next moment the beast was lying on the ground. His grip became loose and the little boy slid down. He sat there, staring ahead with a blank expression; his mind probably reeling with whatever had happened.

Hera’s gaze landed on me and her expression turned cold. I knew I had failed terribly. If I didn’t do anything, I would soon be lying in the place of the beast. Thinking quickly, I stepped out of my hiding spot and praised her openly, “You are not as bad as you portray yourself to be Hera. If you were evil, you wouldn’t have saved the boy’s life.

She cracked her knuckles; her gaze taking on a sinister edge, “I am every bit of evil you can imagine…. I just wanted to test my skills.” Her expression turned condescending, “I wanted to play with the beast for longer but you managed to catch my eye and I ended up killing him quickly.”

She stepped closer and grabbed me by my collar, drawing me closer until we were inches apart, “It will be more fun to play with someone having a superhero complex.’

I gulped but looked straight into her eyes. Despite having little faith in her, I managed to keep my voice even, “I know you won’t hurt me without any reason.”

She snorted and shook her head incredulously, “Just because, I apparently saved that boy, right?” Her gaze drifted to the woman who was holding her child to her bosom now. Their eyes met and something passed between them; I don’t know what it was but it sounded like a silent plea.

Her eyes had become cold; dark like the bottomless hell when she looked at me again. In a voice icier than the arctic, she said, “You think that I will spare your life just because I saved that boy, right?”

I bobbed my head; I don’t know if it was out of fear, belief, or just so I could give some response. Her gaze held mine for a long moment before she spoke in a dangerously low voice, “Something tells me that I have ruined my image by saving that little twit. I will have to fix that.”

She released me abruptly and walked towards the boy with slow steps. She knelt in front of him and grabbed him by his collar. Tears rolled down the woman’s eyes and she mouthed, “Please.”

The next thing I know the boy was lying on the ground, lifeless. She killed him so quickly that I couldn’t even see what she did. My jaws hung open and my eyes widened in horror.

She dusted her hands as if she had just touched something gross as she walked towards me, “Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, let us discuss what to do with you.”

I gulped; this time out of pure terror. I had run out of ideas to save myself. With each step she took towards me, I took two steps backward. At some point, I stumbled. This made me lose whatever hold I had on my composure and I almost shouted, “This is unfair, you know! You can’t judge me by the way I behaved. All of this was too sudden and… I…” I clutched my abdomen, “I am so badly wounded. I couldn’t fight that beast even if I wanted to…. I… I would have just added to the chaos.”

“I think it is indeed unfair to judge him based on this incident; given that he is wounded,” Dreki spoke in my favor. I swear I could have kissed him. My gaze however landed on Hera, who still seemed to be thinking.

Seconds ticked by at an excruciatingly slow pace. With each tick, my heartbeat became more and more erratic. Just when I thought my heart would fail, she finally spoke up, “We will test him again after Seven days; once he has recovered. Until then, he will be traveling with us.”

Her gaze lingered on me for a moment before she climbed over a dead body and walked out of the park. A deep and eerie silence fell over the park strewn with dead bodies. It was a gruesome sight with blood and half-torn carcasses. It was difficult to differentiate the people killed by the beast from the ones killed in the stampede; not that it mattered.

What mattered was that they were gone. They had just come here to have a good time with their family and now they were dead. They were all fucking dead and I did absolutely nothing.

A deep sense of guilt and regret gripped my heart. With a weighed-down heart and laden steps, I trudged out of the park.

I tried to see the silver lining of this dark cloud; reminding myself that my objective had been achieved. I was getting a chance to stay with Hera for another seven days. But for some reason, I couldn’t feel the joy. It was like the darkness of the night had engulfed me in its blanket just like the moonless night….