Deacon - Nicholas Bella Page 0,27

“I am no threat. I am only picking herbs,” I confessed.

“We will determine if you are a threat,” one of the men said.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Hunters.”

“Well, I am no deer,” I stated.

“We do not hunt deer,” another man said.

One of the men approached me and removed my knife from my hand, then he patted me down to search for more weapons. He found nothing else, as I’d only been searching the forest for food. They’d caught me at a disadvantage. Winston had trained me well, but I still had to play this smart as I was outmanned and without weapons when they had plenty.

“Please, do not kill me. I have done nothing wrong. I have no money on my person,” I said.

One of the men laughed. “Have you seen any wolves around here, lad?”

Wolves? They were hunting for wolves. “Not for a while,” I said.

“We came across fresh wolf tracks and it led us to you,” the one who spoke the most said, and I reckoned he was the leader of this group of hunters. His brown eyes narrowed as he looked at me and he never lowered his bow and arrow, which was aimed at my heart.

“I did not come across a wolf, sir,” I said, then pointed to a plant I’d just taken the herbs from. “I am just gathering sage and berries.”

The leader slowly lowered his weapon, then stepped up to me. “Ahhh, but this wolf can turn into a man.”

So, they knew of my kind and had managed to find their way to my doorstep. I had heard stories of humans who knew of wolves, dragons, and vampires. Who hunted us or who sought to become like us. Wolves were hidden more so than vampires and dragons, but some humans still found out about our existence. I wondered if these hunters had ever killed a werewolf before?

I laughed. “Are you insane? There is no wolf that can turn into man.”

“Let us find out if you are one,” the leader said.

I looked at the other two men who were with him. Their faces were still and as unforgiving as stone. Their eyes keen as they watched my every move. If I had the ability of a werewolf, I might be able to take them, but I didn’t. I had to use my wits, at least to get back to Winston.

“I am not, I assure you. There is no such thing,” I protested.

The leader pulled out a coin, one that bared the head of a wolf on one side and when he flipped it over between his fingers, I saw the other was that of a man. “Do you know what this is?” he asked me.

“A coin of foreign origin,” I said.

He smirked. “This is pure silver. Something we know harms these creatures you swear do not exist,” he said.

I knew if they were to place the silver to my flesh, it would burn me. Not as severely as it would if I were a full wolf, but my skin would redden and blister. I couldn’t let that happen. “Wait!”

“Wait?” he asked.

“I… I know the creature you speak of,” I confessed.

“Is it you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I have seen this wolfman that you speak of.”

The leader placed his silver coin back into his pocket and pulled out his knife, placing it against my throat. “Are you telling the truth?”

I nodded slowly, as I felt the blade of his knife biting into my flesh. “I am.”

“Why lie?” one of his men asked.

“Because I was afraid.”

“Have you seen him?”

I nodded. “He keeps me as his prisoner. I fear that he will kill me one day. I was to gather herbs for his supper.”

“Why not run away?” asked the man who’d been the most silent.

“Because he found me. The last time I escaped, he found me and threated to kill me if I ever ran away again. I’ve been trapped by him for years,” I said, then I broke down crying. I fell to my knees on the forest floor, sobbing as a child would. I wanted them to believe my plight and to think I was as helpless as I proclaimed. A broken young man with a broken spirit. If they believed that I was vulnerable, I could save myself from their attack.

“What has he done to you, lad?” the leader asked.

“He’s… done unspeakable things to me,” I confessed, because it was true.

“We don’t know if he’s one of them or not. Test him!” snapped one of