Free Token Huntress by Kia Carrington-Russell

insolent because of my age and my dull gray eyes. And, right on cue, this was voiced.
    “She doesn’t even have the eyes of a hunter,” Tori snipped, trying to regain his composure. I allowed a demonic laugh to pass through my lips. I didn’t have the greatest sense of humor; my smiles and laughter had quickly vanished after my mother’s death. But getting a kick out of teaching a young apprentice a valuable lesson was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.
                  I drew both of their attentions with my laugh, holding Teary’s words back as well. “Do you know why my bright purple eyes turned to a dull gray, young apprentice?” I said, cocking my head to the side and looking at him as creepily as I could. “Because on my eighteenth birthday, when my gift was present, a demon form of myself appeared, and when it did, I consumed it entirely, its fiery wicked hair ashing out the color of my eyes as I engulfed it. Now, I do enjoy the hunt, and the taste of fresh meat. At times I often love to rip apart a saber’s flesh, just for the enjoyment of my taste buds.”
                  “You’re lying!” he spat, but as he said it I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. A small smile pressed at Teary’s lips as well as Pac’s, who watched from a distance. Kora and Kasey rattled the young Fam with their own malicious story. Of course it was a lie, but one which might deter the young apprentice from annoying me for some time now. And I couldn’t deny that at times I felt something dark within me. Despite my father’s teachings of patience, I was a very angry and dark person inside.
                  “Well, you shall see,” I said in a haunting whisper as I looked toward the door.
                  “Now ye’ve done it, ye best be going back into the safe company of ye friend Fam, better safe than sorry I say,” Teary said, pulling him back toward the others. I peeked from the corner of my eye, noticing that although he pretended to be resistant, his feet quickly scuffled away from me.
                  After agreeing on the rotations for guard duty, they all rested. Sleep was something far from my mind, and so I stayed at my post even after James insisted on taking my place. My team’s safety was my responsibility and it was not something I could take lightly, not for any amount of sleep. I opened the door slightly, leaving my thoughts behind. I watched carefully through the thick fog and rain, making sure nothing would venture nearer during the night.

     
    A few hours later, Kora and Kasey happily woke the apprentices, who were not used to such early mornings. The girls kicked Tori and Fam in the stomach, perhaps not as gently as I would’ve hoped. Both of them had a mischievous grin on their faces, ready to kick again before they stirred.
    After almost a full night of rain and lightning, the fog began lifting, and only dew remained. Stepping outside, we saw with relief that the early morning sun peeked through the trees. We were lucky no vampire smelled us. Vampires had a far keener sense of smell than we did, and it was usually how we were found out.
                  “Find your positions again. Today there can be no delay. We must enter the city. I have the expectation that we will reach there by midday. Pac, when we are less than five kilometers out of the city, I want you to do a run through ahead of us. Dillian, keep your eyes sharp ahead of us. Kora and Kasey, be prepared. If the rain affected the city’s fog then we may still meet a pack of sabers, even during the daylight. We need to contain them and lock them in. And everyone, remember we are in search of clues about the movement of the Council. They will not be so easily found, so be alert,” I instructed.
                  Everyone quickly assumed their roles and once again we began to run. The sun caught up from behind. Hours flew by in what seemed to be a merge of