Huntress Chapter One (Edited version)

Chapter One


Justice sat restrained in a dim and cold room.  Her golden scales were tipped to the utmost injustice possible.  Her usually pristine toga was dingy, wrinkled, and beginning to rip towards the bottom.  Her golden hair rested messily in a bun which hadn’t seen a brush for many months now.  However, Justice still sat with an air of majesty and elegance. Of the eight Greater Spirits, she was the only one that never slept.  Where she was being held was a land ruled by injustice and her sister, the Greater Spirit of Love and Lust.  Justice suddenly stiffened.  A small inkling of balance was being formed and Justice focused on it.  Hundreds of miles away, the youngest of the greater spirits was forming again.  The youngest was the only one that could die and be reborn, but because of this, she was also the only one that could break any of the rules which included area’s dealing with dark spirits.  Justice lowered her head, a small smirk playing on her lips as she awaited the outcomes of this next stage of her youngest sibling’s life.



Elizabeth pushed her long, light brown hair back as she prepared to go outside to work in the small garden she had.  The young girl wore a simple cotton dress that was a faded hunter green and worn leather moccasins.  Glancing outside, she saw several shapes drifting about aimlessly.  The shapes were opaque and always shifting.  It had taken Elizabeth a long time to realize that not everyone could see them.  It wasn’t until a traveling group of priestess’ of the White Light had passed through her little village that she discovered that she was seeing White Light spirits.  Since then she had met a local priestess known mostly as “Teacher”.  Teacher had been teaching her a few things; and had offered for Elizabeth to live in her sanctuary with the others that she taught.  Elizabeth had politely refused to move in and explained that she would prefer to stay where she was.  Elizabeth now opened the door to her small cottage to head outside to work in her small garden.  Elizabeth lived in the forest which surrounded her village.  The dense foliage gave her privacy but was not so over whelming to make the forest feel unwelcome.  As Elizabeth stepped out she was almost immediately sprung upon by a spirit.  Surprised, Elizabeth recognized the spirit as a messenger spirit belonging to Teacher named Tessa.  Growing concerned, Elizabeth focused on the White Light spirit.

“Tessa?  What are you doing here?”  Tessa had taken the form of a humming bird and nervously flitted around Elizabeth, obviously distressed over something.  Tessa’s voice entered Elizabeth’s head, panicked and urgent.

‘Run Elizabeth, you’re in danger.  You have to run, now!’   Elizabeth was confused as her eyes tracked the nervous little spirit carefully.  Elizabeth quietly closed her cottage door before taking a small step forward.

“Tessa, what danger is approaching?”  Tessa shook her small head and replied with force in her voice.

‘No time to explain, we must go, now!’  Tessa began tugging slightly on the sleeves of Elizabeth’s dress with her beak.  Elizabeth was uncertain as to what she should do.  Elizabeth had never seen a spirit act like this before and it was beginning to frighten her. She was about to ask Tessa just where she was supposed to go when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

“Elizabeth!”  As Elizabeth looked up a group of familiar people approached.  It was a group of young men and women, all around Elizabeth’s own age from the village.  Some of them Elizabeth had not seen for a very long time and she should have felt some form of joy over seeing some of these old friends again; but something felt very wrong.  The group seemed to have a more feral appearance to them as they spread out slightly, almost as if they were hunting her.  Their clothes were rumpled and some had dark stains which crept down from the neck lines. Elizabeth could see the spirits around her becoming agitated as the group came closer.  She raised her chin towards the group, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

“What are you doing here?” One of the young men in the group stepped forward, his motions more fluid and faster than Elizabeth ever remembered them being.

“We need you to come with us Elizabeth.  It has to do with Darien.”  Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat.  When Elizabeth had been very young, Darien had been the only child in the entire village which hadn’t made fun of her because she could see the White Light spirits.  As they grew older they had become even closer and Elizabeth had fallen in love with Darien.  Yet he had shattered her heart when she found him flirting and chasing other girls.  Since then they had only seen each other in passing and Elizabeth had barely said anything to him.  A horrible feeling was forming in Elizabeth’s stomach not only from both fear and concern, but from the love Elizabeth still felt for her child hood friend.  Tessa could feel the love stirring inside of Elizabeth and landed on her shoulder.

‘Elizabeth, form a shield from that love, now!’  Without asking why, Elizabeth did so right as the group lunged forward towards her.  She screamed slightly at the force of which they hit the shield.  Now that they were close Elizabeth could see that they had changed.  Every member had fangs now and were snarling at her from the other side of the shield.  Their eyes, which Elizabeth had grown used to seeing in various shades of brown, green, and blue, were now a bottomless black.  The fledgling vampires began to hit the barrier around Elizabeth as hard as they could and Elizabeth’s fear was beginning to make the shield fail.  Tessa was beginning to panic even more and she was having difficulty holding her shape because of it.

‘Elizabeth, please do not let the shield fail!’ Elizabeth swallowed hard as her body trembled.

“I don’t know if I can hold onto it Tessa.”  Not much later, the shield could be heard cracking and the vampires became ecstatic as they hit the shield even harder in order to break it completely and reach Elizabeth.  Finally the shield fell and Elizabeth’s panic peaked as the vampires reached out towards her. It was then that a sheer wave of power, more raw and primal than any other power she had felt, rushed through her entire body.  She barely registered that Tessa had rapidly moved as far away from her as she could get, and was exclaiming that it was all over.  Elizabeth’s back arched slightly as this power continued to course through her body and fill her entirely.  Elizabeth heard a deep growl and realized that it had come from her.  Darkness began to form and she felt the dark spirit’s presence, the very dark spirit that had lain in hibernation deep inside of her.  The spirit surged forward like thick, black smoke, snarling at the vampires who immediately stepped back from the spirit user.

‘No one shall touch my Hostess against her will.  Not even half bred hunters, such as yourself, are worthy of even looking at her.’  The spirit snarled as it opened its huge, fanged jaws.  The vampires began to back off even farther as the spirit compressed itself into a human shape. A shape Tessa recognized.

‘Hunteru, the dark spirit if the hunt.’  The fear in Tessa’s voice was obvious; and she had good reason to fear the spirit.  Hunteru was one of the most ancient and powerful spirits to exist.  His equal was Misia, the White Light spirit of the hunt, and his twin sister.  Hunteru laughed slightly as he watched the vampires melt back into the shadows and disappear.  He continued to stare into the shadows but his words were addressed to Tessa.

“Yes little spirit, I am the dark spirit of the hunt.  I have protected my Hostess her entire life and shall continue to do so.  But for now I believe it would be best to remove her from this place.  Show me little spirit, show me the way to the Teacher.”



The Teacher felt a wave of panic when she first saw the dark spirit approaching her sanctuary.  That panic merged itself with worry when she saw that the spirit was carrying Elizabeth.  Tessa was quickly by Teacher’s side, still in her bird form.  Hurriedly, Tessa explained why she was escorting a dark spirit to Teacher’s sanctuary.

‘Teacher, this dark spirit has been with Elizabeth her entire life.  The spirit is Hunteru, and he only just showed himself because there were vampires attacking Elizabeth.’  Teacher frowned in concern before exiting the room she was in.  A few of the girls poked their heads out of their rooms and Teacher immediately ordered them to remain in their rooms until she said otherwise.  Within moments she had descended the stairs to the main floor, stepped through the main doors of the sanctuary, and was approaching the dark spirit cautiously.  She knew that if necessary she might be able to hold off the ancient spirit for a few moments and give her gathering a better chance of escaping it.  Teacher held her chin up and gave the dark spirit before her the fiercest gaze she could manage.

“What do you want spirit?”  She knew that by now most of her gathering was watching from cracks in the curtains from the windows.  The spirit shook his head.  Hunteru could understand all too well why a priestess of the White Light would address him so coldly and with such hatred in her voice, after all, he himself had been the cause of many horrendous events in the past.  Hunteru bowed his head ever so slightly in respect.

“I simply desire that my Hostess remains safe until her true powers surface.”  Teacher turned her head slightly.  Dark spirits in general were very malicious liars and would do anything to gain a chance to devour a White Light spirit.  The only person they were ever completely honest to was their Host.  Teacher kept on her guard, watching for any sign of attack from the spirit before her.

“Her true powers?”  Hunteru smirked before lifting his head and looking Teacher directly in the eyes.  The power which eminated from the ancient spirit’s gaze alone was enough to cause the Teacher to take a small step back.

“She is a Balance, one that can touch and communicate with both the White Light and the dark spirits.  Her full abilities have not even begun to manifest yet though.”  Teacher narrowed her eyes slightly.  Balances between the two main types of spirits were so rare that if a Balance was discovered they were almost immediately sent to the high priest or priestess for training.

“If she is a Balance, then there should a guardian inside of her as well.”  Hunteru simply nodded.

“Yes, but it is not yet time for her guardian to reveal herself.  For now my Hostess has barely registered that I am a part of her and if knowledge of her guardian is added before she comes to terms with my being here, it could have devastating effects.”  Teacher frowned slightly.  The dark spirit of a Balance usually revealed itself second, not the other way around.  However, dark spirits held a lot of pride and for them being part of a Balance was something they did not lie about.  Teacher shook her head slightly.

“Why bring her here?”  Once again Hunteru bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect towards the priestess before him.

“Because you are known as Teacher for a reason, Sylia.”  Hunteru stated, using the Teacher’s actual name.  Teacher stiffened.  It was very dangerous for a dark spirit to know the actual name of someone before they had been told the others name.  Teacher couldn’t figure out how he knew since she had never told Elizabeth her actual name; nor anyone else in her gathering.

“How do you-“  Hunteru smirked slightly.

“Lord Ennual is a hunter, a dark one, and I know all that the dark hunters know.  Sylia, she is the same as you, hunted for her pure blood.  The blood of virgins that have felt pure love will give a vampire the most power if that is their first drink.  You already know this.  Right now my Hostess needs the training and guidance of one who has already traveled that path.”  Teacher hesitated.  She had been targeted for the reasons that Hunteru had just stated many years previously.  That time had been one of the most terrifying of her life and she had fought desperately to escape.  Now a dark spirit stood before her with Elizabeth who was in the same situation that she herself had been in.  Teacher knew without a doubt that she would help Elizabeth.  She would do everything in her power to prevent the vampires from obtaining more powerful members.  Finally Teacher gathered the nerve to ask the dark spirit before her one final question.

“And what about you?”  Hunteru gave Teacher a small smile; he had been anticipating this question.

“I will return to my Hostess’ body and not create any disruptions or damage.  I will come out though if she is in any danger without hesitation.”  Teacher nodded before holding out her arms.

“Alright then, hand the girl to me.”  Hunteru passed Elizabeth over to the Teacher, and allowed himself be pulled back into Elizabeth’s body.  Teacher shook her head before taking Elizabeth inside where a warm bed was waiting for her upstairs.  In her arms Teacher held the fate of the nation.  Should Elizabeth fall to the vampires, then there would be no hope for their nation at all.  What Teacher did not realize was that not only was Elizabeth key to keeping the nation secure, but the key to ending the era of the vampire king himself.



Elizabeth groaned as she woke up.  Opening her eyes, she was momentarily blinded by the light reflecting off of the white surfaces around her.  Slowly she began to observe the room around her as she sat up.  Thin white veils hung around the white bed she was on the as she looked down at herself she found herself wearing a modest white night gown.  Elizabeth shook her head.  Somehow she had ended up at the Teacher’s sanctuary; the problem was that she didn’t know how.  Elizabeth turned her head and looked out of a window next to the bed.  From the window she could see the flower garden that the Teacher had, and she could see some of the Teacher’s gathering tending the garden.  They spoke gently towards each other as they loosened the dirt and prepared it for the next planting.  A couple of others were carrying buckets full of pristine water which shimmered as the sunlight hit it.  They would gently sprinkle the water over the ground so as to not drown any fledgling plants.  There was a small knock on the door and the Teacher entered the room with a tray with some food on it.  She was relieved to find Elizabeth awake and she placed the tray of food softly onto the small table next to the bed.

“Thank goodness you’re awake, Elizabeth; we were all becoming worried about you.”  Elizabeth looked at Teacher curiously.  There were several questions racing through her head but she focused on the most important one at the moment.

“Teacher, how did I get here?”  Teacher sighed before turning to face Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth, how much do you remember?”  Elizabeth shook her head in confusion.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”  Teacher sighed lightly.

“How much do you remember from when you were at your place, after your shield fell?”  The Teacher gently inquired as she sat down next to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth sat in silence for a moment.

“I remember this feeling of power, stronger and fiercer than any that I’ve felt before, and that I just had a very strong desire to fight and not give into them.  It was so strange.  This entire feeling filled my body so quickly that I didn‘t know how to react to it at all.  After that feeling, I really don‘t remember anything at all.”  Teacher nodded as she pushed a strand of Elizabeth‘s hair out of her face.  She felt sorry for the child before her.  Elizabeth’s parents had sent her to live on her own very early on in life, and so Elizabeth had wandered from town to town for about a year before she arrived in the one nearby.  Teacher had been there that day, and she was the one who had convinced the head man of the town to give Elizabeth the small cottage in the woods.  Elizabeth had never known this, nor did she know that it was Teacher who had helped pay for most of what she needed growing up.  Teacher cleared her head of thoughts from the past.  She needed to focus on the current situation.

“Is there anything else you can recall, Elizabeth?”  As usual, Elizabeth observed that Teacher had an apparent limitless amount of patience.

“It didn’t feel right.  It felt as if it was something dark but it also felt like the same control as the White Light spirits; I just don’t understand it, Teacher.”  Teacher sighed.  She knew that she had to tell Elizabeth what the feeling was, but she wasn’t sure how the child would take it.  After all, like most children who could see the spirits, Elizabeth had been raised with the view point that dark spirits were evil and malicious.  Most children were told to never even look at dark spirits for fear that they would become tainted.

“Elizabeth that was a dark spirit.  It seems that this particular one has been with you since your birth.  He has told me that he will not cause any interference and I assume that you should be able to still ask of things from the White Light spirits.  I believe though that it would be best if this stays between the two of us for now.”   Elizabeth nodded, growing concerned over the fact that she had a dark spirit.  Slowly, she was getting more questions than answers.

“Do you know the spirit’s name?”  Teacher gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Yes, I do Elizabeth.”  Elizabeth gave the teacher an urgent expression as she clasped the older woman’s hands, wondering why Teacher wouldn’t tell her the spirit’s name.

“Then what is it Teacher, at least tell me that!”  Teacher sat in silence for a moment.  She didn’t know how much Elizabeth knew about the ancient spirits, but she assumed she knew very little.  Teacher hoped that Elizabeth would not recognize the name.  If she did, she could go into shock and that would not bode well.  Teacher bowed her head and spoke quietly; Elizabeth could just barely make out what the other woman was saying.

“Hunteru, the spirit is named Hunteru.”  Teacher raised her head and now spoke in a clear and very firm voice.  “Now chase after that knowledge no more.  You’re not ready to know more than that for the time being.  For now you may stay here and learn all you can on how to defend yourself from the vampires.”  Elizabeth looked down at the bed sheet under her hands, concern filling her mind.  All thoughts about the vampires had fled her mind when she found out that she had a dark spirit, but they now came rushing back.  Elizabeth swallowed hard.

“Why did they want me?”  Teacher looked away, not able to look directly into Elizabeth’s eyes.  It hurt Teacher emotionally to have to explain to Elizabeth what horrors the vampires would want to put her through since it caused Teacher to relive those memories herself.

“Darien has been turned by them.  We know you loved him and we also know that if a vampire’s first drink is from a virgin that has a pure love, they can become one of the more powerful vampires.  With you, you felt pure love towards Darien himself which will give your blood an even more potent power for him.  This is why they want you, so Darien can be one of the said stronger vampires.”  Elizabeth began to tremble slightly with fear.

“How do we stop this?”  Teacher shook her head sympathetically.

“The only thing we can do: teach you how to become stronger, and help defend you when you need it.  So will you stay here, Elizabeth?”  Elizabeth thought for a moment before looking up at Teacher and nodding.