Page 1 of Dawn to Dusk
Chapter 1:
Esmerey
As a hunter, I knew how I was supposed to act; chin high, heart hardened, and blades bloody. Practice makes perfect, and I perfected deception decades ago.
Lying was as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.
Now that I lived in the very communities my family spent centuries shredding apart, my lies didn’t feel so easy anymore. So, I did what I knew how to do.
Chin high, I told myself as I exited the housing compound. The women gathered their children and eyed me warily. I never needed to push through the crowds. People scrambled to get out of my way.
“It’s Hunter Petriv.” I heard my name behind me, as they subtly warned the others I was in the vicinity. I let them think I couldn’t hear them and kept walking away from the crowds, going deeper into the forest.
On paper, a hunter’s job was to keep the peace by letting the humans believe they were alone in this world. After the Salem witch trials, The Council of Mages assigned hunters with the duty of ensuring discretion.
In real life, a hunter’s job was to kill any beast that failed to comply with the council. That could be anything from a small disagreement with the council to destroying a human settlement. We were weapons that kept the council in control of everyone else through fear.
I accomplished that goal perfectly. The infamous list of my misdeeds didn’t vanish simply because I joined the only opposing force, the Faction of Beasts.
The breeze whirled around me, playing with my ankle-length red skirt like a cat would. The wind god sure seemed to be in a good mood. “Good morning, Limic.”
He didn’t answer since I was a devout servant of the sun goddess, Mirneax. Gods and goddesses rarely answered another’s servant.
Earth crunched beneath my boots as I strolled out to my intended destination, a worn wooden prayer altar on the east side of the property. It stood high and sturdy in a cleared field. I climbed up the twenty-foot lattice on the side all the way to the top.
The vantage point gave me the ability to overlook the community’s beautiful property. More importantly, it showed the sheer golden dome over the expanse of land. A protective perimeter constructed from only my magic and my words to make what was called wards.
My eyes trailed around, mentally probing for any weaknesses. The sun beamed down on me wanting my attention. “Good morning, Mirneax.”
Her rays basked me in her affection. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, savoring my goddess’s presence.
“Forgive me, my goddess. Thank you for a chance to properly protect your children. May your power shine down and protect these innocents.” Her disapproval vibrated into my bones. She disliked it when I apologized, but she gave me the power I asked for. Warmth spread through my insides before bursting out of my chest. An extra dose of her magic to keep the people here as safe as possible. It was the same every morning. Mirneax and I hadn’t seen eye to eye in a long time, but her loving patience allowed her to tolerate my perspective.
“Thank you.” I sunk down onto my knees and lifted my hands into the air as if I wanted Mirneax to grab them. Thefamiliar incantation poured from my lips without much effort. My words seared into the wards. If I were close enough, I could see them writing themselves into the magic shield.
I barely felt time passing when a deep, familiar voice spoke up from the earth below. “Esmerey.”
My lips halted mid-chant and my eyes shot open, seeking out Mirneax. She already hovered over her pinnacle. The morning flew past me and the afternoon already settled in.
The wind blew and my burgundy hair whipped around my face. The sight of the short locks twisted my heart in my chest. I took a calming breath and shoved those resulting emotions down. I rose to my feet and glanced over the edge to the two people below.
“Yes, Balthazar?”
The leader of the faction stared back up at me. His wild brown hair flew in every direction. His power oozed from his pores and wafted over me even from this distance. Anything with a pulse could sense that he was dangerous.
He stood as a man, but he was a wyre. A beast molded and crafted by the magic of the gods. When he shifted, he was a seven-foot-tall canine-like creature that was nicknamed the godkiller.
Balthazar carried himself like someone who had seen and done too much. As a commander in the God Wars millions of years ago, that was a fair assumption. Perhaps that was why he was so quick to offer me sanctuary. “We have an emergency.”
I rushed down the prayer tower and turned to come face to face with Balthazar and his second-in-command, Edur Lymeze. Edur’s harsh blue eyes glared at me with all the affection of a rabid hog. If there was one person here who hated every fiber of my being, it was him.
Edur declared his own personal war on me twelve years ago after his sister, Jalis, was announced on my kill list. Hiswhite eyebrow raised, and his bulging muscles bunched, daring me to step one foot out of line. One wrong move and this six-foot-three yeti would tear me apart the hard way.
The only reason Edur let me breathe near him was because Balthazar commanded it. Now, he impatiently waited for the order to rip my head off. If he only knew the guilt I carried over his little sister’s death.
He looked like a man, but a growl rumbled in his chest and patches of white fur played peek-a-boo across his naked skin. I met his glare, acknowledging his threat, but refused to cower before him.
“Edur requests your assistance.” Balthazar told me. Edur huffed, annoyed with the implication. He didn't request anything from me.
