Selling Myself To The Hunter

Chapter 6

Hunter

It was better this way. She was safer this way. I called in two bargains to make it happen. That shouldn't raise any suspicions. Goddess, if Seraphina found out I was trying to protect her...

I loosed a tense breath as Hugo and I continued our trek back to my camp, taking the long way to burn off all the things I was feeling inside.

Dahlia.

A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Silky black hair, rich brown eyes, warm caramel skin... under any other circumstances I would have... no, I can't go there. Now wasn't the time for dreaming. Because there won't ever be anything between us. I won't ever get to take her on a proper date, to spend weeks, months, years, getting to know her, falling in love with her. I won't be able to care for her how I want to, or even love her freely. Not as long as Seraphina was still alive, and last I checked, she was considered young in the fae world. We would both be dead - one way or another - long before Seraphina was even considered middle-aged.

Staying away from Dahlia was for the best. I don't think I can handle seeing her die. She is a human, she'll be lucky to last a month here. I doubt she knew anything about survival, which is why I called in my debt with Chris, another human. He has been here three years, impressive for anyone, let alone such a human. I saved his hide once. A group of orcs had strung him up and were preparing to boil him. His screaming was so high-pitched it made Hugo and I cringe enough to intervene. Since then, he has been lying low - literally. I figured his awkward disposition would help soften the blow of being here, and he seemed smart enough to be able to take on another. It would be good for both of them to work together. Perhaps they would become friends, and that would be another thing I was able to help give Dahlia before death - companionship.

Even if it wasn't from me.

And at least now, if and when something happens to her, it won't be because of me. I've done everything to help her. I freed her from her captors, provided somewhere and someone that would keep her safe-ish considering this entire fabricated world wasn't safe to begin with, and I gave her basic supplies. That might be all I ever get to do for her, and I'm going to have to make my peace with that.

Seraphina was watching me too closely, and always would be, I realized, several years back. She was a high fae, she lived for centuries already, and had many more to come. My actions against her will not be soon forgotten. It wasn't a matter of if, it was when. When would she finally grow tired of trying to inflict misery on me and send an army to kill me? I wasn't sure, but if only to piss her off, I was going to do everything in my power to survive. And the last thing I was going to do was drag Dahlia into my mess. She would be ammunition for Seraphina. It didn't matter what she meant to me. Her death here could be swift, merciful even, but not if Seraphina found out what she was to me. I did debate it, killing Dahlia myself, spare her from any suffering at all, but one look at her and I knew I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I hope I didn't live to regret that decision.

- - - - - - - -

Dahlia

Chris was like a squirrel in many ways. Skittish, jumpy, and a bit awkward, he slowly navigated us to his shelter, sometimes retreating and taking a different path mere feet from where we were, other times staying frozen in place for minutes at a time. His eyes darted around nervously, but by some miracle, he got us back to his camp...which, to my distaste, was underground.

The nightmare of this place continued.

Only when we were finally sealed inside his hovel of a home, did he speak, not seeming to notice the dagger that I was gripping so hard my knuckles were white. My level of trust had significantly dropped since arriving here, and his sketchy behavior, matched with his underground home, and the terrible screams in the distance, had me completely on edge.

"Welcome," He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "As you can see, it's not much, but it's kept me safe so far."

Not much was right. It was one large living area filled with... mostly junk. There was a pile of leaves in the corner and a few logs in the center being used as a table and a chair if I had to guess. Besides that, there was a basket that had been made out of vines shoved in the corner, overflowing with miscellaneous items. From that basket, Chris pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, facing it towards the ceiling, giving us some light.

"I don't build fires down here - not with all the smoke it causes. When I do have to make a fire, I usually make it far enough away from my camp, and only when it's for cooking food. Meat is scarce here, plants are my meal of choice - less dangerous that way. Though if I ever do get meat, I mostly make it into jerky, or even eat it raw. It's safer that way." He rambled.

"Eating raw meat is safer than building a fire?" I asked, my brows raised.

"Yes, unfortunately," he said, clicking his tongue. I gave him a tight look in return. "No bathroom, as you can see, so if you need to go, take it outside, far enough away so we don't smell it or attract a predator. But not at night, never at night."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably as I took in his words. "How... how long have you been here for?"

"Three years, four months, and twelve days."

My stomach turned.

"And you never found your way out of the jungle?"

"There is no way out." He frowned at me. "You should know that."

"I know nothing." I shook my head. "She took him, my boyfriend. Sera-"

His hand was over my mouth in an instant, shushing me. I frowned and looked at him, noticing the panic written in his eyes.

"We don't speak her name, ever." He said tensely, wide-eyed.

"Why? What is she?" I asked when he removed his hand, wiping my own over where his sweaty palm had been. Disgusting.

"Might as well be the devil." He snorted. "She isn't from this world, from what I have heard. Though I don't know much, it's not like the beings down here are especially thrilled to speak about her, and I'm certainly not hanging around long enough to learn anything worthwhile. Let me tell you something; three things you should know about living here. One; never speak her name. You might as well put a bell around your neck and prepare to be slaughtered. Two; don't trust anyone. This place was designed to bring out the worst in everyone, and most of the people who live here are the worst of the worst to begin with. And three; never make another deal. Not for anything, especially not with her. Deals are like law down here, sealed in ink - permanent." He said, pointing to his own tattoo. "If you fail to keep up your end of the deal, the consequences are detrimental."

"Don't speak her name. Don't trust anyone. Don't make any deals." I repeated back.

I gripped the dagger with white knuckles once more, my eyes looking over Chris and the small underground home where no one might hear me scream if he-

"You need not worry about me, miss. My deal is very specific so that I may not harm you in any way shape or form, including selling you to the highest bidder. The Hunter was very specific about your safety, for whatever reason." He scoffed. "I won't lie to you, I'm not thrilled to have you, to have another mouth to feed, another person to look after, but it's far better than what he could have asked of me. So I'll live with it. I have no other choice." He sighed heavily.

I was an unwelcome guest. Great. But Chris was bound by his deal with The Hunter to keep me safe. That was a plus.

"I'll try to earn my keep." I said, loosening my grip on the knife. "But I need to find my boyfriend, Toby. She took him and I have to find him."

"Not worth the risk." He shook his head. "You should know. How many things tried to kill you out there before you were captured and sold? You think your boyfriend is any better off?"

"He has to be out there somewhere-" I argued.

"He'll be dead within a week, if he's not already," Chris said bluntly. "I agreed to keep you safe, not you and another. And I certainly can't do that if you go gallivanting off in search of a dead man. The answer is no."

I narrowed my eyes. We'll see about that.

- - - - - - -

"These are not poisonous, but they taste it." Chris whispered as we crept through the jungle in search of dinner. "These are poisonous, you can tell because they look so perfect. Anything perfect looking or brightly colored usually means trouble. When in doubt, go for the ugly." He said, plucking some particularly rough looking fungi. "Whenever you are going to eat or drink something foreign, test it first by rubbing it on your skin. Wait a few minutes and if you don't have any reaction, you can lick it. If that doesn't cause any reaction, say a prayer and dig in." He said, moving to the next batch of mushrooms. "These here look almost grotesque; they should be fine." He cringed.

"Got it." I nodded, holding open the gathering bag for him to drop the mushrooms into. "How did you learn all this?"

"Trial and error." He snorted. "And there was a wilderness expert who got stuck here who taught me a lot."

"What happened to him?"

"Eaten by a bobcat. Or some creature that looked like one." Chris shrugged. "A merciful way to go down here. That was about six months ago, just before his four-year anniversary."

"Does anyone here live more than a few years?" I frowned.

"A few years is considered exceptional, I'll have you know," he said, shooting me a look. "Most don't make it a week. The smart can last up to six, and the exceptional are anything past a year."

Thats it? A few years at best? And no one has found a way out?

"How long has The Hunter been here for?" I asked, my mind playing catch up, trying to make sense of this place.

"No one knows. He has been here longer than anyone can remember."

"You're kidding." I stopped in place.

"No ma'am. There are very few, but rumor has it that there are twenty or thirty beings who have lived here more than five years. All hear-say since its only word of mouth, past down from one sorry soul to another, so take it with a grain of salt, but he is one of the few long-term survivors."

"Who are the others?"

"There is a werewolf clan in the jungle and a vampire coven on the border of winter and jungle. Both groups stick together, recruiting more of their kind and have beaten the odds because of that. A worm that lives in desert. Oh and also, a wyvern that lives between winter and desert - not that I would know for certain about either. There is also some old geezer that lives deep in the winter lands. Some say he came here with her. That's all I know."

"Jungle. Winter. Desert. The trading post. Not very original names, huh?" I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"How could we when everyone dies so quickly?" He shook his head. "It's getting close to dark. Let's get back."

- - - - - -

"How did you get here?" I asked as Chris and I ate our cold, dirt-covered, mushy mushrooms.

I questioned every bite I took, wondering if they were actually nutritious or if they would make me high or outright kill me. Starvation and watching Chris gobble down his were the only reasons I continued to eat the dirt-tasting fungus.

"I was a piss poor drunk looking for some quick cash that I could drink away." He said, his shoulders curving inward. "She found me begging for money outside the bar and told me she would buy me the drink I desired, and in exchange I would come back to her home. I thought she meant for a sleepless night, not... this."

"Oh my god." I said, my eyes filled with sympathy for the man.

"I've been sober for three years now, not that it matters anymore." He sighed. "How about you?"

"I... I don't really know. My boyfriend, Toby, she came for him. I was trying to stop her from taking him and then landed here." I shrugged.

"You... you never made a deal with her?" He asked, his eyes going wide.

"No." I shook my head. "I never even saw her until she took Toby."

"I would keep that information to yourself," he said, setting his leaf plate down, appetite lost. "If she finds out..." He shook his head.

"I won't mention it." I said, setting my own plate down. "Thanks for the tip."

Chris nodded contemplatively. And then he began barricading the entrance to the hovel we were in.