Chapter 2 The Final Countdown

The two years had passed like a slow, heavy shadow, and now the village of Ariath was a place of whispers and cold sweat, for the Blood Moon was only one week away. I was twenty years old now, and the time I had spent trying to prepare myself felt small compared to the giant fear that was growing in everyone else's hearts. The iron bell rang again, but this time it was not for a story, but it was to call the fifty of us who were of age to the Great Hall for our final training.

We walked through the dusty streets, and I could see mothers weeping in their doorways, while fathers looked at the ground because they could not bear to see their daughters being marched toward a fate that no one understood.

Inside the Great Hall, the air was cold and smelled of old paper and sour incense, and we were told to stand in neat rows like soldiers waiting for a war we were destined to lose. There were fifty of us in total, and as I looked at the girls around me, I saw the same terror in every pair of eyes. But then, the Village Head stepped onto the platform, and he held up his hands to quiet the room, for he had a new announcement that changed everything.

"Listen well," the Village Head said, and his voice was loud and clear. "Because our village is small and we do not have many young women left to work the fields and care for the elderly, we cannot send all fifty of you to the Edge. The King of the beasthas agreed that we will only select thirty girls to stand for the mating ceremony this year, while the remaining twenty will stay behind to serve the community and keep Ariath alive."

A sudden wave of hope washed over me, and for the first time in years, I felt like I could actually breathe. I was a hard worker, and I spent my days helping the farmers and fixing the stone walls of the village, and I was one of the strongest contributors to our community. Surely, they would see that I was more useful here than as a sacrifice to the woods. I looked at the girl next to me and saw her eyes brighten with the same desperate hope, and for a moment, the heavy weight on my chest felt a little lighter. I imagined staying home, staying with my family, and never having to see the red eyes of the beasts.

"However," the Village Head continued, and his voice turned cold as he pulled out a list. "The selection is not based on who is the most useful, but it is based on the purity and the strength of the bloodline. We have already made our choice." He began to read the names, and the room was so quiet that I could hear my own heart thudding against my ribs. Name after name was called, and girls began to sob with relief when they realized they were staying, or they fell to the floor in grief when they were chosen.

"Kiana," the Village Head said, and his eyes met mine for a split second before he looked away.

My heart broke right there in that cold hall. All the hard work I had done, and all the help I had given the village, meant nothing. I was on the list. I was one of the thirty. The tiny spark of happiness I had felt was blown out like a candle in a storm, and I felt a cold, sick feeling spread through my stomach. I was going to the Edge, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Now that the thirty are chosen," Elder Bram said, stepping forward to replace the Village Head. "You must learn the truth of the Vow. You are thirty girls, but not all of you will be taken by the beasts , for the beasts only claim those they find worthy. But those who are taken must know the rules, or you will bring death back to your families. The Beast Legion does not tolerate mistakes, and the King of the beast expects absolute submission from the human mates that he allows to live in his forest."

He pulled out a thick, black scroll and unrolled it, and the sound of the parchment was like a bone snapping in the quiet room. "Listen well to the Five Laws of the Edge, for these are the rules you must follow from the moment your feet touch the forest grass."

"First," he shouted, and a girl next to me let out a small, choked sob. "You must never look into their eyes when they snatch you, for the red glow of the beast is the last thing many men have seen before they died, and it is said that looking into their gaze will steal your soul.

Second, you must never scream after you cross the boundary line, for the beasts hate the sound of human fear, and if you cry out, they may decide you are too weak and leave you for the wild dogs instead.

Third, you must keep your hands open and empty at all times, for any sign of a weapon or even a closed fist is seen as a declaration of war, and they will kill you where you stand. Fourth, you must never ask them for their names or speak unless you are spoken to, for they are our masters.

Fifth, and most terrifying of all, you must never try to run back once they touch you, for the moment the beasts hand is on your skin, you belong to the forest, and if you try to return, they will burn Ariath to the ground."

The sound of crying in the room was like a soft, miserable wind, and I felt a hot, bubbling anger in my chest that replaced my broken hope. These were not rules for a marriage; they were rules for a prison. The elders then began to give us their "advice" on how to behave once the blur of red eyes snatched us.

"When you feel the wind of their movement," one elder whispered. "Do not fight them, but let your body go limp, for they are stronger than a hundred men and if you resist, they will break your bones. They move faster than the eye can see, so do not blink, and do not try to find your way home. You must learn to be silent, for the King of the beast is a man of iron, and he does not want a girls who asks questions about the past."

I looked around at the girls, and I saw them sinking to their knees, but as I listened to the elders, my stubborn heart only grew harder. They wanted us to be quiet, and they wanted us to be invisible, but I had spent two years learning how to hide a small, sharp blade in my skirt. I didn't care about the red eyes or the soul-stealing gaze, and I didn't care about the speed of the Beast, because I was not a sack of grain to be traded.

"We will spend the next six days in this hall," Elder Bram announced. "You will learn how to walk to the Edge and how to wait for the red eyes without trembling. You should be proud to pay the price that keeps your parents alive, even if it means you never see the sun over this village again."

I watched him, and I realized that the elders were just as afraid as we were. I stayed silent as we practiced our "waiting pose," standing still with our heads bowed, but inside my mind, I was already breaking every law they gave us. I would look into their eyes, and if the beast thinks they are getting a submissive girl, they were wrong. The week would pass, the moon would turn red, and the screaming would begin, but I promised myself that I would be the only one who didn't let the fear take me.