[2.1] THE NIGHT COURT

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"Now little ones, go to sleep. For the Night Wolf brings the Shadows, and he has fangs that breathe death."

                                                                •|•|•

I KNEW I was cursed long before I ever knew I was a Keffer. AMA said she found me buried in a pile of ash in the forest that bordered the Fire Wolf Territory as she and her pack warrior's watched the borders.

I was hiding is all that I remembered.

Six and scared to death, fire and ash falling from the sky in that half-burnt forest, only the sounds of horses and screams echoing in my mind.

Staring down at my skin I ignored the yank of the carriage beneath us on the harsh gravel road, our backs leaning against the silver bars of the cage.

Vale had fallen asleep at the crack of Dawn after crying a while, her head slumped against my shoulder, but her arm remained wrapped around me on instinct.

There was a huge contrast in our skin tones. Another curse of mine. I was the only one that was different in my pack, they had never seen anyone quite like me. Neither had I, though I was sure my parents must have been.

Whilst Vale's skin was milky, only blotched by the dirt of the cage, mine remained as dark as night, the dirt blending into the tone.

Shade they named me. Because I was the absence of light.

Vale's hair was long and light, whilst mine was short, dark, thick, and stubborn, unable to flow down to my shoulders.

I pursed my lips, looking out of the cage. The sun was high up ahead, soon would be scorching. I grabbed a rag in the cage throwing it over Vale. Her pale skin would surely fry as I noticed it did in direct sunlight.

Mine was already too dark to fry.

I swallowed softly, I needed to wet my throat, dry from the lack of water. My head leaned against the bars closing my eyes. We had a full day's journey to get to Night Wolfs Court, but sleep would not come.

The Night Wolf.

Of all Courts we could have been taken to, sold or traded, that of the devil himself? My chest tightened as I glanced down at Vale.

Of course.

I was cursed.

It was the reason I had no family, why I was a Keffer and why I was headed to the home of the most feared Arc-Alpha of the 4 territories.

There was only one comfort I had. As a Keffer, I would probably not be allowed to even stand in the presence of his royal blood. That is if they didn't kill me before that.

Either way, I would never have to see that monster, but Vale-

My eyes opened looking down at her, tears glazing my eyes. Slaves died every day in that court, all victims.

The Night Wolf was known to be unforgiving, heart as dark as his Arc-Wolf. It is the only reason why his territory was the largest among the 4 Arc- Alpha, and why he was feared the most despite the many mysteries turned into myths about him.

Perhaps I should appreciate the safety it brought being a pack under his rule, but that too evidently, came with a price.

"Do you think we will survive a night there?" Vale asked, indicating she had long been awake.

I glanced down at her with a soft sigh, "AMA said the Night Court is a big place. They'll probably have hundreds of slaves, we will never even see the Royal," I encouraged.

She didn't reply right away, sitting up in the cage, her eyes puffed up from crying, but her tone was dead, "I was scared, but I'm not anymore," Vale stated, leaning against the cage as it rattled roughly once more, her head turned my way, pale blue eyes catching mine.

"But I welcome death Shade, with open arms. It is not like this life has anything to offer. For even if we died, it wouldn't matter. We will never see AMA again, we will be slaves for the rest of our lives, bound to the walls of the Night Wolf's Court," her voice skipped, tears clouding her eyes again, "we have no saviors to prey or hope for. You have no mate and mine.." she trailed off, laughing sadly, her tone dripping in spite, "would never want a traitor's daughter and a slave."

My hand clamped over her arm, "we will surely escape, Vale. We will make it over the sea, so we can live normal lives with the humans- " I encouraged.

She scoffed at this, pulling her arm away, "that's a fairy's tale Shade, and even they died out centuries ago. Look at where we are," her tone was bitter, as her eyes trailed around the trees that lined the bumpy road, "maybe we had a shot at home but now? The sea is 8 packs away from the Night Court!- that's 8 territories to cross barefoot- with a rogues scent-" she added pointing to herself, "and even if we magically escaped, what makes you think the humans won't treat us any differently?"

"Because I'm basically human," I huffed, "and AMA knows things. She said humans have no way of knowing what we are. They can't smell you or know what you are unless you shift. They don't have mates, they fall in love freely," I let out a shallow breath, "we could have good lives there. We could marry, have pups of our own.." I trailed off

Her wet eyes stared back at me, dead of hope, "I wish I had your dreams Shade, but when I close my eyes, all I see is darkness."

"There are rogues that have escaped and lived among them, freely-" I prodded on, "some had to travel farther than we have to."

I sighed, "Vale you don't need to have dreams. I can dream for the both of us."

Leaning back against the metal bars, I watched the trees, "I want to live, Vale. There is too much of this world to see. All we need to do is find a way to escape- "

"Even if we could.. live.." she paused, glancing at me, "how on earth are we going to escape the Night Wolf's court?" She huffed.

"We're going to try-"

"And die trying probably-"

Our eyes met, and we both burst out into laughter for a moment, tears filling our eyes, as we grinned.

I sighed taking a deep breath, glancing back at her, "We are nobodies Vale, no one is going to miss us. Let death come for us, we have nothing to lose."

I felt her eyes linger on me for a moment before looking away.

Letting out a shallow breath, I rolled my head to the side as I studied her features, "but" I began, "we do have everything to gain if we succeed."

Her eyes caught mine at this, a low glow in her dead eyes- and I smiled.

                                      ———

"Eyes low, blend, always obey, ask questions.. but not too many, gain trust, show loyalty... That's all, right?" Vale whispered counting her fingers as she listed them.

I nodded, "that is all."

She sighed, tucking a strand of her thin hair behind her ear before glancing back at me, "are you sure you'll be fine without me? I can't leave you all alone Shade."

I smiled at this, "You'll have to while they're watching. I'm a keffer Vale, most of the other slaves there will be rogues and servants disposed of by their Alpha's, maybe some Omegas who were rejected. But even the lowest classes have their own hierarchy. If you stay near me they'll shun you too, and you need to be close to them if we should ever find an escape from that place."

She nodded at this, as we approached the glowing light of Yulis, the oldest City in Valcane and the Capital, glowing in the Night.

The lantern swung above us, lighting our way through the dark city street, before turning into a backway alley, coming to a halt near a large black door. Vale and I stayed close together as the doors to our cage swung open, an old lady dressed in all black standing beside our handler, Geoffrey, the man who had been driving the carriage.

"This is what you bring for the Royal?" The old woman hissed, "A rogue and a.." she sniffed the air, her face turning in disgust, her black eyes turning grey as her wolf growled, " a keffer? You dare bring a breathing curse to the Night Court?!" she spat throwing the angriest look to the man.

"Just following orders," Geoffrey merely stated, shrugging as he tucked his hands in his pants, "on a request sealed by the Night Court. Their kind is demanded by the crack of Dawn."

I never liked Geoffrey. He was the man that Alpha Darren sent to transport slaves. Tall, skinny, and creepy was all that was needed to sun him up, with hair that fell to his shoulders in thin strands, slightly covering his brown eyes.

The old woman scoffed at this, turning towards us with the ugliest grin, "then they must be the entertainment," she replied, "after the ceremony, there's always a hunt."

My blood ran cold at this. A hunt? What ceremony?

"Get up slaves," she growled.

We moved out of the cage, our handler slapping chains on our wrists and feet. Vale hissed at the impact of the chain on her tender wrist whilst Geoffrey only scoffed, "better get used to it."

My jaw clenched, eyes darting to the chains around my wrists.

Silver, I noted. Wolf's poison. It had no effect on a wolf-less wolf.

I glanced at the woman as she grinned grimly, "forward slaves," she grunted pushing us in front.

We walked through the doors, the stench the first to reach me, before the hundreds of whispering voices that sat in the room, chained to the floor.

"Stand here," the woman continued before moving to the front of the room, grabbing a candle from a boy.

She soon separated all the slaves into 4 notable groups, placing our group in a second carriage, "off to Night Court," she gritted out to the driver of our new cage, moving backward to face us, an ugly smile on her face, "savor the sun slaves, for the Night wolf brings the shadows-" she cawed creepily, her grey eyes glowing in the moonlight as the carriage began our journey to the Night Court.

"And his fangs breathe death," a girl whispered, clasping her hands in a prayer, staring aimlessly into the darkness.

I shivered at this, glancing at Vale who seemed scared too. Silently watching the city of Yulis pass us by, we delved further into the midnight. We would be at the Night Court at the crack of Dawn.

                                            ————-

I woke up to the jab of the carriage as it hit a bump, grunting as my back banged against the silver steel of the cage. Vale still slept soundly near me, but I noticed the other girls had huddled away from us.

My eyes met that of the darkened irises of a girl watching me from the farthest corner, her brown hair draped over her face, a cut on her lower lip.

"What are you looking at Keffer?" She snarled.

I pursed my lips looking away, staring out in the fading darkness- There, I saw it, as we moved down the stoned pathway.

Night Court.

The largest thing I had ever seen. The large castle-like building towered around us as dark as night in the fading hours. It had numerous towers and the breadth of it spanned farther than I could ever imagine.

So large, I was sure it already held hundreds if not thousands of slaves and servants alike. I shook Vale awake, pointing at the sight.

She seemed confused for a moment before her eyes widened, drinking it in. The large heavy gates, painted midnight black were already swung open, carriages of slaves pouring in from all directions.

For the new influx of slaves, one could only agree there was going to be some sort of ceremony or event taking place as the old lady handler had said.

The carriage moved in further and I admired the elegant court grounds, even though the grass was brown and airy, a light mist hanging in the air-

They pushed us out of our cages, making us move in a line, filing into the Night Court, where we all knelt on the courtyard stone, hundreds of us.

I watched as the guards walked among us, some booting slaves to the ground, grinning and mocking but my eyes focused on the front, watching a well-worn lady take center stage, looking through the row of slaves whilst saying something to a guard perched at her side.

After a few moments. She addressed us.

"Midnight pack slaves," she began as she walked through the front slaves, stopping before a young male slave, with a sigh, "spare this one, Artemis and the lot need an extra help in the barn," she stated, moving through the line again as the guards brought the boy to his feet, taking him out.

She stopped once again, at a female slave, "go to the front," she casually stated.

She kept this behavior, selecting slaves until she reached our pack, "Night moon pack," she paused her eyes on both of us, a sparkle in them when they met mine- "a keffer-"

I swallowed staring down at the stone.

I was not going to be chosen or spared. Of course, my journey would lead me to the depths of despair, only the worst fate awaited me. My end.

I pursed my lips feeling all eyes on me.

"Your skin..." she trailed off, "were you burnt as a child?"

I shook my head gritting my teeth, "I was born this way-"

"Even the moon's light couldn't shine on this one, only her shadow," the guard beside her chuckled, grabbing my arm roughly, jutting forward as tears filled my eyes.

Vale gasped beside me, a panic set in her eyes.

"Please! Mercy!" I pleaded as I was dragged along, another guard grabbing my side, as my wide gaze shifted to the woman.

"She will do well in the hunt," the guard growled, accompanied by the laughter of the other guards, but it was his hand wrapping firmly around my waist that scared me more than that ever could, his fingers hard against my hips.

My tears fell down my cheeks, begging.

I couldn't go out like this. Not like this.

"Wait-" the woman began, green eyes narrowing on me,  "the chef needs a help," she paused as if contemplating her statement, "I believe she'll blend right in with the ash."

The guards paused at this as I pushed out of their arms, falling to my knees, "you plan on keeping a keffer in the Night Court?" He hissed, "Do you not value your own life, Madam?"

She paused at this, eyes narrowing on the guard- "I know you fear for my Life Zura," she smirked, though it did not reach her eyes, her tone dripping in authority, "do not worry my dear guard, I have years till I depart from this world, " she paused before looking down at me, then Vale, "both of you- to the front."

I tumbled forward supported by Vale, kneeling with the other selected slaves in the front. After a few more selections, the rest of the slaves were filed out- where too? I dreaded knowing. They were too many to be kept that I knew.

The guard left us alone with the strange yet familiar-looking woman. She had these familiar eyes I couldn't quite pinpoint.

"There are only three rules as you serve in the Night Court," she began retaining her polished stance, "Do as you are told, serve the masters, and listen to Catherine," she paused, a shimmer in her eye, "I am Catherine, but you will refer to me as Madam. I keep the Night Court slaves in the main Quarters in order, and run most of the household, obey me and live, disobey and ... fade." She finished, "understand?"

"Yes Madam," the slaves echoed, and I swallowed.

__  _____

We were shown to our quarters where we changed, the soot cleaned from our bodies.

Standing in a line Madam inspected us, pausing at me, "Keffer," she commanded, "You must know that you cannot show your face or your scent anywhere but in here and the Kitchen," she stated, "blend with the coal, that is the only way you'll survive."

I nodded at this as she pointed to the door leading outside, "kitchens that way."

I nodded bowing before walking toward it, "tell My dear Lucy, I sent you," she grinned after me.

Bowing again, I moved in the direction of the kitchen, still counting my blessing for being alive. I walked into the kitchen, bigger than anything I had ever seen, but it had to be, for everything in Night Court was huge.

It was rather busy as people cooked and

moved with platters of food out the other door, but the moment I stepped in, everything stopped.

Wolffish eyes trained on me, and my breathing lagged.

"What in hell's name is that smell in my kitchen?!" Someone growled. A hulk of a chubby man moved in, a small apron around his waist.

My eyebrows arched at this. Was he even able to shift?

He looked down at me as he sniffed the air, "keffer!" He growled, "what are you doing here?!"

"L-Lucy?" I echoed, pausing as I gulped slowly, feeling dumb. This was obviously a man, not a woman named Lucy.

"Luceferous!" he growled back- eyes growing darker.

I gulped at this, "I-I was sent by Madam Catherine, I'm your new help-" I stated, bowing low.

He paused at this, as whispers echoed in the kitchen, "shut up!" He growled causing the kitchen to quiet.

"A keffer? She sends me a keffer? Am I supposed to kill you then?" He asked.

I bit my tongue at this, heart pounding.

"She's the help, Lucy," Madams voice gritted out, walking out from behind me, "you asked, here she is. She is for the furnace. She'll blend right into the ash don't you think?"

"A keffer.." he growled out.

"You can keep her, or leave her to wander... it's your funeral," Madam stated casually.

Lucy's eyes darkened, growling at her, before they snapped to me, "you-" he huffed, fiery eyes raining down on me, "furnace now!"

I nodded quickly rushing in the direction of the furnace, ignoring the eyes of the others on me. Here, I found a large man leaning against the wall. He stood straighter, walking to me-

"Scoop, throw.. " he grumbled, throwing me the shovel.

I nodded, my finger shaking, getting right to work. My shovel dug into the heap of coal, throwing it into the large burning furnace.

It was better death.

It was surely better than death.