Caitlin wound her way into the woods, and already felt more relaxed. It was darker here, stil night, and more peaceful.
Al around her were towering trees, blocking out most of the sky, and she could hear the songs of a few early morning birds, just waking. It was tranquil.
Caitlin thought of where she might go next. She found herself thinking of the unopened scrol , of her father’s letter.
Maybe now was the time to open it. Maybe something in there would lead her, show her the way. Maybe she was being punished for not fol owing her mission to begin with.
Maybe she had needed al this drama to force her back on track.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a twig snapping. Caitlin spun.
She was shocked to discover that there, fol owing her, was a large man, about twice her size. He was overgrown, with missing teeth, and a half open mouth. He looked like a real brute, very mean.
She could see trouble in his large, black eyes.
Caitlin heard another snap, and turned the other way to see two more ruffians approaching her.
They were nearly as big as the first man, and, covered in scars, had even meaner expressions, if possible.
Her heart started to pound as she realized she was being ambushed. Probably local thieves, or rapists, waiting to pray on passersby. She had been so stupid. She should have been more vigilant.
Just because she was in middle of nowhere, didn’t necessarily mean it was safe.
Normal y, Caitlin would have been fearless, but she hadn’t had a real chance to test her ful powers since she’d arrived back in time. Did she stil have them? She knew she could fly. But did she stil have the strength? The rage? The reflexes? The speed and agility and fighting skil s?
Now was hardly the time to be experimenting, she realized, with a pit her stomach.
“Take off your clothes,” one of them barked.
It was the big one, and as she looked, she saw him pul something smal and shiny from his waist. It was a dagger.
Clearly, these men didn’t just want to rob her.
Ruth snarled beside her.
“I’m only going to warn you once,” Caitlin said, in as loud and firm a voice as she could muster.
But deep inside, she was trembling. “Don’t come near me.”
A short, harsh laugh came out from the two other men, as they each pul ed out daggers of their own.
“This one has a mouth on her, doesn’t she?” one of them asked.
At that moment, the first one, several feet closer, reached for her. Caitlin waited, not wanting to show her hand.
Ruth suddenly lunged at the man, and bit as hard as she could on his ankle. Ruth was smal , but her teeth were sharp, and as she clamped down hard, the man screamed in agony. He shook his leg furiously, swinging Ruth in the air, but she would not let go. Final y, he swung hard, and Ruth went flying.
Caitlin saw her chance. She lunged forward, sending the heel of her hand up high and hard, right into the base of the man’s throat.
It was a perfect strike. She hit him in the vocal cords, and he immediately raise both hands to his throat, and dropped to his knees.
Caitlin grabbed him by the back of the head, and brought his face into her knee, breaking his nose. He fel into the ground.
Caitlin suddenly felt her arm burn with pain, as she heard the slicing of a knife.
She grabbed her arm in pain and felt the hot blood pour out of her—and realized she had been sliced by a dagger.
Stupid of her. She had left herself open to attack from the other men, who were faster than she’d thought.
Before she could react, she was grabbed from behind by the other man. She struggled, but the man was strong, and no matter what she did, she was unable to break free.
The other man came around and faced her, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, as if looking at his next meal. He quickly pul ed down his pants.
“Undress her,” he commanded the other.
The other began to reach around and grab Caitlin’s shirt.
That was when it happened. Caitlin closed her eyes and suddenly thought of al the times in her life she’d been attacked, abused, bul ied. She thought of New York, back in the al ey. She thought of Cain, on Pol epel. She remembered Venice. She even thought of her mother, who never had a kind word for her. And more than anything, she felt al the frustration and anger that had built up in her from Caleb’s leaving her. The heartbreak. The depression. She was overwhelmed with rage. She could scream at the world. It wasn’t fair. She deserved better.
It just wasn’t fair.
A sudden, inexplicable rage flooded through her. She felt her arms and hands and shoulders bulge, and suddenly felt the strength of a hundred men. She leaned back, broke free of his grasp and roared. It was the vicious snarl of an animal, of a wolf. Of a vampire.
Caitlin turned, grabbed the man and threw him, and he went flying at ful speed, until he smashed into a tree, unconscious.
The other man, his pants down, suddenly stared at her wide-eyed, in shock, as if staring at a wild tiger that had just been unleashed from its cage. His expression changed from audacity to fear and cowardice. She could see him trembling.
But Caitlin had no sympathy left. She had transformed, into a beast, and she couldn’t hold back her primal urge. She lunged into the air, and kicked him hard in the chest with both feet. The man, his pants down, went flying through the air, and cracked his head hard against a tree. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Caitlin spun in time to see the big one charging at her. She waited, then at the last second, bent down, easily picked up, and hurled him through the air. He went flying headfirst, this time into a branch, impaling and kil ing him on impact.
this time into a branch, impaling and kil ing him on impact.
Caitlin walked over to one of the unconscious men, her rage stil not satisfied. One of them began getting up slowly, and she kicked him as hard as she could in the face.
It stil wasn’t enough for her. She wanted blood. She wanted revenge. Revenge for every act of cruelty in her life.
Sinking to one knee, she began to choke him. He awoke from his unconsciousness, and grabbed her wrist with both of his huge hands, trying to get it off. But he was no match for her. Her single, thin wrist held him pinned down in a vice-like grip, and his eyes bulged out of his head, as his face turned blue. It was clear he would be dead in moments.
“CAITLIN!” yel ed a voice.
Caitlin spun, shocked to recognize the voice.
Out of the forest, holding a staff, dressed in a long robe, a single man hiked towards her.