At Gabriel’s signal, Daniel lowered his hood. His hair glistened in the torchlight, looking almost as golden as his robes. Three black lines had been painted under each of his eyes, and another black line ran from the top of his forehead to the tip of his nose—the ceremonial markings of the prime challenger, signifying that Daniel was the person to beat in order to be declared the new alpha. They made him look fierce and primal, like a tribal warrior.
A louder murmur came up from the crowd of spectators. Some wondering why they didn’t know Sirhan had a grandson, others remarking as to how much Daniel looked like Sirhan in his younger years.
Gabriel raised his voice louder to be heard over the din. “Daniel is more like his grandfather than just in appearance. He is a true alpha.”
Daniel stepped up onto the platform and looked out over the people who crowded around the outside of the arena now. I wondered if he was searching their faces, looking for his father. I could feel the power radiating off his body in waves.
“A true alpha,” someone said with spite. I wondered if the owner of the voice was reconsidering whether or not to make a challenge.
Daniel held up his arms like Gabriel had, and the crowd became completely still. “I, Daniel Etlu,” he said, repeating the ceremonial words Jarem had taught him, “chosen successor of Sirhan Etlu and prime challenger, now call for all who wish to challenge my right to lead the Etlu Clan. Step into the ring to make your claim. All others should withdraw for their own safety.”
Gabriel gave a slight bow to Daniel and quickly left the ring. He took his place as one of the guardians next to Jude on the side of the ring opposite of the barn.
“We’re up,” I said, taking in a deep supposed-to-becalming breath.
Lisa, Talbot, Slade, and I stepped into the challenging field. We walked side by side until we came to stand behind the platform where Daniel waited. The crowd grew loud again with discussion as people realized that we were there for the sole purpose of backing Daniel up.
No other challengers entered the ring yet, and there was still no sign of the Shadow Kings. I searched the crowd for Caleb, while watching and waiting for the first real challenger to step forward. Based on the gestures and heated looks being exchanged between an older-looking Urbat and a man who looked like his son, they were debating over which one of them should enter the ring.
After a moment, the older man gave a nod to his son, and the younger man passed between two guardians and stepped onto the field.
The crowd silenced, acknowledging the first challenger.
“That’s Anton Oberot, son of Serge. He’s the beta of the Oberot Clan.”
The quiet continued as a second challenger stepped into the ring. He was large man dressed in army fatigue pants and a tight black shirt that showed off muscles upon muscles on his arms. He held something bundled in each of his hands.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said. “Most likely a lone wolf. Or possible a mercenary paid to fight for someone else.”
“These first two are mine,” Daniel said.
Three more challengers entered the ring together. I recognized the tallest of them right away. I assumed the other two would be fighting as his lieutenants.
“Marrock. I knew he’d show up.” Lisa wrinkled her nose and tightened her grip on her spear. “He’s mine.”
“I’ll take the other two,” Talbot said. I wondered if he was trying to match Daniel in number.
Another challenger entered the ring—a woman swathed in layers of sky blue fabric, with golden bangles and henna tattoos decorating her arms.
“That’s Mahira, alpha of the Varkolaks. She’s vicious,” Lisa said. “She became alpha of her pack by ripping off the head of the beta at the last Challenging Ceremony I went to—he was her own brother.”
I shivered in the cold wind, but then to my surprise, Mahira pulled the blue fabric from her shoulders and let the layers fall to the ground. She stood there completely naked in front of us, unabashed.
Slade just about fell over.
“Okay,” I said. “Little Miss Naked is my responsibility. None of you boys will be able to focus while fighting her.”
One last man entered the ring. He had hair almost as white as snow, even though everything else about him looked as if he were a young man. Everything else but his narrowed eyes.
Lisa gasped. “That’s Christopher Varul. He’s a pure blood. Varuls don’t intermix with anyone who isn’t pure. They don’t allow Urbats like me—created by infection, not birth—into their pack. If he were to become alpha, he would no doubt get rid of everyone who isn’t purebred.”
“Now, we can’t have that,” Slade said, lifting his knife in the Varul’s direction.
Another minute passed as we waited for anyone else to step forward and make a challenge, but the crowd stayed quiet and still with anticipation. Where were the Shadow Kings? Where was Caleb? Where was my little brother?
“Why the hell hasn’t Caleb presented himself yet?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Daniel said. He drew his long steel sword from the sheath under his robe. “What is he waiting for?”
The guardians began to hammer their spears against the ground. My heart beat with the rhythm, anxiety curling in my muscles. It was only fifteen minutes until the eclipse. How were we supposed to stop Caleb before it if he didn’t show up?
And then I realized that maybe the eclipse was exactly what Caleb was waiting for.
The drumming of the spears reached an almost deafening thunder around us, then broke off into silence all at once. “Begin!” the guardians shouted.
We all looked at one another for half a second, and then with a great scream the lone wolf in the military pants went charging at Daniel. The other challengers followed only a second behind. Daniel would be the prime target of the challengers, and it was the task of the rest of us to pick them off.
The lone wolf broke away from the other challengers in a flat-out run. He let go of the bundles in his hands, revealing two long whips made out of chains. Silver ones, I was sure of it. He spun them in front of him like propellers.
“Damn, chain whips,” Talbot said. “I should have thought of that.”
The man with the whips lashed one out at Daniel, who twisted out of the way.
The rest of the challengers closed in on them. Our little pack of backup broke apart, and we each went after the targets we’d chosen.