Chapter One

On the way to a rebellion meeting, Jo meets her very first Werewolf (with lots of secrets), learns that crushes can disappoint you, and discovers that the Strigoi may not be the bad guys after all.

The armor clad soldiers marched down the cobblestone streets like an army of robots. Each step was in perfect unison with the rest; their boots making a loud clapping sound with each step. At the intersection of every alleyway and street, the soldier in charge would call the names of a few of them and direct them to search that particular area. Then, the rest would continue on, minus a few, and repeat the process at the next intersection.

Jocelle knew that she was going to get caught if didn't get outside of town soon. Breaking curfew was a serious offense in Emperzia. Anyone caught out after dark was tied to a pole in the center of their town. Cuts would then be made along their forearms and they were left to die. The blood letting served two purposes; to draw out any roaming Strigoi to be killed by the Emperzian Guard, and because it was long believed that blood letting weakened Strigoi making them unable to break the bonds that tied them to the pole. The Vampire Council didn't care how the offenders died; wounds, sunlight, or Strigoi attack, only that the death occurred. If by some miracle the poor soul survived the night, they were left tied up until they did die thus becoming Strigoi bait. No one knew what happened to the human bodies after they were cut down. All across Emperzia and Jo's home of Hovel, the people knew to keep their mouths shut and mind their own business. Not that that stopped the gossipers from spreading the latest tidbit, it just made them more selective of who they told. Asking questions could get you killed or labeled as a spy for the wolves of Fyrdin, the dwarves of Metaluna, or even the uncontrollable killers Strigoi. It was extremely rare but humans had been known to fight alongside them, though Jo had no idea why. Humans were nothing but food to both Strigoi and vampires. Neither gave a damn about humans at all.

Hovel was the slum of Emperzia, the capital division of Azalea, created by the Vampire Council to hold their food supply. It was one of two divisions in Azalea that were occupied by humans, Myrna was the other. Everyone in Azalea knew the vampires kidnapped citizens of Myrna and brought them to Hovel to keep their "cattle" from inbreeding too much. Myrna was also the place that the V.C. had chosen to add to their borders. That was why Jo was out way past curfew. A rebel army of humans was being formed in Hovel and she couldn't resist joining. Humans were tired of being nothing but food, being ruled and hunted by blood suckers, and treated like less than dirt. The meetings were usually held at the home of her crush, Ryson, and his father but someone had tipped off the Guard so now they were to meet in the basement of the Black Dragon Inn on the border between Emperzia and the Academy. 

The Academy was in the direct center of Azalea. It used to be a place of learning for those specially chosen by the Academy Warriors. It was rumored that when chosen, you were taught how to become an invincible warrior, along with magic and the history of Azalea and all its divisions. Students were chosen from every race, every division, until the vampires took over Emperzia over five hundred years ago. Once they claimed to be the rulers of Azalea, the Academy closed it's doors and never emerged again. Myrna, Metaluna and Fyrdin declared war on the vampires but after three years, they sought a treaty once they realized the famed Academy Warriors would no longer protect the safety and peace of Azalea. The treaty basically stated that every race would remain in their own division, but humans would be split; half would stay in Myrna and the other half would move to Emperzia to feed the Council. There would be no more trading among divisions, and everyone would remain with their own kind in their own division. 

At least that was the story that Jo's mom, Cynassa, had told her every night before bed until she was taken when Jo was ten. Every year a Chosen Ceremony was held where the high ranking vampires of the Council would come to Hovel to choose new blood slaves for their homes. Cynassa had been chosen shortly after Jo's tenth birthday by Lord Neriel. Jo's father, Bran, had tried to fight through the guards and keep Lord Neriel from taking her, but she screamed for him to stop and think of their daughter. In response, Bran had begged Neriel to tak Jo instead. Whether it impressed or disgusted Neriel, no one knew but it made a strong enough impression that he took Bran as well. Jo's Aunt Achia was given custody of Jo until her eighteenth birthday when she would become a part of the Chosen Ceremony herself. 

Now, seven years later, Jo was only three months away from being chosen age and trying to get home before the Emperzian Guards caught her. She had been searching the town of Sladen for hours for the Black Dragon Inn but had yet to find it, so facing that her trip had been in vain, her only thought was making the two day journey home alive. Her plan was to sneak out of Sladen that night without getting caught, then hiding in the surrounding woods until dawn. Then she would travel to the border between Hovel and Emperzia until curfew, when she would reach her cousin's home just inside Hovel's border. After a hot meal and a good nights sleep she would be on her way home to Burgh and should reach it well before dark. Aunt Achaia would kill her if she found out where she'd been so Jo had no intention of telling her anything other than she had visited her cousin. That was the plan anyway, but plans sometimes change without warning.

She was hiding in an alley behind some stacks of crates a few blocks away yet form the Guard. She knew if she stayed any longer she would surely be caught, but there was no place to hide that she could see. It was extremely dark with only moonlight shining on the wall across the alley to see by. Lighting her last matchstick, she quickly looked around before extinguishing the light. Across the alley and to the left, she spied a door. If she hadn't been looking for it she would have never noticed it, the wood of the door blending seamlessly to the wood of the building. She prayed it wasn't the door to someone's home and raced silently to it. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open and rushed inside.

Before she could get farther than three steps inside, she felt a sharp metal object pressed against her throat. Surprise froze her for a second before instinct took over and she pushed hard on the edge of the blade with her hands cutting them in the process. In one movement she spun away from her assailant, grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back and aimed her bow in the direction the sword had come from. Though the room was dark, a sliver of moonlight shined through the window to the right of her attacker, so she could make out an outline only. Both she and her attacker froze as they heard the boots of the Guard coming closer to them. The stranger quickly locked the door and returned to his previous position; sword raised pointed at her, and still as a statue. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he glared as hard at her as did him.   

After several long minutes that felt like hours, the Guard had passed them by enough that sound could be made without fear of discovery. The stranger took a step towards her and Jo pulled harder on her bow just as a candle from behind her and to the left was lit in the room, followed by a few more until the flames pushed the darkness to the corners of the room. Finally, she could see her opponent clearly. He looked t be only a few years older than her, shaggy, dark auburn hair lightly touching the widest shoulders Jo had ever seen. His arms and legs were at least twice the size of her own and enclosed in thick leather armor. He took another step towards her and she aimed the arrow directly for the green circles in his eyes.  Her body was weakening, and she was suddenly feeling exhausted, struggling to keep her bow drawn and her aim.

"Wait! Don't hurt her! She's one of us," a voice called from a corner behind her, and the swordsman lowered his weapon. Jo shook her head trying to clear the fog entering her brain.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," he answered angrily holding his hands up. "My blade is poisoned, and you've cut your palms on it. If you don't let me help you, you're going to go to sleep and never wake up," he told her calmly.

"Why should I trust you? I don't even know who you are!" She began to lose the battle with the poison and began to sway.

"Jocelle, it's me, Ryson. Put down your bow, I swear he wont hurt you." The voice from the corner thickly entered her brain.

"Ryson?" She spun to face the voice, but she was so weak and dizzy that she started to collapse. Before she hit the floor, she felt two large arms catch and lift her. She looked into those piercing green eyes one last time before her world went black.

Author's Note

feel free to critique it all

Reviews

[JCWilliams]

I love this genre. I really like where you are going with this story. I'm no good at critiques, because i'm a newbie at this too, but i have read heaps of books in this genre supernatural, romance, action and definitely would buy a book like this. I'm writing the same genre but set in today in the real world. I love though fantasy towns and worlds and seeing what people come up with their imagination - like yours!

[huishtrevor]

I think it is a very interesting premise and first chapter. I did have a bit of a hard time following it. I think there is too much going on in a small amount of time. I think it is a really good outline for a lot of things that will happen in the book. For example I would keep the part about curfew and explain that part but leave the other parts (example vampires) for other chapters. Stylistically I liked it though and it could be very interesting.

[Dillon McFarlane]

Absolute brilliant first chapter! Well done!