Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

36: She-Wolf

That night, Delilah woke to hear noises rumbling through the walls of Irkalla. She sat up and groaned, praying that the undead hadn't somehow escaped and were running rampant through the citadel.

She took care to stuff her feet into a sturdy pair of shoes this time, before she left her room. She was halfway down the black corridor - all torches had gone out and she had no light but the faint flicker around the corner - when she collided with a huge, solid body.

"Dante?" she whispered.

"It's me," Hawk grunted, shoving her away from him.

"What's happening?"

"Some idiots have started a riot in the Second Circle - they're protesting against this war. Word of the undead in Irkalla has probably spread - I don't think they realised what Dante meant by 'unleashing the Spectral Realm' until now."

"Oh."

"I'm rounding up the guards to shut it down."

"Do you want me to -?"

"Go back to sleep," he growled. "I will not have you interfering with my job. These people are not yours."

"Fine." Delilah stalked back to her room and closed the door, locking it in case the riot spread. But she doubted Dante would let it reach the First Circle. This, she supposed, was one of the major disadvantages of Irkalla. All the mountain cities and towns had been condensed into one pit, one labyrinth of caves, which meant that a mob mentality could spread to almost all of Dante's people.

Delilah curled back up in bed, listening to the faint sounds. She wondered how much damage was being done - and what Dante would do to the instigators.

But the day had worn her out, and she soon slept.

While she slumbered, every flame except one candle in the room burned out, so they cast no shadows when they entered.

The faint riot noises continued, contrasting to the usual silence, so the sounds they made as they picked the lock did not jar her from sleep.

They were stealthy - they had planned this.

Delilah woke with a jolt as a hand clapped over her mouth, and many men grabbed her at once.

Panic shot through her and she struggled, lashing out and trying to fight like a wildcat. Unknown, dark shapes groped her. She managed to wrench one leg free and kick someone in the face - he howled - but there were too many of them trying to immobilize every limb at once.

She clawed, gouging skin with her nails. The struggling was near-silent, but brutal, and she could barely breathe as she clamped her teeth down on a finger.

Bone crunched and blood flooded her mouth as the man gagging her screamed. She tried not to choke on its metallic taste and clenched her teeth harder - until he finally managed to rip his finger away, nearly taking her teeth with it.

Then a cold metal blade rested against her throat.

"It's time you were put down, She-Wolf," someone said. She recognised that oily voice - councilman Peters, the one who had hated her from the start.

She twisted an arm free as the blade sank in, cutting a burning path across her neck - and managed to knock Peters' arm away. The knife clattered across the floor, out of sight.

Kicking her bedsheets everywhere, Delilah lunged for her bedside table, pitting her wiry strength against that of the men's - their cruel hands were digging in as they tried to restrain her. She anticipated bruises.

But she'd give them something worse.

She snatched the remaining candle from its place on her table, twisted, and jabbed it into the face of the closest man.