Chapter 112 The Trap Closes
CALLUM
I'm frozen mid-punch. Fist extended toward Cormac's face. Six inches away. Couldn't connect. The spell hit first.
I can see. Can hear. Can think. Can't move.
Paralysis. Complete. Magical. Unbreakable.
Around me, everyone's frozen. Valentina mid-shot. Tom mid-spell. Fae warriors mid-swing. Every fighter on the battlefield locked in place.
Hermetic Order mages walking through us. Examining. Cataloging. Marking.
Professor Fell approaches me. Studies my face. Smiles.
"Callum Brennan. Excellent specimen." He pulls out magical tag. Attaches it to my chest. I can feel it burning through my shirt. "Wolf-001. Priority subject. High-value genetic material."
I try to speak. Can't. Mouth won't move. Throat paralyzed.
Fell moves to Cormac. Frozen three feet away. Fist also extended. We were killing each other when the spell hit.
"Cormac Brennan. Alpha wolf. Also valuable." Fell tags him. "Wolf-002. Priority subject. Control study comparison with specimen 001."
Cormac's eyes are moving. Furious. Confused. Betrayed.
Fell moves through the battlefield. Tagging everyone. Assigning numbers. Categorizing by species.
Valentina gets Dhampir-001. Tom gets Fae-hybrid-001. Each of the thirty fae warriors gets numbered. Every vampire hunter. Every dragon.
We're being inventoried. Like livestock. Like property.
Mordaunt appears at the circle's edge. Watching. Satisfied smile on his face.
Fell approaches him. "Lord Mordaunt. The capture was successful. Two hundred twelve subjects secured."
"Excellent work, Professor. Parliament will be pleased."
"Will they? I was under the impression Parliament wanted extermination."
"Parliament wanted the problem solved. You solved it. Permanent imprisonment is more thorough than death." Mordaunt enters the circle. Walks among the frozen fighters. "Dead wolves can't organize. But captured wolves can't either. And they're more valuable to you alive. Everyone wins."
"Not everyone." Fell gestures at the paralyzed fighters. "These people lost everything."
"They're not people anymore. They're experimental subjects. Property of the Hermetic Order. That's what happens when you defy established power."
Cormac's eyes are desperate. Moving frantically. He's trying to understand. Trying to process.
His pack is frozen behind him. Thirty enforcers. All captured. All tagged. Cormac-auxiliary-01 through Cormac-auxiliary-30.
Mordaunt sees Cormac's confusion. Approaches him.
"Alpha Brennan. I see you're wondering what happened. Let me explain." Mordaunt's voice is pleasant. Cruel. "The extermination order was cover. Parliament and Hermetic Order have partnership. You lead your wolves into battle. We capture everyone. You get blamed for the debacle. We get test subjects. Clean. Efficient."
Cormac's rage is visible in his eyes. Betrayed. Used. Destroyed.
"Don't feel too bad," Mordaunt continues. "You're valuable too. Alpha genetics. Control studies. Breeding programs. You'll contribute greatly to science. Probably produce dozens of offspring. None of whom you'll ever meet."
He moves on. Leaving Cormac frozen in impotent fury.
Professor Fell organizes the mages. "Begin transport preparation. Separate by species. Wolves to facility A. Vampires to facility B. Fae to facility C. Dragons to facility D. We'll begin processing tomorrow."
"What about the dead?" a mage asks. "Over a hundred bodies."
"Collect them too. Dead specimens are still valuable. Genetic material. Organ harvesting. Tissue samples. Nothing goes to waste."
I watch this. Can't stop it. Can't fight. Can't even scream.
Hermetic Order mages start dragging paralyzed fighters. Moving them toward transport vehicles. Large trucks. Magical containment wards. Prison cells on wheels.
They drag Valentina first. She can't resist. Eyes desperate. Moving. Aware. But body completely frozen.
I watch her being loaded into a truck. Dhampir-001. Property. Specimen.
Then they come for me. Two mages. One on each arm. Dragging me across the battlefield.
I pass frozen wolves. Frozen vampires. Frozen fae warriors. Everyone I fought beside. Everyone who fought against me. All of us going to the same place.
Hermetic Order facilities. Underground. Hidden. Where they study supernaturals like animals.
We're loaded into different trucks. Sorted by species. I'm with the other wolves. Fifty-three of us survived the battle. All paralyzed. All captured. All tagged.
Cormac's in my truck too. They loaded him next to me. Deliberately. Probably think it's amusing. Twin brothers. Enemies. Imprisoned together.
His eyes meet mine. First time looking at each other without trying to kill in two years.
I see fear there. Regret maybe. Understanding.
We both lost. Neither of us won. We destroyed each other and handed victory to humans.
The truck doors close. Darkness. Can't see anymore. Just hear.
Mages outside. "Facility A is ready for intake. Transport estimated arrival: three hours."
"Excellent. Professor Fell wants processing to begin immediately."
"What about the ones who died outside the circle? The hundred corpses?"
"Different truck. They're going to facility E. Necromantic study. Tissue harvesting. Genetic extraction."
"And the dhampir? Valentina Corvino?"
"Priority transport. Breeding program. She's extremely valuable."
The trucks start moving. Leaving the Rookeries. Leaving the battlefield. Leaving everything.
I'm frozen next to Cormac. Can't move. Can't speak. Can't do anything.
All I can do is think. And regret.
We fought each other. Destroyed each other. And the humans who orchestrated everything get to collect the pieces.
Parliament wanted a problem solved. Hermetic Order wanted specimens. Mordaunt wanted control.
They all got what they wanted.
And we got captured. Imprisoned. Cataloged. Tagged. Numbered.
Wolf-001. That's who I am now. Not Callum. Not Alpha. Not leader.
Just a specimen. Property. Experimental subject.
Forever.
The truck drives on. Taking us to our new prison. Our new life. Our new reality.
Permanent captivity. Endless experimentation. Living death.
This is how it ends. Not with glory. Not with victory. Not with heroic sacrifice.
With paralysis. With capture. With defeat.
Complete. Total. Final.