The Wolf's Heart

by Rain Oxford

  We entered the town. People ignored us, which was better than being suspicious of us. “Wolves are common here, right?”

  “They are more common here than on Caldaca. Some respect them while some find them to be nuisances. They are intelligent, fast, and powerful predators that compete for food and kill livestock. They are also wonderful companions and protectors of man. I will not be the issue here. While wolves are perfectly common here, magic is still outlawed except for the wizards who belong to kings.”

  “Right, I remember. You haven’t done your dragon curse yet. I’ll do the talking, then. You pretend to be a wolf and I’ll pretend to have a neat walking stick.” The hat continued trying to fly, so I shoved it in my pocket and stopped in front of a woman carrying a basket of cabbages. “Hello, do you know Dantur?”

  The woman set down the basket and pointed down the road. “They took him that way. They accused him of harboring a wizard.”

  I looked at Merlin. “Tell her it must be a misunderstanding.” I did, and we hurried down the road in the direction the woman had indicated. Soon, we came across a covered wagon outside a tavern. Merlin’s ears perked and he sniffed the air. “He is there.”

  I nodded and started to pull my wand out of my pocket before a man emerged from the tavern. I could do this without magic. Keeping my magic to myself, I raised my staff to lift the cover of the wagon, revealing a cage containing five men. “I thought there were more people taken from the village than this,” I said.

  “They used multiple wagons. We only followed this one because of Dantur. Do not attempt magic on the lock; it was designed to contain wizards.”

  I set my bag down and got out my lock pick. “That won’t work,” Dantur said. “I already tried it. Who are you and why are you trying to help?”

  “My name is Ayden. I’m a friend of… a friend.” I tried the lock, but it seemed to be magically protected. “I can break the curse.”

  “No. Like I said; the cage is meant to contain wizards. If you perform any magic on it, either an alarm, a trap, or both will activate.”

  “The only way to open the cage is with the key,” Dantur said. “Forget about us. If they catch you with magic, you will be enslaved by the king.”

  “How do you know I’m a---”

  “Magic wafts from you like smoke from a red-hot blade in water.”

  “Maybe you could get the key,” another man said.

  “Quiet, Yona.”

  Yona pushed his way to the gate and reached out for me as if I could help him. “Please try. Benson is in the tavern. He has the key on him.”

  “You can’t risk your life for us,” Dantur said.

  “I’m not risking my life; I can help. You don’t know me, but I am stubborn and I help my friends. How will I know Benson when I see him?” I asked.

  “He has a scar on the left side of his face,” one of the men said.

  “He’s wearing a black cape and red vest,” Yona said. “He either has the key in his vest pocket or around his neck.”

  “What is his weakness?” Merlin asked.

  I relayed the question.

  “He’s a lightweight,” Dantur said. “I heard a couple of his lackeys joking about it.”

  “What does that mean? He’s scrawny?”

  “No. Well, yes, it can mean that. In this case, I mean he can’t hold his rum. He’ll pass out if he drinks too much.”

  If he knew that, he wouldn’t drink too much. However, I could figure out a way. For Merlin’s sake, I would. “We’ll be back with the key.” As I walked away from the cage, Dantur studied Merlin with a strange look on his face. Merlin hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say something, but then he followed me.

  The tavern was crowded with people and tables, and it smelled of sweat. It was dimly lit, but not dimly enough. The only women I saw were scantily clothed and working at the tavern. Benson was easy to spot by his scar and vest, fortunately. He was a burly man. His long brown hair had probably never seen a brush and his beard had more food in it than was left on his plate.

  “This is going to be fun.” He was sitting at a table with four other men, laughing way too loudly at something. “Should I use my wand?”

  “No. Find a seat and order something to eat. I will see if there is a back room you can disappear into. Watch him for habits or other weaknesses we can exploit.”

  That sounded a little cruel to me, but this was Merlin’s world, not mine. I trusted him. He wouldn’t ask me to hurt anyone.

  I sat at a table to watch Benson. I couldn’t cast a spell without being obvious. The key wasn’t on his neck, so I figured I would have to get it out of his pocket. I could freeze him long enough to get it, but I couldn’t freeze everyone in the room. Even if I set off a distraction and went invisible, I couldn’t search his pockets.

  He stopped a woman as she passed and ordered another drink. “Are you sure?” the man next to him asked after she left.

  “Don’t question me,” Benson snapped.

  “Come back here, through the door to the right of the bar,” Merlin said in my mind. “I have an idea.”

  I got up and found the back room he was waiting in. The room was small with crates of supplies. “Should we be here?”

  “No, but never mind that. In your bag is a brown bottle with a red cap. Get it out and make yourself invisible. Before the wench provides his drink, you must spike it with three to five drops. I would do it, but I cannot make myself invisible quickly like you.”

  “Don’t worry; I can do it.”

  “I know. I will be standing by to create a diversion if something happens.”

  I got the bottle out of the bag. “This isn’t going to hurt him, right? I’m still not okay with taking someone’s magic away.”

  “It will make him believe anything he is told. I trust you can take it from there. Do not overdose him, though. Five drops maximum or he will become a permanent pushover. Now hurry.”

  I waved my staff at myself. “Make me and everything I’m holding invisible.” Magic flowed out of me, through the staff, and back into me. I left my bag and returned to the main room. By then, the woman was halfway to Benson with his drink. I raced across the room as stealthily as I could, but people kept stepping in front of me. I caused four people to spill their drinks, although I managed to avoid getting drenched. By the time I reached her, she was at the table. She set the mug down and Benson reached for it, so I bumped into the woman. With a startled gasp, she fell into Benson’s lap.

  Benson laughed. “I told you that you would fall for me before the night was over.”

  She laughed nervously to hide the revulsion as some of the food from his beard flew onto her dress. I gagged in sympathy and used the opportunity to slip four drops into the drink. I ran to the back room and shed my invisibility. “I did it.”

  “Good. Now we just have to wait until he drinks it.”

  I watched through the crack in the door as the woman extracted herself from his lap and got back to work. “Should I go sit near him?” I asked.

  “No. We need to be subtle.”

  We watched for a long while until the tavern started to empty, but Benson didn’t touch his drink. “This isn’t working.”

  “It looks like we are going to have to trick him into drinking it.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “Leave that up to me. We will need to switch.”

  “You can’t just tell me what to do?”

  “You know my magic works differently than yours.”

  After I got his clothes out of the bag, he met my eyes and switched us. Then he got dressed, grabbed several coins from my coin purse, put on one of his rings, and left. I put my wolf hearing to good use and spied on the interaction, hoping to learn something. The room smelled so much worse through my wolf nose.

  Merlin grabbed a cup with some colored rocks off a table. “I need to borrow these, thank you.” I couldn’t see the rocks from the distance, but he put them in the cup. Then h
e boldly sat across Benson and loudly set the cup on the table. “I heard you could play.”

  “Oh, I’m the best at…” Benson looked in the cup and frowned. “… that game. Just… refresh me on the rules in this town.”

  Merlin scoffed. “Rules are for servants. Roll two dice. You want the highest sum possible. If you are unhappy with it, you can roll once more, but you have to roll both. Then I go. Whoever has the higher sum wins.”

  “And what do I win?”

  Merlin tossed a silver coin on the table. When Benson pulled out a coin and grabbed the cup, Merlin made a gesture to a woman, who quickly brought him a drink. Merlin didn’t drink it, though. Benson rolled two dice and his men cheered. Merlin deliberately tapped his mug with his ring.

  “I’m sticking with this roll. You can’t beat two fives.”

  Merlin pursed his lips. “That will be difficult.” Merlin rolled and Benson’s men cheered again. Once again, Merlin tapped the mug with his ring, making a noticeable clinking sound. He scooped up the dice and rolled again.

  Benson jeered. “A three and a four! That was the easiest game I ever one!”

  Merlin tapped the mug for a third time. “Beginner’s luck. How about we do another round?” He pulled out another coin and Benson agreed immediately. This time, Merlin won, but he didn’t celebrate. He did, however, take a drink.

  “That’s not fair!” Benson roared. “Best two out of three!”

  Merlin remained perfectly calm. “Very well.” This time, Benson one, and Merlin tapped the mug. Merlin won the next round. No tapping. A small sip of his drink.

  “Best out of ten!” Benson demanded. He really didn’t want to give up that silver.

  “As you wish.”

  Benson rolled two sixes and Merlin tapped his mug. The more they played, the more desperate Benson got to win. Oddly, they took turns winning so they were neck and neck until the end. Benson was one up on the ninth round, so Merlin had to win to tie. Benson rolled the dice and got two fives. Assured of his victory, his body tensed up with excitement. Right before Merlin rolled his dice, he tapped his mug and Benson drank his potion-laced drink down in a single gulp.

  Merlin smirked and rolled his dice. He lost the round, but won the game. He gave up his second coin. “How about we up the stakes?”

  Benson looked a bit woozy. “How so?”

  Merlin leaned in slightly. “I am a collector of keys.”

  Benson scoffed. “Really?”

  “Yes. I love all kinds of keys.”

  “Why? Are you a thief?”

  “No, no. In fact, I can open any lock I want without a key— even magic locks.”

  Benson considered him for a moment before asking, “How?”

  Merlin gestured to his ring. “This will unlock anything.”

  “Then why do you want keys?”

  “I just collect them. It is a useless hobby, I know, but it was either that or watches.”

  “Watches?”

  “Never mind that. Anyway, if only you had a key to bargain, I would be willing to wager my most priceless possession.”

  “That ring?” Benson asked, pointing to the one Merlin had been tapping.

  “Indeed.”

  “Is it gold?”

  “Of course it is.”

  “And that stone?”

  “It is one of the most powerful stones known to man— a black star sapphire.”

  “I’ve never heard of that.”

  “That is because they are rarer than any other magic stone. All wizards who see it will recognize it and surrender immediately.”

  “I… I do have this.” Benson pulled a key out of his vest and put it on the table.

  “That is a lovely key. What does it go to, if you do not mind my asking?”

  “A cage. A magically sealed cage that not even wizards can break into.”

  “My ring can do it.” Because Benson drank the potion, he believed everything Merlin told him. “It sounds to me like my ring is more valuable. Oh well, a deal is a deal.” Merlin removed the ring and set it on the table.

  Benson rolled the dice and came up with a three and a five. He paled slightly and rolled the dice again. This time, he came out with a one and a two. “I have a better idea!” he said quickly, before Merlin could take the dice.

  “Oh?”

  “You want the key, right? And I want the ring. Why bother with this silly game? We should just trade.”

  Merlin tapped his mug with his fingernail and sat back. “That sounds fair. Besides, I had a rather long day, so I would like to retire to my room now.” Benson grabbed the ring before Merlin could change his mind and Merlin took the key confidently. Then Merlin stood. “I enjoyed the game and hope to play you again someday.” He didn’t take more than five steps before the ring disappeared from Benson’s hand and appeared on Merlin’s finger.

  “Hey, where did it go?” Benson asked angrily.

  “You already put it in your pocket.”

  “Oh, right,” Benson said with relief.

  Benson’s men were confused. They were all focused on Benson as Merlin returned to me. We switched quickly and I dressed. “That was brilliant,” I said.

  “I do sometimes miss the joy of exploiting feeble minds.”

  With the key in my pocket, we headed out. Benson was right back to having a good time with his men. I really thought it would be easy to escape which, considering our history, was foolish.

  Across the room, a man was propositioning a woman, and when she refused, he shoved her away. She slipped on a spilt drink (which had been my fault) and fell backwards, about to hit her head. Dumb luck like this probably happened to women in this tavern all the time. Nevertheless, I reacted instinctively. “Protect her,” I said to my staff.

  Green energy shot out of my staff and wrapped around her, stopping her in midair. After a moment, it righted her, released her, and returned to me. The tavern was dead silent.

  “Run,” Merlin said in my head.

  A man stood from his seat and pointed at me. “Wizard!”

  I tried to get to the door, but the mob surrounded me, so I transformed my staff into a sword. This had the opposite effect of what I was expecting, since they were more afraid of magic than a blade. Thus, I let it revert to a staff and did the next thing that came to mind. I held up my staff and demanded, “Distraction!”

  And the trousers of every man in the tavern fell. Several of them screamed like girls.

  Merlin groaned. “Please stop doing that.” We ran.

  As soon as we were outside, I slammed the door closed and pointed my staff at it. “Lock.” This time, I focused my mind on what I wanted, so it worked. “I hope there’s not a back door,” I said, going to the cage. The prisoners cheered as I stuck the key in and turned it. “The rest of you, go. Dantur, I need to talk to you so that you don’t cause a paradox.” It popped open easily and all the men except Dantur ran.

  “What is going on in there?” Dantur asked.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  He studied me for a moment before nodding. The others were long gone already as Dantur followed Merlin and me into the forest. As soon as we were out of town, Dantur stopped. “Now, explain. No one here knows about paradoxes except for dragons.”

  “I said I was a friend of a friend. That’s all I can tell you.”

  “That’s not enough. It has been a long and stressful day.”

  “I know.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “Just don’t go back to your village.”

  “I have to. There’s someone I need to help.”

  “You can’t go back to Cennuth, either.”

  His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What do you know about him?”

  “I know you can’t see him or it’ll cause a paradox to kill everything.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “You have to tell me! Why can’t I go home or see Cennuth?”

  “Because you were sup
posed to die.”

  He froze. “What? Were you sent by…?” He looked at Merlin. “Are you…? No, that’s not possible. Merlin is a child.”

  I was prepared to walk away on Merlin’s signal, but he just studied Dantur in silence. Finally, he nodded. “I was, yes,” he said aloud.

  “You’re… Merlin?”

  “Yes.”

  “But adult.”

  “I have been alive for several hundred years now. I never forgot you, though.”

  “You came back in time to save me?”

  “Actually, we came here for something. Saving you was opportunistic.”

  Dantur’s expression fell for a split second before he controlled it. “I see. You’re here for the scroll.”

  “You know about it?”

  “Cennuth gave it to me to give to you when you came looking for it. I believed he was mistaken, but I guess dragons never are.”

  “What do you mean he gave it to you?” Merlin asked. “When was this?”

  “About a year and a half ago.”

  Merlin’s eyes held suspicion. Knowing how much he cared for Dantur, that was difficult for him. “You knew Cennuth before you met me.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, but Dantur answered it anyway.

  “Yes.”

  “When I told you about my dreams, you were not surprised because you already knew what was happening to me.”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know Cennuth?”

  “The same way you do; he taught me magic.”

  “Did he tell you about your destiny as well? Was I just a replacement?”

  Dantur sighed and sat on a raised tree root. “You were my destiny, according to Cennuth. He taught me magic to protect you, but I wasn’t as good as he had predicted. It turns out that dragons can be wrong every once in a while. Because of that, he ordered me to bring you to him. I didn’t want to; I thought he would be too hard on you. I wanted you to have a better childhood than I had. Then he told me who was after you, and I knew I had no choice.”

  “You knew Baltezore was after me?”

  “Of course. Otherwise, I would have taken you and your mother somewhere else. Cennuth was the only one Baltezore couldn’t get near enough to hurt you. I had no choice, so I’m---”