by Kyle Prue
“I can control it,” Darius said.
The Wolf extended his hand to give Darius a handshake. Darius took his hand with a look of confusion. The Wolf dug his thumb into a pressure point that Darius hadn’t known about. As Darius winced in pain, the Wolf lifted the bottle from his hand. Darius slammed his hands on the table in fury and the wood cracked. “Give it,” Darius said.
The Wolf was silent.
“You’re really going to try and stop me? You really think you can imagine the guilt I feel.”
“I don’t think you know how many lives are on my conscience.”
Darius wanted to debate, but something in the Wolf’s eyes proved that he wasn’t kidding.
“I want to tell you a story,” the Wolf said.
“I want to snap you in half,” Darius retorted.
“One story. And if you listen I’ll give you the bottle and you can drink yourself to death.”
Darius wouldn’t have listened if gin weren’t his alcohol of choice. He placed his elbows on the bar and sarcastically set his chin in his hands like a child awaiting a bedtime story.
“I used to know a man named Robin Tuttle. When I originally met him, he was a merchant and probably weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds. He barely scraped by every week until his wife left him.”
“Then he became depressed and drank a bunch?” Darius asked.
“No,” the Wolf said. “He actually improved his business with his extra time. Eventually he bought a few more shops and stopped manufacturing with his own hands. He allowed young businessmen to run branches of his shops and made enough money to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life. As time went on, he began to host large dinners and invited everyone on his block. Through this combination of not working and overeating, he ballooned up to three hundred pounds.”
“Wow,” Darius said with the least possible amount of amusement.
“But a few weeks later he ran into his wife in a market and became disgusted with what he had become. So he began to restrict himself. He ate perfectly for an entire month at every meal except one. And at that meal he ate to his heart’s content. Before long, he was back to his old fighting weight.”
“I get it,” Darius said. “You think I should restrict myself as well. To a glass per month?”
“No,” the Wolf said. “The story isn’t done. Tuttle’s plan wasn’t exactly foolproof. He thought he could have it both ways. He thought he could be at his healthy weight and also fill the void in him by overeating. He didn’t change his weight because he wanted to be healthy. He wanted to be happy, and his plan didn’t account for the possibility that there was something he had to confront outside of his weight. Six months after getting back to one-fifty he was up to four-hundred.”
“Where is he now?” Darius asked.
“He drowned in his own bathtub,” the Wolf said. “It took a few weeks for anyone to find him, too.”
Darius glared at the Wolf. “So what?” he asked. “I’m Robin Tuttle because I want a drink?”
“You’re Robin Tuttle because you’re not being smart about dealing with your emotions. I know about your past with drinking. You think you can limit yourself because one drink will end your pain. It won’t. If you down a cup of this,” he shook the bottle, “that’s fine, but you have to have an endgame in mind for your emotions. Because if you just drink to end the pain, it’ll never end, and it’ll suck you down deeper and deeper. You’ll drown in it. This won’t bring Josephine back, and it certainly won’t end your pain or your guilt. I need you to be useful, Darius. The revolution needs you to be useful. I have a feeling this won’t help.” The Wolf placed the bottle on the bar where Darius could reach it if he wanted to.
Darius gripped the bar and the parts underneath his thumbs splintered. “I hate this. I hate you,” he murmured.
“That’s all right. So long as you’ve heard me.”
“I hear you.” Darius stepped away from the bar. “Any other sage advice?”
“Stay away from bathtubs?” the Wolf said with a shrug.
Darius opened the door to the kitchen with one hand. “What about sleep?” he asked. “Can I sleep this off?”
“I’d actually recommend it,” the Wolf said.
Darius shook his head and walked off into the kitchen. As he climbed into the secret rooms, he could hear the Wolf pouring out the alcohol into the sink. At first he felt angry that the Wolf didn’t trust him, but as he settled into bed he felt relieved. Because he didn’t trust himself either.
Chapter Twenty- Six
ROAD TO SHIPWRECK BAY
NEIL VAPROS
With every hobble and lurch of the carriage, Darius grunted. Neil was counting them actually. The grunts. Today they were at three hundred and twenty four. It was as if he hated to have his feet off of the ground. He didn’t exactly have a right to complain. The reason they were taking carriages in the first place was because of him. The Wolf had spent a few days procuring horses for them only to realize that no horse in existence could possibly bear Darius’s weight. They hadn’t tested it, by Darius’s suggestion. All he’d said was, “I swear, if you put me on that horse’s back, its little horsey legs are going to snap under my metal ass.”
This comment earned a horrified gasp from Lilly and a new strategy for going to Shipwreck Bay. The Wolf returned the next day with two carriages. Darius, Neil and Rhys rode in one with the Wolf at the helm. Bianca led the second carriage with Lilly and Anastasia. It had been a few days and things were going smoothly, but Neil knew it wasn’t going to last. Tension was flowed rampantly through the group. Anastasia showed the worst of it. The way she looked reminded Neil of how he felt when he was living as a fugitive on the streets of Altryon. She was always on edge and never sat still when she didn’t have to. She had become an uncontrollable force of kinetic motion. Based solely on her anxious nature, Neil was willing to bet that there was more to her story. Or maybe this “Imperial Doctor” was as bad as she said. Maybe he really was the embodiment of pure analytical evil.
The carriage stirred to a stop and Rhys jutted awake. “Bathroom break?” he asked. Rhys never seemed to go in and out of sleep gradually. The dream world didn’t cling to him like it clung to everyone else. Neil heard the Wolf step down from the seat on the front of the coach. He opened the door and stepped out into the midday sun. He saw the problem immediately and held his hand out to convince Rhys not to exit. Their way was blocked by six vicious looking highwaymen, all armed to the teeth. The one in front was huge, maybe even bigger than Darius. He held a deadly looking club covered in spikes. His head was shaved, lazily so. Knicks and scars were visible through the stubble that covered his square head. He grinned at the Wolf who approached him fearlessly.
Bianca hopped off of her carriage. Lilly and Anastasia also exited the coach without delay. Neil quickly realized how much firepower they were packing between five Lightborns, one assassin, and Bianca. The Wolf waved them away. “Nice carriages,” the leader of the highwaymen said.
The Wolf turned around. “They’re all right,” he said. “You wouldn’t like them. Not enough leg room for a man your size.”
“I think I’ll take them anyway,” the highwayman said. “I’ll take that sword too.”
The Wolf smiled at him, flashing his pearly whites. “Oh you’ll take it.”
“You think you’re funny,” the highwayman said. He whistled by placing his two meaty fingers in his mouth. Three of his men appeared out of the forest on either side of the carriages with arrows notched. “How do you do under pressure, old man?”
“Neil, Bianca, Lilly!” the Wolf commanded. With one fireball from Neil, the men on the right side of the road scattered. Neil blasted the only remaining man before he could fire off an arrow. From what he could hear, Lilly and Bianca had dealt with their side of the carriage. The Wolf smiled at the man, wider this time. “I do all right.”
“You’re the Wolf? Aren’t you?” the highwayman accused.
“I am,” the Wolf said.
/> “You think you’re different than the Empire, but you’re not. We don’t want you either. Volteria is free. We’re free to do what we want. Don’t suck us into a war.”
“And you’re free to do what? Rob and kill your brethren?”
The highwayman swung his club without warning. The Wolf ducked under it and dodged the backswing fluidly. There was something entrancing about the way he moved. When Neil was younger, his father had hired dancers to perform at the more lavish parties. The Wolf moved like a dancer. When he was in combat he had no bones, and never resisted an enemy. He simply bent around their weapons. He drew his sword after the highwayman’s third swing and with one more elegant twirl, the criminal’s head was off of his neck. His men tried to overwhelm him but, step-by-step, he sliced through them, the way Josephine used to slice through vegetables. Before Neil could fully register what was happening, the road was cleared of enemies.
The Wolf turned and noticed everyone staring at him. “If you have a quicker way to clear a roadblock, I’m open to suggestions,” he said. “Darius!” he called.
Darius poked his head out of the carriage. His eyes widened when he realized what he’d missed. “Would you be a friend and clear the road for us? They might be in pieces, but they’re still heavy.”
Darius lumbered out and went to work without a word. He knew better than to argue. He hadn’t had to kill anyone. As he went to clear the road, the Wolf walked back to the carriages leisurely. When Neil stepped back into the carriage he saw the Wolf cleaning the blood from his sword with a handkerchief. “What was that?” Rhys asked.
“Steven Celerius and the Wolf are very different people,” Neil declared as he sat opposite his brother. “The guy who’s been giving us helpful advice and who’s been supporting us is Steven Celerius. There were highwaymen blocking our way.”
“And?” Rhys asked.
“And they met the Wolf,” Neil said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
SHIPWRECK BAY
NEIL VAPROS
According to the Wolf, Shipwreck Bay had many different origin stories despite how young it was. The giant overturned pirate ship in the center of town certainly warranted some discussion. The Wolf’s story was that it had been brought to shore for maintenance and barnacle removal. After the ship was propped up, something peculiar happened to the sea and the tides. They didn’t come back in. So the ship was left outside of the ocean and the men had no way to push it back out to sea. Once they realized there was no other alternative, the settlers hollowed out the ship from its sides and turned it into the town hall.
Now the group walked through the crowded city that had been built at the foot of this marvelous ship. People saluted the Wolf and dropped whatever they were doing to cheer for him. Some even tried to grab his hands and coat as he walked through the streets. It was clear, the revolution was strongest in Shipwreck Bay and the Wolf was their patron saint of freedom. “Where are your men?” Lilly asked.
The Wolf smiled at a private joke. “Where else? The pirate ship. Formally she’s called Annalisa. After some captain’s wife, presumably.”
The Annalisa loomed in the distance. They journeyed toward it through the last stretch of buildings and civilization. Once they arrived, Neil realized that the Wolf’s forces were smaller than he’d imagined. Five or six tents were set up around the entrance. The entrance was created by the absence of a few planks, but Neil could see men busy with activity inside. Neil was sure he’d get vertigo working in a fortress propped up on a beach. Everything must have been shifting diagonally inside.
When the Wolf and Bianca approached, the mere forty men outside began to cheer. He smiled at them and turned to his new troops. “This is smaller than I expected,” Anastasia said.
The Wolf examined his tiny operation. “That’s the idea. We focus our energy on staying hidden. We attack like the Vapros are trained to.”
“What?” Neil asked.
“We spring from the shadows and deliver crippling blows. Then we vanish into thin air,” the Wolf said. “Nearly half of the citizens out here support us and will fight for us, but stay hidden right under the Empire’s nose. These are just my strategists and analysts.”
“Half of the people in Volteria support you?” That number seemed a little high to Neil. Looking around at the Wolf’s scarce numbers made him nervous. He’d just agreed to join a revolution. It would help if that revolution involved more than forty men.
Without a word the Wolf turned back toward the denser parts of town and planted his feet. With a cry loud enough to start an earthquake, he howled out the words, “Free Volteria!”
It took a few moments, but voices began to sound off in the distance. Dozens of cries, turned to hundreds, and perhaps even thousands at its loudest. The chorus yelled the same thing. “Free Volteria!”
Neil’s breath of awe faded to one of relief. The revolution might have been well hidden, but it was certainly forceful and formidable.
The Wolf turned back to the group and smirked. “We have more than enough power to cripple the Empire. We just need to figure out where to apply the pressure. I’m sure I’ll be needed.” The Wolf gestured to his men. “But I’d like to give you some assignments first.”
“All of us?” Neil asked immediately.
“Well, not Bianca,” the Wolf said. “She’s done her time on my training ground. Not Anastasia either. Not to offend you, my dear, but I doubt you’d fight for us without proper payment. Despite being well organized, we are not well financed.”
Anastasia said, “No hard feelings, Wolf. I’ll keep myself entertained.”
“Probably by killing people,” Darius muttered.
“Probably,” Anastasia agreed. She trekked off toward town.
The Wolf frowned. “Maybe I should have sent someone to keep an eye on her.” He thought for another moment. “I definitely should have.”
The Wolf gave a subtle wave of his hand and a rebel soldier shed his blue coat. Beneath it he wore a thin white shirt. Neil was surprised by the instant transformation. He looked like just another civilian. The Wolf was a proponent of stealth and cleverly devised attacks meant to cripple enemies. It probably helped that his soldier could become anyone just by abandoning a coat. The young rebel trailed behind Anastasia until they both disappeared from view. “As for the rest of you, I have some training planned for the next few days. In one week, we’ll be visiting my arms dealer friend and picking up some new weapons. Then we’ll go after the Doctor. Rhys, you’ll stay here today.”
“I don’t get to train?” Rhys asked. He looked hurt. He’d never been known for his skills as a warrior, but it was always nice to be included.
“You’re training here,” the Wolf explained. “You’re going to study my battle strategies and suggest your own. We’re putting that mind of yours to use.”
“Oh.” Rhys was at a loss for real words. “Oh. Yes.” He tried again. “Yay!”
The Wolf gestured to his men. “The big tent has my war maps. Unleash yourself. I’ll be back soon.”
Rhys bounded over to the largest tent in an uncharacteristically excited fashion. The Wolf signaled for the rest of them to follow. They went away from the Annalisa, and away from town until the Wolf found a dusty path in the dirt. It circled the entire town of Shipwreck Bay and ended on the other side of the Annalisa. “Lilly,” the Wolf said, “it’s your turn. This path is about ten miles from end to end.”
Lilly stomped one of her feet, testing the dirt underneath her boots. “You want me to run it?”
The Wolf pulled a pocket watch out of his coat. “Yes. You have twenty minutes.”
Lilly stalled. “That’s a mile every two minutes. I’m a Celerius but I’m not—“
“Go,” the Wolf said and clicked the top of his watch.
Lilly’s scowl was nothing but a distant memory as she shot down the path, sending up waves of dust in her wake. Neil was always amazed by the way she moved, mostly because he could never see her feet. She always lo
oked like a torso and head surrounded by a blur. He wondered how she looked to the other Celerius. “Onward?” Neil asked. He was already nervous about what his training would be.
“Onward,” the Wolf replied.
They went past the path and within a few clicks of the Wolf’s watch they were at his next destination. They came upon a giant carriage that was turned over and buried halfway into the clearing. If Neil didn’t known any better he would have said that the ground itself reached up and was swallowing it. “Darius, meet your opponent,” the Wolf said.
Darius cracked his knuckles and flexed his muscles. That was his favorite thing to do, Neil had noticed. Even though Darius wasn’t as muscular as he had been back in the glory days of the families, he was still big enough to show off. He cast a glance at Bianca as he stretched his arm. Neil felt heat pooling in his fingertips, but he didn’t say anything. “You want me to pull it out of the ground?” Darius asked.
The Wolf indicated with an open hand. “I want you to try.”
Darius practically skipped over, brimming with confidence, and wrapped his fingers around two popped out windows. He bent his knees and heaved with a mighty roar. The carriage didn’t budge. He tried again, with a less mighty roar and turned around, embarrassed. “I don’t understand the point of this,” he said. “I’m the strongest guy walking around in Volteria. Why do I need to be stronger?”
The Wolf nodded as if absorbing the information, but Neil knew he wasn’t. “Were you stronger than that gate at the secret entrance?” the Wolf asked.
The look on Darius’s face indicated to everyone there that he was remembering how he released the gate and stopped Lilly from going after Jonathan. “How do you know about that?”
“I make it my business to know everything,” the Wolf said. “Knowledge wins fights. Not brute strength. Pull this carriage out of the ground. You’re not allowed to use tools either.”
It was a demand now. Darius, ego bruised, went to the other side of the carriage and pulled it in a different direction experimentally. The Wolf silently led Bianca and Neil away from Darius and his task. Nearby was one more clearing and the Wolf took them to the center. He pulled two balls of tape from his coat and tossed them to Neil. Neil caught them and tried to resist burning them to pieces. “You want to box me?”
