This was a sentiment my men obviously did not share. Granted, none of them knew that we had stumbled into a village with a werewolf problem. I watched silently as the men continued to drink and get louder with each passing round. When I turned my gaze back to the man sitting before me, he was also enjoying the fine honeyed ale. The lucky bastards.
He watched me for a moment, making sure that my attention was fixed on him, and then continued his tale. “Over the last few weeks, we’ve continued to lose sheep in the fields, but not nearly as many as before. We’ve received reports from other farmers in the area that are losing livestock now, as well. It was as if the animal knew it would draw too much attention if it stuck to one farm to hunt. The number of sheep we had started to thin more than we liked, so we came up with a new plan to move the sheep into the barn at night.”
He looked at me, probably wondering if I was going to ask him a question about why they hadn’t done that in the first place, but I had no reason to rub his face in such an earnest mistake. I moved my finger in a slow circle, the universal sign for him to continue with his story.
After another long pull from his mug, he continued. “We had avoided bringing the animals into the barn because of the noise the sheep tend to make when pinned inside. The bleating is bad for business, but not as bad as having no meat to serve our guests. For the next few weeks, everything went as planned. We hadn’t lost a single sheep. We figured after another night or two, we could go back to putting them in the pasture.”
It seemed he was finally building to the crescendo of his story, and it was damn well time that he did. As much as I had enjoyed the food, I had grown weary of listening to the man talk. I already knew what had killed his sheep. If we were lucky, we would be able to track them down easily in the morning and bring an end to the villagers’ suffering.
The man seemed to finally notice my impatience and continued. “It was my night in the barn, and I noticed that the sheep seemed more active than normal. They were grouped up but would occasionally sprint toward a different corner of the barn and huddle in fear, only to move again a few minutes later. After watching this behavior for a while, I started to follow the sheep around, and that is when I heard the soft scraping sound coming from outside the barn. I quickly adjusted my lantern to light the entire space. When the light filled the barn, the noises stopped, and the sheep settled down.”
I stared fondly at my men as they left their tables and headed up toward the soft beds that awaited them. Not for the first time, I hoped that this man would finish talking so I could do the same. Good food and a comfy place for me to smoke my pipe only bought you so much time. I offered the man a pinch out of my tobacco pouch when he produced a pipe from his pocket.
The innkeeper gratefully accepted and after a few puffs of his own, he continued on. “Later that night, the sheep started to do the same thing, moving to different corners of the barn. Again, I turned up my light, but this time, the noises from outside did not stop. If anything, they seemed to grow stronger. Then something heavy slammed into the barn doors. On the third hit, the doors broke open and the sheep bolted into the night.”
Finally, we were at the reveal. I was going to learn why the innkeeper told me that I might think he was crazy. I leaned forward in my chair in anticipation.
The man stumbled on his words for a moment and then continued. “A massive creature stood in the doorway. It was covered in fur and seemed to be twice the height of a man. It howled into the barn, and I fell backward, shattering my lantern. It seemed to not like the flames and ran off into the night after my sheep.”
Snapping my fingers brought the man out of his dark memory. I made sure he was focused on me before I asked him a question. “How long ago did this happen? Are sheep still disappearing?”
He seemed a little taken aback that I did not question the validity of what he saw. I already knew that the creatures were real; now I needed to find out if they were still hunting in the area.
The innkeeper responded, “The last sheep was taken just last night. Now, we move all the sheep except for one into the barn at night. We leave the one outside, hoping that the beast will take it and leave us alone.”
I looked at the man again just to reevaluate his measure. I didn’t see anything that I hadn’t noticed before. How did we end up in this village? It was not a scheduled stop on our trip, but I also chose not to believe in coincidences. I met the man’s eye once more and saw just the faintest glimmer of hope. “Do you have the sheep in the barn now?”
He looked at me, his eyes growing just a little bit wider, “We do, my lord.”
“Give me a moment to rouse my men, and we will head to the barn in hopes of running into this beast. In the meantime, place your sacrificial sheep back in the barn with the others.”
I ran up the stairs pounding on the doors of my men. “Weapons and armor now!”
I could hear them moving in their rooms heeding my call. Quickly, I ran to my own room and pulled on my hardened leather cuirass then darted back out into the hallway. The men were assembled, some of them looking slightly worse for wear. I gave them the short version of the innkeeper’s story as we marched out to the barn. A few grumbles greeted me as I told them we would be spending the night in the barn. I hushed them. “If we kill the beasts that are plaguing this town, I will gladly let us stay here another three nights. Think of all the ale you could drink in three days’ time!” The men gave a tiny cheer as we entered the barn.
Much like the inn, the barn was a simple structure. It was long and wide, and the roof was in good repair, keeping the rain off of our heads. The straw inside was clean, and the only lingering smells came from the animals themselves. With all the sheep now securely in the barn, I closed the newly repaired door. You could see the newer wood against the faded beams of the original. I had the men douse all of our lanterns and stationed them around the barn. Then the fun began, if you can call waiting on a Lycan to come find you fun.
After the first hour, the novelty of waiting in the barn had completely worn off. I could tell my men felt the same. I watched as they moved themselves into more comfortable positions. I heard a few gentle snores coming from the man stationed in the loft. My first thought was to chastise them for their behavior, but these men were not soldiers. Instead, I followed their example and moved to lean against the wall. If any of the beasts came again, the sheep would alert us before we were in any real danger. The night wore on, and still there was no sign of the creatures.
The night slowly ticked by, and I could feel my eyes getting heavy. I hated waiting. I would much rather be out in the fields challenging these Lycans to stand against me. Every minute felt like an hour, and still the beasts had not come. I must have dozed off at some point because when I opened my eyes, the pale light of the sunrise was poking through the gaps in the barn’s walls. I called out to the men, rousing them from their slumbers as well. We headed back into the inn. I was tired and a little troubled by the wasted night. With nothing to report to the innkeeper, I headed upstairs to my bed.
I awoke to a dreadful pounding on my door. It had to be Weatherby; he was the first one to fall asleep last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had slept the entire time we were in the barn. Rising from the bed, I moved toward the corner and started to empty my bladder in the chamber pot. “The door is open.”
The lieutenant rushed in with his shirt untucked and muddy boots, looking completely disheveled. “Edward, the caravan was destroyed last night, all of our provisions are gone, and all of the servants are dead.”
I laced up my pants and turned to face him, “Tell me, Lieutenant, how could this have happened? I clearly remember telling you to make sure they made it back to the village before bedding down for the night. So did you not follow your orders?”
I fixed the man with a glare, and it must have had the effect I was looking for, as he shrank back against the wall. “I can tell from your silence that you neglected your duty. When we leave this place, you will
be relieved of your position, and you can find your own way back home.”
After a moment of silence, Weatherby found his voice. “You can’t just send me away with nothing. How will I survive? I didn’t know anything would happen to them. The Lycans should have been a hundred miles away from here.”
I grabbed him and knotted my fist into his shirt. When I slammed him against the wall, he felt the full heat of my rage. I held him against the wall, his feet scraping as his toes tried to find the ground again. “You should have thought about that before you got those men killed.” Spittle flew from my mouth. “And you are wrong. I am being generous. I am giving you something none of those men have, your life.”
It took all of my willpower not to kill the man on the spot. He was family, after all, even though I hated to admit it. The chances were he would not be able to survive in the countryside alone, but that was a better chance than he gave the men that followed us. “Go and wake up the men. We have work to do!”
I started to pull on my boots and armor again. At this rate, I probably just should have slept in them. Life on the road was never easy, and after a week of rain, it looked like I would be enjoying at least one more day of mud.
Weatherby rushed back into the room so quickly, he smashed into the door, sending it careening into the wall with a loud crack. “They are all dead. All of them are dead.”
I turned and was about to hit the man again when I noticed the wet redness on his hands. “What do you mean, who is dead?”
He looked down at his blood-covered hands. “The men. All of them have had their throats cut. I checked all of them one at a time to see if I could heal them, but they were already gone.”
I felt my rage reach a crescendo. I tossed a towel over to him and barked, “Get yourself cleaned up. There is something happening here that needs to be addressed, and as a representative of the Council, you must make yourself presentable. You will stand beside me while I get this mess in order, and try not to hit me with your sword.”
The inn itself was empty as we made our way outside. For once, we had been blessed with sunshine; it looked as if the rain was finally over. Our path to the barn was clear, and I would feel much better once I had a horse underneath me. We quickly saddled our horses and rode out of the barn. “Show me where the caravan was attacked.”
Weatherby must have finally found his balls, because he moved his horse in front of mine to take the lead. About a mile outside of the village, we came to the wreck of our caravan. I could tell immediately that the Lycans were responsible. Large claw marks were gouged out of the carts; some of them had been thrown and had shattered on the ground. Oddly enough, anything of value that the carts had been carrying had been removed. I couldn’t see the Lycans taking the time to do that, so that meant they had help.
I hopped down from my horse to get a closer view of the devastation. Twenty servants and three guards had lost their lives last night, and someone had to pay. I walked through the wreckage, committing all of it to my memory; I did not want to forget what happened this day. The bodies had been savaged by the beasts either before or after death. I could not tell. Dismembered limbs were scattered amongst the broken carts, highlighting the viciousness of the attack. I could see a few spots where something large had been dragged away. I hoped this meant they had killed or at least maimed some of their attackers. I was proud of how these men had fought facing certain death.
There was only one place close enough that they could have removed the supplies from here so quickly. Walking in a wider circle around the wreckage, I found what I was looking for, fresh tracks of carts heading back toward the village. So those bastards were working with the Lycans. I wondered just what their partnership entailed. Did the Lycans just kill travelers so the villagers could reap the rewards? I had already suspected that someone in the village had been working with them after the deaths of my men, but this was almost concrete proof. Could the innkeeper have been so cunning, to get us out in the barn while these men were being slaughtered? Someone was going to have to pay for these deaths, and I now had a good idea of where to start looking.
I took one last look around, the rage I felt starting to bubble over. I could feel the heat of it on my skin. I mounted my horse and turned back toward the village. When Weatherby did not turn to follow me, I slowly turned to the side to address him. “Where do you think you are going?”
“I’m not going back there! Those men are working with the beasts, and the two us against all of them do not stand a chance.”
“I would expect nothing more from a coward like you. Look at the bodies around you. These men were our responsibility, and we failed them. Justice must be served even at the expense of our lives.”
“You told me before we got out here that I was dismissed. If I leave now, at least I leave with a horse.”
I watched as he turned his mount away from me and set off at a gallop down the road. I wish I could say that I was shocked by his actions, but the man had been utterly worthless for anything outside of bedding barmaids. I watched as he was about to crest a hill in the distance. At the last second, just before he would have been gone from sight, I could have sworn I saw something leap from the forest and knock him flying from his horse. I could have ridden to his aid; instead, I turned back toward the village for my vengeance.
I kept my horse’s pace at a walk. I wanted to make sure that they saw me coming and knew that I was not afraid. This also let me expand my sense to keep a watch on the forest on both sides of the road. After what may have happened to Weatherby, it seemed prudent to make sure I wasn’t ambushed. I couldn’t have cared less about the men slaughtered at the inn. They were a hard bunch of killers, but they were under my protection and for that, someone would have to answer.
For all of his faults, the lieutenant should have never been here. I had selected a better man for the job, when my crying aunt had asked me to take him instead. He was the worthless son of someone with too much power and not enough sense. I felt a true sense of shame at the deaths of my servants; they had no choice but to come with me. They worked hard during our journey, and their pay had been a pittance. I would see that their families were well taken care of, but that would not bring them back from the dead. I had thought my presence would guarantee their safety, but I had been wrong. My rage had finally boiled over the edge of my control; I pushed my horse into a gallop.
The villagers had taken to the street of their town blocking my access to the inn. All of them were armed, but none of them were armed very well. Farm implements and knifes would make a poor showing against my sword. I wished I could say I was surprised to see the innkeeper at the head of the mob, but after last night, I already knew he was the ringleader.
To the shock of many, I dismounted from my horse and walked toward them on foot. The innkeeper called out to me, “I’m sorry that it has come to this, but you should have stayed away. That was your one chance to leave without harm.”
I looked at him with pity. What they saw was just one man with a sword, but I was so much more than what they expected. “Why would I have left? So I could feel the bite of your friends in the woods? I’d prefer to take a few of you first before they make it back here.”
The man had the audacity to just shrug. “We do not have much here, but what we do have we aim to keep. They help us by keeping us safe from outsiders, and we help them by feeding them and keeping their secret. No longer do we have to worry about the bandits roaming the countryside, and all it costs us is a few sheep.”
I felt the laughter escape from my mouth before I could stop it. “Oh, it is going to cost you so much more than that, so much more.” I started to get the strong feeling that someone had sent me here to die. Had the Council thought they could silence my dissenting voice by sending me into a trap? Who had the power to approve such an action, Adam?
The innkeeper frowned at my laughter, and it would be the last thing he ever did. I could sense the Lycans emerging from the forest behind me. This was
the first time the villagers had seen them fully revealed in the light of day, and I could hear the awe in their whispers. I kept the beasts in my peripheral vision and sent a wave of flames toward the villagers. Standing in a line had made them a much easier target for me.
The magical flames rolled into the villagers, nearly incinerating those in the front. The bodies flew backward into the crowd, and I laughed again as the flames spread from the corpses to living flesh. That was the thing with fire, it was hungry, and it wanted to consume, to burn. The innkeeper had taken the full brunt of the fire and had burned so quickly that his ashes stood in a perfect replica of his body. I walked toward the pile of ash that used to be Theodore, and with one touch of my finger sent the ash flying on the wind. The villagers that hadn’t died were running back to their homes. I let them go for now, but they would also face my judgment.
Turning to face the beasts, I pulled my silver-laced sword from its scabbard. I had hoped that my initial count of three would have remained, but I was now facing ten of the creatures. All of them were ready to spring. With the deaths of so many villagers, I had ruined their plans. While I knew they had not spread the plague into England, none of that mattered now. They had killed people in my charge and would pay with their lives.
Moving my sword into a defensive position, I sent a blast of air out to my left. The beasts to my right took the opportunity to rush in and attack high, and I felt another Lycan coming in low from behind me. I cast another small gust of air at the creature going for my legs, slamming it into the ground. While leaping over his rolling body, I slammed my sword into the chest of the beast that had tried to come in high. The Lycan let out a single howl of pain as the silver entered its blood stream. It fell to its knees as I removed the sword from its chest, the silver momentarily stunning the creature. I spun around putting all my weight behind the strike and loped its head off. The beast I had slammed into the ground was already on its feet and rushing toward me again. A simple flame spell engulfed the creature in fire, and as it ran by, I sliced it with my sword to ensure its destruction.
Ascendancy Origins Trilogy Page 15
