by Noah Harris
They went their separate ways, and Jaeger hated it. He hurried through the forest, hoping Philip made it safely to his horse. Jaeger didn’t like leaving Philip alone, but he knew his prince could take care of himself. When it came to outright battle, Jaeger didn’t worry about Philip as much. It was in the heart of the castle, where there was all manner of poison, schemes, and blades hiding in the shadows that he worried. He’d seen Philip fight, and even without a weapon, a combatant would not find him easy prey.
Before he’d reached the edge of the clearing, he could see the battle. Men wearing an assortment of armor and no sigil to mark their loyalty fought against the robed figures of Arden. Immediately, Jaeger realized that a whole host of men, mercenaries from the lack of symbols on their armor, had managed to sneak into the heart of the wood. With everyone distracted by the celebration, the small army had managed to surprise the pack.
Bodies lay strewn on the ground in the clearing, the first casualties in the attack on the pack. The rest of the pack however, had rallied and were fighting back ferociously. Jaeger didn’t know where they’d gotten the weapons, not having seen any on the pack members when they arrived, or anywhere nearby. Despite being caught off guard, the Arden pack was fighting back with a ferocity that matched the mercenaries training and element of surprise.
One of the mercenaries caught sight of him and immediately leapt forward, longsword flashing in the fire light. Jaeger’s instincts and training took over, and he ducked beneath the blow. Jaeger rolled, twisting with the motion to jam his foot into the ground. His momentum halted, Jaeger pushed back toward his attacker, driving his two short swords into the man’s back. The mercenary screamed, Jaeger twisting the blades and ripping them free.
Another mercenary joined the fray, rushing Jaeger with his sword held at his side. Jaeger’s eyes caught sight of an archer aiming his way and leapt over a fallen tree to hide behind its trunk. The sword wielding mercenary was forced to follow him, and Jaeger was ready for him. Before the man had crossed the fallen tree completely, Jaeger’s blades were up, slicing first through the gaps in his arm, sending the mercenary tumbling into the dirt with a scream. Jaeger’s blades flashed as he drove them down into the soft flesh of the combatant’s throat. Without giving the man a second glance, Jaeger pulled his swords free, hurdling back over the tree and making his way into the thick of things.
The battle raged on all sides, and Jaeger helped where he could. It was hard to identify people in the chaos, but he caught sight of Makepeace on one side of the clearing, defying his name sake and driving a score of mercenaries back with a spear. A female cry of rage brought Jaeger around and he paused when he saw Minerva.
Despite the fury of the battle going on around him, Jaeger watched in fascination as the Princess wielded a long sword. The weapon was thin, built for speed and agility rather than strength. It wouldn’t have survived too long if it were locked against a full sword, but it didn’t need to be. Much like Jaeger himself, the Princess relied upon her own dexterity and speed to win a fight, and to Jaeger’s surprise, Minerva was exceptionally skilled.
In a dance as beautiful as it was fatal, the Princess weaved and dodged around the blows which came her way. Her sword flashed out, knocking another sword away from her, then stuck the attacker before she turned to the next. Her movements were easy and graceful, her face the picture of regal fury. She wore no armor, just as the Arden pack didn’t, but she didn’t need it as she struck down mercenary after mercenary with ease.
A familiar voice, with an unfamiliar roar, sounded through the clearing. Jaeger turned to watch Philip bowl through a group of mercenaries who had cornered one of the Arden people. The mercenaries were well armed and well trained, but they couldn’t withstand the sudden brutal force of Philip against them. Once Philip had begun to grow into his true physique with age, Jaeger had always joked he should have been a werebear instead. His size was never more apparent than when he faced down the group of mercenaries, looking huge and imposing as he swung a sword which would have slowed a normal man.
Seeing the Princess was safe by virtue of her own skill, and there were others of the pack near her, Jaeger hurried to Philip’s side. The going was tough, and he fought his way against half a dozen men in order to reach him. By the time he reached his friend, the Prince had a red line on his face, and another across his chest from blows he hadn’t dodged. The wounds hadn’t stopped him in the slightest, and in Jaeger’s assessment, had only made Philip all the more dangerous.
Jaeger had been in a few skirmishes before, but they were nothing compared to the full scale, chaotic battle in the heart of the Forest of Arden. The smell of blood hung thick in the air, mingling with the singing of metal, and the cries of the fallen. The pack had been surprised, but their tough lives, and even tougher wills won the battle. The noise began to dwindle, as the mercenaries slowly, but inevitably lost.
As the battle died out, all that were left were the victors, and a few remaining injured mercenaries. The rest of the hired men had retreated, seeing the battle had been lost, and making for the trees.
Verity, his own face scored with small nicks, snarled and motioned toward their retreating backs. “Hunt them down. Gather our men and women in the wood, find these rats and rout them. Let what few slip free of our wrath take back the tales of what happens to those who dare strike us like cowards in the dark.”
Philip planted the point of his sword in the ground, leaning on it and panting. “How did they get here without anyone noticing? You have sentries, don’t you?”
“The celebration, between the music and singing, they could have been in full plate and we wouldn’t have heard them until they were breathing down our necks,” Jaeger said.
Minerva appeared, bruised, clothes torn, but beautiful as she sheathed her sword. “It was more than that. No one has been able to sneak up on the heart of the forest like this before, is that right?”
Makepeace, who was watching his mate, nodded. “No one in my time of leadership has ever made it this far.”
Minerva snorted. “Then they know where we have gone. This stinks of sorcery, Mavist, Orrin, or both of them gave these mercenaries the ability to get close without detection. Our time is a great deal shorter than I thought it would be.”
Jaeger looked down to find one of the mercenaries at his feet was still alive. A quick glance told him the man wouldn’t survive his wounds, but his death would be long and painful. Jaeger crouched, turning the man’s face to him and looking him in the eye.
“What were your orders?” Jaeger asked calmly.
“Go to hell,” the man spat back, his breath wheezing.
Jaeger pressed his fingers against the man’s stomach wound. “Your orders?”
The man cried out, body going stiff. “Fuck off!”
Jaeger pressed harder, face stony. “Tell me, and I’ll end it quickly for you. We both know this wound will take hours to kill you, but it will kill you. You’ll linger for hours, the pain growing until it’s all you can think about, all you are. Tell me, and I’ll end it for you.”
The mercenary gasped for air as Jaeger pulled his hand free. “To kill…kill the Prince. Kill him, and to take you and the Princess…alive. Any beasts who got in our way were to be killed, they wanted as many dead as possible.”
Jaeger straightened. “Capture…me?”
“Yes, you and the Princess, everyone else was to be put to the sword,” the man gasped out.
Jaeger looked up, seeing the surprise on Philip’s face. Makepeace had grabbed hold of his mate’s elbow, drawing him back but watching the conversation with a frown. Only Minerva looked thoughtful, her expression guarded as she looked at Jaeger, and no one else.
“Who hired you?” Jaeger asked, knowing the answer already.
“Wasn’t told, just given orders,” the mercenary coughed.
Philip grimaced. “We know who did it, there’s nothing else he can tell us.”
It gave him no pleasure to end the man’s life, but Jaeger kept his
promise. All it took was a quick jab of his knife, driven between the mercenary’s ribs, and the life drained from him within seconds. Jaeger watched the man for a moment, making sure he was dead before standing, turning to find Minerva watching him with a peculiar expression on her face.
“What?” he asked, hearing his voice sound defensive.
“It’s one thing to kill a man in the heat of battle, when the demands of war force you to take a life. Yet you, a servant of royalty, ended this one’s life without hesitation,” she said softly.
Philip turned on her. “What are you getting at?”
“Our Court Conjurer has ensured that I have faced down grave threats to the royal family in the past. Everything may seem pristine and calm on the surface, but there is a great deal of strife and danger if you look close enough. This is not the first man I’ve killed, though it’s the first I’ve killed out of mercy,” Jaeger told her quietly.
Philip looked surprised, but Minerva barely blinked an eye. Jaeger had the idea the Princess knew far more than she let on. The distant look in her eyes from when he’d first seen her was gone, replaced by a sharp and curious light.
“Something on your mind Princess?” Jaeger asked.
Minerva looked down at the dead mercenary. “Our friend here has given me cause to follow through on a suspicion of mine. I will need to leave you two for a while.”
“To go where?” Philip asked.
“Home. I find myself in the unique situation of being free of both my guards and my jailers. I can move quickly, and it shouldn’t take me long to follow up on an idea,” she explained.
“And I’m sure you’re going to keep the idea to yourself for the moment,” Jaeger added.
Minerva motioned to her handmaidens, who stood in their normal silence a few feet away. “You two, stay here. While I’m sure they will try something else to follow through on their plan of regicide, you’re safer here. At least with us separated, they must choose their target carefully. Should they come for you, you at least have the pack’s assistance to fend them off.”
Philip snorted. “But you won’t.”
“No, I’ll be on the move. A moving target is far harder to hit,” Minerva said as she walked away.
Philip’s arms flopped helplessly at his side. “And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?”
Minerva didn’t look back, “Whatever you feel must be done.”
Chapter Seven
Philip
The idea of being on his own among the half-wild shifters of the forest had been appealing at first. After a few days following the battle with the mercenaries however, Philip was beginning to find it tiresome.
He had thought it would be a little more exciting than simply sitting around, seeing to mindless tasks. It seemed the life of a pack member wasn’t all battles and dutiful sentry duty for invaders. There was plenty of labor to perform to keep the pack healthy and happy, and most of it was boring and uninspired. All the more intellectually stimulating tasks were taken by those trained to do them, such as those who knew how to hunt, what berries and mushrooms were safe, the silent sentries, and even those who prepared fresh food for preservation. People like Philip were relegated to chopping firewood, gathering water, and worst of all, clean up.
Jaeger had been permitted to help with some of the sentry duty, as his training prepared him for the stealthy duty. The last time Philip had seen him, his friend had been going out for a late shift watching the forest for further attacks.
Philip had been left dealing with the rest of the members of the packs, the children, the elderly, or those deemed incapable of performing more demanding tasks. Everyone was unfailingly polite to him, but they constantly watched him. It reminded him of being back home, where everyone, from the guards to the servants, were the eyes and ears of Orrin.
Philip knew it wasn’t fair of him to align them with the Court Conjurer, but the constant surveillance left a bitter taste in his mouth. Their intent was purely benign, but after a few days straight enduring their scrutiny, Philip was beginning to chafe. The lighthearted spirit from the celebration had been replaced by the drudgery of everyday work, and the irritation of being reminded just who he was and what he meant to others.
Feeling his anger mounting, Philip finally forced himself away from the camp where the bulk of the pack had been staying. He didn’t have Jaeger’s training or skill in stealth, but he made sure to slip away when he thought no one was watching. Philip was realistic enough about his own abilities to understand someone might have seen him, or at least would eventually notice his absence. No doubt, someone would come looking for him, covertly or not.
In the meantime, he took the opportunity to breathe in the air of the forest, walking under its heavy boughs of leaves. The trees were unlike anything he’d ever seen, and the smell of the rich earth beneath his feet soothed him. The wolf inside him felt as if it were stretching its legs, pointing its snout upward and sniffing deeply of the scent as well.
The smell of the forest was nothing like the dry, artificial smells of the castle. So much of the stone halls were filled with perfumes and incense, it required him to go to some far-flung corner of the castle to find the smell of stone and dust. Even in the full bloom of spring and summer, the gardens of the castle had never smelled quite as good as the forest did. They’d always been a favorite place of his, but as he walked along the thick roots of the trees which burst up from the ground, he realized how artificial and forced the ‘nature’ of the gardens was.
A scratch of something against the bark of a nearby tree drew his attention upward. Philip started when he realized someone was up there, dressed in the customary robes of the pack. The wolf within barked its anger at being surprised, but Philip recognized the aged but still handsome face of Makepeace beneath the robe’s hood. Makepeace sat serenely, not looking at Philip, but over the expanse of forest he could see from that height.
Philip sighed. “And how long have you been sitting up there?”
Makepeace looked down, cocking his head with a small smile. “Long enough to have heard you coming from nearly a mile off. Your mate has a greater gift for the subtle than you do, at least in the physical sense.”
Philip sighed. “He’s not my mate, but yeah, he’s pretty sneaky, my father made sure he was trained well.”
“It’s more than just simple training, or even complex training. I have seen many men and women, from all corners of the continent, and here in my home, who have been trained to track through the shadows, to soften their steps, and appear as if they were made of nothing but smoke. Some are gifted, some are simply well trained, and then there are those like Jaeger, who are born to it. All one need do is watch, and see how even his steps flow like water, how easily his eyes see the smallest detail, and how his fingers can so easily dance with the breeze,” Makepeace explained softly, his eyes shifting back to the trees.
“You, uh, can see all that just from watching him a little?” Philip asked.
Makepeace chuckled. “I see it because that’s what a leader does, or should do. He knows how to look into those he leads, those who follow him. You see these things in him, you admire them, but you don’t perceive these things through the eyes of leader…do you?”
Philip knew what he meant, and he forced his eyes away from Makepeace, staring steadfastly at the ground. Philip and Jaeger hadn’t exactly been subtle when they’d slipped away during the night of the celebration. It would have been a simple matter for someone sober and watchful enough to notice them sneaking off. Philip hadn’t thought about whether or not someone had seen them, and he wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or defiant.
He decided upon curious. “You saw that, did you?”
“I could see it from the moment the two of you stood before me. Anyone with eyes and a heart could see the love shared between the two of you. The same as I see how he moves with the shadows as if born to them, I can see how your hearts yearn for one another,” Makepeace said.
; “Would that it was as nice as you make it sound,” Philip muttered.
“I never said love was nice. Yes, the singers and the poets are more than willing to tell tales of how wonderful it is, how beautiful it is, and how it fills your soul with the songs of the heavens above. They often do not mention the wars it has caused, the deaths it has wrought, or the men and women who have had to spend their lives, aching and cold from love lost. Love can be the greatest of triumphs for a man, or the worst of his regrets. There is nothing quite like love, and I wouldn’t personally trade it for anything in the world,” Makepeace sighed.
Philip shook his head. “I think I could do without it.”
“It’s true that sometimes a leader must forgo his own wants, his own needs, and emotions, for the greater good. Yet, a leader must never forget what those emotions are, or what they are for. Should you cast aside love, even to spare yourself, you risk casting aside an important piece of understanding,” Makepeace told him.
Philip looked up once again, frowning. “I may not be the cleverest of men, but I can sense a theme when I hear one. Are you giving me the education you feel I should have about being a leader?”
“I’m sure you’ve been told a great deal about what being a leader—a king—means. But all the teaching in the world means nothing if you cannot follow what you know,” Makepeace said.
Philip frowned. “Is this like you talking about how good Jaeger is naturally? Are you trying to find a way to tell me I’m not cut out to be a good king?”
“On the contrary, I sense a great deal of power in you, and your potential to be a great leader, to bring about great peace and prosperity to many, is high. Yet, a field can be rich and fertile, while producing nothing at all. One must still plant the seeds, water the crops, and weed out the bad plants. So it is with those with potential, especially those who lead,” Makepeace explained.
Philip had heard similar speeches in the past from others, though they’d been far less patient with him. It was odd to be lectured by someone he barely knew, stranger yet, to be lectured about his duty while being told by the lecturer they believed in him. The lectures before had always been dry diatribes about his duty, and what was expected of him simply because of his position.
