The Wolf On The Run (The Wolf of Corwick Castle Book 3)

by Terry Cloutier

“Correct,” Rorian said, looking impressed. “I thought that if I could learn more about him, then maybe I could figure out why he made a copy of the codex and what he did with it. I began my research in Gandertown, but after several weeks of sifting through old records, I learned that most of the archives from Waldin’s time had been moved to Halhaven’s library after the Border War.”

  “And when you found what you wanted in Halhaven, you murdered the Master Librarian and two House Agents,” Malo said bitterly.

  “Yes,” Rorian admitted. “But I meant what I said earlier, I didn’t want to kill anyone. I was only in Halhaven for research, nothing else.” The scholar sighed, looking genuinely upset. “The old man just wouldn’t keep his nose out of my affairs. One day he saw my notations and realized what I had found. I couldn’t chance him telling anyone, so I was left with little choice. I tried to kill him quietly, but he was surprisingly spry for a man of his age. Your fellow House Agents heard the commotion and I was forced to flee. The rest, you know.”

  “But why were you going to Calban, then?” I asked. “That part makes no sense to me. Lady Shana is no friend of Cardians.”

  “I’d heard that,” Rorian agreed. “But in this case, it wouldn’t have mattered. She would have had to let us in.”

  “Why?” I asked suspiciously.

  “We were going for the Pilgrimage,” Rorian answered.

  I stared at him, understanding now as I started to put things into place. The Pilgrimage happened once a year as Pilgrims arrived in either Calban on the west coast or Taskerbery Castle on the east. From there, they made the long trek on foot—called The Walk—to Mount Halas. Shana had told me about The Walk once, but I had been preoccupied with her naked back as I’d kissed it and had barely listened. The Pilgrimage dated back more than a thousand years, and no one who wished to take The Walk was ever denied, not even Cardians.

  I could only imagine what Shana’s reaction would have been, had Rorian and the Cardians actually reached Calban. I knew she would have had no choice but to let them in, much as it galled her. A thousand years of tradition and etiquette could not be easily ignored over what some would call petty grievances. The forces of the Rock would have to let the Pilgrims into the Complex as well. A perfect cover for Rorian to go after the codex. I glanced at the scholar’s wife, understanding her place in this now as well. All Pilgrims had to make The Walk in pairs—one man and one woman.

  Rorian saw my eyes on Thera. “You must forgive my wife for not speaking, gentlemen. I assure you, it has nothing to do with rudeness. You see, she was ten years old when her father cut her tongue from her in a drunken rage.” Rorian put his arm around his wife and held her affectionately. “She killed him later that night with the knife he used as he lay in a stupor on the floor. The bastard may have taken her tongue, but he couldn’t take her spirit.”

  “You planned on posing as Pilgrims to gain access to the mountain and find the cave, then?” Malo said, having come to the same conclusion as me.

  “Yes,” Rorian agreed.

  “Where is it?” I asked.

  Rorian shrugged. “That’s the real question. I found a letter from Waldin that mentions the cave is four miles from the Complex. He didn’t say in which direction. All I know is he described looking out from the entrance at giant mushrooms.”

  Malo and I shared a look. Giant mushrooms? I shook my head, knowing they would be long gone by now.

  “Why do you think the codex is in that cave?” Malo asked.

  “Because Waldin wrote in that letter about a treasure inside worth more than all the jewels and gold in the kingdom,” Rorian said. “What else could he have meant?”

  “And that’s all you have to go on?” I asked, feeling let down somewhat. “How do we know Waldin wasn’t talking about something other than the codex? Or for that matter, that the same man even wrote this letter that you found? Waldin is a fairly common name, you know.”

  “It is the same man,” Rorian insisted, looking confident. “Trust me.”

  “Who was the letter to?” Malo asked.

  “A woman,” Rorian replied. “Her name was Verica. I believe she might have been a Daughter -In-Waiting, but I’m not certain. I wasn’t able to find out anything else about her in my research.”

  Malo played with his beard as he thought about what we’d learned. “We can’t chance the codex falling into Prince Tyrale’s hands or the Cardians,” he finally said. “We have to get up that mountain and find the cave, whatever the cost.”

  “How are we going to do that?” I asked. “The North will have the mountain sealed.”

  Malo gestured to Rorian. “We’ll go in as Pilgrims, just like he was going to do.”

  “That’s going to be a problem, House Agent,” Rorian said. “Because of the war, every Pilgrim had to make their intentions known months in advance. You need a special pass issued by the Complex overseer himself to get up the mountain now. We were supposed to meet a man named Juliax during The Walk who would have them. Show up without those passes, and I imagine you will just be killed outright.”

  Malo cursed softly under his breath. “This Juliax person, is he a Cardian?”

  “I don’t know. I have never met him.”

  “Then how will you know him to get the passes?” I asked.

  “He’s going to find us,” Rorian replied. “He has our descriptions.”

  Malo frowned. “Well, that is going to be a problem,” he admitted.

  “One last thing, House Agent,” Rorian said. “By my calculations, the Pilgrimage is set to begin in three days. Once The Walk leaves Calban, it will be too late to join. Whatever you plan to do, you had better do it soon. You are running out of time.”

  “I’ll go,” I said. I lifted a hand before Malo could respond. “Rorian said that he and Juliax have never met,” I pointed out.

  “So?” Malo said. “Juliax knows what he looks like.”

  I gestured to Rorian. “Describe him.”

  Malo frowned as he looked the scholar up and down. “A big man,” he said. “Strong, with hard eyes and a scarred face.”

  I grinned as Malo turned to me in sudden understanding. “That could describe me perfectly, don’t you think?” I asked.

  “You forget one thing, Hadrack,” Malo said. “The Pilgrimage has to be walked by a man and a woman together.” He glanced at Rorian’s wife. “I doubt this one will agree to help us somehow.”

  My grin slowly faded as I turned my eyes on Thera. She was cold-looking, but not unattractive, with a slight body and that strange, coppery hair. I realized there was someone else who could pass for her. I turned, glancing back to Sea-Dragon.

  Sabina.

  12: Calban

  I was worried that Sabina might have already left by the time I returned to Sea-Dragon, but I found her sitting on a crate in the hold with several biscuits clutched in her hands. She looked up as I climbed down the ladder. Her face, I was surprised to see, was wet with tears.

  “Sabina?” I said softly. “I thought you would be gone by now.”

  Sabina sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “So did I,” she whispered.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Sabina shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. I suddenly had this feeling that leaving would be a terrible mistake. I’ve been sitting here trying to convince myself to go.”

  “A terrible mistake, how?” I asked.

  Sabina stared at me for a moment with red-rimmed eyes before she looked away. “You really don’t know, do you?”

  I crouched in front of her. “Sabina, listen to me. Malo and I have a problem. We need your help.”

  “Of course you do,” Sabina said as she blinked away tears. She laughed bitterly. “That’s all I’m good for.”

  I hesitated, not sure what to say to that. I have always felt awkward and foolish around a crying woman, afraid to open my mouth and only make things worse. This time was no different, but I knew every moment wasted lessened our chances of ge
tting to Calban in time for the Pilgrimage. Whatever problem Sabina had right now could be dealt with later, I reasoned. First, I had to get her to agree to help us.

  I took the biscuits from her and set them aside, then took her hands in mine. “Sabina, there is a second copy of the Halas Codex,” I said bluntly.

  Sabina sat up in surprise. “Another codex?”

  “Yes. That’s why Rorian went to Halhaven. That’s what all of this has been about. He found out where the second codex is hidden, but now we need your help to get it.”

  Sabina blinked at me through her tears, her face twisted in confusion. “What do you need me for?”

  I shifted position to ease the pain in my thigh where I had taken a Pith arrow years ago, and then told her everything. Sabina listened carefully, her tears disappearing while I talked.

  “So, if we find the codex, will it end the war?” she finally asked when I was finished.

  “I think so,” I said with a shrug. “At least, I hope so. Whichever of the twins gains the support of both sides of the House will have a huge advantage. Probably enough that the other one will have little choice but to concede their claim to the throne.”

  “What if it’s the North?” Sabina asked, watching me closely. “Can you live with that?”

  “Yes,” I said, not hesitating. And it was the truth. The Mother would always be first in my heart, but if The Father should be named, and because of it, the war ended, then yes, I could live with that fact.

  “Then I will help you,” Sabina said as she stood. She smiled, no signs of tears or sadness on her face now. “I was right to stay.”

  “What about your father?” I asked.

  “He would be the first one to say if my help can somehow end this horrible war, then I must do it,” Sabina said firmly. “So that is what I am going to do.”

  I put my hands on her shoulders in gratitude, resisting the urge to hug her. “Thank you,” I said.

  “I agreed to help you,” Sabina said, staring at me with an odd look. “But I want something from you first.” I raised an eyebrow as she put her arms around my neck. She looked up at me. “Kiss me, Hadrack. Kiss me just this once, and after that, I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

  I hesitated in surprise. I had promised myself that Sabina and I would always just be friends and nothing more, but for the sake of a kingdom embroiled in a vicious war, one kiss seemed a small price to pay. I nodded my agreement, thrusting my uneasiness and guilt aside as I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. I closed my eyes, imagining I was kissing Shana, confident that she would forgive this small betrayal for the greater good.

  I don’t know how long we stayed that way, but eventually I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned to see that Jebido had come down the ladder, where he stood at the base, watching us. I broke away from Sabina and moved back guiltily.

  “Sabina has agreed to help us,” I said gruffly.

  Jebido looked from me to her, his face expressionless. “So it would seem,” he said dryly.

  Malo and I decided we would take the time to replace Sea-Dragon’s rudder and sail, rather than use the smaller boat to travel to Calban. The mast on the longboat would have taken almost as long to replace, anyway, so either way, we were going to lose valuable time. I didn’t relish going back out to sea again, but I reasoned if I had to, I would rather have Sea-Dragon’s stout deck beneath my feet if we ran into another storm.

  The three captured Cardians, while as sour of mood and personality as all their race, were none-the-less experienced seamen. Putt found heavy shackles and chains in the longboat and he bound the three together, then set them to work fashioning a new rudder and repairing the damage from the storm. The rest of us removed our make-shift sail and replaced it with the hemp sail from the longboat. It was smaller than the original, but it would have to do. We also found a spare sail in the longboat’s stores, which we took along with all the food supplies and five barrels of fresh water.

  Once we were ready to leave, everyone except for Putt and the women—who remained on Sea-Dragon—pushed the longboat out into the lagoon. We tied heavy ropes to Sea-Dragon’s stern, then using the oars, towed the larger vessel off the beach and past the finger-like reef guarding the entrance until we were safely away from the rocks. Transferring from the smaller longboat up onto the cog was trickier than I had anticipated, especially with three reluctant and cursing Cardians chained together. In the end, we managed it reasonably well, though Niko did slip and fall into the water and needed quick rescuing before being crushed between the hulls. After that, it was a simple matter to unfurl Sea-Dragon’s new sail and let the wind take her.

  I stood alone on the sterncastle and watched the empty Cardian longboat grow fainter in the distance as it wallowed on the tide behind us. The sleek ship was barely noticeable when finally, the sea tossed it up against the barrier guarding the lagoon, crushing the hull into fragments on the sharp rocks.

  “Fate is a strange bedfellow, wouldn’t you agree?”

  I turned to see Rorian standing behind me with his legs braced on the deck as he moved easily with the ship's rhythm. I frowned and turned away. I had no wish to even look at the man, let alone speak to him.

  Rorian either didn’t recognize my mood or just didn’t care as he came to lean on the railing beside me. “I have to admit that you are not exactly what I envisioned you to be.”

  “And what is that?” I grunted as I stared out to sea. I had a momentary urge to grab the scholar by the neck and ass and toss him overboard.

  “A brute,” Rorian said. “A thoughtless, bloodthirsty brute of low intelligence and even lower morals.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Oh, I’m far from being disappointed,” Rorian said with a shrug. “If anything, I am intrigued by you. I’m rather glad now that I didn’t kill you back there.”

  I turned to face him. “You wouldn’t have,” I said, holding his eyes. “Malo and the codex are the only reason you are alive right now. If it had been up to me—”

  “If it had been up to you, you would have taken that famous sword of yours and bashed past my shield, then gutted me,” Rorian said, interrupting. “I understand you believe that is the way it would have gone.” He grinned. “Perhaps if you had gotten lucky, it might have. But I doubt it.”

  “You are an arrogant bastard,” I growled. “I’ll give you that.”

  “Not arrogant,” Rorian said. “Just aware of what I can and cannot do.”

  “Then maybe we will get another chance to find out what you can do,” I said, fingering Wolf’s Head.

  “Maybe we will,” Rorian replied evenly. He glanced at Malo, who stood below on the lower deck watching us. “But not today.”

  “No, not today,” I agreed as I let my hand drop to my side. Malo had made a deal with the scholar and honor demanded that it be adhered to, much as it galled me.

  Rorian chuckled. “You wear your thoughts on your face like a fine cloak, Hadrack of Corwick,” he said. “Easily seen by all but the most casual observer.”

  “Is there anything else?” I asked impatiently, turning back to the sea. “If not, then leave me be.”

  I sensed, rather than saw Rorian bow. “Of course. Forgive the intrusion.”

  For the next two days, Sea-Dragon skimmed across the Western Ocean, propelled by favorable winds and calm seas. We released one of the Cardians from the group, a thin, quiet man with bad teeth and even worse breath, who claimed that he was an experienced pilot. The man’s name was Yanak, and we shackled him to the rudder and posted a guard to keep watch over him. Seeing him standing there reminded me of Baine, and eventually, I just stopped going to the stern altogether so that I wouldn’t have to look at the bastard. The other two Cardians worked in tandem from sunup to sundown, repairing the ship and scrubbing the decks and hold.

  On the third morning after we left the lagoon, Niko called down from the mast platform, “Calban, my lord! I see it!”

  And so he h
ad.

  I ran to the gunwale and stared at the castle that appeared as a dark mass on the horizon, growing larger by the moment. Her giant spires were still heavily shrouded in mist, and her walls shimmered from the heat and distance as though they were dancing. Yet there could be no question where we were—the island castle of Calban.

  I felt my fingers gripping the gunwale tightly, eager to see Shana after so long apart. Putt began to unfurl the Cardian banner above the sterncastle as I’d instructed him to the moment we saw Calban. The red pennant, with its screaming raven and outstretched claws, snapped loudly in the wind over my head as it unfurled.

  “How long?” Malo asked Putt.

  “An hour,” the red-haired outlaw replied after taking a thoughtful glance at the castle. “Perhaps less if the winds increase.”

  I took a deep breath. An hour, then we will know. Had we made it in time, or had Baine’s death been for nothing? I thought of Shana, knowing how busy she must be preparing for the Pilgrimage. I smiled, picturing the determined look on her face that I knew would be there as she organized the castle and made sure that all was in readiness. The master of Calban, as host, was responsible for the care, safety, and outfitting of the Pilgrims. A daunting, expensive task, considering Shana had told me last year that there had been well over four hundred Pilgrims that had made The Walk.

  “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Sabina said as she came to stand beside me. She shielded her eyes and peered at the castle, her face set in a stony, unreadable mask.

  “I was just thinking how difficult it must be, having to organize such a complicated thing as a Pilgrimage,” I said. “Feeding hundreds of Pilgrims for days must be a considerable challenge.”

  Sabina sniffed, looking unimpressed. “The Lady of Calban has a steward and countless underlings at her command for that,” she said. “Besides, I imagine she is too busy scolding her chambermaids for the slightest mistake to give it much thought.”

  I glanced sideways at Sabina in annoyance. “You don’t even know her, yet you have already judged her. How is that fair?”