by Mel Odom
CHAPTER TEN
Haarn threw himself around as he felt the wolf's jaws tighten on his ankle. Stonefur sought to sever the druid's hamstring, leaving him crippled. Haarn's effort to escape helped the wolf's fangs cut deep furrows around his ankle, but it also kept Stonefur from gaining a decent grip. Haarn reversed his hold on the fighting club, holding it instead by its thicker end. He rammed the club's narrow end down, managing to aim it between Stonefur's jaws.
The club's wooden haft clacked against the wolf's teeth. Haarn shoved the club forward, jamming it into Stonefur's jaws, widening the distance between them.
Stonefur howled in pain and frustration, still struggling to maintain a grip on the druid.
Ignoring the pain in his ankle, Haarn took a fresh hold on the knife in his other hand. He gazed at the wolf's exposed throat, knowing his opponent wouldn't have time to move before he was able to slide the blade into his neck. Still, even knowing the wolf would kill him in a moment if the chance presented itself, Haarn hesitated. A druid was trained to kill out of mercy, whether to ease an animal's suffering or to control overpopulation, and sometimes to eat, though feeding oneself at the unnecessary expense of an animal was frowned upon.
Haarn's own father had killed for food several times that he could remember. Since going out on his own, from under his father's wing and tutelage, Haarn had seldom killed any animal, even those bearing dreadful and grievous wounds. Many druids would have killed an afflicted animal outright, but Haarn had worked to save them. Over the years, he'd challenged and killed more poachers than animals.
"Haarn, strike!"
Galvanized by Druz Talimsir's command, still reticent, Haarn struck with the knife.
An instant before the blade slid home, the wolf shied backward. The knife missed Stonefur's throat by less than the thickness of a finger.
Off-balance from the lunge, Haarn was ill prepared for the wolf's follow-up attack. He ducked, collapsing toward the muddy ground and wrapping his left arm over his head.
Stonefur's leap carried him too high. The slavering jaws didn't close on the druid's head as intended, but they grazed Haarn's arm. The trickle of blood along the druid's limb felt warm and welcome against the freezing rain.
Still in motion, Haarn threw himself to one side, falling over into a roll before the wolf could claw him. Stonefur hurtled overhead but landed on the ground. The wolf's callused pads and claws dug into the stony earth, stopping him short and bringing him back around.
You will die, lifekeeper, Stonefur promised.
The other wolves in his pack howled their approval.
Haarn tested his injured ankle as he got to his feet, wanting to make sure it would stay strong enough to support him.
Kill! the wolf bitch carrying pups snarled. Kill, and let's eat, Stonefur.
The wolf came again.
Haarn dodged to one side, but his foot slipped on a rain-slick stone and he almost fell. Before he could get clear of the wolf's headlong rush, Stonefur's fang gashed him again, ripping along his ribs. Fire burned the length of the druid's wounds. Before Haarn recovered, the wolf returned.
Ragged fur tore across Haarn's mouth as the wolf slammed his shoulder into the druid's face. Stonefur's jaws snapped closed on the juncture of Haarn's left shoulder and neck, seeking the jugular.
Bowing his back, Haarn fell forward in an effort to dislodge the wolf. He felt the flesh on the top of his shoulder tear. Warm blood cascaded down his body. Desperate, the druid swept the club around, swinging it from his knees.
Stonefur had expected the blow, though, and made sure he wasn't there when it arrived. Before he could recover from the neck wound and from being off-balance, Haarn looked up just in time to see the wolf's paw streak toward his face. The claws bit into his cheek, tearing down to the bone with ease.
Blood spurted up into Haarn's left eye, blinding him. He swept his knife up, keeping it along his arm. His hand touched the wolf's fur, but the animal wasn't there when the blade followed his hand. He knuckled his right hand around the club's handle then pushed himself erect.
Stonefur galloped in wide circles around the druid and growled, You tire, lifekeeper. Men no match for wolf clan.
Haarn exhaled, saying a small, silent prayer to Silvanus to gather his attention and make his heart cold toward his opponent.
I kill you, lifekeeper, Stonefur taunted, then we take time with woman. Chase her, bite pieces off and eat them, and let her run till she can't run anymore. Her death will be slow, painful.
Haarn had no doubt that Stonefur would make good on his promise, and the druid knew that no matter how skilled a warrior Druz Talimsir might be, she was no match for the wolf pack.
Stonefur raced by, cut back toward Haarn, and hoped to score another blow with his claws. Haarn chose to avoid the attack, stepping back and giving ground. Seeing the reaction as a weakness, Stonefur pressed his conceived advantage, racing forward again.
Haarn brought the club up and managed to jam it across the wolf's open jaws, fending his attacker off and keeping the saliva-covered fangs from his face and throat.
The druid teetered backward, off-balance. Before he could recover, the wolf dug his claws into the muddy ground and lunged forward.
The druid fell backward, trapped under the wolf's massive weight. The cold, greasy mud slapped against Haarn's bare back with chilling intensity. His breath left his lungs in a rush. When he breathed in again, he smelled the wolf's fetid breath and the stench of wet fur. He struggled to keep the club in place in his opponent's jaws and stay out of reach of Stonefur's fangs. Sharp rocks dug into Haarn's back, bruising and tearing the exposed flesh.
Broadfoot growled, sounding angry and fearful.
Stonefur turned his head, biting down on the club and seeking to tear it from Haarn's grip. Lightning flashed and was reflected in the pitiless depths of the wolf's wide eyes.
"Haarn!" Druz called.
Drawing part of a breath, Haarn yelled, "Stay back!"
If she didn't, she would bring the rest of the pack down on them. Even with Broadfoot and the spells Silvanus had placed at his disposal, the druid didn't know if they could escape the whole pack alive. He didn't trust the wolf's word either. Stonefur had learned to kill and lived for the bloody carnage he could cause. Haarn saw that, and his heart hardened. He remembered Druz's story about the boy who had been attacked.
You're a killer, Stonefur, Haarn accused.
Yes, the wolf replied, excitement in his voice. Human flesh taste good.
You hunt children.
Easy prey, the wolf countered.
He braced himself and butted Haarn in the face with his broad head. Haarn felt the wolf's teeth rattle along the club. He shifted his weapon with the wolf's movements, desperate to keep his opponent's jaws from his flesh.
You harder to kill, Stonefur said, but more fun. I kill you, too. Soon.
Haarn didn't have the breath to make a reply. Hot saliva dripped from the wolf's muzzle onto his exposed neck, feeling like freshly spilled blood. The stink of the wolf filled the druid's nostrils. With his throat exposed the way it was, Haarn knew all the wolf had to do was bite the veins on either side and let him bleed out.
Gathering his strength, Haarn shoved up against the wolf, trying to throw Stonefur from him. The wolf growled in triumph and bowed his back, using his hold on the club to stay on top of the druid.
Kill lifekeeper, Stonefur, the female called.
"Haarn!" Druz yelled.
Stonefur's orange eyes locked with Haarn's and the wolf said, Your female calls out for you.
Haarn said nothing, desperate to find the leverage that would allow him to break the wolf's hold. He kicked, trying to find a foothold in the mud. The rain beat down on him, blinding him as he gazed up against it.
Maybe I only wound you, Stonefur said. I cripple you so that you can watch as we kill your female.
You promised you wouldn't do that.
Haarn heaved his weight to one side, trying to slide
from under the wolf.
I lied, howled the wolf.
Stonefur lunged at the druid's face again.
Haarn jerked his head to one side. The wolf's wet fur grated against his wounded cheek, tracing liquid fire against his face. He stifled a groan of pain.
The wolf regrouped at once and attacked again.
Using the club to block the brunt of the animal's fierce attack, Haarn drove his knife toward Stonefur's chest. The blade caught a flash of lightning an instant before it struck the wolf's body. Instead of penetrating Stonefur's ribcage as Haarn had hoped, the knife skidded along the wolf's shoulder bone and ripped through flesh to grate against the animal's spine.
Stonefur growled in pain and rage. Jerking his head, he turned and seized the offending hand before Haarn could withdraw it. The movement left the club free, and Haarn wasted no time in smashing his weapon into the wolf's side. As close as he was, the club did little more than bruise the wolf.
Haarn distanced himself from the pain in his savaged arm. He knew Stonefur worried at his wrist with the deliberate intent to sever the tendons. A wolf's attack, like that of feline predators, was designed to break down its prey piece by piece until it was helpless.
Levering himself over, Haarn used his opponent's displaced weight and the lock on his wrist against him. Before Stonefur could fight back, Haarn was on top of him. Struggling to straddle the great beast, Haarn drew the club back and bashed the wolf in the side of the neck.
Stonefur gave a painful howl and released his hold on Haarn's wrist. Blood matted the lighter colored fur under the wolf's muzzle.
Haarn felt light-headed from blood loss and exertion. He'd given too much away to the battle. Perhaps if he'd kept the scimitar they'd have been better matched, but he wasn't sure, and the balance had to be maintained. He drew the fighting club back and prepared to smash it against Stonefur's skull.
Lightning rent the air, and cracking thunder followed on its heels.
Haarn's breath came in ragged gasps. His chest heaved, causing his wounds to echo with dulled pain. Gazing down into the wolf's eyes, he hesitated.
To kill an opponent, his mother had told him, you must be willing to look him in the eyes, know that you will have his blood on your hands and maybe in your mouth, and accept that there is no other way. If you hesitate, you are lost.
She had been a warrior, a Harper, and had often been called away for unknown missions. Her views and those of Haarn's father had often clashed, causing for great arguments. Even though his father and mother cared about many of the same things, the paths they took to arrive at the same destination were always different.
The wolf struck as the memories tumbled through Haarn's mind, as the druid was torn between giving life and taking life. Stonefur bowed his back, bringing his hind legs up and clawing with frantic effort.
Cold fire burned through Haarn's stomach and thighs. The claws ripped through his flesh and clothing. Knowing he was exposed in his present position, he abandoned it, throwing himself to the side. He felt blood coursing down his body and hammering at his temples as his heart thudded in his chest. He pushed his hands against the ground in an effort to get to his feet. The mud gave way, though, and he fell, bumping his face against a sharp-edged stone. When he lifted his head, he saw blood on the stone, then Stonefur's body blotted out a jagged fork of lightning that cut through the night sky. Before Haarn could shift, the wolf was on him.
Stonefur snarled and howled, throwing his weight across Haarn's body. His fangs snapped at the back of the druid's head, gouging deep cuts in his skull. Releasing the club, Haarn reached up with flagging strength and hooked his fingers into the wolf's fur.
I kill you, lifekeeper, the wolf snarled. I drink your blood. I eat of your flesh. I continue to hunt where I want-what I want.
Haarn levered his arm, trapping the wolf, then he used the animal's attempt to pull away and gain another attack to shift his own weight. The druid rolled, dizziness spinning in his head, feeling like he was trapped in a waking dream and moving in slow motion. He struck with the knife, grazing the huge wolf's flanks. On his knees now, he braced to meet Stonefur's attack. His fingers knotted in the wolf's fur felt the shift of muscles and weight that let him know the animal was coming again.
Stonefur's head slammed into Haarn's blood-streaked chest. For a moment, the druid thought the wolf's great strength and weight had broken his ribs. The air rushed from his lungs at the contact. Black spots swam in his vision, threatening blindness. His consciousness teetered on the edge of slipping away.
Broadfoot roared a thunderous challenge.
Haarn fought his own body. If he was lost, so were the bear and the woman. He drew another breath, staving off the waiting blackness, and focused on the wolf. His grip wasn't strong enough to control Stonefur. The wolf lunged at his throat. Haarn pulled the wolf to him then, catching the creature off-guard.
Clasping the wolf to him, Haarn fell backward. He hooked his knife hand behind the wolf's back, afraid that if he didn't hold the wolf close that Stonefur would rip his throat out. The ground came up hard against his back, ripping into his flesh despite the mud. Keeping his fingers hooked into the wolf's thick coat, Haarn rammed his forearm into the animal's side again and again, seeking to drive the breath from his attacker.
Close-in fighting had to be quick and vicious, no quarter given or asked. Haarn's mother had taught him that despite his father's protests. According to his father, druids were never to get that close. Haarn's mother had taken part in a number of battles, though she never talked of them, and was of a different opinion. Sometimes the only way to kill an enemy was to look him in the eye and slip a blade home.
Haarn panted, striving to even his breath out and ease the harsh burning in his lungs. The wolf's dander, though muted by the wet coat, filled Haarn's mouth and nose. Fear touched the druid, but the immediacy of the situation kept it at bay. Still, despite Haarn's best efforts, Stonefur bit into his back.
Blinded by pain and fury, blood still seeping into his eye, Haarn tightened his grip around the wolf's neck, hoping to shut the animal's breath off. One of Stonefur's leathery ears raked against Haarn's face. Seized by impulse and the desire to live, the druid opened his mouth and took the ear in as the wolf began to rake his midsection with his claws again.
Haarn bit down, plunging his teeth through the wolf's ear.
Stonefur squalled in pain and changed his tactics. No longer interested in attacking, the wolf sought escape. Instead of raking Haarn with his claws, he pushed against the druid.
Unable to hold his opponent with his flagging strength, Haarn felt the wolf squirm from his grip. Stonefur shook his head, helping Haarn finish sawing the ear off. The leathery piece of flesh remained in Haarn's mouth, which was filled with blood.
Panting, eyes only half open and threatening to close out of exhaustion, Haarn swallowed the wolf's blood and forced himself to his feet. He swayed in the storm winds, searching the muddy ground for the club. His breath puffed out in gray patches before him, burning as it entered and as it left his body.
Druz stood where he'd left her, but her sword was naked in her fist. Concern marked her features beneath rain-matted hair. Broadfoot roared again, filling the night with his challenge.
Stonefur trotted back and forth only a few feet away. The bloody stump of his shorn ear thrust up from his head, no longer cocked at an angle the way the other ear was. The wolf shook his head several times, slinging blood over himself and the ground.
You will die, lifekeeper.
Then come slay me, Haarn said. You already know I'm no boy to be stalked without fear of injury. I've marked you, and even if I let you live after this, everyone will know you.
You were lucky.
Haarn spotted the club only a few feet away. He strode toward it, watching the haunted lights in the wolf's eyes. Hunger showed in those orange eyes and hate as well, something Haarn had seldom seen in the eyes of an animal. He'd only found it in the eyes of those beasts
that had spent time in the company of humans, and he wondered at Stonefur's background.
Standing in the cascading rain as the storm raged around them, Haarn prayed to Silvanus. Steeped in two schools of thought, Haarn had often found himself conflicted. He didn't know what he might have chosen had his mother not stopped coming to the forest years before, but that conflict was fading. The outcome of the battle before him resided in the sphere of his mother's teachings, not his father's. His father's skills had brought him to the wolf, but they couldn't save him. The druid gripped the club and knife as the driving rain sluiced blood down his body. His stomach, back, and thighs bled profusely, but the muscle walls holding his internal organs remained intact. Liquid fire ran through his shoulder and neck where Stonefur's fangs had torn into him. He kept his feet apart in the manner his mother had taught him, left foot forward and right foot back, perpendicular to his forward foot. He kept his knees slightly bent, weight balanced. It was the most basic martial arts stance, the position everything else evolved from. Haarn breathed out in slow deliberation, focusing his thoughts and quelling his fears. In doing that, he lost some of the perspective his father would have wanted him to keep. The wolf was no longer a part of the forest or of the world Haarn had sworn to protect as a druid. The wolf was an enemy. Perhaps, Stonefur said, I should let you live. No, Haarn said, standing his ground and no longer mirroring the wolf's movements. He became the center of the world-as his mother had taught him. As the center, all things would come to him. That kind of thinking was foreign to druids, who believed they wove through the cycles of nature without creating ripples of their own. If it doesn't end here, Stonefur, I will track you down, and I won't hold back the powers that are mine to command. You might not see me coming. I'll see you. Haarn raised his voice so that the other wolves could hear over the din of crashing thunder tearing through the heavens so hard it seemed to shake the ground. I swear to you by Silvanus's blessed eyes that I will kill all that run with you. Cunning and vicious, the wolf kept trotting, waiting for the moment he judged proper to strike. Lightning seared the sky, whiting out the world, and Stonefur chose that moment to attack. Haarn had only a momentary glimpse of movement, then the lightning blinded him as the ensuing thunder deafened him. The whirling winds and the cold rain deadened his skin. His heart thudded in his chest. Stonefur launched at him, jaws wide, blood leaking into his mouth from the stub of his ear. Moving with a grace that surprised him in the condition that he was in, Haarn slammed his club into the side of the wolf's head. The shock rolled along the druid's arm, but he kept his stance tight, following up with the knife still held along the side of his arm. The blade sliced into Stonefur's flank. Blood poured down the wolf's side as he landed in a rolling heap. No mercy in his heart, Haarn went after the wolf. Stonefur rolled to his feet and pushed up only a step ahead of the druid's arrival. The wolf raced away, muscles bunching under bloody fur. Haarn stood his ground as the wolf cut in a semicircle, as he knew it would. He'd observed the movements of too many wolves over the years to be taken by surprise by the feint. By the time Stonefur reached him again, Haarn was set. The wolf tried for Haarn's wounded ankle again. The druid swung the club into Stonefur's head, connecting with the animal's bloody ear. The impact of the wolf's body crashing against him knocked Haarn from his feet. Haarn rolled, controlling his body and coming to his knees. There was no hesitation within him as he struck, no more confusion over what he was supposed to do. His knife blade flicked across the wolf's withers, opening a long cut over his hipbone. Coughing, fatigued, and hurting, Stonefur yelped in anger and rolled to his feet while Haarn was still on the ground. Haarn focused on the wolf's great body, knowing Stonefur outweighed him. The druid poised, on one knee and the other foot beneath him, watching as the wolf recognized the opportunity. Muscles rippled under the wolf's bloodied fur. Claws dug for traction on the muddy ground. Clods flew behind Stonefur as the wolf hurtled toward the druid. Haarn waited then shifted to the right and ducked. Still moving, he ripped the blade across the wolf's exposed abdomen. Thick, salty blood poured down onto Haarn. Graceful in spite of the mortal wound, Stonefur landed. His ribs flexed, and the gaping wound in his abdomen showed. The wolf's entrails started to spill from within. You've killed me, Stonefur snarled. He lapped at his wound but gave up the effort. His muzzle came away stained and dripping crimson that washed away in the stormy downpour. "Yes," Haarn said in his own voice, knowing the wolf would understand just the same. At this moment of death, there could be no lies between them. "You disrupted the balance. There was no other way to end this." Weakened and hurting, Stonefur came at the druid again. His clawed feet dug into the earth. Haarn tried to dodge out of the way, knowing he only had to stay alive a little while longer before the wolf's life played out, but in his weakened condition he couldn't move as fast. He shifted, intending to throw himself to the side, but his right foot slipped in the mud and went skittering away beneath him. Instinct made him drop the club and try to catch himself. When he made a frantic grab for the fallen weapon, he realized it was too late. Stonefur crashed into Haarn, knocking the druid back, slavering jaws reaching for his throat. The foul stench of the wolf's breath invaded Haarn's senses and seared his cheek. The rough, raspy tongue raked along Haarn's jaw. Shifting to protect his wounded midsection, Haarn brought the knife up in a short, tight arc. He felt the tip glide along the wolf's ribs, then sink home. Pain froze Stonefur as he lay atop Haarn. The druid felt the blood-slick and rain-matted fur against his hand where he'd driven the knife to the hilt. At least two or more inches of steel had pierced the wolf's heart. Blood leaked from Stonefur's flaring nostrils and mouth. A choking sound rumbled in his throat. Lightning strobed the heavens again, but there was little left in the wolf's eyes to light. Rattling sounded in his lungs and the great beast grew heavier. I die, Stonefur gasped. Yes. Sorrow and pain ached in Haarn's chest. He no longer tried to hold the wolf from him, and knotted his fingers in the bloodied fur to hold him close. No! the wolf bitch roared. Not kill Stonefur! Not let! Knowing the wolf was coming from the slick spatter of paws against the stones and mud, Haarn tried to push Stonefur's great weight from him. The wolf's ribs trapped Haarn's knife, leaving him unarmed as he shoved to his feet. The wolf bitch leaped the last six feet, aiming herself at the druid. Haarn reached out and caught her muzzle, trapping it in his hands. She has life within her, he thought. They are Stonefur's get, and they hold the promise of greatness. The wolf bitch's weight pushed him back into the mud. She snarled and growled, but the effort came out strangely through her trapped muzzle. Wounded and battered as he was, Haarn wasn't certain he could survive her attack. Her grief and hunger, and the protective urges that filled her from the pups being so close to being born, made her overpowering. She squirmed and struggled to get her jaws free. Her claws raked at his chest, then a shudder passed through her and she stopped. Staring into the feral eyes only inches from his own, feeling the strength drain from the wolf bitch, Haarn felt a new fear dawn in him. "No!" The wolf bitch slumped to the side, propelled by a booted foot. A long sword jutted from the wolf bitch's side. "No," Haarn repeated through a dry throat. He stared up at Druz Talimsir. "Do you know what you've done, woman?" She frowned, leaning on the long sword and twisting it to widen the wound that had killed the wolf bitch. "I saved your life," said Druz. "Get away from her. Now!" Confusion darkened Druz's rain-soaked features. She withdrew her sword but remained close by. "By Tymora's skirts, but you are a hard one to understand. She had you. She would have killed you." "No, she wouldn't have. I could have handled her." Haarn took in a deep breath as he forced himself into a kneeling position. Dazed and bleeding, Haarn stared at the dead wolf as he rolled to his knees. He stretched his hands out, calling on the power that Silvanus had entrusted in him. Many druids had the power to heal wounds. As he laid his hands on the wolf, he felt and heard the last breath go out of her. The convulsive shudder that shook her shivered through him. "What are you doing?" Druz sounded incredulous. "I would heal her if I could," Haarn said, "but
she's beyond anything I can do." "That's stupid," Druz said. "Tymora's blessing on fools and children. Even if you did heal her, she'd only go for your throat again." Haarn ignored Druz's words. Saving the wolf bitch was beyond him, at least in his present condition. He stared at her sides, seeing the movement caused by the pups struggling in her womb. Making his decision, he forced himself to stand, placed a boot on Stonefur's body, and yanked his knife free. Turning, he crouched, struggled with his balance and unfocused vision, and plunged the knife into the wolf bitch's body.
