by H. D. Gordon
A Hound had carved out every scar that marred my back, had wielded the whips that had flayed me, had shoved me into the metal cage of The Ring, and observed and mocked while I fought and killed for my life.
So as we made the trek across that long, stone bridge spanning the gorge connecting the Dead Forest to the Erl Queen’s castle, Goldie held my hand. She didn’t have to tell me that she was afraid, that her stomach was currently in knots, and I did not have to tell her.
Instead, speaking in my head in the telepathic manner we shared, she said, “I love you, Rukiya. You’re one brave little Wolf.”
I gave her hand a squeeze and leaned into her shoulder. “And I love you, Golds. You’re pretty amazing as well.”
Behind our little party of misfits, one hundred Valec soldiers in full armor marched in absolute silence. How they were able to move with such stealth with all that black, heavy metal attached to their enormous bodies was a mystery to me, but they were clearly ready to follow orders.
The Erl Queen stood at the very end of the bridge in her beautiful mortal form, her red-painted lips curved up in a wicked smile. I watched with no small amount of annoyance as she waited for Adriel to approach her. Like the gentlemale I knew him to be, he thanked her for her assistance and took her hand, bending at the waist in order to kiss the back of it.
Instead of allowing this, the Erl Queen clasped Adriel’s chin between her manicured fingers and planted a kiss on his lips that lingered long enough for a growl to rumble in my belly. As she did this, her triumphant gaze met mine over his shoulder, and her words to me upon my arrival replayed in my head.
Keep your paws off Adriel. He’s spoken for.
I was deep enough in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice Goldie watching me until she spoke in my head.
“What’s going on with you and Adriel?” she asked, going straight in for the jugular, as was her way with me.
I glanced over at her in surprise, my eyebrows arching. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing going on,” I replied.
Goldie gave me a look that said I must consider her stupid. I sighed and looked out over the gorge, where the perpetual night of this dark place stretched on from horizon to horizon. I didn’t want to have this conversation just now. Or ever, for that matter.
Whatever I might be feeling toward Adriel, I was almost sure he didn’t feel the same about me. In my estimations, he hadn’t shown me any kind of particular interest. He’d treated me well, yes, but I understood now that this was how he treated all of his people.
Anyway, I was a broken thing, someone who’d been used up, and by a damn Hound, nonetheless. Why would someone like Adriel be interested in me? He wouldn’t. He wasn’t. So what would be the point in taking that kind of interest in him?
Even so, after the Erl Queen had planted that kiss on Adriel, she’d strolled on past the rest of us with that smug expression on her lovely face, winking at me as she went by.
To this, I bared my teeth in a Wolfish grin despite the fact that my blood was practically boiling. There was no amount of logical thinking that could hamper this reaction in me. It just was what it was.
Goldie, of course, was watching this exchange with great interest.
“Right,” she said in my head as we left behind the Erl Queen’s castle and ventured toward the shadows that ruled the Dead Forest. “Nothing going on.”
22
As soon as we stepped into the gloom of dark trees, the Erl Queen’s castle disappeared behind us. The enormous, imposing structure sitting in the center of a depthless gorge on an island of jutting black rock just vanished as if I’d imagined the entire thing.
I stood looking back for long enough that Goldie looked along with me. In a whisper, almost as if to herself, she said, “The Realms are full of strange and unimaginable magic.”
I could only nod and release a breath, trying not to let the current environment whittle at my nerves.
Adriel had mentioned that because the Erl Queen ruled over the Dead Forest, none of the creatures that dwelled within would dare attack us while we passed through. I also knew that trailing directly behind me were one hundred Valac soldiers sworn to follow Adriel’s orders during this excursion.
And, still, the Forest had its way.
Erl Queen’s permission and soldiers or no, there was nothing to be done about the chill that climbed up my spine as we passed beneath those dead, reaching branches, as the dry vines crunched like the bones of small animals beneath my boots.
The closer we got to the town, the more my anxiety grew, but in true Wolf fashion, I did my damnedest not to let it show. Goldie was a source of strength beside me, as she had been for as long as we’d known each other. When I glanced over at her, pulling my gaze away from the dreadful landscape, I thought to myself that if things went wrong with the Hounds, and somehow one of us were lost, I was grateful for the time I’d been given with her.
After what seemed an eternity of fog, shadows, and dead greenery, we passed over the invisible border and back into the Emerald Forest. Seeing the setting sun glittering through the green, living trees was like being reunited with an old friend. I took a tiny moment to tilt my head back as it kissed my face, thinking that it was no wonder the Erl Queen was such a bitch. If I lived in a place where sunlight was non-existent, I would likely be rather unpleasant, too.
I still didn’t like her, though.
I pushed these thoughts away and refocused on the task at hand. From here, we would fan out in the forest around Mina, each of us going to our designated station just outside the town. When the signal went up, we would begin our coordinated attack.
Adriel had assigned Goldie and I the Northeastern edge, keeping us together without having to be told.
The others set off in the directions of their assigned places, and the Valac were split into two groups of fifty. One group would march down the Canal from the Northern end of the town, and the others would march from the South. With the help of all of us, we should be able to herd the Hounds toward a central point, and when we got them there, Adriel would cast a spell to hold them captive.
After that, despite the fact that we’d come to a decision about the fate of the Hounds, I suspected arguments about the next step would soon ensue.
But I was getting ahead of myself, because the task of gathering all the invading Hounds in one place would not be as simple as that step-by-step made it sound.
In fact, I’d be willing to bet an impressive sum that before the setting sun rose again over Mina the following morning, blood would surely be spilled.
I told myself that I would be the one to spill it if I had to, but it struck me as equally sad as it was useless to realize that I didn’t really want to. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when what I wanted mattered. The fact that there was no longer a magical collar around my neck had not changed that reality.
Adriel found me as people began to split off for their various locations, and Goldie put some space between us so that he could talk to me alone, though I knew my nosy friend well enough to know that she was listening in with her strong Wolf hearing.
I told myself that it was the nerves of the impending task making my stomach flip as Adriel neared me, that it had nothing to do with the way his red eyes pinned me, the easy way he moved his strong body, the power that radiated off him, or the fresh smell of soap and peppermint.
He cocked his head slightly as he studied me, keeping his smooth voice low. “There are still plenty of books that need reading, and that’s a necessary job that not many others in Mina are able to do,” Adriel said, and paused. He moved closer and his fingers tilted my chin up, forcing me to look up into his handsome face. “You don’t need to do this,” he said. “No one can judge you if you want to hang out with the others. You said you didn’t want to fight, and I don’t want you to feel any pressure to have to.”
I had to swallow before I could speak, taking in a deep breath and inhaling the clean scent of him. Standing within t
he comfort of his powerful presence, I felt for a moment that perhaps all of this might somehow turn out all right.
“It seems to me this is also a necessary job that not many others in Mina are able to do,” I replied, ignoring the sudden, strong urge to step closer to him, to close the distance between us and press my body against his, if only for a moment.
One side of Adriel’s mouth pulled up at this, and he reached up and tucked a piece of my dark hair behind my ear. “Okay, Rukiya dearest,” he whispered, and took a step back from me. “Off you go, then.”
I had to suppress a shudder at the loss of his warmth, but I nodded and shifted into my Wolf form, rubbing my big, furry head against him and earning a low chuckle and a rub between the ears.
Then, I slipped off into the trees and found Goldie. Even in her Wolf form, I could see the smug expression on her face, which I absolutely ignored.
From there, my oldest friend and I went to take on the Hounds.
Goldie knew the town better than I did, so she played the bait, despite the fact that this was not a choice I agreed with. If one of us had to be in more immediate danger, I definitely preferred for it to be me. The reason was selfish, mostly. When one of us was cut, we both bled.
Trouble was, Goldie felt the same way.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped, her tone short in my head. “I’m not some damsel in distress, Rook. I can lead the Hounds to the center of Mina without getting hurt just as well as you can. You must forget I used to kick your ass when we were little.”
I snorted, crouching down behind a bush in the Emerald Forest near the northeastern edge of the town. “First, you never kicked my ass. Second, it has nothing to do with capability. I’d just rather be the bait.”
“Well, get over it,” Goldie replied. “I know the layout of the town better than you. I’ll be able to compensate if I have to find a new route or path. And, besides, you’ll be watching my back, so I’ll be fine.”
I considered arguing further, but Goldie lowered her ears and released a low, belly-rumbling growl, and I knew my friend well enough to know when I might as well give it up.
But the pace of my heart hastened as I stayed behind while Goldie slipped silently out of the forest and into the back streets of Mina.
The town was terribly silent as I trailed Goldie, keeping to the corners, alleys, and shadows so as to remain unseen. Goldie, on the other hand, was strolling right down the center of the street. She moved like a wraith on the pads of her paws, so quiet that they didn’t even whisper against the cobblestone. Her red-gold head was held low, her ears perked to attention.
I couldn’t be sure if it was just my own mindset, but Mina had a very different feel without the variety of carefree people to bring it to life.
Though I had yet to see one, I knew very well that the Hounds were still here. For one thing, I could smell them. Despite all Wolves having a unique scent, sort of like a thumbprint, in my experience, there was a common undertone among the Hounds—a smell that seemed to belong solely to them.
I supposed this was no different from what the Hounds said about Dogs; I’d heard many a Hound mention the rank odor that clung to all Dogs, while the Dogs thought, Right back at you, buddy.
So, yes, I knew they were here. And with the open display Goldie was putting on as she trotted down the center of the deserted streets, the Hounds had to know that we were here as well. As Goldie and I travelled further and further into Mina, the only question was what were they waiting for.
By the time the realization that Goldie had walked right into an ambush struck me, it was too late. We’d wandered straight into the Hound’s clutches.
The voice that drifted around the corner of the building was familiar, but for whatever reason, it took me a moment to place.
I watched from behind a water basin beside an adjacent building as Goldie wandered out into an intersection of what had so abruptly become a ghost town.
Then, the voice said, “Will you look at what we have here.”
And, Mekhi, the bastard Hound I’d met in Dogshead all those moon cycles ago, the one who’d tried to buy Goldie—only for Adriel to rescue her before he could do so—rounded the corner and strode out to meet her.
He was in his mortal form, whip coiled at one hip and baton hanging from the other. His right hand brushed the handle of the leather whip, and the grin he gave Goldie was less Wolfish and more jackal.
“Hey, there, pretty girl,” Mekhi crooned, and three Hounds in Wolf form rounded the corner behind him. “Now ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
23
Goldie’s growl was low and menacing. It made the fur on the back of my neck rise as I watched the scene from the shadows.
In all the chaos of the recent happenings, I’d nearly forgotten about Mekhi, the beefy, arrogant Hound, who I noticed had a new scar above his eyebrow where I’d struck hum during our previous meeting.
I’d nearly forgotten how he was sort of responsible for everything that had taken place. If he’d never abused Goldie way back in Dogshead, I would have never had to beat his ass in that bar, and Ryker would likely have never taken a particular interest in me.
And if all of those things had never happened, Adriel would never have had to buy Goldie so that Mekhi couldn’t.
From the way Goldie was looking at Mekhi, she had not forgotten him, not for one second. How many son of a bitch Wolves like Mekhi had Goldie endured over the years? How many nights spent a slave to their brutal whims?
I felt the power coiling in my muscles and the rage simmering in my blood, and thought to hell with sparing all of the Hounds. Maybe some of the poor bastards did deserve to be spared, but Mekhi was not one of them. And, maybe it wouldn’t be right this instant, but his was a life I would gladly claim. The world that Adriel and the others wanted to build just couldn’t exist with males like Mekhi around. The threat of them would loom until it was extinguished.
Before the Hounds could fan out and surround Goldie, I sprang out of my hiding place and darted across the street as fast as my legs could carry me. Speaking in Goldie’s head, I told her it was time to run. We didn’t have to fight the Hounds, we only had to herd them to the central point in Mina, where Adriel would then do his magical thing.
My appearance worked exactly as it was supposed to, surprising Mekhi and the other three Hounds enough that their attention left Goldie for long enough that she was able to dash right between two of them, moving swiftly enough that she looked like a red-gold blur.
I banked and made a sharp curve, swerving around the Hounds as they jerked their heads back toward Goldie. They looked so stupid that if the situation hadn’t been what it was, I might have laughed at their dumb faces.
“Idiots,” Goldie said in my head.
We were running two streets apart, parallel to each other and going in the same direction, so her mental connection with me was weak. But we could make it. We were getting close. Just a little bit further.
The Hounds were on our heels, but where the male Wolves had us outmatched in strength, females generally ruled the ranks when it came to speed. I kept my head low as I navigated the side streets and buildings, my mind fixed on that point in the not-too-far distance, where Adriel was waiting.
I could’ve sworn that even now I could feel the power that radiated off him, a growing force in the center of Mina that represented safety for me and the others, and likely terror to the Hounds.
My heart pounded in my chest as I raced onward, looking back over my shoulder periodically to make sure that the Hounds were still pursuing. I saw that they were, and made the mistake of celebrating mentally a few moments too early.
In my distraction slowing and looking back to make sure the Hounds behind me were still following, I didn’t see the Hound in mortal form who stepped out into my path until I was almost upon him.
I tried to swerve around him as I had the others, but this Hound had seen me coming, and he was ready. The long, leather whip that Hounds u
sually wore coiled at their sides was gripped in his large hand and unfurled on the cobblestone street.
At first, I was sure that I could outrun it, and I actually got a few feet past the Hound before I heard the familiar crack of the whip and felt the wicked end of it wrap around my left rear flank and constrict.
The Hound yanked on his end of the whip and I was lifted off my paws. My head crashed into the unforgiving stones and a bright light burst before my eyes as my mind was knocked cleanly off kilter. A shriek of animalistic pain escaped me, followed by a growl and a mad dash to regain my footing.
The blow to the head took too long to recover from, and when my vision finally cleared again, I was looking up into the wicked grin of the Hound with the whip, which was still coiled around my rear left leg.
“I think we were supposed to take you alive,” he whispered, and glanced around. We were alone.
In a stupid twist of irony, I almost wished that Mekhi and the other Hounds had caught up, but I couldn’t hear or smell them. I’d outrun them so efficiently that they wouldn’t reach us in time to stop this ugly, stupid Hound from disobeying direct orders.
The Hound raised his boot over my head, and I saw his sadistic smile beyond the sole of his shoe.
“But I’ll just say I had no choice,” the Hound whispered, and I squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting the impact.
I swear to the Gods that my heart stopped beating entirely in that moment. I waited for the flash of agony, for the silence and darkness, or whatever awaited me on the other side.
What I heard was a metallic whizzing, then a gasp. I felt a spray of mist that smelled of iron, and heard a hard thump as something heavy was dropped to the ground.
Peeling my eyes open, it took several seconds to realize that I was not dead, that the Hound had not smashed in my skull with the sole of his boot.
