by R. C. Rutter
Captain Artemus caught up to Eric. “May I ask your name? Who was that wolf?” Why were we attacked? Where are you going? Why do you expect us to go with you? We have our orders!”
Without stopping Eric looked over at the captain and glared at him. “My name is Eric. The identity of the wolf remains to be seen. You were attacked because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am going on a journey and to probably die. I expect you and your soldiers to go with me because I don’t want to die alone.” The captain’s eyes grew large when Eric said this. Eric laughed. “Your orders are to protect the Kingdom. That is what I am doing. You shall assist me willingly or by force.” Eric raised his staff. He had no time for nonsense and no time for a captain of questionable value.
Captain Artemus said nothing and fell in line behind Eric. They crossed the river and the bridge fell back into the water.
Eric yelled back at the men “You have seen some danger. That is nothing compared to what you are about to encounter. Be on your guard. Much danger lurks here. Trust no one. Prepare to die, or worse!”
Eric led the group into the forest and they disappeared from sight.
* * *
Gweneviere was enjoying the day. It felt good to be protected by Robald, Thorgon, Seth, and even Malcolm in his own way. She was in the middle of the group thinking of how a nice hot dinner at her mom’s house would be fantastic when she suddenly stopped. Seth and Robald kept on walking in front of her. Everyone behind her stopped and waited. They knew something was about to happen. They waited. A sinkhole opened up right in front of Gweneviere. Gweneviere looked back and shrugged her shoulders. With everything that was happening lately, a sinkhole did not even alarm her. She easily sidestepped it and they all resumed their journey.
Thorgon caught up to Gweneviere “So, how did you know? How do you know stuff is going to happen before it does?”
Gweneviere thought for a moment then looked to Thorgon. “It is something not easily put into words. It is this feeling that comes over me. A real strong feeling and I know that danger is imminent.”
“Well then, can you tell what the danger is? How long must you wait between the feeling and the time that the danger actually occurs?”
“No, it doesn’t work like that. As far as the time is concerned, it can be just a few seconds to up to a minute.” Gweneviere stated matter-of-factly.
“And how long have you been able to do this?” Thorgon inquired.
“Since I was about seven or eight, I believe. Mom won’t talk about it. I have asked her repeatedly. I did overhear a conversation that she had a long time ago with Uncle Theo. Seems my dad had a few magical powers. I tried to find out more but that is all I know. Oh, yes, something else too. You must promise to keep this a secret. Hear me?” Gweneviere stopped and pulled Thorgon off to the side. She waited until the others passed. She lowered her voice “I have a sister.” Gweneviere’s eyes were wide with excitement and she was smiling. “Imagine that, I have a sister. After surviving three brothers, it is good to have someone on my side. From the way they were talking, I think she is my half-sister. You know, same dad, different mom. I really don’t care. I just want to find her. Maybe, just maybe, our paths will cross on this journey.” Gweneviere was just beaming now. “What if she turns out to be the King’s Daughter? Wouldn’t that be cool?”
Thorgon smiled, he could not take this moment away from her. “I am happy for you. I hope she turns out to be as wonderful as you are. You do realize that if she is royalty, well then so are you!”
“That would make me half a King’s Daughter. I could live in the castle. And, have servants. You could protect me. Yes, you shall come with me.”
Thorgon thought quietly to himself and they began to walk to catch up with the rest of the group. He looked at Gweneviere with sad eyes. He could not say a thing. He had given his word – protect her at all costs. She must succeed. There was no choice.
* * *
The fire was keeping Lydia warm. The wolves had spread themselves around the edge of the fire to stay cool. They did not need the fire and actually found it bothersome. Better to eat cold meat than to attract attention. Lydia was waiting for the soup to get hot. Something warm and hot in her stomach would be awesome right now. Lydia leaned forward to stir the soup and stopped. She quickly backed up.
An arrow flew right past her head and landed in the ground next to a wolf. In a split second, all the wolves were up and three took off in the direction of the archer. You could hear them howling in the woods.
Lydia quickly doused the fire and flattened herself on the ground. The wolves would take care of it quickly. If they didn’t, that would be three less wolves that she would have to worry about. The howling continued for several minutes then abruptly stopped. The remaining wolves were pacing about, agitated and anxious.
Three wolves returned dragging a body between them which caused quite a commotion. The rest of the wolves took turns inspecting and sniffing the dead assassin. Luckily there was only one. If more had been present, the three wolves would have called for reinforcements.
The lead wolf sniffed the air and growled. They would be leaving immediately. It was no longer safe. Not even for wolves. Lydia would have her soup another time. Today was not the day for soup but neither was it the day that she would die. She took comfort in that thought.
Lydia stood up, grabbed her swords, looked around and said “You have protected me but not well enough. The assassin should never have gotten this close. Close enough to shoot an arrow. Close enough to kill me. If I had not sensed what was going to happen, I would probably be dead, or worse. Your failure is duly noted and there will be repercussions. What can you do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
Several of the wolves hung their heads low. A few growled while some barked. At least they were heeding her words. A failure like this could not be allowed to happen again.
The lead wolf growled then howled. Soon the rest of the wolves joined in and this continued for several minutes. As the echoes of the howls abated, a single howl came in response.
The wolves sniffed the air for several minutes. This was a strange wolf, unknown to them. They decided a single wolf far away was not a threat. After all, there were twelve of them and one unknown wolf.
It was time to move. As usual, six wolves walked past Lydia and the seventh waited until Lydia starting moving. Six in front, six in back, Lydia in the middle, and a dead assassin left behind. She knew one day that the wolves would join the assassin. She hoped that she would be the one to do it. As they were walking, Lydia began taking her shiny jewelry off and stashing it in her pockets and bag. It would not be wise to attract attention although a girl traveling with twelve wolves certainly did garner a lot of looks and stares, best not to take any chances.
The group traveled in silence, listening, alert for threats.
* * *
Captain Artemus was leading the way. No instructions other than to head east. Eric was in the back gathering his thoughts and trying to come up with a plan.
From their right, they could hear wolves howling. It seemed to be a few wolves at first, then more joined in. This continued for several minutes then fell silent. From their left, a single wolf howled in response. They were caught in the middle. Eric quickly rushed forward telling the men to be on full alert. Wolves were nearby and ready to attack. He reached the front of the column. “Captain Artemus, your time has come for heroics.” The captain’s eyes grew large and his face became flushed. “Yes, captain, wolves on the right, wolf or wolves on the left, and us in the middle. Feeling lucky?”
Captain Artemus did not say anything. He was afraid his voice would crack and then the men would make fun of him so he said nothing. The column continued for two hours like this, making very slow progress. Swords drawn, nothing said, everyone anxious except Eric. They were all spooked at the slightest sound.
As the column entered a clearing, they found what appeared to be remnants of a fire in the middle. Eric
approached the fire and reached out his hand testing the heat. It was barely warm.
One of the men called out to the captain “Sir, I found something.”
Eric and the captain hurried over. It was a body, dead at that. No weapons were found and there were teeth marks and blood on his face and neck. “Wolves” was all Eric murmured. “They were here about two hours ago. About the time we heard the howling. They were celebrating the kill I guess. So, what do we know about our friend here?” Eric wondered aloud. “From the manner of dress, I would say he is from the north. He has calluses on his fingers. Look at this bruise on his thumb. He has fired many an arrow. Soldier? Soldier of Fortune? Hired assassin? Strange to be traveling alone. Captain, have your soldiers do a quick survey of the woods. Report anything strange. ANYTHING!”
Captain Artemus quickly dispatched four soldiers to take a look. He had the rest go through the clearing looking for anything unusual.
Four soldiers returned from the woods and reported in “Sir, found the location where the assassin hid. Below the tree, found three sets of wolf tracks.”
“Very well” replied the captain. “Join the others searching the field.”
“There is more Sir!”
“And that would be?”
“The paw prints went up the tree. It appears that the wolves climbed the tree and pulled the assassin out.”
“Unheard of, wolves cannot climb trees” the Captain said sternly.
“I know that Captain. You know that too but apparently somebody forgot to tell the wolves that.” Eric had a sly smile on his face.
Eric bent over and picked up a cooking pot as well as a piece of jewelry. The captain said nothing, looking at Eric and waiting for instructions.
”Captain” began Eric. “Have you ever seen a wolf cook on an open fire using a pot? And wearing jewelry too?”
Captain Artemus shrugged his shoulders. “Either that or the wolves came upon a campsite and ravaged the campers.”
“Well” replied Eric, “If that were so, there would be evidence of a struggle left behind. My guess is that the wolves are traveling with a single person, protecting that person, and this dead fellow is a lousy assassin.”
Artemus was looking at Eric like he lost his mind “Wolves don’t travel with humans, they kill humans.”
“Much will have to be rewritten. Traveling with humans, climbing trees, cooking with a pot on an open fire, we have so much to learn. And that is all well and good, dear captain, unless of course, the wolves are not actually wolves, the human is not actually just a human, and you are a brave and courageous leader.” Eric looked at Artemus and winked “And I would place bets on the first two no doubt. Not everything is as it seems.” As if on cue, Eric vanished.
With Eric gone, Captain Artemus had no choice but to lead the men. Swords drawn, nerves on edge, they traveled east.
* * *
Chapter 7
“I will not do it. The Kingdom must survive. There are good people here. I have sworn to protect them and I will do so until my last dying breath” whispered King William.
The King was secured to the stone wall, heavy chains around his ankles and waist. His arms were lifted about his head and fastened to the wall. His clothes were in tatters, his hair, long and filthy. He could barely keep his head up.
He regretted the day this band of refugees came to his castle about twenty years ago. The kingdom had a policy of not turning away anyone in need. At the very least, they would be afforded food and shelter for a day or so. This particular group said they came from across the ocean and were fleeing persecution. It seemed so believable then, they were all charming and talented. Each one had a gift like blacksmithing, engineering, baking, sanitation, and weaponry. It was not long before all of them assumed important roles in the castle.
Of course, if anyone had known that they were all demons; things would be a lot different now. Ten years ago they took control of the Royal Army and started attacking outlying villages. Five years ago they took control of the throne.
The demons were standing in a semi-circle. They were all dressed alike in black except for the one speaking; he had gold around his collar. “Ah, stubborn to the end, I assure you, the end is near. I have waited twenty years for this time. Your power is weakening; your strength leaves your body as we speak. Even now you strain yourself just to talk. What makes you think you can defend yourself against me?”
King William lifted his head with his blue eyes glaring. He looked at the demon and murmured something under his breath. The demon could see his lips moving but could not hear the words. Two hawks flew in the window and attacked the demon, going for his eyes. The demon fled from the dungeon covering his eyes with his hands, blood dripping down his face and was followed by the others.
The sight gave some strength to the king. He rose up and stretched. ‘Can’t hold out too much longer’ he thought. Sidius shuffled into the room to clean up after the demon. He was a meek man, who aligned himself with whoever was strongest. Work for the demons or die. He chose to work. He shuffled over to the King and leaned next to his ear. “My good King, I have news. Your daughter is traveling here. There have been attacks on her life already. She has survived so far.” The King was listening intently and his blue eyes were glowing. “She is traveling with protectors. You must save your strength. If you die before then, all is lost.”
The King’s voice rose barely above a whisper. “Don’t worry about me, Sidius. I will remain alive. I have enough strength do to so. As long as the demons fear me, I shall survive. As for the other, it is best left unsaid, too many spies about. I have taken precautions. The Kingdom shall survive, we will always….” his voice trailed off as he closed his eyes and lowered his head.
Sidius walked out of the cellar and was met by another demon. “Well, what did you find out?” The King strained to hear the conversation. “Nothing, as usual. The King won’t tell me anything even though I am a trusted advisor for him.
“What about the daughter? Did he say what she is supposed to do when she gets here? More importantly, which daughter is it?” asked the demon. “It is getting expensive to hire assassins and trackers to kill both. So far, none of them have succeeded. I might have to go do it myself. I have placed spies in each camp. We will know what they know.”
Why not kill them both?” asked Sidius.
“It has been considered. It would take more than our soldiers to battle both camps. To fight the wolves and the humans at the same time would be a disaster for us. As tempting as that might be, we have to consider the prophecy. You cannot kill them both unless they have bonded and they can’t bond if they are too far away from each other.”
Sidius started to ask another question but the demon quickly silenced him “Enough of your questions. I have told you more than enough. You will do as you are told. You have been a loyal servant and you will be rewarded when this is over.” The demon turned and departed.
Sidius walked over to the tall figure lurking in the shadows. With his dark complexion and dark hair, it was impossible to see him from a distance in the shadows. Sidius stood there for a moment then spoke. “Master, both daughters are traveling here but it is not known which one is the chosen one. The demons have a spy in both camps. That is all that I know.”
Sidius caught the coin that was tossed to him and started to say thanks but the figure was already gone. Sidius shuffled down the hallway to his quarters.
The tall figure approached the King and slapped him. King William tried to stand tall and stared at the visitor for a moment. “So, I did not expect to see you here. What is your role in all of this? Revenge perhaps? Surely you are not motivated by greed. Jealousy? Oh well, matters not what brings you here. I am indebted to you as you are to me. Protect my daughter and your debt shall be paid. Protect my kingdom and you shall have your wish, whatever it might be, then my debt shall be paid.”
The tall figure remained silent. Then he nodded his head up and down several times. The King rested
his eyes for a second. When he opened them, the figure was gone.
The sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard in the hallway. “Damn” the King said out loud.
* * *
Seth was at the edge of the camp thrusting his word here and there, doing his exercises and pretending he was fighting wolves. He did not hear Malcolm walk up behind him.
“Brother” said Malcolm. It startled Seth and he swung his sword around. Luckily Malcolm ducked just in time. He could feel the wind of the blade ruffle his hair.
“Hey, he actually talks! What do you want tree hugger?”
“There are wolves about” said Malcolm. Seth looked at him with a stunned face.
”Gee, you think? What clued you in?”
