by Amber Burns
Before Klaryssa could answer, the sounds of the battle on the other side of the still-sealed door changed. No longer equal parts wolf and gnoll, the pained yelps and cried were now all decidedly gnoll as the twisted creatures turned on each other.
“No,” Klaryssa said with a shake of her head before finally managing to get the heavy, stone door to slide back into place.
“How did you do that?” Meera asked.
“I don’t know, I just touched the wall,” Klaryssa answered. “I don’t know how it works.”
“Not the door, the gnolls,” Meera clarified.
Klaryssa shrugged. “I don’t know, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s to never look a gift horse in the mouth,” she said while pacing restlessly back and forth. “Just be happy that I somehow managed to turn the tide.” She looked uneasily towards the door at the front of the chamber. “Let’s just hope it was enough.”
“But, aren’t you curious as to how you managed it?” Cerridwyn asked while gently smoothing Wilem’s hair away from his face as Ragnyr slowly moved his softly glowing hands over the unconscious boy.
“I can be curious after we’re no longer in danger,” Klaryssa snapped before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as she looked to her sister. “I’m sorry.” She sighed again and moved over to Cerridwyn before kneeling beside her and wrapping an arm around her slim shoulders. “How is he?” she asked while worriedly looking down at Wilem. “Will he live?”
“He will live,” Ragnyr answered with a nod as Wilem’s wounds slowly began healing and closing up. “Den Mother.”
“What?” Klaryssa asked.
“You wanted to know the extent of your powers, and just what they were?” Ragnyr asked. “Well, now you have your answer. You are a Den Mother. I had my suspicions, but I did not know for certain until after what you did with the gnolls.”
“And just what is a Den Mother?” Klaryssa asked.
“I believe that humans would call you a beast master, but our clan sees it as more than that. To the clan, a Den Mother is one who uses her ability to control and communicate with animals for the safety and betterment of the clan,” Ragnyr answered with a smile as he sat back on his heels after healing the last of Wilem’s wounds. “We can discuss this further later, M’Lady, but first we must end the battle.”
“By the sounds of it, it’s almost over already,” Cerridwyn said.
“Not until we have back in our possession the artifact that allowed the gnolls their sudden and overwhelming advantage,” Ragnyr said. “You can order the gnolls to give it to you, Den Mother. Without that artifact...this will only happen again.”
Klaryssa set her jaw. “Then I know what I must do,” she said while rising to her feet and crossing with determination to the front door. “How do I open the door?” she called over her shoulder.
“The third stone on the right,” Ragnyr called back. “Push it.”
“‘Ryssa, be careful!” Cerridwyn pleaded.
Upon reaching the door, Klaryssa squared her shoulders and slowly exhaled before pushing the required stone. There was a heavy clunk, followed by the sounds of whirring mechanisms as the massive door moved back and then slid into the wall. The sight that greeted her was total bedlam. Blood, fur, and corpses littered the passage, but Klaryssa did not allow herself to be afraid. For the good of her new clan and family, she pushed her fear aside and focused on the task at hands.
“All of you, stop!” Klaryssa cried. The corners of her mouth turned up into the smallest of smiles when gnoll and shifter alike obeyed her, and she calmly clasped her hands behind her back. “Members of Clan y Blaidd, I release you from my hold. Please come into the chamber in an orderly fashion so Ragnyr can begin seeing to your wounds. She remained where she was as the shifters began filing into the room while dividing their attention between Klaryssa and the frozen gnolls.
The gnolls, they eyed with menace. Klaryssa, they eyed with confusion.
Klaryssa, what are you doing?
Klaryssa watched as Dresdyn pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and her heart seemed to pause for a moment as she took in the sight of her bloodied mate. There were bites and gashes all over his powerful body, and his raven-hued fur was slick and matted with blood. “I’m asking you to trust me,” she whispered to her beloved.
How are you doing this?
“Ragnyr says that I’m a Den Mother,” Klaryssa answered softly. “And he also said that the gnolls have an artifact that belongs to our people. I intend to get it back.”
I’m not leaving your side.
Klaryssa’s heart fluttered when she saw the unadulterated pride glimmering in Dresdyn’s amber eyes. “As you wish,” she whispered before turning her attention back to the gnolls. “It has come to my attention that you have something of ours...an artifact that was long ago lost. I demand that you return the artifact to me immediately,” she said with narrowed eyes and an authoritative voice. “Bring it to me now.”
The gnolls turned and scampered up the passage.
Are you alright?
Klaryssa looked up at her mate incredulously. “You’re asking me that when you’re the one covered in blood?”
Not all of it is mine.
“You would think that would make me feel better, but it doesn’t,” Klaryssa snipped.
I give you my word that I will live, my love.
“Yes, well, you’d bloody well better,” Klaryssa retorted. “It would be cruel of you indeed to leave me so soon after finally mating me,” she added with tears in her eyes. All she wanted in that moment was for Dresdyn to hold her, but Klaryssa knew that she would have to wait for comfort.
Cruel indeed, but, as you can see, I did not leave you. I am right here beside you, beloved, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for my having distressed you so horribly.
Klaryssa smiled as the first tear rolled down her cheek. “I love you,” she whispered.
And I love you.
The sound of angry growls and pained yelps soon reached their ears, and Klaryssa stood up straight and tried not to smile as the gnolls half carried and half-dragged a lone gnoll dressed in tattered robes and a headdress made out of bones. She glanced up at Dresdyn curiously.
The shaman of their pack.
Klaryssa gave a small nod and watched as the gnolls threw their shaman down on the ground and then proceeded to try and remove an amulet from around his neck. The shaman fought back. Gnoll after gnoll was struck down with either poison or fireball, and soon the air smelled like burnt dog hair. Klaryssa managed not to gag, albeit, barely, as she stomped her foot.
“Enough!”
The shaman blinked, and his right eye twitched as he snarled at Klaryssa. Unlike the other gnolls that had become immediately passive when instructed, he was fighting through Klaryssa’s control.
Narrowing her eyes, Klaryssa stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and set her jaw while squaring her shoulders and putting her hands on her hips. “I said, enough,” she growled.
Within moments, the shaman became as passive as the rest of the gnolls.
Klaryssa held out a hand. “Give me the amulet.” She kept her hand out all the while she watched the shaman lift the amulet up from around his neck before stiffly walking over to her. “Give it to me,” she said firmly.
The last of the fight left the shaman, and he crossed the remaining distance easily before placing the amulet in Klaryssa’s waiting palm. The amulet was a large, flawless pearl with two howling wolves on either side of it, and Klaryssa closed her hand over it immediately before returning both her hands behind her back.
“Good boy,” Klaryssa said simply. “Now, turn around and leave these lands.”
Klaryssa?
Klaryssa gave Dresdyn a pointed glance. It was not until the last of the gnolls trudged out of sight that she spoke again. “Dresdyn, my love, send the wolfpack on a hunt,” she said in a calm voice.
Dresdyn gave Klaryssa a very toothy grin while noddi
ng. He then threw his head back and gave a long, resonant howl that was soon answered by a chilling chorus outside the chamber.
“Come on,” Klaryssa urged while touching Dresdyn’s arm. “You need healing, and this amulet needs to be put somewhere safe.”
I can’t wait to get you alone, you remarkable woman.
Klaryssa smiled up at Dresdyn. “Your remarkable woman.”
And I will never forget it.
20
“You’re sure this will work, Ragnyr?” Klaryssa asked the next day as she stood outside the walls of the keep with Dresdyn and the shaman. Other members of the clan were gathered at the gate as well as upon the ramparts, and they all watched Klaryssa with an eager curiosity that she tried not to allow herself to be distracted by.
“Yes, I am sure,” Ragnyr answered with a nod and a smile. “The ancient texts were very specific about this particular ward, since only a Den Mother can cast it.
Klaryssa nodded then looked at the knife she held in her left hand. “And all I have to do is cut myself and touch my blood to the wall? I don’t have to say anything? Are you sure I don’t have to say anything?”
“No words are required,” Ragnyr assured. “Simply cut your palm and smear your blood over one of the stones in the wall.”
“And that will ensure that the Keep stays safe from a repeat of last night?” Klaryssa asked.
“Yes,” Ragnyr answered. “The Den Mother is the clan’s ultimate protector. As such, the magic in your blood will bar from our midst anyone who wishes us harm.”
Klaryssa nodded in understanding. “Alright then,” she said while touching the blade to her palm.
“Don’t cut too deeply, love,” Dresdyn urged.
“I’ll be fine, my wolf,” Klaryssa said before wincing as she drew the blade across her skin. She continued breathing through the pain, and once she had drawn the blade all the way across her palm, she raised her hand and pressed it against the nearest stone in the wall before wiping her palm across the surface to assure that her blood truly left its mark. Upon removing her hand, the smear of her blood briefly glowed before returning to normal. Klaryssa blinked in surprise. “Does that mean it worked?”
“It does indeed, Den Mother,” Ragnyr replied with a smile as he and Dresdyn approached Klaryssa. “And now, the Keep is protected from attack. The ward will hold for as long as you live.” He gently took Klaryssa’s hand in his own and began healing the cut.
“Good to know,” Klaryssa answered as she leaned into Dresdyn with a content smile when he wrapped an arm around her. “I will make plans to travel to every Keep in the clan so I can ward them as well.”
“There hasn’t been a Den Mother in our clan for over three hundred years,” Ragnyr remarked. “And, already, you are settling nicely into the role.”
“Of course, she is,” Dresdyn said while briefly tightening his arm around Klaryssa as he started for the gate. “She belongs in our clan. She was born for our clan.”
“Just as I was born for you,” Klaryssa whispered with a smile while resting her head against Dresdyn’s arm. Her smile grew when Dresdyn’s hand became possessive upon her hip. She sighed happily and smiled at her clanmates as they smiled and gave respectful bows of their heads as she and Dresdyn passed. “How long will it take to make the necessary repairs to the Keep?” she asked curiously while smiling when Fern and Blizzard trotted up to her.
“Each pack is leaving behind a detachment of people,” Dresdyn replied as he and Klaryssa scratched the two wolves fondly behind the ears. When the two lupines took their leave, Dresdyn then led Klaryssa towards the castle. “With their combined help, repairs should be completed sooner than you would expect.”
Things looked much better in the light of day, but the previous night had been quite the grizzly sight. Not wanting to traumatize the children any more than they already had been, the men had seen to the disposal of the remains of the gnoll corpses while the women and children retired for the night. The men had also seen to the burial of the few unmated shifters that had perished in the battle, and then cleaned up as much of the blood and mess as they could before finally succumbing to exhaustion themselves and retiring for the night. Work had resumed after breakfast, but the mood was much lighter than it had been during the cleaning process the night before. After all, they had survived.
More than that, all of the women and children had survived.
The clan had stared down the very real possibility of their extinction, but they had come out of the darkness and into the light. The evidence was all around them as children laughed and chased each other, and as women worked alongside their mates who had fought so fiercely to protect them.
“Especially since shifters are stronger and faster than humans?” Klaryssa asked playfully.
“Exactly,” Dresdyn replied with a smirk before lifting Klaryssa into his arms like a bride. “How about a demonstration?” he asked before darting off into the castle at a full sprint.
Klaryssa clung to Dresdyn and giggled all the while he raced through the castle, and when her mate finally came to a stop, she saw that they were in the throne room. “What are we doing here?” she asked as Dresdyn put her down so he could lock the door behind him.
“I haven’t had a true moment alone with you since the attack last night, my love,” Dresdyn replied while turning to face his mate, suddenly looking very tired. “Are you alright?” he asked. “And there’s no need for you to put on a brave face. There’s no one here but you and me.”
Klaryssa regarded Dresdyn with a soft smile but then nodded after a few moments. “I’m alright, funnily enough,” she answered. “I know that I shouldn’t be in the aftermath of everything that happened, but I am.” Her smile grew. “Last night was the first time in my life in which I finally felt like I belonged, and that I had finally found my purpose, because I had.” She reached up and slid her arms around Dresdyn’s neck. “And it’s all because of you, my wolf. I stopped feeling lost the first night you brought me to the Keep, and I’ll have you know that while I was trying to run away on that first night, it felt as though my heart was being ripped from my chest.” She nestled into Dresdyn and rested her head upon his chest. “I knew even then that I belong here…that I belong with you, and last night only proved that I was born to join your clan and be with you.”
“Oh, my beloved,” Dresdyn murmured while holding Klaryssa close.
“So, yes, Dresdyn…I am alright,” Klaryssa affirmed. “I’m alright because I know now that no matter what happens in the future, I will never be alone, and I will never be lost again, because I have you.” She nuzzled Dresdyn’s chest before kissing the place over his heart. “I love you, Dresdyn, my wolf.”
“I only wish I had found you sooner,” Dresdyn murmured while gently rubbing Klaryssa’s back.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Dresdyn,” Klaryssa replied. “All that matters is that we found each other. We have each other now, and we will have each other for the rest of our lives.” She tilted her face up so she could smile at her mate. “And I, for one, can’t wait to start our new life together. I can’t wait to have your children.”
Dresdyn’s heart skipped a beat. “Truly?”
“Yes,” Klaryssa answered. “Because I know that they could never ask for a better father.” Her smile grew. “Just look at what you’ve done with Wilem. Oh, Dresdyn, you would have been so proud of him last night.”
“I am always proud of my nephew,” Dresdyn replied with a smile.
“He was so brave,” Klaryssa beamed. “You should’ve seen him, and the way he shifted and jumped to the defense of a mother and daughter who were moments away from being killed. He’s a good boy, and he’s going to grow up to be an even better man.”
“His father was a good man,” Dresdyn remarked.
“And so is his uncle who just happens to be raising him,” Klaryssa retorted with a loving smile before standing on tiptoe and kissing Dresdyn’s jaw.
“Thank you, my beloved,” Dres
dyn whispered before capturing Klaryssa’s lips in a slow kiss which he deepened once he lifted Klaryssa into his arms. He groaned when his mate wrapped her legs around his waist, and his tongue delved into her mouth as he carried her over to the throne. “You know,” he growled softly against Klaryssa’s lips. “I seem to recall that a promise was made,” he said with a grin.
“Promise?” Klaryssa asked breathlessly. “What promise?”
“Yes, something about my having my way with you on the throne,” Dresdyn growled into Klaryssa’s ear before nibbling it as he stepped up the stairs of the dais.
Klaryssa shivered and smiled as she straddled Dresdyn once he had sat upon the throne. “You remembered.”
“I never forget a promise,” Dresdyn answered with a grin. “Especially not the ones I make to you.” He nuzzled Klaryssa’s nose while slowly sliding the skirt of her dress up her legs after facing the reality of nearly losing his beloved mate, Dresdyn was desperate to reaffirm their connection and the fact that they were both alive. The two of them had simply been too exhausted the previous night, that they had fallen right to sleep in each other’s arms the moment they crawled wearily into bed. That morning had been out of the question as well, because there was simply too much to do, but Dresdyn was tired of waiting. “Promises I make to you are the most important promises of all, and I will never break them once they are made.”
