“You will never harm another living soul.” Leif replied calmly as the monster charged toward him.
When Gerard was about two strides away Leif shot forward with blinding speed, shifting just before impact and stretching himself into razor thin blades of air. He reformed seven or eight strides away and, as the giant turned, Leif saw the hundreds of shallow cuts he had made before the man turned his skin to stone. It seemed that he couldn’t shift away his injuries as Leif could, perhaps that had something to do with the solid, unchangeable nature of stone.
Gerard howled in fury and charged again and Leif knew he would need to try something different. He felt his energy drain with every shift and guessed he only had one more full transformation before he would be running on his own power, so he decided to save it.
The giant came at him like a boulder off a cliff; in fact, he looked as if he was already beginning to transform himself, which gave Leif an idea. Rock was an unyielding thing, strong and hard, but Leif had seen how the ocean and sea wind had cut through the cliff side over time. Perhaps he could perform the same feat in seconds, with enough force.
He waited longer this time, spinning away at the very last instant and whipping out his arm into a sheet of dense water as fast as he could, smashing it against the giant’s back. The force of the blow, along with the momentum Gerard already had sent him crashing through a tree. He reemerged, panting, as the tree collapsed into the inferno that rapidly approached their battle.
The sounds of agony, both of beast and man, had fallen silent as the last survivor was consumed. Most of the men had fled the scene, save for a few of the more loyal, who still stood guard over the three collapsed forms that had so recently been the object of the monster’s wrath. Leif began to worry that he wouldn’t be able to finish the fight before the firestorm overtook them but Gerard certainly wouldn’t back down.
Again and again they collided, the giant quickly abandoning charges in favor of close quarter melee, forcing Leif to expend more and more energy in avoiding the unstoppable yet unbelievably fast attacks. The more Leif tried to bludgeon the rock with gouts of water, the less it seemed to accomplish, and Gerard hadn’t released his rock skin for any longer than it took him to alter momentum or direction, he was like a hurricane of stone.
As his energy slowly bottomed out, Leif’s mind began to tire. A few times he had lost the flow of the battle for a split second, recovering just in time to avoid a deadly stone fist. The longer they fought, the more Gerard began to anticipate his moves, until finally Leif made a mistake.
He had just avoided yet another backhand; ducking around and bringing up his own sideswipe, and completely missed the kick that had been the true attack, measured to catch him just after he dodged. At the very last instant he saw it and arced his arm down and away to redirect his torso out of range. At the same time he tried to shift the arm to air so it wouldn’t be shattered, but it had already been halfway to water. The result of the conflicted shiftings and twisting momentum was a spinning disk of water surrounded by air that continued to stretch out as he brought his arm down. As the alternately spinning wheels connected with the stone leg he felt a tug and saw stone splinter as the leg flew up at him and clipped his head, completely separated from the rest of the body. He hit the ground, dazed, and moments later felt a ground shaking boom that could only have been one thing.
Alec
The conflict that unfolded before him as he lay on the ground with a boot on his neck was astounding. The truth about how Gerard had beaten him was finally unveiled but if it weren’t for his own recent changes he wouldn’t have believed his eyes. The man he fought was another thing entirely. Alec was fast, almost as fast as Gerard, but this force of nature was something else entirely. It hurt his eyes to even try to follow the man’s attacks and the way he flowed around everything the giant threw at him was inhuman.
Despite all this, it was obvious that the giant had far more energy to expend and was slowly working the boy to exhaustion. But then, just when Alec thought for sure that Gerard had ended it, something new happened. In one mind numbingly fast redirection, the blond man somehow sheared Gerard’s leg clean off at the knee. The panic that ensued gave Alec the opportunity he had been waiting for.
The soldier standing over him took two steps toward his fallen leader before Alec reached out and yanked his foot, sending him crashing to the ground. The five other soldiers who had remained despite the raging forest fire were also moving toward Gerard, so they didn’t see Alec as he laboriously rose to his feet, easily crushing the throat of the man he had brought down, who he then recognized as Taylor. His original plan had been simply to grab Mandy and Grey, who had been shot with yet another knock out arrow, and run for it. But when he saw Gerard lying on the ground quickly bleeding out and the blond man rising unsteadily to his feet, he felt something shift inside.
For the past few months he had been taught to fear that monster, had been shown the futility of trying to overcome him. Right then all he wanted to do, the thing every atom of his being was screaming at him to do, was to run. In that instant, that pivotal moment of decision, he was reminded of Jeremiah. He was reminded of what some people would do for self preservation and he was reminded of the reason he had risen against Gerard in the first place. He looked at the two girls and realized that the other one must be this man’s love. He saw Mandy in her, as well as every single man and woman that Gerard’s domination had hurt and killed and, with a final burst of energy, he launched himself at the soldiers surrounding the golden haired man.
Ria
The moment the whirlwind surrounded her, she knew it was Leif and she awakened from her agony. The three arrows and numerous cuts and bruises she bore from her killing rampage had drained her of both energy and blood and she felt sure she would black out soon. In spite of this she would have risen to help him if five soldiers hadn’t surrounded her and the other girl, who had already succumbed to unconsciousness. So when they abandoned their prisoners to run to the aid of their leader, she forced herself to her feet. She almost lost herself in the pain as she tumbled down from the pyre, but was slowly able to regain her footing and move over to where her bow lay on the ground, pure adrenaline the only thing keeping her conscious, save for something around her finger.
She looked down at her hand and saw what she had expected; just the beautiful silver and green ring Leif had given her, but she had felt something, a familiar energy. She focused on it and felt it again; it was the energy she had felt in the city, but far weaker. Without exactly knowing how, she drew at it, thirsty for the power. It gave her what she needed to raise bow and draw the heavy string to her ear. Her target had become unmistakable.
Leif
The blow to his head had knocked him out for a second and when he came back it was an effort to regain control over his own body. He slowly, carefully, got back to his feet, wobbling dangerously the whole way up. A tender turn of his head showed that the giant had fallen as well and was just as quickly getting back up, though he had obviously lost much blood before being able to return the stump to stone.
When Leif carefully turned his head back around he immediately took a step back to avoid the slash of the nearest of five soldiers that had come to Gerard’s aid. The single step almost sent him back to the dirt and he felt sure his time was up when the closest man jabbed for him. At the last moment before his sword took Leif in the chest something big and hairy plowed through, taking three men with it and Leif was left to deal with the rest of them.
The hunger that had grown with the fatigue as he continued to drain his energy was almost crippling by then, but his training allowed him to ignore it, barely. They ran at him, only briefly distracted by the red haired man, and Leif had regained enough dexterity to dodge both of their attacks, slamming a palm into the nose of one and kneeing the gut of the other.
Before he could turn his attention back to the giant, he felt a massive fist grip his neck from behind and lift him from the ground. He tri
ed to shift, but the only response was an agonizing lurch as he dry heaved on a tightly knotted stomach.
“I have you now!” the giant whispered in his ear, hot breath blasting his face even over the waves of heat coming from the inferno.
The fist squeezed more and more tightly until Leif began to see white. Then, as he slowly passed into blank oblivion, he heard a distant whistle and thunk and then he felt the ground come up to meet him as the giant’s gurgling echoed in the emptiness behind.
“Hurry! Their right over here! We have to save them!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming... You better not be seeing things girl.”
Eighteen years Abby had been at the fortress and she had seen many strange things, but when the new girl came running in the night, bawling about the master being dead, she didn’t believe a word of it. There had been some big disturbance that evening, but she had long since learned to mind her own business when it came to the master and his soldiers, but when Mandy wouldn’t let her be even under threat of a whipping, Abby decided to see what had made her so hysterical. She was glad she had.
“Oh dear,” she mumbled under her breath, “everything’s going to change now.”
Ten Years Later
Leif leaned up against the frame of the southern gate to the training grounds, watching his son, Amos, spar with another young boy his same age. Amos took after his father in all but his eyes; the bright, clear green of wolfish intelligence and ferocity under the shaggy blond hair. The boy with whom he clashed wooden swords was just as tall but somewhat more bulky with jet black hair. Leif chuckled at their clumsiness as the crisp, early autumn air played across his face.
“How’s my son doing?” A familiar voice asked.
“It’s hard to tell, he keeps taking hits but it doesn’t seem like he cares that much.” Leif responded, turning to see a large man with short, red hair and a magnificent beard.
“Takes after his father I guess.” Alec responded, a brief darkness clouding his face before it broke into a wide smile. “Kanis said his first word this morning!”
“Let me guess,” Leif responded, “was it ‘dada’?”
“Mandy doesn’t believe me, but I know she’s just jealous.” He said, laughing. “I just got word that the last town mayor has arrived and all the preparations have been made, so the meeting will be tomorrow morning and the feast that evening.”
“Good, what news does he bring? How was the harvest up north?” As Leif spoke, he saw the two guards who had accompanied Alec join the four he had with him and walk off a few paces when the king and his chief advisor began discussing business. The new Wolfguard were admirably trained, he would have to compliment Ria on her continued accomplishments.
The six men wore identical uniforms; billowing grey coat and pants covered in strategically placed metal plates trimmed in fur, each carrying a long sword, bow and quiver. Ria had developed the special robes, designing them in such a way that the metal plates provided excellent protection both in human and wolf form; the concept still baffled Leif , who stuck to his shell cloth and leather, though his wife insisted that a king should wear finer things.
“Mayor Whitaker arrived with three hundred sheep as well as four wagons of wool, two wagons of furs and eighteen crates of cured jerky.”
“Best year yet.” Leif thought out loud. “How were the roads?”
“Not a single attack. Though, he did mention something about raiders coming from even further north, said he would explain the whole story tomorrow.”
“That’s unsettling… But I suppose the meeting is the best place to discuss such claims, anything else?”
“Yes, the queen is expecting you in the den; she says she has a surprise for you.” Leif cocked a graying eyebrow. “Jesse delivered the message just after I finished talking with Whitaker. I swear, she’s just like a tiny Ria, even though she’s almost as tall as the queen at only seven winters.”
“I guess I had better attend my wife, don’t want to keep a surprise waiting.”
Alec let out a deep chuckle and entered the practice grounds to help the boys as Leif headed toward the wolf den, his four guards following diligently. He had grown to accept the guard detail as a necessity of leadership, though he still believed there to be little to no threat to his life. And even if there was, he felt well equipped to handle any confrontation. It made Ria sleep more soundly though, so he allowed it.
The large red, yellow, and orange leaves that continued to drift away from the young maple were strewn across the ground, adding a warm hue to the chilly autumn morning. The tree had been planted the year he had become king and had grown beautifully; more than twice Leif’s own height, it provided excellent shade under the harsh sun. The graceful branches extended faster every year and Leif was excited to see it at full maturity. The forest had re-grown as well, expanding to almost twice its former size on the southern slopes of the mountain under which the king made his home.
Leif encountered many people going about their business as he casually walked toward the great hall, most of them bowing and curtseying far more reverently than he would have wished. There had been a raid along one of the trade roads earlier that summer and four of the caravan guards had been killed, along with a tradesman. He had taken in the families of them all and one of the young widows stopped to show off her newborn, both mother and daughter smiling with joy. Every day Leif thought of how differently the fortress looked than it had that first year.
When he and Alec had recovered, they had quickly formed a bond and began dealing with the remaining soldiers, either convincing them to join or killing them. The few that remained quickly named Leif their new leader after learning how he had defeated the Giant. They renamed the fortress Mountain Home and began filling the vast metal halls under the hill.
It had taken a different kind of will to build this home, one he only began to develop that night in the ocean. The kind of will his father had, though perhaps too strongly. Death was a part of life, Leif had finally learned, and sometimes someone had to die so that others could live. Gerard had killed many to have the life he did, and his death gave life to many. It was still so strange to Leif, but he had come to accept it, to see how much his father had cared for him and to love Cal for that, despite the death he had caused.
Leif looked up, coming out of his reverie to see the work being done at the very peak of the small mountain. He had begun the task when he realized how easily he had gained entrance to the enclosure. The tower would be completed before winter came, providing a secure lookout from which one could see forever in any direction. The thought sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine.
He continued through the town until he arrived at the entrance to the great hall. The sight that met him as he entered was such an amazing contrast to the emptiness that had greeted him that first time that he laughed. Two long tables stretched the length of the hall with one shorter table placed perpendicular to them at the far end. The tables would only seat a tenth of the people who called the mountain fortress their home, but the other nine hundred people would be easily accommodated outside in the practice grounds where more tables would be prepared the next day. The end table was reserved for Leif and Alec and their families as well as the eight town mayors and the families they had brought with them.
Even out in the great hall, more than three corridors from the kitchens, Leif could already smell the mixed aroma of the myriad of dishes being prepared for the annual harvest feast. He lifted his nose and breathed in deeply, letting out a contented sigh. The guards moved quietly behind him as he walked across the hall and into the mountain.
Here as well people halted a moment to show their thanks; he had given up trying to stop them years past. They needed a leader, someone to look up to and trust in, if they thought him worthy to take that role then he would do his best; he had come to that conclusion in the first year but it had taken him much longer to really feel comfortable with it. He still envied Alec for being so quick to see the tru
th and avoid the burden of responsibility.
He continued down well lit corridor after well lit corridor, each one decorated with the personal items of those who lived there; hand woven tapestries of dyed wool and wooden carvings being the most popular décor. Eventually the scene changed; the smell of the kitchens slowly gave way to an earthier, animal smell and faint amounts of sunlight began to mingle with the lamps and torches as he got closer to the den.
“Daddy!” exclaimed a little girl with pale skin and long, black hair as she ran to him and began tugging on his arm, her loose wool skirts flapping about as she ran. “Come on, you’re really really late! Mommy wanted you days ago!”
Leif couldn’t help but laugh at the intensity with which Jesse hauled him along. “I’m sure whatever it is your mother can handle it just fine.”
“No dad! You’re supposed to come see!”
She really was getting big, Leif realized, she was almost up to his elbow and was only a head shorter than Ria; she would be a tall woman.
The large cavern that had once been filled with cages opened out before him, cold sunlight illuminating a soft floor of dried leaves and grass with about eight furry, sleeping forms and in one corner a beautiful, slender woman with long silver and black hair bending over another animal. Soft, yipping and whining sounds were coming from Ria’s direction and grew louder as Leif neared. The wolfguard split up and positioned themselves at either entrance to the den, a few of the wolves approaching them and nuzzling their hands.
Here was where those few children who Ria considered able, and who were willing, came to train and become a werewolf and, eventually, one of the wolfguard. Amos and Jesse were both undergoing this training as well as learning Leif’s Kata. He had no idea if he could teach his shifting as Ria did her’s, but if he could, he was going to make sure it remained a well guarded tool. Something so powerful had proven itself devastating in the wrong hands. Alec had also tried to teach his son Adam but the boy seemed to be unsuited for that form of shifting and instead spent much time on his own out in the rocky plains, exploring.
Of Wind and Waves - Chronicles of the First Age, Book One Page 15
