Wolfsong

by Kodilynn Calhoun

  Tallys cleared his throat and silence settled over the crowd. I felt a surge of eyes on me and stood there, looking back at them, but felt quite naked. One by one, they bowed down. I heard a wolf-whistle from back behind; it sounded like Aliel. I grinned and some of the tension ebbed away. I saw the dark gleam of Melia’s skin as she reached for my hand, inviting me into the group of dancers.

  “I don’t dance,” I said quickly.

  “You dance tonight,” she assured me, then gave me a gentle shove in the opposite direction. “Start moving. Feel the music. Like this.” She wrapped a long arm around Scythe, who laughed and dipped her, kissing her passionately. I blushed and turned around just as someone else grabbed my hand. I glanced down to see little Harmony beaming up at me.

  I knelt beside him. “Hey.” I ruffled his mop of blond hair.

  He beamed. “Momma says you’re gonna be king!”

  I almost grimaced at that; his mother hadn’t been too receptive of that fact a couple months back. I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I will be here in just a little bit. You gonna stay up and watch the ceremony?”

  “I get to howl at the moon,” he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  “Prince Silverwind.” I looked up and met the gaze of Harmony’s mother. She reached out and he slipped his little hand into her big one. Her other hand caressed her rounded stomach. I thought of Lyra, of the children she lost, and hoped fervently that the same wouldn’t happen to this woman. “My son seems to have taken a shine to you.”

  I offered a small smile. “I like kids.”

  “They often are the best judges of character.” Her words were soft. “I owe you an apology, milord. When Tallys brought you here and told everyone that a half-blood would be taking the throne, I’ll admit I was a little…concerned.” Talk about an understatement.

  “No one thought someone half human could do what you’ve done. You’ve even somehow stopped the bullying among the Omegas.”

  I thought of Aliel and grinned. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

  “Rana.” She bowed and shot me a warm smile. “You’ll be a good king. I hope that you can lead the future generations into peacetime. Come on, Harmony. We have to dance.” Harmony’s laugh was like bells on the wind as his mother led him away.

  People moved all around me, their movements silken and liquid. I turned my head, feeling warm arms slip around my waist. Arii’s breath at the back of my neck made me grin, but the fingers that caressed my stomach beneath the hem of my shirt brought heat to my face. I turned to face her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and my hands settled at the curve of her waist.

  “So. Dancing. I thought you didn’t dance?”

  “I don’t. You remember, back at Hotspot.” But we began to sway in place anyways. She laughed and I stared deep into those mesmerizing blue eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Arii…”

  I thought of Zephyr’s words, her cocksure assurance that Arii was going to be my mate. Hell, I was only seventeen. That was a little too young to be marrying anyone, and mating was like marriage, wasn’t it? I pulled her closer.

  “Aww, you’re a sweetie,” she teased, twining her fingers in my hair.

  “Does everyone have to dance?”

  “I dunno, it’s just a ritual we do. Offer song and dance to the gods under the pallid light of the full moon and all that jazz. I don’t know if they have to dance. They just want to.”

  Music thrummed around us—someone was pounding out a beat on a drum. The shrill pipe of a flute rose up. A woman was singing a song about the sun and the moon in a husky voice. I could feel the wolves’ excitement, their happiness. They enjoyed this.

  I glanced over the top of Arii’s head, only to see Aliel. His eyes were closed and a serene smile filled his face with warmth. He danced among the others, not being denied that right just because he was Omega. They didn’t even seem to notice. With a small smile, I settled into our slow dance and with time, I even started to enjoy it myself.

  We danced until the moon was full and gleaming in the blue-black expanse of the sky. The music slowly faded away and Tallys clapped his hands for attention. With a swing of heads, everyone focused their interest on our Elder, who stood directly in front of the fire. He was a silhouette of black against a burning backdrop.

  “My people, my children. We’ve gathered here tonight to initiate a fellow werewolf as our leader. As our king.” His voice carried across the grounds and I squeezed Arii’s hand, a tendril of fear sneaking into my heart.

  As Tallys carried on, I felt a hand on my arm. Scythe smiled, motioning for me to head up towards the fire pit. Arii shot me a reassuring smile and fell back into the crowd.

  “I’ll be watching,” she mouthed, blowing me a kiss. My heart constricted and I found myself astride Tallys, the warmth of the fire at my back.

  “Kia’la Silverwind, son of Kitane Silverwind. You wish to take your sire’s place as leader, king, and Alpha of our people. You wish to want to protect them with every fiber of your being, because they are a part of you, as you are a part of them. You pledge your loyalty to them and they pledge their loyalty to you.”

  I nodded and when Tallys’s brow rose up, I announced, “Yeah. I do.”

  That earned a cheer from the surrounding crowd. I gazed out upon the hundreds of eyes staring back at me—eyes of every color on the painter’s pallet: Greens and blues and greys; hazels and autumn browns. And then the fiery ruby gaze of Sikta, her thin lips downcast.

  “I do,” and my voice boomed out over them, growing more confident.

  Scythe dropped down to one knee beside me. In his hands, on a velvet cushion, was a golden dagger with a topaz encrusted hilt. The scene etched across the fire-lit blade was of Skoll chasing the sun through the sky. My heart stopped as he stretched it out to me.

  “Take it.”

  I gripped the dagger in both hands.

  Scythe then stood and held a tiny, crystal bottle into the air for all to see. Pulling the stopper, he dripped a few droplets onto his finger and ran the slickness down my forehead, to the tip of my nose, and then touched his fingers against the collar encircling my neck. Then he anointed the thin, leather band at Tallys’s throat and the blade.

  The soft aroma of roses filled my nostrils. He stepped back and I glanced at the crowd. Their eyes were expectant, some filled with uncertainty. I’m sure my own gaze mirrored theirs. Here I was, holding a ceremonial dagger. What was I supposed to do with it? Surely they didn’t want me to kill anyone.

  I eyed Tallys nervously. Did their ceremony truly demand a blood sacrifice?

  Tallys smiled gently at the way my hand quaked, the first real softness I’d seen from the man. “No fears, milord.” With one finger, he touched the strap of leather wound around his neck. “Release the band with the dagger.” He stepped back, both arms outstretched, and I stepped forwards.

  Biting down nerves, I tried to strengthen my resolve. I slid the dagger between the soft flesh of his throat and the thin leather band. Careful not to nick his skin, I twisted the blade and gave a tug. The band snapped, dropping into my waiting hand. The crowd cheered once again.

  Tallys motioned towards the fire, and I tossed the strap of leather into the pit. The flames gleamed blue-violet for just a moment before returning to a smoldering red. I turned back to Tallys.

  “Hold out your hand like this.” I followed his motion, stretching the skin on my palm taut. “And offer your blood to Skoll.” Hesitating for a moment, I slowly sliced the dagger across my palm. The pain burned, blood welling and dripping, and then Tallys had me repeat a string of words after him. I stumbled over them twice before getting them right.

  And as they spilled from my tongue, I suddenly recognized them.

  My blood gleamed a pale gold, shimmering in the air as the gateway Arii had opened before slowly came to the surface. It rose silently, a doorway of shining light and buzzing static. On the other side, I could see my mother through the kitchen window. She was washing dishes, a frown wrinkling
her forehead. My heart skipped a beat and instinctively, I reached for her. The gateway shimmered. I knew I could step through and go to the other side. I saw myself holding my mother to my chest as she cried, knowing I was safe.

  And then I thought of Kanzi. I thought of him coming and slaughtering the entire village while I was away and anger rose, quick and burning, to my heart. No…

  I’d come too far to just give it all up. Something deep inside me, maybe it was my wolven instincts, told me I had to protect these people. Maybe I didn’t like all of them, like Sikta or Cael, but most of them were innocents caught up in the crossfire.

  And Arii…

  I love you, I thought, glancing at Mom one final time. She would have to wait. I was needed here. This was my place.

  I took a deep, shuddering breath and closed my hand, sealing the cut on my palm. A moment later, the gateway began to fade.

  I looked quickly to Tallys, who was beaming at me. Then he bent at the waist, bowing low and loyal. As I glanced around to the crowd, one by one they bowed as well. Then they began to shift.

  Everywhere, human became wolf, their coats varying in shades from the palest of whites to the deepest of blacks. They looked at me with those jeweled eyes.

  Tallys lifted his maw to the sky and let loose a hoarse cry. All around me, howls rose up, a haunting melody that struck a chord with my inner wolf. He simmered under my skin, then burst to the surface with a rush of fur.

  Before I realized it, I had thrown my head back as well. The voice that belted up my throat was powerful and confident as I sang the wolfsong deep into the cold winter air.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The days passed in a blur. March was bitter with winter and it was up to me to schedule the hunts. I didn’t hunt myself—in fact, I was the first in several generations of kings to not join the hunt. After seeing that fawn die for no reason, I’d decided that hunting wasn’t for me. Sure, we needed to eat to survive; it was just easier for me to stomach meals if I didn’t have to see the poor animal die first.

  I made it through the weeks without arousing suspicion, but the visions never went away. No… The Rashti man had triggered something in my brain, although if it was intentional, I wasn’t sure why. Unless it was to pit me against my pack, to have them come to fear me, for being a Reaper.

  The visions came on quickly, with little warning, drawing me out of reality and into their depths. They felt real, perhaps visions of the future, visions of things yet to come. And they scared me, but I didn’t dare tell anyone. Hati had been banished for seeing things. Banished and feared. A shudder traced down my spine at the thought.

  No, I had to keep pushing through.

  After a brisk run in the frigid afternoon alongside Aliel and Arii, I headed into the village to warm up. I’d already sent out two sets of hunters to replenish our stock of meat and had handled a marketplace issue earlier in the morning.

  “You okay, Kia?” Arii’s voice was soft as I excused myself from the sibling duo.

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” I looked at her with a frown.

  “You just seem so distant lately…”

  Truth was, I was afraid of spending too much time with them. Part of it was that I was busy, maybe not constantly, but I was Alpha now and Tallys had let many of the pack’s responsibilities fall on my shoulders.

  Another part, however, was the fact that I didn’t want to have an episode in front of them. So I’d been keeping to myself.

  “I’m just a little mixed up right now.” I placed a kiss on her knuckles, which brought a sweet smile to her face. “I’ll be okay. Just give me some time.”

  I ducked out then, headed for my room. I’d taken to using my bathroom more and more, if only for the privacy. Several of my visions had been in that very room.

  I filled the tub, wishing for once that I could shower. Maybe we’d redesign under my reign, build a shower stall alongside the tub. I smiled at the thought, pouring a bit of peppermint soap into the bath and watching it froth up. I stripped and eased in, my head leaning back against the edge of the tub. And maybe I’d install some sort of cushion, too.

  I hadn’t been relaxed for more than five minutes when my eyesight swam. Darkness bled around the edges and I forced my racing heart to slow. It was uncomfortable, but the visions hadn’t hurt me. They weren’t dangerous. I closed my eyes and just let it happen.

  Kanzi paced the floor of a small, rustic cabin. His two-toned eyes drilled into the wood floorboards, right in front of his stomping strides.

  “She can’t evade me forever.” His voice was low and menacing. And maybe a touch hurt. “She’s my queen. She will come to see that. I need her by my side, to lead our people.”

  “But milord, we’ve tried luring her out,” a whipcord man with stormy eyes said. “She’s stubborn as all get out.”

  “My Astridr is too smart to be lured by fools,” Kanzi snapped, casting a wary glare around the room. The three men visible to me shrunk back, as if burned. Kanzi took to pacing once again, his russet hair slicked back away from his face.

  “No. She won’t come unless it’s by her own free will. And since that will never happen…” He frowned, a downwards slash across his face.

  “We will have to capture her,” another of the Rashti said. Silence lapsed around them in the small cabin as the group began to ponder. Kanzi’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, his fingers nearly sprouting claws.

  “I have a plan.” A different voice announced, cold and calculating. The words belonged to a woman, though my vision didn’t show her. A niggling voice at the back of my mind told me I’d heard her voice somewhere before, but her next words stopped me cold.

  “And it’s one that will rid the Altehrei scum of this blessed soil.”

  Kanzi’s blue eye lit with fire, while the grey was ice cold. “Do tell.”

  He leaned forward.

  My heart galloped in my throat, but the vision was fading, twisting. No! No, I needed to hear this. What were they going to do?

  But the image churned and changed.

  Kanzi was perched atop a chair designed to look like a throne, looking smug. I heard murmurings all around him, but no matter how hard I strained, I couldn’t pick out a single word.

  Then: “We’ve brought you a gift, milord!” and Kanzi’s dual-toned eyes glanced down haughtily, brightening at the sight.

  I heard a growl, then a sharp laugh. A rugged man gave a boy in shackles a shove, sending him sprawling. He fell to his hands and knees, scraping them against the stone floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet, shoving blond locks away from his face, which was shrouded from my sight.

  “You can go fuck yourself.” Aliel’s voice was iced over as he stared defiantly up at the Rashti king.

  My heart sunk in my chest. When…? When would this happen?

  “Oh, my son.” Kanzi hopped down from his throne, making a small circle around Aliel. Aliel spun on his heel, striking out with claws, but Kanzi was faster. He pulled back his arm and his fist collided with Aliel’s jaw. Al stumbled backwards, shock and fury lighting his features as he spat blood and a tooth to the floor.

  Kanzi reached out and grasped Aliel’s chin firmly, then grinned into identical eyes. “You will come to love it here. Just think—among the Rashti, you are revered. Hati is our God, and he blessed you with his Sight.” Kanzi slowly smiled.

  “I’m sorry. Perhaps you didn’t hear me.” As a wolf, Aliel’s ears would’ve been pinned and his hackles raised. As a human, his face twisted into a sneer, eyes growing frigid. “I thought I made myself clear. Fuck. Yourself. I am loyal to my king and my king alone.”

  Kanzi snorted. “I assure you, if you’re waiting for him to come and save you, it won’t happen. I saw him fall, his Sight too strong for him to control. It’s twisted his mind. I doubt he’ll return to the land of the sane.”

  He broke out into laughter as Aliel’s face lost all of its color. “Oh, didn’t you know? Young Silverwind has a bit of our Hati in him. H
ati was Skoll’s twin, after all.”

  Aliel’s shoulders drooped and Kanzi placed a hand on one.

  “It will be alright. You will come to enjoy it here, and who knows? If I’m not granted an heir who harbors Hati’s Sight, perhaps I’ll choose you.”

  With that, Aliel stiffened, but he didn’t lash out again. “I would rather burn in hell.”

  “That can be arranged too.” Kanzi grinned, then waved him off. “Take him down to the dungeons. He’ll come around.”

  When I came to, the bath water had chilled to lukewarm and my skin had begun to prune. I shivered, suddenly fiercely cold. I drained the tub and huddled there while fresh, hot water billowed around me. I rubbed my arms and legs to ward off the goose bumps, but no amount of heat made me warmer inside.

  If the vision was true… I shuddered.

  Kanzi was planning something. Aliel was going to be kidnapped and I was going to go insane? I rubbed my temples. I didn’t bother to truly bathe; I just wrapped up in a towel and dressed in my once-worn clothes. Then I made a beeline for Aliel. I had to warn him, at least tell him to be careful somehow. I just prayed he wouldn’t be too stubborn to heed my warning.

  I headed down to the kitchens. People greeted me warmly, offering bites of their creations. My stomach felt like a rock, but I couldn’t turn them down. The food settled with an ache in my gut.

  I found myself face to face with Cael. After our first meeting, he really seemed to hate me, his bias for the Omegas growing even as I tried to fix it.

  “Is Aliel here?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Umberlith!”

  A minute later, Al’s blond head peeked around the corner. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if to ask why the hell I was bothering him at lunch time. I grabbed his arm and hauled him over to the farthest corner.

  “Aren’t you supposed to do leaderly things? Why are you in the kitchens? I’m a little busy, Kia. What, you wanna ask for my blessing to marry my sister?” He offered a smirk as heat rose to my face.