As the Wolf Howls

by Michael Linford

  ‘I understand and I will respect whatever decision you make, but first, please hear me out.’

  All three of them sat cross-legged on the floor and the stranger revealed his plan. Along the corridor was the area where the children from the monastery all slept in big comfortable rooms together and Esmee could blend in with them perfectly at night, looking like one of many ordinary children. Then, during the day, she could either join them for the teachings or return to Majila. The children were always guarded and Majila could see her at any time he wished.

  Majila looked at Esmee and realised there was a certain safety in her spending time away from him. If whoever destroyed their tribe came for him then she wouldn’t be at risk and could escape with others’ help. He turned to the stranger and nodded his approval. ‘Thank you, we will do what you said and if there is any danger, I can still get Esmee and escape.’

  ‘There is no need to thank me; it is an honour to help you. If we go now, I can show Esmee to the children’s quarters and you can both eat, then rest for the night.’ The stranger walked over to Majila and offered his hand to help him to his feet.

  As the three of them made their way through the bright corridors heading towards the main building, the stranger smiled to himself and spoke over his shoulder to the others. ‘My name is Kaliam.’

  Later that evening, after settling Esmee, Majila and Kaliam sat and ate together before retiring to their beds to rest. They settled separately in rooms directly opposite each other and as Majila blew out his lamp, he spoke across the hallway. ‘Thank you, Kaliam, your help means a great deal to me. We are friends now, not strangers.’

  As Majila closed his eyes, he said a quiet prayer to keep Esmee safe and, as visions of the campsite engulfed in flames once more entered his mind, he started to drift off into a troubled sleep.

  CHAPTER 16

  Black Wolf woke groggily from his sleep. Once again, the vivid dream had asked more questions than it had given answers. There was a dampness in the morning air and as he stretched out to shake the slumber from his limbs, he rolled onto his side and opened his eyes, shocked at what he saw before him.

  Crouching close to him was a beautiful woman, wearing a blue dress that had been torn to shreds. She appeared to be covered in cuts on her arms and legs. Quickly, he sat up and reached for his sack whilst scanning the area for any sign of other strangers around.

  ‘I didn’t mean to startle you — I mean you no harm. I come from Orgent, my name is Amelia and I need to find help for my people.’ Amelia’s voice sounded soothing to Black Wolf’s foggy head and as he studied her, he could see that she was no threat to him. There was a softness to her that he hadn’t seen in any of his people and, as she crouched down near to him, he could feel that she was just as curious as he was.

  ‘My name is Black Wolf. I’m from the tribe that lives in the lowlands, south of these mountains. I have heard of the great walled city before but I know very little about it, I’m afraid. My friend Grey Moon has visited there though and he is wise, so I’m sure he can help you.’ Black Wolf smiled at Amelia, speaking as softly as he could so as not to appear at all threatening.

  ‘Thank you, Black Wolf. Although you are a stranger I feel safer already just being here with you.’ Amelia felt a strange longing to stay in Black Wolf’s company and for a brief moment, here with him, everything did feel better.

  As Black Wolf poked at the dying embers of the fire, he noticed that Grey Moon was missing. Nothing else at the campsite had been disturbed though and he knew his friend was more than capable of looking after himself, so he tried not to worry too much. Instead, he carried on poking at the fire until some of the smaller bits of wood caught alight again and tried to avoid staring at Amelia.

  ‘Here, take these blankets. The ground here is very hard; you will get more comfort if you sit on these.’ Black Wolf laid two of his blankets out on top of each other and motioned for Amelia to sit down with him.

  ‘Thank you,’ she replied, blushing slightly at his efforts to put her at ease and be so welcoming. She sat focusing on the fire, resisting the urge to stare at him. She had seen drawings of the Inuits in Orgent’s historical documents, but never in the flesh. She didn’t doubt that his strong features would look fearsome in battle, but she wasn’t afraid of him. Instead, she found him strangely attractive and so different to all the other men she had ever known back in Orgent. A part of her deep down inside wanted him to hold her in his strong arms and keep her safe.

  These two strangers from different parts of the kingdom sat talking as the fire slowly started to die again. It was only when Amelia asked where Grey Moon was that a familiar voice appeared from the woods nearby.

  ‘I am here, my lady,’ said Grey Moon, appearing at the campsite with a sack full of fruit for them all to eat and a couple of small dead animals he had caught for them to cook on the fire.

  Amelia and Black Wolf both got to their feet as Grey Moon returned. Amelia held her hand out to him and he took it in his, bowing slightly before her.

  ‘It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady. I imagine you have lots to tell me, but first may I ask you to gather some wood for me, then we can eat and you can tell me everything.’ Grey Moon smiled warmly at Amelia before tipping the food out onto the blankets by the fire.

  ‘I would be happy to. There are lots of branches near where I slept last night, I shall go and fetch them for you.’ Amelia turned and headed towards the woods, enjoying the freedom of having work to do, rather than sitting and watching others do it for her.

  After she left, Black Wolf turned to Grey Moon and spoke. ‘I thought you had left me, Grey Moon. I wondered where you had gone. I woke up and this stranger was here instead.’

  Grey Moon laughed loudly before replying, ‘I just went to get food, my child, we will need it with all the travelling we will be doing. It also meant that you both had time to become acquainted.’

  ‘You knew she was here? How long have you known?’ Black Wolf never ceased to be amazed and slightly frustrated by his friend’s seemingly infinite wisdom.

  ‘The box prophesised her arrival and when I awoke early I noticed her asleep against the tree over there. I went to get food and I knew that once she woke up, she would have to come over and speak to you. I can’t help it if my hunting woke her, can I?’ Grey Moon was smiling at Black Wolf and again his friend knew that this wise elder’s magic once more played a part here. ‘Also, my child, she is many things but certainly not a stranger.’

  ‘Who is she?’ Black Wolf was becoming even more curious.

  ‘She has been many things under many different names, my child, and you will soon see this for yourself. Now though, she is the Princess of Orgent, although it appears that to us she just wants to be Amelia.’ Grey Moon sat down and started skinning the animals, preparing the food that they would need for the next part of their journey.

  Black Wolf stood watching Amelia gather branches in the distance; her beauty transfixed him as he repeated Grey Moon’s words quietly to himself, ‘The Princess of Orgent.’

  Before long, Amelia had returned with an armful of wood and Black Wolf had managed to get the fire roaring again. The morning mist was starting to clear and the heat lifted the damp from their clothes, leaving them feeling warmer again.

  Grey Moon had finished preparing the meat and used branches to skewer it and cook it in the campfire during their talk, whilst Black Wolf had used some of their water to soak a pile of rags he’d torn up. He handed these rags to Amelia so she could clean her cuts and freshen up.

  ‘Those cuts look painful, you need to make sure you clean them properly or you may get ill, they are very deep.’ Black Wolf couldn’t hide his concern — and he couldn’t stop watching her, either.

  ‘They do hurt, but I think I’ve cleaned the worst of them. When I ran through the forest it was so dark and I was going so quickly that the branches kept catching me and slicing me deeply. My legs and arms are fine now but I’ve still got some on the
back of my neck I can feel stinging. Would you mind cleaning them for me? I cannot see them to know if they are clean or not.’ Amelia appeared to blush as she handed him a soaking rag and loosened her dress from around her, holding her hair up to reveal her neck to him.

  Black Wolf moved closer to her and cautiously dabbed at the scratches on her neck, wringing the dirt and blood out on the floor until they were clean.

  ‘Here, my child, use this to put on the cuts. It’s an old remedy our tribe has used since I can remember to help heal battle wounds. Rub it in gently and they should heal well when it dries.’ Grey Moon handed Black Wolf a large leaf with a strange light brown paste on it.

  Black Wolf appeared nervous at the thought of touching Amelia; this wasn’t helped by how beautiful he thought she was, or the fact that he had just found out she was a princess.

  ‘Don’t be afraid, Black Wolf, I’m tougher than I look. You can touch me, I won’t break.’ Amelia seemed to sense his hesitance and he felt she was playing with him.

  Black Wolf put some of the paste on his finger and gently traced one of the long cuts that ran down her neck. As his finger touched her soft skin, he felt a strangely familiar spark deep within and suddenly images from his dreams filled his mind.

  You are my Aalym, my heart, my lifeblood and I won’t leave you. The voice came from within him and he scrambled backwards away from Amelia in shock.

  ‘What was that?’ Amelia instantly pulled her dress tightly around her and turned to Black Wolf, her eyes wide in surprise.

  ‘I don’t know, I felt something strange and then I heard a familiar voice. I didn’t mean to scare you.’ Black Wolf struggled to regain his composure as he sat staring at her, his breathing heavy and his mind racing. As he studied her face, he noticed the tear-shaped bloodstain on her forehead and deep in his stomach he felt a sadness that he had never felt before. Without thinking, he moved towards her and gently wiped it from her face, holding her cheek softly in the palm of his hand.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ was all he could manage to say and as the tears welled up in his eyes, he turned and walked off from the campsite, into the forest.

  Amelia sat there, feelings running through her that she had never felt before either. She placed her hand on her cheek, the warmth of Black Wolf’s touch still lingering. ‘Black Wolf,’ she called out and started to get up to follow him.

  ‘Let him go, Princess, he’ll come back when he’s ready. He is learning a lot and it will take time to understand it. Don’t worry, there is much for us all to discover.’ Grey Moon’s voice broke the silence and Amelia had forgotten he was sat there.

  ‘What happened, Grey Moon? When he touched me, it felt so familiar but we are strangers. I don’t understand any of this, can you explain?’ Amelia felt shaken and needed to know what was happening. This world was all new to her and a great contrast to the simple days she had spent in Orgent.

  ‘All in good time, my child, I promise. Events are unfolding as fate wants them to. Do not be scared, we will help each other. It is the Great Mother’s way.’ Grey Moon looked sympathetically towards her and handed her one of the sticks with meat on it. ‘Eat now, Princess, we will need our strength soon.’

  After a while, Black Wolf returned to the fire and sat between Amelia and Grey Moon. He took some food and sat quietly eating it, trying to resist the urge to be closer to Amelia. Grey Moon prompted Amelia to tell them what had happened, so she explained in full. She started with the party preparations and didn’t stop talking until she had revealed how she’d escaped and the moment Black Wolf had woken up to find her there. ‘This is why I need your help. I don’t know how much time my father and our people have. They might already be dead, I wouldn’t know.’ Amelia wept at the thought of what could have happened in her absence.

  Black Wolf fought the urge to hold her and keep her safe; instead, he asked about something that had been troubling him from the story. ‘You said that this attacker wasn’t a person? It appeared as if he was made of thick black smoke. How is this possible?’

  ‘It all happened so fast, but what I saw did look like that. I’d never seen anything like it before, so I took the chance I had and I escaped.’ Amelia felt guilty at running, but knew deep down that there was nothing she could have done to stop the attack. She put her head in her hands and broke down again.

  ‘What you speak of is a great evil, my child, and there is a lot of work to be done if we are to stop it. You did the right thing by finding us and we will do everything we can to help your people. Trust me, Princess, and all will be revealed.’ Grey Moon put a comforting hand on her shoulder and as she looked up tearfully, her eyes met Black Wolf’s through the fire leaving them feeling that unexplainable power again.

  ‘We need to pack up our things now though, we have a long trek ahead of us and shouldn’t waste any time.’ Grey Moon gathered his belongings, threw his sack over his shoulder, and stood up.

  ‘Where are we going, Grey Moon? Do you know what is happening?’ Black Wolf was full of questions as usual as he started to put the fire out.

  ‘I will explain more on the way, but first, we head north.’ Grey Moon pointed towards the mountains as Black Wolf got to his feet. ‘I will say one thing to you both though and it is very important. Sometimes you can live in each other’s hearts for a lifetime and it still takes time for the souls to recognise each other when you meet as strangers.’

  Black Wolf moved towards Amelia and held out his hand to help her stand up, and as their palms touched, they almost felt like they knew what Grey Moon meant.

  CHAPTER 17

  Distracted by the loud fireworks, Elspeth had taken a long time to fetch the emperor’s royal drinking vessel. At one point, she had even crouched down under the food preparation table in the kitchen, scared by the noise. When she had eventually gathered everything she needed, she started to walk back to the main entrance so she could give the emperor what he needed and then would be free to continue enjoying the night at Amelia’s side.

  As she passed a window near the main door, she heard a huge crashing noise and it surprised her so much that she’d almost thrown the serving tray, sending everything flying through the air and hurtling down to the floor, drink seeping out into the cracks of the stone floor. Horrified, she bent down and started to clean the mess up and that’s when she heard the loud voice booming out across the city’s courtyard.

  ‘Stay on your knees, Orgent, or a far worse fate will come to you. Running or fighting is useless and any who try will perish where they stand.’ As Elspeth heard these words, her blood ran cold. Slowly she got back to her feet, crept to the window and looked out, unprepared for the horror she witnessed.

  All the people of Orgent gathered in front of their houses, looking terrified. In front of them were dark figures guarding them and Elspeth hadn’t seen these people before. Carefully shifting her position, she could make out more guards on the other side of the courtyard. In front of her was a trembling emperor facing an enormous black-cloaked figure. She guessed it had been this huge evil being whose voice she had heard silencing everyone.

  Scanning all the faces, she could see no sign of Amelia anywhere; the thought that something might have happened to her filled her with dread. The sense of fear that filled the usually peaceful Orgent was increased by the thick black smoke in the air and the smell of burning flesh.

  Elspeth crouched quietly and continued to watch as the horror unfolded before her eyes. She saw the emperor try to attack his enemy, appearing to pass straight through him, collapsing to the ground in pain. Panic rising in her; she knew she had to escape, so she crept carefully back down towards the kitchens.

  There was no one inside the palace yet but she thought it wouldn’t be long before they came in and took control, so she had to move fast or risk being trapped too. Passing through the kitchen, she made it to the small trade entrance. Although it opened out into the courtyard, she thought it was well enough concealed within the shadows of the palace to provide an
escape route. This led to another smaller door in the back wall of the city and would let her out onto the sheer cliff edge behind Orgent. The cliffs here were so steep and ragged that they were practically impossible to navigate through, but it was her only chance of getting away. All the commotion was at the front of the city and the two great doors were already closed.

  As she crept along the palace wall, staying carefully hidden within its shadows, she made it to the small door and started to quietly turn the handle. Glancing behind her, she saw a guard burning to death in the distance and knew that it was now or never. She turned the handle fully and the door opened slightly, allowing her enough space, and she started to slip through the gap.

  CHAPTER 18

  The mountains north of the lowlands were uncharted territory for most of the native people. Only a few had ever ventured into this terrain and most of these visits had happened during the times that war raged amongst the tribes. Over the years, the Inuits had gained enough knowledge that they didn’t have to venture far from the lowlands in order to survive, so for Black Wolf this trek would be a step into the unknown.

  Although the mountains were steep, there were several small paths that made it easier to reach the higher areas. However, Grey Moon knew that at certain points they would have to climb across some large, rugged parts and this could present many dangers to all of them. He could only hope that they wouldn’t need to reach the highest areas, as they were snow-covered all year round and this left that area cold and more treacherous with the ice.

  They had been walking for a long time in silence. Grey Moon was leading the way, seemingly concentrating deeply on every step he took, and Amelia followed behind, trying not to show how difficult she was finding the trek. Black Wolf was at the back, constantly scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger and trying to see where they were heading towards.

  ‘Above this next pass there is a small plateau; once we reach it we should stop for food and warmth,’ Grey Moon called out to the others.