“Witraz, you’re in charge,” Ly’Tana was saying as I walked up. “Take them to Li’s village.”
“Corwyn is in command of Arianne’s safety,” I said, setting my arm around Ly’Tana’s shoulders. “In all other matters, he defers to Witraz. Right?”
Corwyn bowed low, in assent. Witraz nodded, then remembered his manners. He, too, bowed low. “We’ll not fail you, Your Highnesses. Either of you. Walk with the gods and return to us safely.”
I eyed Shirel sitting at Arianne’s side, her tail flipping softly back and forth. “I’m glad you have a protector, little cat.”
I suddenly grinned. “Now the name is more appropriate than ever.”
Arianne broke into sobs, running into my arms. “Come back to me. I’m not supposed to be Queen. You must lead us. It’s you the people want, and hunger for, not me.”
“If you have any influence with our gods back home,” I said softly, burying my face in her wealth of midnight hair. “Now’s the time to call in any favors.”
Tears flowing, she sniffled and nodded. “If it’s not any trouble,” she asked, her voice almost too low to be heard. “Bring back my betrothed. We’re to be married, you see? He can be a pain in the you-know-what, but I do love him. Bring him safely home? Can you do that?”
I glanced at Rygel before nodding soberly. “This I can promise you, Kit. He will return to you.”
My heart broken in two, Arianne walked away from me, toward Corwyn and White Fang. With a swift look over his shoulder at me, Tuatha trailed her, knowing I wanted him to stay by her. The great cat paced her, silent, confident amid the huge wolves, her amber eyes on her new mistress. She’ll do well in this bunch, I thought, smiling.
Tashira hovered near her, his eyes on me. I’ll protect her until you came back, his eyes said. Until you came back.
Noting Bar sullen but quiet, and Feria grieving but also quiet, I assumed they had, like everyone else, accepted the inevitable. They may not like each other, I thought, but they have much in common.
Kel’Ratan fretted and sweated, fearing the idea of being changed into a wolf, yet wishing it were over. His face alternated between red and ghostly pale, his feet shifting his weight constantly. Time to end his fears, I reckoned.
With a glance, I called Rygel forward. He obeyed, his amber eyes sliding toward Kel’Ratan with a tiny smile quirking his upper lip.
“Will you do the honors?” I murmured.
His smile widened. “Of course, my prince,” he murmured.
Rygel gave Kel’Ratan no time to prepare. I doubt any preparation would help, in any case. In the first instant, a red faced, long haired man shifted his feet uneasily. Within the next a large, red-grey wolf toppled sideways into the snow.
“Check it out,” Silverruff marveled as Kel’Ratan fought to get four legs under him when accustomed to two. Snow flew from his legs in showers as he fought to get them under him. He howled; he growled; he snapped huge fangs on nothing. He scrambled, falling down only to fight upward again, his tail swinging from side to side.
“Come on, dog,” Nahar shouted. “Quit panicking and chill. Get your paws under you.”
“Go easy on him,” Silverruff suggested.
“Hell, no,” Nahar snapped. “He stepped on my tail yesterday. C’mon, boy! Are you a wolf or a mouse, put your big boy pants on and stand up!”
Kel’Ratan at last heeded his instincts, and Nahar advised him to utilize his tail as a rudder and steer him onto a safe course. His paws scraped deep furrows in the ice as he staggered, gasping, panting, onto all four feet. His heavy tail slid between his hind legs in his fear.
“Are we that clumsy?” Thunder asked.
“I hope not,” Digger answered, licking his whiskers. “If so, I’d die of shame.”
“What the hell?” Kel’Ratan demanded, snarling, baring his fangs in both fury and fear.
“You’re a wolf, Red,” I said, finding some sympathy for him. Only too well did I remember Rygel, acting under Elder’s orders, turning me into a wolf against my will. I felt anew the panic, the horror, the fury. If Kel’Ratan held only a quarter of that, he got off lucky.
Ly’Tana helped by throwing her arms about his heavy neck, burying her face in his thick ruff. As she did me, she calmed him with soothing words, quiet hands, and a confident demeanor. Under her ministrations, Kel’Ratan regained control of himself and his fearful emotions, then glanced about.
“I’m a wolf,” he said slowly. “I’m a bloody wolf.”
“Watch that ‘bloody’ part,” Nahar said, loping toward him, his tail high and wagging. “I might get insulted.”
“What?” Kel’Ratan said.
He ceased his fascinated stare at his own shaggy body and glanced up. “Nahar?”
“The one and only,” Nahar laughed, taking Kel’Ratan down in a flurry of tangled limbs, fur and fangs. Ly’Tana jumped out of the way, also laughing, her hands held high in surrender.
“He’s not using his tail right,” Silverruff observed, his tone critical.
“Come on,” Shadow said, “he’s been a wolf a whole thirty seconds. Give him a break.”
The pair fought, yelped, growled and bit harmlessly in mock battle before staggering to four paws. Nahar fled, a wide taunting grin tossed over his shoulder. Kel’Ratan raced after him, his jaws wide and his breath steaming the icy air. He discovered the usefulness of four legs over two, and galloped with the grace of easy freedom over the snow and ice.
I smiled down at Ly’Tana, cupping her cheek. “Your turn.”
“I can’t wait–” she began, but Rygel’s cold magic hit her broadside.
Her warriors, breath held in abeyance, leaned forward and watched with eagerness and trepidation. This last step was the final one. This may be their last sight of their queen this side of death. Bar half-turned away, his eyes rolling over his shoulder. He may not want her transform and leave him, but he was unable to stop himself from looking.
As she’d once turned into a bird, Ly’Tana rapidly changed before my eyes. Instead of growing feathers, her fur sprouted reddish brown. Unlike Kel’Ratan, previous changes had hardened her to the strange effects of magic. A talented acrobat, Ly’Tana balanced on paws as easily as she had with two. Her tail worked in communion with the rest of her, helping, aiding, correcting. Ly’Tana, proud, invincible, exotic–vanished. A feral she-wolf, beautiful and deadly, now paced restlessly in her human footprints. Green fire sparked from her eyes.
“Glory,” Silverruff breathed, in awe. “Brother, you are one lucky wolf.”
“Don’t I know it,” I answered, my tone low.
Ly’Tana’s ears, eyes and muzzle swiveled toward me. She grinned, her pink, muscled tongue caught between her fangs. “I heard that,” she growled, her tail waving gently.
“I should hope so,” I said, changing into my wolf clothing. “You’re a wolf now.”
“I think I like hawks better,” she teased, lowering her front half, her rump and tail high in the air. She lunged toward me, dancing, raising her right front paw against my muzzle.
“Ah,” I replied, leaping sideways, inviting her to attack my exposed flank. “Just wait until you discover how four paws can outrun two wings.”
She took the bait, following me up, snapping at a body that wasn’t there.
Exploding into a run, I galloped across the clearing, glancing over my shoulder, laughing. She pursued me, long tongue lolling, icy white snow flying up from behind her racing paws. Less than a mile I ran, taunting her, teasing her, leaping just out of reach of her fangs when she thought she had me in her grip. Merciless, I ducked and dodged, ever laughing, calling her, raising her anger, making her determined to catch me at all cost.
After a wild, fun chase, I let her snag me, her weight knocking me sideways into the ice. Her jaws closed on my thick, protective ruff with her growls in my ear.
“I’ve got you now,” she snarled, her green eyes snapping.
“You’ve always had me, my love,” I replied, bend
ing my head to lick her muzzle.
She never could control her humor, whether in human form or as a wolf. Ly’Tana sat back, howling, laughing, before dropping her full weight on my neck.
“So I do,” she said, nibbling my ear, her paw over my face.
“I’ll give you ten years to stop that,” I said.
“Make it twenty.”
“You’re on.”
She intended just that, her breath warm on my cheek as she chewed affectionately on any bit of me she reached. Ah, heaven on earth. A sweet, sexy lady having me for lunch. Perhaps I’d already died.
“No such luck, boyo.” Darius commented dryly.
Duty called with a loud and strident voice, I noticed. I used my massive weight that all but drowned her and heaved myself up, onto my feet. Our human sizes never matched up, and neither did our wolfish bodies. I towered over her as I did all the others, yet she wasn’t in the least bit intimidated. She danced around me, laughing, her breath steaming in the icy air.
“That was fun, but it’s time to go,” I said, leaping into a ground-eating lope.
Ly’Tana ran at my side, easily matching my pace.
“When we go back,” I said, “I’ll change you back into a human. You and Kel’Ratan.”
“Why?”
I grinned. “We can carry weapons with us as wolves. You may need to be human, and if you have your sword and some useful throwing knives–”
“Of course,” she said. “You and Rygel as well.”
“We have our magic–”
“Useless. The Guardian is impervious to magic.”
I grimaced. “All right, then we load up as well.”
“Um,” Ly’Tana said slowly, eyeing me sidelong.
I swiped her cheek with my tongue. “Darius said our magic won’t help us.”
“Damn, that bites.”
Digger raced across the snow toward us, loose snow flying up behind his flying paws, his jaws wide. “Fire Vixen,” he gasped. “Can’t I come, too? Please? Thunder is going–”
Ly’Tana shut her mouth and looked to me, the question in her emerald eyes. I shook my head.
“I’m sorry, Digger,” I answered for her. “Darius told me I have to keep the number small. I had to pick the biggest wolves–”
“Dammit,” he said, his disappointment clear in his slack ears and low tail. He trotted alongside us. “You’ll need someone with brains on this venture.”
I hid my amusement as Ly’Tana laughed and leaped atop Digger’s head. “We do, smart ass. Unfortunately, we’ll have to forego brains in favor of sheer brawn this time.”
Digger tossed her easily over his shoulders, and watched as her lithe body regained her paws with an admiring amount of agility. “Then why are you going?”
She hesitated until she spotted the humorous slant to his jaws and set of his ears. She pounced again, feinting toward his neck. Like a fluid, flexible rope, she instantly dropped and rolled under him, snaking her head toward his vulnerable genitals.
Digger yelped and jumped skyward. “Now wait a minute!”
Laughing, Ly’Tana lunged toward him again. He dodged, his tail between his legs, his amber-brown eyes anxious. “I was only joking.”
“Of course you were,” Ly’Tana replied sweetly, strolling toward him, her ears perked and her tail gently waving.
“Big Dog,” he said, trotting behind me. “Tell her I was joking. Please?”
“Sorry, laddie . . . you’re on your own.”
I loped toward the massed group, the Kel’Hallans, Corwyn and Arianne already mounted on their horses. Tuatha sat on Arianne’s pommel, gazing at me with a mixture of sorrow and pride. Darkhan and Ghost flanked Rufus as Shirel combed her ears, licking her paw to daintily wash her face. She glanced up dreamily as I approached before resuming her bath.
Corwyn saluted me. “Walk with the gods, my liege. May they protect you.”
Changing clothes, I returned his salute. “In case I don’t get another chance,” I said. “I want to thank you.”
“For what?”
I grinned. “For you being you.”
For a moment he looked confused, his craggy face frowning slightly. Then his expression cleared and he smiled, a small, warm grin as he glanced toward Arianne. “You’re very welcome, my friend.”
Arianne floundered for words. “I–you–” She took a deep breath. “Look after yourself, Raine.”
“I will.”
“Just surrender to your wolf,” Nahar said as Kel’Ratan. “He’s there, inside you, ready to help.”
“I don’t have a bloody wolf inside me, damn your eyes,” Kel’Ratan growled, trying to control his hackles. “I’m a man.”
At that instant, I willed him to change back into his human self. Where once a red-brown wolf with blue eyes stood, a Kel’Hallan warrior fumbled on two legs and all but fell headfirst into the snow.
“Did you have to, Big Dog?” Nahar sighed at the same time Kel’Ratan roared, “What the hell?”
“I was trying to teach him something.”
“I know,” I answered. “He’ll be back in a minute.”
“Gather as many weapons as you can,” I said, flicking my magic toward Ly’Tana.
An instant later, she strode firmly on two legs toward her buckskin stallion. Witraz, holding his reins, glanced down in confusion. Ly’Tana smiled sweetly up at him.
“Just need a few things.”
Rygel changed from his amber-eyed, light grey wolf to stride toward Shardon. Shardon greeted him with an affectionate nudge to his shoulder as he dug deep into his saddlebags. Finding his own precious throwing knives and concealing them within his fur jacket and breeches, he hugged Shardon tight about his neck before returning to all four paws again.
After a long moment of communing with her Mikk, Ly’Tana dug heavy-hilted knives from her packs. Following her lead, Kel’Ratan found spots in his clothing for the extra weapons. Ly’Tana and Kel’Ratan both slung bows over their backs along with their swords, and hung quivers stuffed with arrows on their belts. Ly’Tana pulled the gold-washed gem from her jacket and gazed at it for a long moment, before stuffing it back in.
“All set,” she said.
I changed her back into her red-brown wolf with green eyes. Handling the shifting of shapes for others came far more easily than I’d expected. Just as in my healing, practicing my magical crafts helped me gain proficiency. Rygel nodded when I glanced in his direction, and offered me a quick half-salute of respect and admiration. I wasn’t his master of magic–yet. But I was close.
“Can you feel your weapons?” I asked Ly’Tana.
Her eyes grew blank for a moment before she answered. “I can. They’re rather heavy, but I can manage.”
“Same here.”
Kel’Ratan’s low growl made me turn. Back in his wolf form, he walked about, testing the feel of his arms within his wolf body. “They won’t slow me down.”
“Good.”
I turned back to Witraz and Corwyn. “Keep them all safe. With luck, we’ll meet with you at Li’s village.”
Witraz saluted me, fist to chest. “I’ll pray for your victory, m’lord.”
Nudging his piebald, he set off eastward at a ground-eating trot, Ly’Tana’s buckskin heeling him. Mikk cast a long look over his shoulder, a forlorn whinny ringing across the snow. Ly’Tana watched them go, her tongue caught between her fangs. One by one the Kel’Hallans passed us by saluting both her and me. Their wolves trailed them, offering their own quick farewells and wishes for luck with quick barks and high tails.
“Come back to us,” Shadow said, flanking Rannon’s horse.
Dire and Lightfoot made no comment, but gazed at me with wide anxious eyes as Left and Right saluted their royal mistress as they trotted past.
“Tell Darius we miss him,” Warrior Dog called, flanking Yuri’s chestnut.
“I was only joking, really,” Digger said, slinking past Ly’Tana’s muzzle.
“I know, dear one,” she replie
d. “Look after Tuatha, will you? He’ll need a friend.”
“Count on me.”
“When you get back,” Nahar called to Kel’Ratan. “We’ll go hunting.”
“That’s a date,” Kel’Ratan grinned, his jaws wide.
The griffins took to the air, circling slowly overhead, yet keeping pace with the horse and mule train. Bar called one last entreaty to Ly’Tana before winging high overhead. He banked up and around, his beak angling downward before soaring on huge wings toward the west and his duty. Rather than answer, Ly’Tana’s muzzle tipped skyward as she watched her beloved friend vanish from her sight, her emerald eyes misting.
Feria didn’t imitate him, but circled low over my head, her eagle’s eyes fastened raptly on me and her beak open. Rising on a thermal, she rose higher and higher before she disappeared into the winter clouds.
“I’ll come for you,” Tashira called as he loped on the heels of the horses. “And don’t you forget it.”
“As if I could,” I muttered.
The horde of horses and their riders, mules, wolves and Tarbane climbed the low hill to the west. The winter sun glinted off the metal bits and sword hilts, snow churning behind hooves and paws. Tashira and Shardon paused, side by side, to gaze back over their shoulders. They then trotted down the far side of the hill, vanishing. Several warriors turned in their saddles to wave one last time before descending the far side of the hill and out of sight.
“Don’t watch me go, Papa.”
My throat shut down entirely as I went wolf and turned around. As my son’s voice reverberated around in my head, I didn’t watch them vanish westward into the snow-covered mountains. Choking, drawing in much needed air, I waved my tail in feigned enthusiasm.
“Now where–” I started. I swallowed hard and tried again. “Now where did Digger scent that elk?”
I have three days to live.
There it was–the sheer dark cliff rising from the snow, its jagged shoulders and head buried in the thick grey clouds. There it stood, black, its immense presence overshadowing the lesser mountains that protected it. We crossed the last huge, sheer mountain range to stand under its shadow–the great barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead.
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