by Cheree Alsop
I thought of the skinned guards. “Let’s go. Now.”
Joven held up a hand. “We’ve supplies to ready and we’re running short on horses. I need soldiers to defend Vielkeep in case this is Vesut’s plan for us to leave the city unguarded so he can attack. We lost too many men fighting the Viel; if we-”
“I’m leaving, Joven,” I said. My use of his name without title or respect caught his attention. “There’s been too much delay already. This is your sister. She doesn’t deserve what Vesut has planned for her and I’m not going to let anything happen that can be avoided.” It was more words than I had spoken in days. My voice was rough, but there was no denying my tone. “Rally who you can; I’ll leave on foot if I have to.”
Joven opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again and nodded. “Lieutenant, gather the first and second ridings. We leave as soon as the horses are saddled.”
Aled saluted and turned away. Joven glanced at me. “You need decent clothes, weapons, and armor. Rasmus would chasten me from the grave if I let you ride out like that.”
The thought of the General’s stern disapproval lightened by the humor in his gray gaze brought a small smile to my face. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would we?”
Joven shook his head, the shadow of a smile on his face as well. He led me to his grandfather’s quarters. Walking through the castle again felt strange after all that had happened. Ghosts of memories whispered along the walls while scents and tapestries tangled my thoughts of what home was. I didn’t know when I began to link the two, but walking now as a stranger along the well-known carpets made me feel as if I had been torn in two.
When we reached the grandfather’s quarters, I found clothes already set out on the bed.
“I hoped you would come,” Joven admitted quietly. “Though I wasn’t sure I would find you.”
He waited at the door while I pulled on the clothes. I ignored the shoes which had been pointedly placed in the middle of the bed, but pulled on a dark blue cotton undershirt, a black jerkin, and black-stained pants. It felt better than I cared to admit to wear clothing again. They fit protectively instead of binding as if I wore a second skin. I slid a sword into the sheath around my waist, then walked to the door.
I paused and took a deep breath, memorizing the scents. Everything had a final feeling to it, as if no matter how things turned out I wouldn’t be back. The painful recovery I had experienced in the room was overshadowed by my kiss with Koya and holding her as she slept. Her scent lingered as if she had spent time here when she returned to Vielkeep. I closed my eyes and took one last breath.
When I opened the door, Joven was waiting there. “Let’s go.”
Someone had brought Joven’s weapons and armor, fitting him while he waited. He glanced at my bare feet, but refrained from commenting and led the way back down the hall. We found Aled with forty armed soldiers and two extra horses waiting in the courtyard. The soldiers saluted Lord Joven. I heard a murmur run through them at my appearance, but didn’t scent any animosity. I wondered if Aled had weeded out those who wouldn’t approve of riding at my side.
When I walked to where Aled waited with the horses, the troops surprised me. Each man lifted a fist to his heart and saluted, bowing their heads as I walked by. I didn’t know how to respond. When I reached Aled, he noticed my expression. “You proved yourself in the last battle, and they knew of your friendship with the General. They honor you.”
“They don’t have to,” I said quietly.
“They choose to,” Aled replied. He put a hand to his heart, then grinned when I returned the salute uncertainly. “I found a friend of yours.”
He pulled the horse forward and I couldn’t help but smile when Streg stomped and snorted. He butted my chest with his forehead; I rubbed his soft nose. I was relieved to see that he had made it safely back to the castle. Though the horse was stubborn, I knew his ways and could trust his sure footing. I swung onto his back.
“You’re looking like a veteran rider,” Aled commented.
I took the reins in my good hand and rested the other on the pommel. “I pretend like I’m comfortable and Streg pretends he doesn’t want to get rid of the animal on his back. It’s a working relationship.”
His brows lowered slightly, but humor touched his eyes. I was reminded of Rasmus so sharply my mouth fell open. “You’re his son.”
Pain touched Aled’s face when he nodded. “I am.”
The Lieutenant’s eyes were green, but the way he held his head and the life in his gaze was unmistakable. I wondered how I had missed it before. “I didn’t know.”
He brushed a hand across his eyes. “You were a true friend to him.”
“He trusted me before I trusted myself,” I said, admitting more than I had ever said aloud.
He nodded and swallowed. “You are worth trusting, no matter what anyone says.” His glance Joven’s way wasn’t lost on me.
I nodded, unsure of how to reply.
Joven sat on a horse a few paces away; when he held up a hand, the riders fell silent. “Move out,” he called.
The horses fell in line. Riders rode two horses abreast while scouts took up the lead. I thought our gallop across the landscape was fast when our intentions were to stop the Viel attack on the Ralan royalty, but that was nothing compared to the headlong rush we took now. Aled rode beside Joven. I followed with the rest of the soldiers behind me. Our pace was tempered only by the strength of the horses. Even as night fell, making footing unsure and visibility for the horses limited, we slowed only long enough to water the animals before pushing them to a gallop again.
Wolves ghosted through the shadows; not even the horses made out their forms in the darkness. I scented more than my pack among them. Shadow Runner had picked up my distress and rallied the others once more; gratitude filled me. I knew he would smell it and understand how much I appreciated his dedication. Their swift paws on the forest floor gave me more confidence in our headlong flight than the forty soldiers around me.
Toward morning, horses began to falter. We were forced to slow them about a league short of where Joven’s scouts said Vesut had stopped. We picketed the horses in a thick patch of forest and climbed up to a ridge where we could see the troops from Vashold.
“Reinforcements rode in at midnight,” one of the scouts said. “There were supplies waiting for Lord Vesut’s men when they arrived; they must have had this planned.”
The camp below was set amid a small forest that looked younger than the mountains around it. Based on the quantity of tents, we were outnumbered at least five to one if not more. I could make out a stand of horses picketed in the middle and guarded by at least a dozen troops. Vesut wasn’t taking any chances. Storming the valley to rescue Koya would cost us every life, wolf and man. There had to be a way to get Koya out of Vesut’s clutches without such a price. According to Aled, they would reach Vashold by midday and then she would be lost to us. I refused to let that happen.
I felt a breath against my hand and looked down to see Shadow Runner studying the valley. I crouched next to him. The realization struck me that I had been viewing the situation as a human instead of a wolf. I had lived as a wolf most of my life. It was time to turn that into an advantage.
“I just don’t think we will make much of a difference with our numbers,” the scout concluded.
“We don’t need numbers.” When I spoke, the commanders and scouts turned. Eyes widened at the sight of Shadow Runner by my side.
“What do you mean?” Joven asked.
I looked back at the camp and felt Joven and Aled join me with the others behind them. “Have you ever seen a wolf pack attack a herd of elk?”
Joven shook his head, but Aled said, “I have. They have a system. It’s amazing to watch”
I nodded. “Wolves chase the herd and cull the weakest that fall behind.”
Aled’s eyes lit up. “So if we can get them to run, we can pick them off without risking our smaller numbers.”
&nb
sp; Joven nodded, his eyes on the valley as he warmed to the idea. “We can save our soldiers and find Koya in the madness.”
“But how will you get them to run?” the scout asked.
I studied the layout of the camp. The majority of tents were gathered around a small stream, but other than that, I didn’t see any source of water for the valley. The breeze blew from behind us strong and pressing with the breath of the high mountains. “Fire,” I decided. “Given the shape of the valley the wind will carry it without much help.”
“And it’ll create enough chaos that maybe we can get away with Lady Koya and keep our casualties to a minimum,” Aled said with a pleased nod. The young Lieutenant’s eyes were alight with excitement at the plan. My heart ached at the thought that Rasmus had raised the perfect commander for his army.
“The saplings in the valley are young,” the scout said, confirming my earlier observations. “There must have been a fire there years ago, probably started by lightning. The underbrush is dry and should carry a flame well. I think it’ll work.”
“Let’s move before they have a chance to awaken,” Joven said.
We rose and made our way back to the waiting men. Joven outlined the plan while Aled organized the troops into attack parties. A fire was stoked under the cover of overlapping evergreens so lookouts from the valley wouldn’t see it. Several men went back for the horses.
It was a moment where silent activity flourished around me, but I wasn’t a part of it. Men whispered to each other and checked their weapons, torches were prepared, and directions were given to the captains of each riding group. I leaned against a tree, aware for the brief instant how long it had been since I slept. I closed my eyes and listened to the brush of fabric and quiet steps through the long grass.
A nose touched my hand and I opened my eyes to find Shadow Runner and Silver Leaf sitting in front of me. My gaze traveled from them to more than two dozen wolves waiting for my command. Four wolf packs, young and old, dark fur and light, had joined mine to help in our fight. It was their way of showing appreciation for the help in driving the Viel from the valley. I blinked quickly, touched by their bravery. The soldiers around us stared at the wolves, their eyes wide with distrust and fear. Everyone was silent and watching. I set a hand on Silver Leaf’s head and she licked my arm.
“I don’t think you need the soldiers,” Aled said quietly. He gave the wolves a wide berth and I couldn’t blame him. That many wolves looked pretty intimidating in the early morning light.
“I’ll get them set before the soldiers come in. We won’t be able to keep the horses quiet otherwise.”
He nodded and glanced back at Joven. The young Lord stood near the top of the rise studying Vesut’s camp beyond. “What signal do you want?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “How good are you at howling?”
He chuckled. “Not the best, but I’ll make due. You’ll hear it.”
“We’ll be ready.”
The Lieutenant turned away, then hesitated and held out a hand. “In case things go wrong.”
“Things aren’t going to go wrong,” I said.
Something dark and regretful crossed his face. “I never told my father how much I respected him. I’m not about to lose that chance with you.”
I accepted his hand, touched more than I had words to say. I swallowed and forced myself to speak past a tight throat. “If something happens to me, promise you’ll get Koya out of there.”
His brow furrowed, but he nodded. “I will.”
He walked away and I felt the severity of what we were about to do settle on my shoulders. The Lieutenant was young. He deserved a family, peace, and safety. Yet he rode at my side in an effort to save the girl I loved. I took a deep breath of the crisp early morning air and motioned to the wolves. They dispersed without a sound into the forest around us. I was tempted to change and join them in wolf form, but something kept me from relinquishing being human.
I took several steps into the trees, then heard someone say my name. I turned to find Joven at the edge of the clearing. I crossed back to him and accepted his outstretched hand without a word. The sorrow in his eyes said more than a thousand apologies.
“Take care of yourself,” he said.
“You do the same.”
He nodded and watched me go, a lone form against the dawn gray trees. Wolves fell in around me on paws as silent as my bare feet. I crouched low and skirted the underbrush. We made our way down the valley soundless as wraiths. When I motioned, the wolves separated to await Aled’s signal. All chaos was about to break loose. I hoped I could find Koya in the midst of the madness.
Chapter 19
A howl shattered the façade of morning peace that had settled over the valley. My lips twisted in a smile at the flare of Aled’s call. He was relishing his post.
On a whim, I raised my voice to meet his. The wolves around me and hidden on the other side of the camp did the same, trapping the soldiers who were just waking in a symphony of haunted warning. Tents shook, soldiers stirred, and horses stomped just as fire raced through the camp.
Canvas and dried grass lit with relish and danced in the early morning breeze. Soldiers yelled, grabbing for horses and supplies. The wolves around me stirred, but I held my position until Vesut’s tall form stepped from the centermost tent. A bark of command ripped from my chest loud enough to echo around the camp. Wolves took off in every direction, pulling down soldiers and stirring up those who still stared bleary-eyed at the hungry fire that fed around them.
I ignored everything but Vesut. My heartbeat pounded in my ears and red burned at the edges of my vision. Here was the man who had taken the woman I loved. He intended to do her harm; it had been in his eyes at the ball and twisted his face when he grabbed her arm and yanked her from the tent door.
My heart slowed at the sight of Koya with her arms tied in front of her, her wrists raw from the rubbing of the ropes. Her golden hair hung in a tattered mess, while her blue gown was ripped and marred by dirt. A bruise colored the side of her face and blood had dried at the corner of her mouth. Still, she fought him. Even with fire raging around them, Koya yanked her arm free and tried to run. Vesut kicked out at the last minute and caught her ankle with his leg to send her sprawling near the edge of a flame.
Fierce animal rage burned through me, demanding that I change. I pushed it down and ran across the last few feet between us. Smoke obscured Vesut from view for a moment; when it cleared he was looking straight at me. Recognition dawned in his gaze along with fear. He turned to steady his stance, but I hit him with the strength of an angry bear before he could get his feet set.
We both rolled when we hit the ground. I rose a few feet from Koya.
“Victus!” she cried.
I met her gaze long enough to see relief and tears in her eyes. There was something else, something brilliant and shining. When she smiled at me, the love she felt flowed from her in a sweet wave that took my breath away.
I barely heard Vesut’s step. I threw up an arm in time to avoid being bashed on the head by a log thicker than my wrist. I spun and grabbed the log, ripping it from him and pulling him toward me at the same time. I lashed out with my broken wrist and felt his nose crumple as pain flared up my arm. He backed away with his bleeding nose cupped in his hand.
“I heard you were a beast,” he growled.
“I heard the same thing about you,” I replied.
He spat blood on the ground and lowered his hand. The thick red liquid flowed down from his nose and mouth; firelight danced in his eyes, making him look deranged. Tents burned around us and a soldier on horseback galloped by in pursued of Vesut’s men. Wolves took down others before they could reach their horses. Everywhere I looked, fire burned and madness flooded. The soldiers who outnumbered us ran like rabbits pursued by wolves and Joven’s men through the chaos.
“You’re through, Vesut,” I said with a hint of a smile.
He let out a roar that reminded me of the bear with the fish. I do
dged a fist, then heard the sound of metal sliding from a leather sheath. I punched his nose again and jumped back to avoid a wicked slice at my stomach. Before he could get his footing set, I punched him several times in the ribs with my good hand. On the last one I felt his ribs crack; a grunt of pain answered.
Anger rolled from him in waves. He swung and I blocked a stab for my head, then drove my fist into his throat. He took several steps back, his eyes bulging. He bellowed a strangled roar of fury and attempted to drive his knife into my eye. I grabbed his wrist with my good hand, then ducked under my grip. The move twisted his arm tight, forcing him to drop the knife. I kicked it away.
Mindless rage colored his face. When he punched again, I turned to avoid the blow and elbowed him in the stomach. He doubled over with a gasp of pain. I attempted to drive my elbow into his back, but he was ready for me. He swept my legs out and landed on me when I fell. Vesut’s fists slammed into my back over and over again. I rolled over and one of his fists connected with my wrist.
Agony flooded my senses and a cry of pain escaped my lips. Vesut’s eyes lit up like an owl spotting an unwary mouse. He hit my wrist again. I gritted my teeth and tried to roll to the side, but he had me pinned. He hit my arm again. Tears of pain blinded my vision. He leaned down and spat, “You messed with the wrong man, Victus Tramarius. I’ll make you live to regret it.”
He hauled me up with my wrist pinned behind me. When I tried to move, blinding pain shot up my arm.
“Let him go, Vesut,” Koya demanded. She stood near the edge of the fire with a wooden club in her hands.
“You’ll pay for every last bit of this,” Vesut said, his voice dark with hatred. “This little whelp has done nothing I can’t fix. I’ll marry you and make you suffer every moment of your life, however long I decide that should be.”
Koya’s face blanched, but she held the branch firmly. “I’ll never marry you.”
He gave an ugly laugh. “You’ll do whatever I say.”
