Tales of the Wolf: Book 02 - Enter the Wolf

by A. E. McCullough

  Hawkeye felt his pulse quicken at the mention of his son. He cocked his head to the side and asked, “You know of the prophecy?”

  Master Pau clapped his hands. “Ronin…the prophecy.”

  The young boy sat up straight and spoke in an even voice.

  “When the Darkness returns from whence it was banished and our children are helpless to act, look to the south for help. My Emissary will come to the aid of the Chosen One and his friends. A warrior by trade, a poet by nature and a rogue by reputation, my Emissary will be a true follower of the Dhyana, one who always seeks to balance the many different factors within and around himself. My Emissary will aid the Nine and play a pivotal role in the final battle that will seal the fate of Terreth for all eternity.”

  Hawkeye nodded. It was similar to the prophecy he had heard his entire life but with slight changes. Of course, he realized that this prophecy was told from the viewpoint of Terra and not from Luna, so it should be different.

  Hawkeye wondered if he should disclose that his unborn son was the child of prophecy but before he could decide, Master Pau stood.

  “Come. Let me show you where you can rest. Your bodies need sleep to aid in the healing of your wounds. Ronin and I will be up early but you two can stay here as long as needed.”

  Hawkeye glanced over at his companion only to find that Kang was already asleep. That’s when he realized how tired he was, it seemed like it had been days since he truly slept. Following Ronin, he entered a small loft built above the main floor and laid down on the mat provided. Hawkeye barely managed to unstrap his weapons before he was asleep.

  Chapter 9

  Lalith yawned.

  Not openly but discreetly. It wouldn’t do Blackfang’s temper any good if he realized that she was bored. There were only so many times she could listen to his plans of conquest and feign interest. She knew that the remnants of Hawkeye’s army were fleeing through the snow covered forest enroute to Sikya, the last remaining village of the Highlanders. She also knew that his forces were harassing them but Blackfang had no plans to overtake them. She didn’t understand why, something to do with a strange Highlander custom. She didn’t understand it but she accepted it, for now.

  Lalith shook her head to help refocus her attention once she realized that he had asked her a question but she hadn’t been paying attention. “What was that?”

  Blackfang glared at her and leaned forward slightly.

  Before he could respond, the diminutive gargoyle Jinx flapped his leathery wings once and launched himself across the room only to land on the edge of the table. Folding over the map Blackfang had been using, he pointed to the one below it and croaked, “Here. Here is where you can find the additional troops that will insure your success.”

  Blackfang grabbed the uppermost map of the Highlands that he had been studying and pulled it aside. Below it was a hand-drawn sketch of the Subterrus. On it were marked the locations of several underground cities; Iriam, Avarias, Otrar and a number of other cities that he didn’t recognize. Not sure of the gargoyle’s meaning and not wanting to seem incompetent in front of his lover, Blackfang fell back on his tried and true method for buying time; he furrowed his brow and growled slightly.

  Lalith studied the region of the Subterrus that Jinx was pointing at and knew that he was right.

  Otrar was a ‘free city’ – not that anything in the Subterreth is actually free. What was meant by the term free city was that it was not controlled by any one faction of the Atrum Habito. Otrar was a port city and open to any and all races. It was situated on the largest underground lake of the region and was only second in size to Ibriam. Of course, now that the City of a Thousand Pillars had been destroyed, Otrar was the center of trade for the Atrum Habito.

  Lalith nodded. “Jinx is right. There are literally thousands of warriors in the dark places of Terreth; we are only using a fraction of our true strength.”

  Blackfang sat down and studied the map. That’s when he recognized a familiar glyph on the edge of the map. Pointing at it he asked, “What’s this?”

  Darnac, Lalith’s bodyguard, stepped forward and looked over Blackfang’s shoulder. Keeping his voice low the Blademaster answered, “Darkmoor or could you not read that?”

  Blackfang shot the blademaster a dirty look but turned back to his lover. “Are you telling me that there is an entrance into Darkmoor from the underground?”

  Lalith nodded. “Of course, they are members of the Atrum Habito even if they don’t act like it.”

  Blackfang grinned before grabbing a quill and parchment. He quickly scribbled out some thoughts. Passing them over to the dark elf sorceress, she began to understand what he had in mind and between them a plan soon took shape.

  It was several hours later when a shadowy form that looked something like a large rat ran out from the corner and hopped on top of the table. Blackfang was slightly startled by the interruption but Lalith just grinned when she saw the shadow messenger.

  “Speak,” she commanded.

  The shadow rat spoke with a voice they both recognized.

  “Greetings Wolflord and Dark Lady. We are still pressing westward and at our present speed we will make it to Sikya within ten days. Hawkeye is still missing. A few of the dwarves which went in search of him underground joined us at nightfall. They say that they found where he entered the Subsolanus but that is all. Several of the dwarves are still pressing on in hopes of finding him but given the gnomish activity in the region, they felt it important to report back to their king. I was unable to prevent them from pushing onto their homeland without exposing myself. I await further instructions.”

  As soon as the message was complete, the shadow rat dissolved into nothing.

  Blackfang spoke first. “That could complicate things.”

  Lalith grabbed a blank scroll from nearby and began scribbling. Blackfang tried to read what she was writing but it was in elvish and he couldn’t read the flowing script. His knowledge of letters was limited to the crude runes and glyphs used by travelers. It wasn’t beautiful or complex like elvish but it was useful for planning battles and troop positions.

  Moments later she was done. Rolling up the scroll, she dribbled some hot wax on it and pressed her ring into the wax; affixing her seal to the scroll proclaiming to anyone who recognized it that these were her orders. Holding it over her shoulder, she turned her attention to Darnac.

  “Take this to Kieran. He will know what to do. Besides, we haven’t paid him a visit in months. I don’t want him getting any strange ideas.”

  Darnac forced himself not to grin. This errand would mean that he would be able to leave the fortress for a while and roam the wilds of Subterreth once again.

  “You have two months Blademaster. I want you back before the first thaw.” She fingered the choker necklace he wore. “I don’t have to remind you of what might happen if you are late.”

  Darnac swallowed hard. “No m’lady, you don’t. I will not fail you.”

  Turning her attention back to her lover and the maps, she waved her hand in a dismissal manner. “See to it.”

  Tucking the scroll into his belt pouch, Darnac strode out of the planning room and grinned. Two months. Not a lot of time to cover that much distance but anytime away from Lalith and Blackfang was a blessing.

  Chapter 10

  It had been nearly a month since the attack on Itasca and although, Tatianna knew that her beloved still lived, she hadn’t seen or received word from him. That had her worried. She longed for the feel of his arms and the touch of his skin. She wanted…

  A sharp whack on the top of her head brought her out of her reverie.

  Focusing her attention back on the ancient highlander sitting across from her, she rubbed her head. “Ow…what was that for?”

  Anasazi set down his staff. “What was I saying right before I hit you?”

  Tatianna paused. “I….I don’t know.”

  “That is why I hit you. You were distracted. Thinking of my neph
ew will not speed up his trip across the Highlands.”

  “How? How did you know?”

  Anasazi smiled. “You have very different looks when you are wrestling with a problem and thinking of Hawkeye. It is easy to tell.”

  Nodding, Tatianna tried to focus her attention back to the lesson at hand. Ever since they had escaped to Sikya when Itasca was overrun, Anasazi had spent nearly half the day teaching her. Some of the time it was nothing more than stories of ancient days but mostly it was more and more spell work. Today, he was teaching her about portal spells. She reflected over the three he had already covered.

  The first was the basic teleport spell. It would translocate a person or group from one location to another. Distance was not a factor. The two major limitations were that it was very energy intensive and the caster had to know the exit locale very well for it to be cast safely. She already knew this type of spell and had used one to escape the Black Falls Fortress with her brothers many months ago.

  Secondly, there was the dimension door spell. It was the spell which allowed her and Anasazi to travel the breadth of the Highlands in a blink of an eye. This was the old shaman’s favorite travel spell. He claimed that it was a bit showy for his tastes but somehow she doubted that. The shimmering door of white light that one would step through was both flashy and effective; two things she had discovered that the old man liked.

  She had learned that this spell did have a limitation of about one hundred leagues, which was still a great distance but not so much that she could use it to travel home.

  The last spell he had been covering before her mind drifted off was the escape spell. She hadn’t seen this one in action yet but understood that it was a fast casting teleport spell which took the caster to a predetermined location.

  Now that she had her mind back on track she asked, “How effective is the escape spell?”

  Anasazi grinned and stood up. “Come.”

  Without another word, the old shaman walked out of the tipi and Tatianna scrambled to follow. Even though she wasn’t very far along in her pregnancy, she had already discovered that the small bump she had developed limited her movements. The two spell casters moved into the center of the small village where the evening bonfire was already burning. The Highlanders used this center fire for cooking and comfort. It became the focal point for the refugees each night; a place to sit and chat, to tell stories and mourn the loss of friends.

  Tapping two warriors on their shoulders, Anasazi motioned for them to follow; which they did without question. Reaching the edge of camp, the ancient shaman stopped and faced Tatianna.

  “Grab my arm and don’t let go, no matter what.”

  Tatianna nodded and did as she was told.

  Turning his attention back to the two warriors, Anasazi commanded. “Attack me.”

  When they hesitated he added, “Now!”

  So forceful was his command that the two warriors sprang into action. Drawing their weapons, they attacked. Tatianna had to fight to control her combat instincts. She wanted to roll out of the way and draw her sword just as she had been trained. But Anasazi said to hold onto his arm no matter what. One thing she had learned about the ancient shaman was that he didn’t say things that he didn’t mean. And so, she stood there, holding onto his arm and biting on her lip.

  Anasazi calmly spoke one word. “Mide.”

  Tatianna felt a slight tremor run through her body as the world changed. One moment, she was standing on the outskirts of Sikya with two warriors attacking and the next she was standing in the center of a grassy knoll in the middle of the forest surrounded by nine large white stones, also known as menhirs. Although it was winter and snow covered the trees, the grassy knoll was clear of the white powder. The altar of white stone at her feet glowed with the light of the moon.

  Tatianna knew this place. This was the Shrine of Luna. Where she had been raped by Blackfang and subsequently rescued by Hawkeye.

  The ancient shaman immediately stepped aside and waited for Tatianna to speak.

  “Why are we here?”

  Anasazi indicated the surrounding shrine with a slow sweeping motion of his hands. “This is the center of Luna’s power in the Highlands. This is my pre-determined location for my escape spell. Once the spell is cast, it waits in limbo until you give the command. Once the trigger phrase or word is spoken, it transports you and whatever is touching you to your safe spot.” Moving over to lean against one of the menhirs, he continued. “Keep that in mind. If an enemy has hold of you and your spell goes off, your enemy comes with you.”

  Tatianna tried to absorb the rest of the lesson but her mind was filled with the memories of the last time she stood inside this circle of stones. It was the night her life had changed. Glancing at the altar, Tatianna expected to see blood staining its white surface. To her surprise, there wasn’t any sign of her battle several months ago.

  Tatianna wandered around the Shrine.

  Images and memories flooding her mind, she could see the attack, event by event as they occurred those many months ago. Yet, the memories weren’t painful. It was almost as if she was watching them happen to someone else or that it was just a bad dream. Logically she knew it happened to her but it didn’t matter. Those events, painful and traumatic, had set her on the path which she now walked. If they had not occurred, then she would not have met Hawkeye nor would she have met her goddess. Plus the honor of being the Chosen One’s mother would’ve fallen on someone else.

  Almost unconsciously, she rubbed her belly. She knew her son was growing with every day. And soon, with the gods’ blessings, he would be born.

  Anasazi brought her out of her reverie, as he gently cleared his throat. “You have been summoned.”

  Tatianna shook her head and a stray strand of her fiery hair fell in front of her eyes. “Summoned?” She pushed her hair back behind her pointed ears with her left hand. “Who has summoned us?”

  “Not us, my dear…you.”

  Gently placing his hand on her shoulder, Anasazi guided her to the altar of white stone.

  “The Blessed Sisters wish to speak with you.” Without saying anything more, he walked out of the ring of stones and off into the darkness.

  Tatianna stared at the block of white marble for several minutes. Memories of the last time she stepped on the altar flooded her mind. Shaking her head to clear it of such negative thoughts, she sat down on top of the white altar. She could feel the coolness of the stone through her thick furs. Crossing her legs, she closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply.

  A moment later, the calm feeling of floating came over her. Letting herself enjoy the feeling, she floated among the clouds for several minutes before continuing to the Temple of the Gods.

  In her mind’s eye, she saw the great white pillars, the floating balcony and the statues of the gods. Landing on the foyer of the Temple, she knew the three sisters waited on the balcony above for her but she couldn’t resist spending a few moments looking at the statues. The first, last and only time she had visited the Floating Temple, she had been enthralled with the statues of the nine major gods of Terreth. But now she studied the statues of the three forgotten gods; Hyperion, Terra and Nox.

  She knew that the room Aquilo’s magic portal had led her to was some sort of sanctuary to these three gods. A great feeling of sadness swept over her as she thought of how these three gods had created the universe and all that was in it and yet anyone hardly remembered them. Sure, many played lip service to them when they wanted ‘their blessing’ but to the best of Tatianna’s knowledge, there was not a single shrine or altar to any of these three in all of the Elfholm.

  Bowing slightly to each of the three statues she whispered, “If I ever become Queen that will change. I promise. My son and I will not forget what you have done for us.”

  Turning, she willed herself up the flight of stairs and onto the floating balcony.

  As she crested the top of the stairs, she hesitated at the incredible sight in front of her.
Expecting to see the Blessed Sisters, she was confronted by a larger gathering of gods.

  They were all surrounding a large scrying pool. Tatianna instantly recognized the eight gods that were present from her studies, not to mention the statues on the lower level but she did make a mental note that one was missing; Hodios the Wayfarer, the Master of Mischief.

  Aurora’s fiery red mane glowed with the light of the morning sun as she gestured to her companions. “Greetings my child, we’ve been expecting you.”

  Bowing her head slightly, Tatianna dropped to her knees. “How may I serve you?”

  Aurora pointed at the other gods. “My brothers wanted to meet you. Rise daughter. Come and meet them.”

  Obeying her goddess, Tatianna rose and approached the other gods with her head held high. Meeting each god’s gaze full on, she felt their mental probing, yet Tatianna held her ground. Each god seemed to be looking for something different yet none spoke or asked her a single question. Several minutes later, Minos stepped forward. Towering several feet over her, he glanced down and smiled. At least in what Tatianna assumed would be a smile given that his head was that of a large bull.

  Holding out his hand in the traditional greeting of warriors, when he spoke his voice was deep and reminiscent of crashing boulders. “Greetings, Tatianna Amarth. I am Minos.”

  “I’m honored Great One,” she replied. As she returned the handshake, she noted how frail her arm seemed compared to the enormous arm of the war god; her fingers couldn’t even reach halfway around his wrists. Slightly intimidated by the sheer power Minos radiated, Tatianna cast her eyes downward and absentmindedly chewed on her lip.

  Seeming not to notice her discomfort, Minos motioned to his brothers. “We are concerned.”

  “About what Great One?”

  Minos knelt down on one knee, which brought him closer to her eye level. “About the future of Terreth. You and Hawkeye were chosen to raise our son. There are many factors and reasons for this and we still believe in you but...” Pausing, Minos looked at his brothers, his eyes lingering on Gaul and Cheiron. “We are concerned about Hawkeye. He was almost ready to give up before the battle at Itasca. Will he do that before the next battle? Have we chosen the wrong man?”