by Claudia King
"Do we have reason to worry?" Netya said. "The packs come together in peace for the gathering, do they not?"
"For the gathering, yes," Caspian replied. "But the gathering has not begun yet, and until then we are just a handful of travellers without any claim of status to protect us."
"We must do as you did when you met Alpha Turec's hunters," Adel said. "Claim we are still part of Khelt's clan. They may be less inclined to believe we are travelling alone to the gathering, but it should give them pause to wonder."
They posted watchers that night, but the scouts in the distance did not approach them until midmorning the following day. The wolves hove into view on the opposite side of the river, no longer concerned with secrecy as they bounded forward to close the distance, followed some time later by a second small group, then another, then another, until soon there was a pack of more than thirty coming up behind them.
Netya felt her own fear mirrored in the hearts of her companions, and it was all she could do to keep from letting her panicked wolf rise up inside her and bolt for safety. But Adel maintained her leisurely pace ahead of them, giving their pursuers no hint that they feared their imminent arrival.
Soon the large pack was close enough for Netya to make out the features of individual wolves among them. They were mostly male, large and fierce, with the look of hunters about them. Near the front of the group the pitch-black coat of a shaggy male stood out among the lighter brown fur of his companions. Black was the colour of those gifted with great destiny, blessed with the wisdom of the night. The dark wolf was almost assuredly their alpha.
Finally, Adel held up her hand and called her followers to a halt, turning to face the cacophony of panting breath and drumming paws on the opposite side of the river. The wolves wasted no time in wading across to confront them, kicking the water into a churning mess of mud and spume by the time they had all hauled their dripping bodies out on the near side, moving to enclose Netya and her companions in a loose semicircle.
The alpha and several others stood at the centre, reverting from the shapes of their wolves as they strode forward to meet Adel. Netya's heart drummed in her chest, and she clung to Caspian's arm as he moved in to shield her from the beasts surrounding them.
"I know your face," the alpha barked, a broad smile splitting his lips, almost in the same way a wolf's claws had once split his chin at some point in the past, leaving his striking features further accented by a series of scars. "But I see no alpha standing at your side," he continued, turning his palms outward as he made a show of surveying the group.
The way he smiled did not fill Netya with reassurance. She scanned his followers briefly to try and pick out the faces of Orec and the other hunters she had met in the north, but she spotted none of them.
"Our alpha travels apart from us," Adel replied, her tone firm but respectful. Even though she had never considered herself subordinate to anyone, Adel was still a woman, and women were not alphas. She would be expected to defer to the senior male if she wished to appear courteous.
"It has been many years, but your beauty is not easily forgotten, Seer Adel. Or Den Mother now, is it not?" The alpha gave her another deceptive smile, and Netya could see his eyes shifting back and forth with cunning, weighing the situation before him. His long black hair was bound tightly in a tail behind his head, supple leather clothing creaking as he carried his thickly muscled form with the ease and confidence of a warrior. He was not yet beyond his prime, but the lines on his brow told Netya he was older than Adel—that he was a man who had lived long enough to establish his strength and prove it many times over.
"Den Mother is correct," Adel replied. "To Khelt's pack, as I am sure you know."
"Khelt who bested your father and claimed you for his prize," the alpha said, his teeth showing slightly as a challenging note entered his voice.
Adel's eyes narrowed, but she did not allow herself to become flustered. "I am no one's prize, but I am honoured you recall my name. Yours, however, is not known to me."
The alpha's smile vanished. "A woman so wise as you would do well not to forget such things. I am Miral, and these lands are mine. Why has your alpha sent you here, so far from your own territory?"
"We are only passing through. The Sun People threatened our den, and we were forced to cross the mountains to evade them."
"Is that so?" Miral's smile returned. There was a smug sense of knowing about it that made Netya immensely uncomfortable. "How long, I wonder, have Khelt's people been passing through my lands?" He pointed suddenly to the north. "Wolves have been taking prey from the edge of my hunting grounds for many weeks now. We have found only traces, but I know the marks of my fellow kin when I see them."
Netya's heart jolted. She looked to Fern, who had suddenly turned very pale. If Adel shared in their trepidation, she gave no hint of it.
"I know not who hunts in your lands," the den mother lied, "but if you mean to accuse us, then you would be better served confronting Khelt at the gathering. I deal in the magic of the spirits, not the pursuit of wild animals."
The reminder of Adel's status seemed to make Miral cautious again, but he still regarded her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "What if I take his den mother in exchange for the prey he has stolen? If he is now the kind of man to be chased from his lands by the spears of the Sun People, then perhaps his power is not what it once was."
Caspian spoke up in reply. "My alpha keeps his power close by him rather than risking it in battle with the Sun People. Lest you forget, he has defeated packs who challenge him before."
Miral paused for a moment, considering. "Are you the keeper of this witch?" He gestured to Adel.
"Our den mother needs no keeper," Caspian replied. "A seer of her power is guarded by forces greater than the strength of warriors."
A nervous ripple ran through the wolves surrounding them.
"So that is why you travel with so few men at your back," Miral muttered, then he looked to Netya. "And a sun wolf. Only a sorceress would keep such company."
Netya shrank back beneath the alpha's gaze, feeling the eyes of his pack turning on her as their suspicious growls filled the air. Something about Miral frightened her, and it was more than just the band of hostile wolves he had at his back. She had been fearful of Khelt, but only in the way a child might fear a stern elder, or an apprentice their master. It had been a fear born of respect, not genuine unease. The way this alpha made her feel was far more unsettling.
"We must continue on our way now," Adel said. "The gathering begins soon, and our alpha will be awaiting our arrival. I wish you the best of fortune on your own journey, Miral."
"No," he replied, rounding back on the den mother. "I think not."
Adel's respectful expression fractured into a furious glare, so threatening that Netya almost expected her mentor to call upon the power of the dark spirits to smite the man standing before her. She suspected that such things were not truly possible, even for a woman like Adel, but it did not stop her from drawing a sharp breath and clutching Caspian's arm tighter. The humid tang of fear pervaded both packs now. Only Miral met the den mother's gaze without flinching.
"You should know better than to test a den mother's patience, alpha." Adel said.
"I do not stand to tolerate those who travel my lands and hunt my prey without permission, not even you, sorceress." Miral's lips thinned, the corners of his mouth perking upwards as he folded his arms. "But I can see this is a matter I should be discussing with your alpha. It is his folly to let loose a band of women to wander my lands with so few males to protect them. These plains can be dangerous, even for those with the spirits at their beck and call."
"We are no strangers to hardship," Adel replied, her tone still threatening.
"Then you should welcome a respite from it. It would be my honour to see you safely to the gathering in person. Then your alpha and I may discuss what comes next."
"Such an honourable gesture indeed. Nevertheless, we would rather trave
l alone."
"You walk in my lands," Miral reminded her. "The choice is not yours to make. You travel with my pack, or you do not travel at all." The implicit threat in his voice was plain to hear. Any respectful cordiality that had existed between him and Adel had grown as thin as a blade of grass.
Now is not the time to be stubborn, Netya implored her mentor silently, recalling how unyielding she had been when challenged by Khelt. They did not know which barriers of honour this alpha would be willing to cross when his authority was questioned.
"Then I accept your escort," the den mother said at last.
Miral's smile spread, as if he had been waiting patiently for the outcome of a foregone conclusion. "A wise choice. You will have no need to fear the wilds with my warriors at your side. I should hope Khelt appreciates me delivering his den mother back safely to him."
Adel said nothing as the alpha turned away and whistled for his pack to continue on. The semicircle of wolves moved up behind Netya and her companions, subtly encouraging them to start moving. Before long, they were enclosed by Miral's warriors on all sides.
"Do not show them your fear," Adel muttered as she fell in alongside her apprentice. "Men like him thrive on it."
"Khelt may not be willing to play into your story when we arrive," Caspian said under his breath.
"By then it will not matter. No alpha would dare act against another pack under the protection of the gathering."
"Do you believe Miral will honour his word until then?" Netya asked, glancing fearfully to her companions. Fern had her head held high, but she was still pale, and Wren suddenly seemed much younger as she clung to her surrogate sister's hand.
"That will depend on what kind of a man he is," Adel replied. "Even the most despicable of packs hold to their own codes of honour, but do not be fooled, girl. It was no offer of protection he gave us. We are his captives now."
Netya eyed the ranks of large wolves hemming them in, and she felt the niggle at the back of her neck growing stronger. The danger they were in was grave, and her wolf was waking up.
Striding ahead of the pack, Miral looked back in her direction, and met Netya's gaze with his satisfied smile.
—10—
The Place of Wolves
It was like winter again. The threat that hung over Netya and her companions was invisible, lingering in the air like the tingle of a thunderstorm that had not yet sparked lightning, oppressive and ever-present. Just like the chill of the ice and snow that had threatened their lives, the company they kept on the approach to the mountains was quiet and patient in its hostility.
Part of what made it so unsettling was the ease with which Netya found herself momentarily forgetting the danger they were in as they travelled with Miral's pack. His group held many boisterous hunters who spent the nights recounting tales of past gatherings and bragging of the conquests they would make in honourable combat and between the furs that summer, but their talk was not so different to what Netya had heard many times around the fire when she was with Khelt's pack. It was almost reassuring, in a way, to be back among so many proud male voices.
The few women Mrial had with him did not seem to be hunters or warriors themselves, nor did they wear the garb of seers. Netya wondered what role they held within the alpha's clan, besides helping to prepare the fresh meat that was brought back by the scouts every evening. It seemed imprudent to ask, however, and so she kept her tongue guarded. Not that it was difficult for the young woman to stay silent. Despite the familiar atmosphere, any time the members of Adel's pack strayed away from the main group it took no more than an instant for Miral or one of his senior males to abandon whatever they were doing and bark sharply for them to return.
They were not permitted to forage, hunt, or so much as disappear into the undergrowth to relieve themselves for more than a few moments at a time. The alpha continued to profess that he had only the safety of his honoured guests in mind, but it was a thin pretence, and both packs knew it.
Netya realised what Miral was doing before long. If he wanted to do them harm, or hold them captive within his own pack, then he would have made it apparent already. It seemed he genuinely did want to see them safely to the gathering, but not for their own benefit.
The more Netya thought on it, the more sense it seemed to make. She was getting better at divining the intentions of others, learning to read their unspoken thoughts and desires, just as Adel had taught her.
If the gathering was a place of posturing and shows of power, then Miral would have much to gain by appearing with another alpha's den mother and seers under his protection. And perhaps it was even more cunning than that. If Miral had simply claimed Adel's group for his own and sent them back to his pack, it would undoubtedly have been seen as a direct challenge to Khelt. A show of great power, yes, but not one that would go unpunished. Enemies would have been made, and blood would have been spilled.
But what if Miral stayed his hand, acting with the restraint that a more brash man might have overlooked? By appearing at the gathering and offering the den mother back to her alpha, he could make the same implicit threat without having to suffer such dire consequences.
I could have taken your den mother, his actions would say. She was within my grasp. How foolish you are to have allowed this to happen. How weak, and how careless.
Netya whispered her thoughts to Adel one night as they sat huddled a short distance away from Miral's group. They were allowed a small measure of their own privacy, at least, but she knew there were wolves hidden in the darkness behind them, keeping careful watch all night long to ensure none of them strayed too far.
"You think that is the truth of it?" Adel said in response to her apprentice's thoughts.
Netya bobbed her head. "It would be a great show of his power and cunning, would it not?"
"Or perhaps a show of stupidity and cowardice. What makes you think the other clans would not see him as weak and timid for delivering us back to Khelt unharmed when he could have taken us for his own? I do not know what Miral intends, but if he knew the truth of things we would be in grave danger indeed. So long as he believes we are still part of Khelt's pack, I believe we are safe."
Netya frowned. She had not considered how else Miral's actions might be interpreted by the other packs. Perhaps she was not yet as wise as she had begun to believe.
Reading her apprentice's expression, a dry smile crossed Adel's lips for a brief instant. "Two years ago you would not have presumed to so much as guess at an alpha's intentions. You are learning well, but there is always more to be learned. The better question to be asking yourself is what it will mean for our clan to appear at the gathering surrounded by Miral's wolves."
"I suppose it will not be a great demonstration of our strength," Netya whispered.
"No, it will not. That is why we must slip away from his pack before then."
The hairs on the back of Netya's neck prickled, and she felt her agitated wolf growing more restless than ever. "How? They are three times our number, and they never take their eyes off us for a moment."
"Those things matter now, but it will not be so when we begin the approach to the site of the gathering. A careless wolf may wander into danger on the path we must take, and I suspect Miral and his followers will have their attention occupied elsewhere. They will not be expecting us to try and escape, especially if we remain subdued until then."
"If the path is so dangerous for them, then will it not be dangerous for us too?"
Adel's strong fingers dug into her apprentice's arm, and she fixed Netya with a dire look. "Netya, understand that this gathering may be the most important trial our pack ever faces. This is where we will be judged by the other clans, and if we cannot find worth in their eyes, we will be swallowed up by their greed. They will tear us apart and fight over whatever remains. Do you wish to be dragged away from your sisters by whichever male finds you most appealing? To become the concubine of some other alpha who has no respect for your talents as a seer?"
"Of course I do not."
"Then we must be bold. You know I am not prone to recklessness, but this is no battle over pride for its own sake. The status we win at this gathering may be the difference between life and death. The difference between staying free, and becoming thralls to whichever alpha fights hardest over us. We cannot enter the gathering as captives to Miral. We must do it as our own clan—with our own strength—if we are to earn a place among them."
Netya swallowed her fear, forcing herself to nod. "I understand, Den Mother."
Adel's expression hardened further. "You will need the body of your wolf for what is to come. She must be calm of spirit and sharp of mind. Do you understand?"
"I do not know if my wolf will listen."
"Then make her listen!" Adel shook her by the shoulders. "I was gentle with you when I could afford to be, but that time is passed. When I say so, we must slip away from Miral's group and reach the gathering before him. You and your wolf must be ready when that happens."
"I will be ready," Netya whispered, her throat feeling terribly dry. She had not seriously considered, not truly, what the future might hold for them if they failed in their goal of staking a claim at the gathering. She had lost so much the previous summer, and she could not bear the thought of losing yet more. Caspian. Fern. Adel. They had all strode into great danger when they abandoned Khelt's pack, and that danger was not yet over. If she wanted to see the future she had envisioned when she pledged herself to Caspian and put her faith in Adel's leadership, she would need every bit of willpower she could muster in the days to come.
Her wolf could afford to sleep no longer.
One step at a time, Netya allowed the clawing, gnawing, restless sensation of her inner beast to creep farther up her spine, snuffling its way into her thoughts and sharpening her senses with momentary flares of feral insight. She still feared giving her wolf full control of her body, and it tested her willpower to breaking point to hold the beast back when it wanted nothing more than to surge through her limbs and take her running alongside her companions.
