of this point. You should not venture further. In particular, do not wander into the northern swamp lands, they are inhabited by rougarou and they are not always friendly, even to young novice ascendants.”
“It’s a wolf man,” said Auriel in answer to their blank and enquiring looks, “half man and half wolf. They do not have a good reputation.”
“Momentarily,” said De Lille, “I will send up a location beacon to enable you to find your way back here. Please make sure that you periodically check your position in relation to the beacon, to ensure that you do not stray too far. When you observe that the beacon has changed colour, from orange to red, then you must make your way back. Do you understand?”
The novices responded with murmurings and nods of accord.
“Good. Lord Goldin tells me that you have all mastered the technique of conjuring an alarm spell, should you need one. So if you have any problems you know what to do. Now you may pair up and start your forage. Stay in your pairs, do not wander about in the forest alone, it is not safe.”
De Lille raised his arms and began to make a spinning motion with his hands, moving them around each other as if he were winding a giant ball of yarn. An orange thread of energy streamed from his potens ring. Spinning it into an enormous ball of orange light, he threw up his arms and propelled the glowing sphere high into the sky above them.
“In lucem editi,” he said as he cast the beacon.
The novices watched it soar high into the air, where it remained like a miniature sun, spinning and pulsating with magical energy. Ash looked on in admiration.
“You’ve got to admit it,” he said. “That guy has got class.”
Separating into their pairs, they wandered off into the forest.
There was a pleasant, relaxed and unhurried atmosphere as they strolled along the leaf-strewn pathways. After being confined within the Oratory and then squashed inside the wagon for hours, the novices were enjoying the freedom to roam about.
Ash and Lee had decided to go south whilst the two girls took the Northern path. Rose and Auriel managed to locate the Wolfsbane within a few minutes. Auriel had recalled from ‘The Anthology of Rare and Poisonous Herbs’ that it grew in the moisture-retentive, but well-draining soils of Fern Meadow, to the far north east of the dell. They had decided to go there first and look for the other herbs on their way back. It had taken them less than twenty minutes to walk to the edge of the wood. Looking out onto the peaty meadow, Auriel spotted a mass of Wolf’s bane flowers, gently swaying in the breeze above a sea of rye grass.
“Why do they call it Wolf’s bane?” asked Rose as they made their way over to the plants. She looked admiringly at the delicate purple blooms. “It looks rather beautiful.”
“It is highly poisonous,” said Auriel “it’s used to make a potion that’s so powerful that it even kills rougarou, along with most other native species. Ferrum archers tip their arrows with it, in small doses though, it’s used as medicine. Combined with ginger it can detoxify and remove other contaminants and poisons from the blood. It’s a precious herb.”
Auriel dug up one of the plants with her small trowel. Then with her gloved hands, she carefully removed the root and placed it in a specimen jar, inside her occultus.
“One down…” she smiled triumphantly.
“What next?” Rose asked, “you're the expert.”
“Bloodroot,” said Auriel. “It only grows in moist, thickly wooded areas, so we should look where the dell is thickest on its northern edge, close to the swamp, and it is not too far from here.”
They walked north along the path between the wood and the meadow, until the field turned increasingly boggy as they approached the swamp. They turned a sharp corner on the track, taking care to ensure that they kept the swamplands to their right.
"Aaarrrooouuu!”
A bloodcurdling, howling cry cut through the air, stopping them in their tracks.
"Whatever is that?" Said Rose, "It sounds like someone’s in a lot of pain, I think it's coming from over here.”
Without hesitation, she turned and ran into the trees.
"Rose, no!" shouted Auriel, hurrying after her. "Rose, stop! You're heading into the swamp!"
They raced through the trees, leaves and branches slapping against their faces and thorns scratching deep into their skin. The ground rapidly became boggy, their pumps sinking into the wet ground, and slowing their pace. Rose moved incredibly fast and had soon left Auriel far behind.
"Aaarrrooouuu!"
This time the cry was close, it came from Rose’s left, turning sharply she quickened her pace, vaulting over fallen, rotting trees and weaving between patches of quicksand and thick, stinking bog. She ran on until her way was blocked by a wiry thicket. She pushed through it, dividing it with her hands, just as the cry rang out once more.
"Aaarrrooouuu!"
As she stumbled through the thicket, Rose came face to face with a rougarou. It lay, squirming on the ground, just a few feet from her. A wolf-like man, dressed in soiled rags. As it howled it lifted its snout high into the air and clawed desperately at its leg, its lank grey hair matted with congealed blood. The animal’s foot was caught in a steel trap that had bitten into its flesh like the teeth of a great dragon, cutting deep down to the bone.
The face of the rougarou was beastly, with its long snout and wide jaws crammed with sharp fangs, but its eyes appeared almost human and they were brimming with pain and fury. Rose did not hesitate, approaching the animal, she spoke softly and calmly.
"You should stop struggling,” she said. “You’re making it worse."
The animal snarled and growled, baring its teeth and extending needle claws from its stumpy, paw-like hands. It raised them threateningly, towards her. Tentatively, Rose moved closer.
"I don’t intend to harm you," she said, "only to help."
His eyes narrowed and fixed on her Vaulknut pin.
"Ascendants do not help rougarou," he said with a low throated rasping growl. "I have not seen your kind before. What… Are… You…?"
"I am Rose, a Whyte ascendant."
"Impossible.” He scoffed. “Whytes are extinct."
He winced, his breath catching in his throat.
"Nevertheless,” said Rose, her voice softening “I am a Whyte and a novice Mage of the Aurum Oratory. I wish to help, if you will allow me to?"
"Why would you want to help me?” He asked in a tone full of suspicion. “How do you know that when you release me, I will not kill and eat you?"
He gave a low throaty growl.
"I cannot know that can I?” Said Rose undaunted, flashing him a faintly insolent smile. “So I will just have to trust you won’t I? Do you have a name rougarou?"
As she spoke, she slowly and carefully knelt down beside him and his exhausted body seemed suddenly to relax.
"Those that know me call me Raemis."
“Well Raemis, from what I can see, I can predict with a fair degree of certainty that this is going to hurt like hell, but I need to get it off you."
Rose gripped both halves of the trap and tried, with all of her strength, to force open the jaws. Raemis howled in pain.
"I’m so sorry," said Rose. "I need…"
Auriel burst through the thicket, panting heavily.
"Rose!” she shouted, her eyes widening at the scene before her, “What are you doing?"
"Auriel this is Raemis,” said Rose. “He needs our help."
Auriel stared in horror, her eyes fixed on the writhing body at Roses side.
"Rose," she said, gasping. “Are you mad? That... I mean... he’s a rougarou."
"I know what his is Auriel,” she said “but he still needs our help, come over here. If you pull on one half, I'll take the other.”
Auriel hesitated, biting her lip she edged closer and leaning over she carefully examined the trap.
"This is a centurion’s trap, Rose. They cull the rougarou every spring, which is why they h
ate us!"
"This is inhumane Auriel, don’t you see that?"
"I see it Rose,” said Auriel with a sigh, “ but I still value my life."
"He’ll not harm us Auriel. I know he won’t. Please help us."
Auriel paused for a second, before letting out a groan of exasperation and cautiously circling around the rougarou to join Rose. Watching him intently, she crouched down next to Rose and began to examine the trap more carefully.
"It’s a spring loaded, dragons jaw, trap,” she said. “To release it you need to unscrew the bolt on the right and then slide that rod out. Then you should be able to loosen the jaws.”
“And which book was that in?” said Rose arching her brows.
“’The Complete Anthology of Wild and Dangerous Beasts’,” Auriel said with a shrug. “There is a chapter on the safe control of dangerous animals, with a whole section on the rougarou.”
Auriel glanced from Rose to the crumpled figure lying next to her.
“I will do this for you Rose, but you cannot be here when he is released, it’s too dangerous. You have to go back out of the swamp and to the safety of the path.”
"I will not leave you Auriel."
Raemis watched their exchange with interest, his sharp, intelligent eyes catching the unspoken words that passed between them.
“Rose,” said Auriel, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. “I will not help him unless you go.”
Stubbornly, Rose did not move. Instead, she reached forward and began to unscrew the bolt.
"I will try not to pain you too much Raemis.” She said, ignoring Auriel’s angry glare, “but you will feel it when I remove the
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