“Uchida-san!” Donvar screeched in protest as he wiped the snow from his face. Rin was glad to hear the irritation in his voice. It was preferable to that awful reverence and deference he’d been treating her with.
“Well, if any of you had looked at me instead of hiding your face, maybe one of you could have warned him.” She shrugged.
“Uchida-san, are you angry at us?” Luke’s nasally voice was music to her ears.
Their eyes were fixed on her, and the sight made her relax further. “Understand this. I am a leader, that is true. But I am also your friend. We have been through much together and will continue while the Druid’s Spear forms. Don’t let what I am change who I am to you.”
The wind blew soft gusts of snow around them. Then Odin straightened. “You could have killed us if you wanted to by now. But you didn’t.”
The comment made no sense but it eased the tension from them.
“I’m glad you all worked out your differences,” the Elder said from behind her. Rin turned, mouth open and ready to protest when he held up hand. “Can whatever it is wait until the tents are up? Hiding under the shadow of rock is no protection against winter.”
Apologetic, they all began to get the tents up and ready. Soon, they were able to transfer Alderic and the Elders to their respective tents. It wasn’t that much better inside, but at least they had some guard against the wind. They debated on lighting a fire and decided to do so in order to ward away the chill.
Fifteen minutes later, they all sat around the fire. “What is the name of the Druman, Senpai?” Odin asked, stretching out his hand toward the flames.
Rin stiffened, wondering why Odin would ask.
The Elder lifted his dark eyes from across the way to stare into Rin’s. She wanted to look away, but he held her ensnared. “Uchida—chan, do you wish to know these things? I will be silent if you wish me to.”
Odin apologized, but she waved it away. It was time to deal with this. The words barely made it out of her mouth and she cracked, “Onegai, senpai. Oshiete kudasai.”
The Elder must have known how hard it was for her to ask because he looked away from her. “The Druman’s name is Dericote. He was once part of Rhychard—sama’s court, although I’m not aware of what role he played.”
“It is strange neither he nor Kaluwa-no kimi hibernated in the same way Ludovicus has.” Ken observed. It was a point that struck Rin as odd, too.
“They have their reasons.” The old man used the stick near him and poked at the fire. “Dericote acknowledged Rhychard—sama as his king but I have often wondered if it was little more than lip performance to his liege.”
“What do you mean?” Luke chewed on a piece of jerky.
“Dericote did as he wished. According to the stories I heard, he was something of a rogue, even among the dragons. He did not stay close with the horde but chose to travel and perform feats for men for his own purposes.”
“His own purposes?” Rin leaned forward. The dam on her curiosity had broken open and now she wanted to know everything. This Druman father of hers sounded like a rebel. It was odd to think of him in that light since she was cautious to a fault, as she’d been accused of more than once.
“Hai. He would not contract with the kings from old unless he wanted to. He preferred to give his might to those he deemed worthy.”
“It seems to be an admirable trait.” Ken took a drink of water.
“Dericote was not as concerned if a human’s cause was right or just. Worthiness was something he determined based on his understanding of the term.”
Donvar also stretched out his hand to the fire. “Such as?”
“An evil man can have a worthy cause and a good man can have an unworthy cause. Rhychard—sama always encouraged the dragons to align themselves to the kings. The kings were the leaders of men at that time. Dericote disagreed with a blind allegiance to a man because of his position.”
Rin started, and her eyes clashed with Ken’s knowing ones over the fire. There was gleam on them that easily said, “See? I told you so.”
She rolled her eyes at his arrogance.
“Rhychard—sama believed the partnerships between king and dragon would be beneficial. Often times, creating a contract with a dragon was enough to thwart enemy—”
A low growl was the only warning any of them received. Balder screamed as a gray and black wolf appeared from apparently out of thin air and sank its fang into the fleshy part of Balder’s neck. Blood gushed out in a spray. The rest of the group jumped as they were overrun by a pack. Odin rushed to the Elder and lifted the frail man on his back, while Donvar stood guard outside the tent with Alderic.
“Uchida-san, can you talk to them?” Luke called out as he balled his fists and slammed them hard into the side of a wolf that leapt into the air. The animal landed in the fire from the force of the blow. Its cries pierced the air as it scrambled away from the flames.
“I don’t know.” Two wolves ran toward her, their fangs glistening under the light. The gems in her wrist bracelets glowed as she used the wind to raise herself in the air. In confusion, the animals skidded to a stop to look up at her floating form. “I’ll try.”
Ken used a blunt branch he found on the ground and swung it into the face of one of the beasts as it came close to Odin’s position. With a yell, he slammed it into a muzzle. Another creature’s cry shrieked into the night. Donvar, of all of them, was able to hold his own against the wolves. With a roar, the small man had gripped one of the wolves by its outstretched paw and he swung it up into the air to send hurtling away from him. Another came by, but he punched it in the muzzle and then jumped and kicked it away.
Rin assessed their situation as the others fought the wolves back. There seemed to be ten in all, a large pack. The sheer number made her wonder if this was more than just a surprise attack by hungry wolves.
Luke attempted to reach Balder several times as he struggled against the canine horde but in fighting for his life, the other wolves had latched on the screaming man, tearing into the meaty parts of his writhing, bleeding form.
Rin focused on getting into the minds of one of the wolves. Concentrating, she sent an understanding, a message into their mind.
Master?
A wolf released its hold on Balder’s now still form and shook its head as if to rid it of her intrusion. Triumphant she’d gotten at least to one of them, she narrowed her eyes on it.
Master? She sent the query again. The animal rumbled deep in this throat. Rin felt its rage at her but she pressed on.
Master!
There! An image rose in the animal’s mind that she could see. It was grayish and without much color but she focused on what she could ascertain. A tall, tall, male. It reached down and petted the wolf between its ears. But when the male removed its hand, she gasped.
It was covered in scales.
That meant these wolves were sent by her father…
Rin reeled from the knowledge, unaware she was slowly drifting back to the ground. The sounds of struggled ceased to reach her ears. Why would her father send these wolves to harm them? Did he know they were here? How? Why would a Druman go through all this trouble to stop them when they had only come to seek his help?
The Elder’s words penetrated the growing fog as she drifted further down to the ground. “Dericote supported those who he deemed worthy.”
Did he know of her existence then and found her…unworthy? His own daughter?
A sharp pain catapulted her out her thoughts. A wolf had latched onto her ankle, and she cried out.
“Sensei!” Ken yelled as she fell back to the ground.
“Uchida-san!” Donvar called at the same time.
She kicked the wolf with her free foot as hard as she could. “Don’t worry about me! Protect the Elder and Ald—”
Before she could finish giving the order, her free foot was clamped down on by another wolf. Shrieking, she had no time to recover when another one fastened its choppers onto her left
arm. Gritting her teeth, pain coursing through her body, she used her one free hand to hit that one in the face. It bit down even more. Then her right arm was wrenched back by yet another wolf, the incisors tearing into her flesh.
The smell of her own blood wafted in the air as she struggled to no avail. Each movement only caused them to bite down. Their hot breath fumed down on her like a heat wave.
She could hear the others of her men trying to get to her but she didn’t have to see to know they were being hindered by the remainder of the wolves. Rin couldn’t escape. Her tormentors continued to keep their fanged hold on her. If she could enter its mind, maybe she could get it to stop. But before she could attempt to, the alpha leader came to stare blankly down at her.
Peculiarly, the alpha bent and sniffed her throat, its muzzle sticky and moist along the column of her neck. Why was it sniffing her? A moment later, it lifted its head and she met its gaze.
Fear numbed away the pain of the wolves that held her captive. This was how she was going to die – not in battle with Ludovicus but by the mind-controlled beasts of her father who must have found her unworthy. And she would never be able to have her questions answered.
On the tail end of those thoughts another came with the hot rush of anger. Was he so afraid he had to resort to this in order to get rid of her? Rin simmered, a lava-like blistering heat rushing through her veins. Not worthy to be his daughter? Well, he wasn’t worthy to be her father!
From the roof of her mouth to the back of her throat Rin hacked up as much moisture she could collect. With a defiant swing of her head, with as much force as she could muster, Rin Uchida spat the biggest glob of spit into the animal’s face hovering above her.
“That’s how much you’re worth, Dericote!”
A flash of lightning arced in the sky and struck the wolf, whose maw hung over her throat. There was a hint of a whimper before the smell of burned canine flesh and singed hair filtered into the air. What remained of the beast fell to the side.
In a single act the teeth of the wolves holding her down wrenched away from her body painfully but she rolled away as they scurried toward their fallen comrade. Rin dragged herself a few inches before Ken came and lifted her into his arms.
“Rin? Rin!” His worried filled eyes scanned over her.
“I’ll be fine. Are Alderic and the Elder safe?” Her head lolled to the side, the stars dancing in the night sky.
“They’re fine.”
Darkness was coming upon her, but she fought it. The wolves, once they gathered around the alpha, took no more notice of them but ran tails tucked between their legs into the copse of trees.
“Take that,” Rin taunted as she lost the fight against consciousness.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
By the time they buried Balder a half hour later, Uchida—sensei stirred. Ken rushed over to her, his heart clogging up his air passageway.
“Sensei?” He knelt to assess her condition. The long, burnished hair lay matted and snarled like a bird’s nest. Bandages covered her wrists and ankles where the wolves had chomped down. He’d wrapped the wounds himself. In the midst of the mayhem, while he protected them, he saw the spit she thrown into that wolf’s face. Held down by wolves, surrounded by enemies, and her response was to spit.
This feeling he had was growing deeper, more than mere attraction of a man for a beautiful woman. Though fear had choked him, the admiration of her strength resonated like the gong of a bell. It was that fear of watching her be nearly devoured by wolves that finally made him utilize the power of his ancestor, his dragon genes to unleash a stray current of lightning. He’d no idea if it would work, but with every single atom locked into his being, he concentrated on the wolf and the lightning erupting from his fingers did the rest.
The amber gold eye opened with clarity. “How long have I been out?”
“Not long.” He scrubbed his face. “About a half hour or so.”
She made to sit up when she winced.
“Please, sensei.” He placed a staying hand on her shoulder. “Please stay still.”
“I’ll be fine.” Uchida—sensei went to rise again when she cried out once more.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” he muttered darkly. Why did she have to be so…so…difficult? “You were almost devoured alive by wolves less than an hour ago. Surely you can take a few moments to recover, Druman or no.”
At his words, a glint appeared in her eyes. Her lips curled. “I’ll not let him get that much satisfaction for trying to kill me.”
Ken bent over her. “Kill you? Who?”
A wisp of hair fell forward on her face, but she blew it away. Focused on a point above his head, she whispered, “My father.”
“How do you know this?” No sooner than he asked then he recalled her gift with animals. “They were sent by Dericote?”
Uchida—sensei nodded. “Hai.”
“Not the same Druman we’re going to go see!” Ken screeched. How could a father send a pack of wolves to attack his daughter?
“The one and the same.” Uchida—sensei sat up again, slower this time. She winced as she did it, and Ken wanted to push her back down again.
“I guess this was a sign that he doesn’t want us to come to him.” What were they going to tell the Elder? The one person the man believed could save his son was the one who attacked.
“Oh, we’re going.” She pushed herself to a standing position, waving away his help. “Nothing, not even wild, rabid wolves would keep me away.”
“Uchida-san!” Odin ran to them, his eyes wide with shock, “Uchida-san, you’re alive.”
“Why do you sound so disappointed about it?” Uchida—sensei quipped. Taking one step, she howled at the resultant pain.
What was it with her? “Rin, you just got bit in the ankles by wolves. What makes you think you can walk?”
“I’m not going to let a coward maim me.” Another step and she took in a sharp breath.
Luke came rushing to them, “Uchida-san, what are you doing?”
Donvar added his own protests. “Are you insane?”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ken saw a tight, reluctant grin line the woman’s face. “And it only took being attacked by wolves to get you all to act normal again.”
To this stupid, useless joke, they all gesticulated about, trying to get her to lie back down and she refused their assistance. Ken walked beside her, wincing along with her with each step she took.
“Uchida—chan, rest.”
The Elder’s voice, spoken in almost a whisper, had the impact of stopping Uchida—sensei in her tracks. They all turned to see the old man coming toward him, his stride slow. A muscle ticked along her jawline as the Elder neared. Ken knew she had avoided the old man during their journey, but it was no longer an option.
“Senpai,” she started to say when the man held up a hand.
“No arguing. You’ve been viciously attacked and nearly killed. You will need this time to recover.”
Ken saw indecision flash in those amber eyes. Would it be prudent for her to reveal the cause of the attack was the Druman they were so desperate to get in contact with? As he watched, she lifted her chin like a mutinous child. She was going to tell him.
“We can talk tomorrow, Uchida—chan.” The Elder glanced at him. “If in ten seconds your sensei does not make her way to the tents to rest, you will carry her there.”
“All of us will,” Odin added.
Her mouth opened to protest again when Ken simply said, “Give it up, Rin.”
“That’s the third time you’ve called me by my name.” She shook her head and then turned around slowly. While he thought on those words, Odin, Luke, and Donvar led her away.
He hadn’t been aware of that lack of formality. But now he recalled them with some unease. He had no wish to be disrespectful as her pupil.
“Dericote is warning us away,” the Elder said. “This was no mindless attack of hungry wolves.”
Something must have sho
wn on his face, because the Elder pursed his mouth. “I can see that you and Uchida—chan are both aware of this fact.”
He made his way to his tent. Ken fell in step beside him. “Did you know this would happen?”
“I knew Dericote would warn away any possible intruders. I did not think it would be to this extent. There was no wish on my part for Balder to die, or for any of you to get harmed.”
“But you must have suspected something.” Ken’s eyebrows arched into his hairline.
The Elder looked away without responding. The silence spoke louder than any words he could utter.
“How could you put us in danger like this? Sensei was almost killed.” That image of her being held down by a pack of wolves would remain with him for the rest of his life.
“My concern for my son outweighed my common sense.”
Ken refused to let it go at that. “If it wasn’t for Donvar, the wolves may have attacked your son.” The man beside him came to an abrupt stop. In the waning light of the fire, Ken saw the Elder’s face pale. “You said yourself this Druman does not concern himself with right or wrong. How can we even trust he will help us after this?”
“I am an old man, broken down by worry. Alderic is my son and I must do what I can to save him. I must face any obstacle.”
“But not at the expense of our lives.”
“You are correct, Kenzo—sama.”
Ken studied the man’s face to see if there was any hint of scorn or insincerity, but there was only a placid acceptance of his ire. Yet beneath the calm exterior, Ken sensed the utter dejection emanating from the man. That stayed the rest of the angry words, searching for sound. Considering the dilemma from the Elder’s angle, Ken replaced Alderic with either Okasan or John. If either of them were still alive and their lives were hanging in the balance, what wouldn’t he do? At the end of the day, he could not fault the man for doing what any parent would do.
The ancient shoulders sagged under an invisible weight. Prudently, Ken kept his thoughts to himself. “Konbanwa,” he ended with a bow of respect as the Elder disappeared into the folds of the tent.
Soon, the sounds of the camp settling down after a fashion faded into quiet. The fire crackled gently behind him. Ken sat before it, staring into the leaping flames, transfixed by their dance. Then he looked to the heavens, to the blue-black fabric of night. The stars glittered against the backdrop, and Mars glowed angrily in the midst of it.
The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) Page 20
