“Rygel?” Ly’Tana asked.
“Princess?”
“Think you could concoct a remedy for all these aching skulls? Including your own?”
Rygel peered blearily about the slowly rousing and groaning camp. “I would if I could see straight.”
“We have a long way to ride,” she said briskly, shaking out her own blanket. “I’m sooo not inclined to listen to a pack of whining men.”
She glanced about at the furry members of our crowd. “Or wolves, either.”
“I didn’t whine,” Joker said, flopping onto his side, his tongue lolling. “My head aches fit to split, but I didn’t whine.”
“You moaned,” said Kip, a smaller, lean grey and brown wolf.
“Moaning isn’t whining.”
“Close enough.”
Ly’Tana frowned. “What’d they say?”
“They’re discussing the differences between whining and moaning,” I answered.
Ly’Tana nudged Joker with her toe. “Big baby.”
Joker lifted his head. “Was that a compliment?”
I grinned. “Nope.”
“I didn’t think so.” His head sagged back down to the ground. “I don’t feel well.”
Ly’Tana clapped her hands sharply. “Come now, sluggards,” she snapped. “Everyone get up and get moving. Hell is waiting.”
My gut clenched. I exchanged a long look with Silverruff, who bared his teeth in a grimace. “Want to change your mind?” he asked in a low tone.
“Don’t be absurd,” I growled.
“I’m guessing you’ll have one hell of a fight on your hands when you tell her she’s not going with you.”
I bit my thumb. “Don’t I know it.”
He grinned. “It’s your hide. Maybe you’ll escape with it intact.”
I tried to wither him with a glare, but he merely wagged his tail amiably. “What’s your plan?”
“When I think of it,” I said glumly, biting my thumb again, watching Ly’Tana rouse the warriors with curses and commands. “I’ll let you know.”
I rose to my feet and fetched cold roast from the stores and mixed Tuatha’s breakfast. His hand covering a huge yawn, Rygel tossed me his bag of herbs. “Throw in a few pinches of that.”
I did, added water, and created the tasty brown sludge Tuatha liked so much. My heart sank when I realized I’d not see him weaned from the mush to meat. He’d grow up into a big jet black wolf, a strong leader with a pack, a family, of his own. I wouldn’t be there to watch.
My leaving would hurt him. He’d already lost one set of parents, and would soon lose his adopted father. Right now, he was far too young to comprehend all this. I hoped one day he’d understand why I abandoned him, and, above all, forgive me.
His tail wagged furiously as he crawled into my lap and gobbled his soft meal from my fingers. Silverruff watched without comment. Keeping my eyes on my task, I listened half-heartedly to Ly’Tana breaking camp. Her warriors, breakfasting on cold meat and bread, munched as they gathered together horses and saddles. Arianne and Tor stuffed food into saddlebags, setting them aside for the warriors to seize once they tacked up the horses. Kel’Ratan kicked dirt over the fire, smothering it. Corwyn, after saddling his own ugly roan, took waterskins to the stream to fill.
The wolves, with nothing to pack, went to the stream to drink. A few of the more lively ones mock fought, growling and biting without hurt, tails wagging. The wolves hardest hit by hangovers padded dejectedly along, ears slack and tails low. I suspected once I left, they’d melt away into the forest and return to their hunting grounds and packs. I glanced at Silverruff and jerked my head toward them.
“Will they go home to their families now?”
He shook his head rapidly, flapping his ears. “They have none.”
“Why ever not?”
“My father called together the biggest, toughest, strongest wolves,” he explained. “But he also wanted those with no mates, no families to miss them.”
“I see.” And I did. Any who accompanied me wouldn’t live very long. Elder knew my task would result in many deaths.
Tuatha finished his breakfast and burped. Licking his muzzle, he gazed up at me with his sapphire eyes. “Papa? What’s wrong?”
I rubbed his little head, my thumb caressing between his eyes. “Nothing, little one.”
“You’re sad.”
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and lied to my son. “It’ll pass.”
Ly’Tana strode toward me. “All set?”
With another glance at Silverruff, I nodded. Setting Tuatha on the ground, I stood up. He waddled about, sniffing the ground, his tail wagging furiously as he touched noses with Silverruff.
Fetching my sword belt from where I dropped it before lying down the night before, I buckled it on. If she sensed anything amiss, Ly’Tana said nothing. Yet, she watched me, hands on her slender hips, her head cocked slightly.
“Tashira?” I called.
He trotted to me, head up, ears perked and liquid eyes bright. Like Tuatha, he immediately sensed what Ly’Tana didn’t. Or perhaps she suspected, by the close way she watched me.
“Raine?” he inquired, nuzzling my hand for a caress. “What’s wrong?”
I stroked my hands down his black face, rubbing the itchy spots behind his ears. The lump returned to my throat, shutting off my air supply. My chest ached as my heart broke.
“’Tis time for us to part company, my friend,” I murmured.
Ly’Tana stepped closer, her hand now resting on her griffin hilt. “Raine? What’s up?”
I tried for a smile. “I’m sending Tashira home.”
“I know time flies when you’re having fun,” Tashira said, backing away from me, his huge eyes hardening. “But it hasn’t been three years.”
“Nevertheless, return to the vale and your father.”
His tiny ears pinned. “He won’t like that.”
“Why not? I saved your life, you saved mine. We’re quits. We’re even.”
The exchange now garnered the attention of the Kel’Hallan warriors, Corwyn, Rygel and Arianne. All the activity, the preparations for travel ceased as the men dropped what they were doing and ringed us around. Shardon stood behind his black brother, his wide eyes fastened on me. Wolves, hangovers or not, loped back from the stream, sensing the tension that now hung in the air. Even Bar walked into view, his tail lashing from side to side as he stood behind Kel’Ratan.
This wasn’t what I expected or wanted. Near panic, my chest near to bursting, I tried for a distraction by scooping Tuatha up. He wriggled in protest, his distress clear in his blue eyes and low whines. “Papa? What’s wrong? Papa?”
“I have to go away for a while,” I said. “I can’t take you with me.”
“Papa!”
Ly’Tana stalked closer, her suspicion snapping emerald fire in her gaze. “Who’s remaining behind to watch over him, then?” she asked, her voice deceptively soft.
Try as I might, I could not, dared not, look her in the face. I looked at none of them. I studied the ground, my wolf instincts sensing the growing anger of Ly’Tana, of her warriors, of Tashira. No few wolves growled low in their throats, ears flattening, their heads lowered in silent threat.
Drawing a ragged breath, I found no support from Silverruff, who walked from my side to stand next to Ly’Tana.
“You might as well tell them,” he said.
“Tell us what?” Rygel demanded, striding forward.
Darkhan at her side, Arianne ran toward me. “Raine? What are you doing?”
I drew in a deep breath. “I’m going north.”
“With us.” Ly’Tana’s eyes bored holes through me.
I shook my head. “Alone.”
“Oh, you are so not going alone,” she snapped. “We’re going with you.”
“No,” I replied softly. “You’ll go home.”
Silence fell with an audible thump. Nearly strangling in fury, Rygel said nothing. Stunned by my
words, the warriors looked at one another, shifting their feet. Kel’Ratan’s mustache bristled as Corwyn glared as fiercely as Ly’Tana.
She stepped closer, her head tilted. Her expression slowly changed from anger to shock as she stared up into my bleak eyes. Her jaw slackened. Her hand rose from her hilt to her breasts, her green eyes wide.
“You’re not coming back.”
My throat closed once more. I shook my head, the only answer I could give.
“You think you’re going to die up there.”
I managed a tiny smile. “I know I’m going to die up there.”
“You are not going to die,” Rygel raged, stomping toward me. “We’ll be there to fight with you.”
“If you go, all of you are dead,” I said quietly. “I won’t have it.”
“You haven’t a choice,” he snapped. “We’re coming along, whether you like it or not.”
“I’ve had a vision,” I snapped, my finger stabbing at Ly’Tana. “This thing killed me and it killed you.”
That pronouncement stopped them all.
“I’ll die up there,” I said softly. “And so shall you, if you accompany me.”
“You know this?”
In answering Darius, I spoke aloud, for the benefit of all. “I dreamed it. I’m strangled by an unseen source hard enough to snap my neck.”
I mellowed my voice as I touched Ly’Tana’s cheek with my fingers. “I saw you, my heart’s blood, lying dead on a cavern floor.”
“When?”
“Before you took up residence inside my head.”
“You’re wrong,” Rygel snapped. “Your dream means nothing. I’m coming with you.”
My own anger rose. “You won’t. You’ll take my sister to Kel’Halla. In proper time you’ll marry her. You’ll devote your life to keeping her safe and making her happy. If one day you choose to take on my uncle and succeed, you’ll crown her Queen of Connacht. Most of all, you’ll do as I command you. I command this.”
“I won’t,” he snarled, eyes flat.
“Neither will I,” Ly’Tana declared, her hand toying with the hilt of her sword. “I’ll hunt you down if you go alone.”
“I’ll follow you,” growled Shadow. “I can track you wherever you go.”
“Nor can you just dump me,” Tashira said, his ears flat against his head, his once gentle eyes blazing with fury.
“I have the best nose of all,” snarled Kip. “You cannot go where I cannot follow.”
“Papa!” cried Tuatha, wriggling against my grip. “You can’t leave me.”
I growled low in my throat. Meeting their angry expressions with my own, I looked around at the half circle about me. I lifted my finger to point, to mark all of them where they stood.
“How soon you forget,” I said softly. “Not a one of you failed to pledge your loyalty to me last night. Are you all so quickly foresworn?”
Taken aback, Ly’Tana blinked. “That doesn’t mean abandoning you.”
“By the words you all spoke last night,” I snarled, “wolves as well as humans, you placed yourself under my shield. You are all ordered to return to your homes. This is my command as a royal prince and as the Chosen One. I will go alone.”
Frustrated, Rygel ran his hand through his yellow hair. He glared at Silverruff. “Silverruff, tell him he’s crazy, talk some sense into him.”
Silverruff growled. “What makes you think he’ll listen to me? Just who do you think I am?”
“He’ll listen to you.”
“I tried already. I can’t tell him a bloody thing.”
Upon the heels of my victory, my anger dropped. “I’m sorry. This is something I must do alone. I won’t lead you to your deaths.”
“You don’t know that you’ll die,” Ly’Tana exclaimed wildly. “Arianne, you’re a seer, you see the future. He won’t die, will he? Tell him he’ll survive and so will we.”
All eyes found my sister. She stood with Darkhan, abandoned by Rygel, just outside the accusing ring of hostility aimed at me. She wrung her hands, tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks. Her midnight hair all but buried Darkhan as he peered from its depths, only his muzzle and yellow eyes showing through their lengths.
Frantic, she bit her lip, looking around at the hopeful expressions of those who looked to her for the answers.
“I—” she began, choking. She sniffed, swiping her cheek with the back of her hand. “I—I don’t know,” she whispered.
Ly’Tana wheeled. “What? What does your sight see?”
“I see nothing,” she cried. “When I look to his future, I see nothing but fog and mist.”
Her words silenced them all, cut their anger in twain. Fingers made the sign against evil. Wolf tongues licked uneasy muzzles.
“Not even I can see your fate. The Lords will not permit it. From here on your life is pure chance.”
“I know.”
Ly’Tana began to cry. Her head high, tears streamed down her cheeks, yet her eyes still glared. She wept without sobs. Rygel’s shoulders drooped, his hands lifting, palm up, in supplication.
“Please, braud,” he begged. “Don’t leave me behind.”
I felt my heart shatter in my chest. The pain, no the agony, swept through my blood. “I must,” I whispered. “Don’t make it harder than it already is.”
“Damn you!” Ly’Tana screeched through her tears. “I won’t make it easy on you.”
Her fist struck my belly, rebounding back, hurting her wrist, but me not at all. “Ly’Tana—”
“You don’t love me,” she snarled. “That’s why you can just turn your back on me and leave. You’re a cold, heartless bastard.”
“Please.” I heard the anguish in my own voice. “Please understand. I can’t watch you die.”
“Watch this.” Her fingers told me to do the anatomically impossible. “I hate you. I should have known better than to love you.”
I stepped back from her, my throat closing, my chest burning in agony. “You’ll send me to my death this way?”
“You’re sending yourself. You’ve only yourself to blame.”
I said nothing. There was nothing I could say. Bowing my head, I lifted Tuatha up to look him in his own anguished blue eyes.
“Papa?”
I could hardly speak. Choking, I tried to form words in my burning throat. “I need you to protect Arianne, Tuatha.”
“Papa? Don’t leave me, Papa!”
“You be a big wolf, a brave wolf, and protect her for me, all right?”
“Papa!” His cries grew louder as I placed him in Arianne’s trembling arms.
Trying a smile, I touched her tear-stained cheek with my fingers. “Be well, little cat.”
“Raine—”
“I love you.”
“Papa! No, Papa!”
I glanced around one last time at the faces, the humans, the wolves, Tashira, Shardon, Bar. “Be safe, kids.”
I turned my back on them all before their accusing eyes, their grief, might force me to change my mind.
“Papa!”
With my son’s agonized screams echoing within the shell of my shattered heart, I shut my eyes, bowed my head. I called on Rygel’s magic in my blood.
I transported myself far away.
The End
Catch a Wolf Page 57
