by B N Miles
“I’ll be back soon,” she said. “I promise.”
“Felin.” Her clenched his jaw and pulled her against him. He kissed her stomach again, felt her ass in his palms.
She disentangled herself and stepped back. She smiled and tilted her head.
“You have no clue how good this is going to feel,” she said.
And then began to shift.
Cam stood and watched his wild, beautiful wolf girl begin to twist. Her skin thickened, her face elongated. Bones snapped and twisted and moved beneath her body. She fell forward, catching herself with her hands as her fingers sucked into her palms, turning into paws. Gray and white hair sprouted all along her body, and after half a minute at most, a large wolf stood before him.
For a moment, Cam felt an irrational fear. Wolves were his enemies, and he’d slaughtered them with a smile on his face these last weeks.
But Felin was his girl, his wolf. She moved to him and nuzzled against his side. He touched her fur and leaned down, his throat near her jaws.
“Come back soon,” he said into her ear.
She pulled back her lips to show her teeth, a wolfish grin, before turning and trotting off into the leaves.
He stood and watched her go for a long moment before stooping to gather her clothes. He returned to camp and stowed her things in his pack. Key looked up at him with a frown and put down her spear.
“Felin?” she asked.
“Went to the wolves,” he said. “She’s going to see if she can find out anything useful.”
Key frowned and gripped her spear tight. “Are you sure?” she asked. “What if she doesn’t come back?”
Cam sat down next to his last remaining girlfriend and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and he kissed her hair.
“She will,” he said. “And if anyone asks, Felin is out scouting the wolf camp.”
They lapsed into silence and leaned against each other. Cam knew Key and Felin had grown close, so he could only imagine what she was thinking.
But he wouldn’t lose his girls. Not a single one of them. He hated asking Miuri to do something dangerous, and he hated that Felin had gone off against his wishes, but he had no other choices.
This was bigger than him and his girls, and he knew they’d do anything to help, just like he would.
21
The day dragged on and night drew closer. As the sun sank down, Dagan argued for the group to retreat up the ridge and onto higher ground, but Cam pushed back.
“If we leave this position, Miuri and Felin might have a hard time finding us,” Cam said.
“Those girls can find us wherever we go,” Dagan said. “But if we get caught out in the open and can’t defend ourselves from some wolf scouts, there might not be anything left for them to find.”
In the end, Dagan won and Cam conceded his points. The group moved west, up a steep hill and onto the rocky ridge. As full darkness fell, they made camp in a small clearing at the edge of a group of tall, thick pine trees.
“No fires,” Dagan warned as the men got comfortable. “And double sentries tonight.”
“I’ll take first watch,” Cam said.
Dagan nodded and was about to bark out another name when Arter stood up.
“I’ll watch with him,” Arter said.
Dagan gave his former colleague a look then nodded once. “Good. Your boys can take the next watch. Kenden and Theus, you’re both on scouting duty.”
The men settled in as Cam walked several paces out into the forest. The moon was up, and though it was a couple weeks past full, it still shone a bright, silver light across the mountainous landscape. Cam stood with his hand on the trunk of a tree and stared out into the distance.
Somewhere out there, Miuri and Felin were in danger. Cam knew they could handle themselves, and he had to believe they’d be able to handle whatever problems arose, but it was all he could do not to lose his mind with frustration. His story about Felin going to scout out the wolves was accepted without much argument, and Cam got the sense that everyone figured that his girlfriends were all a little different from the average woman, which did send a surge of pride through his chest. Even still, he had almost hoped someone would tell him to go after her.
But he still had Key to look after. She was back with their things, piled under their furs and blankets, trying to get some sleep. He knew she was struggling with Felin’s decision just like he was, but both of them had decided that there was nothing they could do about it. If Felin wanted to throw herself into danger, Cam had to accept it.
As he turned to head back toward camp, there was a noise in the underbrush. Cam tensed, but then saw Arter walking toward him in the gloom. He tilted his head to one side as the former Elder joined him, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, the older man’s eyes scanning across the landscape.
“A lot has changed since I left,” he said.
“A lot changed in a short time,” Cam said.
Arter grunted. “You seem to have grown into your role.”
“I’m not sure what role you mean.”
Arter glanced at him then shook his head. “The men look up to you, Cam,” he said. “Dagan’s still the Elder, but you’re… something else.”
Cam shrugged, though he wasn’t sure Arter could see the gesture through the night. They lapsed into silence and Cam ran a hand along his sword, thinking about his father’s last moments in the forest, and how everything had spiraled from that moment.
Cam broke the silence first. “Can I ask you something?”
Arter frowned and gestured consent.
“When the wolves came for Teemly, why didn’t you fight?” Cam asked, his voice low and soft.
It was a question that had been bothering him from the start. Arter said the wolves killed any man that resisted, but Arter had survived the ordeal, which meant he hadn’t taken up arms. But any man capable of holding a spear would have been expected to stand on the walls and do battle. Not even Arter could have gotten away from the pressure to stand as a man.
Arter let out a breath and looked away from Cam. The man’s eyes scanned the distance and Cam stood there in the dark with him, not moving too much. He could see the tension all over Arter’s body, and for a moment Cam wondered if he was still dangerous, if all this had just been some elaborate trick to get Cam alone.
But Arter hung his head and spoke down to the ground.
“I told you before,” he said. “I was a coward.”
“That can’t be the only reason,” Cam said.
“My boys wanted to fight,” Arter said. “They wanted to join the other men in defending the walls. But as soon as I climbed up and saw the host of wolves bearing down on us, I knew in that moment you were right to have left Medlar behind. I knew we were all going to be slaughtered where we stood. So, I turned and walked away.”
Cam could see how painful it was for him to relive this moment, but he didn’t stop him. He needed to hear it, even if it hurt both of them. Cam needed to know how the wolves operated, but more than that, he needed to know if he could really trust Arter to fight when the time came.
“How did the wolves come?” he asked.
“In groups,” he said. “Individual groups of maybe ten or twenty. They came at the walls and launched each other upwards, leaping off the backs of their companions. They slammed against the gates and tore at the wood with their teeth, heedless of the arrows, rocks, and spears slamming into their flesh. Their dead piled high, but they kept coming. They used the bodies like… like ladders.”
He lapsed into silence again. He dug his toe into the ground and clasped his hands behind his back.
“And your boys?” Cam asked. “What did they do?”
“They stayed at their posts for a while. When the fighting started, in all that chaos, I found them and pulled them away. Janter resisted, but I dragged him along anyway, pulled us all into an empty house. Vorn came along without question, he’s always been a good lad. We hid underneath
a bed while the whole village burned and screamed around us. Janter wanted to go out, but I refused to let him. I had to… I held him down at one point. I saved his life—you have to understand.”
Cam took a deep breath and let it out. He could only imagine what they’d gone through. He knew armies sacked and burned villages, but he couldn’t picture what it would be like to be in a village during something like that, much less when it was a pack of wolves tearing it apart. It was a reality of his world, and yet an impossibility at the same time.
“Eventually the screaming stopped,” Arter said. “And I knew it was probably over. I crawled out and went to the window, saw wolves wandering the streets. Some were naked men and women dragging villagers along behind them, and some were those giant white and black monsters. I thought at first we could run away, but then Janter jumped out from under the bed and grabbed a spear.”
Cam stared in surprise. “He did what?”
“Picked up a spear and shouted,” Arter said and grimaced. “Wanted to go out there and kill every wolf he could. Vorn stayed under the bed and called to his brother, but when Janter gets an idea in his head, he can’t help himself.”
“I’m guessing that’s when the wolves found you?”
“That’s right. Two came in, saw Janter with his spear, and fell on him. Janter tried fighting, and they would’ve killed him if I hadn’t gotten involved. I pushed Janter over, pulled the spear from his hands, and begged for mercy.” Arter closed his eyes and ran two hands through his hair. “I did it for them, Cam,” he said. “I left that wall and I hid under a bed like a coward for my boys. I knew that if I fought, they’d fight too. And if I didn’t hide, they wouldn’t hide, either. Do you know what it’s like to have sons?”
Cam shook his head. “I don’t,” he said, but of course Arter knew that.
“It makes a man irrational. But I was a coward back there, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“You wouldn’t have made a difference, even if you had fought,” Cam said.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Arter said. “But I made a choice, and it’s not a choice I plan on making again.”
“I can’t absolve you of your mistakes,” Cam said. “I can’t take what happened away. Those are choices you made.”
“I know,” Arter said.
“But I can say, you survived, Arter. You survived where a lot of others did not. Now here you are, alive and still fighting. If you take up your weapons now and do what you have to do, you can make up for all the mistakes of the past.”
“That’s what I want,” Arter said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Good.” Cam turned to the man. “I know we didn’t always agree on things, but I’m glad you’re still here.”
Arter looked at him and nodded. “Me too.” He took a few paces out into the night and stretched his back. “I should make a circuit around.”
“Good.”
Cam watch the man walk slowly in the darkness. He disappeared between some bushes as he headed deeper into the forest.
He wasn’t sure how much of that he believed. Arter’s story about hiding under a bed seemed true enough, but the part about doing it for his sons… well, Cam didn’t have sons, and he wasn’t sure how far a man would go to protect them.
But, at the very least, Cam was beginning to trust Arter. He had the choice to go back to the Mansion, and that was by far the safer course of action, and yet he’d still followed Cam. He brought both of his sons, and he hadn’t made any problems. Cam would have to step away from his feelings about the man moving forward and allow Arter to make up for some of his past failings.
He turned back toward the night and continued his watch, his thoughts moving back to his girls somewhere out there in the dark.
22
After Cam’s watch was finished, he got a few hours of restless sleep beside Key then woke with the sun. Without a fire, they were stuck eating dried beef and some of that fermented fish spread over bread. It wasn’t great, but it was enough to fill him up. Key stretched and leaned on her elbow as Cam finished preparing their breakfast.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning.” She yawned and wiped at her face with her palm. “Gods, I never get enough sleep.”
Cam grunted and smiled a little. He took a bite of his breakfast, frowning at the acidic taste, but chewed and swallowed it anyway. He was preoccupied and barely noticed when Key moved over to sit next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they looked across the short field toward where the others were beginning to wake.
“They’re okay, you know,” she said.
“I know,” he said.
“No, you don’t,” she said. “I’m worried about them too. But you’re convinced they’re not coming back.”
“Miuri can handle herself,” Cam said. “But Felin’s job is a little more… I didn’t want her to go.”
“I know you didn’t.” Key sat up and ran a hand through her hair before reaching out and taking some of the bread and fish. She made a face but ate it without a word. “But Felin’s been feeling like she doesn’t belong, and I think this is her way of trying to help out.”
“I appreciate that, and I know how difficult this has been for her,” Cam said. “But even so, that was too dangerous.”
“I agree. What’s done is done, though. We’ll just have to trust her.”
Cam sighed and ate his bread. “I talked with Arter last night,” he said.
“I’m surprised you let him come along.” Key shifted and moved a little closer to him. “He was a problem last time.”
“I think he’s changed.” Cam frowned at the food. “Well, maybe not changed. But at least aware of his shortcomings.”
“That’s good, since there are a lot of them.”
Cam snorted. “Seriously, Key. He told me about hiding from the wolves at Teemly. That’s not the sort of story you tell another warrior. It felt like he was confessing something.”
“You’re starting to like him, aren’t you?”
“I’m starting to think he wants to do better, that’s all.”
“I’d still be careful.” She nudged against him. “People don’t change, Cam.”
“Yes, they do.” Cam leaned toward her and kissed her lips. “What would you have done if I kissed you like that three weeks ago?”
“Thrown myself at you,” she said without hesitating.
He laughed. “Liar.”
“No, really. I’ve been wanting this for a long time.”
He stared at her and reached out to touch her hair. He pulled her closer and kissed her slower. He lingered in that kiss, and had almost forgotten how good it felt to be so close to her.
“I’ve wanted this too,” he whispered.
“I never thought there’d be an Elf Princess and a Werewolf involved,” Key said with a huge grin, “but I’m not complaining.”
Cam laughed and released her. He ate his bread and she ate with him, sitting shoulder to shoulder. He felt a little bit better, even if he was still worried about Felin, anxious about Miuri, and unsure about Arter.
The morning continued to drag on. Dagan woke the rest of the warriors up and sent several out scouting the area around them. More went off in search of water and returned an hour later with full skins.
Cam spent the morning and most of the early afternoon in meditation. There was a small rocky outcropping not far from camp, just beyond a grouping of pines. He sat in the middle of the rocks, elevated enough to feel the breeze on his chest, and closed his eyes. He fell into the calm black with no trouble, which almost surprised him. Three weeks ago, back when the thought of kissing Key seemed like insanity, he never would have been able to drop into this meditative state with such ease.
But things had changed. So much had changed, and so fast. He felt himself beginning to dwell on it, pushed the thoughts away, and floated in that darkness.
Every sound around him was magnified and the breeze felt like a hurricane on his skin. He r
eveled in it, held onto the dark blank nothing in his mind, and let the sounds of the world enter through him and pass onward.
He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there. But one sound in particular broke him from his quiet. He blinked open his eyes and saw a lone figure standing thirty feet away, leaning against a tree, a smile on her beautiful face, her long blonde hair braided tight and hanging over one shoulder, her pointed Elven ears angled away from him.
“Miuri,” Cam said and stood. He jumped down off the rocks as his Elven Princess strode out to meet him. He grinned huge as she threw herself at his chest and hugged him tight. “You have no idea how relieved I am.”
“You shouldn’t doubt me,” she said. “I’m amazing.”
“I know.” He laughed and pulled her back. “So you did it? You met with the army?”
Her smile faded and she nodded. “I made it into their camp early last night,” she said. “And revealed myself to their leader not long later. After that, we had a nice talk, and he showed me what was left of them.”
Cam tensed and tilted his head. He didn’t like her tone or her hard expression.
“How bad?” he asked.
“Half of them are gone,” she said. “Almost all of their leadership is dead. They have five thousand: fifteen hundred bows, three thousand spear and shield, and five hundred heavy infantry.”
“Armored?” he asked.
She nodded. “The same kind of bronze armor on the guards back at the Mansion. Five hundred of them, Cam.”
He sucked in a breath. “I can’t imagine what the wolves could do to men wearing that.”
“Superior numbers,” she said. “And they were surprised. They were overwhelmed, not prepared to fight wolves, and things just…” She trailed off. “Come, we should speak with everyone. I’ll tell you the full story. Where are Key and Felin?”
