The Wolf At War

by Terry Cloutier

  “Put the little bastard over there,” I told Putt, pointing to a spot twenty feet west of the bones.

  Putt grabbed Grindin by the back of his neck, ignoring the whines of protest as he forced the little man toward the place that I wanted. I glanced at Niko. “Over there,” I said, gesturing twenty feet away to the east.

  Luper Nash headed to the spot on his own, a contemptuous smile on his face, with Niko following warily behind him. Nash paused six feet from me as Baine and Tyris removed their bows and notched arrows.

  “I have your word as a lord about this?” Luper Nash asked, looking calm and relaxed. He had good reason to feel that way, I knew.

  I nodded. “You have it,” I promised. I glanced at Grindin, who had fallen to his knees again. The apprentice was staring down at the grass, moaning softly to himself. “But I want him to suffer first.”

  Nash grunted his understanding, his face expressionless as I motioned for him to take his place to the east.

  When Luper Nash was in position, I drew my sword, pausing to lift it hilt first so that the ruby eyes of Wolf’s Head gleamed in the sunlight. “The sins committed here by these men will never be forgotten, nor can they be forgiven,” I said, my voice flat and steady, though inside I could feel my emotions swirling. “The ghosts of Corwick demand retribution and blood, and that is what we are here today to give them.” I motioned to the kneeling man, then to the glowering bulk of Nash. “One of these men will die at the hands of the other, paying for his crimes with his life. The victor will not be harmed by me or any of my men.” I paused to stare at Luper Nash. “I swear this on my word as a lord, a husband, the son of a murdered father, and the brother of a murdered sister.”

  I put both hands on Wolf’s Head and thrust the blade down between the gleaming ribs of Hervi Desh’s remains, while to the west, Grindin muttered over and over, “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!” He was right. It wasn’t. And I didn’t feel a morsel of pity for the little bastard.

  “On your feet,” I growled in disgust at Grindin. “Stop your sniveling and act like a man.” Grindin slowly stood, wiping the snot from his face with the back of his hand as he fixated his eyes on my sword thrust into the ground. “Remember,” I said as I made my way toward where the priests and priestesses waited. “Only one of you will survive this. Wait for the horn before you move. Not a moment before.”

  Jebido, Niko, and Putt followed me, walking with drawn weapons as they watched the two men with pitiless eyes. Baine and Tyris moved twenty yards to the north and south with their bows. If the survivor tried to attack us with my sword, those two would cut him down before he got anywhere close.

  I reached the priests and priestesses, ignoring their stern looks of disapproval as I turned to face the last two living members of the nine. “Prepare yourselves,” I called out. “For soon, one of you will be a guest of The Father!” I closed my eyes then, saying a prayer of thanks to the gods—all three of them—before finally I nodded to Niko that I was ready.

  The youth lifted a horn and blew on it once, the note sharp and strident in the silence of the fields. Grindin instantly burst forward, moving fast and with purpose, his tears forgotten now. The decisiveness and speed of the other man had clearly caught Luper Nash by surprise, and he cursed, dashing toward the sword, his great arms outstretched. I felt my heart leap in my throat, all my careful planning seeming for nothing as Grindin cried out in triumph, ripping the sword from the ground. Luper Nash bellowed, not pausing as Grindin swung Wolf’s Head in a vicious arc. I heard the priests and priestesses gasping behind me as the big man dropped to the grass, rolling beneath Grindin’s blade before he bounded to his feet and wrapped a great hand around the smaller man’s throat. Nash started to shake Grindin like a doll until the sword finally slipped to the ground from the apprentice’s numb fingers.

  “Thank The Mother,” I heard Jebido whisper beside me.

  I felt relief wash over me, unconsciously leaning forward on my crutches as the men struggled, wishing it could be me over there. Grindin repeatedly struck at Luper Nash’s chest with his fists, trying to break his hold, but the big man seemed like iron—implacable, merciless, and unyielding. I could hear Grindin choking, desperately trying to force air into his tortured lungs. I knew he would be dead in another moment.

  “Nash!” I shouted in warning. The big man turned, his eyes burning. “Not yet,” I said firmly.

  Luper Nash grimaced, then he reluctantly released his grip as Grindin fell to his knees, gasping and coughing. Nash stooped to pick up Wolf’s Head, and then he flung it end over end toward me, following it with a curse. The priests and priestess all shouted in alarm, scurrying aside, but I remained where I was as my sword landed point down in the ground three feet from me. I smiled. Even better.

  Luper Nash held my gaze for a moment, and then he spat on the ground before focusing back on Grindin. He grabbed the little man by the stubby hair that had grown out since Malo had captured him. Grindin squealed as he was dragged to his feet, then Nash crashed a fist into his face, crushing his nose. Blood sprayed and Grindin staggered backward, both hands held to his shattered face. Nash came on, growling and slapping aside Grindin’s frantic swings at his head. The big man grabbed Grindin by the neck again and held him as he pounded his fist into his stomach. Grindin bent over, clutching at himself as Nash grabbed one of his arms and twisted it behind his back. The little man howled, dropping to his knees as Luper Nash locked eyes with me a second time. I saw a question there and I nodded, not reacting to the sharp snap of bone or the screams of agony coming from Grindin.

  It went on like that for long minutes, with the apprentice’s howls echoing across the fields in waves of agony. I almost stopped Nash at one point, thinking that it was enough, but then I looked up at Patter’s Bog and remembered sitting by the water huddled on a stone and weeping as similar howls filled the night. No one had said it was enough then, including Grindin Tasker, so I held my tongue and watched as Luper Nash tortured the little man to death.

  Finally, when it was done, Nash dropped to his knees, panting in the grass. I moved to pick up my sword while Jebido and Putt ran forward and drew Nash’s arms behind his back before slapping manacles on his wrists.

  I turned to the horrified priests and priestesses. “You all witnessed what happened here today,” I said. I pointed behind me. “Luper Nash killed Grindin Tasker, who was a Son-In-Waiting. His soul is now lost and he will burn for all eternity.” I heard Nash snort behind me, knowing with the sins already on his conscience that he was hardly concerned about one more.

  “But, you are responsible for this, Lord Hadrack,” one of the Sons said to me timidly. “You forced those men to fight each other.”

  “I did no such thing,” I said. I turned to Nash. “Did I force you to do this?”

  The big man shook his head. “No, lord. Grindin and I have had a blood feud for many years. You were gracious enough to accommodate it.”

  “So you see,” I said, turning back to the timid priest. “I was only mediating a dispute between enemies like any proper lord should.”

  “Well,” the priest said doubtfully. “I’m not sure the First Son will see it that way.”

  I felt my features harden at the mention of Son Oriell and I fought to smooth them. “We can always take the matter to the king’s court if it becomes an issue,” I said. I gestured to the carriages. “For now, my men will escort you back to your villages. If the First Son has questions, I will summon you to offer your testimony as to what you witnessed here today.”

  Berwin and Niko led the grumbling priests and priestesses back to their carriages, and I waited impatiently for them to get settled inside. Finally, two of the carriages swung about, bumping along the trail of trampled grass that we had made on our way here. I waited until I was sure they were out of sight, then I slowly hobbled over to Luper Nash. The big man was on his feet by now, and Jebido kicked out one of his legs without warning, knocking him back to his knees.

  “Wh
at is this?” Luper Nash growled. He looked at Jebido, who put a sword to his throat. Nash focused back on me. “You lying bastard!” he spat up at me. “You treacherous, lying shit. You promised you wouldn’t kill me.”

  “I did,” I said, nodding. I heard the door to the last carriage open, then close with a slam again. I smiled as a figure dressed in a hooded black robe quickly approached through the swaying grasses. “And I will keep my word to you.”

  “So, you’re not just a bastard,” Nash said in contempt. “You’re a coward, too. A made-up lord who has to get one of his men to do his dirty work for him.”

  I grinned. “Wrong again,” I said. I leaned down as far as I could on my crutches. “I promised you that neither I nor any of my men would kill you,” I said. “And I will not break that promise.” I slowly shifted to the right as the black-robed figure stepped in front of Nash. “But, I never said anything about her doing it,” I whispered as Jin slowly removed the hood from her face.

  Nash stared up at the girl in surprise, the look quickly turning to confusion. “I don’t understand,” he said.

  “My mother’s name was Meanda,” Jin said, her voice thick with emotion. “She drew a knife from her robe and pressed the tip to Luper Nash’s throat. “Hadrack wasn’t the only one in Corwick that day, you bastard. I was only three years old, scared and frightened. But none of you cared.”

  “The little girl,” Nash said in wonder. “The little girl in the white dress.”

  “That’s right, you raping, murdering bastard!” Jin hissed as she shoved forward with the knife. Dark red blood shot outward in a spray, drenching the Daughter’s hand, but she seemed oblivious to it. Her eyes were hard and cold as she watched Luper Nash gag, his tongue jutting out grotesquely. “The villagers called me Little Jinny,” Jin whispered, her lips mere inches from Nash’s face. “Tell that to the others down Below when you see them.” Then Jin ripped the knife sideways, tearing out Nash’s throat with a savage motion.

  The big man fell then, flopping over on his side as Jebido and Tyris released him. Jin looked up at me, tears in her eyes as she dropped the knife into the grass.

  “You did good,” I said, feeling tears of my own start to flow as the girl hugged me and started to sob. “You did really good.”

  I stood over the graves of my father and sister, listening to the stream gurgling pleasantly as it wound its way through the forest. Birds sang from within the trees, and somewhere a squirrel scolded, its cries harsh and agitated before abruptly falling silent. The vow that I had pledged in this very spot so long ago had finally been fulfilled, and for the first time since I was a child, I was free to live my life without the need for vengeance. It was an invigorating thought. One that gave me overwhelming joy, coupled with a deep sadness that the connection I’d had to my father and Jeanna for all these years was now broken. The vow that I had sworn as a scared eight-year-old boy had been the link between the three of us, transcending everything, even the realms of life and death that bound the cosmos together. But now that it was complete, I knew the souls of my father and Jeanna were finally free of this world. And though I was saddened to lose that connection, I closed my eyes as I wept with joy for them, knowing even as I did that someday I would see them both again.

  “Are you all right, Hadrack?” Shana asked.

  I slowly opened my eyes, returning my gaze to the stream and the graves. My crutches lay discarded on the bank, unneeded at the moment, for I had Jin supporting me on my right side, while Shana did the same on my left. Shana had been in the carriage with Jin, though she had chosen not to get out with her. Not due to any faintness of heart, but more out of respect for the dead of Corwick. Shana felt the moment was for them, as well as Jin and me, and that her presence wasn’t needed.

  I pulled Shana close to me and kissed her gently on the head. “I have never been better, my love,” I told her.

  “I wish I could picture their faces,” Jin said sadly from my other side as she stared downward at the two faint grass mounds where the graves sat. “But I don’t remember much about that time in Corwick.”

  “How could you?” Shana asked. “You were only a small child.”

  “Just the same, from everything Hadrack has told me, they were people I wish that I had known.”

  “Thank you, Jin,” I said. I kissed her as I had Shana. “They would have loved you just as much as I do.”

  We stood for a long time together, saying nothing, until finally Jin looked up at me. “I have to go, Hadrack. Son Oriell will arrive in the morning. I want to be rested and ready for him when he gets here.”

  I saw determination in her eyes and I smiled, knowing that Son Oriell had met his match in this fierce young woman. Jin had insisted on killing Luper Nash herself, despite her oath of purity to the House and my initial objections, resolving herself to spending time with The Father in penance for what she planned on doing. Luper Nash had been one of the men who had raped and killed her mother, she had told me, and justice for a life taken too soon needed to be served. I couldn’t exactly argue with that statement, considering what I had done to the other members of the nine. As for how the gods might view things, well, I wasn’t so certain now that Jin would ever see the flames. To me, if the gods Above, Below, and Beyond judged Jin harshly for ending a man like Nash’s life today then, in my opinion, they were not only blind gods, they were fools as well.

  “Are you two going to be all right on your own?” Jin asked, cutting into my thoughts. “Or should I send Jebido and Baine to help you get back?”

  “We’ll be fine,” Shana and I said at the same moment.

  We both laughed, and Jin smiled, bracing herself on my arm as she stood on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Then, I’ll see you back at the castle.”

  Jin reached across and clasped Shana’s arm affectionately, then she turned and walked away through the trees.

  “She’s going to make a fine First Daughter someday,” Shana said. I looked at my wife, my eyebrows raised. “And why not?” Shana asked. She smiled playfully. “If they can make you a lord, why not her a First Daughter?”

  I chuckled, then I grew serious as I realized there was still one thing left unsaid. “There is something else that I haven’t told you,” I said. “I don’t know why I haven’t yet.”

  “You promised me that it would never happen again,” Shana said, her face clouding.

  “This was long before I knew anything about the codex,” I hurried to say. “So I haven’t really broken that promise.”

  “What is it, Hadrack?” Shana asked with a sigh.

  She put her head against my shoulder and I relaxed, knowing she wasn’t actually upset with me. I stared down at where I knew my father’s head lay, closing my eyes as I pictured him the last time that I had seen him alive. He had been so shattered then, so overcome with grief, believing that his children were dead. If only he had known that I was hiding safely in the bog, I thought with regret as I hugged my wife to me. I gestured to the grave. “My father was the son of Coltin Corwick,” I said.

  “What?” Shana gasped, lifting her head to stare at me in shock. “Surely you must be joking?”

  I just smiled sadly. “I am not, my love. My father knew he was the son of a lord, yet he gladly lived the life of a peasant for the sake of his family.” I told her everything that Daughter Gernet had told me then, and Shana listened in rapt wonder. When I was finally done, she just shook her head and pulled me down to kiss my lips.

  “You poor man,” she said when we broke the embrace. “All this time you have been a lord, born to one of the greatest families in the history of the kingdom, and you had no idea. Not that I care one wit either way what your bloodline really is. I have loved you unconditionally from the moment that I laid eyes on you, Hadrack, whether your name be Corwick or not. That will never change.”

  “Then you’re not mad because I kept it from you?” I asked.

  “Of course not,” Shana said. “I understand the reasons why now.” Her face s
uddenly clouded. “But you do realize what this means, don’t you?” I just shook my head dumbly. “My father was Terain Raybold, Hadrack. Which means I am a Raybold, too.” Shana stared at me, her face suddenly grim and serious. “We’re enemies now.” I gaped at her, then I slowly grinned in relief as Shana started to chuckle, a twinkle of amusement in her blue eyes. “Don’t you want to be my enemy, my lord?” she asked coyly.

  I felt a sudden desire come over me. “I would rather be something else,” I said huskily, nuzzling at the exquisite lobe of her left ear.

  “Then let’s go home,” Shana said, her eyes filled with promise. “Where we can work out our differences properly.”

  “A fine plan, my lady,” I whispered into her ear. “We’re well behind, after all. Einhard is already two ahead of me, and I am not going to lose to that smug bastard.”

  Shana drew back, looking up at me in confusion. “Ahead of you, how, my lord?”

  “I’ll show you tonight,” I said with a wide grin.

  And I did.

  Epilogue

  My grandfather is dying. Three of the kingdom’s greatest physicians all agree on that. Each is widely respected and renowned for their skills, and each studied right here in Corwick at the famous Haverty Academy. But despite their assurances that Lord Hadrack will surely die within days, I do not believe this to be true. I am no physician, of course, nor do I pretend to be one. I am just a simple girl blessed to have been born into the Corwick family, with the beloved head of that family fighting now for every breath that he takes as I write this. And though I am aware that these great physicians look down their noses at me whenever I voice my doubts, I am utterly convinced that they are wrong and that I am right. But my certainty does not stem from any form of expertise or worldly knowledge such as those esteemed physicians possess, of course. No, nothing as impressive as that. It comes from somewhere deep inside me, where simple, blind faith in one of the greatest men this kingdom will ever know burns fiercely and refuses to be extinguished.