Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  The most serious issue, however, was that it was sometimes hard to stop when you incapacitated your opponent in beast form. With your instincts at the forefront of your mind, stopping when your opponent was weakened took extreme control. It was a very real possibility that the loser might be killed. If that happened, the winner would face punishment once we arrived at Fort Granas.

  “I accept your conditions,” I said staring Maxon in the eyes. While I’d goaded him into a serious situation, he had just upped the ante.

  Aaryn seemed to have had enough and suddenly stood from her seat, knocking it over in the process. “Uncle, surely this can’t be allowed. Do something,” she pleaded. Her outburst was in bad taste, but she was clearly distraught at the thought of what was about to transpire. Whether any of her fear was for me or not, her apparent concern was endearing.

  “Aaryn, you know the law as well as anyone in this room. Your father made sure of it. You cannot interfere with a legal challenge.” Karsam said to his niece’s plea. His voice was stern as he admonished her, and she seemed to shrink into herself as she righted her chair and sat back down.

  The speed of Aaryn’s capitulation surprised me. After the last several days, I thought she would put up more of a fight, but Karsam was right. The law was crystal clear on the matter. Some part of me momentarily felt pity for the young woman before me, and I had to push away the desire to comfort her.

  To the rest of the room, Karsam said, “The challenge has been made and accepted. Tonight, you are both free to rest and prepare as you see fit. Tomorrow, we will hold the duel mid-morning at the edge of camp. You’ll be back in this tent after second horn to await the duel. Also, you’ll each need a second to ensure your arrival at the designated time.”

  Major Vinea immediately volunteered to be his son’s second, and Maxon nodded his acceptance. To my surprise, Stephan Umbra volunteered to be my second shortly after that. It was unexpected to have anyone among the nobles volunteer for me at all.

  I had expected none of the nobles to stand for me, at which point I would have requested Tristan, though he was a commoner and brand new soldier. If that wasn’t accepted, I had expected Karsam to appoint a senior sergeant to the role. The lack of noble support would have hurt my standing, but I could have lived with it. Instead, I’d have a man who I disliked and didn’t trust in my corner.

  I grudgingly accepted Stephan’s offer. It would be an affront to deny a second, especially when there were no other volunteers. “Then it is settled. Everyone is dismissed. Combatants, confer with your seconds and rest,” Colonel Karsam said to us. With a slight bow, I turned to leave the room before anyone else stood. To my irritation, Stephan rose to follow me out.

  I waited for Stephan just outside the tent. “Stephan, I’m surprise you would agree to be my second, I thank you and am in your debt.” I hated to say the words, but I hated even more that I meant them.

  Stephan laughed at my show of humility. “Don’t get too excited by it. I just really hate that pretty boy. I hope you mar that face of his tomorrow with a claw mark or two. It’ll take at least a little while to heal, and I’ll get to see it every day for the rest of this campaign,” he said with a cruel smile. His pettiness wasn’t unexpected based on the few exchanges I’d had with him, but his openness about it was. I nodded without responding.

  I was halfway to my tent after having taken my leave of Stephan when I heard hurried footsteps heading my way. Aaryn’s appearance didn’t surprise me. “Valian, please, this is madness. You have to stop it,” she said as soon as she was within speaking range. There was a desperate edge to her voice and tears in her eyes.

  “He and his father challenged me. Unless Maxon drops the challenge, there is nothing I can do,” I said to her in as calm and tender a voice as I could. I wanted to comfort her, to wrap her in a tight embrace and hold her, but I knew that my actions wouldn’t be accepted. I saw disappointment in her eyes, and it cut me deeply.

  “Remember our conversation the other night while we were looking at the stars? We’re just getting to know each other, but I could see us being friends. Please, for me, withdraw from the challenge. A horse cannot be worth all of this,” she said as she stepped forward and gently placed her hand on my arm.

  Her touch caused heat to radiate throughout my body. Her scent was that of wildflowers and some indescribable essence that was simply her. My heart beat rapidly, and my inner animal encouraged me to step in and kiss her. Her red, full lips just inches away from my own tempted me. My attraction to her threatened to undo my resistance, but what she’d said brought me up short.

  “You’re asking me to sacrifice my honor and what is rightfully mine. I will not be bullied by Maxon and his father,” I replied, stepping back from her and breaking the touch. It took everything I had to break our contact. My resistance was so weak that, if she stepped into me again, I wouldn’t be able to resist her.

  Instead of her stepping into me, a change overtook her. Her facial features twisted from innocent pleading to smoldering anger. I saw the exact moment that her vulnerability and fear turned into something I knew all too well, anger.

  “You can’t beat him. Maxon is the strongest in Silvanti House. There is no hope for a bastard noble without a bloodline,” she said aggressively, and I felt her aura flare out from her with all of her anger and frustration directed at me.

  Her words were like diving into freezing water. The shock was enough to erase all the conflicting feelings I’d had. Her aura, though it had no effect on me, only reinforced the finality of the moment. The image I had of Aaryn in my mind shattered like so many pieces of a broken mirror. The strong, independent, caring woman I had felt attraction towards disappeared. The Aaryn that stood before me was a stranger.

  “Lathian, Aaryn and my conversation is through for the night. Please escort her back to her tent. I’m sure she is tired after such an eventful evening,” I said in a voice that, even to me, sounded hopeless.

  Lathian materialized out of the shadows at my words and came forward. Aaryn looked stunned that the elf was so near without her knowledge. I suspected she thought he was no longer acting as her bodyguard.

  For just the briefest of moments, I saw indecision in Aaryn’s face. If she would have apologized for her words, some piece of our relationship might have been salvaged. Instead, she chose her anger and walked off into the night. Lathian’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before he turned and followed her without a word.

  I was torn between anguish and rage. I stood in silence and let both emotions run through my veins. They felt like an almost physical thing, like I could dig them out of my skin with a knife. In the end, the two emotions canceled each other out. Only the feeling of numbness remained. With a sigh, I finished the short walk to my tent. The morning couldn’t come fast enough. I’d be able to give myself over to the inner beast and the feeling of being alive that blood and struggle always brought.

  Chapter 9

  That night I got almost three hours of sleep for the first time in four days. Apparently, emotional fatigue was just as draining as physical exertion. I would have to remember that as I got used to my new abilities.

  I awoke feeling like I had just gotten the best night’s sleep of my life. The memory of my talk with Aaryn quickly ruined it. Still having some time before the morning horn, I polished all of my armor along with my weapons to stay busy and keep from thinking. Even after all of that, I still had time to take care of shaving and packing before the horn sounded in camp.

  I decided that since I would be shifting this morning, I wouldn’t put on my armor, tabard or weapons belt. I stepped out of my tent in only a shirt, pants and my sandals. The rest of my uniform was placed neatly next to my travel pack so that the soldiers tasked with breaking down my tent would know that it went together to my horse.

  It was highly irregular to walk around out of uniform on campaign, and I received many questioning looks from passing soldiers as I made my way towards the command tent. I held my
head high and shoulders squared as I ignored them. Of course, everyone had heard of what was happening today, and none of them dared to question my appearance.

  Half way to my destination Sergeant Iglias, flanked by the entire squad, found me. There arrival surprised me as I hadn’t gone to tell them about last night or this morning’s activities. I hadn’t wanted to bother them with my own issues. Word would travel, but I had expected not to see them until the duel. I should have known Sergeant Iglias would insist on the squad being ready. I nodded to the sergeant as they approached without saying a word.

  At a hand gesture by Iglias, my squad took up positions around me. Their organization impressed me as they looked crisp and professional in the maneuver. Sergeant Iglias took a position slightly behind me on my right side while Tristan stood on the left. When I noticed my friend, I couldn’t help but be encouraged. We said nothing to each other, but his presence lifted my spirits.

  My arrival at the command tent with a full escort seemed to put the guards stationed there on edge. The situation wasn’t helped when my squad took up guard positions around the tent as if the guards already posted were invisible. As I stepped through the tent entrance, I prayed to the ancestors that my people knew not to push things too far.

  Taking in my surroundings, I noticed that the large central table had various breakfast foods arranged on it in a buffet style. None of the other nobles were in the tent yet, so I helped myself to some sausage and bread. The sausage was much better than the travel rations I was accustomed to and had a rich spicy flavor. The soft, warm bread tasted of butter and complimented the spicy meat well.

  Though my selection was enough to satisfy me, I hadn’t tried even a tenth of what sat on the table. I could see why the nobles preferred to eat at the command tent whenever they could. The breakfast food prepared for the regular soldiers, while warm, would be a poor comparison to the variety before me.

  I was just finishing my breakfast when Colonel Karsam walked into the tent. “Help yourself,” he said sarcastically. While his words had a bite to them, his voice lacked the heat that came with anger.

  “Thank you, sir. I don’t mind if I do,” I said out of reflex before I caught my flippant tone. He smiled and chuckled at my statement as he came over to pick out his own food.

  “You know, when I said to spend more time with the other nobles, this is not what I meant,” he said as he loaded a plate with breakfast items.

  “I figured that, sir, but I didn’t really see another way to go. They tried to take advantage of my supposed weakness for their own gain within the first hours of meeting me.” He nodded at my words, but said nothing in response.

  “We need to talk about last night,” Karsam said after a time without looking up from his food. I knew we’d have to speak about the Aaryn situation sooner or later, but I had figured it would be after the duel. “Yes sir,” I replied waiting for him to put it out there.

  “Lathian had an interesting report for me after all the events in the command tent transpired. It seems my niece tried to play on your sympathies and feelings,” he said as if he were talking about a minor issue, but we both knew it was more than that.

  “That is one way of putting it,” I said reliving the anger and hurt from the conversation. “I doubt we will be friends any time soon or at all.”

  “Understood. The heart, even for beast-kind, is a delicate thing. I love my niece, but she should have known better than to do what she did,” he said conversationally with no real emotion. His acknowledgement of Aaryn’s wrong-doing surprised me.

  “The sting of the experience will fade. Hopefully, it won’t affect my beast form today. I can’t afford to lose control,” I said, not looking up from my plate.

  “I don’t think that will be a problem. You’ve had six years to learn to come to terms with your inner beast and emotions at the same time. That you’re a noble shouldn’t change any of those lessons,” he said, looking into my eyes, reminding me of the expected level of self-control I was to exhibit.

  “On a slight change of topic, I believe I’m making progress on at least one front of integrating into Silvanti House. I think the Umbras are warming up to me, as much as I hate to admit it,” I said without breaking eye contact. My comment killed whatever serious moment the colonel might have been trying to have. What I’d just said was so ridiculous that it couldn’t help but lighten the mood in the room. The tension evaporated at once and Karsam laughed deeply.

  “I feel much the same way sometimes when dealing with them,” he said as his laughter faded. “Sometimes, when Gortros agrees with me, I wonder if I’ve gone insane.”

  After that, we waited in relative silence. We made small talk, but it wasn’t enough to be considered a conversation, and it wasn’t long before Maxon and his father entered with Darian slightly behind them.

  Maxon was immaculately dressed and groomed in his full uniform. He looked more like he would be posing for a painting than having a duel. The Umbras came in together a little later; each of them looking like it was an affront to wake up before mid-day. Aaryn was the last to arrive, looking as if she had gotten little rest the night before.

  Stephan, along with his sister, greeted me warmly like we were old friends, and it was a little disquieting. Aaryn spoke to no one but Maxon and made a point of ignoring everyone else as she ate breakfast. After last night, I found that I didn’t feel the bite of jealousy. Whatever hold the idea of her once had on me, it was no longer there.

  Seeing me look at Aaryn, Maxon walked over to me. “She’s mine, and you won’t change that. This is your last chance to yield Valian. If you don’t, I won’t be able to keep from hurting you,” He said in a low voice while subtly directing his aura at me. It made me wonder if the punishment for killing him in the circle might be worth it.

  Once everyone ate, Karsam announced that soldiers had prepared the dueling ring on the edge of camp. The nobles would be around the outer edge of the ring for both the protection of the watching soldiers, and to intervene if things went too far. I didn’t particularly care about the specifics, I just wanted to get this over with.

  We left the tent as a polarized group. My side had the Umbras surrounding me while Major Vinea and Aaryn gravitated towards Maxon. Colonel Karsam stood in between our two positions with Darian looking uncomfortable next to him. The two of them acted as the only neutral party among us.

  The regular guards circled our procession while my squad spread out around them. I was sure that all the other nobles noticed, but none of them said anything. The group was too tense to be bothered by the activities of common soldiers as we walked towards the edge of the camp.

  Arriving at the circle, everyone moved to their positions. My squad broke off and stood together on the side behind me while the other officers surrounded the cleared area. Colonel Karsam took his place in the middle of the ring, and I realized that I hadn’t seen Lathian at all this morning. I briefly wondered where he could be, but dismissed the thought as unimportant.

  Looking back towards my soldiers, I noticed Tristan at the front. He stood with his shoulder touching Selene’s. I shook the observation from my mind. There was no place for distractions right now.

  The other officers stood as the official boundary between the challengers and the soldiers watching. Stephan, as my second, stood at the furthest point to my left. Major Vinea, as Maxon’s second, stood directly opposite him.

  Taking a deep breath and releasing it, I stepped into the ring. Tristan walked in behind me. “I’m here for your clothes sir,” he said in a normal voice, then lowering his voice, he continued, “and to make sure you could take this guy before things got started. I’ve got a lot of money riding on this fight,” he whispered so that only I could hear him.

  Laughing, I gave Tristan a cocky smile in response then stripped down to nothing as Maxon did the same on the other end of the circle. The levity didn’t last long as I finished removing my clothing. “Teach this arrogant bastard who’s boss,” was the
only other thing Tristan said before he slapped my back and stepped away holding my clothes.

  I only wore a few clothes to the ring, so undressing was quick. Maxon on the other hand, had to remove all of his armor and then his clothes, which seemed to take forever, even with two attendants helping him. This gave me plenty of time to notice my surroundings, including catching Saundra eyeing me hungrily at the edge of the circle. I also caught Aaryn’s gaze at one point, but she quickly looked away. After that, her eyes stayed fixed towards Maxon as he undressed. His delay gave me the time I needed to push all of my wandering thoughts out of my mind before the match started.

  Once we were both naked, Karsam stepped into the middle of the ring. Calling for silence, he addressed the assembled crowd. “Today, we are here to witness a duel to submission or incapacitation between Sir Maxon Vinea and Sir Valian.” The lack of family name was obvious, and it marked me as a bastard noble. I forced my anger down. I’d work it out momentarily while taking Maxon apart.

  “Sir Maxon is the challenger, and the wager has been agreed upon by both parties. Sir Maxon is challenging for Sir Valian’s battle charger against weapons, armor, and one hundred gold coins,” he announced loudly for all to hear. Murmurs broke out at the amount on the line, and Karsam waited for it to quiet down before continuing. “The chosen weapons of the duel are tooth and claw. No other weapons will be permitted. Combatants, step forward.”

  I took my first steps forward, mentally preparing myself for the pain I’d felt during my last shift. Just as in nature, beast form fights were usually short and savage. It only took one mistake to finish the fight, and pain would not distract me.

  I also briefly wondered what the reaction to my beast form’s new coloration would be, but banished the thought. There was no place for it in my current situation. What would be, would be. No amount of worrying would change it.