Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  The pike’s tip was a thick steel point with a guard immediately below it to catch and turn weapons. Unbroken, the pike would never work in the confined space, but as it was, I could use it. If I could get into position, the blade might be just what I needed to end this fight. Reaching down to grab the weapon, my fingers barely brushed it when the fortified door exploded into the room and knocked me off my feet.

  I shook my head to clear the cobwebs that lingered from the impact and blood loss. Staggering to my feet, I turned to find the white saurian standing in the room’s entrance regarding me. It had several wounds in various states of healing all over its body. Apparently, my ambush had worked better than I thought. Regardless of its injuries, it was still in much better shape than me. I bled from a dozen wounds, and I knew four of them were potentially life threatening. On top of that, at least three ribs had broken from the force of the door and made movement painful.

  My heart sank as I realized that the pike head was too far from my current position to be useful. The white saurian didn’t look as if it would give me a chance to retrieve the weapon either. It crouched down and stepped towards me cautiously. It had at least stopped treating me like an easy victory.

  A desperate plan formed in my mind. The pike was several feet away on the other side of the monster. The only way I would reach it would be through the creature that had been stalking me. Taking as deep a breath as I dared with broken ribs, I prepared to attack. If I could push my foe off balance, I could get past and retrieve the weapon.

  Like all desperate plans, this one didn’t even survive first contact. I charged the scaly beast in front of me and was met with claws, teeth and impossible strength. As I grappled with the creature, it became clear I wouldn’t be pushing him anywhere. In desperation, I locked my jaws down on the side of his throat and allowed him to stab me with his claws under my armpits. The damage was severe, and I felt the difficulty breathing that comes from having both lungs punctured.

  I had hoped that I could reach the artery in the saurian’s neck by taking the wounds I had. We’d die together, but I could accept a tie if it saved the rest of the beast-kind counting on me for protection. The plan almost worked, but as my teeth touched the vulnerable spot, he realized what I was doing.

  The white saurian jerked back and flung me across the room. I slammed into the desk that occupied the center of the space and landed among the dead beast-kind that littered the floor. Drawing air was becoming a challenge, so I knew that I wouldn’t be standing up to face my demise. As I accepted my defeat and rested my arms beside me, I felt the pike head under my left hand.

  I let out a wet cough combined with a laugh to myself as I laid there and waited for the end. The white saurian didn’t have to do anything. At this rate, I’d die of blood loss or fluid in my lungs. Luckily for me, he’d run out of patience. He stalked forward and stood over me with hate and hunger in his eyes. He didn’t notice the weapon next to me.

  I saw the moment the creature decided to attack. The muscles in his chest and shoulders tightened ever so slightly, and he gave a menacing hiss. I bet everything on my assumption and used the last of my strength to stab the pike up at my enemy’s position. The solid metal point pierced between his ribs and slid into the space that housed his heart.

  We sat like that for what seemed an eternity. Me half sitting up, the white saurian bent over; a broken pike occupying the distance between us. The entire world was frozen. I saw the shock in his expression as I stole his kill.

  A sense of disbelief came from the white saurian for a split second before the light in its intelligent eyes faded to the dullness of death. The creature’s head rolled to the side. Its mouth hung slack; showing the sharp teeth it had used to tear my flesh. While no longer a threat, it was still a chilling sight.

  As its lifeless body fell to the side, a palpable shock wave radiated from the creature’s carcass. The force pushed me and the surrounding bodies several feet from my fallen enemy. A nearby wall stopped my slide.

  As I laid there waiting to die, I realized that the saurian’s body no longer glowed. It appeared to be almost decaying before me. Hopefully, that meant the horde outside the prison now lacked a unifying force. I didn’t think about it long though as fatigue and injury finally sapped the last of my strength. The world tunneled in before it slowly faded to black. I absently hoped the ancestors would be proud and welcome me in the afterlife.

  Chapter 25

  I questioned whether I was dead when I opened my eyes. I was in a soft bed under warm sheets. The sun was shining in a window to the side of the room, warming it to a level just shy of being hot. A gentle breeze kept the air circulated. In my comfort, I decided not to think about it, and instead closed my eyes again to take a nap. If I was dead, it’s not like I had a schedule to keep.

  The next time I woke, Tristan watched me from the side of my bed. He had a concerned expression on his face. “I’m sorry you died too, but your ugly face shouldn’t be the reception I get in the afterlife,” I said matter-of-factly.

  Confusion registered on his face before he scowled at me. “You should be so lucky. Unfortunately for all of us, you’re still in the land of the living. Though, you tried your hardest to remedy that. Even with all of your efforts, two weeks of sleep is quite enough,” he said as he looked me in the eye.

  “What’s the point of living if you don’t push things occasionally?” I asked as I sat up in the bed and swung my legs over the edge into a sitting position. Hearing I’d been out so long was quite the shock, and I wanted to be up as quickly as possible. Tristan moved to stop me from getting up, but stopped midway when he saw I had no trouble.

  “The medic that looked at you said you may never walk again if you even regained consciousness,” Tristan said as he inspected my abdomen and upper body for the many injuries I’d received. The areas I’d been wounded were covered in fine white scars, but otherwise, there was no sign I’d ever been injured. Though, there seemed to be more scar tissue than regular skin.

  It looked like I had been one big injury by the time I blacked out. Even as I watched, I could see the light scars fading away. I was relieved to see my regeneration was working again. Even though I’d only had it a short time, I’d come to rely on my ability to heal more than any other noble trait.

  Breaking from the inspection of my wounds, Tristan walked across the room and threw me some clothing. “Get dressed. You’re making me uncomfortable sitting there looking at yourself in the nude,” he said as he pulled the chair in the corner closer so he could sit in it.

  He proceeded to tell me what I’d missed during my hunt and subsequent nap as I got dressed and sat back down on the bed. I listened to the story intently, eager to hear what had happened while I was out and what was now happening within the fort. It took over an hour for him to tell me the entire story.

  As Tristan told it, the saurians had only attacked our fortified camp in small groups while I was out looking for the white saurian. That was until some change came over them, and they started throwing themselves at the walls. Some even impaled themselves on the spiked defenses so that others could climb up their dead bodies. In all that time, the imperial soldiers behind the inner wall refused to open the gate.

  When it was obvious the house troops wouldn’t last much longer, Lady Kyla led a contingent that took control of the gate and sent out reinforcements. The imperial troops bolstered the house defenses and evacuated the civilians into the keep courtyard. Apparently, she acted against the princess’s orders. Because of her actions, she had her rank and title stripped. It was rumored that if so many didn’t agree that her actions saved the entire camp, the princess would have charged her with treason and hanged her. Instead, Emilia cast Kyla out in disgrace as a “mercy”. Tristan spat out the words. The act made it impossible for Kyla to honorably return to her family lands in the heart of the empire.

  The imperials held off the saurians long enough for the civilians to escape. Shortly after the civilians mad
e it into the keep’s courtyard, something happened to the enemy. Their attack fell apart, and they started to run away from the besieged camp.

  Enoch Ferrun, seeing the change in the enemy, led a cavalry charge into the retreating saurians. “Before you ask, no: no one rode Bashita in the attack. Your damn horse wouldn’t let anyone near her saddle. She’s currently resting in a nearby stable, just as moody as ever,” he said interrupting his story. After the charge’s success, the imperial army marched out in force to secure the fort.

  I couldn’t help laughing at the news of Enoch’s charge and Bashita’s attitude towards everyone in my absence. I missed my mount terribly and hoped to see her soon.

  I hoped that there wouldn’t be any bad blood between the Ferruns now that Enoch had fulfilled his ambition. Tristan smiled at my laughter as he’d been there when the noble had wanted everyone to run out at the saurians. The imperials showing up to claim credit at the end of everything didn’t surprise me

  “As for our forces,” Tristan began, and his mood took a more somber turn, “only three of the refugees died, but we lost three hundred and fifteen soldiers. Sergeant Aldo and those under his command died near the western gate when it fell. The others died trying to hold back the tide during our retreat to the inner wall. All told, Fero House has three hundred and forty-five soldiers and five hundred twenty refugees remaining.”

  His words shocked me. I’d been at the command meeting before my mission into the fort. Our losses had been reported, but this was different. An exact troop count was more real, and cut deeper than the abstract report during our struggle.

  “What about Stephan, Leah and Alexander?” I asked, afraid of the answer. During the fight, I had hoped they’d come to my aid but it never happened.

  “They are all alive and feel horrible for it. I’ve never seen people so sorry to be unhurt in all my life. Apparently, they were able to help Lathian finish off the rest of his opponents, but your fight was settled before they could find you. They say Lathian killed six of the damn things before he was too wounded to fight anymore. You, they found in a pool of your own blood next to a strange saurian skeleton after the enemy started running away,” he said as he threw his hands up at the ridiculousness of it all.

  Thinking of Lathian, I remembered the last view I’d seen of him. He had been bleeding from his shoulder, and his arm dangled uselessly as he fought with the brute bodyguards. His skill with a blade was unmatched, I questioned whether I could beat him on a level playing field. I had trouble believing Karsam had ever bested the elf in single combat. I made a mental note to investigate that later.

  Tristan distracted me from my own thoughts with what he said next though. “So technically, I’m disobeying an imperial command right now. The standing order is that you’re brought before the princess as soon as you regain consciousness,” he said almost casually.

  “Well then, let us not disappoint her highness,” I said with a sly smile. “Where are my weapons and armor?”

  At my question, Tristan seemed to slump. “About that,” he said as he looked at me, “Your armor was pretty well trashed, and I don’t know what happened to your weapons. Whatever that thing was, it tore through your armor and clothing like paper. The craftsmen among our people from Vega Point all agreed your armor was unsalvageable.”

  A lump formed in my chest at the news. My armor was the nicest equipment I’d ever worn. Actually, aside from Bashita, it was the nicest thing I’d ever owned in my life. Even my replacement sword and dagger had been a far cry better than the sword I’d practiced with in the battle academy. Who knew when I’d be able to afford such fine gear in the future. What, with creating a house from scratch with no infrastructure to speak of, it could be quite some time before I had any money at all.

  Tristan, seeing my expression, took pity on me. “That is why they insisted that they make you new armor and weapons,” he said as he moved to open the wardrobe in my room to show my new equipment hanging there.

  I sat speechless for several minutes inspecting my equipment before I had Tristan help me put it on. The armor fit snuggly on my frame and didn’t hinder my movement when I ran through several motions. I was stiff from healing and the movement felt nice. Next, I sheathed and unsheathed my new blades several times to test the scabbards and the balance of my new weapons.

  Like my last set, metal plating covered most of the surfaces on my chest piece, vambraces and greaves. Instead of the flat black of my old set, the metal of my new armor was polished to a mirror shine. The design of the new plating consisted of sharp lines instead of the circles and bends of the old armor.

  Despite the look of the polished metal, it was the leather that stood out most. It was a dark brown with a scaled pattern imprinted into it. A quick look towards Tristan verified that it was saurian skin.

  “The white saurian had apparently decayed faster than any ordinary beast. The imperials deny that there ever was such a creature. Of course, we are taking the opportunity to share what really happened out there with anyone who will listen. Without its skin, we had to use the skin of one of the brute bodyguards for your armor. The stuff is incredibly tough, and I doubt you’ll be able to destroy it as quickly as your last set. The craftsmen worked day and night to get it ready in time for you,” he said with a smirk.

  We hadn’t been able to collect the enemy skin from the ambushes, but saurian was a well-known leather in Tor’s Rest. Some thought it barbaric to take the skins of a sentient species for leather, but after this campaign, I had no problem with it. With the numbers killed in the fort, every noble house and even the imperial forces would leave with large shipments of the trade good.

  My blades were of the same style as the armor. Both sword and dagger shone brightly and were wrapped with the same dark saurian leather. I had to admit that the skill of the work impressed me. The blades and armor were flashier than I was used to, but they were of an even higher quality than what I’d ruined. I smiled as Tristan handed me my tabard, and I headed to confront Princess Emilia.

  “Hold a moment. I believe you’re missing something,” Tristan said as I stepped towards the door. I couldn’t, for the life of me, think of anything. He held up my trophy necklace with the elaborate bone pieces. It had four large canines hanging from the very front of it that hadn’t been there before. “The beast’s body decayed before we could skin it, but his teeth were still on his skeleton. We thought they would make a good addition.”

  I was speechless as he stepped forward and placed the piece around my neck. Sensing my gratitude, Tristan slapped my shoulder much the same as I had before I left him. “Now you’re ready to face the princess,” he said with a smile, and I knew all was forgiven. I smiled and nodded before turning to leave the room. It was time to face the world again.

  My people were in the same barracks we used before, so I had plenty of opportunity to see the people of the fort on our way to the keep. As I made my way towards the keep, people stopped to stare at our procession. It was much emptier than I remembered. Burned out and collapsed buildings dotted our route to the keep, and loose stones still covered sections of the road. Throughout the trip, I intentionally kept from looking back at the western wall. I knew what was left of the ruined defenses and had no desire to see them again. The damage would take years to repair.

  “If Lady Kyla is still in the fort, please send someone to find her. I’d like to meet with her after my audience,” I said to Tristan as we walked through the inner gate leading to the keep. With a nod and gesture from Tristan, one of my five bodyguards ran off to carry out my request. I shook my head and smiled to myself. I’d have to talk to Tristan about the excessive number of bodyguards later.

  The attendants at the keep looked surprised to see me coming. No doubt, the popular theory in the princess’s court was that I’d either stay in a coma or be disfigured upon my waking. I suspected that no one would deliver the news of my recovery before my arrival for fear of Emilia’s temper.

  Having been h
ere before, I knew the way to the audience hall. Much to the chagrin of the attendants of the keep, I didn’t stop or deviate from my path to where I thought Emilia would be. Tristan’s orders had been to bring me before her at once. I wouldn’t disappoint her.

  I banged on the double doors of the audience hall once before opening them. I didn’t want to knock over the valet, but I wouldn’t wait either. My timing was perfect as Princess Emilia seemed to be in the middle of a full court. An imperial officer was standing before her giving a report to the entire assembly.

  The irritation at being interrupted was clear on her face, but it quickly turned to rage at seeing it was me. The crowd of on lookers was much larger than the last time I’d been here. A quick inspection of the hall verified that all the house leaders were in attendance. I stopped next to the imperial officer who had been speaking and gave a slight bow to the princess. “Princess Emilia, my soldiers told me that I should come before you immediately upon my waking,” I said loudly enough for the assembly to hear me. I made sure to stare directly into Emilia’s eyes as I spoke.

  “Yes,” she said through clenched teeth as she held her beast back from responding to my challenging stare. She stood from her throne and broke eye contact for a moment before continuing. “I see you have regained your full strength. I was worried you’d be left a cripple from the severity of your wounds.” She feigned with innocent sympathy. She was a poor actress.

  “I am honored that my wellbeing should be so important to a princess of the realm,” I said loudly enough for the entire hall as I continued to stare defiantly. Many of the house leaders laughed nervously at my words. The tension of the room was palpable.

  “Yes, well, with your downfall momentarily averted, we can continue with what we were doing before your arrival. Sir Tobias here was just reporting to the assembly that the imperial army has finished thinning the saurian numbers. Any of the remaining beasts have gone to ground. We have defeated the savage beasts. The imperial army remains strong and unbreakable,” she said to the entire assembly. Her claiming credit for our victory didn’t surprise me, but I had to clench my jaw to keep from expressing my anger. I thought of all the people we lost because of her actions. Rage threatened to consume me.