Ember slept that first night in the cave, nose to tail with the other wolves, her newly found uncle Shad curled at her side. She slept warm, dry, and extremely content with the pack, and if it hadn’t been for the mage trials calling her onward, she would have stayed there with her other family for a very long time. Unfortunately, her sense of duty overwhelmed her, and so she found herself restless as the darkness gave way to morning, though she only knew morning was near by the increased sound of songbirds and the smell of the rising sun.
It was none of these things which woke her. It was a dream that seemed more real than any she’d ever had and brought to mind the one she’d had the night before Devil’s Mount erupted. This time Ember was absent from the dream. The focus was entirely on a beautiful woman playing a sapphire-colored flute, her hair crackling around her like static while the evil blonde woman from Ember’s previous dreams dove toward her on dragonback. Even now in the stillness of morning, Ember shivered at the memory. The flute player had slightly pointed ears, and Ember guessed her to be part evahn, at least.
Only after fully awakening did she realize that the flute player had also been in her previous dream, the one in which her group had actually defeated her attacker. Was she someone important? Was she real? Were her dreams beginning to mesh with reality? The caverns began to resonate with the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. It was a wordless song that floated through the tunnels in a constant round so the echoes formed harmonies with the original melody.
Ember stretched and shook herself, then padded out of the cave in search of the sound, which was easier thought than done with the caverns distorting her sense of direction.
Finally she just stopped to listen. The song seemed so sad, it squeezed her heart to hear it, but she felt compelled to listen. It was almost as if the music had become a language unto itself, and Ember knew she had to find the source.
She got up again, trying to tune everything else out, and moved forward. She listened hard, spun around and went back the way she’d come, then turned down a small side passage.
The volume continued to increase until she entered a grand cavern with multiple entrances. The roof was embedded with crystal that reflected light from the surface and looked as if it were covered with a rainbow of stars.
In the direct center of the floor, a man knelt on a boulder with a flattened top, his arms outstretched and his head thrown back. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was open in the wordless song that had drawn her. Ember slunk to the side of the cave and lay down beneath an overhang to watch him.
He was well-muscled, as if he’d worked hard and come by his strength naturally, much like a blacksmith or carpenter. He didn’t seem tall, though it was hard to tell as he knelt, and her perspective had changed a bit since she’d shifted into a wolf.
His face was what drew her eyes the most. There was something tortured and yet worshipful about him, as if he were pouring his pain out to the heavens. It fascinated her. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t go until the song was done.
Ember closed her eyes and listened, letting the music carry her much the way the wind had as she’d run in wolf form. It was every bit as exhilarating, and gave her a glance into his true soul. She was sure he would not have sung if he’d known he had an audience. The moment seemed so private, but somehow she felt close to him in spite of it—or maybe, because of it.
Eventually the music wound to an end, the echoes of the tuneless theme coming back to her one more time. The singer’s head fell forward in benediction and stayed that way for several seconds before Ember released a sigh of regret. His head snapped up at the sound, and he scanned the room, finally stopping on her glowing eyes beneath the overhang. There was no use hiding now. She got to her feet and came forward, then bowed her head in his direction, a gesture of gratitude and praise before she turned to go. He nodded back, his blue eyes a little guarded, but not unfriendly. Ember didn’t want to scare him, not sure if he knew the wolves personally or not, so she walked slowly toward the tunnel she’d come through.
“Are you one of them? I haven’t seen you around before.” His speaking voice was every bit as beautiful as his singing voice had been.
Ember turned, unsure how to communicate with him. She whined and nodded her head.
“What’s your name?” This time she watched his face and realized he hadn’t used his mouth to say the words. He was mindspeaking, just as the wolves had, but it was so clear, it sounded as if he were vocalizing.
“Ember,” she said. “Who are you?”
“DeMunth. I’m a friend of Shad’s. I asked him to accompany me to Javak.”
“Javak? You’re going to Javak? For the mage trials?” Ember couldn’t help the excitement that crept into her mindspeech.
“Yes and no. I’ve got a meeting to attend there. It just happens to coincide with the mage trials.” He cocked his head. “Why do you ask?”
“That’s where I was going before I turned into a wolf.” She laughed. “I still need to get there somehow, much as I’d like to stay. The only problem is, I’m not sure how to get back to my human form. This is a first for me.” Somehow it was easy to talk to this man. She felt as if she knew him. Perhaps it was the music.
“That does sound like a problem. I’m sure Shad can help you. The journey to Javak will be challenging in this weather, especially for a lone wolf.” DeMunth cocked his head and looked thoughtfully at Ember. “Perhaps it is the will of the Guardians for us to meet this way.” He bowed when he said it, bringing his hands together in front.
Ember wasn’t sure what to say, so she said nothing. She’d ask Uncle Shad about changing later, but right now, she wanted to find out more about this man who fascinated her so. “Why don’t you sing words to your song? It’s beautiful as it is, but I want to know what it means.”
DeMunth didn’t answer for a long minute. He seemed to be examining Ember, searching her soul before he would give her the answer she sought. Finally he opened his mouth to speak and made sounds, but no words came forth. It was just a wordless stream of “oohs” and “aaahs.” Ember took a step closer, confused, until the light from one of the crystals struck his open mouth and she could see the problem.
DeMunth had no tongue.
Ember’s hackles went up, not in anger at the man, but at whoever had done this to him. It was obvious he had not been born that way. Someone had sliced his tongue out and left him mute, except for the wordless songs he sang. When he saw she understood, he closed his mouth and quieted. “I sang words, once. Not long ago, I was a priest of Sha’iim. I spent my days in song and prayer, serving those around me and finding peace in my life. Now I sing the only way I can. At least I have my voice. It could be worse.” He bowed his head and put his hands together again. Ember wondered if it was a form of respect or prayer to this Sha’iim. She’d never heard of him, but evidently DeMunth considered him some kind of deity.
“Good morning, DeMunth,” came a mindvoice from the tunnel behind her. Ember jumped and spun, a yip bursting from her before she could stop it. She’d not heard a sound as Uncle Shad came up behind her. “I see you’ve met my niece, Ember Shandae.”
DeMunth looked startled. “Little Shandae? The girl you’ve been searching for so long?”
“One and the same. She nearly fell into our laps last night. Transformed herself into a wolf while captured and spellchained to stone, with no experience whatsoever. The girl is gifted.” Shad walked to DeMunth and rested in front of him. DeMunth reached down and scratched behind Shad’s ears and around his neck. The big wolf ’s eyelids half-closed, and he sighed in contentment. Ember snickered to see him so dog-like.
“Very good, Shandae. Most shifters bungle their first transformation in dangerous ways,” DeMunth said. “Or would you prefer that we call you Ember?”
She shrugged as best she could in wolf form. “Ember is what I’ve always gone by.”
“Ember it is, then,” the singer said, scratching beneath Shad’s chin, then patti
ng him on the shoulder before he got to his feet. He picked up a pack Ember hadn’t noticed until then. “Isn’t it about time to go, my friend?”
Shad sighed heavily, though it seemed to be done in fun. “Yes, I suppose it is. Ember, where may we take you? I’d really like to speak with your mother before I leave the area.”
Ember shook her head. “You don’t want to talk to her right now. She’s pretty mad at me, and my stepfather is sick. Really sick.” Paeder’s smell invaded her senses. Funny that as a wolf it was memory that triggered scent, rather than the other way around. She sincerely hoped Ezeker had persuaded her mother to take Paeder to Javak. That gave her an idea. “Actually, they’re going to Javak to see the Mage Council about healing him, so you can talk to her there.” She desperately hoped he’d accept, but it was not to be.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. It’s rather urgent. Besides, if she’s going to Javak, we can travel with her and provide some protection. I’ll have to change into my human form to speak with her, though. Your father never did get around to telling her he was half-wolf.”
Ember was surprised at that, though she shouldn’t have been. She was pretty sure Marda wouldn’t have been so antagonistic toward magic if she’d known her husband was a shapeshifter by nature. She sighed with resignation. “Well, can I at least stay a wolf while you talk to her?”
Shad laughed. “Why would you want to do that?”
“So she doesn’t see me. She really doesn’t want me to go to the mage trials. She might try to keep me home, and I’ve got to go. I have to!” Ember was starting to feel panicked. She couldn’t afford to let Marda ruin things for her now, not when she was finally free and discovering so much.
Shad shifted into human form right then, so quickly that Ember hardly saw the stages in between. He was wolf one moment and human the next, and somehow he was a fully-clothed human. Where had his clothes come from? For that matter, where had hers gone when she’d shifted?
The wolf, now human, crouched down in front of her and held her head in his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his. “It’s not going to happen, little one,” he said with his actual voice this time, though strangely accented. “I’ll make sure your mother does not interfere. The mage trials are part of your destiny. I’ll get you there, but I need your help in speaking to your mother before it’s too late. You have no idea the danger she is in—that you’re both in.”
Ember searched his face and found only truth and fear there. She nodded, closed her eyes, and tried to shift herself back.
Nothing happened.
She opened her eyes in frustration and not a little fear. “I don’t know how to change back, Uncle. It was so instinctive before—I don’t know what I did.”
Shad chuckled. “The first time is always the hardest. Start slowly. Change one thing at a time. Start with your fur, perhaps. Imagine yourself a naked wolf.”
Ember looked at him, not sure if he was joking, and decided he was. “Ha, ha. No, thank you. Why don’t we do the fur last.”
Shad shrugged. “If that is what you wish. Perhaps you can imagine yourself standing on two legs.” Ember closed her eyes again and pictured it. She wanted to make it real, but nothing happened.
Come on, change! She tried over and over again, but nothing happened. Evidently she was going to stay a wolf for a lifetime after all. It wasn’t nearly as appealing as it had seemed earlier. She missed being able to talk. She growled in frustration and looked up in time to see DeMunth put his hand on Shad’s shoulder.
“Perhaps we should let this go for now. We’ll have plenty of time to practice on the road. Time is wasting and can’t be brought back.”
Shad nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Ember. I’ll work with you on it. I’m not sure where the block is, but we’ll figure it out.”
Shad scratched his head, then shrugged. He glanced down at her front legs and paused. “What is this?” he asked, kneeling before her and lifting her paw to inspect the threads of silvery gray that ran up her legs. Ember shrugged, not wanting to explain at the moment. She had enough on her mind as it was.
Shad let her paw go and stood up. “It appears you’ve got your wish. I still need you to take me to Marda, but you’re going to do it as a wolf.” He shifted back into wolf form himself and mindspoke. “Will you lead the way back to your home?”
“If I can figure out where I am, I should be able to get you there.” Ember hoped that would be true. She knew most of the caves, but not all, and she hadn’t recognized the terrain they’d scrambled through last night.
“If I can get you back to familiar territory, will you take us the rest of the way?” Ember was reluctant to agree, but finally she bobbed her head in assent. Shad turned and ran back to the sleeping room, Ember hard on his heels. He called the pack to order, and they filed back out the way they had come in the night before.
There must have been an exit on the other side, because shortly after they left the cave, DeMunth met them on a huge stallion, bigger than any horse she’d ever seen. She was sure it would flatten her if it ever decided to do so, but strangely, it didn’t even stir in the wolves’ presence. It acted as if they were nothing more than a pack of hounds.
Shad went to the head of the group, glanced over his shoulder, then took off in an easy run that had them leaping over boulders and across the rocky face of the mountain.
Ember was sure she was going to lose her footing and tumble down the mountainside at any time, and under other circumstance she probably would have. She was usually a rather clumsy girl. But not in wolf form. She seemed to know instinctively where to step, which stones would hold her, and which would give. It was an exhilarating, amazing feeling.
After a while, the territory seemed familiar, and as they approached the roaring waterfall above the lake near her home, Ember got her sense of direction back. She howled and put on a burst of speed that took her to Shad’s side, then edged ahead of him. He pulled back a bit and let her take the lead, and within a matter of minutes they were at the edge of the forest that lined Paeder’s property.
There Ember stopped. She was about to lead the pack through the wooden fence and across the field when Tiva and Ren came out of the house with Paeder supported between them. He looked like a walking corpse, and it nearly broke Ember’s heart to see it. The boys guided Paeder to the covered wagon they’d parked in the courtyard. It looked like the boxcar would be making the trip to Javak after all.
Ember wanted to feel resentment, but her heart held nothing but gratitude. The wagon would give Paeder a controlled, warm environment in which to travel. He’d never survive the trip to Javak otherwise.
Marda came from the house, a large bag settled on her shoulder. She looked as if she’d aged ten years overnight. Her face was pale, her eyes lined and exhausted, with deep purple rings below them.
Again, Ember was about to lead the wolves across the field when Ezeker and a dozen of his guards rode into the courtyard.
“Marda! Where is Ember?” Ezeker demanded as he threw himself off his horse. It was obvious he was angry, and Ember detected a bit of worry there as well. She gathered herself to leap through the fence and race to him to let him know she was okay when a hand on her shoulder halted her. It was DeMunth.
She growled, but stopped to watch.
Marda stopped. “She’s not with you?”
“If she was, do you think I’d be standing here, asking?” he said. His voice softened a little.
Tears started to leak from Marda’s eyes. She put her hands over her face and sank to the ground with a moan. Ezeker knelt with her, his arm across her shoulders. Ember growled and tried to push past Shad, but paused at his words.
“Now is not the time, child. Do you think she’s going to welcome a wolf with open arms when she’s missing her daughter?” The force of Shad’s stare was powerful. Ember whimpered, but sank to her haunches.
Her heart chilled as a man entered the courtyard. “My pardons, folks, but I came upon this horse a
nd was told it might be your’n.” Ember’s hackles rose, and a low growl came to her throat at the sight of her attacker from the night before.
Tiva rushed around the wagon and inspected the horse. “It’s Brownie, all right. What happened to her? What did you do with our sister?” he demanded, his body nearly shaking with anger. Ember was surprised at his reaction, though she didn’t know why. Tiva was her brother, after all, or at least he’d been raised as one.
“Easy there now, boy, I don’t rightly know what happened to her,” the kidnapper said, taking off his hat to scratch his bald head.
“Liar!” Ember would have yelled it if she could, as her growl increased. Too bad he couldn’t hear it.
“I found this horse wandering by the side of the road and asked around. Somebody told me it might belong to you. I’m just returning what’s rightfully yours. You got a girl missing, you say?” He scratched his head again, all calm nonchalance. “That’s a pretty awful thing to have happen, especially when the master isn’t feeling so great. I’d be happy to help you look for her, if you wish.”
Marda finally found her voice. “That’s kind of you, stranger, but she’ll be fine. We know where she’s going. I’m sure she’ll get there safely.” Tiva nodded his agreement.
“Good instincts, girl,” Shad whispered.
Unfortunately, the others disagreed. Paeder called from the wagon. “Let the man help! There’s no point in turning down assistance when we’re so short in numbers. If Ember’s in trouble, she needs all the help she can get.” The coughing took over then, and his speech stopped.
Ren, Ezeker, and Aldarin all nodded. Marda’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Ember wished with all her heart she could change into herself and tell her family how dangerous this man was. They were teaming up with a viper, an agent of C’Tan. But even if she had been able to turn back into herself, she knew she couldn’t go. Exposing herself would only endanger her family. She would have to stay out of sight until she knew he was gone for good.
“Well, since you all know where she’s headed, why don’t I travel with you, and I’ll scour the forest for her as we go? I’ve got my own food. I won’t be no trouble—I just want to help.”
Marda snorted, and Ember smiled at her mother’s reaction, though her heart still raced.
Ren took Brownie and tied her to the wagon. The stranger climbed up on his horse and waited for the rest of the family to settle. Ezeker gathered his small army around the wagon—evidently they were all traveling together. There was no way Ember could get past them to see her mother. It looked as though Shad would have to wait to talk to Marda until they got to Javak after all.
“We sure do appreciate your help,” Ren said to the kidnapper. “What’s your name?”
“Ian. Ian Covainis,” he answered as he threw his hat back on his head and looked around. He glanced behind him, his gaze stopping on the wolves at the edge of the property. A slow grin crept across his face. He lifted his hat in salute, tipped his chin, and nudged his horse forward as the wagon began to move.
The Sapphire Flute: Book 1 of The Wolfchild Saga Page 19