She was so preoccupied with planning her strategy that she didn’t at first realize they’d come out of the forest. Alaric loomed before her, unmoving, and she stumbled to stop herself falling into him. “Where now?” he asked Swift.
Swift pointed. “It’s another three miles. We—”
An unearthly howl shivered through the air, faint but unmistakably inhuman. It touched Sienne’s heart with a terrible chill. Long-dormant memories surfaced, of huddling terrified in her sister’s bed as thunder crashed outside their window, of fleeing from a snake she’d nearly stepped on, and she clenched her hands into tight fists until they felt numb. By the look of her companions, they, too, were lost in their own fears.
Alaric shook his head like a dog coming out of deep water. “That’s nothing,” he said. “We’ve faced worse fears than those.”
“Don’t be cocky,” Swift said. “That’s just the edge of the effect. When you’re within sight of it…I’ve seen brave men lose control and run into danger just to get away.”
“I was going for confident defiance rather than cocky, but I’ll take it,” Alaric said. “The point is that those fears are groundless. We need to remember that when it gets bad.”
“I have a blessing that will help,” Perrin said. “We used it against the carvers.”
“I thought that prevented the carvers taking control of us,” Dianthe said.
“That is one effect. Its general efficacy is against magic that works on the mind. Whether it will be truly effective depends on whether our fears are grounded in memory, or in our instincts. But it is worth trying.”
“When we reach the settlement, let’s do that,” Alaric said.
“Then we should go quickly,” Kalanath said.
They still couldn’t run as fast as Sienne wanted without exhausting herself. She didn’t even dare ferry herself and, by preference, Perrin of the silver tongue to the settlement to give their warning, because she needed all her magical strength to fight the howler, if it came to that. It didn’t matter, because she didn’t know the settlement at all, and she needed to have a clear picture of anywhere she used ferry to reach, but impatience had her in its claws and she wanted to move faster, faster.
Swift stumbled to a halt, and Sienne raced past him before she could stop herself. “What’s wrong?” Alaric said.
“Someone’s coming,” Swift said. He untied his tunic and stripped it off over his head. “I can—it’s hard to hear in this shape.”
His body stretched, thickened, and shifted into his bear form, falling to all fours. The bear raised his head and sniffed the air, taking a few steps back toward the now-distant forest. Then he sat back on his haunches and let out a sound halfway between a bark and a howl.
Something replied, longer and louder. Sienne shielded her eyes against the bright afternoon light and saw a dark shape approaching, low to the ground and coming fast. After a few seconds, it was recognizable as a bear, loping along at a ground-eating speed. It carried something in its mouth.
Swift changed shape and picked up his tunic. “It’s Wit.”
Relief coursed through Sienne that Wit had recovered. It was irrational—everyone woke up from fury eventually—but she still had that image of him lying helpless and unconscious, surrounded by enemies. She watched with the others as Wit ran up to them, changing into human form at the last minute and dropping what he held. Wit bent to pick the small bundle up and shook it out, revealing it to be a tunic. He shrugged into it, saying, “You could have waited for me.”
“We didn’t know when you’d wake up,” Swift said. “Didn’t Clever forbid you to come?”
“She did,” Wit said, “but I didn’t listen. She knew I wouldn’t, too.”
“But she is your matriarch,” Kalanath said.
“And not the keeper of my honor,” Wit said. “I told her she was wrong to let the humans be destroyed when we have a chance to stop it. She and Bright were still arguing about it when I left.” He stretched. “We should move. Howlers aren’t fast, but once they get whiff of their prey, they’re implacable in their pursuit.”
Alaric shook his head. “You do realize we’re all probably going to die, right?”
“Better to die a hero than live a coward,” Wit said. “Besides, you all fought carvers and survived that. I have a feeling this howler is going to find us a greater obstacle than it expects.”
They ran on, Sienne clutching her spellbook so it wouldn’t bang against her thigh. Wit’s arrival had cheered her more than the simple fact of his lone assistance could account for. Maybe it was his calm confidence, maybe it was just his faith in them, but in any case, the fears the howler had raised were gone.
Soon thin plumes of smoke scarred the cloudless sky. Alaric slowed, and said, “We’ll need to find their leader. I don’t suppose you know who that is?”
“We stay well away from humans,” Wit said. “We only know this place is here because we watch it for signs that they’re spreading out toward us.”
Another howl, closer now, threaded toward them on the slight breeze. Alaric drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if controlling himself. “It’s close,” he said.
Sienne shivered and closed her eyes against old nightmares. “That blessing would be nice right now.”
“Gather around, then,” Perrin said. He removed a paper from his riffle of blessings and held it high where he stood in the middle of them. The murmured invocation set the paper afire with rose-colored flames. Sienne didn’t feel any different, but she’d expected that from the last time he’d used that blessing.
“It’s reassuring,” she said, and It’s reassuring echoed in her mind like doubled vision, half a second after she spoke.
“I didn’t feel—oh, that is strange,” Swift said.
“It will not last long, perhaps an hour, so we should move quickly,” Perrin said.
Another five minutes’ jog brought them to the settlement. It was small, perhaps fifteen or twenty houses clustered together around a road that showed signs of being formed not deliberately, but by the passage of many feet taking the shortest route to their destination. To the south, fields of grain, mostly wheat and barley, spread out as far as Sienne could see. Dark blotches marked where people worked the fields. More people, mostly women, tended yards or fed chickens behind the houses. Small children ran and screamed in some game whose rules Sienne couldn’t discern. Possibly there were no rules. It was all so domestic Sienne despaired. These people would never believe them.
Alaric strode up to the closest woman, stopping well away so she wouldn’t feel threatened by the Ansorjan giant accosting her. “We need to speak with your leader,” he said. “Your head man, or wise woman—whoever makes the decisions for your community.”
The woman clutched her broom like a weapon. “Why?”
“We have a message. It’s imperative that we deliver it quickly. Where should we go?”
The woman looked at each of them in turn. She reserved her longest looks for Swift and Wit, who did look odd in their shapeless tunics and bare feet. Finally, she said, “You scrappers?”
“Yes,” Alaric said.
“We don’t have anything scrappers would want. You should leave us be. There’s a ruin west of here—try your luck there.”
“We’re not here on a job. We just have a message to deliver. Please, mistress.”
She eyed him again. “Yannick’s as close to a leader as we have. Fourth house on the right from here. He might be in the fields, this time of day, but you can check his house if you want.”
“Thank you.” Alaric saluted her and trotted in the indicated direction. Sienne hurried after him, counting houses.
The fourth one on the right didn’t look any different from the others, which was probably a good sign; it meant Yannick didn’t think he was superior just because he was the leader. Alaric rapped sharply on the door. “Perrin?”
“We want them moving west, correct?” Perrin said.
No one had come to the
door. Alaric rapped on it again. “West is probably safest. I think this man must be in the fields. It’s going to take us forever to find him if he is.”
On his last words, the door swung open. A short, round man with an enormous moustache that split his face in half regarded them warily. “Yes?”
“Are you Yannick?” Alaric asked.
“I am. You’re scrappers, aren’t you? Is there something I can do for you?” His tone indicated he didn’t think that was possible.
“We have a message for this settlement. May we come in?” Alaric hadn’t bothered staying back to give the man room. Yannick swallowed hard as he looked up at his looming presence.
“A…message? From scrappers?”
“It’s a complicated story I’d rather we told you indoors. And it’s urgent.”
Yannick looked past Alaric at the rest of them. He sagged slightly. “All right, come in.”
Yannick’s home was even simpler than its outsides indicated. It was a single room with a bed in one corner and an iron stove in another. A table with a lone chair was drawn up beneath the room’s one window. And even this was far more luxury than the werebears possessed. Sienne felt a moment’s anger that she quashed. Now was not the time to protest injustice, and the werebears’ condition was only very peripherally this man’s fault.
With all of them inside, the room felt very cramped. Yannick said, “I’m sorry I can’t offer you seats. Now, what is this message?”
Perrin stepped forward, drawing Yannick’s attention to himself. “Sir, what do you know of howlers?”
“Howlers? You mean, as in the children’s story?”
“They are very much not a fable, and one of them is coming this way. Your settlement is in its path. It will destroy all of you if you do not leave.”
Yannick’s mouth fell open slightly. “What proof do you have of this?”
“Ah…” Perrin looked as if this was not the response he’d expected. Sienne felt the same. She’d expected Yannick to either command them to leave or laugh himself silly. “You must have heard the howls of an unearthly creature, yes?”
“We hear howls all the time. Wolves, bears…it’s what you expect when you live on the frontier of the Empty Lands.”
Wit pushed forward. “Sir, my people—our settlement, that is—we have seen howlers and fled from them. We tracked this one from a distance and confirmed where its path would take it.”
“Your settlement? There isn’t any settlement other than ours for miles. You came all this way to warn us?”
Wit glanced at Swift. “No, sir. We did not come from far away. We live in the forest a few miles from here.”
“Then why haven’t we heard of you?”
Sienne willed him to make something up. This man might be willing to listen to their tales of howlers, but who knew what he’d make of were-creatures living on his doorstep?
“We aren’t human,” Wit said. “We’re weres.”
Yannick’s mouth fell open again, wide enough this time to catch flies. “You’re what?”
“Were-creatures. Werebears.”
“Impossible. Weres are brutes, lacking in human intelligence.”
“That’s a discussion for another time,” Alaric said. He clearly felt as Sienne did, that Wit was, despite other evidence, an idiot. “If we can get your people far enough west, the howler will pass this place and you’ll be able to return when it’s gone. But we have to move quickly.”
Yannick’s gaze was still stuck on Wit. “You haven’t attacked us,” he said. “Why?”
“Because we’re not monsters.” Wit took a step forward. “We just want to be left alone, to live in peace.”
Yannick didn’t back away at Wit’s approach. “Prove it.”
Sienne wasn’t sure what he wanted Wit to prove—how could Wit show, by himself, that weres wanted to live in peace? But Wit took it as instruction to remove his tunic and gesture the others to stand back. Yannick’s wide-eyed stare took in Wit’s nakedness, but he said nothing. Then Wit changed shape. The crowded room became positively claustrophobic. Wit sat back on his haunches and stared at Yannick. Yannick grabbed hold of the table he’d been forced against when Wit changed and looked like he needed it to keep from falling. Wit snuffled, a quiet, almost peaceful sound, so ordinary Sienne almost couldn’t believe it had come from the bear.
Yannick reached out his hand to Wit. Wit nosed it and snuffled again. Yannick lowered his hand and said, “Kitane’s left arm. There are more of you?”
“Many more,” Swift said. “And none of us wish you any harm. Which is why my cousin and I are here.”
Yannick closed his eyes briefly. “Kitane have mercy,” he said. Then he let out a deep breath. “They’re going to think I’m mad, but I believe you. How close is the howler?”
“Close enough. A couple of miles,” Swift said.
“It might not be enough time. Most of us are scattered in the fields this time of day.”
“We’ll buy you time,” Alaric said. “Wit, change back. We need to move.”
Wit stood up on his hind legs, shuddered, and was his human self again. “We can help spread the word,” he said, donning his tunic, “but I’m not sure your people will listen to strangers.”
“I’ll get the women working on telling people. You can help the children start their escape.” Yannick stroked his moustache. It looked like a nervous habit. “Thank you. And—you didn’t have to reveal yourself,” he told Wit.
“We want to live openly,” Wit said. “That has to start sometime. And if—” He shut his mouth before he could finish saying what Sienne was sure would have been we’re all going to die.
“Go,” Alaric said.
Yannick strode rapidly down the street. “Susa, Lannie, come here. Terian, go to the fields and have the men return. Tell them it’s an emergency. I’ll explain it all when they get here.”
Sienne stood with Alaric and watched the children, still running and playing with no regard for the strange grownups in their midst. “It’s not going to work, is it,” she murmured.
“We’ll get some of them away, and that’s what matters,” Alaric replied.
“But there aren’t enough of us to defend them.”
“We do our best. You know that.” He shielded his eyes and looked to the west. Sienne, glancing up at him, saw a fierce smile spread across his face. “And I think we’ll have plenty of help.”
Sienne followed his gaze. There was movement across the western horizon, a wave of browns and reds and golds sweeping toward them, backlit by the setting sun. Her heart beat faster, this time with excitement, as an army of werebears loped across the unbroken fields, coming straight for them.
17
The bear in the lead had dusty red fur like cinnamon and was bigger than the others. She loped up to them, changing shape mid-stride into Clever. “This is a fool’s errand,” she said when she was close enough. “Hitching our fortunes to theirs.”
“But it’s the right thing to do,” Sienne said.
The howl sounded again, so close Sienne looked around wildly for its source. The howler couldn’t be far now. Just as she realized the fear hadn’t struck her with such power as before, Clever said loudly, “Remember it is not a real fear. But if it strikes you, do not stand against it. Flee rather than be taken by the lust for flesh.” She turned back to Alaric and said, “That applies to you and yours as well. The howler can cause such terror it inspires a desire to rend one’s allies, to taste their blood. One becomes a danger to one’s friends when that happens.”
“We’ll remember,” Alaric said.
“The blessing works,” Kalanath said. “We can defend against it.”
“You—ah, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name,” Yannick said.
“Perrin,” Perrin said. He quickly introduced the others and added, “We have gained allies.”
Yannick looked out over the massed werebears and blanched. “They, um, there are certainly a lot of them,” he managed.
“They will guard your retreat. Have you summoned the others?” Perrin asked.
“They’re coming.” He gestured to a pair of women who were corralling children. “Susa and Lannie will take the children now.”
The fairer-haired of the two women looked up and saw the bears. She screamed and clutched two children to her. Alaric cursed. “No, it’s all right, they’re…” Yannick’s words faded into silence.
“Ladies!” Perrin exclaimed, walking toward them. “You have nothing to fear. These creatures are here to help.”
“Help with what?” the darker-haired woman said. “Yannick says something dangerous is coming—they look dangerous to me!”
Behind Clever, a brown bear shifted, became Bright. Both the settlement women screamed. Bright strode forward. “We do not mean you harm,” she said, “but there is no time to convince you. You must trust that man who is your leader, and later will be the moment for discussion. But move quickly, because I did not want to come and I wish to be gone when the howler arrives.”
A child of about five broke away from the women’s protective huddle and ran toward the bears. The dark-haired woman screamed and tried to follow her, got tangled up in the rest of the children, and was too late to stop the girl from running to the nearest bear, shouting, “Dog!”
“Not a dog!” the woman cried. “Lilia, stop!”
Lilia threw her arms around the bear, who sat back on its haunches and regarded her with some bemusement. Then it nosed the child’s ear, making the girl laugh and rub her face against the furry one. The woman stopped a few feet away, astonishment making her face a still, frozen mask. “Come back,” she whispered.
The bear shivered, stretched wide, and turned into a black-skinned man crouched on the ground nose to nose with Lilia. Lilia jerked back, astonished. The man offered her his hand, which she took tentatively. He rose and led the child back to the woman. “My daughter is this young,” he said. “She is also fearless.”
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