Time Before the Wolf

by RR Turock

Chapter 9: Rights and Wrongs

  I found I still wasn’t ready to go home. Thoughts of rights and wrongs spun at a thousand miles per hour in my brain until there was no more room and everything failed. I remembered something relieving. My father’s old pipe could fix my poor mood.

  With Father’s pipe in hand, I twirled in circles. Pride halted me, reminding me that Asaph could still be around, watching my grateful reaction. I shrugged to myself, I shouldn’t care. Sighing, I consented to my pride; I do care.

  Still, I had Father's pipe. He was still with me. My fingers tightened around it, feeling over the worn scars and carvings. Father always traced it, and I would do the same. Closing my eyes, I felt it over again. Picturing each symbol as I felt it, I tried to remember the story of Karrazard’s beginning.

  How the original Piper brought the children to this city to mine the iron core. We were always a hard working city, but we never held much power. Even as a trading post, we grew slowly. The Piper had given one child his song, using it to dub him the ruler, a Piper to bring life to the musical city of Karrazard. And so they passed the song from King to Prince since.

  Until Father, that is. Father fell in love with a foreigner, a circus player in Malec’s crew. He married her, and that was against the rules. The Prime Minister had tried to remove Father then. But the King sided with his son, giving him a second chance. If Father bore a son, then the son would be the heir and the next king. All that had to happen was the birth of a boy. But God had other plans and I was born.

  Deion, the Prime Minister, had us exiled with glee. Still, the King loved his son and would only give him the power to find and choose an heir. Father stayed in the city secretly, trying to find his heir here. Deion found out and sent assassins. We had no choice but to leave this city.

  And again, we were powerless to a deadly man. We were wolves, nomadic, chased out of the pack. Now I was back, and still I’m powerless because I’m not smart enough. If only someone could tell me whom to choose, I would be happy.

  Someone rammed into me, cutting my thoughts short and almost making me drop the pipe. I opened my eyes as the cloaked figure passed me without a word. Everything seemed to move slowly as I reached out to reprimand her. My fingers caught the hood and her momentum pulled it down. She glanced out me without recognition.

  I knew her face, her green eyes, her dark locks. Mother. She didn’t give me a second thought and picked up her run. I turned to the route she had come from. Men, carrying the Hoof family crest, were charging in my direction. In the action of putting the pipe in the bag, I withdrew a little bag of flour and sprayed it over. In the same motion, I snapped to sulfur rocks together.

  I managed to turn my back and start running after Mother when the flour exploded in momentary flames. It wasn't deadly, but it would distract the Hoof guards long enough to escape them. Catching up to her, I caught Mother’s arm and yanked her down a different alley. I made several other turns before she pulled back.

  I stopped, catching my breath, I looked back at her. “Are you all right?”

  She, panting as well, narrowed her eyes on me in recognition. “You’re that girl claiming to be the Prince’s daughter. What do you want from me?”

  My lungs became vacant as I stared in horror. She didn’t recognize me. I had green eyes, I suppose, but lots of people from caravans did. “I am the Piper’s daughter, C’lyris Piper Kaleng.”

  She lifted her chin in suspicion. “No, you’re not. You must have killed him and his daughter and took the song for yourself, to make yourself undisputed ruler. The Prince would have never permitted his daughter to have the song, much less announce the heir.”

  I raised a brow. “Your husband, my father did teach me the song. And sure, he didn’t want me to announce it at first, but he is busy, so I'm going to do it anyways.”

  Mother continued to debate me on this. “You’re not my daughter. My husband would be far more tactful and not busy. If you want me to believe you, bring me to him. Once I talk to him, then I’ll believe you.”

  I bit my lip. Either way, it did look like I murdered him. I argued. “Well, I can’t. You won’t believe me if I did.”

  She scowled. “I wouldn’t have a dolt for a daughter, for one thing.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed angrily. “Well, you sure don’t act like my mother. She was always good to me, saying much nicer things. If Father was here, he would tell you to be nicer to me. He was always teasing, but never that meanly.” She blinked in surprise at the memory.

  I was accurate, so I continued. “You should know, Father always intended to give me the song. Just look at the way he named me. My full name means Lyrics to the Piper’s Song. Father never reprimanded me for being a girl, but you hated it. So I don’t care if you are going to help me find Father’s heir or not. Just don’t get in my way.”

  Eyes focused on me, Mother remarked arbitrarily. “You are nothing like me. No, you are just like your father. So single-minded.”

  I sighed, raising my chin. “Wrong. Father always said I was stubborn like you.”

  Her brows rose as she mentioned. “So you’re saying you are both single-minded and stubborn?" Rubbing her temples, she sighed. "Where is your father?”

  I looked down, unable to meet her eyes. I mumbled softly. “Everyone seems to come to the conclusion I killed him, but no one ever seems to point out it was Deion who sent the raiders.” I looked up. “I loved Father; I would have never harmed him, intentionally. But Deion took him away.”

  Mother nodded, her eyes closed. “When I saw you make the announcement at the parade the other day, I had an inkling that he died. I’ve spent the last eleven years dwelling on the possibility. Your father was too gentle and I was too weak. One of us had to change and I figured it wasn’t going to be him. I’m glad I did.”

  There was something chilling about her presence. I couldn’t put a pin on it, but I didn’t feel quite right. And there was something familiar, not comforting, but familiar about her pose. I noted. “You have changed.”

  She nodded proudly. “I grew up and grew strong as iron. I’ve raised the perfect heir for your father. I figured he wouldn’t know who to choose, so I did it for him.”

  I winced. Father did make his decision, so was it the same as Mother did? I queried nervously. “Who?”

  Mother turned away as she told her story. “When the doctor your father paid realized there was no way for him to check on me, he left with his money without healing me. I realized that this is a cruel city, just like the rest of the world. If you want to make it here, you have to spill iron, clamp down on throats, and trample your enemies. You can’t let an opponent live. I knew I needed to find someone who understood this. Your father was the prince, dear, so not entirely realistic. He was too merciful and wouldn't understand.

  “There was a boy I found who lost his parents in the flood a long time ago. He was all on his own. He understood the cruelty of this city. I took him in and raised him to be strong. I raised him to understand how to get his way, no matter the cost. When that stubborn fool, the last Head of the Hoof family refused to take him in as heir, the boy took matters in his own hands. I was proud of his strength.”

  Then I understood. “Asaph. You made him that way? Sure, he’s a wolf on the hunt. But he has no pack. He’s weak because he has no supporters.”

  She shook her head. “No, he’s perfect. Besides, Diomedes is a fool. Once he saw what Asaph could do with his powers, he started following in his footsteps. He’s harsh. And just because he was your childhood friend doesn’t mean he’ll go easy on you. Asaph, on the other hand, will do what you ask, for that song.”

  I growled angrily. “I don’t need a servant, I want a leader. Someone who gathers people, looks out for them, protects them. To do that, the people have to like him at least a little. Sure, Diomedes is unable to protect his people, but at least people liked him. If I want a scary tyrant on the throne, I’d choose the Prime Minister.” <
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  Mother snapped out of her distant past and glared at me. “You wouldn’t.”

  Taking a step back, I consented. “Never, but that goes the same for Asaph. The people need to want him and he needs to love them.”

  She refuted. “The people don’t have the power. Even if the people did, they’re like dumb animals with no keeper. It would be chaos.”

  I argued. “No, they’re a pack. A group made of striking individuals. And as nature demands, they know what they need to survive. From them, a leader can be found.”

  Waving me off, she denied. “As if. Your father filled your head with nonsense from the outside world. Trust me; you don’t have the power to change anything here. You are just one childish girl.”

  Turning away, I began to leave, ready to go home. “It just takes one.”