A Werewolf's Saga, The Beginning (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 3)

by Michael Lampman

“You are the son of Lina.” He kept it as simple as he could.

  This made Kalima look up. “You knew her?” This time he also looked shocked.

  “I did.” He wanted to question everything to him. He wanted to know everything he knew. In a way, he wanted him to know the pain that he still felt for her passing. He wanted him to know everything that made him the man he now was.

  This obviously made Kalima more than a little curious. He showed it in his eyes, and he heard it in his voice.

  “Tell me about her?”

  He swallowed with this. “She was a very beautiful woman. She was very young. She was very strong, yet innocent.” Again, he kept it as simple as he could. It was all for himself. Every thought of her kept his hatred as raw as it had ever been. He still felt lost without her. He still felt defeated. He did it to keep himself grounded.

  Kalima just nodded with this, as he looked down.

  “She was many things.”

  He looked back up. “How did you know her?”

  He could see a solitary tear in his right eye.

  As for what he asked him, he wasn’t sure if he should answer him. He didn’t know this man, this animal, and because of it, he didn’t know how he would react to knowing who she really was to him. How would it change them to each other was also there? He didn’t know how he would react to him too.

  Kalima saw the hesitation on his face. It could only mean one thing, so he asked this of him next, “You loved her?” It was also written in his eyes.

  Now he began to tear up too. “I did.” He felt the tears and wiped them from his eyes with the back of his left hand. “I did a lot.” He sniffled with it too.

  Kalima thought he understood. “How long were the two of you together?”

  Hearing this, he did laugh some. He understood what he thought, so he couldn’t help himself with it.

  “It was not like that.” He couldn’t let him think this way. She deserved better than that. “She was my sister.” He stopped, grew serious again and looked directly into his eyes.

  Kalima gasped with this. He even turned around as he let everything he just heard soak into his head. He had to let it soak into his soul.

  He gave him the time.

  He didn’t take long. He turned back around. “She was your sister?” It felt unreal now to him too.

  He nodded with confidence. He watched him closely and that was when he saw something else, something that he thought he would never see in the eyes on a monster. He saw longing oozing from his eyes. He saw love there too. Seeing it, seeing him, he truly felt something else coming from himself. He took a liking to him. He liked this black wolf.

  “She was.” He took a heavy breath. “Our father was a chief of a small town actually not that far from here. She was so gentle to me. She was the eldest child. She watched out for me. She protected me from many things.” He chuckled some with this.

  So did Kalima.

  In fact, they chuckled together.

  When they both stopped, Kalima grew serious all too fast. It must have dawned on him who this human, this king of the humans, actually was.

  Again, he saw it in his eyes.

  “You are my uncle then?” He looked down to the floor.

  Jameson nodded with hearing this. “And you are my nephew.” He watched him and felt the warmth between them. Again, it boggled his mind just in feeling it. He never thought he would ever feel something for such a beast, so he couldn’t help but to feel this way. He just accepted it, he accepted him for what it all meant.

  Kalima felt it too. “Do you have children? Do you have a family?”

  Jameson felt surprised with hearing this. He didn’t expect it. “No, I do not.” He also felt a little alone suddenly too. He didn’t know why, but he did.

  Kalima had sadness in his eyes. “I am sorry that so much has happened to you.” He looked at this small man, saw that he was holding his right arm to his chest, meaning that it must have been injured at one time badly. He couldn’t help but to notice all of the scars on his face. Knowing that he was the king of the humans, he also knew that with the war, with all of the fighting, he probably never had the time to feel love in his life. This realization struck him harder than everything else about him did. He felt truly sorry for him.

  Jameson heard this in his voice and he took it for how he meant it. He didn’t mock him. He didn’t taunt him. He truly meant what he said.

  “It has been a very long war—for all of us.” He of course knew of everything that Kalima had lost too. How difficult it must have been losing so many so close to you. It made him feel for him more too.

  Kalima nodded with this. “My daughter is safe then?” he asked him softly.

  Again, Jameson took it for how he meant it. “She is.” He was looking for trust. He gave it back to him. “She is safe. No harm can come to her where she is. I will see to it.”

  He nodded to him with a thankful grin. As he did it, a new thought came into his head, so he asked it next. “How did you know about me?”

  Jameson didn’t know if he would understand this, but he began with what he knew anyway. He wasn’t sure if he understood any of it himself so he figured it wouldn’t hurt.

  “Kenar, the blind one, showed me to a place with a burning fire, a place within the clearing and surrounded by trees. I saw her there, my sister—your mother.”

  Kalima felt surprised. “I know of the place.” He didn’t think a human could see it. He didn’t know that one could go there while still alive. He saw it when he was near death. He just didn’t know what to think.

  Jameson also felt the same way. “You have been there?” Just hearing that he had, that someone else knew about it, it made him feel as if it was all the more real to him. It made him relax about it too.

  He nodded strongly. “I have. I saw it on the day my wife was taken from me.” He felt the tear again. He also felt the twinge of the pain. It felt just as raw again too.

  Jameson saw it overwhelm him, and it made him feel even more human to him. Apparently, Walkers were more like the humans too. The disbelief, he felt before, now felt gone from him too.

  “I am sorry for your loss Kalima. I am sorry for everything that has happened to you. I am sorry for everything that I may have caused you too.”

  The connection between them felt so strong to him right then that he felt absolute trust between them. He took it in and allowed it to overwhelm his mind.

  “Thank you.” He gave him a heartfelt nod. “I too am sorry for what I have done to give the Walkers the upper hand in this fight. If I had known what it has caused, I would not have done it.”

  Jameson believed this. “What can we do to stop them? How do we kill them?” Now felt like the perfect time to ask. In all of his years in fighting this war, he had always used the Wanderers for all of his questions, but now, with a Walker as powerful as he was standing there connecting with him, he couldn’t resist it. He just hoped he would answer him. Now was the time to test their newfound trust.

  Kalima didn’t disappoint him at all. “They are using my blood. I apparently am able to heal from all wounds, and am also not allergic to the metals you used against them. As long as they have it inside them, fed off it, they will also share in that strength.”

  This made complete sense to him, so he continued. “How do we counter it?”

  He just shook his head. “I do not know that.”

  He could see that he didn’t. He felt disappointed with knowing it too.

  Kalima would not allow that disappointment to stay between them. “You can still kill them. Like me, damage can still be afflicted on me. My blood has limits.”

  Jameson looked up. “What do you mean?”

  “I may be immune but I am not impervious. Death can still take me, as it can with them.”

  “That is good to know.” He nodded with the idea. Now all they had to do was to cause as much damage as they could. It at least gave them a chance.

  He had more questions on his m
ind. “Why have you come here? Why do you continue to fight? Why would you help me with Rana?”

  Jameson felt somewhat taken aback with this. It made him shrug with it too. “If it means that this ends the war than I will do it.” He smiled some with it too. “Besides, my sister told me that you would be the one to help me end it. I always listened to her before and see no reason to stop it now.”

  He nodded with this. “I hope she is right.” He had heard some of this before. He didn’t know what he was, he didn’t know why it happened the way it did, but he would do everything he could to set it right. He didn’t believe in the future. He didn’t believe that he was anything special, but he would fight for those he loved. He knew of no other way.

  Jameson felt pleased with everything when he looked back to Rochie and their eyes met.

  He watched him closely. Whatever he just thought about, it made him look light. He looked relaxed. He looked even happy, if that were at all possible. He liked what he saw.

  “I hate that we had to come to this moment.” He turned back to the field—an empty patch of nothing between the trees and the hill. “I regret that we had to come to this.” He bowed his eyes. He meant what he said. He tried so long to come to an understanding with his once masters, but it all failed. He failed at peace. He failed to win without a fight. He failed to win her back. He tried so hard to do everything right. Oh what a fool he had been?

  Kenar came up behind him and stopped. “We chose this path my friend. We did all of this together. We must end this for the last time. He is the last one. He is the last Blood Walker. We must put him down and send him back to hell.” He listened to everything they said, saw only Rochie’s thoughts, so he didn’t know much. As for his friend, he felt his pain. So much pain has happened on both sides that it didn’t feel right anymore.

  Of course, Rochie already knew this. He knew that this day would come. He knew that this was the time, but he still didn’t have to like it. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when they stood beside the families and lived with them in peace, but that was a long time ago. The times have finally come down to this one night—this one moment. More blood was about to be spilled that it all felt so wrong. He doubted that anything would ever feel right again.

  “We must be ready. We must go soon.” Kenar could see the sparkle of the auras around the hill, and with them, he knew of their haunting task. He saw this fight many times in his dreams. As far as he was concerned about it, it took too long to come to this point.

  Rochie nodded. “He should be in there by now. We must strike at the correct time. If we are off by moments, he may not make it. We must give him the time to make this work.”

  Kenar huffed with a hot blast of air. “I hope so for all of our sakes.”

  Rochie shook his head. “He knows the truth Kenar. He now knows what he must do. I have faith in the black wolf that he will do what he has to do.”

  Jameson turned back to the fields. “I just hope that he can find your sister. I hope he can find the strength to correct this.”

  Rochie looked down. He saw his sister’s face. “We are who we are. He is who made him. He will do what he must do. I can only hope that she will do the same.”

  Kenar sighed. He knew the truth of what happened and still didn’t trust it. He didn’t trust him. “I hope so for all of our sakes.” Without knowing, without planning as he used to do, he felt empty and lost. He felt displaced. He didn’t like it, but he also knew something else. The world would turn. The days will turn into nights. All things must unfold as they were meant to be. He had faith in that.

  Rochie bowed his head. “We have each sacrificed something to fight this battle. The black wolf is no different. My sister is no different. They both will do what they must do to correct this, just as all of us must do it.”

  Kenar now knew of his hesitation. He heard it clearly in his voice. He read it in his mind. “And what happens if she has already chosen her path Rochie? What happens if she decides to take the wrong side in this fight? What happens is she has chosen to stand against you?”

  Rochie agreed and nodded. Inside he had his sister’s face cross over him, and it made him bow his head to all of them. Kenar was right. She had forced her path, and now he knew she was trapped in it. He had to stay firmly on his. “I do not know Kenar. I only know what we must do.” He looked back to the others. “We will know soon enough. Soon, the battle will begin and all of this will end once and for all.”

  28

  They flew for a while until they reached land again. For most of the flight so far, they kept over the water. It was safer this way. So few were there—so few would see them fly over them. At least, this is what they hoped to happen.

  It should not be much longer for us to reach them. He said to her.

  I know. I want to thank you again for doing this for me. Sima smiled to him inside her mind. In his bat’s form, he would not be able to speak to her verbally. She didn’t mind his thoughts. She spoke better this way anyway.

  He screeched out. Inside, he returned her gratitude. You are welcome. He had other things on his mind too and now it seemed like the perfect time to ask them. Why are you doing this? This is so dangerous. He couldn’t stop thinking about this. In the time that she has spent with them, he has gotten to know her very well. They were about the same age; at least he thought they were, so they fit together rather well. They also had a lot in common. Her being as beautiful as she was didn’t hurt either. He just liked her the moment he saw her.

  She shared all of this about him too. I have to do this. It is my part to play in this. She had a long time to think about this. She didn’t have the wisdom of the future that the Seer had, but what she did see was her own fate. She also saw everything that she was not. This was not the time to start the world, as it should be. She knew this, and she also knew something else too. Pain has to happen before the life can live. She has known this since she watched her mother die. She felt it from her father too. As for her father, she hoped he would understand all of this. Some day he would. She knew that much.

  He didn’t agree with her about any of this. You have so much to live for. You have so much to give to this world. You have so much you can give to me. Saying that last thought, well, it made him gasp. He knew what she could do and see so she probably already knew how he felt, but that was different from just saying it. He wasn’t prepared for it, and it explained the gasp.

  She also felt the same way. It was time to say it too. I thank you for your feelings. If this had been a different time, if it had been a different place, I would have enjoyed this. I would have enjoyed you more.

  If he weren’t a Shade, he would have blushed with hearing this. He wasn’t able to do it with such coldness inside him, but he did feel it any way. He did blush.

  She smiled harder with this. She also felt her face flush over with her own heat.

  She hugged his neck tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist with even more strength. She got as close to him as she could.

  They flew like this with a gathered blended feeling until she came.

  She flew down at them from above. She came in fast.

  Sima saw her only when it was too late.

  Elizabeth struck at his left wing with her elongated thumb.

  The gash opened. The blood spilled. The pain erupted through his entire hand.

  Malcolm screeched with the pain.

  Sima screamed as she felt the impact, and then felt him lose his ability of flight.

  Injured and unable to flap his right hand, he lost control and began to spin.

  Together they slipped right. They spun upside down and then right way up again. They continued in this motion for several more times, as they went down.

  Sima saw the ground come. She saw the trees. She saw them heading straight for them with an abandoned swirl of movement.

  Fighting the air, fighting the swirl, Malcolm saw a small clearing just up ahead of them on the left. He fought hard with his oth
er good hand, and pushed as much wind beneath it as he could. He aimed for the clearing. He had to. He couldn’t maintain his form from the pain. No Walker could do it when they were injured like this. He had to get them back to the ground before he changed back to his human form. If he didn’t, he would survive the crash, but he wasn’t the one that concerned him. He didn’t think she could. In fact, she wouldn’t.

  Elizabeth watched them flail downward. She watched them aim to a small clearing, just to her right. She watched them head straight for it, and continued watching them as they crashed hard to the back of the clearing. She then watched the child flung to his left. She watched the treacherous Shade continue sliding; continue digging up dirt and muck, until he smacked a tree. He stopped cold when he hit it.

  Sima rolled over several times after hitting the ground. She finally stopped after the seventh or so roll. She then lay on her back and caught her breath. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel injured. She didn’t feel broken. She just felt winded from the fall.

  Elizabeth landed in the center of the clearing and brought back her human eyes.

  Sima sat up, gathered herself some, and watched her land. She watched her change. She knew instantly who she was.

  “Elizabeth?”

  She blinked with hearing her name like that. She also felt proud with it too. “You know who I am.” She smiled with an evil grin.

  Sima looked to her right.

  Malcolm didn’t move. He was once again in his human form, but she could tell that he was still breathing. She did feel his pain. She did feel his blackness around his mind. She knew he was unconscious, but at least he was still alive.

  Hearing Elizabeth, she looked back at her. “Why are you doing this?”

  Elizabeth felt more pleased than ever. “I thought I heard you. I thought I saw you. You are the child of the wolf. You are his bitch.” She laughed. She didn’t know how she felt her. She didn’t know how she found her, or why, but now that she had, she didn’t care. She just loved that she was the one that did it for him.

  Sima felt sorry for her, but she also felt something else. Inside this creature, inside her mind, which she couldn’t read clearly but still felt something stronger there, she felt the truth. Again, she knew who she was, but Elizabeth didn’t. It made her feel for her that much more.