The Black Wolf

by Fela Dawson Scott

  "It seems my sister has joined us." Emmett looked from her to Dwight, who stood near his bed. "I still am not quite certain I understand what it is you want." "The witch-woman," Dwight ground out between clenched teeth. "I want the witch-woman." What makes you think she is here?" Emmett pretended to examine his fingernails, looking undisturbed by Dwight's sudden intrusion.

  Kolyn could see his irritation, though she was sure Dwight was beyond observing it. Dwight seemed too engulfed by his own emotions to interpret others' deception or intent. "I left word that you wanted t' see her." Dwight's words held a steely edge. A muscle in Emmett's jaw twitched. Kolyn knew he was angry. She had fought with him enough over the last months to read the subtle hints of his moods. Still, he merely smiled, then laughed.

  "Now, Dwight," he mewed, almost too obviously. "I don't know if she will come, but we can wait if you'd like."

  "We'll wait." Kolyn prayed she would be a long time coming, but it wasn't but a few minutes until Jacob brought Juanita to Emmett's room. Emmett waved his hand in the air. "You can go, Jacob. And see that we are not disturbed." As soon as the door closed behind Jacob, Dwight grabbed the witch-woman and pulled her over to Kolyn.

  "Get rid of it," Dwight spat at her, the fear that sprang to Juanita's eyes real. "If you don't, I'll kill you, lass." Dark eyes turned to Kolyn, but she could no longer read them. "'Tis my pleasure, Dwight MacDougal."

  "Don't touch me," Kolyn warned. "Harm my baby, and you'll have worse to fear than Dwight." Juanita stopped. "What do you mean?" "'Tis Ian Blackstone's baby. He'll kill anyone who harms me or the child."

  Dwight twisted Juanita's black hair about his hand and pulled her head back painfully. "But you'll be dead if you don't. Do what I ask and you can go away, far away. I'm taking Kolyn with me, and that son of a bitch will never know what happened t' his bastard." "Don't listen to him." Kolyn drew his angry gaze to her, but she didn't back down. "He's lying to you. He knows Ian won't rest until he's found me."

  Dwight exploded and all but threw Juanita across the room. "He cares nothing for you! He only cares for the brat you carry." "No, Ian loves me, Dwight. Unlike you, he doesn't want to hurt me or my child."

  The stain of red crawled up his face, and Kolyn began to think he would burst from all that blood in his head.

  "No one loves you more than I." His voice trembled, the shouting having subsided to a bare whisper. "No one."

  "You don't love me," Kolyn said with every bit of hate she could muster. "You loved my mother. I am not" she stressed each word with the strength she had left "my mother!"

  "Aye, I loved Katey." Dwight looked confused. "But I love you as much. You've her hair, her skin, her eyes made of emeralds. I've longed for you all these years, and now you'll be mine. I'll not let that bastard devil have you. Not my Kolyn."

  "I'm not yours Dwight," Kolyn screamed, her own anger and hate consuming her. "I am Ian Blackstone's wife, the mother of his child. You'll not destroy the good I have found in the midst of so much that is ugly and sick." Emmett's laughter filtered in through the haze of fury that engulfed her. She turned to him. "You love him, don't you, sister?" "Aye," she confessed, no longer wanting to keep it from them. "I love the Black Wolf, and neither of you will ever see him dead. He's too strong for you."

  This hit her brother hard, his smile fading into a look of pure violence. "Kill that bitch that calls herself my sister. No MacGregor would speak so traitorously!" "She's mine, Emmett. You gave her to me, and I'll take what is mine," Dwight declared. Emmett looked disgusted. "You want the bitch? Even after she's spread her legs for him? You can rid her of his brat, but you'll never be rid of the stench of him on her."

  "Shut up, Emmett." Dwight's voice was strained. "Shut up or I'll kill you." This brought a look of arrogant pride to Emmett's face. "You dare to speak to me this way." He puffed up, pulling his upper body up a far as he could. "You are nothing, Dwight MacDougal. You are nothing but the bastard child of this family, here only at the will of my mercy. Get out of my home, or I'll have you killed."

  Emmett reached for the cord to ring for Jacob, but Dwight's hand stopped him. The surprise on Emmett's face was obvious, but it intensified when Dwight put a hand to his throat. Emmett twisted from Dwight and brought his fist up hard into his stomach. Though he had no use of his legs, Emmett's upper body was still strong.

  Kolyn did not hesitate a moment longer. She gathered Andrew into her arms and ran from the room without looking back. Carefully, Kolyn made her way from the castle. She went down the back hallways as quickly as she could carrying Andrew. She turned a corner and was stopped. Startled, she began to flee, but Nellie was the one who stood in her way. Kolyn had never been so happy to see anyone in all her life.

  Quickly, she handed Andrew to her. "Nellie, take him to Father McCloud's. Do not let anyone, I mean anyone, stop you." Tears filled her eyes. "Keep my son safe, Nellie. Promise me." "What's goin' on, my lady?" "I've no time to explain. Please, Nellie, I beg you. Do not delay." Kolyn ran down the hall from Nellie.

  "I promise, my lady," Nellie called out after her. Kolyn worked her way back to the front of the manor. Dwight saw her, and she fled down the stairs and to the entry. She managed to open the massive door before he reached her. She darted outside. A cry went up instantly, a villager spotting her. Kolyn understood that no one here would help her.

  "Get her," Jacob cried as he ran out the door. "Kolyn's murdered her brother as he lay helpless in his bed."

  Kolyn didn't have time to refute his lies. She barely escaped into the alleyways as many of the villagers rushed after her, including Jacob. She didn't know where Dwight had disappeared to. The outcries of the people were ugly, their calls of witch sending chills down her spine. She ran as fast as she could, but found her way blocked many times. Kolyn felt trapped, unable to escape the village where she had grown up, the very people she had once loved.

  Jacob was the one who finally caught her, his hands brutal as he dragged her out into the street. A rock struck her on the arm, then another pelted her back. "She's given herself to the Devil Blackstone." "Traitor!"

  Jacob held up his hand to stop their outcries. The crowd stilled, but inched in closer, their looks threatening, hostile. "This woman has betrayed us all with her wanton desire for the Devil Blackstone."

  He held their attention, and when he looked down at Kolyn she plainly saw the hatred he had always disguised beneath his stony features. He placed his hand upon her rounded stomach. "She carries his child with no regret. She has even declared that she loves this wolf-man, his evil now nurturing within her."

  This brought a renewed outcry, the villagers' threats brutal and ugly. "Fire!" many called. "'Tis the only means of purification! She must burn in fire!" "Fire," Jacob whispered into her ear. "They want to burn you, Kolyn MacGregor." Kolyn wanted to say something, anything, but words failed her. Terror struck her with such ferocity she thought she might die from it. She prayed for instant death. It would be better than burning. Her knees weakened, and she slumped against Jacob.

  "Do not pass out, witch. I want you to know what we are about." He slapped her face, bringing her from her stupor. "I want you to feel the flames tearing your flesh from your bones." Jacob allowed the villagers to carry her across the meadow to the forest's edge, then tie and bind her to a tree. Kolyn cried out, but no one listened as they gathered brush and piled it at her feet.

  Ian and Geoffrey entered the village, the tracks having led them back where they had begun. Frustration overwhelmed Ian. Suddenly, he saw Kolyn's servant woman, carrying a childhis son. Slowly, he recognized the dark head as that of the child he had seen in the forest so long ago. Then he remembered the name called out . . . Drew.

  "Where do you go with the child?" Ian asked, stopping her as he put his war-horse between her and her destination. She looked frightened, but determined. "None of your affair, my lord." She attempted to go around him. Gently, Ian moved into her path again. "I'll not ask again." He gentled his voice, but made his point c
lear. "Where are you going with the lad?"

  Nellie looked about her, obviously confused. Ian saw terror on her face as cries and noises drifted from the village to them. "I go to Father McCloud's," she finally managed to say. "My mistress has bade me not let anyone take this child from me but the good father."

  "Is your mistress Kolyn?" "Aye." Nellie looked up, tears streaking her face. "My mistress is in trouble, I fear." Ian turned to Geoffrey. "Make sure this woman gets to Father McCloud unharmed." Geoffrey started to object, but Ian's look stopped him. "Protect my son with your life, my friend." "Aye." Geoffrey followed the servant to the church.

  Ian immediately headed in the direction the noises came from. He found the streets unusually empty, setting off an alarm in his head. he twisted about, searching the village, but saw nothing, no one. When he spotted an old man scurrying past him, he stopped him. "Where is everyone?"

  The aged man straightened, and he held his hand to shade his eyes. Still, he could not see well. "They be burnin' a witch. You'd best hurry if you want t' see it." He toddled off, his short, bent legs carrying him from town. Ian followed. Kolyn watched in horror as Jacob set a torch to the dry wood, sparking it into a blaze. Suddenly, Dwight plowed through the ring of villagers. He knocked Jacob aside and put the flame out with his booted foot.

  An animal-like growl erupted from Dwight as rage filled him, spurring many to move out of his striking range. He trampled the smoldering brush and cut Kolyn free. "Leave her be," Dwight cried, slashing the air menacingly with his dirk. "She's mine!" Before Kolyn was free of the ropes that bound her, Dwight grabbed her about the waist and pulled her to him. "She's mine and I'll kill any man who dares keep me from taking her with me."

  The crowd hushed, Dwight's fierceness keeping them at bay. Kolyn kicked at his shin and twisted free. She stepped away, but the wood beneath her feet shifted and she lost her balance. She fell to her knees. Just as Dwight reached for her, a black wolf leaped between them, giving Kolyn time to scramble out of reach. The blade of Dwight's knife sank deep into the animal's neck.

  Still, the wolf slashed at Dwight with his vicious teeth, his bite doing damage before the big man flung him away. The wolf hit the ground with a yelp, then lay silent and still. Ian saw the crowd at the meadow's edge. He spurred his mount into a gallop, covering the distance in a matter of seconds. People jumped from his path, the giant horse's hooves guaranteeing passage through the tight-knit crowd. A cry went up when they recognized who interfered, many fleeing in fear.

  Ian spotted Kolyn, and jumped from his horse. Kolyn put herself between Dwight and Ian. "It's over, Dwight."

  "'Tis not over till he dies." Ian moved forward, ready, waiting. "Hasn't there been enough death? Enough killing?" She begged. "You swore an oath, Kolyn MacGregor, before God and your father's men. What of it? What of the honor of the clan? Care you so little for the way of Scotsmen?"

  Ian looked at Kolyn and saw the pain on her face. "Are you a loyal MacGregor? Prove it," Dwight urged her. "Kill the Black Wolf." Kolyn did not move. Ian took his own dagger and placed it in her hands. Once and for all, he had to be sure what she would do. "Do you want to kill me, Kolyn?" She did not move. She merely stared at the knife.

  "Kill me now. Take the dagger and plunge it into my heart. Now's your chance to fulfill your promise."

  Kolyn still did not move, so he took her hand and placed the tip of the blade to his heart, his hand still over hers. She pulled away. Everyone waited. Everyone watched. "No," she cried out in anguish. "I cannot kill the man I love, the father of my children."

  She turned to look at Dwight. "If you truly loved me, you'd walk away, Dwight. I beg you, walk away and leave us in peace." "I cannot, lass." He pulled his sword from its scabbard. "I love you more than life itself. I plan to kill your husband and take you with me, lass. It cannot be any other way." You're a fool, Uncle."

  Dwight's cry of outrage warned Ian, and Ian pulled his sword in defense. The crowd scattered as the men fought, swords whistling as they cut air, swords clashing as they came together, edge against edge. Kolyn could do nothing but watch. And pray. They were nearly matched in size, Dwight only an inch or two shorter in height. Ian's superior strength was matched by Dwight's years of experience. Each maneuver was outmaneuvered, each stroke countered. Time moved with aching slowness, and Kolyn thought her heart would burst inside her chest. To interfere would distract Ian, so she remained deathly still. With each drop of blood Dwight's sword drew, she screamed silently.

  Ian grew tired, his sword weighing heavy in his hands, his only consolation the weariness in Dwight's stroke as well. Finally, Dwight let out a Highlander's cry and with his last bit of strength, swung at Ian. The tip of the sword skidded across his stomach as Ian drew back, then Ian stepped forward again and drove home his own blade. It sunk deep into Dwight's middle, stilling the cry in his throat. Dwight dropped to his knees, surprise still showing on his face. He looked to Kolyn, his eyes seeking hers.

  Ian saw the grief on her face as she turned away from Dwight's hate-filled gaze. Dwight fell backward, no longer a threat to himself or his family. Ian went to Kolyn, put his arms about her. Someone shouted out, '''Tis the Devil, Kolyn. You must walk away from such evil." Kolyn looked up to Ian and said softly, "This man is not evil . . . he is kind and gentle."

  Father McCloud moved through the crowd to stand by Kolyn and Ian. He turned to the angry mob and spoke. "Ian Blackstone is no more the Devil than you or I. He is but a man who has met the trials of God as best he could."

  He turned loving eyes to Kolyn, then to Ian. "He is but a man who loves a woman enough to put his life into her hands, trusting her own love is as great as his."

  "What of the wolf, Father? 'Tis the Devil's work I see." "I saw a devoted friend, not the Devil," Kolyn argued.

  Ian looked at Kolyn and offered his explanation, caring little what they thought, but wanting Kolyn to understand. "I found him caught in a trap many years ago. I nursed him back to health, and he has been my faithful companion when I go into the forest. He was but an animal, not the Devil."

  Timidly, Kolyn moved to stand by the wolf, then knelt beside the dead animal. She mourned his death. He had been a friend to Ian, and to herself. She stroked his fur and said a silent good-bye. "I never believed you could become the wolf." She stood and faced the violent, hateful people of her clan.

  "My father forced an oath from me I cannot keep," she went on. "I am shamed by the hatred and lies he perpetuated, the legacy he has left behind for his children and grandchildren. I was afraid to follow my heart." Her gaze moved to Father McCloud. ''In my heart I had discovered a love so great I failed in my attempts to fulfill my promise."

  Kolyn felt tears on her cheeks. "God blessed me by giving me Andrew, and now he has blessed me with a child of my own. Ian Blackstone has fathered both of these children . . . how can that be evil?" "You dishonor your clan," another shouted. "Dishonor?" Kolyn cried. "Is hatred and killing honorable? If that is honor, I'll have no part of its ugliness!"

  Father McCloud came to stand beside her. "My good people, the MacGregor has not dishonored her clan. The promise has been fulfilled. The Black Wolf is dead." He pointed to the dead animal. "Let the legend die with the wolf."

  "She killed her brother!" "No." Juanita drew everyone's attention to her as she stepped forward to be heard. "It was Dwight who killed Emmett. Not the MacGregor. Jacob has lied to you."

  A murmur went up and everyone looked about for Jacob. He was gone, his disappearance more convincing than Juanita's words. "'Tis time for us to go home." Juanita turned and left. Slowly, the people drifted off. Ian pulled Kolyn into his arms and she hugged him tightly. She wondered at the strangeness in life why Juanita had told the truth. Kolyn would never know.

  Geoffrey rode up with Andrew, Ainsley right behind. Kolyn took Andrew into her arms and with pride turned to Ian. "Ian, meet Andrew, your son." Ian took Andrew from her, both of them timid as they eyed one another. Andrew finally laughed and hugged Ian with his
chubby arms. When Ian turned back to Kolyn, she saw tears glistening in the dark gold of his eyes.

  "'Tis a fine boy, Kolyn." Ian's look was proud, grateful. "Aye." She put her arm through his. "Let us bury the wolf, Ian, in a place where his spirit can watch over our children as they grow. He was a true and courageous friend." "I love you, Kolyn." She smiled. "I love you, Ian Blackstone. Now and forever."