by Gunhus, Jeff
Archers appeared on the wall and arrows rained down on him. Tiberon roared at the men, his brothers no longer, and ran into the woods.
As he did, the images spun, faster than ever, and in an explosion of light, the connection to the past was broken and the bright light of present day nearly blinded me. I staggered back, trying to get my bearings. I would have fallen over except for Saladin who moved his head behind me for support.
“But that was so long ago,” I said. “How is it possible…?”
How is it possible that I have lived for these seven centuries? Tiberon’s voice once again rumbled inside my head. It is a mystery, even to me. I can only say that the Templar Ring and the Jerusalem Stones were part of a strange and mysterious power that none of us, not even Jacques de Molay, truly understood. Perhaps the ring wanted to ensure my penance matched my crime. One mere lifetime was not enough suffering.
“But if you’re supposed to protect the Citadel, why did you attack us?”
Tiberon growled and the wolves around us did the same.
I long ago decided that I had served my penance. For two hundred years after the Black Guard cast me out, I honored my oath and kept these forests clear of both Creach and adventurous men seeking Templar treasure. Until, over time, this place faded from the minds of regular men. I held out hope that de Molay’s pledge would still come true, that the “One” would come back to the Citadel. But when I discovered what Ren Lucre had done to hide the Jerusalem Stones, I knew they would never be reunited. De Molay’s prophecy of a hunter who would reclaim the Ring from the Cave of Trials and gather the Jerusalem Stones was nothing but a fantasy. I turned my back on my oath and formed a new brotherhood.
He looked at the wolves that lined the clearing.
This is my family now.
“But you said you met my father and that you told him where the Jerusalem Stones were.”
Yes, I was foolish enough to let him convince me to have hope once again. He promised that he would find the Templar Ring to free me from my bondage. So, I swore him to secrecy and I told him the fate of the Jerusalem Stones. But it was for nothing. He broke his promise and disappeared soon after.
“He didn’t break his promise,” I said. “I told you, he was captured by Ren Lucre trying to find the Jerusalem Stones.”
What does it matter? Tiberon asked, his voice suddenly tired and resigned. The result is the same. I remain trapped in this body, perhaps for eternity. Tiberon stretched his neck and looked up to the sky. He removed his paw from me, but surprisingly, I could still hear him in my head. The day grows long and I tire of these bitter memories. As I said, you can take your horse and leave this place. The wolf-killer must remain. He belongs to us now. Tiberon turned and walked away. The wolves nearest me licked their chops as if ready for a meal. I felt the opportunity slipping through my hands.
“I will keep my father’s promise,” I blurted out. “I will free you.”
Saladin snorted and whinnied behind me. Tiberon spun around and his eyes burned into me.
Careful, boy. Oaths are more than just words in our world.
Aquinas had said the same thing to me. I knew I couldn’t leave the Academy without becoming a full hunter first, but I was desperate. “Tell me where the Jerusalem Stones are and I will find them. I swear it. And when I do, I will unite them with the Templar Ring, defeat Ren Lucre, save my father and break the curse that binds you. On my father’s life, I swear it.”
All of the wolves howled in unison. It was a haunting sound, mournful and terrible at the same time. Once they quieted down, I took a confident step toward Tiberon.
“But I get to take my friend with me,” I said. “That’s my offer.”
Tiberon walked a slow circle around me, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
You’re no more than a boy, Tiberon said. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into.
“But you lose nothing. If I fail, you’re no worse off,” I said.
But the wolf-killer will live. That is the price.
“That is the price,” I agreed. “But I will also promise he will never hunt your kind again.”
Tiberon finished his slow circuit around me and faced me head-on. For several, long drawn out seconds, we stared at one another. Finally, his voice filled my head.
No, he said simply. I do not agree to your terms.
My stomach fell. I didn’t know what else to do. There was no way I could sacrifice Daniel, even if it meant I lost everything I came to the Academy to achieve. I felt it all slipping away.
But there are terms I can agree to, Tiberon said . One where we both get what we want and the wolf-killer goes free.
“OK, what is it?” I asked.
I listened as he explained his conditions and his reasons for them.
I was left with no choice but to agree.
Tiberon and I touched claw to fist and the pact was made. Without another word, Tiberon turned and broke into a run. The rest of the pack followed their leader into the forest and disappeared.
I blew out the breath I’d been holding in and wrapped my arms around Saladin’s neck. My legs wobbled beneath me. Saladin nuzzled me as if both approving of my actions but also reminding me that we had work to do.
I ran back into the cave and found Daniel where I had left him. His clothes were soaked through with sweat and I could feel the heat from his fever without even touching him. The bite marks from the shriekers had black rings around them, with dark streaks branching out into the still-healthy flesh. It didn’t look good.
I managed to half carry, half drag him from the cave. He woke up just long enough to help me get him up onto Saladin, but nearly fell off once he was there. I had to resort to lashing him to me with a rope with his arms wrapped around my waist. I reached down and whispered into Saladine’s ear.
“You know better than me where we’re going. Swift but careful. Let’s go.”
Saladin set off at a gallop through the snow-covered forest; all the while I could feel Tiberon’s eyes follow our progress. I knew he was going to hold me to the promise I had just made to him with my life. As we rode, I worked out in my head how to keep my oath to Aquinas at the same time.
Daniel groaned behind me and I put those thoughts out of my mind. He was growing steadily worse and there was no guarantee he would survive the journey back. I clung tight to Saladin’s mane and urged him to run even faster as we tore through the forest on the path back to the Academy, where both our fates were to be decided.
Chapter Eleven
Saladin chose his path carefully over the uneven ground, going as quickly as he dared. Daniel sat behind me on the saddle, his arms wrapped around my waist, tied at the wrist so he wouldn’t fall off. He hovered in and out of consciousness, his head resting against my back. Even through my clothes I could feel the heat of his fever on my skin. I knew I had to get him to the Academy as quickly as possible if he was to survive.
As we rode, Daniel muttered strange things, often in languages I didn't understand. Sometimes it was a low, mumbling conversation, as if he were having a long argument with someone in his dreams. Every so often he erupted in shouts and screams where he kicked at me and tried to pull me off the horse. All I could do was hold on tight to the reins until he lost his strength and sagged against my back, fading into the darkness of whatever bizarre dreams haunted him.
Finally, a cry sounded from up ahead of us. We'd been spotted by the guard on duty at the Academy. I clutched Daniel close to me.
"We're here," I said. "We made it."
I felt him lift his head and lean to the side to look at the road ahead of us. But he leaned too far and his body began to slide off the saddle. I gripped his arms and heaved him back into position.
"Easy, there," I said. "Only a little further now."
Saladin snorted and took the uphill approach to the Academy wall in long, powerful strides. The gate opened and people poured out to greet us. As Saladin came to a stop, the crowd stilled, broken only by hush
ed whispers as the young hunters stood in front of us. It seemed like their curious reaction was more than just from seeing Daniel hunched forward against me. They all kept their distance, looking as if they had seen a ghost.
"Jack! Are you all right?" Eva pushed her way through the crowd, followed quickly behind by Will and T-Rex. They encircled Saladin.
"Daniel needs help. He’s hurt badly." I untied the rope holding Daniel up and slowly lowered him off Saladin's back. I jumped down and grasped Daniel's hand as a stretcher was brought out. His eyes opened suddenly and he sat bolt upright, staring at me right in the eye. "Don't trust him, Jack. Whatever you do...don't trust him...not the wolf." His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he collapsed back into the stretcher.
"Bring him inside," a voice boomed from the bulwark above the gate. I looked up and was surprised to see that Aquinas had returned. "Hurry, now. We may not have much time."
Eva, Will, T-Rex and I each took a corner of the stretcher and carried him inside the Academy walls.
"What happened?" Eva asked.
"We were attacked by shriekers," I said. "Dozens of them."
"That's not good," Eva said. "Their bite is poisonous. How many hours has it been?"
"Yesterday at sundown," I said.
Suddenly Aquinas was by our side. "It may already be too late," she said. She produced a vial of blue liquid from a pouch on her side and poured it into Daniel's mouth. He sputtered and coughed the liquid back up. "A thin hope. Take him up into the Templar Tree. Hurry now. Every second matters."
We did as she told us and carried him as quickly as we could to the tree and up the stairs. Aquinas sped ahead of us and was busy in her laboratory when we arrived. Daniel clawed at the air in front of him, swatting away imaginary enemies.
"No...leave me...get them off me..." he shouted.
"Help him!" T-Rex called out to Aquinas.
Eva put a hand on T-Rex's shoulder to calm him. I turned to Aquinas. "What do you want us to do?”
Aquinas walked over, mixing a glass jar of glowing green fluid. "Hold him. The poison inside his body wants to turn him into a Creach. It does not want to be cured and will try to reject this medicine."
Eva and I each grabbed an arm and Will and T-Rex took hold of a leg. Daniel moaned softly, teetering on the edge of consciousness. Aquinas leaned in with the medicine. "Easy, now. Easy does it," she said.
Just as the jar touched his lips, Daniel's eyes opened. He glanced at each of us holding him down, the look in his eyes full of pure hatred. "No!" he shouted. He kicked his leg and T-Rex went flying across the room. With a savage growl, Daniel kicked across at Will and tagged him with a brutal uppercut.
"Hold him!" Aquinas shouted.
Will jumped onto Daniel's legs, wrapping his arms around them in a bear hug. Daniel bucked and kicked his body, trying his best to wrench his hands free, clawing at us like a wild animal. Aquinas tried unsuccessfully to pour the medicine into his mouth.
"Daniel!" she cried, her voice booming in the small room. "I command you to be still!"
It seemed like she had gotten through to him. The convulsions stopped and he looked at her as if recognizing her for the first time. I weakened my grip slightly. Big mistake.
A split second later, Daniel tore his hand away and shoved Aquinas. He punched at Eva who, unwilling to let go of Daniel's other hand, took the blows to her forearm and shoulder. Daniel snarled, his mouth foaming.
"Let go of me," he roared. "You'll never be able to—"
SMACK.
A potted plant smashed into Daniel's head, dirt and leaves flying wildly into the air. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell back onto the cot.
We all looked back behind us where the potted plant had come from. T-Rex stood there, probably even more surprised than the rest of us over what he had just done. "I didn't kill him, did I?" T-Rex asked sheepishly.
Aquinas put her hand behind Daniel's neck and lifted his head. She poured the green glowing medicine down his throat and then carefully laid him back down.
"No," Aquinas said. "You may have just saved his life."
"And given him one heck of a bump on the head," Will added.
"Will he be OK?" I asked.
"Time will tell," Aquinas said. "But there's nothing more for you to do here. Leave us. Get some rest. Later you can explain why the two of you were outside the Academy walls."
"It was—" I started, but Aquinas held up her hand.
"Not now," she said. "There will be time later."
I nodded and turned to the stairs. The other three were already a few steps ahead of me.
"Eva," Aquinas said, "if I'm not mistaken, young Daniel here has certain feelings for you. Am I correct in this?"
I felt a sudden knot tighten in my stomach. I looked to Eva.
"I don't...I guess you..." Eva stammered.
"This is not a time for games, child," Aquinas said sternly. "Does he have feelings for you?"
"Yes. Yes, he does," Eva said.
"Good," Aquinas said. "That will be helpful in pulling him back from the darkness. Come sit here and take his hand. The rest of you leave us. I'll send word if anything changes. You have my promise."
I watched as Eva took a seat next to the stretcher and cupped Daniel's hand in her own. Will tugged on my shoulder.
"C'mon, Jack," he said. "Let's give them some space."
I nodded, and, with one last look at Eva, followed Will and T-Rex down the stairs.
As we descended, my legs turned weak and began to shake. Will noticed and grabbed hold of my arm to support me. After the constant adrenaline rush of facing down death at every turn, it was as if my body finally recognized it was safe and decided to give in to the fatigue. The rest of the hunters were gathered below the tree in the courtyard and they looked at me curiously. I knew they wanted answers to their questions. That they wanted to hear what had happened outside the Academy gates. But now was not the time.
“Just get me to the dorms, Will,” I whispered.
“You got it. Come on, T-Rex. Clear a way,” Will said.
T-Rex walked in front of us, asking the hunters to step aside. They parted easily, creating a long path for us through the crowd. Will continued to hold me up as we walked and I was thankful he was there. Without him, I was sure I would have fallen to the ground. I expected the hunters to bark out questions as we passed, but they didn’t. They were as quiet as if we were in church. I mostly kept my eyes to the ground, trying to focus on keeping my balance, but when I glanced up I was taken by the looks on the faces around me. Rather than the suspicious stares I’d been given since I’d arrived at the Academy, the other hunters looked at me with a mix of curiosity and respect. Admiration, even. Some of them even reached out and patted me softly on the shoulder as I passed.
I nodded, thankful they weren’t asking questions. I made my way into the dorms, intending to take a shower to scrub the shrieker blood off of me. But the second I saw my bed, I knew a shower would have to wait. I fell into my bunk, not even bothering to kick off my muddy boots, and curled up in a ball. Will and T-Rex were saying something but it sounded distant… hazy, like they were deep underwater. I closed my eyes and felt the world begin to melt away. As sleep washed over me, I saw the black, hulking form of Tiberon pacing back and forth impatiently on a snow-covered field. He turned in my direction as if he had seen me, his eyes piercing into mine.
Tiberon then lowered his head to the ground and ran straight at me. Faster and faster he came, until he was right on top of me. At the last second, he jumped and seemed to dissolve as he passed through me. It was the last thing I remembered before dropping off into a deep, black, dreamless sleep.
I had no sense of how much time had passed when I opened my eyes. I was under the bedcovers and my clothes had been replaced with sweatpants and a t-shirt. Sunlight filled the room and the rest of the bunk beds in the dorm were still made and empty. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and waited for my head to clear. I stretched m
y arms, surprised to find that I wasn’t that sore. The bruises on my legs were gone too, even if smudges of the shrieker blood still remained. Shrieker blood. The attack. The wolves.
Daniel.
I stood up and ran to the door.
Outside, lessons were in progress in the snow-covered courtyard. A brilliant winter’s sun reflected off the snow, nearly blinding me. A young hunter doing a disciplinary lap around the Academy walls approached me. He smiled wide when he saw me.
“You’re awake,” he buzzed. “Everyone will be so excited.”
“Daniel. How’s Daniel?” I asked. “Did he…”
“Are you going to tell us what happened?” the young hunter asked excitedly. “Some people thought the wolves got the two of you. I smelled the stench on you, though. That’s not wolf’s blood, I told them. That’s something else.”
I grabbed the young hunter by the arm and pulled him to me. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“Kyle,” he said, the smile disappearing from his face. “M…my…name’s Kyle.”
“OK, Kyle,” I said patiently. “I really want to know how Daniel is doing. Do you know anything?”
“Daniel? He’s fine. I mean, not fine like walking around and stuff yet, but he’s going to make it,” Kyle said.
I took a heavy breath and felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Daniel was alive. Good. Now my thoughts turned to what I needed to do next. I patted Kyle on the back. “That’s great news. Thanks.” I turned and walked back into the dorms. I felt Kyle’s curious eyes on me so I looked over my shoulder and said, “Shriekers. It was shrieker blood, not wolf. You can tell your friends you were right.”
Kyle grinned. “Thanks, Jack. Hope you feel better.”
I smiled and walked back inside. I did feel better, but I also knew I had a big decision ahead of me and a conversation I didn’t think was going to go very well.
I made my way to the showers and turned two of the heads to the hottest setting. A hot shower had never felt so good. I used a heavy brush and scrubbed at the shrieker blood until my skin felt raw. Then I washed my hair three times trying to get the stench out. Finally, I just stood there, letting the torrents of water pound on my muscles.