Jonathan leapt forward and made a grab at the beast’s throat but the creature used his remaining hand to punch Jonathan's under belly knocking him to the ground. Rage filled Walter as he raced around the side of the monster and jumped on his back. Walter kept to the side of the hand he had amputated and bit down with all his might around the back of the monster's neck. Bones snapped beneath his jaws and the marceffynol's neck fell forward. It took another two disgusting chomps from Walter's teeth for the head to roll and the body to fall.
He looked at his son. Kolby was by his side and Jonathan was attempting to rise. Walter sighed in relief but that relief lasted only a moment as another marceffynol rushed at him. He moved just in time to avoid being trampled but the brute brought his back hoof into contact with Walter's shoulder as he passed him knocking Walter to the side.
Kolby and Jonathan joined him a moment later and together they brought that brute to the ground.
***
Once the marceffynols saw that it was difficult for Tamsin to keep her hold on the tree when they kicked it the other two turned their backs to the tree and began to kick as well. She clung to the branch as her body jolted in a different direction with each kick. She let out a scream as she momentarily was caught off balance but she managed to adjust her hold on the tree a moment before the next kick that otherwise might have brought her into the monster's arms.
She heard screaming from across the bank. Apparently, she was not so far that the children had not heard her cry. She willed them to be quiet lest the monsters turn their attention away from her and back to the children.
Sing.
The voice belonged to Thomas.
Tamsin looked around hoping to see her brother. Perhaps he had come to return her with him to God.
Sing.
She opened her mouth and let out the same song she had sung at court to honor him. The marceffynols began to kick the tree with new enthusiasm but she did not care. If Thomas was commanding her she knew that nothing else mattered.
Suddenly, she heard snarls and growls from the base of the tree. Wolf shadows jumped at the marceffynols and Tamsin thought it must be Thomas and some ghost wolves of her ancestors beneath that tree trying to save her. She closed her eyes. She felt so warm suddenly.
Her body ached and exhaustion made clinging to the tree harder and harder. Beneath her the sounds of teeth tearing flesh and growling intensified then calmed. Growls and howls surrounded the base of the tree. Tamsin knew she should stay clinging to the branch until dawn but she could feel herself losing her grip.
Let Go.
She knew it was madness but she would not refuse her brother's voice. She moved her legs to dangle over the side of the branch that was holding her. Tamsin's feet were perhaps six feet from the ground but she did not have the strength to climb down. Instead, she let go of the branch and let her body fall to the earth below.
Chapter 28
Walter rubbed his face wearily as he sat beside Tamsin's bed. Caldwell sat across from him as they waited.
"When will we know if it worked?" Walter asked impatiently.
"It could be another hour or even another day," he said.
"Have you seen it work before?" Walter asked.
"I have seen it work and I have seen it fail. Perhaps you should go and eat something. You need your strength just as much as she does," he said.
Walter's right arm was in a sling. The crushed bones would heal but it would take time.
"I do not want to leave her," Walter said.
"Yet, you must," Margaret said entering the room. He looked up at her. Her face was grim but determined.
"Have I been summoned?" Walter asked.
"You have. We have all told our stories of what happened. Now, he is asking for you."
Walter ran a hand over Tamsin's arm one more time before nodding.
"I will stay with her," Margaret said. Though Walter loathed leaving her there had been so much that had happened. Walter needed to understand it all.
He opened the door to the study and found Jonathan seated behind the desk. He rubbed his temple. He had grown so much older over the past days.
Walter wished he could take the burden away from his son but it was not his place to do so. Jonathan had been trained and named heir to the alpha position of the pack.
"How is my mother?" he asked as Walter sat down across from him.
"Still feverish. Caldwell says that the cold almost killed her but now she is raging with fever. He has given her what he can," Walter said.
"After taking in all accounts I think I understand what happened. The rogue marceffynols came to the house. Likely, they were drawn by her songs. Naomi said that she had sung them to sleep that night. Mother wanted to keep the children safe so she lured the monsters across the river and to the base of the tree. She used her song to make them follow her and to keep their attention on her rather than the house. The door to the house had severe cracks in the wood. It would not have taken much more for them to break down the door," Jonathan said.
"I saw that," Walter said. After the heavy losses the pack had suffered Walter already felt exhausted and burdened. Then, he had returned home to find his front door battered and his wife unconscious with fever. The only relief was that all of his children were alive.
"The she-wolves heard the singing. Grandmother realized something was amiss and they followed the sound to the tree base where mother was clinging above the marceffynols."
"She told me that much," Walter said. He had spoken to his mother-in-law only briefly. One she-wolf had died battling the marceffynols and several were wounded. The Crake home had become an infirmary for the injured wolves. Lady Wolstenholme along with Margaret were caring for them with Kolby and Caldwell's assistance.
"Once the monsters were killed she dropped from the tree and the wolves below caught her. They knew her scent as a wolf and kept her as warm as they could until morning. Then, they carried her to the house. Her clothes were still wet and by then the fever had begun. They gave Grace instructions for her care but it was too dangerous to remain. They returned as soon as they could after the moon," Jonathan said.
"I see," Walter said. He leaned his head back against the chair. He was so exhausted from it all. He was also filled with pride. Grown men might not have handled their tragedy as well as his son was.
"I plan to make her one of the pack," Jonathan said solemnly. Walter raised his head.
"What do you mean? She is no she-wolf and there is no way I know of to change that," Walter said.
"She showed the bravery of a wolf and she has our smell. She will not come with us on moon nights but she can be afforded the same protections of the pack as any other she-wolf. I cannot imagine anyone objecting to the decree. She is a Wolstenholme, after all. Bringing her into the pack will allow her to join our council meetings and be privy to all the movements of the pack. I see no reason why that should not be. Do you?" Jonathan asked.
"Of course I do not. If I did I never would have married her," Walter said.
"It will also give her the responsibilities and courtesies of the mother of the alpha. I will need all the help she can give me when my bride arrives," Jonathan said.
"Bride?" Walter asked. Jonathan had been contemplative during the journey home. Walter had not asked what was on his mind. He thought it must be the death of his uncle and the weight that being the alpha placed on his shoulders. Now, he knew there must have been more.
"I have sent word with the Rees wolves. I will be taking his daughter as a bride." The Welsh pack had lost Dylan and only three male wolves had survived the battle. A pack without warriors was weak and of little use to any sovereign. Dylan had expected a younger son of an alpha to take over his pack but there was little to take over. If Jonathan married Dylan's daughter then their pack would absorb into the Crake pack assuming the Rees pack agreed to relocate to Crake land. They would not be able to remain in Wales because a pack needed to be together. One alpha ruling two packs with
so much distance between them would be more burden than a grown man would have been able to handle. Jonathan was young and newly the alpha. The remaining Rees wolves would move to Crake land and follow the daughter of Dylan or they might break away from the Rees pack and join other packs nearer the land they called their own. Walter understood how a man might be hesitant to leave the land he had been born on.
"Do you think that is what Dylan would have wanted?" Walter asked.
"It is the right thing to do," Jonathan said. Walter nodded.
"Adney will go to court to report to Henry and then he will seek after Sawel. I need our men to find Sawel. His destruction is the most important thing we can do to assure the safety of the king and kingdom," Jonathan said.
"And to get revenge?" Walter asked softly.
"I will not pretend that is not a factor," Jonathan admitted. Walter nodded. When he was younger he might have craved revenge as well. Now, all he really wanted was a time of peace so he could see his children grow and so he could enjoy his new wife. Walter did not want to fight any longer though fate would be unlikely to care what he wanted.
"Will that be all?" Walter asked. He tried to push down the feelings of exhaustion. He needed to return to Tamsin.
"I hope you know that I will need you to advise me," Jonathan said. His sigh was soft but Walter knew his son. He was trying to be strong and brave but he was still years from fully being a man and the burden of becoming the alpha was a great one.
"I am here for whatever you need but for the moment I would ask for permission to return to my wife," Walter said. Jonathan nodded.
Walter stood up and made his way back upstairs.
Voices coming from his wife's room hurried his pace. Walter opened the door to find Tamsin being lifted into a sitting position by Margaret.
"I am glad you are safe," Tamsin whispered. He rushed forward to take her into his free arm and to place a kiss on her forehead. She was still warm but now that she was able to speak he felt sure she would mend.
"And I you," Walter said.
"I will run and fetch some wine and alert your mother that you are awake," Margaret said. Tamsin nodded.
***
Tamsin licked her lips. They were dry and cracked. Her throat felt scratchy but she was glad she was able to speak.
"Are the children safe?" she asked.
"They have only been worried for you," Walter said.
"You should bring them in so they can see that I am well," Tamsin said. She could imagine the fear especially in the older children who remembered what it was to lose a mother.
"In time. You need your rest first. Let them see you when you look better," Walter said.
"Margaret told me about your brother. I am so sorry for your loss," Tamsin said. Walter sat down beside her with a sigh.
"Our losses could have been much worse," he said. She knew he was right about that.
"How is Jonathan?" Tamsin asked. She remembered her mother's words about the similarities between her twin and her son. She did not know how Thomas would have handled being suddenly thrust into an alpha position.
"He is being brave. He has chosen to wed Dylan Rees's daughter and join the Rees pack with the Crake. Your journey as the mother of an alpha is about to begin," Walter said. He smiled but it was a sad one.
"We will do all we can to lighten his burden," Tamsin said though she could feel the weight of the task. Her mother had raised her well and she knew she was up to the task. She would need all her Wolstenholme training to support her son and his new wife as they tried to unite two devastated packs.
"It amazes me that it all came together this way," Walter said. She knew what he meant. So much had seemed to happen at the hand of fate. If they had not been attacked by the marceffynol it was possible the army would have made it to England. The small number of werewolf guards would never have been able to give Henry protection. Henry Tudor was a man of amazingly good fortune.
Tamsin was just glad that the role she had played in Henry Tudor's life was not the one her father had intended for her.
Epilogue:
Jonathan looked up from his letters when the door opened. Adney stood before him with the wolves that had been guarding Henry. All of them looked grim. The five of them together must know what had happened at Greenwich Palace. They had all been witness to it.
"Sit," Jonathan ordered. They obeyed.
"Shall I ask Tamsin to bring wine?" his father asked. His father had been helping him sort through the letters that seemed to come in with far too much frequency. Wolstenholme, the crown, and the Rees pack all seemed to have endless information to relay to him and Jonathan tried not to let it overwhelm him. If not for the help of his father and mother he was sure he would already have crumbled. He had imagined being the Crake alpha but not at such a young age. He thought he would be older and maybe even a bit gray around the muzzle before it was time to take on his new role.
"Not until I have heard what they have to say," Jonathan said indicating with his hand that his father should sit as well. Jonathan wanted him to listen and advise him.
"We were unable to locate Sawel but I was able to definitively prove his guilt," Adney began. Jonathan was aware of his discoveries. He could only assume Adney was giving this information for his father's benefit though Jonathan had already shared it with him. Adney had sent notice to him just after Michaelmas of his findings and Jonathan had sent him to court to relay those findings to King Henry.
As there was no ability to chase Sawel in the coolness of winter he gave Adney permission to remain at court for the winter with Owen. He had recalled Ruben and Isaiah already and sent fresh werewolf guards but Owen and a few others had taken to life at court and sent word that they wished to remain for a time. Jonathan had said they could remain but only until spring.
He and Lady Rees would marry in spring. After they married and absorbed Dylan's pack into the Crake pack Jonathan would need to reassess the pack's needs. Many women were widowed and he could not afford to have six bachelor wolves at court who were old enough to marry. He planned to send to court younger men and bring the older ones home. They had done their time serving their country. It was time now that they add to the pack.
"Tell me what happened to Henry," Jonathan said in an attempt to get to the information that was most disturbing to him.
"Nothing had been amiss until the joust," Owen said.
"Did you witness the joust?" Jonathan asked. He had heard stories but he had not yet heard a first hand account.
"I did," Adney said.
"I was there but I did not see it. I was distracted," Owen said.
"By a lady," Adney chided.
"She was the sort of lady who could drive any man to distraction," Owen said.
"King Henry was jousting. He fell from his horse and the horse landed atop him. I am sure everyone thought he was dead. I did," Adney said.
"He survived," Jonathan said. That much of the story was undisputed.
"He might have survived but he was not himself. He got word that the Queen lost a child. After that everything went crazy. He had the queen arrested. Not a day later he called us to him and said we were abominations. He said that Sawel was after us and not him. He tried to have us arrested but he only had four guards and we made quick work of them. He said he did not want our kind at court. He said we had been nothing but trouble. He did mention the lady he was trying to seduce who turned up missing the same time as your father did," Adney said.
"He had never said a word of it before," Owen added.
"Did he forget we saved his life?" his father asked. His exasperated tone echoed Jonathan's feelings.
"It seemed like he did not remember many important things," Adney said.
"Did he go mad?" Jonathan asked.
"Not so mad that it can be proven but something is not right with him," Owen said.
"We will need to tread carefully," Adney said.
"Do you believe he will send soldiers after us?" Jonathan
asked. The last thing he needed was a vengeful king sending an army against two weak packs trying to join together. Fortunately, the Wolstenholme pack would ally with the Crake pack if needed which would cut Henry's army in half and give the werewolves the advantage. Jonathan wasn't sure what Lady Wolstenholme had said or done but the Wolstenholme alpha had been making friendly overtures ever since her return. The promise of a future she-wolf would only be a small part of that change in attitude Jonathan thought. She-wolves from good families were not rare.
"I do not think so but he is not right enough in the head now for me to say," Adney said.
"We will remain vigilant," Jonathan said.
"Should we continue to pursue Sawel?" Owen asked.
"Regardless of what Henry has become we still must keep England safe. Sawel killed my uncle and my alpha. He must pay," Jonathan said.
"I would like the chance to take a piece out of him," Adney said.
"As would I," Owen agreed.
"Very well. Once you have rested you may go on your way. I would like to have Sawel's head to present to my bride," Jonathan said.
"That does not seem the kind of thing a woman would like," Owen said.
"It will show her that her husband avenged the death of her father," Jonathan said. Sawel was the reason her father was dead, her pack was destroyed, and she was being forced to marry and relocate. Jonathan could not imagine she wished the culprit dead any less than he did.
"As you say," Adney said.
"As I say," Jonathan agreed.
Author's notes:
Dearest Reader,
Thank you for joining me on this adventure into the Court of Henry Tudor. I have long been fascinated by the story of how one love affair could have such a lasting impact on the history of England. I have tried my best to portray Henry and Anne accurately though much of what I wrote on them is speculation based on my research.
Also, while I tried to keep the main historical conflicts in place, I did take some liberties with history. Not least of which was adding werewolves to Hampton Court.
The Alpha's Daughter Page 18