The Defender of Rebel Falls: A Medieval Science Fiction Adventure (The William Whitehall Adventures Book 1)

by Christensen, Erik

  “This is strange,” Rachel said one day. “There’s nothing to hunt, but there’s signs of wolves all around us.”

  “How can you tell?” asked Jack.

  “Well, if the droppings weren’t a clear sign, there’s the fact that Steve has been sniffing at every stump we’ve passed. Also, I heard them howling last night on my watch.”

  William glared at her. “Wolves? Last night? Don’t you think you should have mentioned that earlier?”

  Rachel looked confused. “Huh? Why? What good would it do?”

  “It might help to be prepared, don’t you think?” He was incredulous. One person was afraid to stand watch in the dark, and another didn’t even alert the others to danger. How could he possibly lead a team of people who wouldn’t do their jobs? It was more than he could stand, and he wasn’t about to back down.

  Rachel stared back at him, and spoke through clenched teeth. “Fine. Next time I hear something at night, should I wake you? Or can it wait until morning?”

  “Morning. Unless there’s immediate danger. Obviously.”

  Rachel shook her head and walked away, grumbling under her breath.

  “Nicely done, Will,” said Jack.

  William threw his hands up. “What on Esper did I do?”

  “You insulted her professional integrity, Will. That’s like me telling you to mind your spelling. Rachel knows her job. She’ll tell you when there’s something to worry about. Besides, she told me about the wolves when I took over the watch.”

  “So you both held out on me? That’s just great.” He felt a knot in his throat so tight that it choked him. Was there no way he could earn their respect? All he had wanted was to be ready for whatever dangers were lurking in the darkness, but instead he had just driven a wedge between Rachel and himself. Maya might be mad at him too, since she was Rachel’s friend. And if Jack was sweet on Rachel, he wouldn’t likely show William much support either, best friend or not. And as for Charlie…no, it was probably best not to think about Charlie at all.

  The tension lasted the next day and well into the one that followed. Jack was the only person willing to talk to everyone, and he was forced to act as a go-between. Fortunately, Maya’s prediction that he would get no more blisters proved correct, so at least he didn’t have to endure another awkward bandaging session.

  Rachel’s prediction was less accurate. Their first warning was Steve’s antics. At first he simply growled and stared, but when he began whining Rachel drew an arrow. “Guys,” she said, pointing where Steve was looking. “Over there.”

  Several gaunt-looking wolves emerged from behind the trees, with low growls and bared teeth. “Charlie,” William said. “Stay with Maya, don’t let her get hurt.” William joined Rachel and Steve where they faced the approaching beasts, pulled his sword and readied his shield. Jack stood on her other side, holding a steel dagger that shook violently. The four of them formed a wall between the approaching beasts in front of them, and Maya and Charlie behind them.

  “Don’t show any fear,” said Rachel. William found it hard to follow those instructions, but he took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself as the three wolves spread out. One lunged toward Rachel but retreated when an arrow glanced off its skull. A second started toward her, but changed direction and jumped at William. His shield blocked the snapping jaws, but the beast’s weight knocked him down. He rolled onto his back and lifted his shield to protect himself, but the attacking wolf flopped lifeless to the ground, impaled by Charlie’s spear. Steve had somehow pinned the third wolf to the ground by the throat; it submitted and did not fight back. The first wolf, alone now, darted into the woods. Rachel drew her bow and aimed at the captive wolf.

  Maya jumped in front of the wolf and held up her hands. “Rachel, no! Please, let it go.” Rachel looked at her in disbelief. Maya’s voice shook, but she held firm. “It’s given up, right?” Rachel hesitated, then relaxed her bow and called Steve back. The wolf scrambled to its feet and raced away to find its remaining companion.

  William exhaled in relief. “Is anyone hurt?” he asked as he staggered to his feet. He was shaking, partly from fear, but also from a primal instinct that insisted he chase down the wolves. He hadn’t even swung his sword, let alone drawn blood, but the battle-lust was hard to resist. Luckily, no one was injured. It could easily have been otherwise, and William knew who to thank. “Charlie, that was an amazing throw! I thought I was a goner.” The big man beamed with pride, and he looked every inch the warrior as he withdrew the bloody spear from the carcass. “How in the King’s name did you learn to throw like that?” William asked.

  Charlie looked up in puzzlement and shrugged. “They give us lessons.”

  William stifled a laugh, not wanting to embarrass the man, especially after he had just saved William’s life. His simple answer seemed absurd in the gravity of the moment, and the others had trouble keeping straight faces as well. Maya suppressed a giggle and covered her mouth. Charlie looked around at the others and finally smiled and rolled his eyes. The tension was broken. The fear from the attack and the anger of the past two days erupted in laughter. They continued for several moments, tears stinging their eyes. When it subsided Maya hugged Charlie and said, “thank you.” Charlie put his arm around her, and she buried her head in his chest, reminding William of stories about conquering heroes and rescued maidens. Charlie was an unlikely hero, but no less deserving for that.

  William doubled the watches after the attack. They traveled less to make up for lost sleep, and poor hunting slowed them further, but at the end of their third week their luck finally turned. They stumbled onto a cave that Rachel inspected and declared free of any sign of wolves. Nearby was a small lake that was practically infested with ducks. It was the perfect opportunity to rest and replenish their food.

  Steve loved the water, and even when he wasn’t hunting ducks with Rachel he ran and frolicked in the shallows. Everyone else took turns dipping into the lake to rid themselves of nearly a month’s worth of stink. Rachel hunted ducks at her leisure, never straying far from the camp. Jack followed her most of the time, and though she appeared exasperated, even William saw that it was only a token resistance.

  William enjoyed duck even more than pheasant, which was good, because they had a lot of it and not much of anything else. They kept a slow fire inside the cave and replenished their stores with dried meat, and at Rachel’s suggestion they made torches with rendered fat for defense against further wolf attacks.

  It was a restful time. William realized they had needed it badly. It wasn’t just the time and distance they had traveled, nor the need for food. The attack had frightened them, and a few days of bonding after such a close call would do them good. Their evening meals took on a festive air, complete with music and singing. Late on the third evening, after a large supper in which he attempted—and failed—to outdo Charlie, William went outside to relieve himself. He squatted behind a tree and listened to the gentle sounds around him. He could hear the faint duck calls from the lake, the wind in the branches above him, and the snapping of twigs.

  A cold sweat broke out on his brow. Twigs don’t snap on their own. He quickly fastened his pants and reached for weapons that weren’t there. Both sword and shield were back in the cave, and at least a dozen eyes glowed in the dark that surrounded him.

  The first hit came from behind; a scrawny wolf snuck in from his side and bit deep into the flesh of his thigh. He cried out, calling for the others to alert them to the attack. A second wolf slammed into him and clamped its jaws on his arm, it claws scraping at his chest. He struggled to stay upright; if he fell, he was dead. He caught a breath and yelled for help again. Before the words left his mouth Steve shot from behind him and crashed into the wolf on his arm, tearing it away. The blow knocked William over, and as he fell to the ground the other wolf released his leg and snapped at his throat. The scrawny beast bared its fangs and lunged forward for the kill, but before it reached him it was skewered and thrown clear, Charl
ie’s spear embedded in its side. William staggered to his feet to help as the others ran to him with torches blazing, but his leg buckled and he collapsed in agony. The last thing he saw was Jack standing over him, waving torches at any wolf who dared come near. He heard the thrum of a bow and whistle of arrows being fired, and the growls and yelps of wolves.

  He blacked out. At first it was just pain, agony so deep and all-consuming that it blinded him to any other sensation. Later he felt himself being moved, followed by a sensation he’d never had before, like his body was drifting away. He dreamed he was floating downstream in water reeking with poison that paralyzed his arms and legs, and burned his skin. He craned his neck to keep his face above water as he drifted toward the bank, aided only by the lazy current. His hands touched the bottom; he labored to get out, but the mud held him fast. He looked up to see bared fangs and snapping jaws, but the waiting wolves slowly morphed into the faces of Oz Domnall and his gang. He raised his arms to ward off the expected attack, but none came. Still frightened, he slowly lowered his arms. His enemies had vanished, and in their place stood lotuses, millions of lotuses, lining the river bank as far as he could see. Heart lifted, he rose from the riverbed, clean and pure, without a mark on his body. Melissa waited for him on the soft grass beside the water. She reached for him, and he bent over to kiss her…

  He woke to the sound of Maya and Rachel talking. “It was my fault,” said Rachel. “I should have known. No, I actually did know. I knew something was different, anyway, and I didn’t say anything. Instead I just got mad at him.”

  “But you do know your job,” said Maya.

  “Apparently not. We were attacked twice, and everything I know tells me that shouldn’t have happened even once.”

  “Your job is to provide food. That’s all you were hired for. You’ve done that and more.”

  “Don’t give me that, Maya. My job is more than that. You told me you needed someone with experience in the wild. That includes staying safe from other predators.”

  “Well, stop beating yourself over it.”

  William stayed quiet, hoping Rachel might reveal something. He felt guilty listening like this, but it might be his only chance to learn something about her. That she felt responsible for the attack made it easier on his conscience.

  “So what do you think happened?” asked Maya.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You said wolves never attack people.”

  “They don’t. Unless you get near their den.”

  “But they did. Like you said, twice. And it’s too much of a coincidence to run into two different dens. So what’s going on? You said you noticed something was different and that you didn’t say anything. So what was different?”

  Rachel drew a heavy breath. “Okay. I didn’t want to alarm anyone, because there’s nothing we could have done about it anyway. But there’s nowhere near enough animals here. Prey animals, I mean.”

  “We found lots of ducks.”

  “Sure, but there should be other animals too; I saw plenty of tracks. We should have seen deer in the forest, and sheep and goats here. I haven’t even seen any rabbits either, but there’s plenty of rabbit holes around.”

  “I haven’t seen any.”

  “You weren’t looking for them.”

  “True.”

  Rachel drew another breath, and her voice quivered as she continued. “Wolves wouldn’t live here unless there was prey. But whatever they hunted before is gone now. And that’s made them desperate.”

  “Gone? Why? Does it have something to do with the river?”

  “No, we would have seen the bodies if they’d been poisoned.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Something else is hunting here. And whatever it is, I haven’t seen a single sign of it.”

  William’s skin turned cold. A creature Rachel didn’t know? Anything that could hunt a region bare and remain unseen and unknown to an expert tracker must be dangerous. He shifted his legs to get rid of the stiffness, and gasped as pain shot through the length of his body.

  “He’s awake,” said Rachel. Despite his pain he heard the relief in her voice, and the concern on Maya’s face was clear even in the dim firelight.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “The moon is nearly full,” said Maya.

  “Only midnight? I guess I wasn’t out as long as I thought.” He caught a look passed between the two women. “What?” he asked, uncertain if he wanted the answer.

  “You were out for two days,” Maya said.

  “You’re lucky, mister. This woman is a magician,” said Rachel. “She kept you alive so I could strangle you myself for going out there alone—”

  “What Rachel means is she should have warned you about the wolves, and she’s sorry—”

  “No, Maya,” said William. “It’s my fault. They attacked before. It doesn’t matter what wasn’t said…I should have realized there could have been another attack. I was dumb to go out there alone and unarmed.”

  “See? That’s what I told ya,” said Maya to Rachel.

  “Anyway, Maya saved your life. She cleaned the wound and stitched your leg, and did some other doctor stuff.”

  William tried to remember the details of the attack. “I’m pretty sure you all saved my life. I remember Charlie impaled the one on top of me, and Jack waved torches at anything that came near me. If you hadn’t thought of making torches, we’d all be…hang on…Steve! What happened to Steve?” William sat up and looked around, remembering it was Rachel’s dog that had pulled the first wolf off him.

  “Lie down, Will,” said Maya as she laid a firm hand on his shoulder. “You can’t stand on that leg yet.”

  “Where’s Steve?” asked William again.

  Rachel pointed. “He’s beside you. Calm down, you’re still not well.”

  William couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen Steve, lying so close that they almost touched. “His legs are bandaged. What happened to him?”

  “A couple of bites, is all. He’s fine,” said Rachel.

  Steve wagged his tail. William stroked the dog’s head, and had his hand licked in response. “Then why is he lying here?”

  Rachel laughed. “He hasn’t left your side since the attack. The stupid mutt’s supposed to be loyal to me, not you.”

  Maya held a steaming cup to his lips. “This will help you sleep. Don’t argue; you still need to rest. I’ll look at your leg in the morning. I checked it an hour or so ago, and I didn’t notice any infection, but I need to see it in the light to be sure.”

  “Hey! Why don’t I have any pants on?”

  “Don’t be silly. I had to stitch your leg.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Anyway…thanks.”

  She touched his forehead with a reassuring hand. “Get some rest.”

  He snuggled beside Steve and wrapped his arm around the dog’s chest and closed his eyes. A moment later he bolted upright. “Maya…was anyone else hurt?”

  “Everyone’s fine, Will. Go to sleep.”

  William slept until daylight and awoke refreshed. Jack fussed over him as Maya checked the wound. Once again he was compelled to thank Charlie for saving his life. Charlie took the compliment in bashful silence.

  Maya insisted he stay off the leg for two days. He was confined to the cave, since he couldn’t move quickly if the wolves attacked again. The others went about their business in the sunshine while he stayed inside, frustrated at his lack of activity. Even faithful Steve abandoned him for the pleasures of early highland spring.

  He grew restless. He took advantage of the fact that no one was around to scold him, and leaned against the cave wall and pushed himself upright. Maya was not wrong about his leg. He could barely put any weight on it as he shuffled toward the back of the cave. Maybe a little exertion would help it heal faster.

  As he reached the back wall he saw an opening they hadn’t noticed before, hidden in the shadows, away from the firelight. He struggled back to the fir
e and lit a torch. It was tricky business getting back to the opening; twice he almost added burns to his list of injuries, but he made it to the opening and squeezed through. What he saw made him forget the pain in his leg.

  Jack’s voice came from the cave entrance. “Will, where are you?”

  “Back here.”

  “What are you doing up? Maya will be furious with you.”

  “Never mind that, Jack. Look at this.”

  Jack poked his head into the opening. “King’s knees! Bones, broken spears, arrows…”

  “What’s that on the wall?” asked William. He held the torch near the rock surface, illuminating an array of markings drawn in what looked to be charcoal.

  “I’ve seen symbols like those before. My dad says travelers use them to leave messages for each other. These are different, though…bandits, I bet.”

  “Or worse,” said William, remembering Rachel’s comment about unseen predators.

  “What do you mean, worse? I’d rather face wolves than bandits any day.”

  William hobbled back to the fire. “We need to get ready to leave. Go get the others.”

  Jack stood fast. “Will, you can’t travel on that leg.”

  “We don’t have any choice. Go back and look at that garbage. How much dust is there on it?”

  “I saw. Some of it’s recent. So what? You can’t walk.”

  “Do you want to be here when they get back, whoever they are?”

  Jack thought for a moment. “Fine,” he said. “But we’re going back to town.”

  “Not a chance. We still—”

  “Are you insane, Will? There’s no chance you can carry on.”

  “Jack, think about it. If I can walk back, I can walk forward just as easily.”

  “Yes, but then we’ll be farther from town.”

  “I know that. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Jack was yelling now. “Every step takes us farther from safety. And for what?”