Phantom of the Heart

by Stein Willard

  Orla held up her hand. “You go ahead. I need…” She gave him a pleading look. “I need…”

  Gentro nodded, a gentle smile on his lips. “You need time. I understand. Take as much time as you need. I will be waiting for you when you are ready to talk again.”

  Orla watched in rapt fascination as a shock of black hair sprouted on Gentro's arms. It took but a few moments and the shift was complete. Before her stood a huge, black wolf watching her with intelligent ice-blue eyes. Orla took a careful step closer and pushed her hand through the wolf's shiny black coat. She was awed by the magnificence of the beast before her. Was this what she looked like when she took on wolf form? The wolf moved its head, and Orla snickered when it licked her hand, finding the act ticklish. The wolf shook its massive body before it turned and trotted off.

  Orla watched until her father disappeared into the horizon. The palace was quite a distance from here, but in wolf form it would take Gentro less than ten minutes to reach it.

  She turned around and walked into the forest.

  Chapter 19

  Ridat tore the last piece of meat off the bone and tossed it away from him. The previous night's outing had been invigorating. He had worked up a ravenous appetite and had been gorging on the meat of a wild boar he caught early in the morning. He sat back and took a long sip from the cool, sweet wine. Who would have known that running through the woods would have such an energizing effect? He had not done that in many years. Maybe he should do it more often. The pack had enjoyed themselves tremendously after the gloomy spell when he had to kill the pup.

  They were especially forgiving when he managed to take down two boars and a deer. They did not eat that much every day, but he knew that for the next two days the pack would be sufficiently fed. Maybe he would make use of their good spirits to launch a small expedition into Peron's territory. It was time that he shook things up again. His cousin was growing too complacent.

  For years, he had watched and waited for Gentro to do something—anything. But the lily-livered fool had tried to live amongst humans at first. Imagine a god living amongst humans as a lowly soldier. It must have become too much, even for Gentro, because in the end he up and left civilization behind. That was twenty years ago, and still he was loitering around, waiting for who knew what. Ridat had expected Gentro to return to Greece after a few years, when he had not found a suitable wife. He wondered what Gentro was still doing here. With a throne awaiting him back home, the idiot built himself a small fortress in between two kingdoms — for what Ridat would love to find out.

  There was soft shuffle of footsteps, and Ridat turned his gaze to the entrance of the cave. He beckoned his new general inside.

  “Any news, Fenri?” He saw the astonished look on the man's face. Ridat was in a great mood and could afford to be nice today.

  “Yes, milord. Our patrol stole into Peron's territory last night. They found two humans camping close to the border. One of them was Romulus. The other is still unknown, but we know she is human. I am awaiting word from our spies to confirm her identity.”

  Ridat shrugged. “So Peron's lapdog took himself a human mate. I do not see any reason for us to waste resources trying to find out who she is.” Ridat was slowly losing his good mood. He abhorred incompetence.

  The man suddenly looked as if he was standing on hot coals. He shifted from the one foot to the other.

  “Good heavens, man, what is it that you are not telling me?”

  “It is still not confirmed, but one of the guards is convinced that the woman is the Crown Princess of Karas.”

  This tidbit of information had Ridat surging to his feet. Could it be? Was that the real reason why Peron had been hiding out here? He walked over to the man, so caught up in his thoughts, that he did not even see the man flinch at his proximity.

  “I want you to have her identity confirmed before midnight. If she is indeed the princess, I want us to move in as soon as possible and capture her.”

  “Yes, milord.” The man mumbled and practically rushed out of the cave. The moments ticked away, and still Ridat stood rooted to the spot. Peron had finally found himself a mate. A cruel smile formed on his lips.

  Finally.

  Things were looking up for him once again.

  ***

  The rhythmic gait of the horse was slowly lulling Sterling into a light doze. They had not slept much last night after they spotted the wolves circling their camp. Even Rom looked a bit worse for wear. After a quick breakfast of leftover rabbit, they had packed up and begun their journey. She looked up at the tree tops and brought her horse to an abrupt stop. Something was not right. She slid off the horse and looked up again. The longer she stared, the angrier she got. She heard footsteps behind her and found Rom standing behind her, his face turned up.

  “What is it?”

  She swallowed to contain her rage before addressing him. “You really want to know?”

  Rom blinked at her, having picked up on her anger. “Uh…yes.”

  Sterling drew her sword, and Rom took a quick step back. “What were you hoping to gain?”

  Holding up his hand, Rom shook his head. “Maybe if you tell me what it is I have done, I could tell you.”

  “Did you seriously think I would not notice?” She took a threatening step closer, her sword gleaming in the afternoon sun. “You have been taking me in circles for the past few days.”

  She saw Rom's eyes widen slightly. “I assure you if that was the case, it was not deliberate. I —?”

  Sterling was shaking with anger. “Why, Rom?”

  When he did not answer, she took a stab at him and saw sheer panic in his eyes as he danced out of reach. His reaction made Sterling frown. Five days ago, she had a blade to his neck and he did not even flinch.

  “I was embarrassed to tell you that we are lost.”

  “I do not believe you.” She swung her sword again and, this time, Rom put a greater distance between him and her weapon. “I demand the truth, Rom. Are you taking me to my wife or do you have an ulterior motive for having dragged me out here?”

  “Please, milady, I promise you that my intentions for bringing you here are honorable. Your consort needs you and that is why I brought you here.”

  Sterling took another step closer, causing Rom to back away quickly. “Then where is she, Rom? Your actions make you look guilty of foul play.” She tightened her grip on her sword and took a swipe at Rom.

  “Fine…fine…fine…” He finally conceded. “I am not at liberty to give you the answers, but my prince can.”

  His Prince? This was the first time Rom had mentioned a prince. Could it be that Prince Halen of Arnat was hiding out here somewhere? She had trusted Rom to a certain extent over the past five days, even when she had her misgivings about him. But having caught him in an untruth, she was not so sure if she really wanted to spend one more night with him. Especially not when her senses had been dulled by exhaustion.

  “Just point me in the direction of your prince and I will find my way to him…alone.”

  This time Rom's face registered pure panic. “No…please…it is too dangerous for you to be out here alone. Let me take you to the palace.”

  Sterling shook her head. “I can take care of myself.”

  Rom took a careful step closer. He did not even flinch when she held her sword up to warn him off. It seemed his concern for her overrode his own fear.

  “Please, you do not know what you are up against. I cannot let you go off alone, Your Highness.”

  The time was ripe to test her theory. “Are you talking about the wolves?” She saw a strange look flash in Rom's dark-blue eyes. “Or are you referring to the Ulvs?”

  This time Rom looked shocked. “What…what do you know about the Ulvs?”

  “Enough to know how to protect myself.” She swung up on her horse. “Now, tell me which way to your palace.”

  Rom looked almost close to tears. “You will never reach it before nightfall.”

  �
�Then I will have to camp out here for one more night. Now, will you tell me, or should I find it myself?”

  With hanging shoulders, Rom pointed in a southwesterly direction. Sterling gave him a poisonous glare.

  “If the palace is in that direction, why were you leading me in the opposite direction?” She kicked her horse into a trot. “We will meet at the palace.”

  An hour later, Sterling admitted to herself that she was lost. She looked around the dense forest trees and threw a concerned look upward. It was getting dark quite fast in this area of the woods. The hair at the back of her neck rose slightly, and she quickly moved a hand to her sword. The place was spooky with its eerie soundlessness. It was as if there were hundreds of eyes following her progress—waiting. After camping for four nights in these woods, she was not sure if she would be able to survive another night out here, especially not alone.

  She reached for her water skin and almost dropped it when she caught a sudden move on her right. She relaxed immediately, when she met two large, dark eyes. The deer gave her a curious look, almost as if it wanted to warn her. After an odd moment of staring at each other, the deer snorted and disappeared amongst the thick foliage. Sterling eased Aria into movement. She was not sure why, but it seemed that staying stationary in this place was not a good idea. There was too much happening on a level she could not see but that she could feel. She suddenly remembered the water skin which was still clutched in her hand and pulled out the stopper with her teeth as she lifted it to her lips. Dismayed, she lowered it again. She rarely, if ever, allowed herself to run out of water. She would need to refill if she was going to spend the night here.

  The deer! They rarely stray too far from water. There should be a source around here. She steered Aria in the direction the deer had gone and kept her eyes and ears open for the familiar sound of rushing water. With her hand not straying too far from her sword, she maneuvered her way deeper into the forest. The deeper in she went, the more quiet it became. It could only mean one thing. This territory had been claimed.

  Sterling knew this because after her fourteenth summer, Cybralle had taken her on a hunting trip. The warrior had kept a low running commentary of the area—its sounds, sights, and even the sensations it gave to her as a hunter. They had entered a part of the forest which Sterling found to be very quiet and unsettling. Cybralle had given her a proud smile and whispered that they had stumbled into the territory of the largest beast in the area. Everything that was smaller than this beast was almost scared to breathe when it was near, plunging the area into silence.

  Sterling's grip on her sword tightened, and she loosened her hold on the reins so she could reach for her crossbow. Ready for what might jump out at her. She brought Aria to a stop and listened intently. Yes, there it was—the sound she had been listening for. There was a river nearby. Not dropping her guard, she made her way toward the sound.

  She had traveled but a few hundred meters when the foliage began to recede. Out from under the canopy of trees, Sterling was surprised to find that it was not as dark as she had thought. There were still a few hours of daylight left. The rays reflected on the rushing swells of water, blinding her momentarily. Sterling scanned the area from one end of the river to the other, as far as she could see. She did not want to be ambushed while replenishing her water skin. When she was sure that it was relatively safe to dismount, she slid off Aria and led the horse to the water. She stood watch as the mare drank, her throat convulsing with every sip. Once the horse had its fill, she untied her water skin from the saddle.

  ***

  The dark, soundless vacuum she found herself in was wonderful. It helped to relieve the pressure of her thoughts and memories. Had she been in wolf form, she would have taken a long, hard run, not stopping until her lungs felt like they wanted to explode. She had done that so many times over the past weeks and it had worked wonders. It kept those haunting silver eyes from overrunning her dreams.

  ***

  Setting her filled water skin aside, Sterling scooped a few handfuls of water into her mouth. Next to her, Aria was happily munching on the sweet, soft grass growing on the bank of the river. She did not want to disturb the mare, but it would be completely dark in a few hours and she wanted a camp set up by then. She squinted over the water. The river seemed to run deep in the middle. She would not want to get stuck between whatever ruled this territory and the river. She came to her feet. It was time to get out of here. Just as she was about to reach for Aria's reins, she heard a soft, plopping sound; scanning over the water, she watched and waited. The plop sounded again and, this time, Sterling caught sight of a glistening trout. Her mouth watered at the thought of supplementing her diet of rabbit with the soft, sweet-tasting flesh of trout.

  “Well, girl, it seems I will dine like a princess tonight.” She quickly took off her boots. “Wait here for me. I will not be long.” She waded deeper into the water, closer to where a few large rocks protruded from the liquid landscape. Once she was knee deep in the water, she reached for her dagger. Two fat trout swam by and, with a practiced flick of her wrist, she threw her knife. Triumphantly, she dug into the slower current and grabbed the impaled fish.

  ***

  Something felt different. Blue eyes snapped open. A pinkish streak passed before her eyes. Alarmed, she surged upward, water streaming down her face and body. They immediately fell on a dark clad figure, but a few feet from where she had lain submerged in a deep pool surrounded by big boulders. The figure spun around.

  Orla drew in a sharp breath.

  ***

  Sterling did not have long to celebrate her triumph, because an unexpected large splash behind her caused her to spin around. She raised the dagger in defense, with the plump trout still attached to the blade. It all happened in a few seconds, but the first thing she noticed about her attacker was its size and with a quick, practiced glance she looked for weapons. When she spotted none, her eyes flitted to the face.

  She heard a sharply drawn breath even before she met pale-blue eyes. The air got stuck in her throat and the dagger slipped from her nerveless hand. She stared and stared…her eyes not straying once from the face she had dreamt of seeing again. She was so intent on etching the sorely missed features to her memory that the need to breathe faded from her consciousness. She stared, until the beloved image began to swim. She stared, still, when black began to stain the image.

  “Sterling!” Her name sounded like it was called from far away.

  ***

  Orla stood as still as a statue, as she looked at Sterling looking at her. Seeing the woman before her made Orla realize that she was fighting a losing battle if she thought she could forget this woman. Her eyes raked over her wife. Sterling was thinner and had dark circles around her eyes. She may have looked gaunt, but was still the most beautiful sight Orla had ever seen. She noticed that Sterling was steadily growing paler. Orla quickly searched her chest area. Sterling was not breathing.

  Orla sprang into action when the silver eyes rolled back into their sockets, and Sterling's knees gave out.

  “Sterling!”

  The water was slowing her down, making her movements sluggish. Before she could reach Sterling, her wife's unconscious body was slowly being carried away by the current. Orla's heart was thumping in her chest in terror. Sterling was floating face down and, once she got caught in the stronger current, she was going to drown for sure. With only a split second to make a decision, Orla threw her head back. She had only done this twice before, but she knew now the perfect moment to release her Ulv.

  Orla floated with the current as she let the change wash over her. By the time she reached Sterling's body, where she had just about been tugged on by the stronger current in the middle of the river, Orla stood at almost 7 feet. Her huge arms grabbed Sterling and, with powerful strides, she began her trek back to the riverbank. She looked down at Sterling's still chest and lengthened her strides. As soon as she was in the slowly flowing water, she began her transformation again
. She laid Sterling down on the bank. In the space of a few minutes, the current had swept them a few yards from where Aria stood. The mare was clearly confused by the predatory scent she had picked up when Orla shifted.

  Orla pressed down on Sterling's chest as she had seen the healer do once when young Jino, the son of the cook, had fallen into the stream that ran behind the palace. She opened Sterling's mouth and blew air down her throat. She repeated the pressing movements, her heart thundering in her ears every time Sterling did not respond.

  “Come on, Sterling,” she whispered desperately. “Please, do not leave me. I cannot lose you again.” She once again blew air down Sterling's airway. “Come back to me.”

  She pressed on Sterling's chest again. A weak cough was the signal to turn Sterling on her side. She watched anxiously as the reddish eye lashes fluttered slowly before silver eyes were revealed. They were bleary, and Orla waited patiently for them to focus. When they did, Orla held her breath as they grew larger. Please, do not let her faint again. She leaned back a little, wanting to give Sterling some breathing space. Sterling tried to sit up, and Orla gently helped her. She gasped softly when Sterling's hand lifted and touched her cheek.

  “It is…” Sterling's voice came out in a croak, and she softly cleared her throat. The silver eyes were intense as they looked into Orla's. “It is really you. I cannot believe that I found you.”

  Orla leaned into the caress. “And I cannot believe that you came for me.” Orla's eyes shot full of tears. “Thank you for finding me.”

  Orla knew Sterling would never understand the gratitude she felt at that moment. Already, she could feel a change in her. It was as if the pressure in her veins was lessening. She felt so light and free. Gentro's words rushed over her. You need her to grow into full power. After his explanation of the importance of finding a mate and the role they played in an Ulv's life, she had been intrigued. Experiencing this potent surge of euphoria inside her was more than she could have imagined. It was as if Sterling had reached inside her and lit a candle. She felt invigorated.