As the Wolf Howls

by Michael Linford

  Before Grey Moon settled, he threw some more herbs into the fire and spoke quietly to himself. ‘Let us sleep, Great Mother. All your children are together again, and tomorrow we will banish this evil and bring peace to your home once more.’

  As the herbs crackled and hissed in the fire, a beautiful perfumed smoke spread around the camp, sending them all into a blissfully peaceful sleep.

  CHAPTER 28

  Majila ran as fast as he could up the huge white steps of the palace. The whole of the city had descended into chaos and people were running everywhere, some looking to escape and others looking for a place to hide.

  The dark force that had wiped out Majila’s tribe had somehow discovered where he was hiding, and that morning they had attacked without warning. The marketplace was still awash with bodies of murdered traders and Majila had been told that these evil men were headed to the palace to speak to Drei Ran. Earlier that morning, the children had all gone to the temple for lessons and Majila knew time was running out for him to find Esmee before they did. Together, they had to escape.

  He made his way up the steps, struggling against the surge of people running in the opposite direction. Majila recalled his conversation with Drei Ran, remembering all he had been told about this city living in peace and having no fighters. Majila hadn’t even been able to find Kaliam, so it was just him and his sword against a force that could seemingly destroy anything and everything with ease.

  Majila made it to the second level of the palace steps and stopped to get his breath back. Nearby, two women were huddled together, praying. When they saw him they stopped and stared angrily, whispering to each other and pointing their fingers at him. Majila walked over to the women, holding his hands up to show them he wasn’t a threat.

  ‘Can you tell me where to find the children? Please, I need to find my daughter — she is in great danger.’

  ‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough already? You never should have come here,’ one of the women hissed at Majila.

  ‘I haven’t done anything — all I want is to find my daughter. Please help me, I’m begging you. I don’t know why any of this is happening.’ Majila sensed that his chances of finding Esmee were getting smaller all the time.

  ‘Don’t you see? This is all your fault. They are here because of you!’ The woman threw herself at Majila, hitting him repeatedly in the chest until her friend pulled her away and down the steps. She was still screaming at him as they ran. ‘You have killed us all! You are a curse!’

  Majila stood watching the women flee down the steps. Their anger had shocked him and the same guilt from the events at his camp washed over him again. He dusted himself down and carried on up the next set of steps. As bad as he felt, he knew he couldn’t change things now. He could only hope to save Esmee and escape.

  When he reached the main walkway to the palace, Majila saw two guards outside the main doors. They were both dressed completely in black and had swords hanging down from their belts. There were people scattered everywhere around them, some crouching down in fear, some slowly trying to escape and others lying dead on the floor. Slowly, Majila crept towards the guards, using the mass of bodies as cover. They were both stood with their backs to him and, as he got closer, he knew his best chance was to attack now. Majila crept closer to the guards, slowly drawing his sword in readiness. He picked up a rock and, when he was close enough, he threw it along the floor, creating a distraction and so he could gain an advantage in the fight.

  As one of the guards moved forward to investigate the noise, Majila leapt to his feet. He jumped forward, kicking the moving guard in the back whilst plunging his sword deep into the other guard’s chest. One guard fell forward onto his knees, dropping his sword as he did so, and the other guard contorted in agony before Majila withdrew his sword, causing him to slump lifelessly to the ground.

  The guard on the floor was trying to get back to his feet, and as he staggered forward he grabbed his sword and turned to face Majila. His face looked a deathly shade of grey and his eyes bore deep into Majila’s, who could feel the evil pouring out of him.

  ‘Your resistance is pointless; you will never escape — and neither will your daughter!’ the guard snarled.

  Majila stood tall, ready to fight with all he had left in him. ‘I will fight to the death trying. You will not take my daughter.’

  Without another word, the guard lunged at Majila with his sword. Visions of all the destruction caused by these people filled his mind as he deflected the blow with his own sword and circled round the guard, his own sword cutting through the air and forcing his opponent back on his heels. The two fighters exchanged heavy blows, the sound of the clashing swords echoing loudly along the temple walls. Gaining the advantage, Majila threw his weight towards the guard, but as he stepped towards where the other guard’s fallen body had been, something caught his eye and momentarily distracted him. The guard took this opportunity to attack and struck the sword from Majila’s hand before pinning him against the wall, one hand around his throat and the sword pointed at his chest.

  ‘Remember this view, Majila, for it is the last thing you’ll ever see. I want you to know that you have failed as I kill you. First you failed your people, and now you have failed your daughter.’

  The panic rose in Majila and he closed his eyes, desperately trying to visualise Esmee escaping. He could do nothing now but wait for the sword to pierce his chest and allow the darkness to envelop him. But, just as he was expecting the worst, he suddenly felt the hand loosen from around his throat and he heard the clatter of a sword against the stone floor.

  ‘You are safe, my friend. You didn’t think I would miss a fight, did you? Now, follow me and we’ll go save Esmee.’

  Majila opened his eyes to see Kaliam wiping blood from his sword. The body of the dead guard lay on the floor between them.

  Majila dropped to his knees, struggling to comprehend what had happened. He slowly regained his composure, and picked up his sword. Standing, he turned to his friend. ‘I owe you my life. Thank you, Kaliam. Who are these people?’

  ‘I think the question is not who, but what,’ said Kaliam as he looked at the body of the slain soldier, slowly turning to ashes before their eyes.

  ‘I saw the other body disintegrate and I hesitated. If you hadn’t saved me I’d be dead by now.’

  ‘Majila, we don’t have time for these things now. Follow me; I think I know where Esmee is.’ Kaliam put his hand on Majila’s shoulder before leading him through the door in the temple wall. All Majila could do was follow, and pray that it wasn’t too late.

  CHAPTER 29

  Most of the group felt really refreshed when they woke the next morning; whatever Grey Moon had thrown in the fire had helped them to relax. The faeries were busy fussing around Tallulah, packing food and other supplies in a sack for her, whilst Grey Moon was checking Amelia was feeling alright after her shock the night before.

  However, Black Wolf and Lone Wolf had woken uncomfortably from the same dream. They walked to the waterfall together to freshen up before their next trek, discussing what they’d seen in their dreams.

  Lone Wolf felt the need to be honest if they were stepping into battle together. ‘I’m finding it so difficult to deal with what we’re learning, Black Wolf. I don’t believe I’m any more of a warrior than you are but I don’t want to let you down.’

  ‘You won’t let anyone down — we all believe in you,’ said Black Wolf. ‘Did you see what I saw last night? That was the second time you saved my life, and the help you gave a complete stranger was a bravery that I’ve never witnessed before, or since. This is all so strange, I know, but you must believe in yourself.’ Black Wolf realised it was the first time they’d really spoken since meeting and wanted to let Lone Wolf know that he was a vital part of their team.

  ‘Thank you, Black Wolf. I saw what you saw too, and if this is the same evil we will face at Orgent then I fear for us all. I just hope that Grey Moon’s prophecies about our combined
powers are true.’

  ‘I’m sure Grey Moon is right. It will be difficult but I have to believe we can defeat it. It’s all we can do — and trust me, I wouldn’t want to face you.’ Black Wolf smiled and patted Lone Wolf on the back. ‘Just don’t run off and leave me to play at being a nanny this time,’ he added, laughing.

  Lone Wolf pushed Black Wolf into the lake. ‘That’ll teach you!’ he said, walking off back to camp, leaving Black Wolf laughing to himself, knee-deep in the water.

  ‘I thought I was supposed to be the child!’ a voice called, and Tallulah appeared. ‘We’re nearly ready, so you’d better join us,’ she said, guiding Black Wolf back to camp.

  A short while later, everyone was packed and ready to go, and the task that lay ahead of the group weighed heavily on their minds. Black Wolf sat with Amelia, fussing over her wellbeing. Tallulah crept up beside them.

  ‘I’m alright, Black Wolf, honestly, I feel fine today,’ Amelia said. ‘I’m just worried about my father and Elspeth, but we’ll be heading off to rescue them soon.’ She kissed him and finished packing stuff into a sack. Suddenly she felt arms round her, squeezing hard. ‘I won’t be alright if you squeeze the life out of me before we head off,’ she said to Tallulah, ruffling her hair and hiding how strange it was to feel motherly towards this quirky stranger.

  ‘Sorry. I just wanted to let you know how excited I am to have met you,’ the faery replied, releasing her grip slightly.

  ‘That’s alright, Tallulah, I know. Once we’re safe we’ll have time to talk and get to know each other.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ replied Tallulah. She then disappeared amongst the other faeries.

  ‘She’s quite a character,’ Black Wolf said proudly, watching her go.

  ‘She certainly is,’ agreed Amelia. ‘I often wondered what it would be like to have a child.’

  Black Wolf noticed her sad tone and hugged her closer. ‘One day you’ll find out, Amelia. You’ll have not just a child but the future emperor — now there’s pressure for you.’ He smiled at her but the air was tinged with sadness as they both thought about what could have been, if their lives hadn’t been destroyed in the past by such horrific events.

  ‘We should start our journey now,’ Grey Moon called out to the group, after saying his goodbyes to the faeries.

  Lone Wolf and Amelia said quick goodbyes and followed Grey Moon back to the archway, leaving Black Wolf and Tallulah still at camp.

  ‘Thank you for welcoming us. I hope to see you again soon,’ Black Wolf said, bowing before the other three faeries.

  ‘Make sure you look after our girl,’ Luna said to him.

  ‘I promise to return her safely,’ he said, before turning to Tallulah. ‘I’ll leave you to say your goodbyes.’ He followed the others.

  ‘I trust you, Tallulah; I know this is what you need and I hope you find everything you wished for. Travel well, my sister,’ said Ember, handing her a small pouch.

  ‘We will pray for our Great Mother to bring you back safely. You have my blessing,’ said Luna.

  ‘Bring me back a nice faery prince!’ said Aira, jumping at Tallulah and hugging her tightly whilst trying to hold back the tears.

  Tallulah herself was choking back the tears as she spoke, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I love you all and will see you again one day.’

  The four of them hugged and then Tallulah joined her new friends at the archway. ‘I’m ready,’ she said to Grey Moon. With Black Wolf’s arm round her shoulder, they all stepped through the gap and out of the Charmed Woods.

  CHAPTER 30

  The mood in Orgent had grown even darker after Elspeth had cut herself with the sword. The emperor was stood watching, in a state of shock, as the blood spilled down her body, making her look almost demonic in the eerie light, with her red eyes.

  Elspeth spoke to the evil being in an almost trance-like state. ‘The message was received, my lord. I know that the princess felt my pain and I’m sure she will worry now.’

  ‘Good. Now you can all pray that she arrives sooner rather than later, or more of you will have to pay for her lack of urgency.’

  The emperor had slumped to the floor, head in hands, fighting back the tears; he was desperate not to show his opponent any weakness.

  ‘You’re very quiet there, Emperor. Are you not enjoying the show I’ve put on for your celebrations? Maybe we need some more excitement?’ The vile being goaded the emperor, laughing wickedly at the wreck of a man before him.

  ‘Why don’t you just take me and let all of these people go free? Please, I beg of you…’

  ‘Don’t you see, Emperor? I can’t take you. Your spirit is not broken like that servant girl’s; you still have too much fight in you, too much anger. You’ll be here until the end of this, believe me — and you will hand me your kingdom on a plate.’

  Suddenly the emperor heard a sobbing and he realised it was coming from Elspeth, so he rushed over to her and put his arms round her, hugging her tightly to him. He spoke softly in her ear. ‘You’ve come back, Elspeth! It’s a miracle. Don’t cry, my dear, I’ll keep you safe.’

  ‘Will you keep me warm too?’ she replied huskily, grabbing his head and rubbing her blood-soaked lips against his. ‘I need a man who can show me what true power is, Emperor. Make me your queen,’ she hissed, the blood spilling over his robes as he tried to hold her away from him.

  The anger in the emperor surfaced as he shouted at the evil intruder. ‘Get her away from me! Lies and trickery! You will pay for all this, mark my words — this kingdom will crush you.’

  ‘Crushed, by whom? You bore me, Emperor. Maybe we can give your guards a chance, and if they defeat me then you can all walk free.’ The stranger looked at the few guards dotted around the courtyard and picked the five he thought looked the most powerful. He signalled to his ghostly army and, one by one, they brought all five forward and stood them before the stranger. ‘Come and get me,’ he challenged them.

  The guards looked at the emperor, who nodded to them, and then drew their swords, all five pointed towards the evil figure. They kept their formation with the lead guard at the front, and moved towards their foe. The evil being stood before them, his arms aloft, with wispy trails of black ash almost invisibly wafting out of him, towards the guards.

  ‘Five…’ the stranger said aloud.

  With this, one of the two guards at the back suddenly swung his sword towards his friend, beheading him almost instantly.

  ‘Four…’

  The same guard thrust his sword through the spine of the man in front of him, the bloody body dropping on the spot.

  ‘Three…’

  The guard spun north-west and sliced the second guard from throat to groin, blood and guts tipping out under the feet of the head guard who had now spun round and was facing the swordsman head on.

  ‘Two…’

  The guard slit his own throat and the head guard watched as his eyes turned from red back to brown again and blood flooded from the wound on his neck.

  ‘We all know what comes next, don’t we, Emperor?’ the evil being laughed. ‘One…’

  With that word, he thrust his hand towards the head guard, choking him in mid-air. The guard’s skin blistered and turned to black ash, spilling on the floor of the courtyard.

  ‘I don’t think you’ll be crushing me, do you, Emperor?’ he taunted, seeming to grow in stature with every death.

  The emperor stood up and walked over to the stranger, defiantly staring at him as he spoke. ‘If you say my spirit is not broken then face me, one on one, and leave all these innocent people out of this.’

  ‘There is no such thing as innocence, Emperor — you should know that more than anyone here. Once a coward, always a coward. In every life you live, you make a choice, and each time your choice has helped me — yet you always seem to end up living in temples? Fortune does seem to favour the weak.’

  The emperor was enraged by the accusations. ‘I’ve never met you before
. These are all more lies — this is more trickery!’

  ‘You will see in time. It’s funny how a temple of yours can turn away a father and child, yet in the next life, you hope they come and rescue you,’ said the stranger, glaring at the emperor. For a brief moment, the emperor felt a guilt deep inside him like never before, and he could have sworn he saw a vision in those red eyes. A vision of a dark cloud, floating away from a bright white temple and a small blonde child, dotted with blood, huddled together with other children by a forest.

  CHAPTER 31

  After stepping through the archway, the group had found themselves right on the outskirts of the forest, so they had less distance to travel than when they had headed there from the mountains.

  ‘Your folk really are quite magical aren’t they?’ Lone Wolf said to Tallulah as they walked along, side by side.

  ‘We have our uses,’ she replied, grinning to herself. ‘So are you my own personal guard now, then? Have you sworn an oath to protect me at all costs?’

  ‘Nothing quite as formal as that, but in the past I told someone I’d help find and protect their daughter, so that’s what I’m doing now, in a way.’ Struggling to work out the sense in all this, his answer confused him more than anyone.

  ‘You mean my father?’ Tallulah asked.

  ‘To be honest, I’m not really sure how any of this works. But in a way, I guess so, yes.’

  ‘What are you thinking about?’ she asked, staring up at him curiously.

  ‘I think you ask too many questions,’ he said, smiling, and playfully nudged her with his shoulder.

  Further behind them, Black Wolf and Amelia walked together, watching Tallulah wearing Lone Wolf out.

  ‘What will you do when all this is over?’ the princess asked.

  ‘If we survive, then I’ll return to the lowlands and lead my people, I guess. One day I’ll have to take Grey Moon’s place, so I’ve still got lots to learn.’ Black Wolf paused. ‘What will you do?’