As the Wolf Howls

by Michael Linford

  ‘There will have to be changes at Orgent, so I’ll have to speak to my father about it. We need to be allowed to voyage into the night world again, but with some form of protection. I was hoping Grey Moon might help us and we could open our gates more, for your people, if you needed us. I’d like to build a better relationship with the tribesmen.’ She blushed slightly as she spoke.

  ‘I think a tribesman would be honoured by your wish to help,’ he replied, and they carried on without mentioning anything more about the future. They had scars from the past, and in the present there was grave danger. So, to them, any future was just a dream.

  Ahead of them all, Grey Moon was leading the way. He was glad that the group were enjoying each other’s company, as it gave him some time to be alone and gather his thoughts. The conversation with Black Wolf back at the mountains had shaken him up and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to tell him more about his early days, but he could only hope that for the moment, at least, more revelations could be delayed.

  The walk had been a lot easier with the help of the faeries, and it wasn’t long before they arrived at a clearing, which had the same river running through it that the faery camp had. On the other side of this river was a long path uphill that headed to Orgent. The path was through the woodland that surrounded the land lower than Orgent, but so many trees had been felled here that the route was fairly easy to trek up. The only problem in the walk up the path would be the lack of cover available for the group; this was made worse by the fact that the path headed straight to Orgent, which overlooked it from a great height.

  ‘We need to call the others before we continue,’ said Grey Moon, stopping before the river and unpacking things from his sack.

  ‘How are we going to do that?’ asked Lone Wolf.

  ‘One of our ancient smoke rituals, my friend, and you’re just the person I need to help me.’ Grey Moon patted the floor next to him, inviting his friend to join him.

  ‘Looks like we’re not needed,’ said Amelia to Black Wolf, who seemed strangely preoccupied.

  ‘I guess not,’ he replied, sitting near the others and staring into the distance.

  Grey Moon had got everything ready, and Lone Wolf had started a strong fire near the river. The wood was already burning fiercely, the flames dancing high into the air above them, and he was sat with a handful of the herbs that Grey Moon had given him.

  Sat by the fire, Grey Moon started to chant, softly at first, and then slowly growing louder. Lone Wolf had witnessed this sort of ceremony before and hummed along to the chanting, leaving Grey Moon free to stop and address his people.

  ‘Children of my land, I pray that our Great Mother lets my voice be heard by you. The time has come for the action we spoke of, and we need your strength behind us. Let the angry fire of war guide you to us before next light and we will claim back peace for all our people.’ Grey Moon nodded to Lone Wolf, who threw the herbs into the fire. The flame and smoke instantly turned a deep red and sent the signal they needed.

  ‘Now we wait,’ Grey Moon said to his friend, and Lone Wolf watched as the fire worked its magic, right in front of him.

  Across the clearing, the other three were sat together. Black Wolf still quiet. Tallulah twirled the small pouch Ember had given her in her hands.

  ‘What have you got there?’ enquired Amelia.

  ‘This is a special bag of faery dust that will help me find the Charmed Woods again, if I need to return,’ she replied.

  ‘If?’ said Amelia, ‘Once we’ve saved Orgent, you’ll be free to return home, Tallulah, then life can return to normal again.’

  ‘I guess,’ Tallulah mumbled, looking down at the floor.

  ‘What’s wrong, Tallulah? You don’t seem very happy about that.’

  ‘I’ve spent my whole life waiting for more and now I’ve found it, with you and Black Wolf. I guess I was hoping we might all be able to stay together, once this is over…’ She looked at Black Wolf, but he didn’t appear to have heard them.

  ‘There’s a lot to do before we worry about that though. We’ll work that all out when we’re safe, don’t worry.’ Amelia put her arm round Tallulah and hugged her, trying to offer her some comfort.

  ‘We’re all connected, but we need to try to leave the past behind us. It’s time for us to create a new connection and if it is meant to be, then we’ll always be close,’ Black Wolf said, still staring into the distance. He wanted nothing more than to keep both of them close, now he’d found them again, but he knew in his heart that things could never be the same again.

  The two women looked at each other and smiled; they had all found each other after so long — maybe he was right and it would all work out, one way or another.

  ‘I’ll be back later. Don’t go getting in any trouble,’ Black Wolf said to them, before wandering over to look at the fire.

  ‘We have called for the others and they should arrive by nightfall,’ Grey Moon said to him. ‘You’re welcome to sit with us if you wish, my child.’

  Black Wolf sat next to the warrior and the teacher, mesmerised by the flame and staring at it until a strange vision appeared to him from deep within the heart of the fire.

  He saw the tree stump from the start of his days again and, as he watched, a wolf appeared out of the top and ran off into the distance. Black Wolf watched the scene change to a great battle, where he was sure he saw Grey Moon fall during the fight, and then the wolf kept running. The wolf finally reached a huge cloaked figure and with its teeth bared, snarling, it leapt straight at the figure and appeared to disappear into it, until everything vanished without a trace.

  ‘What is it, my child?’ Grey Moon asked, looking concerned at his friend.

  ‘Nothing, I’m just tired,’ said Black Wolf, unable to tell Grey Moon what he’d just seen. As he sat there, it occurred to him he’d spent so long worrying about Amelia and Tallulah that he’d never thought Grey Moon could be lost in this battle.

  ‘So what is our next move?’ said Lone Wolf.

  ‘We need to cross this river and our people will meet us if we wait for them farther up the hill on the other side.

  ‘That’s easy,’ said Tallulah, who had wandered over to join them, with Amelia by her side.

  ‘You’d better show us then,’ said Lone Wolf, trying to hide the scorn from his voice, and the group watched as Tallulah walked across the river, without her feet even entering the water.

  ‘See,’ she called back from the other side, ‘things are only as difficult as you make them.’

  ‘Let’s go then,’ said Lone Wolf, hoisting his sack onto his back, and hopping onto the river.

  ‘Lone Wolf, wait!’ called Grey Moon, but it was already too late, and with a huge splash, Lone Wolf was on his back in the water, muttering angrily, whilst the others laughed amongst themselves.

  ‘I was going to remind you of the faeries’ trickery and charm,’ said Grey Moon, stifling a laugh.

  ‘People see what we want them to see,’ said Tallulah cheekily.

  ‘I’ll remember that,’ Lone Wolf replied, narrowing his eyes as he got to his feet, and for a brief moment the laughter overtook the fear and the strange group of travellers crossed the river together, smiling to themselves.

  CHAPTER 32

  In Orgent, the emperor was still reeling from the vision he’d seen reflected in the stranger’s eyes. Although he didn’t understand it, there was a vague recollection of something, deep down inside him that was troubling him as he sat waiting for what would happen next.

  ‘You’re very quiet, Emperor, are you finally seeing the danger here?’ the stranger asked.

  ‘I just want this to be finished,’ he replied, barely able to respond to his captor anymore. His hopes of being saved were fading fast.

  ‘As do I, Emperor, and I’m growing tired of waiting now. I think it’s time to show yourself and others just how serious I am.’ He carefully scanned the crowd around him whilst talking, plotting his next move.

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nbsp; ‘Time is running out now, so I demand that the people of Orgent bring forward their children and sit them before me,’ he bellowed out to the crowd.

  There was a murmuring amongst the people, but no one moved until the stranger spoke again.

  ‘Now!’ he screamed across the courtyard, and slowly people started leading their children towards him, heads bowed, knowing they had no choice.

  The emperor sat watching as the large group of children were sat by the steps of the temple, some quietly sobbing to themselves, whilst others were just nervously awaiting their fate.

  The evil being swept his hand across the courtyard, using his powers to drag a few men out of the shadows, forcing them to stand before him. ‘Where are your children?’ he asked them coldly.

  ‘I don’t have any children,’ one of the men replied, avoiding eye contact and shuffling nervously before the evil intruder.

  ‘I’m sure you’ll all say the same,’ the evil stranger replied, before dragging the man’s son out into the open, and slashing his face with a point of his finger.

  ‘No, stop!’ the man shouted. ‘Please don’t hurt him — it’s not his fault.’

  ‘I know that,’ said the evil being, ‘it’s yours.’ He used his magic to start to choke the life out of the man in front of the others.

  The boy cried out as he watched his father’s body drop to the ground, lifeless, and rushed over to him. He began pulling on his arm, desperate for any reaction.

  ‘Go to the others, child, before you suffer the same fate.’ He moved towards the boy menacingly and the boy let go of his father’s arm and ran to the others, still crying out in pain.

  ‘The rest of you will bring your children to me now, or I’ll kill you and then them.’ As soon as the words were spoken, the men rushed back to the shadows and shepherded their children over to him, to join the others.

  With the stranger distracted, the emperor took his chance to try to attack one of the ghostly figures guarding his people. He lunged towards one, reaching for the guard’s neck, but instead found himself falling through the smoky figure and landing on the floor in a heap once more.

  ‘You just don’t understand it, do you, Emperor? You cannot fight me or my guards. We are one supreme being, and you have no power to concern us.’ He mocked the emperor as he got back to his feet.

  ‘Then kill us all and be done with it. We have nothing left,’ the emperor said, defeated and close to tears.

  ‘I gave you your chance, Emperor. Now I want the others who are bound to come here before too long. I will kill them, seize all the power and a physical form, then those here that I don’t have use for, I will kill.’

  ‘These are just children though,’ the emperor argued. ‘They are of no use to you.’

  ‘They are the future of Orgent, my Orgent, and only I will decide what use they are. I don’t need to kill them — there are plenty of adults here for that pleasure.’ He cackled to himself, still growing in power with every life he took.

  As the emperor slumped back to the floor again, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked up to see Elspeth appearing to float towards the dark power. Her face looked hollow and pale, but her eyes were still burning a bright red. The emperor feared they would never get her back out of the clutches of evil again, if she even survived that long.

  ‘My Lord, I feel it has worked. She is coming, but not alone,’ Elspeth said.

  ‘Are you sure, child? I am tired of waiting and all these games. You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?’

  Elspeth felt her throat tighten and she struggled to breathe, managing to whisper out a reply, ‘No, my Lord, I promise you, she is on her way and will arrive soon.’

  ‘Then I shall wait for her arrival,’ he said, releasing her from his power, and turning to the emperor. ‘Not long now, Emperor, and your suffering will be over.’

  ‘Not Amelia, please, not her…’

  ‘She will be here soon enough, Emperor, maybe I should make her my queen instead of that servant girl. What do you think? Whatever I decide, I will make sure you see it all, don’t you worry.’ His dark cackle filled the cold air of Orgent once more, and all the people could do was wait and see what fate had in store for them.

  CHAPTER 33

  On the other side of the river, the group had been making the long trek up the path towards Orgent. From the bottom of the hill, they could see the dark cloud hanging over the city, a huge contrast to the afternoon sunlight that illuminated the area around them.

  None of the group were talking as they made their way towards the great walled city, too busy focusing on getting to their next destination, and what they would all be facing when they eventually arrived.

  By the time the sky had started to darken, they had reached the halfway point to Orgent and Grey Moon stopped them all from going further.

  ‘We will rest here a while, under the cover of the forest, until the others come and meet us,’ he said, setting his sack down and gathering any wood he could find around them.

  ‘When will we eat?’ asked Lone Wolf, starting to feel hungry and tired.

  ‘Soon, my friend, when the others arrive,’ Grey Moon replied, heaping the wood together and starting a campfire for them to sit round whilst they waited.

  The mood was strange amongst the group as they sat and waited. Tallulah was bored and poking around in the fire, whilst Black Wolf and Amelia sat huddled together close. Lone Wolf was sharpening his knife and trying not to think about food, whilst Grey Moon was staring silently into the flames.

  After a while, Black Wolf jumped to his feet, noticing a fiery light appear in the woods, across the path from them. This light was soon followed by another, and then many more, practically igniting the forest beyond them. ‘What is that, Grey Moon?’ he said, pointing towards the lights.

  ‘These are our people, Black Wolf. Though I should say your people,’ he said, smiling. He got to his feet.

  Across the clearing, the group watched as almost a hundred tribesmen stepped out into the open, all carrying fiery torches and weapons. Grey Moon walked over and spoke to the group, whilst the others looked on in awe, amazed by the sheer number of people who had come to fight for them.

  ‘Step forward, Black Wolf, your people are here to greet you,’ Grey Moon announced, and Black Wolf slowly walked over to join the tribesmen.

  Grey Moon stood before Black Wolf and held his hand up in front of him. ‘From the power given to me by our Great Mother, I give my blood back to the land, and call upon our brother, Black Wolf, to lead this tribe and our people to a new future.’ Grey Moon cut his hand, wiped the blood on the ground between them and signalled for Black Wolf to hold his hand out too.

  ‘I give my blood back to our land and thank our Great Mother for giving me the honour of ruling my people,’ Black Wolf said, as he too cut his hand, following Grey Moon’s lead in rubbing his blood into the dirt.

  ‘To Black Wolf, the leader of man,’ the tribe said in unison, all bowing before him.

  ‘Your fate is nearly complete now, my child. Lead our people with strength, pride and grace and they will serve you until the end of time.’ Grey Moon bowed to Black Wolf, then spoke quietly in his ear. ‘They are yours to lead now, my child.’ He walked back to the others.

  ‘Thank you all,’ said Black Wolf. ‘I hope you brought some food with you?’ As some of the tribesmen revealed large sacks full of food, he smiled and led them over to the others. ‘Before we sit for food, I need to introduce you to your new leader in battle, Lone Wolf,’ Black Wolf announced, taking his friend by surprise.

  Lone Wolf got to his feet and bowed to the men. ‘Thank you, Black Wolf — and greetings, men. Together we will rid Orgent and all our lands of this evil, letting us return to the peace that we have been accustomed to for a long time now.’

  The tribesmen shouted out a battle cry, loud and as one, before bowing again. ‘Now, let us eat,’ said Black Wolf, and the tribesmen joined the travellers in sitting near the
fire and cooking their food.

  Whilst they ate, Amelia found Grey Moon sitting quietly, working with more of his herbs and pastes. ‘Sorry to disturb you, Grey Moon,’ she said, ‘but I’m worried that time is running out for my people. Shouldn’t we be there by now?’

  ‘I understand your fears, Princess, and if you let me, I can perform a rite that will answer these fears for you. All I need is a drop of your blood.’

  ‘Anything you need,’ she replied, cutting her finger with his knife and squeezing some of her blood into a bowl, with a mixture of his herbs and spices he’d already prepared.

  ‘Thank you, Princess.’ He held the bowl over the fire until the contents started to bubble, and then steam rose from it. Slowly, he closed his eyes and inhaled the steam, letting his mind see Orgent as if he was floating above it. ‘They are expecting us and are waiting. He grows stronger, but impatient. Your father and Elspeth are alive, but tomorrow we must attack,’ he mumbled, as if talking in his sleep, and then he returned, his eyes open wide.

  ‘Thank you, Grey Moon,’ she said, taking his hand in hers.

  ‘I’m not leading my men from here,’ said Black Wolf, arriving out of the dark and interrupting them. ‘I promised you we’d save Orgent, Amelia, and we will do that at first light, but I want us closer.’ He looked deep into her eyes, appearing like the warrior he was starting to become.

  Grey Moon nodded to him as if reading his mind and started to perform another ritual, burning different herbs and chanting quietly to himself.

  ‘We need to pack up, men; we have a walk ahead of us before we rest for the night. Follow me,’ Black Wolf announced to the tribesmen, who all started gathering their supplies together. ‘Lone Wolf, you lead the men but keep Amelia and Tallulah by your side at all times.’

  ‘I will, Black Wolf,’ Lone Wolf replied proudly, and before long, the army made its way to Orgent with Lone Wolf, Black Wolf and Grey Moon walking on separately ahead, their fiery torches guiding them on their way.

  ‘Won’t this be dangerous?’ Amelia called out to Grey Moon, who was walking just in front of her. ‘Won’t they see us coming?’