Keeper of the Wolves

by Cheree Alsop

  Waylan turned to the stable boy while the other two guards barred the man’s way. He glanced at me, then back at the guards. The sharp scent of his adrenaline spiked when his muscles tensed. I let out a bark of warning the same instant he pulled a knife from his tunic. A guard caught his hand and I jumped, grabbing him by the shoulder. He let out a yell of pain. The three of us fell to the ground. Waylan slammed a haymaker into the man’s jaw so hard his head rebounded off the cobblestones. His muscles relaxed.

  I released his shoulder and backed up. The taste of human blood coated my teeth.

  “What was that about?” a voice demanded from the gate. I looked up to see Lieutenant Aled, Rasmus’ second.

  “I’m pretty sure he was sent from Brean, Lieutenant,” Waylan replied. He shook out his hand and glared down at the unconscious man. “He was evasive during our questioning and when the wolf showed up, he pulled a knife.

  Aled’s eyebrows rose. “Can’t say I blame him,” he said in a dry tone that sounded far older than he looked. “Victus is pretty intimidating.” Waylan opened his mouth to protest, but the young Lieutenant held up a hand. “If the wolf is concerned, I am as well. Take him to Master Jarstold and tell him we need another interview.” The way he said the last word made it sound unpleasant.

  Waylan nodded and the two guards hefted the body. Waylan picked up the man’s knife. His eyebrows lowered and he handed it to Aled with a stormy expression. The Lieutenant nodded as if it confirmed his suspicions. He showed me the knife. “See the markings on the hilt? This is an assassin’s blade. Assassins write the name for whom the blade is intended in a secret code; the knife is supposed to only be used for the target. I won’t be surprised if Jarstold gets him to reveal Joven or Koya as his mark.”

  My head flew up. If an assassin had been stopped at the gate by Waylan’s careful scrutiny, who knew if others made it past guards who might not have been so careful?

  The look on the young Lieutenant’s face said his thoughts mirrored my own. “I need four men,” he demanded.

  Waylan barked out a quick order and he fell in beside us along with three other guards. Four more men from the guardhouse appeared to take their place as we ran to the castle. My paws thundered across cobblestones just beginning to grow warm with early morning sunlight. At the Lieutenant’s command, a servant opened the main doors as we ran up the shallow steps. I didn’t slow my headlong rush. My paws barely touched the carpet and I practically flew down the main hallway. I sorted through the scents in search of sea salt and fish, but mostly I hunted for fresh traces of Koya’s meadow gold and vanilla.

  Her scent lingered in every part of the enormous castle we came to. I began to feel mad with the effort when a fresh trail overlaid the others like sunlight across a pond. The guards’ feet pounded behind me when I turned up a lesser-used flight of stairs, darted across a wide hallway scaring two servants in the process, and flew into a corner room. I stumbled at the sight of Koya standing alone beneath windows open wide to the morning light.

  She turned with a smile on her face at my appearance, but her smile faded when Lieutenant Aled and another guard followed shortly behind.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded. “Why are you chasing him?”

  Aled lifted his hands at the accusation in her tone. “Victus was leading us to you, my Lady. We stopped an assassin at the gates and he feared you might be in trouble.”

  Her eyes widened and she looked from the Lieutenant to me. I nodded and took a deep breath to calm the pounding of my heart. The fact that she was safe and our flight had been for nothing did little to reassure me that she was out of danger. Assassins were still trying to get in. Brean, and Lord Storion, wanted the siblings dead at any cost.

  More footsteps thundered down the hallway. I bared my teeth and faced the door. Aled drew the sword from his belt and the other guard followed. The door flew open to reveal Waylan, the other two guards, and Joven. The Lord of Vielkeep looked frantically around the room, then breathed a loud sigh of relief when he saw Koya.

  “Thank goodness you’re safe,” he said. He crossed the room and gave her a quick hug.

  “I’m alright,” Koya replied. Frustration sparked in her eyes. “I’m not a child to be watched over every second of the day.”

  “Right now you should be,” Joven replied. He rounded on me. “Where were you, Victus?” he demanded, his words biting and charged, “You were never to leave her side. That was our agreement.”

  I met his gaze with the calm, impassive eyes of a wolf, but I lifted my lips just enough to tell him he had gone too far. The anger that showed in Koya’s expression at the thought of needing protection around the clock rolled through me with a hundred times the force at the fact that she needed such security.

  Joven took a step back but his misdirected frustration continued to flow from him in waves.

  “Victus was with me at the gates,” Lieutenant Aled said. I glanced at him and he met my eyes with the directness of one man to another. “We were checking security along the wall and found Master Guard Waylan interrogating the assassin. Victus took him down when he pulled a knife.” He tossed the blade onto a side table. I hadn’t realized he had carried it on our mad dash to find Koya. The details he told Joven weren’t quite accurate and put me in a much better light than my run with the pack, but when I glanced at him, he looked unconcerned with anything but the knife.

  I had abandoned Koya to run with the wolves. I shouldn’t have left her. I had broken my promise to both siblings that I would keep Koya safe, and she had almost paid with her life. Aled’s story placed me in a better light; I couldn’t figure out why he would say such a thing. I studied him as he pointed out the markings on the knife to Joven. The Lieutenant’s jaw was clenched and the light streaming in through the window made it look as though the same anger that filled my chest burned in his eyes.

  More footsteps erupted down the hallway, but I recognized Rasmus’ tread and waited for the door to open once more. When it did, Joven dropped the knife in surprise and Koya took a step to my side. I pressed my shoulder against her reassuringly and her fingers tangled in the fur at the base of my neck. Warmth flooded my back at her touch. I fought down the urge to close my eyes and memorize the feeling of her hand in my fur. We were in a crisis situation and I was distracted by the mere presence of a lady.

  Not just any lady, a voice in the back of my mind said. I snorted softly to chase away the thought.

  “Is everyone alright?” Rasmus asked. His eyes darted around the room, searching the corners that still lay in shadow. When they came up empty, his relief was palpable. He rubbed his jaw, his fingers sweeping across the red star tattoo on his right cheek. “Nothing like a false alarm to get the blood pounding,” he said. He crossed back to the door, checked it, then shut it and leaned against it with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The two soldiers that had come with him looked confused, but they didn’t question their commander.

  “If everyone is done wondering if I’ve been killed yet, I think I’ll retire to my rooms,” Koya said. Her sharp tone couldn’t hide the fear that laced her words. If so many people worried that the worst might happen, it must not be close behind.

  “I think we could all use some rest,” Joven said pointedly. He touched Koya’s arm. “Sorry, sis,” he said in words intended only for her ears.

  She let out a breath, then gave him a small smile. She turned the same smile on the rest of the soldiers. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m not just going to sit around waiting for one of Storion’s assassins to find me.”

  “If only we could prove he’s the one sending the assassins,” Waylan said; he then looked abashed at speaking out of turn. “Apologies,” he said quietly.

  Rasmus shook his head. “None necessary. You’re right.” His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword. “If the assassin talks, we might be able to unite the other Duchies against Lord Storion. Otherwise, we’re sitting ganders waiting to be picked off by the next fox that hap
pens by.” His eyes glittered darkly and the bitter twist to his mouth deepened the scar that ran down his face. “Give me the command and I’ll take him out.”

  Joven shook his head. “We don’t fight dirty, and you’re not an assassin. I’ll not have you tarnish yourself to end something that might be resolved shortly.” He and Koya exchanged a loaded glance.

  Koya’s lips tightened, but she thanked the men again, then waited for me at the door. We walked quietly down the hallway to the stairs. She paused before descending them. “Thank you for stopping that man,” she said. “I don’t doubt what would have happened if he’d gotten through.” She glanced back toward the room where the others still conversed. “I’m hoping it will help the others relax if I pretend like it doesn’t bother me.”

  Her admission surprised me. She fell silent and her fingers trailed along my back, then it seemed that she noticed what she was doing because she straightened up and gave me a half-smile. “Neither of us are very good at getting the sleep we need,” she said.

  I let out a soft breath of assent and her smile deepened before she turned and walked down the stairs.

  Chapter 14

  I hesitated at the door to her rooms. The soft light streaming through the windows lit the sitting room in a warm glow. Koya sat on the couch with her face buried in her hands. Her golden hair cascaded in mussed curls to hide her expression. I wanted to comfort her, but was unable to do so in the mute form of a wolf. I slipped back into the hallway and padded softly to my makeshift rooms in her grandfather’s quarters.

  It amazed me how easily I was able to change to human form. The urgent need that had pulled me into the wolf body during my talk with Lord Brayton had been appeased with the hunt. A pang of regret shadowed the memory of the fear in the Lord’s eyes when he saw me change. That revelation might have dire consequences, but I wouldn’t leave Koya to see that his concerns were alleviated.

  I pulled on a pair of black-dyed buckskin pants and a white cotton jerkin. I pointedly ignored the shoes and socks that lay nearby and walked back out of the room. It was strange how familiar the hallway had become. The thick carpets and solid walls, so confining and unusual before, now comforted me with their familiar dusty neglect and age-worn scents. I let my fingers trail along one wall and thought about Koya doing the same to my back when I was in wolf form. The reassurance of something steadfast was a bolster to heavy spirits. I hoped Koya found the same relief in my presence.

  I paused at her open door. She still sat on the couch with her head bowed. Early morning sunlight filtered through the window, creating beams of dancing motes that looked solid enough to touch. I wondered if my absence had gone unnoticed. I pushed the door open further and it gave a slight creak. Koya spoke without lifting her head, “You didn’t have to come back.”

  A stillness settled over me at the weariness in her voice. I stood motionless, her sorrow and despair heavy in the air around me. “I hope you know me better than that,” I said in a voice rough from lack of use.

  She looked up in surprise. Her eyes were the pale color of the sky when the sun reaches its highest point. I took a steeling breath and crossed the floor. “I left to run with the wolves,” I said. Admitting my abandonment was more painful than the bruises I still bore from my battles with the Viel.

  Koya lowered her gaze to the ground and tipped her head so that her expression was hidden from me. “You should have stayed with them,” she said. “You deserve your life back.”

  The pain in her voice tore at my heart. I dropped to my knees on the carpet in front of her and took her hands in my own. “You are my life,” I said. My throat was tight and the words came out soft and forced.

  She met my gaze slowly as if reluctant to see the truth. She swallowed and blinked back tears that caught in the morning light. She opened her mouth, then shook her head and tried to pull her hands from mine. I kept a gentle hold on her fingers, worried if I lost them I would never feel her touch again. She blinked quickly, but the tears broke free. “You don’t deserve this life. You shouldn’t fight every day to survive, putting yourself in harm’s way for someone else. It’s not right.”

  I stared at her, shocked. I was prepared for her to tell me that I was an animal, that she needed someone with the means to take care of her, or she had another in mind who would provide for her duchy. Instead, her concern was for the life I would lead at her side. I tried to hide the smile that came to my lips, but I couldn’t. “Koya, look at me,” I said gently. When she refused, I turned her chin so that I stared into her eyes. The depths of them threatened to swallow me up; it was an existence I would happily die for. “I said goodbye to the wolves.” My heart burned, but I continued, “My place is at your side, if you will have me.”

  She watched me, her expression disbelieving. “You said goodbye?”

  I nodded and had to drop my gaze for fear that I wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears that filled my eyes. “I’m not a wolf anymore, at least not one fit for a pack.” I swallowed. “I don’t know what I am.”

  She pulled one of her hands out of mine and placed it on my cheek. I looked up at her and she stared down at me from her seat on the couch. “Your place is at my side?”

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  She leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. Her fingers caressed my cheek and made trails of fire race along my skin. I closed my eyes, encompassed by her scent, her touch, the soft press of her lips against mine, the taste of her kiss. Nothing else mattered in the world except this Lady who held my heart as no other had.

  She pulled back just enough to whisper, “I love you.”

  “I love you,” I replied. A heartbreaking warmth flooded my body. I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her more firmly, claiming her as my own. I understood at that moment why wolves only chose one mate when most of the animal world flitted from suitor to suitor. There truly was only one my heart belonged to, and I held her in my arms.

  When our lips parted, she leaned her head against my chest. I rested my cheek on her hair, content to stay there forever. Everything felt right. In that moment, the world disappeared and only our two hearts, joined with a single love, existed.

  Eventually, Koya broke the silence with the harsh truth of reality. “Joven will never understand.”

  “What about Vielkeep?” I forced myself to ask the question despite the knowledge that what was best for Vielkeep was for me to keep my distance from this girl I loved with all of my heart.

  She shook her head and spoke with her words muffled against my neck. “I don’t know. All I know is that I would rather die than live without you.”

  I pulled back and looked down at her. “Never say that,” I demanded in a tone harsher than I meant for it to be. “You have too much to live for, and too many people who need you. I need you.”

  A smile touched her lips. “You do?”

  I nodded, then recognized the teasing light in her eyes. I humored her anyway. “I do.”

  Her smile deepened and she leaned against my chest again. “We’ll figure it out somehow. It’ll work out, right?”

  I nodded, but doubt whispered at the back of my mind. I pushed it down and brushed her golden hair between my fingers.

  ***

  I awoke early and changed before Koya stirred. I paced the perimeter of the ground in search of a scent that would herald another assassin from Brean. What worried me was that the other duchies also had reasons to take control of Vielkeep, and had said as much. The threat to Koya’s life wasn’t only at Brean’s hand.

  When I reached the castle again, it was in a stir of madness as the representatives from each duchy readied their belongings for their hasty trip home. Word of the Viel had spread and looks of panic and disbelief were shared by the servants and royalty I saw. Some still doubted the existence of the Viel, but the fear that colored the air told of others who believed in the threat.

  Carriages were loaded high with more belongings than I figured one person could use in a year. Ser
vants dressed in the colors of each duchy hurried about with haggard looks on their faces and armloads of supplies. I avoided the chaos around the main doors and slipped through the side door of the kitchen that was open to air out the rapidly warming room.

  Master Cook Tamus had her workers slaving in every inch of the massive kitchen and storage room beyond to make enough food packs for the departing travelers. Great fires roared in the open ovens and piles of apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, and huge sides of venison and oxen lay ready to be sliced for sandwiches. The scent of fresh bread tickled my nose.

  Cook Tamus stood in a corner with her hands on her hips and glowered down at a young man covered in flour and holding two black mounds that further inspection showed to be charred loaves of bread. The young man hung his head when she pointed to the corner where several fatigued women worked to keep up with the growing pile of dishes waiting to be washed. Cook Tamus turned away and paused when her eyes met mine.

  The beefy woman raised her wooden spoon and shook it at me. Several servants turned and their eyes widened when they met my gaze. The two closest men fell over each other in an effort to hide behind the nearest table. They were holding chunks of meat big enough to feed an entire wolf pack. I figured that made them feel like a target.

  I felt a ridiculous urge to run beneath the tables and cause an uproar. The impulse was so unlike me I froze for a moment. The head cook took that as a challenge and ran at me with her spoon raised above her head. I let out a woof and she jumped in surprise, bumping a chef who dumped an entire bowl of steamed clams onto another servant frozen in the act of chopping carrots.

  I ducked through the opposite door feeling mischievous and guilty. Wolves played and teased each other over bones, but flat out troublemaking was for pups and bear cubs. I would never be allowed in the kitchen again. The thought didn’t bring the twinge of regret it probably should have.

  I dodged several skittish servants carrying armloads of blankets, circled a large group of Lord Vesut’s waiting men wearing purple and sea green, and padded through a congregation from Sunhold that smelled of the grains and sunshine that made up their duchy’s sustenance. Lord Fallow and Lady Stry gave me uncomfortable glances. I wondered if they guessed my secret.