Keeper of the Wolves

by Cheree Alsop

  The fear in her voice cut me to the core. I pulled her close and she buried her face against my breastplate. I took a deep breath of her scent, allowing it to calm my pounding heart and slow my frantic thoughts. “I am today,” I whispered into her hair.

  She took a deep breath and stepped back. Tears showed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Come back to me, Victus. Come back to me and bring Joven with you.”

  I put a fist over my heart. “I will, my lady.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me quickly as if she couldn’t help it. “Take care of yourself, Keeper of the wolves,” she said. “That’s an order.”

  A smile touched my lips and I bowed. “As you wish, my lady.”

  Four of Rasmus’ soldiers marched up the stairs with determined looks on their faces. They wouldn’t leave their Lady until we returned. Even so, it was hard to walk back down the stairs with her gaze on my back. I rested a hand on the hilt of the sword as if it belonged to me and straightened my shoulders. I would honor her by not having fear of the future; I would return.

  Joven stood at the base of the stairs and I stopped beside him. He lifted his hands. The men and women in the corridor fell silent. “Thank you for your haste,” the Lord of Vielkeep said. “Our brothers and sisters of Rala are under siege from the Viel, and we are the only allies close enough to protect them. We will ride swiftly, so travel light.”

  I followed the Lord outside to where General Rasmus directed horses and supplies. Joven was no longer young and vain; instead, I saw before me a man who was prepared to defend his valley with his last breath. His soldiers looked to him for guidance, and I felt a surge of pride at the strength I saw in his eyes. He was a leader worthy to be followed.

  “Get Ash and Streg.” Rasmus said to a waiting soldier. The General turned to me. “Streg’s fast, but he’s never been a skittish animal.” He eyed me calculatingly. “I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with horses.”

  “Not riding them,” I replied with a straight face.

  He looked at me a moment, then a smile lightened his expression. “If you’ve taken down a horse, we just might have us a battle,” he said with a chuckle.

  A soldier led over two horses. Rasmus took the reins of a midnight-black steed with well-worn armor that had been polished until it glowed. He mounted the horse in one smooth motion and managed to look quite comfortable on its back. He then gestured for the soldier to turn the other animal over to me. I accepted the oiled leather reins and eyed the horse warily.

  It regarded me with the same look. The animal was red with scarred, knobby knees. It wasn’t a beautiful horse, and it didn’t pretend to be. Streg snorted and tugged back on the reins as if testing me. I held them firmly, unsure what I was supposed to do. Rasmus had ridden off to organize his troops, leaving me with an animal who no doubt felt as uncomfortable as I did about being on the other end of the reins.

  “He might bite you,” a voice called.

  One of the older soldiers I recognized from the battle with the Viel walked up. He led a docile gray horse who looked unperturbed about the sounds of metal on metal and the rallying cries around us.

  “I’ll bite him back,” I said. Streg put his ears back and mouthed his bit.

  The soldier looped one rein around the horse’s neck and gestured for me to do the same with the other. He grabbed where they crossed. “Hold them close, like this. It’ll give you more control.”

  “And if I want to jump off?” I asked only partially joking.

  He smiled, his jovial expression a counterbalance to the tension in the air. “Jump far. Streg might be steadfast, but he throws a wide kick.”

  I put my foot in the stirrup, aware that I was the only rider who didn’t wear shoes or thick-soled leather boots. The leather felt rough against the sole of my bare foot as I swung onto the horse’s back in a motion much less fluid than Rasmus’ had been. The saddle felt hard and unforgiving. I shifted, trying to find a comfortable place on the solid leather.

  “Your seat will be numb after the first league,” the soldier said.

  I glanced over to see that he had already mounted. He sat straight-backed with his weight resting on the balls of his feet in the stirrups. I did the same and found that it lessened some of the pressure in my legs. Laugh lines showed around the soldiers eyes. I wondered that I didn’t feel the same thrill of battle that usually filled me on a hunt with the pack. It was a similar situation, with much larger prey. Thought of the Viel filled me with trepidation instead of expectancy. “Why are you so happy?” I asked in an effort to ignore my instincts.

  He shrugged. “Some of us have been soldiers for too long. It’s hard to train daily for so many years and seldom get the chance to defend those we love. Sometimes I ache to fulfill what’s become my destiny.” A bemused frown crossed his face. “It’s like I’ve been waiting for the call all my life. I felt it briefly at the wall when the Viel attacked, like I was doing exactly what I was meant to.” He glanced at me, his aged eyes the light blue color of the fading winter sky. “The way you fought, I know you understand what it feels like to defend the place you call home.”

  I nodded but couldn’t speak. His words rang too true. My wolf side gave a surge and I fought back a shudder. Streg stomped a hoof and flicked an ear back at me. I gripped the reins tightly in case he decided I wasn’t human enough to be on his back.

  “Ride out,” Joven called from the front of the troop.

  The great iron portcullis was lifted and the army rode through behind their Lord. I smelled a whiff of meadow gold and vanilla, but when I looked back, I couldn’t see any sign of Koya. My heart gave a throb of regret, but I couldn’t stay behind. I had promised to protect Joven, and I would do so to the fullest of my ability.

  I urged Streg forward and was happy when he responded by picking up his pace. He chomped at his bit when I tried to rein him in, and he didn’t slow until we reached Joven and Rasmus at the front of the group. Soldiers stared at me when I passed. Looks of distrust swept across several faces. Word swept through the mounted troops and they looked at me as they spoke, but their eyes dropped when I met their gazes.

  Other soldiers called to me with familiarity. I recognized many from the battle with the Viel, and was glad to see that I had made friends among them; but the wariness and suspicion I used to see on faces in the Cruel One’s tent surfaced for some, darkening expressions and coloring the air with the pungent smell of agitation. There were many who didn’t trust me, and I couldn’t blame them. They rode into battle against creatures of nightmare, and had another at their side.

  By the time I reached Joven I wanted to turn back, but the relief that washed the uncertainty from his gaze when he saw me confirmed my commitment to ride with him. “We’ve got half a night’s hard ride ahead of us. We’ll have to push the horses.”

  Streg had no problem keeping up with the pace. Whenever Joven slowed the troops, he tossed his head and flattened his ears. I longed to run free across the ground in the mile-eating lope of the wolf, but when I thought about it, my body refused to cooperate. For some reason, I was stuck in human form.

  The thought bothered me. I didn’t know how to fight with a sword besides my paltry efforts at the wall. I was better with tooth and claw than I was at hand-to-hand combat. I closed my eyes and trusted Streg’s sure hooves to keep us in pace with Joven and Rasmus. I willed the wolf to come forward so that I could shed the unsure limbs of a human and fight the way I knew how.

  But the wolf evaded me beneath the light of the moon. I could feel the wildness at the edges of my mind, the instincts that questioned why I rode toward a battle to defend people I barely knew. I felt the call of the wind, the teasing tendrils of evergreen and evening grass beckoning for me to join them in their carefree sway. I tried to answer the call, to change so that I could better judge the best path before me, but the change eluded me.

  Streg jumped over an obstacle; I opened my eyes and grabbed the reins and his mane in
time to keep from falling off. I glanced over to see Joven watching me. “You okay?” he called over the thunder of hoof beats. I nodded and he turned his attention back to the path before us. Rasmus met my eyes over the young Lord’s back.

  In the General’s pale gray gaze I saw acceptance of the coming battle. He was ready for the unknown that would soon meet us. There was no fear or concern in his expression, only expectation and willingness to meet it. He didn’t shy from the inevitable future; he would have made an excellent wolf. I vowed to tell him so when the battle was over; I kept myself from questioning if any of us would survive to joke about such things.

  Chapter 16

  The road narrowed below Vielkeep and our vision was limited to the trees that hedged each side. My eyes roamed the forest constantly, expecting an attack where we would be easily ambushed. The horses were skittish and shied at the shadows cast by the setting moon. I smelled a tendril of meadow gold and my heart leaped then fell when I remembered that Koya was at Vielkeep Castle, far away from the fray we rode to meet.

  “Steady,” Joven said quietly to his mount, a dark red, thickly-muscled horse that looked better suited for battle against a dragon than our flight down the road.

  Streg gave an uneasy whinny. His shoulders and neck were lathered with sweat, but he gave no sign of slowing. When Joven finally eased up the horses to allow those who had fallen behind to catch up, Streg threw his head, grazing my forehead with the hard knot of bone that made up his skull. I sat back in surprise and nearly unseated myself. “Steady,” I repeated Joven’s word and set a hand on Streg’s shoulder. He calmed and gave only a stomp of disapproval at the slower pace.

  The view opened to reveal a wide valley. Joven held up a hand and the horses stopped. I let out a breath of relief and heard several others around me, then my eyes focused on the scene below. Carnage spread across the valley. White shadows ghosted among wrecked carriages and fallen horses. A heavy scent of blood and terror filled my nose along with the vile, sour stench of the Viel. What remained of the carriages and supply wagons had been grouped in a rough circle at the far end. Forms fought bravely against Viel who tried to reach the women and children within the circle. I thought of Lord Brayton and the Lord and Lady of Sunhold who had been scared of me. They were somewhere in the fray.

  “The Gods be with us,” Joven said in horror at the scene.

  “We’re their only hope,” Rasmus replied.

  Joven nodded and steeled himself. “Right.” He lifted a hand. “For Rala!” he shouted in a loud voice.

  The cry was taken up by the soldiers behind us. I turned to shout with them, and found myself looking into a pair of very familiar sky blue eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Koya’s golden hair was hidden beneath a cowl, the same gray spun cloth she had worn that night in the Cruel One’s tent when she changed my fate forever. “Koya,” I whispered. Her eyes were filled with trepidation at the scene below; when she met my gaze, they widened.

  “Forward,” Joven called.

  The horses surged. I tried to hold Streg back so I could reach Koya’s side, but he took the bit in his teeth and refused to obey my commands. Soldiers flooded behind me, pushing me forward. I had no choice but to ride or jump off and be trampled. I looked back wildly, but Koya was hidden amid the wash of soldiers who thundered into the valley.

  My heart pounded in my ears. The fact that Koya was in danger pulsed through my mind with every beat. Time slowed and I saw the scene from a distance.

  Viel rose from feasting on the fallen bodies and turned at the sound of our battle cry. Bare, jagged teeth were coated with sticky blood and I imagined screams coming from their soundless, gaping maws. Joven’s horse reared before it reached the first Viel. The creature’s claws slashed the horse across the chest. The animal screamed. Streg rose on his back hooves in fear. I was distracted by Joven’s danger and wasn’t quick enough to catch my horse’s mane. I fell on the ground and rolled to avoid Streg’s hooves as he galloped back across the valley.

  All around me, horses dumped their riders and ran. Their eyes rolled in terror and cries of fear sounded from every side. Riders fought their horses, and those who struggled to remain seated let go when their horses fell onto their sides in an effort to clear their backs and escape the Viel. One of the nightmare creatures grabbed a horse in its tattered claws and brought it down. Other Viel swarmed the poor animal until it was hidden from view. The horses that survived ran as though death pursued them, leaving us stranded in the valley with Viel on each side.

  I searched every face for Koya. Viel attacked the soldiers at the edges of our group. Joven and Rasmus called for them to hold and fight, but the terror of the Viel was too real. All around me, men screamed and called for help. I couldn’t hear Koya’s voice among them, but a faint scent of meadow gold and vanilla teased my senses. I spun in every direction; I held my sword, but it was a useless weight in my hands. The need to protect Koya pressed against me like a crushing boulder.

  Two Viel attacked Joven. I drove my sword into one, and when it turned, the weapon was ripped from my hands. The creature grabbed me by the front of my leather armor and lifted me so that I stared into the holes where its eyes should have been. Foul stinkweed breath washed over me. The creature’s claws tore through the thick leather. I struggled against its grip; when I couldn’t break it, I changed tactics and drove my fist into its face.

  My hand sunk into the tattered white skin around its eye. The Viel snapped its head around and grabbed my wrist in its teeth. It ground down like a wolf working to break the thigh bone of an elk. Blood streamed down my arm. Its teeth cracked my bones and a yell tore from my lips. Something hit the side of the Viel like a ram. It stepped back and the claws sinking into my chest opened. I fell and dangled from my wrist in its mouth. The bones gave an audible snap.

  In my pain, I forgot I was in human form and dove for the Viel’s neck. My teeth closed around its throat. The creature staggered back. It dropped my wrist and it tried to pull me free. I gripped harder, tearing deep into its flesh with my dull teeth. White fluid filled my mouth, choking me, but I refused to let go. The Viel struggled, its movements frantic.

  Without warning, its arms dropped and it fell heavily to the ground. I held on for another second, worried that it was playing possum and would attack as soon as I gave it the chance to breath.

  “Victus, it’s dead.”

  I blinked and released my grip. I stumbled backward to my knees and clutched my broken, bleeding wrist against me. I stared up at Rasmus. The General’s eyes were wide and his chest heaved. He stared at me and there was shock in his gaze. Screams and the sounds of metal in flesh sounded around us, but for the moment, the General and I were alone in the horror of our small battle amidst the war of the Viel.

  He held out a hand and I took it with my good one. He helped me to my feet and glanced at my wrist, then at the fallen Viel behind me. He said something quietly, but I didn’t catch it. A scream sounded, not any louder than the rest of them, but one that cut me to the core. Koya.

  Ramus turned when I did. We both searched the chaos for the source of the scream. Moonlight and flickering flames from fallen torches lit patches of the valley in light and shadow, making it difficult to find one person amid the carnage; then golden hair caught my eyes. Koya stood on the far side of the valley with two soldiers at her side and several fallen beneath their feet. Four Viel closed in on them. One reached for her with claws already stained dark red.

  “Koya!” Rasmus gasped. He grabbed my shoulder. “I won’t make it through in time; you’ve got to protect her!” I noticed then that he favored one leg. Blood pooled around his foot.

  Groups of soldiers battling Viel spread along the killing field. It was a mass of swords and severed limbs, fallen horses, abandoned carriages, and moaning victims of the Viel’s assault. Koya let out another scream. The Viel had her in its clutches.

  A surge of rage tore through me and I changed into wolf form so fast my clothing ripped and I leaped free
. I charged through the bedlam, leaping bodies and ducking sweeping claws as I closed the distance between us. My paws drummed against the ground and I remembered that I was a wolf, and wolves don’t fight alone.

  A howl lifted from my throat, haunting and full, a battle cry to any wolf within earshot. I put my fear for my loved ones into the sound along with the distress of fallen warriors and the need to defend our territory against those who invaded it. The sound echoed around the midnight valley and I could only hope there were wolves within earshot who would answer.

  I leaped on the back of a Viel who grappled with a soldier. The creature reached for me, but I bit down hard at the base of its neck and it collapsed to the ground. My paw ached with every step, but I ignored the pain of running on a broken limb. Adrenaline and battle fury pushed the agony to the back of my mind. All I could see was Koya in the Viel’s clutches, its claws biting into her skin. I crossed the remaining ground between us as if the bodies I leaped over were logs and the reaching claws of Viel merely branches to be dodged.

  My muscles bunched when I drew near and I jumped straight at the Viel, grabbing its shoulder in my jaws. The weight of my body and the force of my run drove it to the ground and it let go of Koya. She scrambled away on her hands and knees. My soul bellowed at the fear and pain on her face. I bit down and my teeth tore through the bone that made up the Viel’s shoulder. It tried to tear me away with its claws, but I didn’t feel the pain through my red-tinged fury. I worked my way along its shoulder to its neck, then tore out the creature’s throat. It shuddered on the ground.

  Another Viel seized me by the back. I grabbed its foot in my jaws and yanked up, throwing off its footing so that it fell backwards. I landed on its stomach and ripped open the tattered flesh to expose the organs beneath. A Viel grabbed my neck before I could make sure the creature was dead. I turned and it lost its grip; I pushed off the ground the instant my paws touched and barreled into the Viel, knocking it backwards.