by Kim Faulks
My feet were heavy. I stumbled like a newborn lamb as we came to the edge of the camp. A cabin sat in the middle, a small fire smoldered on the far side. Snores echoed in stereo sound. The small rise held more of them, permeating the air downwind with their stench. I clamped my hand over my face, smothering my nose as chains rattled. Animals crowded the corner of the pen in front of us, jiggling shackles as they moved.
Why would they tether their beasts inside a stockade? A woman’s cry rang out, followed by a whimper. I inhaled hard and stared at the blurred shapes. “They’re not animals.”
“No, they’re not.” Zadoc’s snarl made the hair on the back of my neck rise. “They’re women, and children.”
“Did you know about this?”
“I suspected.” He hissed. “Now I know for sure. Let’s get your wolf and get out of here.”
How could I leave now? “We have to….”
Heavy steps stilled the words in my mouth as Zadoc disappeared. I followed him along the tree line toward the cabin. I had no doubt blood would be spilled tonight and I almost felt sorry for the men in this camp. They had no idea what stalked them.
I kept my brother in sight as I climbed the cabin stairs. The wooden boards creaked. I froze, straining to hear the soft rumble inside. Zadoc shook his head, still I eased forward, creeping along the verandah. The fire in my veins dulled the closer I came to the doorway.
Soft weeping drew my gaze to the hunched shapes inside the pens. I held my breath straining to see, to feel. Please don’t be in there. I eased backwards stepping over the lose board. My gaze lingered, then moved further south.
She wasn’t in there. I followed the unseen tether back to Zadoc. He motioned to the open doorway of the barn and leaned close to whisper. “I’ll take the barn.”
“I’m going through there.” I pointing to a thin patch of trees, barely making out a worn track. My pulse quickened the longer I stared.
He gripped my arm and clenched tight. “Until the fire burns out.”
I turned to stare at his silhouette. “Do what you do best, brother.”
His white teeth shone. His smiled chilled me to the bone. “And the bodies will pile up once more.”
All could feel was her as I left my brother behind. Abrial smothered me, filled me and I wanted more. I rounded the cabin, catching sight of Zadoc as he melted into the shadows. With each step my connection with the wolf grew stronger.
I passed through the open ground to the soft glow of embers as the first snarl filled the air behind me. A howl was cut short followed a scream. A shifter shot up from beside the fire. I stopped and waited as he scanned the camp.
Go back to sleep. There’s nothing to see here.
A woman’s scream rang loud from the barn. “Help me! Please, somebody help me!”
The wolf around the fire leapt to his feet and kicked the man snoring beside him. “Hey, get up! We’re under attack!”
Voices followed, whispered murmurs turned to battle cries. I left the path keeping to the shadows as heavy steps thundered toward me. A scream tore through the air, filled with rage and fury. A scream filled with fire and salvation. The ram and the dragon were here. Be safe brother. Until the fire burns out.
I followed the edge of the path, keeping to the shadows as men rushed past.
“Who is it?”
I stopped at the husky voice, watching the pale haired wolf limp past.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s the Sheriff.”
Sheriff? I wrenched my head toward the barn. Why would he be here? And why would the wolves have a human?
My lip curled and my hands shudder. In this moment I was jealous of my brother. I wanted to hack and cleave my way through this pack of murderers and rapists. I wanted blood, but more than my need for retribution, I wanted Abrial.
I slipped behind the Alpha following the trail to a small hut. The call hummed through my body like a live wire. I searched for the tether to this wolf and held on tight. I lifted my head and inhaled the air, drawing in the sweet scent I’d come to crave. She was in there, but as I drew in the air and sweetness turned to something darker. I knew she wasn’t alone.
My shoes scuffed the dirt as I crept toward the doorway. A lantern glowed softly behind a covered window. I lingered, catching sight of a bare leg. A woman’s leg. I followed the leg to a smear of blood high up on her thigh. Fire welled in my belly, burning all the way into my throat.
My hand gripped the door before I realized I’d moved, the wooden hinges creaked. I couldn’t do anything about the sound. All I saw was fire and all I smelled was death. The bare leg trembled, the foot drew up, pulling her knees to her chest.
“Abrial?”
Her name ripped a hole in my heart as I rounded the corner to the naked form.
“Marcus?” Someone called my name from the other side of the room. “Marcus, is that you?”
Fire filled my vision from her haunted gaze. I closed the distance as the woman spoke behind me. “Who is it, Abrial?”
My fingers found her perfect face, dirty, scratched, but alive and clothed. Her torn singlet gaped, exposing her stomach. I skirted her body, searching for wounds. “Thank God. Thank God. Are you hurt? Did they hurt you?”
“No… no, no one hurt me.”
A whimper filled the space followed by a step. I spun, staring at the raven haired wolf and felt my world shift. The traces were there, almost the same colored eyes, almost the same perfect lips. Yet underneath the lines of her mouth and the shape of her eyes there was something very different these women. This one looked damaged beyond repair.
Those words filled my head as she shifted her gaze from me to Abrial, then back again. “Who is he, Abrial? Why is he here?”
A bloody nose thickened her voice. Air burst from her nostrils as she spoke. Crimson droplets turned inky in the shadows as they hit her lips. The same ink marked her body. Decency whispered, look away. Raised scars hid underneath the blood of fresh wounds. Her small breasts were cross-marked with raised angry welts. Her splattered thighs stole the fire in my belly. The tuft of black hair between her legs glistened with something other than blood.
“He’ll kill us all.”
The naked wolf edged further away, one glance toward the door and my heart thundered in response. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I raised my hand and caught her cower. Her wide bright green eyes sparkled with fear and had no place for reason. “He’ll kill us all.”
The scuff of boots echoed behind me as the dark-haired wolf drew breath. My chest tightened, my pulse sped. I caught her panic a second before the choked sound ripped from her lips.
“Cover her mouth.” I spun as Abrial lunged searching the floor for a rag, anything I could use to muffle the sound. “She’ll bring the others.”
The scrape of boots jerked my focus to Abrial. She jerked her fist back, a small tormenting sound slipped from her lips as she swung. The sickening crunch stilled my breath as her fist landed on her sibling’s cheek. The dark-haired wolf stumbled, then lifted her hand toward Abrial before crumbling. Abrial’s clenched fist still hovered mid-air as she watched her sister wobble, then fall.
Her choked cry ended with a thud against the door. Her raspy breaths filled the cabin as I jerked my head toward my red-haired wolf and muttered. “Or, you can always just knock her out.”
The shadows against the wall shrank Abrial crouched. She reached out to brush stray black strands from the woman’s face. “She would’ve never let us leave.”
Please stop. Don’t hurt her. Take me, that was the deal. Me for her… me for her.
“Who is she Abrial?”
Her stricken gaze found me, nailing me to the spot as she whispered. “She’s my sister.”
Abrial
“I won’t leave her.” I clenched my fist and spun. “I’ll never leave her.”
The crease deepened in his brow, and for a second the sky seemed to fall in those dark eyes. Then the dragon turned, crouched and swept somethin
g from the floor. My black shirt that’d been inside my backpack draped from his fist as he rose and closed the distance. “Then get her dressed and for Goddess sake hurry.”
Every nerve screamed move! But it was Rowen’s words that rooted me to the spot. He’ll kill us all. He’ll kill us all….
The dragon scanned the doorway behind me. Outside the wolves howled, fire, fury… fight... invaders. Their call was like a drug in my veins, urging me to shift and take arms with teeth and claws.
“What are you waiting for?”
I dropped my gaze finding my sister’s bare feet. They looked so small, almost like a child’s. Just like Maddy’s little baby. Think of the others… think of Marcus. I licked my lips and followed the contour of his chest as it rose, and then fell.
The Echo pack would hunt us down. The dragons would fight, and my own pack too. Some would survive, some would die—it was our way—but I couldn’t let them die because of me. “I can’t go with you.”
His snarl ripped through the hut, sending a shiver along my skin. The spark of betrayal flared in his gaze, before the dragon lunged, grasping my wrists. “What do you mean, you can’t come? I risked my life to save you… I risked my brother’s life.”
“I never asked you to. I never asked you to do any of this. I’m not weak, Marcus. I don’t need saving. You look at me as though I’m some damsel in distress—maybe you picked the wrong woman.”
He flinched as though slapped. “I never thought you were weak. I only want to help, to see you safe.”
A fist around my heart squeezed. I’d hurt him. “You don’t know Sol. He’ll hunt us down. Look at what he did to her? He almost… almost….”
“He almost what?” The snarl that slipped from Marcus’ lips filled me with dread.
“He almost did that to me.”
Those cold calloused words turned dangerous. “Sick. Filthy. Son of a bastard. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to tear him apart!”
A wheeze from Rowen trapped me. I dropped my head to follow the bloody smear along her thigh. “He’ll come for her. He’ll come for me. He owns us now.”
“Owns you?” His eyes widened, anger flashed mercilessly. Spittle hit my face as he hissed. “I see the way he treats what he owns. You don’t want to come with me? Fine. But don’t give this fucking cockroach what he wants.”
I shifted my gaze to the doorway. My heart galloped. I felt quartered and strung, pulled in both directions, stay and make sure Rowen was safe, or run with her and pray we all survived.
“I don’t understand why you’d rather stay here, than come with me. Am I that repulsive to you?”
I cringed. “No. Never.”
He crossed the floor to take my hands in his. “Then come with me. Give me a chance to fight—not for you—but with you. Just one chance, that’s all I’m asking. It’s the least you can do after dumping your pack and running.”
“I didn’t dump anyone.”
Rowen whimpered. Her foot twitched, smacking my leg. Those pathetic sounds left me in the biggest ocean on the smallest boat. I rocked and rolled, at the mercy of this cruel sea. I’d never felt so alone.
“Let me watch your back. Let me be the one who cares for you.”
I dragged my head upwards. He needed to know what he was getting into. “She’s not just a wolf.”
He dropped his gaze to the floor at my feet, pausing for a second before asking. “What is she?”
“A mage.”
“Is she dangerous?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, she’s dangerous, and after all she’s been through she’s tormented. That’s why I can’t ask you to sacrifice your family to save mine.”
His arms slid over my shoulders, then pulled me against him. “Safety, shelter. We can give you that. I’ve seen the future. I’ve seen what waits for us. It’s already written in the stars—you, me, and everything else. Just let it happen.”
The wolves bayed, sounding closer. My heart sped. Written in the stars… did he really believe that? His shirt warmed under my breath as my mind raced—then stilled. “Okay. Okay.”
Marcus stepped backwards, then thrust out his hand with my shirt. “So let’s get out of here.”
I grabbed the shirt from his hand and dropped to my knees. “Drag my pack over. Find me some pants.”
I worked quickly spearing her head through the neckline and feeding her arms through like a child. Her underwear would have to wait until we were safe. I slipped her foot through the leg of the pants, followed by the other. “She’s ready.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Two shadows became one as Marcus heaved her from the floor. Heat flooded my body at the sight. I’d once mistaken him for sick, or weak—now I knew he was neither. His steps were sure as he walked through the door and turned right. I grasped my bag, hoisting it to my hips as I ran to catch up.
With each step the stormy sea inside me calmed. I dug my boots into the dirt, climbing from one tree to the other on the steep incline of the mountain. Marcus never said a word, never complained, never slowed and for once in my life I didn’t know what to think.
I caught a whiff of smoke and turned to see the cabin near the barn in flames. An ache in the back of my throat spread to my chest. The human woman would die—God willing. I knew what waited for her—and death would be a mercy.
The snap of a branch behind had me faltering. I spun, searching the darkness. A growl vibrated my chest as a voice cracked through the darkness beside me and the tall one, Zadoc, followed. “Keep your fur on wolf. I mean you no harm.”
The hulking shadow reared through the trees, matching my speed and then striding ahead. We walked in silence, down the ridge, then climbed once more until the bark turned slick with dew.
Marcus stilled long enough to transfer my sister to the hulking dragon. My nose burned as I sucked in the cold night air. The crunch of leaves grew faint as I fell further behind.
“Do you want to rest for a while?”
I jumped at the sound as Marcus stepped out from the tree.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. You look exhausted.”
My feet pulsed with the ache. Still, I kept walking, afraid that once I stopped, I’d stop for good. “How much further?”
“Not far, but the rest of the way will be a hard climb. Would it be best if you shifted?”
Four aching legs instead of two. The shift would render me useless and my sister needed me. I flicked my fingers and felt the ache through my hand. If there’d been any other way…. “I’ll make it. You lead the way and I’ll make it.”
He matched my steps and I felt a sense of ease I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Then, I’ll walk with you. When we get to the house you tend to your sister. I’ll see that the old woman casts a spell to hide our scent. The Echo pack won’t find us, for a while at least.”
I glanced to the shadow at my side and whispered. “You said you’ve seen what waits for us, what did you mean?”
The crunch of leaves answered me for a while until he finally spoke. “I had a vision, an ultimatum of sorts, and for a second I saw the night swallow the sun… I saw a wolf bigger than any I’ve ever seen before. I don’t really understand what I saw.”
Something lingered underneath those quiet words, something at the base of my being, where the wolf lingered and death patiently waits. The deep well of aching lit up like a signal flare. The red flame spread through my veins, growing stronger with every word he muttered.
I would’ve walked for a thousand years to hear the lull of his words and feel the warmth of his fire inside me. I would’ve walked until my legs grew numb, but as the light glinted through the dark veil in front of me I felt a tremor.
Those lights gave birth to more as we broke through the last of the pines. I stared at the ghostly mansion hulking in the shadows and whispered. “We’re here.”
“Yes, we’re here.”
I searched the shadowed windows finding nothing more than my weakening courage. “I w
ant to take care of her, clean her wounds. Feed her. Love her….”
“But you don’t know her.”
I shook my head, weighed down by my own pathetic fears. “I was six when she was taken from me, along with my mother. She was just a child, barely five years old. All those years. All that torment. Can you imagine? Tell me, how do I slay demons who whisper inside her mind? How do I walk through the gates to Hell to save her when I can’t see the signs?”
“I can’t answer that. I don’t think anyone but your sister can. All you can do is love her, care for her and hope that given time she might feel the warmth of love your love find her way out of Hell herself.”
Outside lights came on as I stepped on the gravel drive. White light swallowed everything else. I yanked my hand up to shield my eyes and stumbled under the glare as stones crunched under the thunder of small boots. I took the blow to the chest. Bony arms wrapped around me and held on tight.
“I thought I lost you. I thought the darkness won.” Odessa mumbled into my chest. “Don’t ever do that again, Abrial. People pay the price when you leave, do you hear me? The dragon he….”
The lone wolf stilled as Marcus strode past and heading for the open door. “Go on… the dragon, what?”
She lifted her head. Her gaze narrowed, following the dragon as he shoved open the front door. Her lips opened and closed, soft mumbles slipped though.
My body quaked with every slow, heavy thud of my heart. The lone wolf’s voice blurred into one long drone. I licked my lips and forced the words. “Please, Odessa. The dragon what?”
“The dragon changed.”
A frigid wind sliced through the haze, yet the branches above never moved. “What did you say?”
“The. Dragon. Changed. For. You.” Her blue eyes shone with wild delight. She gripped my shirt and clung tight. “The shaman said the wolf sustains him. I didn’t believe her until I saw him face the demon.”
Her words made no sense. I squeezed her shoulder and smiled. “I’m sorry Odessa. I’m so tired. I’ve got to look after my sister. Did you see where Zadoc took her?”