Son of hell: Blood of wolves

by Michaela Burdová

  Amitha was already standing there looking out into the night landscape. For a while Aragen chose to remain hidden behind some undergrowth, watching her back, confronted by her own memories. They had pledged mutual loyalty and promised to stand by each other. Aragen had believed her and loved her, but Wenir should be hers and nobody else’s.

  Aragen snapped back to reality, moved forward and stood directly behind Amitha.

  "You did not tell me about him."

  Amitha turned with a start. "I wanted to, Aragen, I was going to!"

  "You knew he was mine. I wanted him years ago. As a child, I already knew that one day, the two of us would make a strong couple."

  Amitha bowed her head. Her remorse infuriated Aragen. "Admit it!" she shouted.

  "Yes, I knew."

  Aragen’s heart was pounding like crazy. "You know what? It does not matter to me anymore. I have higher goals. I do not want a dead child. I want more."

  "I know Aragen, I know you're ambitious. I know you can achieve everything!"

  "That’s right," she growled. "Except for him, right?"

  "Sister ..."

  "Don’t call me that! You're not my sister!"

  "But ..." Amitha's eyes filled with tears. "You yourself say that you don’t care that ..."

  "That does not mean that I will leave your betrayal unpunished and be a spectator to your sweet affair!"

  "What are you talking about?" Amitha moved closer. "You cannot drive us apart, don’t you see? Aragen, we love each other! I'm sorry, but we fell in love! In the end ... in the end, you’ll reconcile yourself to it and everything will be -”

  "No, nothing will ever be like it was before." Aragen took two steps forward, while Amitha backed away from her.

  "I just want you to forgive me," she pleaded. "You will always be my sister."

  Aragen's heart paused. For a second, she was afraid that her emotions would overwhelm her. Then she blocked them out: "I don’t have a sister." She grabbed Amitha by the shoulders. The girl's eyes widened.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Neither of us will get him."

  “Aragen!”

  "I will destroy him for what he did to us, Amitha, I swear. I'll ruin him."

  Amitha tried in desperation to shake her off, but Aragen was stronger. "What are you talking about?"

  Aragen pushed her towards the edge of the ridge, the dark abyss opening up beneath them. She was eager for satisfaction.

  "Aragen! Aragen, let me go!"

  "I'll kill you, Amitha. But I promise that I will remember you."

  "What? No! Don’t!"

  Aragen pushed her sister to the very edge of the cliff. Amitha desperately clutched her arms, her face filled with pure terror. "No! Aragen, please! We are sisters! Please! Don’t do it!"

  Aragen had already made up her mind. She forced one arm free from Amitha´s grip and grabbed her shoulder. With the other arm she shoved her fist under Amitha´s ribs, penetrating the flesh. She put her hand around Amitha´s beating heart and looked into her eyes for the last time.

  "Please." Amitha moaned.

  Aragen closed her eyes and yanked. As the last tremors of Amitha´s life passed through Aragen, she released her grip. Aragen watched as her sister’s lifeless body fell over the edge into the abyss, her heart remaining in her hand.

  Darkness consumed her body.

  There was a deadly silence.

  Aragen looked down for a long time. She felt no emotions, just the exhilaration of the power flowing through her veins and the darkness that was consuming her. She tossed her sister’s torn-out heart into the abyss, turned and walked back to the camp.

  She could sense death and heard distressed voices as she approached the camp. Something had happened, something terrible, she could feel it in her bones. Confusion, horror...

  She dashed over to the campfire and saw something that she would never forget for the rest of her life. She felt a piece of her die inside and her heart shattering into millions of pieces.

  Sieena stood in front of the cabin and screamed, howling with sheer madness. In her hand she held a severed head. She waved it through air, blood spurting in all directions. The pack wailed around her and Aragen collapsed to her knees. It was Ragar’s head.

  Her father was dead.

  Chapter 4

  Birth and Death

  They gave her life

  Predestined by fate

  Her family they stole

  Born of death and hate

  The Predators seized Sieena.A trail of blood ran from the cabin where Ragar’s body rested.Aragen dug her fingers into the muddy soil.She did not want to believe it.She hated her mother so much!Let the monsters of the Lord of Hell devour her!

  Someone took her gently by the arm and encouraged her to stand up.Aragen looked up into Wenir’s face with teardrops welling up in the corners of her eyes.She had never shed tears before.Never!But today, right now ... she could not hold herself back even though she desperately resisted.

  "My father…"She was unable to say more.Wenir looked at her with compassion.

  "They say she killed him in his sleep.I'm sorry, Aragen."

  Aragen grabbed her stomach.She felt as if it had collapsed, as if an emptiness had opened up inside her.A spasm gripped her and momentarily she felt breathless.A sense of guilt slowly crept over her. She hadn´t been here to prevent it.If she hadn´t pursued Amitha, her father would be still alive.

  No! She shook the thought from her head vigorously. She had to get rid of the traitor. Her father would understand. Sacrifices were necessary for the good of the pack and Aragen had to earn their respect. With Amitha out of the way, Wenir would be loyal to her.

  "Come on," Wenir said and led her away. The pack began to boil with rage. Aragen could sense something was happening at the cabin.

  "Where are you taking me?"

  "You don’t have to watch this."

  Suddenly she understood. "My mother killed the leader of the pack. The punishment is..." She broke loose from him.

  "Aragen, you've seen enough."

  "Don’t worry about me!"

  She returned to the crowd and without hesitation pushed her way through. The others stepped aside as she did so. Sieena was kneeling in the mud with tears streaming down her cheeks. Two Predators held her firmly by the shoulders. One of them was Kar. Aragen caught his eye and could swear there was pleasure written in them. Aragen had after all humiliated him and now he could watch her suffer instead.

  One of the oldest Predators, Tamar, brought the murder weapon from the cabin. It was Ragar’s sword.Blood was still dripping from it.They would now execute Sieena with it.

  Aragen´s mother looked up at her, eyes wide open."I did it for you, my little daughter."

  Aragen returned her gaze and with clenched teeth looked on as Tamar chopped off her head.The nausea only lasted a short time.Her gastric juices revolted, but Aragen controlled them, as she did the hatred and malice inside her.Yet she knew that later, when she was alone, and all the hatred had disappeared, she would be overcome by grief.

  She stared at her mother's head, now resting in the mud. That of her father lay close by. One day, she would come to understand her mother´s actions and forgive her. After all Sieena had only ever acted out of love. She was right about those bastards from the start and her love for Ragar was never fulfilled. The leadership now belonged to Aragen.

  Tamar lay a hand on Aragen’s shoulder. "We will bury Ragar according to tradition and with the honours appropriate for a leader."

  Aragen nodded her approval. Her father would be given to the flames of the Black Messenger, whilst her mother would be buried as a traitor.

  As she stood there in the mud and blood, she noticed something sparkle at her feet. She bent down to pick it up. It was her father's silver cross and chain. She placed it in the palm of her hand, only to quickly drop it with a hiss. It left a red imprint on her skin. She ran into the cabin and returned with a piece of cloth, wrapped the chain in it
and then left the scene of death and bloodshed.

  The honorary funeral took place at dawn. Ragar’s body and head were placed on fresh ground and encapsulated by stones. Before the last stones were placed, Aragen sprinkled his forehead with her own blood so that his family´s blood would accompany him on his journey. Whilst the women began singing a funeral song in the language of the Fiery Gorges, all the Predators in their lupine form gathered around him in a circle. As they sang, flames leapt from the Predators’ mouths and engulfed Ragar’s body. This was their sacrifice and final tribute to their leader because werewolves, while spewing fire, suffered burns to their throats.

  Aragen, painted with the colours of power and farewell, led the crowd of chanting women. She stared into the flames, putting her father's face to memory. He had lived a rewarding life, cut short by Sieena. Werewolves live for nearly five hundred years and Ragar was only three hundred and forty. Sieena had deprived him of almost two hundred years of life, while she herself had lost three centuries.

  After the funeral, they all parted company. Aragen returned to her cabin to find two women scrubbing away Ragar’s blood. Aragen’s throat tightened at the sight of it, but she did not allow herself to get sick. She dismissed them, closed the cabin door to the outside world and prying eyes and stayed there the whole morning.

  In the afternoon Aragen took a walk to the top of the hill and looked down on the forest below her. There was tension in the pack. She could feel it. The Predators were locked in conference about what to do next. Although Aragen was Ragar´s rightful heir and the leadership officially belonged to her, something kept telling her that it wasn’t going to be a straight forward transition.

  Drel approached her tentatively, looking uncertain, unsure of whether she should be there.

  "You know, Aragen, I just wanted to say ... I wanted you to know that you're very brave."

  "I've got that from my father."

  Drel nodded vigorously. She fell silent for a moment before continuing: "It would seem that your sister is lost too. Wenir and a few others went to search for her."

  Aragen felt a warm, malicious satisfaction. "She will show up soon."

  Drel nodded. "Do you know that you're just as strong as Ragar?"

  "As strong?" Aragen retorted. With the question still hanging in the air, she turned and headed back to the camp. "Everyone will soon know that I'm even stronger."

  Aragen looked for the Predators but they were nowhere to be found. She wanted to talk to them about her succession. She finally saw Kar dashing towards the forest. She followed him and slowly crept up behind him. The Predators were gathered among the trees, feverishly debating about something in private. She remained hidden behind the bushes and listened intently. When she heard her name being mentioned she pricked up her ears.

  They talked about her father and about her, about the fact that she was only sixteen and too young for leadership, and that it would be best to place her under their guardianship until she grew up and had gained enough experience. In the meantime they agreed, they would lead the pack, convincing themselves that Ragar would surely want it that way...

  The fury in Aragen grew. What did they know about what her father would have wanted! Her father would have wanted to see his daughter in his place. As this thought ran through her head, another followed. They will roll their eyes and fall to their knees in front of me when I show them how well prepared I am. She was determined to lead her pack, even if it meant selling her soul to do so.

  She returned to her cabin, anger tormenting her. She now lived there alone, almost alone. Although the women had carefully removed her father's blood, she could still smell traces of him. She forced herself to calm down and keep a cool head. That was her big advantage. She was able to tame the fire inside her in any situation.

  In the tranquillity of her cabin Aragen contemplated the situation and came to the conclusion that there would be some complications but that the Predators would not try to push her aside. She was old enough and her strength, prowess, and instincts were equal to those of the others! In addition, she had never told anybody about the dark power that had been growing inside her since her childhood and which swelled with each passing day. Ragar had tried to suppress it and wanted his daughter to suppress it too, but Aragen longed for it. She craved after the power that flowed through her veins and which made her a being more powerful than all the other werewolves.

  With that realisation she understood that it was time to fully awaken the power inside her and demonstrate it. When they felt its effects, when it entered their blood, they would not be able to reject it. They would be left wanting more. They would desire it just as Aragen did. She would be their new ruler and would turn them into invincible hunters!

  She walked across to the table on which she had placed the crumpled cloth which contained her late father´s silver cross. She unwrapped it and looked at it with intrigue. For centuries it had been the paragon of her father's power and a symbol of danger to others. Now Aragen would be the next to be served by it.

  She took a deep breath and grasped the chain with her fingers. She clenched her teeth to fight the pain as it began to burn into her skin. As she pulled it over her head and let it hang from her neck, the cross resting on her chest, she crumpled up and cried out in agony. She grabbed the edge of the table to support herself. She felt the chain burn through her flesh like red-hot metal.

  In that instance, she wanted to tear it off and discard it forever. She could not understand how her father could have worn it all that time and never shown any pain.

  I can do it too, she thought. With all the strength she could muster, she straightened up and tried to ignore the pain. She had to believe that it would strengthen her.

  Then she smiled to herself. Tonight, the Predators want to announce their decision to the pack, but they will have to modify their plans.

  She sat on a chopping block in the corner of the cabin and waited there until sunset. She tried to let her mind drift so as to distract herself from the pain, but the silver on her chest continued to burn.She gathered her strength so as to be totally focused for the events that would unfold that night.She sensed that when Wenir returned and found out the truth about his love, that it would destroy him.He would crawl at Aragen’s feet like a worm and his body and soul would be hers.

  Kar came to pick her up. His eyes immediately fell on the silver cross hung around her neck. He shot her a look with his eyes but did not say a word. The pack was gathered around the campfire. The Predators stood at the front, their muscular arms hanging at their sides. As Aragen and Kar approached, the wolves divided to make way. Once Aragen had taken her place next to the Predators, Tamar began his speech.

  "Last night, we lost our leader. Let our Father, the Black Messenger, bestow eternal power on Ragar in his new life. Now is the time to restore order in our pack."

  "We’ll choose a new leader," Drel cried and her enthusiastic eyes darted towards Aragen. Tamar frowned. Obviously, neither the interruption nor the attention being paid to Aragen was to his liking.

  "Not yet," he said holding up his hand. Everyone seemed to be surprised. "Aragen is too young to become our leader."

  "No, I'm not," Aragen said loudly. The Predators gave her an astonished look. She stood up in front of them and in front of the pack. "I am the rightful successor to Ragar. I will lead our pack faithfully and loyally."

  "Aragen," Tamar intervened mildly, "I believe you, but understand, your youth and lack of experience ..."

  "You have no idea what really lies dormant and now grows inside me," she hissed ominously and turned directly to her people. "I'm ready to become your leader! And I will. None of you has the right to oppose me, not even the Predators. From today, major changes are coming. It is time to collectively recognize the power that will give us immortality."

  The wolves looked at one another in amazement, mumbled amongst themselves, and rolled their eyes. Tamar was about to intervene when Aragen raised her hand to his th
roat and clutched it menacingly. Everyone froze. Tamar searched for words in vain but remained completely speechless. He looked at Aragen with pure horror.

  "This is just a fraction of what I can do," she said showing her superiority. "I will give you strength, invulnerability, and freedom. Never again will we have to hide and fear people. From now on, it will be they who will tremble in terror!"

  Drel enthusiastically cheered, while the eyes of the others gleamed with voracious desire. Aragen stepped among them and the ground shook. The wolves became frightened, some falling to their knees. Aragen’s eyes flashed with fire. The ground kept trembling like an earthquake. Aragen went to the edge of the forest and reached out to the nearest spruce. There was a huge rumbling sound as the ground ruptured around the base of the tree. The tree, roots and all, now free of the ground´s stranglehold on it, rose into the air and laid itself on its side. Aragen pointed it at the pack. The pack was trembling with fear and scared to death, but she knew that this was the only way to secure their devotion.

  She moved the tree closer to the campfire. The flames suddenly rose, ever higher, driven by a dark force. The tree roots caught fire, fiery tongues began to lick the trunk and quickly consume it, and within moments the branches were ablaze. Over the campfire now hovered a huge burning tree.

  The pack covered their heads with their hands to protect themselves and looked on at the spectacle in stunned silence.

  Aragen walked over to the campfire and stepped into the heart of the flames. Everyone held their breath. No one dared to move. The flames around Aragen parted and lapped her skin without causing a single injury. Although werewolves came from the Fiery Gorges, they were not immune to fire. Aragen’s diabolic power had been strengthened by the darkness.