Werewolves of Wessex

by J Cameron Boyd

  When Jorunn was not in audience with the earl or lady or in a training session with Claire, he would often have one or several of the animals with him. At times, the looks between man and animal gave William the impression that they were engaged in conversation. If this was the animal-speak he suspected it was, William was certain Jorunn was quite proficient at it.

  The most significant revelation of who Jorunn was came when William saw the play between animal and man. The Wolfhounds were fast and powerful. Shockingly, Jorunn was even faster and more powerful. At first, William tried to dismiss what he saw as it was not humanly possible. But each time he spied on Jorunn and the wolfhounds, the stable manager would again be left with the conclusion that the man was, if nothing else, exceptional.

  Jorunn’s extraordinary physical skills were matched by his intellect, bearing, and confidence. The man spoke to the earl as an equal and treated Lady Edyth as a brother would a sister.

  Whoever this man was, he was not a servant of Northumbria. Nevertheless, he toiled tirelessly to make Claire into something she had yet to become. William found Lady Edyth’s work with Claire to be very extensive also, and during the evening meal, the earl was obviously keen to know how the day had gone for the young lady.

  ‘Why the fuss?’ he wondered. William’s probing had only brought his questions back to Claire. ‘I might as well find out now if there’s yet another reason that I cannot be with her.’

  “Why is everyone so interested in you and what you can do?” William finally asked Claire on the day he moved from his sick bed back to the stable.

  “Jorunn thinks I have potential,” Claire shrugged.

  “But why the sword fighting?” William pressed. “I mean … it seems to me your potential lies in healing and communication—by that I mean the mind-speaking. How does knowing how to swing a sword fit into it?”

  “Speaking of mind-speak,” Claire said, doing her best to sidestep anything that might require lying to William. “Now that you’re out of the main house and back in the stable, would you like to find a way to continue our sessions?”

  The thought had not occurred to him. Up until then, they had been meeting in his room. Since this was in the keep, it had been a proper arrangement since there were always others close by. If there were to be more of these sessions, they would have to arrange a meeting place where they would not be discovered.

  “Would you feel comfortable doing that?” William hedged.

  “Will, I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t.” Dropping what she was carrying, Claire looked at him, exasperated. This was hard for her. She felt Will was the one that should be stepping up to find ways that they could be together. But because of their stations in life, she knew he might feel it was not his place to do so. He might even feel that she was beyond his reach.

  She knew that if she wanted to be with him, it was going to have to be her doing the asking. ‘That’s so stupid,’ she thought. If the stable manager turned her, a lady, down, it would crush her.

  “Will!” She cried. She had been holding her breath, and he still had not answered her.

  Will turned to her. His mind was churning with so many thoughts. The first of which was how special her nickname for him was. Even though Edyth’s children had picked up the habit of calling him Will, the sound of it, when it came from Claire, never failed to send thrill-bumps through his body. And with all that was against them, dare he hope?

  “I … yes,” he managed.

  “Yes, what, Will?” Claire demanded.

  In a voice just above a whisper, he said, “I want our time together.”

  ***

  For as long as she could remember, life for her had been a search for knowledge. This insatiable need for understanding could never be quenched. But, when she was around Will, it was not so much a need to know as it was an exploration to be shared.

  His presence, somehow, made everything different—more full of life. And right now, she needed to know that his move back into his old world was not a portent of an ending.

  “Really?” she blurted out, though she could have kicked herself for doing so.

  “Really,” Will answered. Then, hoping that he was reading her right, added, “Look, Claire, you’re too important to me to sully your reputation. I know I’m just the stable manager, but if I had my way, we’d spend every moment together. Until that happens, if it ever does, you will always come first for me.”

  Claire looked stunned. She was not saying a thing. She just stood there staring at him. Then, to William’s horror, he saw a tear roll down her cheek.

  “Will,” Claire said softly.

  He stiffened, readying himself for the blow to come.

  “Every moment doesn’t seem like enough,” she whispered. “I want to be with you, to share everything with you.”

  William looked at her in wonder. Then, with their blood rising, they gathered his belongings from the ground and turned toward his room.

  Chapter 22

  They were almost to the stable when Will stopped.

  “Will?” Claire asked, “what’s wrong?”

  William stood, looking toward where his room was, for just a moment. Then turning to Claire, he swallowed and said, “Claire, I meant what I just said. You are too important to me to sully your reputation. Right now, I really want to be with you, but some things matter more.”

  Claire smiled up at him. “Will, that is so wonderful of you. You really are a most amazing person. But since that moment I saw you from the bridge, I knew our lives were intertwined. Our time together has only made that feeling stronger for me. If you feel the same, what difference would it make to wait?”

  William closed his eyes as he exhaled through pursed lips. He looked at Claire. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

  Just then, a horse and rider entering the front gate, caught their attention. Many people stopped to pay their respects to the earl, so a stranger in these parts was not noteworthy. But from his clothing and appearance, the man was a Viking who had ridden long and hard. Claire and William watched the bedraggled man and exhausted horse make their way from the gate to the keep.

  “He’s from Northumbria,” Claire whispered.

  William too recognized the rider’s origin. “He looks to be a messenger.”

  “There must be trouble,” Claire gasped as she started for the keep.

  William followed, leaving his belongings where they had fallen.

  ***

  The news was a blow to Claire’s heart. The Earl of Northumbria, Claire’s beloved grandfather, Siward, was dead.

  Having the responsibility of caring for the messenger’s horse, William was not present when the messenger announced the news. By the time he had made sure the horse would survive and got back to the keep, Claire was in a heated argument with Jorunn.

  “The sea has already welcomed his ashes,” Jorunn stated forcefully.

  “I told you, I don’t care. I need to go.”

  “Claire, you can’t travel through Mercia. Not now … It’s too dangerous,” Harold added.

  “He made it, didn’t he?” Claire argued, pointing to the messenger.

  “He also rode two hundred miles without a night’s rest to get through Mercia,” Jorunn shot back. “I’d wager he about killed the beast he rode,” the hunter added. Then, seeing William, asked, “What about it William? Was the horse done in?”

  “Yes, sir. Pretty much,” William affirmed.

  “That only goes to show how important it was to get the information to me,” Claire declared. “My family needs me there.”

  “The only thing that shows is that it was too dangerous to stop to rest!” Jorunn was beginning to lose his patience with Claire. He did not take his responsibility of keeping Claire safe lightly.

  “What’s going on?” William whispered to Edyth. His concern was mounting as he watched Claire, with fire in her eyes, stare defiantly at Jorunn.

  “Claire’s grandfather has died, William,” Edyth said softly.
>
  With that, William understood the controversy that was unfolding before him. ‘Of course, Claire would want to return to her family,’ William realized. But what was this about Mercia being so dangerous to pass through? As far as William knew, the middle portion of England was no riskier than the other two sections.

  The truth as he knew it was that the most dangerous part of England was Wessex. The raiders from Norway seemed to shy away from the Viking-ruled Northumbria, favoring, instead, the warmer climate and less ferocious people of the Anglo-Saxon Wessex.

  William was just about to ask what the danger from Mercia was when Claire burst out, “I just want to make sure the rest of my family is okay.”

  “Girl, be reasonable,” Jorunn implored her. “You know my duties lie here for now.”

  “I know. As long as those monsters stay in the south, the only concern further north is the southern portion of Mercia. I can ride for a day or two without stopping.”

  “Claire!” Edyth snapped a stern warning.

  “Sorry,” Claire apologized.

  Baffled, William wanted to question what that exchange was all about, only Claire had continued arguing her point.

  “You all know that I understand the risks. But my grandfather was closer to me than anyone. I can’t just stay here. If I don’t do this, I’d hate myself forever.”

  “I dare not accompany you,” Jorunn reminded her.

  “I’m not afraid of traveling alone.”

  “You will do no such thing,” Edyth said sternly.

  “I promise I’ll be careful,” Claire said. “One person traveling alone is much less likely to be noticed.”

  “Harold!” Edyth turned to her husband for support.

  “She’s right, girl. You can’t go alone,” the Earl concurred.

  “Then I won’t,” Claire declared. “Will can accompany me.” Claire turned to Will. “Can’t you?”

  Aware that everyone was staring at him, William weighed his response.

  “Will?” Claire begged.

  The desperation in Claire’s voice tugged at his heart. But the daggers streaming out of Edyth’s eyes were a warning to be heeded. Caught in the middle, William felt like an egg balanced on a knife’s edge. Slipping to either side would result in a disastrous fall.

  “What’s all this about Mercia?” he sidestepped the question.

  “Raiders,” Edyth quickly lied before anyone else could say anything. Her conviction that William's abilities be given more time to blossom before being exposed to the truth of who she was and the world that wove through their own was dissolving, but still, she clung to it. In her heart, she knew William would be best served by knowing himself a bit better before knowing the truth about this world.

  Claire recognized Edyth’s purpose and felt sorry for her slip about the monsters. ‘If Maud hadn’t wanted to see the wolves, I would have had the chance Edyth is trying to give to Will,’ she thought. ‘Then again, I’d never have met Will.’

  As Claire pondered this, she noticed that Harold and the messenger were intently discussing something. At that moment, Harold called for quiet.

  “It seems that you may get your wish, girl,” he began. “With the disruption caused by the announcement of Siward’s demise, our messenger was not able to tell us everything.”

  The messenger stepped forward.

  “I’m to tell you, milady,” he nodded toward Claire, “that your family requests that you come home. Your sister’s wedding is soon. The arrangements cannot be changed even with the death of the Earl. Your father would also appreciate you being there when he is installed as the new earl. The whole family would appreciate your presence and support at this time.”

  ***

  Equipped with newly forged swords and accompanied by six of the Earl’s best warriors, as well as Coll, the messenger from Claire’s father, Claire and William set out for Northumbria.

  William had not learned much more about Mercia except that several raiding parties had been reported. The raiders were brutes of men that were killing wherever they went. Who they were and where they were from was not known, though it was everyone’s guess that they were from Norway.

  William was also told by Jorunn that what made these Vikings so dangerous was a protective curse which rendered their enemies powerless against them. To counteract the curse, everyone riding north with Will and Claire was now carrying a silver sword.

  “The silver cancels the curse but only if you strike where the neck connects with the shoulders,” Jorunn had explained.

  Claire was happy about the month she and Will would have together, even though her grandfather’s death weighed heavily on her. So too did all the lies she was supporting. She hated her role in deceiving Will.

  She also feared it, especially since it might put him at a disadvantage should they have to fight any of the monsters. Edyth was of the mind that William had enough information to keep him safe.

  And then, there was her part in the deception. Sooner or later he was going to find out that the brutes were monsters. Then what would he think of her?

  She tried not to think of that as she prepared antidotes for the monsters’ poison. She had enough for eight men.

  Chapter 23

  Spring had slipped well into summer when they started out. The horses were fresh and the men well-fed and rested. Everyone was on the alert, anticipating trouble. And trouble soon found them.

  They were within sight of the Mercia border. Harold’s soldiers had been warned of the danger coming from their northern neighbor and were watching the woods about them intently. But as they rode into a small clearing, the attack came from a hidden ravine behind and to their right.

  Claire whirled Brunneis about to face the assault. Her first thought was, ‘Not feran!’ and she was filled with relief. But as the men continued to pour from the ravine, her relief was short-lived.

  “They outnumber us,” William yelled as he rushed to Claire’s side. “Stay close to me.”

  “What do I do?” Claire asked tensely.

  “Take out your sword and limber up your arm. And whatever you do, don’t get off Brunneis.”

  Will’s words came as the soldiers dismounted and formed up to meet the charging horde.

  “What are they doing?” Claire cried.

  “They don’t know what they’re doing,” William yelled to the messenger who was still mounted, to join up with them. “Protect her,” he instructed Coll. Then, calling to Luto for speed, he raced out of sight into the woods. Circling around the enemy’s flank, he came up behind them just as the marauders slammed into the soldiers.

  Slowing Luto, William lopped off the head of the first marauder he came to. Moving down the line, William and the black stallion raked across the back of their assault line until several marauders broke off to answer his challenge. Luto leaped into the air, and kicking out with his hind legs, dispatched one of the men.

  William swung his sword as they were returning to the earth and another lay headless. Luto whirled, smashing into the third and as he hit the ground, William leaped from the horse’s back to remove the man’s head. Then, running to Luto’s first victim, William lopped off his head, though the damage from Luto’s hooves looked to be all that was needed.

  By then the noise of the battle had subsided. Two of William’s men were down. The four that Luto and William had dispatched lay without their heads. Two of the marauders lay hacked to pieces. Four others were down, and from the looks of their wounds, on their way to Valhalla, but four others were running. Will leaped to Luto’s back, looked to make sure Claire was okay, then charged after those fleeing.

  “Will, no!” she cried.

  “Have to stop them,” he bellowed and rode on.

  ***

  Those fleeing did not get far. Luto was on fire with the scents and sounds of the battle and seemed determined to run every last one of the enemy down. William cut two down as they ran. The two that turned to fight found Luto’s hooves in their faces. William
made sure that they were down for good.

  By the time they returned to the site of the battle, Claire was tending to the wounds of her brave escort. William walked to her side. “How are they?”

  “Battered but they will be able to travel,” Claire said. “Are you okay?”

  Will nodded, then looked again at the bodies strewn throughout the clearing.

  “Will, two of our men were killed.” She bit her lip. “They might have had families, and they are dead because of me. More might have died if it hadn’t been for you.”

  “Claire,” Will answered her unspoken plea for forgiveness, “you had to honor your family’s request in this time of mourning. These soldiers understood the need to be willing to lay down their lives in troubled times. They died with honor. A soldier’s life can feel fulfilled in that way.”

  “Do you really think so, Will?” Claire asked as she walked over to one of their fallen. She studied his face. “He does look at peace,” she said after a bit. “I just hope we don’t lose any more.” Then looking up at Will, she said fervently, “I want to help bury them. I want to help lay them to rest.”

  Nodding his head, he said, “I thought we’d stop about here for the night. But now, I’m not so sure.”

  “It’s two days across Mercia,” Claire responded. “Will, after that fight, the men could use a rest—especially if we are going to ride through the night tomorrow.”

  “I think you’re right. I tell you what, I’m going to ride on ahead and find the safest campsite I can. When you are finished up here, you can follow. Just give Brunneis her head, and she will find me.”

  William reached over, and taking her hand, kissed it gently. Then, mounting Luto, he rode off.