by Eric Vall
“Master…” my first wife started cautiously as she reached out for me. “What will happen if they get loose on the ship? They are wild and will ravage us all!”
“That won’t happen,” I assured her gently as I stroked the braid on her shoulder. “I will make sure that the Bánwolves only harm the Tintagal soldiers and no one else.”
The fog lifted soon after, and the shores of Tintagal came into view. It was nothing like the beaches of Tamarisch we had left behind which had been smooth sand that led to the Riese’s water. Instead, Tintagal had vast highlands of blowing green grass above the cliff faces that dropped down into deep, dark water below. It was much colder here, and large pieces of ice bobbed around our warship as we sailed around the shore.
All my minions gathered around me as we listened to the crashing waves and took in the sights. Tintagal was much different from Tamarisch. Annalise’s motherland had been snow-covered and broken apart by massive mountains, but it seemed that Tintagal was more flatland. There was some snow here and there on the billowing grass but very little compared to where the High Queen was from. Still, Tintagal was a land that would soon be mine, and I looked upon it lovingly.
The warship moved slowly around the shores, and we could see nothing for miles across the flat landscape but we came around a sharp bend, and the cliffs fell to the rocky shore to reveal a large encampment emblazoned with the heraldry of Tamarisch bears. Soldiers waited by the shore and waved madly when we came into sight. They had been waiting for us, and from the sight of some of them, it looked like they had taken a bad beating against the enemy soldiers. Some of the men were wrapped in bloody bandages while others tottered around on crude crutches, but the smiles on their faces showed their relief to see reinforcements.
The warship dropped anchor, and we slowed to a stop in the frothing nearly black water. We were close to shore but not close enough to lower the gangplank, and Amos gestured us down into the belly of the ship. Once inside the metal hull, heavy doors on the side of the ship were opened, and I watched as the soldiers on the shore brought out something like a large ferry. The uninjured men jumped on it and quickly paddled it over through the choppy, frigid water.
“Princess Annalise, wonderful to see you again,” one of them called to our group as they secured themselves to the much larger ship and our party stepped onto the ferry.
“That’s the High Queen to you, Duncan,” my wife snarked back through a broad smile, and she brought the young man into a tight embrace.
“Ay, just tryin’ to slip one past ya, guess I can’t do that anymore since you’re all high and mighty now.” The young man named Duncan grinned back, and the swordswoman slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly as if he was another brother.
“Never will be too high and mighty to teach you scallywags a lesson or two,” Annalise shot back, and the young man nodded as he chortled. He waved us on, and my minions stepped over the small crack separating the rolling water and the ferry. Once on, my women came around me and held tightly to my arms.
“Everyone on?” Duncan called to us, and we signaled to him that we were ready to go. “Hold on tight. The tide gets a little crazy the closer we get to shore.”
Amos unfastened the ropes holding our ferry onto the much larger ship, and Duncan pulled away with the help of three other rowers. The young man was correct when he said it was a bumpy ride to shore, and by the time we reached it, all of my women clung to me for dear life. We hopped off the ferry onto the smooth pebbles of the beach, and Duncan turned for a second and gave my swordswoman a curt wave before they pushed off once more to bring back more soldiers and the supplies on board the warship.
My minions scurried off towards the encampment, and Carmedy, in particular, was off to the medical tent to help out with anything they needed. I stayed on the rocks to watch the soldiers pile off the ship, and once they were off, they brought out the food supplies and weapons. The soldiers moved in tandem with smooth, quick motions as they piled on boxes and trunks.
I watched them bring forward our Bantams, and the mighty birds blinked hazily in the light and squawked loudly as they were pushed and prodded onto the ferry. Within a few moments, they were brought onto dry land and taken away to where the soldiers kept their warhorses. The birds seemed happier on dry land and moved about more easily as one of the Tamarisch soldiers pulled them along by their reigns.
Then I heard it, a deep undulating growl that resembled the roll of thunder, and I turned my head back towards the ship. These beasts were the real reason I had stayed out here and not gone to the camp. I had never seen a Bánwolf, only heard stories from Annalise and her brothers, and I quickly realized what they had said was true. The furry creatures couldn’t be accurately described as dogs. Instead, they were hulking beasts covered in gray and white fur. These animals were colossal, and when they bared their teeth at the men moving their cages, their yellowing teeth were as long and thick as Rana’s eleven daggers. If I were a mere man and not a god, I might have scurried away in fear.
As I watched, it took five men in total to move one of the cages onto the ferry and all the while, the Bánwolf inside as snapping and biting at any exposed limbs. Their yellow eyes held intelligence and sharpness that I had never seen in an animal before, and the sight made me smile. These were no average dogs, these were killing machines with an almost human intellect to them. The Tamarisch soldiers brought the Bánwolves to shore one by one, four of them in total when an earsplitting screaming sounded from inside the open door of the ship. All heads on shore whipped and started into the darkness inside the warship as the ferry returned once more. A fifth cage was wheeled out, this time the men pushing it out used long poles instead of their arms.
The beast inside was four times larger than the other Bánwolves, and this had to be the alpha of the four females waiting on the shore. The wolf’s struggling reached a fever pitch as the ferry landed once more on the shore. The giant black beast slammed against the metal bars, and they crumbled under his weight like thin parchment. Duncan yelled out a single warning as the massive jaws wrapped around the metal bars and snapped them with a shrieking snap. The Bánwolf’s jaws continued to move as it tore open a hole in the cage, and the Tamarischian soldiers began to panic. Duncan, already fearing for his life, dove off the ferry backward and swam towards the warship farther back in the water.
I had been told that the Bánwolves were strong and willful but they were more powerful than I had imagined.
The alpha Bánwolf leaped from the cage, and its massive paws slammed down on the rocky shore as soldiers rushed to collect their weapons. Pandemonium broke out through the camp as soldiers screamed. As the Bánwolf stalked forward, I remained completely calm as I watched. Adam has questioned my ability and power, but he and the others were about to learn the true extent of both as I stepped out into the path of the approaching rabid beast. The truth was that Tamarisch soldiers were about to learn a very important lesson.
I wasn’t just a god, I was the Master of all living things.
Chapter Three
The silted eyes that gazed out from the sea of black fur weren’t yellow or icy blue like the others but were instead almost a fiery orange. Our eyes, mine and the alpha wolf’s, connected for a moment, and the magnificent animal roared.
The Tamarisch soldiers ran about the rocky shores in fear as the huge black beast stalked forward toward the cages that held his females. I knew it would be a bad decision as a leader and the High King to allow the Bánwolf to harm any of the soldiers, but I still wanted to see the beast in action.
Unlike other wolves I had seen in my lifetime with fur matted and filled with burs, the Bánwolves’ coats were sleek and glossy with health. Each time the alpha took a step, it seemed as if the ground rumbled beneath its massive paws. The Bánwolf’s black lips were pulled back against the gums and exposed its huge teeth as it snarled at the soldiers still standing their ground around the caged females. I could hear the females yipping and barking to t
heir alpha, urging him closer, and it vaguely reminded me of the way I was with my minions.
One of the Tamarisch soldiers stabbed into the cages with a halberd and hit one of the brindle females. The much smaller she-wolf howled loudly in pain, and the alpha paused for a moment. Inside the swirling orbs of orange that were the eyes of the beast, there was more than animalistic rage. There was an almost human intelligence as the animal processed what was happening and figured out his next course of action. The black alpha pounded forward, and its movements were breathtakingly elegant and beautiful for such a hulking beast. It was quicker than expected, and within seconds, the alpha had reached the unsuspecting soldier and beared down on him.
The Bánwolf struck out with one massive paw and knocked the soldier away from the cage. The black dog looked into the cage for a moment as he took inventory of his females, and the injured one made a low growl in her throat as her icy blue eyes moved from her alpha-male to the fallen soldier. I tilted my head and a small smile spread over my lips; they were more intelligent than I had first thought. This was a request to kill from one of his she-wolves, and the alpha was going to oblige her as he turned towards the Tamarisch soldier attempting to scuttle away.
Satisfied with my observations, I jumped from the rock. This was my time to step in and take control of this powerful animal. I had promised Annalise that I would protect not only the land of Tamarisch but its people, and that was what I was going to do. I strode forward as I pulled the God Slayer from my void pocket and placed myself in the path of the alpha. His orange eyes focused on me with precision, and I could physically feel him calculating his next move.
The alpha Bánwolf was a head taller than me, and though he was an impressive beast, he would be no match to me and my power. I would make this animal bend to my will as I did with all things, and he would submit to me without question. With both hands, I held the God Slayer out in front of me, then brought it down on the rocky shore with a mighty crack. The blades hidden inside the polearm sprang to life and glinted hatefully in the light.
The Bánwolf looked from the weapon to me and then growled deeply in the back of its throat. If I weren’t a god, the sound would have sent chills down my back, but instead, the sound excited me considerably. I could feel the Bánwolf’s dark heart as it pumped evenly without fear, and the rush of his blood through his veins calmed me. This was a beast that had never known fear, an animal that laid waste to all things around him without even a sliver of apprehension that he would be bested, but today, this great animal would learn that I was the master of all living creatures.
The Bánwolf lunged forward with his jaws opened wide, but I was ready and sidestepped him with the God Slayer held high above my head. Though he was agile, his massive body took too long to turn, and I stabbed out with the blades of the polearm. The God Slayer sliced through his thick fur and into the meat of his back with a sickening squelch. The Bánwolf leaped away with the polearm still stuck into his flesh and snarled loudly.
I showed him no fear as I stared intensely into his eyes, and he did the very same as he glared back. His paws were ten times the size of an average man’s foot, and he swiped at the ground as he tried to free the weapon still stuck in his back. The alpha charged at me as scarlet blood soaked his side, and I met the beast head on. Right as our bodies were about to slam together, I exhaled through my nose and pushed out all the air in my lungs. Black and neon yellow power encased my body and rippled around me like a protective shield. The charging beast hit the forcefield with an earsplitting crack and tumbled backward, but I wasn’t finished with him yet.
The alpha rose up from the ground, a growl in its throat and the God Slayer still firmly planted in his flank, but despite his wounds, he was holding firm just as I had assumed he would. I smiled widely as I felt my power surge forward at the ready, and the great animal tilted its head at me as it pulled back its lips and snarled. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as if he was mocking me, mimicking the wicked smile plastered across my lips.
We pushed off together into another clash, and as I neared, his maw opened into a massive black hole with only the shadow of his uvula dangling in the back of his throat. The Bánwolf lowered himself to the ground, his chin nearly brushing the wet stones at our feet and saliva dripping from his pointed teeth. He thought he had me, thought he was about to win, but he was very wrong.
In a blink of an eye, I whirled away and brushed my hand against his flank. The fur on his side exploded into flames and gray smoke as I let my power graze against him, and the shriek that exploded from his mouth only urged me on more. The alpha turned and skidded to a stop, and I took in my handiwork.
Along his side was a strip of bare and bubbling flesh from where I had touched him with my dark power. Blood and puss from the burnt flesh oozed down his side and soaked through his thick fur, but if he was in pain, the demon-dog didn’t let it show. From behind us, I could hear his she-wolves barking and howling, and as I watched, he planted his feet and readied another attack.
Though he was a worthy adversary, I didn’t want him dead. In fact, quite the contrary for if he were killed, he would be no use to me. The Bánwolf was a magnificent animal, and the more I took him in, the more I wanted him to bend to my will. He wouldn’t be my pet, no. Instead, he would be a weapon or my familiar in a sense, the animalistic embodiment of my essence. The Bánwolf and his females would be a great use to me when I took over Tintagal, and all I had to do now was break him and his iron will.
The Tamarisch soldiers still standing on the beach were frozen stock still and watched in awe as the great animal broke for me again. This time, I would show them my true power. I would avoid his attacks no more and face him head-on as an equal. His strong legs and paws beat at the shore as he advanced on me for the third time, and right as his jaws were about to snap around my avatar’s head, I dropped to the ground and brought my arms up against his broad chest.
I lifted the beast with both arms then, for a second, with only one hand as I adjusted my grip to grab him by the back legs with my free hand, and flipped him over my body. The Bánwolf whined and tumbled through the air but landed on all four legs and swiveled around to attack again. His heart was pounding now, and it was like the beat of battle drums in my head. He no longer took calculated snaps at me like before. Now, he was feverish in his rage as he took any opportunity to injure me. I was too quick for him as I dodged his huge paws and the teeth that came from all directions. As he turned for another pass, I grabbed him by the muzzle as his hot, rancid breath hit my face in blasts.
My dark power snapped angrily inside of me to be released. As I didn’t want to kill this magnificent beast, I let him go before my power surged, then placed my gloved left hand over the right and slammed down directly into his chest. He wasn’t thrown backward like last time, but there was more damage to his body as he stumbled forward. He now favored his left paw over the right in pain.
The alpha lifted his head and glared down at me with those almost human orange eyes. He was hate-filled and enraged. He had never met a foe that he couldn’t kill easily, and I could see that it was driving him insane. The male’s chest was heaving, he was bleeding badly, but he still wouldn’t back down, a prideful animal to the very end.
I was the one who came to him this time, and there was surprise within his eyes. No other foe had come for him head-on, and it confused him as my heavy boots pounded across the shore. A mighty scream roared up my throat, and the wolf shrunk back slightly, then came for me.
This was where I would end this and force him to bend at the knee to me and my power.
The alpha swiped at me, but I ducked under the paw and felt the air above my head part from the force of his power. I skidded through the rocks then dropped as I slid underneath his hulking body. Under the mass of his huge frame, I took in his natural musky scent, and when I came out on the other side, I was rewarded with the refreshing scent of clean air. The Bánwolf swung his head as he searched for me, and I chu
ckled in the back of my throat as he lost his sense of direction. He was intelligent, but when we were compared, he fell short to me.
I grabbed onto the God Slayer buried deep in his back and used it as leverage as I threw all of my weight into a forward motion. As I slammed my feet down onto the rock-strewn beach, I used my momentum to launch myself up onto the Bánwolf’s back, and despite his intelligence, the beast swung his head around looking for me. Once I was in a comfortable position on top of the massive beast, I held my gloved hand out and over the huge swinging head. The rolling, hateful orange eyes of the Bánwolf searched for his adversary as I pooled all of my dark energy into one hand.
Then, just as suddenly as I had mounted him, the colossal dog rocked forward and attempted to throw me off like a bucking bronco. I gripped his thick fur and held on tightly with my free hand as the huge head came back and snapped at me with knife-like teeth. I was too far back for him to reach, but his canines came within inches of grazing my thighs, and I could feel his tensed muscles move and coil underneath me.
He was strong, but I was stronger.
I closed my hand into a fist and slammed it down on the crown of his head. The impact of my fist against his head was hard enough to shatter human bones but did nothing to my avatar, and as I struck the wolf, I released my power. This was something I hadn’t done in a long time, and despite the passage of time, the magic that flowed between us was overpowering enough to make me sway slightly.
Instead of hitting him with a physical blow, I blasted myself into the mind of the wolf with my dark powers. The Bánwolf wasn’t knocked unconscious from the blow, but instead, our collective consciousness came together as one. I could look into his mind just as he could see into mine, and I saw everything through his eyes. In another life, his existence would have been interchangeable with mine, He was a mighty predator in the animal kingdom, and I was a predator in the human world.