Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  I found most of my people around the fire eating dinner. My nose told me it was beef strips and beans with fresh bread before I ever saw it. It smelled delicious after the trail rations we’d eaten for lunch, and my mouth watered at the thought of real food. As the fire came into view, I saw their plates stacked high with generous portions of the meal, giving me a cramp of hunger in my stomach.

  “Sergeant Iglias,” I said in way of greeting as I approached. “How did everyone do today?” The soldiers all seemed to become tense at my arrival. While frustrating, it was the norm among the regular troops when officers were present.

  “No one died, so I count it a success, sir,” he replied, looking over at me with a grin on his face. The soldiers laughed at his comment, and some of the tension fell away. I nodded and smiled at the man as I covered the remaining distance to the fire.

  Scanning the squad, I saw Tristan and Selene sitting next to each other. She appeared at ease with a relaxed posture and a smile on her face, but he looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe. I couldn’t help but laugh on the inside. Tristan had always talked a big game about the ladies, but neither one of us had a clue of what to do if we caught one’s interest. Pretending I noticed nothing, I found a spot near Sergeant Iglias and took a seat. He immediately sent a soldier to get me a plate as I sat down.

  “What does the night look like for the squad?” I asked him. Everyone was making sure not to look in our direction, but they were also trying their best to listen in to the conversation.

  “Light sir, they have tagged us to provide three for guard detail, but they’re all at last watch.” He had an appraising look in his eye, and I was sure he wondered about my interest in things below my station.

  “Very well. Let everyone know that I may pass through the camp and check up on our people. I’ll not have any issues with Colonel Karsam from our squad,” I said as I looked at the surrounding soldiers. Sergeant Iglias just nodded his understanding. Right then, the soldier detailed to secure me a plate of food returned, and I gladly accepted the offering.

  After our exchange, I focused on my meal and listened to the banter around me while trying to spy on Tristan and Selene’s interaction. My squad and the groups surrounding them were fairly subdued with me among them. I’d learned from my etiquette book that the officers normally ate in the main command tent and didn’t bother the soldiers’ fires. Regardless of proper procedure, I needed my people to be somewhat comfortable around me if I was to lead them, and so I pretended not to notice their tension.

  I finished my meal without speaking to the surrounding soldiers, and they were clearly too afraid to draw me into a conversation themselves. I handed my empty plate off to the closest soldier. “Thank you for the meal,” I said to the squad as I got up to leave.

  “Milord,” Sergeant Iglias answered in reply and then informed me that they had set my tent up in the central area of the camp. Thanking him, I started to walk away.

  I took four steps and stopped as I decided I’d put off talking with my friend long enough. I altered my course to pass by Tristan and Selene at the other end of the fire. “Tristan, I wonder if I might have a word.” I said as I walked up beside him.

  He really didn’t have a choice. My new station guaranteed that he would speak to me, and I hated that fact. I would have much rather preferred to tell him it was his decision, but I couldn’t appear weak or indecisive around those I led.

  “Yes sir,” he replied at once and stood. I walked towards the edge of the camp, and he silently accompanied me. By his posture, he was nervous. I was too, but for the talk I wanted to have, I needed to be away from prying eyes and ears. After several minutes, we passed the perimeter guard’s position and continued walking so that no one would hear us. Most of the light had faded, so the chances of being spied on were near zero.

  “All right, Tristan, you can drop the sirs now. We’re far enough from the rest of the soldiers. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to speak to you before. Believe me, I wanted to,” I said as we stopped and I took a seat on a nearby log. He remained quiet for some time as he stood in the dusky light, and I feared he would refuse to speak to me. He’d been the closest friend I’d ever had and losing him would mean I was truly alone.

  “I don’t really know what to say. I have a million questions. How is this possible? Even now I can feel your presence radiating out like the other nobles. You, the guy I bunked with for the last six years. I don’t understand at all,” he said as he paced back and forth in front of me. There was an almost desperate edge to his voice.

  “I know, it’s pretty hard to take in. First, let me say I’m the same person you knew, I just have some extra baggage now. Second, you’re still my best friend, and that won’t change,” I replied. I told him everything: my heritage, possible conflict with the imperial family, my experience during our final day, the power I felt, the pain of my last shift, my position with Silvanti, everything. I held back no detail. I put it all out on the table and hoped that it wouldn’t scare him away.

  “Man, and I thought I had it rough. No matter what happens, I still have your back,” he finally said after a moment, placing a hand on my shoulder with a smile. The tension seemed to fade after that. We spoke back and forth about the graduation tournament, and he told me the dumb things people had done during their celebration the previous night. It was refreshing to have that comradery, but all too soon, the time came to return to camp.

  I said as much and started to lead us back. “So, Selene, huh?” I asked with some amusement as we walked. I then told him how I knew her name to begin with.

  “What can I say? Anyone that can take you down a notch is someone worth getting to know,” he responded, laughing, but even in the dusk I could make out the blush on his face.

  Our levity was cut short as we re-entered the camp and passed the perimeter guards. We got the same questioning looks as before, but no one dared to ask. No doubt he would be asked about our talk once he got back to his bedroll, and I realized that word of this would inevitably reach the senior officers.

  I knew that I should care, but I couldn’t find it in me to be bothered. Once we were near the squad’s site, I bid Tristan a good night and turned to walk the other way. He nodded and replied, “Sir,” In a professional manner, but the smile on his face let me know that he was just giving me a hard time.

  After leaving my friend, I had a lot of things to think about and wandered around the camp observing my surroundings. Morale was as high as it could get. Everyone had plenty of food, and the soldiers acted more like it was a vacation than a march that would eventually lead to battle. We were still within the empire’s territory after all, so there was little reason to worry. The scene was uplifting, but a voice inside my head warned of how that may change and the danger of false security.

  As I wandered around the camp, the sun faded to nothing and the moon and stars replaced it. The night was clear without a cloud in the sky, and my enhanced vision had no trouble adjusting to the darkness. It was close to the way I saw things in the daylight, but colors became more muted, and shadows became different degrees of darkness. Unfortunately, with the torches and camp fires lit, I had to make a point not to look at any of the lights. When I looked too near the fires, the brightness made my vision blur as my eyes tried to adjust back and forth too quickly. The sensation gave me a headache.

  By the time I arrived at the officers’ tents arranged in the middle of the camp, it was near midnight. It was immediately clear which tent belonged to me as all the others were much fancier. I reminded myself that Silvanti House had given me everything I owned free of charge. I couldn’t expect to have the same quality equipment as the others. As I neared my tent’s entrance, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see who approached at this hour.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding the other officers. Surely we weren’t that insufferable in the short time you’ve been among us,” Aaryn said as she stepped out
of the shadows.

  “Only some nobles I’ve met, milady. You were most assuredly not one of those,” I replied with a bow. “I apologize if I offended you. My own thoughts held my attention today. They seemed heavier than usual.”

  She smiled at my clear reference to the Umbras. “Your thoughts really must be bothering you to keep you from sleep after such a full day.” She sounded genuinely interested, and it was touching in a way I hadn’t expected.

  “Sleep is a sore subject. It appears I need very little of it now. No one saw fit to share that with me until I tried to go to bed last night,” I said and sighed causing Aaryn to laugh. Even to my own ears, my words sounded like whining.

  “It must be so hard on you to be such a powerful wolf-kind that sleep is unnecessary. Your lot is just so unfair,” she responded sarcastically. “Perhaps you’d accompany me for a walk outside of the camp perimeter since you aren’t tired? I do so enjoy the stars, but the torches and fires make them harder to see clearly. If you can tear yourself away from your misery that is.”

  I thought about if for a moment before responding. On one hand, this was a beautiful and powerful woman my age who wanted to spend time with me and didn’t seem completely spoiled. On the other hand, I had been separated from the opposite sex these last six years and had no clue how to act. The beautiful woman won.

  “I will go with you so long as Lathian is okay with it and quits hiding in the shadows,” I said lightly. Aaryn seemed confused by my statement, then shocked when Lathian materialized behind her as if from out of nowhere. I also saw the faintest hint of indignation on her face from being guarded in such a manner.

  “Impressive Valian. We elves are known for our stealth, and it is no small feat to detect me when I don’t wish to be seen,” Lathian said with a neutral expression. “I must admit that my orders were to watch over Aaryn from the shadows, but I was not to reveal myself.”

  “I’ll make sure to tell my uncle what I think about that,” Aaryn almost growled so low I barely heard it. “Come along Valian, I won’t let my uncle’s over-protectiveness ruin my star-gazing,” she continued, and intertwined her arm in mine. I noticed one of Lathian’s eyebrows raise at the contact, but he stayed silent. Stuck between the two, I didn’t know the best way to proceed. With a lack of clear direction, I decided to go with the flow and simply followed where I was led.

  The rest of the night ended up being rather pleasant. We talked and enjoyed the freedom as we looked at the stars. Aaryn found a clearing, and we sat in the soft grass. She spoke of her past. Her mother had also passed during her birth, and her father had never remarried. She described how Karsam’s wife, Serah, having discovered that she could have no children of her own, became almost like a second mother to her. She then described her experience being raised as the heir to a noble house.

  After she had shared her past, she insisted that I share mine, so I did. She seemed fascinated and asked many questions about my life in the city before the battle academy. It made me uncomfortable to talk about my childhood. Sharing feelings with strangers wasn’t something I had any real experience in doing, but she didn’t seem bothered by that fact at all.

  After we spoke for a time, we laid back and quietly looked at the sky. The temperature was mild, so there was no risk of getting cold. An occasional breeze would bring in the scents of the surrounding forest, adding to the entire experience.

  Eventually, Aaryn yawned, and I insisted that she get some sleep. It was well into the hours when everything seems to be waiting for the sun to rise. The trip back to the tents was quiet, all the soldiers except the guards were asleep. The sounds of breathing, the wind, and torches were all that were there. We said our goodnights, and she retreated towards one of the opulent tents. Instead of following Aaryn, Lathian stayed next to me.

  “Are you not supposed to be guarding her?” I asked, curious as to what reason he could have to stay near me. He didn’t respond until she had disappeared out of view though.

  “If you would allow, I’d like to speak to you inside your own tent to avoid the attention of others,” he said. His voice was even, but his posture was tense. I nodded my agreement, and we started towards my much less decorative tent. It was a flat grey color and less than six feet tall at the entrance but sloped up in the middle of the ceiling.

  As I led us inside, I scanned the inside contents of the dark space. A simple cot occupied one side with my travel pack and saddle bags sitting next to it. A soldier had taken my bags to be delivered here shortly after I’d started brushing Bashita. There were no chests, chairs or folding tables on which to sit or write. The accommodations didn’t surprise me. After all, what need did I have of such things right now?

  The central pole held an unlit lamp on one side that served as the light source for the inside of the tent. I thought about lighting it, but decided that I had no need of it, and I doubted Lathian did either. His people were known for their abilities to travel the dark forests, so I bet that his night vision was as good as or better than mine.

  “Have a seat on the cot if you’d like. As you can see, accommodations are sparse.” I said gesturing to the one place to sit in the entire space as I leaned against the center post. “No thank you, I prefer to stand,” he replied in the flat tone I had come to expect from him. He stayed near the entrance as if he might need to retreat at a moment’s notice.

  “Very well,” I said as I removed my tabard and laid it out on my cot. “What did you wish to speak to me about?” I asked as I went about removing my weapons and armor. I set the equipment beside my tabard before I retrieved a rag from my pack and sat down on the cot. I began wiping everything down and getting the dirt off of my sandals. I’d have to make sure I completed the task before we broke camp anyway, so there was no sense letting whatever this was set me behind schedule.

  If Lathian was offended by my actions, he didn’t show it. “I’ll be direct. What are your intentions with Aaryn Silvanti?” The question was so absurd that I laughed even with Lathian delivering it in a serious tone.

  “You mean what are the intentions of a penniless noble from a house that is an ancestral rival to the imperial line and its closest allies?” I couldn’t believe he’d think it necessary to ask such a thing.

  “No, I mean the intentions of a young noble from one of the strongest bloodlines in the empire who’s very presence puts the common soldiers on edge; a young noble who exudes strength even when trying to suppress it. I mean the young noble whose first mount is a battle charger that no one else in the house is able to ride. I’m talking about the man reported to have had his shoulder shattered this afternoon and just seconds later pulled several thousand pounds of rearing horse down and commanded it to be still. And while you currently don’t have wealth to your name, beast-kind culture rewards strength and ferocity. I have no doubt that won’t be the case once there are other races to enslave or kill.” His volume had never changed throughout his speech, but his tone conveyed his feelings in what he said. His comment about enslaving and killing gave me an idea about how he saw me. I didn’t like it.

  His assessment made me uncomfortable, mainly because I couldn’t refute it. Also, because the glint in his eyes told me, he might wish he could kill me before I was let loose on the world. No matter how long he’d been a slave, or how well he’d been treated by Karsam, he was still an elven noble. I could see how much my strength bothered him. Luckily, we were on the eastern border, as far from his homelands as possible, but I had to wonder if he’d make a move against me if the opportunity ever presented itself.

  “I have no intentions, Lathian, and you can tell Karsam that as well if you must. She’s the first female I’ve spent any time with since my acceptance into the battle academy. Beyond having a pleasant evening, I barely know the girl and am not going to play political games.” He seemed to accept my answer as sincere and nodded. I may have imagined it, but for a moment, I thought I saw a slight softening of his expression.

  “Just so you underst
and, Karsam favors you as a noble of the house, but not enough to disrupt his brother’s plans for his daughter and heir.” At this, he bowed and left the tent. I sat there mildly irritated without knowing the reason. I finished my gear maintenance and then tried to get some sleep so that my brain might shut off for a moment. The first hints of drowsiness were just coming over me when the morning horn sounded.

  Chapter 8

  The next two days were uneventful. I tried to continue keeping my distance from the other nobles, but Aaryn had other ideas. She made a point to talk to me as we rode in front of the formation. This had the unpleasant side effect of forcing me to interact with the others as she would often bring them into our conversations.

  Deciding to be proactive in my squad’s training, I gave Iglias direction to work with our soldiers on various things during breaks and in the evenings. The majority of the training would occur after we stopped for the day. I used the training session as an excuse to miss yet another evening meal with the officers. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but the training helped break up the monotony of the trip.

  During the second day of travel, I asked Colonel Karsam if he had any books I might borrow to read. I found out he had an entire chest full of them traveling with us in one of the wagons. He gave me permission to borrow any of them as long as I returned them when we broke camp. I was so excited to have something to occupy my mind at night that I readily agreed to his terms.

  All the books he traveled with were on military matters and lacked any real diversity. I read through all of them anyway while I waited for the morning horn to sound. The evening had turned cloudy, so I shared no star-gazing with Aaryn. I did see Stephan sneaking off from the tent area, but his activities didn’t interest me enough to follow him. No doubt he was up to no good.