Fractured Earth Saga 1: Apocalypse Orphan (18 page)

“I can’t believe I was so naïve. There is so much to learn.” Syn looked away with a frown, but then gave Nala a smile that lit up the room and added, “At least I can be with Wolf. It will all be worth it!”

Nala looked at the beautiful woman and again felt inexplicable jealousy. She forced a smile and said, “Love won’t be denied. It is inescapable and unstoppable when it is true.”

On the fourth day around noon, Syn decided that Nala was strong enough to return to her family. She handed the woman her clothing, which she had washed and repaired, and she helped Nala dress. Then she gave Nala a shot of antibiotics to help her heal and prevent infection of her surgical wound. Syn also injected her with a sedative that put her to sleep.

A few minutes later, Wolf came to the medical bay and gently lifted Nala into his arms. Syn opened the cargo bay and lowered the ramp. Wolf stepped out, carrying Nala like a small child.

“Be careful, Wolf. I’ll be waiting for you,” Syn said. Her eyes glistened with tears as she mimicked perfectly the vulnerable emotion she had learned from Nala.

Wolf frowned and asked, “Are you okay, Syn? I can take her later if you would like.”

Syn sniffled and wiped her eyes. Then, she gave Wolf a dazzling smile and replied, “No, go on. Nala misses her family, and I’m sure they are worried. I will be all right, Wolf. I have chores you would interfere with anyway.”

“I’ll be back in a day or two,” Wolf promised, and then he headed off into the forest, carrying Nala in his arms.

He was a few miles from Haakon’s camp when he looked down at Nala, who was still asleep, and marveled at her beauty. A chill ran through his body. At that moment, Nala opened her eyes and Wolf looked away, ashamed that he found his friend’s wife desirable. She yawned and stretched in Wolf’s strong arms.

“I drifted off to sleep, and I didn’t get to say goodbye to Syn. How long was I asleep?”

“Not long, Nala. We will reach your valley in a few minutes. If you feel strong enough, I will let you walk. Remember, for the next week, don’t do any strenuous chores or heavy lifting. The surgery Syn performed can become undone if you aren’t careful. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Syn already explained it to me. She is a beautiful woman, Wolf. You two make a lovely couple,” Nala said with a shadow of regret in her eyes.

“There are complications with a relationship between us. Right now, it is impossible.”

“You sound just like her,” Nala laughed. “I will tell you what I told her—love doesn’t care about complications or reasons not to exist. Nothing is stronger than its power. Love overcomes all obstacles. No army or nation can conquer it. If it is meant to be, it will be.” She looked away, confused by her own words.

Wolf lowered Nala to her feet and took her hand as she wobbled.

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, I was just a little dizzy.”

Still holding Nala’s hand, Wolf resumed the journey, leading her towards a column of smoke on the horizon. A leisurely fifteen-minute walk placed them at the clearing, where men were cutting wood and building shelters.

“Haakon!” Nala cried as she caught sight of her husband.

“No running!” Wolf admonished, putting a hand on her shoulder for a moment and then letting her go.

Haakon looked up, shading his eyes with a hand, and the other men stared, amazed, as Wolf and Nala approached. Haakon broke into a run, shouting, “Nala! Oh, my Nala, you have returned to me!” He reached to grab her and was about to lift her off her feet when Wolf stepped between them. “Haakon, you must be gentle with her. Nala can be injured if you are too rough right now.”

Haakon froze, staring at Wolf in disbelief as the giant blocked his path to his wife. He felt an intense, irrational anger flare up at this stranger ordering him around, but he forced a begrudging smile, wiped his dirty hands on his shirt, and carefully embraced his wife, kissing her on the lips. Tears welled in his eyes as his irritation turned to gratitude, and he extended his hand to Wolf.

“Thank you for saving my wife.” Haakon’s voice choked with emotion. “I am grateful beyond words. All I have shall be yours,” he declared and then frowned at his own words.

“Haakon, your family showed me kindness. It’s the least I could do.”

The rest of Haakon’s family gathered around, and after much hugging and laughter, they led Nala to a partially built shelter so she could lie down. She offered to help cook, but after a stern look from Wolf, she sighed and went to rest. Leesa had latched onto Wolf’s arm and was rubbing his chest and shoulders as he tried to disengage from her.

“Leesa, that’s enough. Let him be for now,” Haakon frowned. Obediently, Leesa let go of Wolf, but she kept her smoldering gaze glued to him throughout the day.

Thirty-eight survivors from the surrounding area had gathered in Haakon’s camp. After much discussion, they had agreed to build a community here instead of going their separate ways. In the aftermath of the storm, roving bands of looters were attacking hapless villagers, pilfering food and other valuables, and leaving them destitute. Haakon’s neighbors agreed to band together, realizing there was security in numbers.

The area they had chosen as a settlement was close to water, and the surrounding forest was intact, teeming with wildlife in the aftermath of the storm. Ten men in the group were capable of fighting, including Haakon and his oldest son. The group included six women around Nala’s age; six teenage girls, including Leesa and Brithee; seven children, including Reon; and eight older men and women well past their prime. The construction progress was slow, and the crude tools they used made Wolf want to cry with frustration. He had all the equipment on the ship to make suitable homes for these people—dwellings that might even withstand the gale-force winds of the yearly storms. He weighed the pros and cons of offering meaningful help versus letting them rebuild their haphazard structures, and he decided to rethink the matter after his meeting with the ruling monarch of this devastated land.

Wolf’s felt a vibration on his wrist and glanced down at his watch, noticing the words
Commander, beware!
flashing in red. He had been sitting on the ground, talking to a man named Donnel, who stood nearby. Suddenly, the man lurched forward and collapsed on the ground with a five-foot spear impaled in his back. He was dead before he hit the ground. Ragged men poured into the clearing from the woods, howling like crazed animals as they attacked the settlement. The attacking army included men of various races, and the only common bond they appeared to share were the tattered clothes they wore. Haakon’s few men fought bravely, but they were outnumbered four to one. Wolf watched in shock until he heard Leesa scream. One of the attackers had wrestled her to the ground and was ripping off her dress, laughing as he muttered vile threats. Nala came running from the woods, holding Reon in one arm, and the look of fury on her face snapped Wolf from his shocked hesitation. She was charging for the ruffian who had pinned her daughter down, screaming that she would kill him. Several of the older villagers grabbed Nala and restrained her. She fought and kicked to break free, shouting at them to let her go, and then she turned pleading eyes to Wolf.

Rage boiled up in Wolf as he jumped to his feet and leapt ten yards in a single bound. He grabbed Leesa’s attacker by the top of his head with one hand, shouting, “Never treat a woman like that!” The ruffian’s head twisted around as Wolf snapped his neck.

Still holding the man by the top of his head, Wolf flung his lifeless body into a knot of onrushing ruffians, toppling them in a grotesque parody of bowling. He charged into the melee, swinging his fists. Every blow that landed broke bones. The men screamed as Wolf smashed into them. He jumped to Haakon’s aid as a looter tripped him and swung an ax at his neck. Wolf stopped the blade by placing his arm in its path—the ax head made contact with a loud crack and the handle broke. He then landed an uppercut that ripped the man’s head from his shoulders.

Haakon stared at Wolf, astounded, as the giant waded into another group of attackers. He had drawn his Bowie knife and jumped among the men, who were forcing the elderly against downed trees that had been set on fire in an attempt to roast them alive. With a powerful thrust of the knife, he decapitated one man and wounded two others. He cut and slashed until both of the wounded men were reduced to bloody mounds of flesh.

Wolf had slaughtered more than a dozen ruffians before their leader saw the havoc he was causing. Dressed in polished silver armor, his arms crossed, the knight barked orders. His remaining men lined up in a defensive front as Haakon’s neighbors who had survived the initial attack fled into the forest. Trulane had watched Wolf battle and was in awe. He ran to Wolf’s side, saying, “I will stand with you.” He saw Haakon laying on the ground and yelled, “Father, get mother and the others into the forest. We will hold them off!”

With a look of horror, Haakon struggled to his feet, holding a hand over his eyes to block out the gruesome carnage Wolf had caused. He rushed over to Leesa and picked her up from the ground, carrying her to Nala, who had somehow broken loose and was running towards them. He intercepted Nala, pushing Leesa into her arms, and led his family into the woods as Leesa shouted in rage and shame, “Kill them, Wolf! Kill them all!”

Wolf shook his head, trying to clear the fog of anger from his brain. The leader of the ruffians barked a command and his tattered men renewed their attack. Trulane fought on the defensive as several men attempted to spear him. Three spears hit Wolf and bounced with no effect to the ground. The rain of spears stopped as the knight glared at Wolf and hissed, “What are you?”

“I am death. I will not stand by while you rape and pillage innocents,” Wolf answered. “If you had demanded our food, I would have let you go. Now you all must die.”

“Go to hell, you oversized freak!” The silver knight sneered at Wolf and shouted to his men, “Kill him!”

The ruffians charged with an assortment of primitive weapons: axes, spears, and knives. They swarmed over Wolf, stabbing and slashing, but he was impervious to the assault. In his heart, Wolf knew it was murder to slay these men, but he also knew they couldn’t be allowed to escape. Trulane had killed three of the enemy so far and was hacking a fourth to pieces. Wolf stood his ground and shouted, “Run, fools! Never return here or I will kill you all!” The attackers seemed crazed by the thrill of battle and ignored his warning, intensifying their assault.

“So be it,” Wolf muttered, releasing the inner beast his grandfather had warned him about. He grabbed two ruffians by the hair and slammed their heads together, splattering brains in all directions. He punched a third man in the chest and saw the life go out of his eyes. A man with a glazed expression grabbed Wolf’s leg and tried to topple him, but Wolf lifted his foot and stomped the man’s head into the mud. The ruffians were like rabid animals, foaming at the mouth and screaming insanely. They refused to run away from the battle, even in the face of certain death.

Haakon and several of his men had returned to fight and were making a good account of themselves. The odds were evened to eight against eight. Haakon downed his man and Trulane killed another after wrestling him to the ground. Then they both ran to defend a man who was under attack. The leader of the ragtag army stood at the wood’s edge, glaring in contempt as he watched Wolf snap the neck of yet another man.

When only the leader was left standing, he shouted at Wolf, “So, you freak of nature, you have won! But you will not capture me.” The knight shimmered and disappeared.

“That was one of Jonar’s Templars. They have strange powers,” said Trulane. “We have not seen one in years. Jonar has men like that throughout the kingdom. They wander the land, killing our king’s subjects and pillaging supplies.”

Wolf looked around at the dozens of bloody, mutilated corpses in the clearing and asked, “How many of ours were killed?”

“A dozen. Three men, two children, one teenage girl, and six of the elders,” said Haakon as he approached. He swallowed hard, a look of reverence in his eyes. “You
are
the Warrior of Legend. I saw blades and spears strike you, but you have no mark. Your strength is not of this world. We have a legend: a traveler will come from the sky in a flying chariot that talks but has no tongue. He will be a giant among all men and he will be immortal…”

“Yes, yes, I know about the legend,” Wolf interrupted.

“You are that man,” Haakon insisted.

“No, Haakon. I am just a weary man who has slaughtered many weaker men today. I am ashamed.” Wolf stared down at his bloody hands and the rage drained from his limbs. “I must leave.”

“Wolf…wait,” a woman’s voice called. It was Nala. She was followed by Leesa, who was holding the shreds of her clothing together. Behind her stood the other villagers who had survived the ruffians’ attack.

“Thank you,” Nala said. “You have saved us again. You are our hero.” She rose on her tiptoes and kissed Wolf lightly on the lips. Leesa repeated the gesture, followed by Brithee and the other women, young and old. The men approached and placed their hands on Wolf’s broad shoulders.

“I see your sorrow over the men you have killed, but they would have murdered us all,” Nala said. “I offer my deepest thanks. If it had not been for you, I would have seen my daughters raped and mutilated, my sons impaled, and my friends beheaded.”

Wolf looked up at the woman as tears streamed from her eyes, and a ghastly vision of the carnage she described played in his mind. He was unaccustomed to the atrocities of this time. Murder and rape had become a constant event, just as death had run rampant in the days leading up to Nomad’s destruction of civilization. Wolf had hoped this beautiful, tranquil world was beyond that ugly time, but clearly, human nature had not changed much over fifty thousand years.