Keeper of the Wolves (31 page)

“
No, they haven’t stopped
long enough for a ceremony as far as I’ve had word, but our
informants have grown silent. I have cause to believe they are no
longer able to relay information.”

I thought of the skinned guards. “Let’s go.
Now.”

Joven held up a hand. “We’ve supplies to
ready and we’re running short on horses. I need soldiers to defend
Vielkeep in case this is Vesut’s plan for us to leave the city
unguarded so he can attack. We lost too many men fighting the Viel;
if we-”

“
I’m leaving, Joven,” I
said. My use of his name without title or respect caught his
attention. “There’s been too much delay already. This is your
sister. She doesn’t deserve what Vesut has planned for her and I’m
not going to let anything happen that can be avoided.” It was more
words than I had spoken in days. My voice was rough, but there was
no denying my tone. “Rally who you can; I’ll leave on foot if I
have to.”

Joven opened his mouth to argue, then shut
it again and nodded. “Lieutenant, gather the first and second
ridings. We leave as soon as the horses are saddled.”

Aled saluted and turned away. Joven glanced
at me. “You need decent clothes, weapons, and armor. Rasmus would
chasten me from the grave if I let you ride out like that.”

The thought of the General’s stern
disapproval lightened by the humor in his gray gaze brought a small
smile to my face. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint him, would
we?”

Joven shook his head, the shadow of a smile
on his face as well. He led me to his grandfather’s quarters.
Walking through the castle again felt strange after all that had
happened. Ghosts of memories whispered along the walls while scents
and tapestries tangled my thoughts of what home was. I didn’t know
when I began to link the two, but walking now as a stranger along
the well-known carpets made me feel as if I had been torn in
two.

When we reached the grandfather’s quarters,
I found clothes already set out on the bed.

“
I hoped you would come,”
Joven admitted quietly. “Though I wasn’t sure I would find
you.”

He waited at the door while I pulled on the
clothes. I ignored the shoes which had been pointedly placed in the
middle of the bed, but pulled on a dark blue cotton undershirt, a
black jerkin, and black-stained pants. It felt better than I cared
to admit to wear clothing again. They fit protectively instead of
binding as if I wore a second skin. I slid a sword into the sheath
around my waist, then walked to the door.

I paused and took a deep breath, memorizing
the scents. Everything had a final feeling to it, as if no matter
how things turned out I wouldn’t be back. The painful recovery I
had experienced in the room was overshadowed by my kiss with Koya
and holding her as she slept. Her scent lingered as if she had
spent time here when she returned to Vielkeep. I closed my eyes and
took one last breath.

When I opened the door, Joven was waiting
there. “Let’s go.”

Someone had brought Joven’s weapons and
armor, fitting him while he waited. He glanced at my bare feet, but
refrained from commenting and led the way back down the hall. We
found Aled with forty armed soldiers and two extra horses waiting
in the courtyard. The soldiers saluted Lord Joven. I heard a murmur
run through them at my appearance, but didn’t scent any animosity.
I wondered if Aled had weeded out those who wouldn’t approve of
riding at my side.

When I walked to where Aled waited with the
horses, the troops surprised me. Each man lifted a fist to his
heart and saluted, bowing their heads as I walked by. I didn’t know
how to respond. When I reached Aled, he noticed my expression. “You
proved yourself in the last battle, and they knew of your
friendship with the General. They honor you.”

“
They don’t have to,” I said
quietly.

“
They choose to,” Aled
replied. He put a hand to his heart, then grinned when I returned
the salute uncertainly. “I found a friend of yours.”

He pulled the horse forward and I couldn’t
help but smile when Streg stomped and snorted. He butted my chest
with his forehead; I rubbed his soft nose. I was relieved to see
that he had made it safely back to the castle. Though the horse was
stubborn, I knew his ways and could trust his sure footing. I swung
onto his back.

“
You’re looking like a
veteran rider,” Aled commented.

I took the reins in my good hand and rested
the other on the pommel. “I pretend like I’m comfortable and Streg
pretends he doesn’t want to get rid of the animal on his back. It’s
a working relationship.”

His brows lowered slightly, but humor
touched his eyes. I was reminded of Rasmus so sharply my mouth fell
open. “You’re his son.”

Pain touched Aled’s face when he nodded. “I
am.”

The Lieutenant’s eyes were green, but the
way he held his head and the life in his gaze was unmistakable. I
wondered how I had missed it before. “I didn’t know.”

He brushed a hand across his eyes. “You were
a true friend to him.”

“
He trusted me before I
trusted myself,” I said, admitting more than I had ever said
aloud.

He nodded and swallowed. “You are worth
trusting, no matter what anyone says.” His glance Joven’s way
wasn’t lost on me.

I nodded, unsure of how to reply.

Joven sat on a horse a few paces away; when
he held up a hand, the riders fell silent. “Move out,” he
called.

The horses fell in line. Riders rode two
horses abreast while scouts took up the lead. I thought our gallop
across the landscape was fast when our intentions were to stop the
Viel attack on the Ralan royalty, but that was nothing compared to
the headlong rush we took now. Aled rode beside Joven. I followed
with the rest of the soldiers behind me. Our pace was tempered only
by the strength of the horses. Even as night fell, making footing
unsure and visibility for the horses limited, we slowed only long
enough to water the animals before pushing them to a gallop
again.

Wolves ghosted through the shadows; not even
the horses made out their forms in the darkness. I scented more
than my pack among them. Shadow Runner had picked up my distress
and rallied the others once more; gratitude filled me. I knew he
would smell it and understand how much I appreciated his
dedication. Their swift paws on the forest floor gave me more
confidence in our headlong flight than the forty soldiers around
me.

Toward morning, horses began to falter. We
were forced to slow them about a league short of where Joven’s
scouts said Vesut had stopped. We picketed the horses in a thick
patch of forest and climbed up to a ridge where we could see the
troops from Vashold.

“
Reinforcements rode in at
midnight,” one of the scouts said. “There were supplies waiting for
Lord Vesut’s men when they arrived; they must have had this
planned.”

The camp below was set amid a small forest
that looked younger than the mountains around it. Based on the
quantity of tents, we were outnumbered at least five to one if not
more. I could make out a stand of horses picketed in the middle and
guarded by at least a dozen troops. Vesut wasn’t taking any
chances. Storming the valley to rescue Koya would cost us every
life, wolf and man. There had to be a way to get Koya out of
Vesut’s clutches without such a price. According to Aled, they
would reach Vashold by midday and then she would be lost to us. I
refused to let that happen.

I felt a breath against my hand and looked
down to see Shadow Runner studying the valley. I crouched next to
him. The realization struck me that I had been viewing the
situation as a human instead of a wolf. I had lived as a wolf most
of my life. It was time to turn that into an advantage.

“
I just don’t think we will
make much of a difference with our numbers,” the scout
concluded.

“
We don’t need numbers.”
When I spoke, the commanders and scouts turned. Eyes widened at the
sight of Shadow Runner by my side.

“
What do you mean?” Joven
asked.

I looked back at the camp and felt Joven and
Aled join me with the others behind them. “Have you ever seen a
wolf pack attack a herd of elk?”

Joven shook his head, but Aled said, “I
have. They have a system. It’s amazing to watch”

I nodded. “Wolves chase the herd and cull
the weakest that fall behind.”

Aled’s eyes lit up. “So if we can get them
to run, we can pick them off without risking our smaller
numbers.”

Joven nodded, his eyes on the valley as he
warmed to the idea. “We can save our soldiers and find Koya in the
madness.”

“
But how will you get them
to run?” the scout asked.

I studied the layout of the camp. The
majority of tents were gathered around a small stream, but other
than that, I didn’t see any source of water for the valley. The
breeze blew from behind us strong and pressing with the breath of
the high mountains. “Fire,” I decided. “Given the shape of the
valley the wind will carry it without much help.”

“
And it’ll create enough
chaos that maybe we can get away with Lady Koya and keep our
casualties to a minimum,” Aled said with a pleased nod. The young
Lieutenant’s eyes were alight with excitement at the plan. My heart
ached at the thought that Rasmus had raised the perfect commander
for his army.

“
The saplings in the valley
are young,” the scout said, confirming my earlier observations.
“There must have been a fire there years ago, probably started by
lightning. The underbrush is dry and should carry a flame well. I
think it’ll work.”

“
Let’s move before they have
a chance to awaken,” Joven said.

We rose and made our way back to the waiting
men. Joven outlined the plan while Aled organized the troops into
attack parties. A fire was stoked under the cover of overlapping
evergreens so lookouts from the valley wouldn’t see it. Several men
went back for the horses.

It was a moment where silent activity
flourished around me, but I wasn’t a part of it. Men whispered to
each other and checked their weapons, torches were prepared, and
directions were given to the captains of each riding group. I
leaned against a tree, aware for the brief instant how long it had
been since I slept. I closed my eyes and listened to the brush of
fabric and quiet steps through the long grass.

A nose touched my hand and I opened my eyes
to find Shadow Runner and Silver Leaf sitting in front of me. My
gaze traveled from them to more than two dozen wolves waiting for
my command. Four wolf packs, young and old, dark fur and light, had
joined mine to help in our fight. It was their way of showing
appreciation for the help in driving the Viel from the valley. I
blinked quickly, touched by their bravery. The soldiers around us
stared at the wolves, their eyes wide with distrust and fear.
Everyone was silent and watching. I set a hand on Silver Leaf’s
head and she licked my arm.

“
I don’t think you need the
soldiers,” Aled said quietly. He gave the wolves a wide berth and I
couldn’t blame him. That many wolves looked pretty intimidating in
the early morning light.

“
I’ll get them set before
the soldiers come in. We won’t be able to keep the horses quiet
otherwise.”

He nodded and glanced back at Joven. The
young Lord stood near the top of the rise studying Vesut’s camp
beyond. “What signal do you want?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “How good are you at
howling?”

He chuckled. “Not the best, but I’ll make
due. You’ll hear it.”

“
We’ll be ready.”

The Lieutenant turned away, then hesitated
and held out a hand. “In case things go wrong.”

“
Things aren’t going to go
wrong,” I said.

Something dark and regretful crossed his
face. “I never told my father how much I respected him. I’m not
about to lose that chance with you.”

I accepted his hand, touched more than I had
words to say. I swallowed and forced myself to speak past a tight
throat. “If something happens to me, promise you’ll get Koya out of
there.”

His brow furrowed, but he nodded. “I
will.”

He walked away and I felt the severity of
what we were about to do settle on my shoulders. The Lieutenant was
young. He deserved a family, peace, and safety. Yet he rode at my
side in an effort to save the girl I loved. I took a deep breath of
the crisp early morning air and motioned to the wolves. They
dispersed without a sound into the forest around us. I was tempted
to change and join them in wolf form, but something kept me from
relinquishing being human.

I took several steps into the trees, then
heard someone say my name. I turned to find Joven at the edge of
the clearing. I crossed back to him and accepted his outstretched
hand without a word. The sorrow in his eyes said more than a
thousand apologies.

“
Take care of yourself,” he
said.

“
You do the
same.”

He nodded and watched me go, a lone form
against the dawn gray trees. Wolves fell in around me on paws as
silent as my bare feet. I crouched low and skirted the underbrush.
We made our way down the valley soundless as wraiths. When I
motioned, the wolves separated to await Aled’s signal. All chaos
was about to break loose. I hoped I could find Koya in the midst of
the madness.

Chapter 19

A howl shattered the façade of morning peace
that had settled over the valley. My lips twisted in a smile at the
flare of Aled’s call. He was relishing his post.

On a whim, I raised my voice to meet his.
The wolves around me and hidden on the other side of the camp did
the same, trapping the soldiers who were just waking in a symphony
of haunted warning. Tents shook, soldiers stirred, and horses
stomped just as fire raced through the camp.