Keeper of the Wolves (6 page)

“
No healers. They can’t be
trusted. He needs to rest, especially with the Heirs coming soon.
There’s a lot to learn.”

“
I was thinking a fire would
do- what about the Heirs?” Koya asked in surprise. “What do they
have to do with anything?”

“
Hush, sister. One step at a
time.” Joven sounded pleased with himself as though he had just
worked out a puzzle that had been bothering him for quite a while.
He led us through the garden to a side door and we entered a wing
of the castle that smelled as if it was seldom used. He pulled open
another door to reveal a clean, empty hallway that stretched in
both directions. There were no signs of servants and the scent of
whoever had cleaned last lingered from at least a week
earlier.

Koya and Joven entered before me. I
hesitated at the door, reluctant to leave the fresh air and freedom
of the gardens.

“
It’s alright,” Joven said,
misunderstanding my reluctance. “No one will see us
here.”

Koya waited with a hand on the door, a
knowing light in her eyes. “It’s not that. He’s been in a cage for
who knows how long. I wouldn’t want to trade one cage for another,
and I’m sure he doesn’t either.”

Joven’s eyebrows lowered. “Can’t say I blame
him.” He turned to me and said with stark honesty, “I don’t know
why you’re hanging around. You could’ve run the second my sister
opened the door, but I owe you my life and Koya’s after you brought
down that stallion. I swear on my life that your freedom is your
own. You’re welcome to leave whenever it suits you.” He grabbed a
chair made of finely polished oak and used it to prop open the
doorway. Sunlight filtered in to illuminate a rectangle of maroon
carpet speckled with dancing dots of dust disturbed by our
entrance.

His words filled a hollow place in my chest
that I hadn’t known existed. I glanced over my shoulder at the
garden lit by the rich noonday sunlight, then took a deep breath
and stepped into the hallway. The carpet sank underfoot plush and
deep as if I walked through thick moss at the edge of a tranquil
pond. Joven gave a nod of approval and led the way down the
hall.

“
Why are we in Grandfather’s
quarters?” Koya asked. She spoke quietly as though the hallway
echoed with the footsteps of the departed.

“
Because he’s not using it,”
Joven replied with a laugh that belied Koya’s reverence.

“
Joven, that’s not funny,”
Koya said with a sharp edge to her tongue.

Joven dipped his head to hide a smile.
“Sorry, sister. I couldn’t resist. Grandfather would’ve
approved.”

A slight smile touched her lips. “Yes, he
would have.”

Joven took a breath and let it out quickly.
“I figure that the best way for our wolf friend here to recuperate
is to have space and time to himself, things he probably hasn’t had
for a long while. Very few visit this wing and I’ll be careful to
ascertain those who do are loyal to me. No reports will leave these
quarters without my knowledge.”

“
What reports?”

He glanced at Koya but didn’t answer the
question. He pushed open a door that looked like all of the others
except for the sigil of a falcon carved in the thick oak panel that
stretched to twice the height of a human overhead.

Koya let out a sigh of frustration and
followed him into the room. “You’re keeping secrets.”

He stopped like the words bothered him. He
glanced from her to me, then pushed the hair back from his face
with one hand. The golden circlet around his forehead caught
briefly in the sunlight that trickled down through the high
windows. “This castle hasn’t been our own for a long time.”

Her lips pursed slightly as she studied him.
“How long have you suspected that?”

He shook his head. “Not suspected, known.
Rasmus has captured and interrogated several spies. There are
representatives from each of the other four duchies watching our
every move.”

Koya’s fingers tangled through my fur as she
processed the information. Her touch sent tiny surges of warmth
through my skin. I fought to understand the depth of what they
discussed through the fog of weariness that filled my mind, but the
fact that both siblings were in danger was clear. A sharp chill ran
through my body. My muscles gave a spasm in response and my breath
caught in my throat. Joven’s eyes locked on me. “He needs a fire
right away.”

The brother and sister worked quickly. I
settled onto the thick banterskin rug in front of the fireplace and
watched them through a haze that made my head pound. The logs and
kindling sent up a faint layer of dust into the air that smelled of
cedar, maple, and a faint memory of the wind blowing through the
forest challenging the trees to be stronger. An ache of
homesickness answered in my chest.

It was obvious watching the pair that they
had never started a fire before. Joven finally had the logs and
kindling set to his liking, but couldn’t get the sparks to catch.
Koya managed to convince him to let her try, and struck the flint
with her brother’s knife. She glanced back at me just as a spark
flew onto a scrap of bark and caught.

“
Koya, you’ve got it,” Joven
said excitedly. He sat back on his heels and didn’t seem to mind
the ashes that coated the knees of his white pants.

Koya blew on the faint flame until it leapt
to life beneath the tinder. She pushed the small pile under the
larger stack of logs and both siblings watched until the fire was
burning well. The elation on Koya’s face made her eyes sparkle
until she glanced down and saw me. I could barely keep my eyes open
past a flood of heaviness that filled my limbs.

“
Joven, he’s in trouble,”
she said. I felt the banterskin give slightly as she knelt by my
side. Her hands touched my fur gently. I closed my eyes and
withdrew to a blanket of darkness that consumed the pain and left
me alone.

Chapter 5

“
What’s his name?” a voice
asked.

“
I’m not sure,” Koya
responded, worry tightening her voice.

Steady hands touched the whip marks across
my back. “This seems to be healing. It’s his hand I’m worried
about.”

I realized through the thick darkness
clouding my thoughts that I was in human form. Callused fingers
picked up my hand and pain burned down my arm. A scent of windswept
hills and steel touched my nose. I tried to remember where I knew
the smell, but couldn’t place it in the blur of disjointed
memories. “The wolves are howling again,” the voice said.

A call of despair touched my ears. I tried
to turn toward the howl, but when I rolled to my side my shoulder
gave a piercing pain and a moan escaped my lips. Gentle hands eased
me back.

“
Careful, son. Easy does
it,” he spoke softly. “I don’t remember these bruises last time he
turned human.”

“
He got them pulling down
Father’s stallion before it could trample Koya and I this morning,”
Joven replied quietly.

The first speaker let out a low whistle. My
memory shifted and I pictured the face of Rasmus, the tattooed man
from the tent. “He brought Triton down in this shape?”

A faint whisper replied followed by a soft
hiccup of air as though the one who answered was trying not to cry.
A scent of meadow gold and vanilla came to my nose and made my
heart race. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t obey. I let
out a sigh of frustration and gave in to the darkness once
more.

***

I ran through a stream after the pack. The
wolves nipped and bumped each other, trying to throw the others off
so they could win the race. I usually took the lead, but my bones
ached and I couldn’t keep up. The scent of a rabbit close by turned
my head, but my belly was full and the spring hunt had been
plentiful. I didn’t need to gorge out of fear of missing the next
meal. Winter would come soon enough and instinct would demand such
actions, but for now I chose to let the rabbit lay safely amid the
rushes.

I shook on the other side of the stream and
sent water flying from my fur. The thick undercoat kept me warm
despite the slight chill in the air, so I didn’t mind being wet. I
loped through the trees after the others. They raced through a
meadow lit by the white wash of the full moon. I galloped after
them, but my legs gave out when I reached the moonlight and I
sprawled in a heap on the soft long grass. A spasm shook my body
followed quickly by another. My bones twisted and stretched.

I let out a howl of agony that turned into a
scream I didn’t recognize. My fur disappeared, leaving my skin pink
and bare. My ears shrunk and muzzle faded into my face. My teeth
dulled and paws elongated into awkward appendages. I curled in a
ball in the meadow, my lanky arms and legs wrapped around me. Salty
water leaked from my eyes and I tried to keep quiet, but sobs shook
my unfamiliar frame.

The wolves returned; the cubs I had grown up
with were long-legged youth trying to fit into their clumsy limbs.
At first they stayed at the edge of the meadow, uncertain about my
new form, but my wolf scent mixed heavily with the strange sandy
smell of my other body. The familiarity drew them in. A wolf in
danger was never abandoned. They nosed my hair and sniffed my
limbs, then howled distressed cries to the others.

Our alpha appeared with his mate close
behind. She had no fear of what I had become. While the others
walked in wary circles around me, she licked my face and nuzzled my
neck until I fell into a restless, exhausted sleep against her fur.
When I awoke, I was a wolf again and told myself it was only a
dream. The fact I was trying to convince myself not to worry was my
first reminder that something was wrong.

***

A gentle hand shook my shoulder urgently.
“Boy, wake up. You must wake up.”

The touch sent surges of pain and cold
through my body. My limbs shook and I tried to curl in on myself to
get him to leave me alone.

“
Are you sure that’s
necessary?” Koya asked. Her fingers brushed tangled hair from my
sweating face. “Shouldn’t he sleep?”

“
His wolves are pacing the
walls,” Joven replied. “It looks like they plan to attack if he
doesn’t reassure them he’s safe.”

“
The men are talking of
demons,” Rasmus agreed. “Either his wolves are going to get killed
or our men. The animals sound out for blood.”

As if in answer, a piercing howl thick with
threat reverberated through the air. Four other voices mingled with
it, calling questions laced with worry and frustration. As soon as
the sound died away, more howls rose from further away. Men shouted
and the crash of metal and wood answered as weapons were
readied.

The sound pierced the fog in my mind. I
opened my eyes and found the others watching me. Firelight played
with shadows behind Koya’s concerned face. Her mouth turned up in a
smile that didn’t touch the worry in her eyes. “Are you awake?” she
asked.

I nodded and the motion sent waves of nausea
through my body. I lifted my hands to still the spinning in my head
and found my left hand wrapped heavily in bandages. It throbbed
with the movement. “Rasmus was able to contain the infection, but
your body’s having a hard time fighting it off,” Koya explained.
“He said you might not be healthy enough to survive the effects of
the fever.” Her words caught in her throat and she swallowed. She
took my hand gently in hers and set it back down to rest on my
chest.

I lifted my eyes to where Joven and Rasmus
stood close by. All three looked exhausted. I felt guilty at the
thought that they had stayed up with me for who knew how many days
and nights. Between the fevered dreams and the pain of the change
each night I had lost track.

Another howl penetrated the room. It was
louder this time and filled with threat and anger. Shadow Runner,
the alpha, was tired of waiting. They would attack and both my pack
and the inhabitants of Vielkeep would pay if I couldn’t find the
strength to answer and calm their fears. I tried to push up to a
sitting position, but my limbs were weak. Joven and Rasmus knelt
quickly and helped me rise. When I finally sat up, the room swam in
circles around me. I ducked my head against my knees and tried to
focus on the danger my wolves brought to the duchy.

Eight howls rose as one in a cry of battle
and attack. Before their notes faded away, I took a deep breath and
let out a howl of answer. It carried my pack’s tones that set us
apart from the others, and I let the agony of the last few days
fill my voice so they would know I was sick but still alive. The
sound resounded through the room loud and full, telling them of my
location and my safety. With the howl I asked them for patience and
reassured them I was safe.

I howled until I ran out of breath and my
head pounded with every heartbeat. The importance of their response
kept me sitting up when darkness threatened at the edges of my
vision. I refused to give in without hearing their answer. If they
felt foolhardy and desperate, they might attack anyway. I didn’t
want anyone hurt on my account.

“
I don’t hear-”

Joven’s words fell quiet when I lifted a
hand weakly for silence. He nodded and his pale blue eyes turned to
the windows. I counted my breaths, willing the air to keep filling
my lungs. Koya’s hand touched the side of my face. I turned my head
toward her palm and breathed in her calming scent. Herbs for
healing mixed with the meadow gold and vanilla scent. I closed my
eyes and took another shallow breath.

“
What if-” Joven began when
he couldn’t help himself any longer. His words were cut off by a
lone answering howl lifting above the clamor of alarm that had
risen in the courtyard.