Maiden's Wolf (In Deception's Shadow Book 3)
Read Maiden's Wolf (In Deception's Shadow Book 3) Online
Authors: Lisa Blackwood
MAIDEN’S WOLF
In Deception’s Shadow
Book 3
LISA BLACKWOOD
Back Cover
When unforeseen
circumstances force natural enemies to become allies, something far more
enduring than animosity is born—friendship.
Beatrice, a young
healer living on the outskirts of the human port settlement of River’s Divide,
simply wishes to hide herself from the searching eyes of the Priesthood of the
Revealing Light. The last thing she wants ‘revealed’ is that she is host to a
Larnkin—a spirit creature of vast and forbidden magic.
Her already
complicated life grows more perilous when a lupwyn scout stumbles into a trap
set by the priesthood. If she sits back and does nothing, the wolf-like
shapeshifter will be drained dry by the priests until he is an empty, soulless
slave. As a healer, that isn’t something she will allow. But lupwyns have no
love for the newly arrived humans.
For the sake of
mutual survival, Beatrice hopes this lupwyn can see beyond the hatred caused by
two warring peoples. If not, she might die at the hands of the male she is
trying to save.
Maiden’s Wolf
Copyright
©
2016 by Lisa Smeaton
All
rights reserved.
****
This is a work of fiction. Names, places,
and characters are the product of the author's imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced,
scanned or distributed in any print or electronic form without the author's
permission. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in
or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's
rights is appreciated.
COVER ART BY: Rebecca Frank
EDITED BY: Perry Constantine
http://larksandkatydids.com/editing/
All around him,
the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest formed a picture in his mind as
his Larnkin studied and catalogued everything in their immediate surroundings.
Which was good, Silverblade supposed. In this form, with his normally
formidable lupwyn senses dulled to the limited range of a human’s, he might as
well have been half-blind.
Even in the moon
cycles since he’d first taken this mission, he’d never really gotten used to
playing at human. Strangely, the Larnkin he was host to seemed to enjoy this
new human form, or perhaps there was something else about his present mission
the spirit creature found fascinating. Even though he and his Larnkin had been
partnered since Silverblade’s birth, he still couldn’t really say he knew the
mind of the spirit creature. Or why it found this particular scouting mission
so interesting.
Although he had a
theory. If the Larnkin had been a mortal man, he’d have been tempted to say it
was enamored of a certain healer Silverblade had discovered on this mission. He
grinned to himself, finding humor in the thought of his ancient Larnkin
infatuated with a human female.
“So, Old Man, if
I find out you have me skulking around this forest in human form to court a
girl, Queen Marsolwyn and the pack elders are going to be less than impressed.”
As expected, he
didn’t get a response from the creature.
It wasn’t like
the stubborn, close-minded Larnkin would have shared the information with his
host anyway. Silverblade’s, like most Larnkins, seemed to want his host to grow
and learn through life experiences.
Sometimes it
would simply be nice to be told a piece of valuable information instead of accidentally
stumbling upon it one’s self.
“Old Man, if
she’s too young for me—which she certainly is—she’s far too young for you,”
Silverblade muttered to himself. “Besides, I’m not hunting for a mate. The only
thing I’m presently interested in is friendship and possibly mentoring her.”
His Larnkin
didn’t so much as stir in response to Silverblade’s words.
Sighing
dejectedly, he stared straight ahead through his mare’s pointed ears. The mare
knew this path well. They’d ridden it enough times. Even the mare’s senses were
greater than his in his present form.
She likely
already knew if the human family who lived in the tiny homestead just ahead was
within its four walls or out hunting in the forest. While he would travel
faster on his own four feet and his senses were certainly sharper in that form,
he couldn’t approach the humans in his true form.
And he wasn’t
about to use his Larnkin’s magic to inquire about her location, either.
Larnkins weren’t always subtle about things they were ‘interested’ in, and his
simple inquiry about the human family might lead his Larnkin to transport
Silverblade there.
That would cause
a few tense moments, not to mention destroy his disguise.
One day soon he
would reveal his true nature to these humans—just not until after he’d had a
chance to explain a few details to them. That event would likely require some
delicacy on his part.
They didn’t know
he was a lupwyn scout spying on the humans of the Empire. They thought him a
simple human trapper who frequented the same track of forest they lived in. In
the guise of a trapper, he’d approached them, studying them to better
understand the humans. He’d soon come to learn that Old Mother and her two
grandchildren were not what he’d come to expect.
They were
likable, not so different from his own people. They simply wanted to live in
peace, unmolested by the human priesthood.
Had he not been
under strict orders forbidding him from sharing knowledge with humans, he might
have confided in this strange, human family sooner. But even with the infant peace
treaty in effect, Marsolwyn, Queen of the Lupwyns, had judged all humans to be
destructive and untrustworthy as of yet. They’d proven themselves the enemy too
many times in the past for it to be otherwise.
Still, an
internal debate he’d had many times before rose up in his soul. While there
might still be a war brewing on the not-too-distant horizon, and the humans
were guilty of invading his people’s territory, he couldn’t label all humans as
the enemy.
Against orders,
and probably his own better judgement, he’d struck up a friendship with the
healer Beatrice. She lived with her grandmother—a wise woman known only as Old
Mother—and a younger brother by the name of Roan. All three humans had proven
level-headed and trustworthy. He’d seen from the first days of his study that
these humans did not possess the prejudice exhibited by many of their kind.
In truth it was
impossible to think of them as the enemy and lump them in with the rest of the
magic-fearing humans. For Beatrice and her family were hiding out in the forest
as far from the settlement of River’s Divide as they could get and still
technically be on human lands.
The first time he
had met them, the reason for their own subterfuge became evident. Old Mother
was rich with magic. So too were her grandchildren, Beatrice and Roan. Each was
host to a Larnkin.
Beatrice, the
most powerful of the three, was a healer just coming into her full power as her
Larnkin started to rouse.
Therein lay the
crux of his present problem and likely the true reason for his Larnkin’s
newfound interest in the girl.
Healers were
protected above all else. So even though his mission demanded one thing of him,
every other speck of his being demanded he offer protection to this small
family and see where his fledgling friendship with the young healer would lead.
He loved his life as a scout, and he loved his pack as well, but his mother’s
blood still called him to become more than he was now.
He frowned in
thought. Once his present mission was finished, there might be a way to offer
the human woman and her family protection without him violating one of his
Queen’s edicts. An apprentice could be of any species and would fall under
their mentor’s cloak of protection.
While he’d never
really entertained the idea in the past, he was certainly old enough to take on
an apprentice. His mother had been nagging him about it for the last century.
She would certainly be thrilled if he was to return to Grey Spires with a new
apprentice to train.
Power woke in his
chest and Silverblade’s heart lurched, then began to pound in surprise as his
Larnkin continued to stir within him. It unfurled from where it slept in a
tight knot under his heart, stretching and flooding his body with power. Amid
the mad rampage of emotions rushing through his mind and body, two became
discernable over all others—excitement and happiness.
Well, then.
Apparently his Larnkin agreed with his plan to mentor the young healer. That
would make his plan easier to justify to his elders.
Once his current
mission was finished, he had planned to tell the three humans the truth—orders
be damned—and offer them a home among his family pack, where they would be safe.
Any punishment would then have landed on his shoulders, not theirs.
He’d only made
his decision a few days past, but his Larnkin’s clear wish to make the human
his apprentice gave Silverblade an even more sound reason for bringing the
humans into his pack.
But just this
morning, before he had time to act upon his plan, his orders had changed.
Instead of
continuing to spy upon the human soldiers patrolling the disputed lands, he was
to meet with a delegation of elders sent to the human lands to study the
acolytes—priests that reportedly possess some dark power none of the elders
understood.
Seemingly, Lord
Master Trensler—the leader of the acolytes—possessed some power that had a
draining effect on other magic-wielders. What exactly his power was, no one
knew. The delegation was sent to find out that information. And since
Silverblade was the closest scout in the area, and was already familiar with
the humans and the port city of River’s Divide, he had been given the
assignment of leading the delegation of elders into the humans’ port settlement
in secret.
There the elders
would study the acolytes from a distance, disguised as humans.
That was the one
reason Silverblade still held onto his human form. While it would’ve been
faster to run on his own four feet instead of riding the placid mare he used as
part of his trapper’s disguise, he was not so skilled at shapeshifting that he
could switch between forms too many times in the same day.
From the mental
tone that had accompanied his orders, he imagined the Elementals would want to
infiltrate River’s Divide this day. Hence his human form and the placid mare.
He would soon rendezvous
with the elders, but his present course led right past Old Mother’s hut. He
could not stay long and didn’t have time to explain himself, or even reveal
that he was lupwyn, but he would warn them that he had heard rumors the priests
were on the hunt—that they were even now on their way.
From what he knew
of Old Mother, it wouldn’t take much to convince her. She was a shrewd woman
and had been avoiding the acolytes all her life.
He soon reached
the bit of cleared land that grew crops and the herbal plants Old Mother used
for her healing. It had been some days since he’d last been this way, but the
fertile land looked as it should, the small young plants forming green rows
against the dark loam. He studied the land, trying and failing to find what
disturbed him.
His Larnkin
roused again, stirring with interest. Silverblade felt his magic flare as it studied
the area. Still he sensed no danger and allowed the mare to continue toward the
hut. As they drew closer, his Larnkin pinpointed what was bothering him.
The scents of
habitation were fading; he could detect that much in his human form. There’d
been no cooking fire for at least three days and even his dull human senses
could tell him the place had been abandoned.
He halted the
mare in front of the hut and swiftly dismounted. Inside, he spotted signs that
the occupants had packed quickly. His Larnkin stirred worriedly within his
chest, the spirit creature making its unhappiness known, something it rarely
did.
Silverblade
rubbed his chest in a half-conscious manner, as if that would soothe it.
It didn’t.
Thankfully, there
were no signs of struggle, nor had the place been ransacked. They had left
voluntarily. Perhaps Old Mother had sensed danger and she’d packed up and
relocated before it could find her grandchildren.
He left the hut
and his Larnkin expanded his senses, seeking the direction the humans had gone.
It took the Larnkin some moments to find the trail. It had been expertly hidden
from view by both mundane and magic means.
His Larnkin
stirred again, and the urge to follow the healer’s trail doubled. Silverblade
grinned at his Larnkin’s less-than-subtle showing of interest.
“Yes, yes, Old Man.
We will follow the young healer later and make her our apprentice. But first,
we have another mission to complete.” His Larnkin stirred excitedly for a
moment more before settling down to wait. It was somewhat disconcerting to have
a Larnkin come to consciousness so clearly. They usually didn’t show such an
interest in the mortal world. But he was secretly pleased. It was always
beneficial when both host and Larnkin agreed upon a chosen path.
Once his new
mission was over, he would seek out Beatrice and her family’s back trail and
follow them to be sure they were safe. If his elders reassigned him again, or
his mother had another quest for him, he would instruct a few of his pack
members to seek out Beatrice and her family and see them safely to Elemental
lands.
But for now he
had another task to perform. With one more glance around the small homestead,
he mounted his mare and sent her on down the trail they’d been following since
morning. In the wordless way of Larnkins, his communicated the location of the
delegation members in a series of emotional sensations and physical sights and
sounds, forming a vision in his mind’s eye. They were less than two candlemarks
ahead.