Raised By Wolves Volume four- Wolves (51 page)

trulyinthe wrongplace at the wrongtime, thentheir souls willgo to Heaven and we shall have liberated themfromthe tribulations ofthis mortalcoil.”

“Amen,”Cudro intoned and handed me a lengthofrope. Pete and Ashwere alreadybindingthe other priests.
Father Pierre crossed himself and whispered a prayer as I beganto bind him. Whenhe finished that, he looked past me to Gaston. “Is this his madness,” he whispered. “You should not allow himto act inmadness. Youshould be his shepherd.”
I sighed. “Non, this is his
anger
given form. The Church has betrayed him in the name of politics, and now innocent men we do not know will have to pay so that our loved ones do not. Youmake peace withthat however youmust.”
He looked awayand said no more and we deposited the three oftheminthe rectorystoreroom, bound and gagged.
Then we were peering cautiously from the back door and windows. There were only four soldiers in the alley between the church and our house. They were still at their posts; though, theywere quite distracted and strainingto see what was goingon out in the street. After a moment’s consultation as to our respective targets, Cudro, Pete, Gaston, and I crept into the yard with knives in our hands. Mere moments later, we were dragging bodies into the hospital, with Striker, Ash, Dickey and Chris scurryinginour wake.
We found the ward empty save for the two remaining patients. Neither ofthemseemed aware ofour presence. Gaston checked one cot and I the other to assure ourselves their occupants were truly sleeping or unconscious—and not dead. I

was closest to Schoen. The old, amputee buccaneer woke at my approach. Alarm filled his eyes as he took in my bloody knife and stance.

His gaze darted past me to the soldiers on the floor. “What the Devil?”he sputtered. “The King’s men? I must leave.” He beganto swinghis stump offthe cot.

“I’llnot be consolingthemwhentheycan’t have you,”he snapped.
I chuckled. “Then good luck to you. Stay away fromthe street.” I pressed the note and coin we had left him on the bedside table into his hands and handed himhis crutch.
“Good fortune to you,”he huffed and hobbled away.
I joined the others near the door to the atrium. Ash and Pete were peering in with their backs flat against the wall on either side of the doorway. The rest of us crouched in the deep shadows ofthe ward.
“These men are not buccaneers?”Ash pulled back from the door to whisper to Cudro.
“Non,” Cudro said with a concerned frown at his matelot. “They are the dregs of the King’s army brought here fromFrance because the Brethrencan’t be owned.”
Ashnodded tightly.
Pete glared at him until Ash returned to the door. Then he pointed past himself, to the side ofthe atriumhe could not see from his side of the door. Ash shook his head and shrugged. Pete nodded and motioned to us and held up sixfingers. Thenhe

stepped away from the door and sketched the shape of the atrium and our position on the wall. He marked the position of the soldiers, and pointed at Gaston, Striker, Cudro, Ash, himself, and me, and assigned a target. He had given himself the man farthest fromthe door. Then he pointed at Chris and Dickey and made it clear they were to remain in the ward. They crouched evenlower withevident relief.

Then Ash waved a hand and indicated something in the direction he could see. “Door,” he mouthed. As he could see the front of the house, he was indicating that the main house door— the one leading to the mob in the street—had been opened. He frowned and indicated one person.

Pete made a door motion with his hand and asked if the door was now open or closed. Ash peered again and shook his head with consternation. Pete frowned, looked at us, and pointed to me. Then he pointed at Dickey and indicated he should take myformer target.

Ash was shaking his head with consternation. He mouthed something and Pete regarded him without comprehension. He crossed himself and pointed toward the door. At mygrinofunderstanding, he sighed and shrugged.

Pete looked us over to assess our readiness. I looked to Gaston and found himlooking at me. He smiled grimly, a frightful thing with his Horse about him, but I saw his love. I grinned in return. Then he darted to join Pete, since their targets were the farthest across the atrium. Pete was out the door and moving withthe rest ofus flowingafter him.

I ran into the light; aware, yet unconcerned, about the mayhem behind me. It was as I had hoped: Father Mark stood mayhem behind me. It was as I had hoped: Father Mark stood before me, looking toward the door to the street—which was open. I knew why Pete had sent me here. I sadly had to make a choice; if I was to be seen by people on the street, it would be best if I was not seen stabbing a priest. I punched him instead, knockinghimawayfromthe doorwayand stunninghim.

I thanked the Gods the day was bright and the alcove containing the door was shadowed from nearly every angle. It was a dark pit the crowd could not easily see in to. I hugged the wall and slid to the doors. One was closed, the other widely ajar. I could see the back of the lieutenant’s bright coat—close enough to touch. The angry faces of the crowd were turned in multiple directions: looking at him, the soldier I could see next to him, and more importantly, one another as they argued loudly. Some fat merchant was complaining that this was a concern for the Church and Crown and not them. He was being shouted downas I reached for the door.

I felt aneye uponme as I beganto pushthe door closed. I swept the crowd again and found the startled gaze of a oneeyed buccaneer fixed upon me. I knew him: Gaston had treated him for malaria. I put my finger to my lips and hoped he could see the gesture clearly and I was not merely a shape in the shadows. He grinned as the door closed. I stood breathless with myhands uponthe wood waitingfor anoutcry. It did not come.

I darted back inside and found Father Mark. He was fingering his bloody lip and looking across the atrium with a stunned expression. I glanced at my companions and found everyone looking at me. I knew the men standing: the strangers in uniform were lying in pools of blood or at least prone and in uniform were lying in pools of blood or at least prone and inert. Our captured family members appeared wellat my cursory

driving the breath from his lungs in a useless wheeze before he could make a coherent sound – not that it was likely to be heard by the roaring crowd anyway. Fear and horror bloomed in his eyes and it was raw meat before myWolf.

“Go to Hell,” I snarled, and stabbed him. It felt good, and so I did not stop until the life left his eyes and my anger was sated somewhat.

I was rife with surfeit emotion in the aftermath, and my hand shook as I wiped my blade on his robe. I stood and turned to the others and found enough wide eyes to make my heart cringe. I looked to Gaston and found reassurance: his Horse approved heartily of what I had done. Thus fortified, I looked to the others again. Those who had killed before were going about the business of collecting people and things, those that had not were stunned bythe violence—and not just mine. Chris stumbled from the door to the ward and bent to heave on a potted plant. Hannah and Dickey appeared grimly resigned to all they saw about them. Yvette was shaken, but she smiled as she accepted Cudro’s proffered arm.

I was concerned when I saw Theodore’s eyes were more lambent thanYvette’s. I went to him. “Are you well? Was anyone hurt?”

He shook his head sadly. “They were cruel and disrespectful to Madame Doucette, but they did not molest her —or Hannah, who they planned to claim and sell. They were more interested in robbing us, and quite angry the money was already aboard the ship. They felt their comrades would get it first.” He sighed. “Damn it, Will, I keep telling myself I will be glad to return to civilization, but it is no different there when one is involved inthings suchas we are, is it?”

“Then I suppose I want to return to the innocence of my youth:but that is not to be.”
I wished I had lived his childhood and not my own. I could barely remember a time I could call myself innocent of the evils of life: before Shane, before I understood the ways of wolves. But even in my nursery I had seen petty and vicious things and knownthemfor what theywere.
We could not hope to sneak about with everything Liam and the others had packed and wished to bring. He pointed to a few important bags, and Hannahand Gastonclaimed others, and we spread them among us and slipped quietly unnoticed out the hospital doors and down the alley. We breathed easier when we reached the safetyofthe forest. We stopped to rest.
“They claim they sent a ship to attack the
Magdalene
,” Liamsaid as we huddled inthe brush.
“We heard,” Striker said. “They were supposed to blockade her, though, not attack.”
“I’msure theywere ta
watch
the house, too,”Liamsaid. He had a black eye and his oft-abused nose looked to have takenanother blow.
“Well, we willnot know untilwe get there,”Cudro said.
We would need to run there—very quietly, down the pathwe had come fromthe cove. I was not concerned about the buccaneers among us, but the women worried me—and Theodore.
I looked to Chris and found her stillappearingdazed and frightened. She squared her jaw and made much of trying to appear brave when she found my gaze upon her. I ignored that, and assessed her attire and gear. She was wearing boots, but she could not be accustomed to carrying her heavy bag and the musket and pistols. I had seen her breathing hard when we walked toward town, before we had started runningabout.
I went to her side. “I do not mean to offend you, but will you be well running back the way we have come with all your gear? Because I would rather offend you than have you collapse and have to be carried.”
She snorted. “I’llbe fine.”
I spoke gently. “Be kind to yourself, Chris. You have received quite a start this day.”
She frowned and took a ragged breath. Her initialwords were defiant, but that faded quickly. “I have seen death before. But not… like this.”
“You will either become inured to the violence, or you will retain an innocent soul and… choose another path for your life,”I said.
“Are you saying men must kill?” she asked with an affectation of incredulity that thinly masked fear and consternation.
“If they are wolves; and if they are to stand up to wolves, aye. Sheep do not kill, theyget eaten.”
She sighed and frowned thoughtfully and seemed disinclined to meet my gaze. I left her and began to head for GastonandYvette, but thenI saw Hannahsittingquietlywithher eyes closed. I knew her well enough now to know she prayed. I touched her arm with a fingertip. Her eyes opened slowly and she smiled.
“Are youwell?”she asked.
“I amfine.”
She nodded. “Only a holy man can kill a holy man without bad juju.”
We had discussed her calling me a holy man several times. I had attempted to explain that I had found my Horse and the light of truth. I had read her Plato’s allegory of the cave. She had explained that such understandings were the domain of holy men. I had surrendered the field to think on the matter, and decided I simply disliked the term because it held the connotation of priest in my heart, and I did not feelI stood as an intermediarybetweenthe Gods and anyone.
“The onlybad jujuI have felt this dayis the censure of… well, myself; in that even though I knew he must die, I am surprised in the aftermath by my vehemence. I have always been taught that killinganunarmed manis a thingofshame.”
She shook her head with a disdainful snort. “He was a holy man, he was not unarmed; and he caused our house far more harm than those soldiers. You were the shadow of all the anger he has caused with his… what is your word,
righteousness
.”
I smiled. “Thank you for your absolution—for putting it inthe proper light.”
She grinned, only to sober. “I have dreamed you will go onyour perilous journeysoon.”
I nodded:I had told her I must killmyfather. Her people believed in spiritual dreams that spoke of truth. I did not doubt her.
She frowned. “Do not lose faith. You must go all the way through the cave to the other side. There you will find your truthagain.”
“Thank you,” I said solemnly. I hoped in time I would understand her meaning.
Gaston was speaking quietly with Yvette, and I moved to jointhem.
Yvette smiled at me. “I am well,” she whispered in an apparent repetitionofwhat she had beentellinghim.
“Theodore said theywere abusive,”I said.
She snorted. “They pretended my scars were why they did not rape me.”
Gastongrowled.
“I amsorrywe were not there sooner,”I said.
She shrugged and smiled weakly. “Theyare dead now.”
“I am very glad you are unharmed. You have become veryimportant to me.”
She appeared surprised. “Thank you. I amsorry we lied about the children.”
I shook myhead. “I amsorryI reacted so poorly. It was quite a surprise, and there was a great deal on my mind. I am honored youhave chosento bear mychild.”
“Truly?”she asked withnew tears inher eyes.
“Truly: I do not feel I could have asked for two better mothers than I have received. If my blood must mingle in order to produce offspring, I ampleased it was mingled with the blood oftwo womenI adore and respect.”
She threw her arms around me and I held her tightly for a time. I looked to Gaston over her shoulder and found him smiling happily at us like a proud parent. I supposed he should, as he was the father of our unorthodox union and the child she

were soon on our way. We hurried across the road and into the brushonthe other side, dartinginand out as we needed, to clear the thick tangles without slowing down to hack our way through. We thankfullysaw no one onthe road, and we were soononthe trail that ran close to the shore across the Leveque plantation. Pete and Gaston slipped ahead to scout as we trotted along as fast as the women and Theodore could manage. Cudro and Ash brought up the rear.

“How many soldiers did they have at the garrison?” I hissed to Striker as we crossed onto what had been his land and neared the cove.