The Steele Wolf (The Iron Butterfly) (5 page)

“I’m so sorry that I’m late, Thalia. I wasn’t feeling well last night and I just heard the news you came home this morning. I won’t do it again.” She stammered, rushing over to me, stopping when she saw the bread in my hands.

The heat was soaking through my towel and I needed to turn and drop it quickly on the oven before I burned myself. Turning back I saw her mouth quickly close and she smoothed her skirts down. “Why, umm,” she went on.

“It’s okay, Siobhan. I can handle breakfast for father.” I smiled at her and I saw one petite eyebrow raise in question.

“No, really, I’ve learned how to cook over the last few months,” I said reassuringly. Her eyebrow rose even higher and I felt myself burst out laughing in response. She was shocked by my outburst and slowly let herself start to laugh with me, when my father’s voice boomed out from above.

“What’s going on down there? Can’t a man get any well-deserved sleep?”

“Not if you want any cooked ham, fried eggs and fresh baked corn cakes!” I yelled back.

“CORN CAKES!” was the only retort I could hear, followed by a loud scuffling upstairs. What followed could only be described as the sound of two bears fighting followed by a loud thump before a door was thrown open and Bearen lumbered downstairs in a slow and somber manner.

“Well, ahem, if you made corn cakes then we shouldn’t let them get cold,” he said in his most nonchalant voice. “How about I, uh, help you put them on the table.” Reaching for a hot cake, he jumped back and put his large fingers in his mouth. “MFFFHOT!”

“Of course they are hot. I just pulled them out of the oven.” Rolling my eyes, I caught Siobhan looking at me as if I had sprouted horns. Oh dear, I thought. I failed again. Sighing, I brought everything to the large table and set it out for everyone to eat. Siobhan stayed to eat at my insistence, but she seemed ready to bolt at the first chance.

She asked me if I would need her today and I couldn’t think of a reason to have her stay, but I decided to invite her to stop over tomorrow. She left looking confused and relieved at the same time.

“Well, so much for taking this slow and not scaring everyone off,” Bearen grumbled, the evidence of corn still apparent in his black beard.
 
“Keep cooking like this and soon everyone in the village will know that you are not the same girl, I guarantee it.”

“Father, I don’t know how to be that girl again.”

He just grunted in affirmation. “I have business to attend to with the elders.”

“Should I come? Do you need me?”

“No, this is business that would be better handled by your absence.” Bobbing my head in understanding, I watched Bearen leave.

After cleaning up the mess I had made, I looked around the house to find something to occupy my time. Since nothing fit that category, I went upstairs to my room to change into warmer clothes. I found a blue wool short sleeve jerkin with hood, trimmed in white rabbit fur, white doeskin boots also lined with fur in my armoire. At the bottom on the floor was an intricate wooden box, carved with flowers and birds. The box contained elaborate armbands. Some were silver with aquamarine stones, and others were gold with rubies.

Feeling like I was treading on someone else’s life and not mine, I gently fingered them before selecting a silver armband that had a unique design and sliding it up my arm. I was shocked when I looked at myself in the mirror. Granted, I was wearing my own clothes, but the person staring back at me was a stranger. A cunning, strong hearted woman that lived by clan laws. I swallowed nervously as that image disappeared and I saw myself. A fraud.

Chapter 6

I had been cooped up for three many days, hiding from the world, from my clan and from my father. I grabbed the fur cloak before heading to the central stables. Going around back I let myself into the stable and found Faraway.

Run Fast?
He asked.

Yes!

After saddling, we headed out to a field and I let him have his run. It wasn’t long before the sound of pounding hooves could be heard from behind me. Drawing back, I looked over my shoulder and saw another rider riding hell bent towards me.

Faster! To the woods, Faraway.

Faraway ran like the wind and headed into the woods. As soon as we disappeared a ways, I had Faraway slow and I carefully stood on his saddle and latched onto a tree branch that overhung the path we traveled on. Quickly shimmying up to a higher branch, I sat and waited as Faraway waited farther up the path, getting ready to run as soon as the rider drew closer.

I heard the sound of the horse panting and the man curse as he came into view.

Go!
I commanded Faraway, who took, off making a lot of noise but never going so far that I couldn’t draw on him for power. We hadn’t fully tested the distance of our bond. When the rider and his horse came into the woods and saw Faraway farther up, the man cursed again and changed direction, heading towards Faraway and me. When he came near my tree, I concentrated and pushed a lower branch farther underneath me down into his path at the last minute, and he hit it with a thud and flew backwards off of his horse. The horse panicked and dashed farther into the woods.

“OHH Stars!” the man cried as he slowly lifted himself off of the ground. His hood fell back to reveal familiar auburn hair and pain-filled green eyes.

“Fenri?” I called down from the tree. “What are you doing?”

“Thalia?” Fenri looked around the forest floor in confusion before looking up. “What are you doing in the tree?”

“Bird watching,” I teased.

“Can’t you see birds just as easily from the ground?” he asked, oblivious to my joke.

I sighed. “I didn’t know who was chasing me and I thought this was the easiest way to find out.” I lay along the huge branch on my stomach, not moving an inch closer to the ground.

Looking up at me with newfound respect, he continued, “That is smart.” Confusion filled his eyes. “How did I fall from my horse?”

“I think you must have hit something.” I said as truthfully as I could, while trying not to break eye contact or betray any hint of a smile. “Why were you chasing me?” I asked sternly, sitting up on my branch, comfortable in the fact that I was still high enough out of his reach.

He looked down at his feet before he looked up at me. “I thought you were running away.”

“Why would I run away? I just got home.”

“Has your father spoken to you yet?”

“About what?” I asked, feeling myself start to get angry. He was dancing around the subject as if I were a two year old.

“Thalia, if you can’t remember then maybe it is for the best.”

“Oh, spit it out Fenri!” I snapped. “I’m not a child that is going to run away.”

“You may have already done so.”

“What?”

“I won’t say anything else until you come down from the tree. I promise that I mean you no harm, but this is ridiculous.”

Sliding back along the branch until my rear hit the tree, I turned and lowered myself down and had a moment of panic as I realized that to get into the tree, I stood on top of Faraway. There was still a good five-foot drop. Gritting my teeth, I let go and felt warm hands encompass my thighs and squeeze as I was caught midair and lowered gently to the ground. Fenri made sure my footing was good and then backed up giving me space. Taking a deep breath he went on.

“Your father just revealed your future lifemate to the elders.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Thalia, you’ve been different since coming back. Your father is worried about the clan succession and about you. You need a strong lifemate that will help you lead the clan after your father.”

“How could he do this to me?” I blurted out, turning my back on Fenri, while I mentally called to Faraway who was around the bend. Fenri went on speaking quickly, trying to convince me.

“Bearen and Rayneld don’t see eye to eye. They’ve had an intense rivalry since childhood. He’s worried that you’ll be banished if you don’t have a husband. He did what he had to do.”

“No! He didn’t. He could have asked me, given me more time,” I shouted, frustrated at my inability to do anything.

“No, he couldn’t. If your father didn’t take these necessary steps, your uncle would have and still could petition the council for clan rights and clan leadership as the strongest candidate. Your uncle would be the clan leader followed by his son, Bvork.”

Biting my lip, I kept myself from commenting in anger as I listened to everything that Fenri said. After he quit speaking I slowly turned toward him.

“Who did my father chose as my lifemate?”

Fenri stood back about six feet from me and he looked nervous as my horse slowly walked back to me.

“He needed someone who knew what happened to you, when you were captured and the experimenting and about your gifts. After all we all saw some unusual things in the pass. What we saw was enough to make us question some of our beliefs. We all took a blood oath to keep your secret.”

“That would mean one of my clansmen that fought in the battle at the pass.” My mind worked quickly as I thought about being bonded to each of them. “Who?” I asked quietly, too quietly because Fenri didn’t respond at first.

“Who?” I said again louder, my fingers curled into a fist of fury and fright.

Fenri slowly met my eyes.

“Me.”

Chapter 7

My heart dropped. I grabbed Faraway’s mane and pulled myself up. Faraway felt my agitation and danced back and forth.

“Thalia, don’t run away again,” Fenri spoke firmly, beginning to show some of his warrior spirit.

Turning Faraway back I spoke out. “What do you mean run again?”

“The night you disappeared was the night I had planned to ask your father to consider me for your lifemate,” he spoke roughly. “You disappeared before I asked him.”

Looking Fenri over, I thought about the bravery that he had shown at the pass. He would make a good clan leader.

“Fenri, I can’t say what I thought back then. But today—right now, I have to decline.”

“Why?” he said stubbornly.

“Because I already lost my past, and I can’t let my future slip through my hands without a fight.”

His mouth pressed into a firm line of understanding and he nodded his head in acceptance.

I rode hard for home, letting Fenri chase after his horse, which according to Faraway, was stopped by a stream a quarter mile away. Riding up to the door, I left Faraway and strode into the house yelling for my father.

“What?” the great voice rumbled back as he was sitting barely four feet from me in his favorite chair.

“You chose my lifemate without consulting me? How could you?” I yelled at him.

“I had to. Rayneld was acting too pleased this morning and I heard rumors of him going before the council.” Even though Bearen ran the clan, the council of elders was used to decide on any discrepancy of the laws for someone had to make sure the clan leader didn’t betray them.

“Well, I refuse,” I firmly stated. A feral gleam of challenge rose up in Bearen’s eye and I knew that I looked just as menacing. After all, this was the man I got my famous temper from.

“You choose to willingly disobey your father?” he growled.

“Yes—a thousand times, yes!”

Bearen threw his hands up in the air in disgust. “What in heaven’s name girl, do you want me to do?”

“Why do I have to have to be married? Why now? I’m to young to have my future decided.”

“It’s not your future I’m worried about. It’s the clan’s future. If you don’t have a man by your side soon, then Rayneld may try to press the ongoing witchcraft rumors and have you banished. I may even be banished and he’ll take over the clan. And you know that he won’t stop trying until I’m in the grave. I can’t imagine what will happen if he takes over.”

His words hit me like a slap in the face. It wasn’t about me, it was about our clan and the struggles they would endure under my ruthless uncle.

“Well, if you don’t want me to choose a husband for you, than I have one option left. It’s one that even Rayneld and the elders can’t argue against. I’ll call a Kragh Aru.”

My mind struggled to recall the words but finally an old memory started to surface. It was Odin telling me stories of warriors competing in an elimination contest for money, land, and even a bride. For some reason, this idea didn’t bother me as much as the idea of an arranged marriage, because I saw a chance to get the upper hand. I wasn’t the best idea, but I could enter. I could win the prize and buy myself time, because I wasn’t ready to get married. It was a gamble and I knew my father was hoping I would say no and wed Fenri. Instead, I did the opposite.

“Yes, I you’re right.
 
We need to have a Kragh Aru.”

Bearen stuttered in surprise at my announcement, proof that I had caught him off guard. “Was there something wrong with Fenri?” he asked.

“No, I actually hope he wins.” I lied, knowing full well, I wanted to win, but if I didn’t then I hoped Fenri would. I knew Joss would never be allowed to be my lifemate since he was a Denai, and the reason I myself could face banishment.