The Wolf You Feed Arc (34 page)

Kjell interrupted him, placing his hand on Hania’s. “No one could have predicted this, Hania. You can’t blame yourself. There are too many people blaming themselves. There’s only one person behind this and that’s Dad’s brother.”

“Do we know it’s Erik for sure?” Rune asked.

Kjell nodded. “Johan heard them speaking to each other, heard names. Erik, Georg and David. There was one other, but he never heard anyone call him by name.”

“It was probably Tore’s other brother, Henrik. Johan said that three of them looked a lot like his dad,” Hania remembered the name from when Tore had talked to him, after Annike’s death. “It was the same group as killed Tore’s first mate.”

“They gave Johan a message, something about how Dad should have remained dead. Did he nearly die that night? I don’t really remember much about it.” Kjell asked.

“Yes, Kachina and I got there in time to save him and you boys. Unfortunately, Annike was already gone.”

Rune poured himself some coffee. “So Dad told you why they did this?”

Hania shook his head. “He never spoke about it. Tore never spoke much about his life at the commune. I don’t know what happened to cause so much hatred between him and his brother. I don’t think Tore knows himself. He said something happened which made him leave, but I’m not sure we’ll ever know why it came to this.”

“Did Dad ever tell you where the commune was?” Rune asked.
 

He was trying to sound casual but Hania knew where he was going with his enquiry. The last thing this family needed was Rune going vigilante on them. He was hot headed and passionate. He’d lost Annike, his mother, and now Kachina. Rune had reasons as strong as Tore’s, for revenge.

“Sit down, Rune.” Hania pulled out a chair and the boy sat. “Why would I know about the commune? I don’t and I won’t allow you to go and look for it either. This family doesn’t need more tragedy. Tore has had enough dealt to him. If you go after them, this will never end.”

“Jeez, Hania! How can you not want to go after them? They killed your daughter,” Rune said.

“I am aware of that Rune. I saw the grave you dug for her, saw her blood on the gravel out front. Kachina was my only child. You can’t begin to understand how I feel about her loss.” Hania sank into his chair, his face aging, and his eyes darkening with sorrow. He shook his head from side to side. “But I can’t turn back time, as much as I would like to. This nightmare, started as a disagreement between two brothers. It was an argument that should have been settled years ago, face-to-face, brother-to-brother. For whatever reason, it wasn’t and it has escalated. Three women have died because of this misunderstanding and my only daughter is one of them. If you think you can end this evil by seeking revenge, you’re mistaken. This has gone further than it ever should.”

Rune was not convinced. “I owe it to Tore…”

“You owe him what, Rune?”

“He took me in, he…”

“You are
his son
, Rune! In every meaningful sense of the word, you are his son. What he did for you is what every good man does for his son. You need to understand your importance to him. You are no different to him than Kjell or Johan or Eva. A son’s payback is to respect and honor his father. You do that by living up to his expectations. Become a good man with strong values, marry a fine woman, give him lots of grandchildren, and care for him in his old age. You do not do that by perpetuating a war that should never have happened in the first place. Tore does not want to hand this down to you and he does not want you to pass this legacy to your children.”

Grief consumed Rune. He didn’t need to add rage to the mix. Hania had seen what these things could do to a man. He’d feared they’d lose Tore’s soul, after Annike’s murder. But that time Kachina helped him find his way. Tore was now back in that dark place and Hania needed Rune and Kjell to reach out to their father this time. If Rune followed in Tore’s emotional footsteps, this tragedy would claim yet more lives.

“You know, Rune, Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye, only ends up making the whole world blind’
.
”

Rune stared at his grandfather then slumped forwards in his chair. As his eyes filled with tears he looked at Hania like the vulnerable little boy who’d sat at this table fourteen years ago. Like his father had been back then; Rune was far too young to take his place in a cruel world.
 

Hania rested his hands on both of the boys’ shoulders. “You’ll get through this. Tore will too. He’ll need time and he’ll need you both to help him through this journey. You will have to convince him of what’s right and help him when he loses his way. What he needs are sons to care for him, not men to carry out his revenge.” He reached out and patted the shoulders of his grandsons. “I will go and check on Tore now.”

Hania left Rune wrapped in the arms of his brother. If there was to be one member of the family who could ground both Tore and Rune, it would be Kjell. A lot of responsibility was going to be forced on that young man’s shoulders, but Hania knew Kjell had the strength to do it.

Molega sat in the doorway of Tore’s room with his eyes closed, meditating. Hania waited until he saw the faint wisp of silver vapor hover above him and then disappear. Molega opened his eyes and rose to his feet.

“Hania,” he said, clasping his fist to his chest and bowing his head. In this one small gesture he conveyed his sorrow for Hania’s loss and pledged his allegiance.

“Have you made a decision?” he asked.

Hania nodded. “It’s as I said before. This is a personal loss to Tore’s family and myself. This is not a threat in any wider context. Though it is hard for me to admit it, Kachina’s death was collateral damage. She was caught up in Tore’s personal war with his brother.”

“But, Hania, their attack on Tore fourteen years ago, this follow up… It is intentional. Tore became your family when he married Kachina. His demons are your demons. We pledged to rid the world of monsters like this,” Molega said.

“No, Molega, I will not call on
them
for this. I won’t use my brethren to repay a personal loss. This tragedy comes down to a family vendetta. I will not make this a war between our people and theirs.” The two men regarded each other. Respect and a long friendship connected them. “How can I convince Tore and Rune to chose the right path if I myself seek retribution? I’ll tend to my son-in-law and his family, and mourn my daughter in the old way.”

“If you are sure, Hania. But mark, we won’t forget this. You only have to say the word. Pilan has already volunteered. He can find Erik and the others and take out every last one of them.”

“You are a good man, Molega. I value your friendship and thank you for your support, but tell Pilan, no. I’ll need your help in many ways over the next weeks and months. There will be nights when I won’t be able to stay strong and I need to know you will pull me back and guide me.”

Molega nodded and stepped aside to allow Hania to enter Tore’s room. “He’s waking. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

***

“Tore.” His eyes latched onto Hania’s face but he showed no recognition. “Tore, it’s Hania.”

Tears ran down Tore’s cheeks as he heard the name. “I’m sorry.” His voice was barely a murmur.
 

Hania read the words on his lips more than he heard them. He sat down beside him and took his hand. Tore bent his head to Hania’s shoulder and his back heaved up and down as he let his emotions go.

Hours later, his sobs finally subsided. He lay back against the headboard, his eyes black and empty. Hania sensed he was in danger of losing this man again.

“Tore.” He turned to Hania. “You have four children out there. They need their father now more than ever. You have to find the strength within you to come back from all this. You did it before and you can do it again. Be careful to choose the right path.”

Tore stared. “This is my path, Hania. I have no choice now. I chose wrong eighteen years ago and I’m still being punished for it. Destiny has me in her clutches. I have no free will.”

“You’re wrong. It doesn’t matter what twists and turns life takes. You always get to choose. Each new crossroads offers new problems. You have to make new assessments, take new chances. This is another crossroad and there is not just one road out of here.”

Tore shook his head and turned away.

“My people tell stories to help guide others with their problems,” Hania said. “I want to share with you an old proverb.”

Tore brought his gaze back to Hania.

“A tribal elder once told a story to his young grandson one evening by the fire – ‘
Inside me, there is a fight raging between two wolves. One wolf is anger, bitterness, self-pity, jealousy, and sorrow. The other wolf is love, faith, hope, peace, forgiveness, and joy. Both wolves are strong, and they battle fiercely. Inside each of us this battle is so, even in you’
–
The young boy thought for a moment and then asked, ‘Grandfather, which wolf will win?’ The wise elder replied, ‘The one you feed.’
This is an old story, but its message is strong. We all have to take responsibility for the wolves within us. We all have to be wary of which one we choose to feed.”

Tore listened to Hania’s words. They rang hollow through his soul. Somewhere within him, a wolf stirred. The beast was hungry, and there was only one way to satisfy its appetite.

Acknowledgements

A huge big thank you, goes to my two children. Their support has gone way beyond saying, ‘good on you Mom’. My son, George Stevens wrote and arranged the music (and played the instruments) that accompanies The Wolf You Feed book trailer. My daughter, Daisy Stevens designed and created the book covers for all the books in the trilogy. I am blessed to have such supportive and talented children.

I would like to thank my crew of wonderful editors, without which this project would never have got off the ground: Alex McGilvery (Author of
The Enchanted Princess
and
Playing On Yggsdrasil
) for his attention to detail in the structural edit. Dean, for wading through my manuscript countless times hunting for plot holes, checking loose ends, and correcting my bad habits and stray British phrases. Jeanie Simoncic for her attention to detail in the manuscripts style/ line edits. And last, but by no means least, Peter Thomson who pulled out all the stops to do the last minute proof reading when I had finally reached my breaking point.

I would also like to thank…
 

My awesome beta readers, Hayley and Judy…

Matt and the ‘Avengers’ fb group, for their moral support…

The members of the 100/20 book club on wattpad for their awesome feedback…

The wonderful readers on wattpad who read, commented, and supported the story during its evolution.

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