Tears of the Wolf (Wrath and Weeping #1)

Chapter 10 Cenric

Cenric

Aunt Aegifu’s plot of land was mostly untilled pastures used for grazing sheep. She had a cohort of young women—orphans and runaways, mostly—who worked for her and kept her house. But when it came to the hard labor of repairing walls or slaying monstruous beasts, she called on Cenric.

He'd never particularly liked the old woman. He liked her even less in this moment, but it was a matter of principle. He had a promise to keep.

Not to mention she had been the first person in Ombra to recognize him as alderman. He owed her, whether he liked it or not.

Cenric spurred his chestnut stallion, Bada, faster up the winding mountain road. Kalen rode close behind him on a dun colt. The horses seemed to be in a good mood, and flicked their tails, wanting to run faster. Snapper ran alongside them, projecting his usual unadulterated joy.

But it was a long journey, and they needed to pace the animals. Cenric reined in Bada a few miles from the longhouse of Ombra, on a ridge overlooking the river and the settlement.

“Did you see the fields on our way in?” Kalen asked. “It looks like much of the crops have been gathered in already.”

“Yes,” Cenric answered. “I did notice. Looks like Gaitha drove the ploughmen as hard as she drives Edric.”

Kalen laughed at that. “I wonder how much fishing they were able to do.”

“I want to finish that wall on the outer banks,” Cenric said, thinking of the partial barrier that currently enclosed the village.

He’d been working the past couple summers to narrow the lines of attack, especially from the river. There was always the risk the Valdari could go down the coast, up one of the river’s many tributaries, and cross the land to attack them. However, if anyone wanted to do that, they’d have to carry whatever goods they pillaged over land. It would be a time-consuming and dangerous venture. And there was always the chance a local lord—like Cenric—would hear of their coming and attack first.

Unlike Valdari raiders, Cenric would be able to muster mounted horsemen and archers. If he had the chance to attack first, both he and any potential raiders knew who would win.

That left the river and the coast as his most vulnerable points.

“Do you think Lady Brynn knows any spells that could help protect us until the walls are finished?” Kalen asked.

“I imagine if she did, she would have used them to protect her son,” Cenric answered. Not that he hadn’t wondered about it himself. He did want to ask her if perhaps she could make the existing walls stronger, like she’d done with the boots.

It was different, he supposed, but he wasn’t especially familiar with what sorceresses could do.

They rode in silence for much of the journey. The sun sank lower, transforming the sky into streaks of yellow and gold with swaths of purple and blue. Ombra at sunset simply took his breath away.

From here in the foothills, everything as far as the eye could see belonged to him. The lands had been a part of his family for generations. Sometimes, Cenric was sure he could feel his own heartbeat when he touched the soil, it was so much a part of him. But certainly not everyone in the shire felt the same.

Many of the farms of Ombra were now empty, their inhabitants having migrated south years ago. The southern lands had been ravaged by Aelgar’s war, leaving swaths of more forgiving land uninhabited. Not only that, but Cenric’s father and brothers had died, leaving the shire of Ombra without an alderman for several years before Cenric himself had returned. The uncertainty combined with the promises of land from southern aldermen had pushed hundreds of people into the south.

Cenric spotted several deer and one startled covey of pheasant—a good sign that there was still time for hunting before the winter set in.

Hunt! Snapper cried, woofing in excitement.

Not now, Cenric responded. Later.

Snapper made a low grumbling sound, but he stayed beside the horses as he was told.

They came upon Old Aegifu’s lands as the sun was just touching the distant mountains. Her flocks of sheep were being brought in by the gaggle of shepherdesses, their sheep dogs harrying the animals to and fro. They came down off the hills in a stream of white, brown, and black.

Several of the girls called out to them. One ran toward the cottage tucked among the trees.

Cenric was usually recognizable on his large chestnut stallion. Bada stood out, even from a distance.

By the time they reached the cottage, Old Aegifu was waiting for them, leaning on her cane. She had been his father’s older sister, though Cenric had never figured out just how much older.

Her hands were knotted with age and her back stooped with a lifetime of labor, but her eyes still glittered bright as a polecat’s. She stood in the doorway of her cottage, shawl drawn tight around her shoulders.

Aegifu and her girls kept bees, geese, sheep, and spun some of the finest cloth in Ombra. They were far enough inland with the mountains at their backs that few people ever came this way by accident. And it was too far for raiders from the coast to venture.

“There you are!” Aegifu called. “I’m pleased to see you, Alderman Cenric.”

Cenric might be alderman of Ombra, but the way the old woman spoke the title had unnecessary emphasis. Sometimes, he wondered if Aegifu was taunting him with it. She’d given her allegiance suspiciously easily when he had landed in Ombra two years ago with a band of warriors to retake the shire.

Geese scattered before Bada as he and Kalen’s horse drew to a stop.

Aegifu inclined her head, bowing to Cenric. “I am most grateful, lord. Thank you for troubling yourself with the likes of me. You must doubtless be very busy.”

Friend! Snapper trotted up to the old woman.

Aegifu, whatever her opinion of Cenric, did stoop to pet his dyrehund, murmuring sweet nothings as she stroked the dog’s back. Her own dyrehund had died some years ago and she hadn’t gotten another.

Cenric dismounted Bada, lashing the stallion’s reins to the fence outside the farmyard. “Busy, lady?”

“It took you two days to respond to my request,” Aegifu said. “I know you would only do such a thing if you were most busy.”

Snapper spotted something in Aegifu’s garden and rushed over to investigate.

Cenric decided not to tell his aunt he had been in Ungamot fetching a new bride. She’d find out eventually, but the fewer words he had to exchange with this woman, the better. “Where is Nettles?”

Aegifu’s mouth snapped shut. She was probably offended by his terseness, but Cenric didn’t care. “In the barn.” She pointed to the low structure with her cane. “Killed two lambs before the girls were able to get the rest out. They locked the doors and we’ve been waiting ever since.”

From the outside, all Cenric could see was the sealed doors of the barn. “Is she responding?”

Like Cenric, Aegifu could speak to the dyrehunds. Morgi’s blessings passed along the father’s bloodline, so while Aegifu’s children hadn’t inherited it, she had.

“She isn’t speaking, no.”

“How do you know it’s Nettles, then?”

“I know your brother’s dog when I see her.” Aegifu raised her chin and sniffed as if he had just paid her some great insult.

Cenric jerked his head at Kalen and the boy followed. With a little luck, they might be able to deal with whatever was in the barn and head back to the longhouse tonight. Though it would be dark, it might be worth the risk to see his wife tucked into his bed.

The barn was a low building with stone walls and a thatched roof. It housed a hundred or more sheep and Aegifu’s collection of geese and goats in the winter.

Cenric marched toward the doors of the barn. They were thick and sturdy, meant to protect the animals from the cold. A bar had been placed across the front, sealing it shut.

“Snapper!” Cenric shouted.

His dog came running, leaping over the garden fence. Cenric?

Hunt. Cenric pointed to the sealed doors.

Snapper stepped closer, sniffing at the ground. Sheep. Snapper knew he wasn’t supposed to hunt sheep, and his thoughts dripped with disapproval.

Nettles?

Snapper snorted. Sheep .

Cenric grimaced, glancing over his shoulder to Aegifu. No Nettles?

Meat. Snapper paused, his tail stiffening as he paced carefully back and forth. He perked up his ears. Friend? Snapper could smell another dog, but he just wasn’t sure if it was Nettles.

“Snapper, back.” Cenric made a shooing motion.

Friend? Snapper looked up in question.

Back, Cenric repeated, this time sending the thought.

Making that grumbling sound, Snapper backed up as Cenric reached for the barred door.

“Be careful!” Aegifu shouted. “Don’t need her mauling you or that plump little boy you brought with you.”

Kalen made an indignant sound.

Cenric ignored his aunt. “Kalen, my sword. Get your spear.” Morgi forbade him harming dyrehunds, but it might not be Nettles inside the barn. It might be some other feral dog.

The younger man jogged to Bada and pulled Cenric’s sword from the horse’s saddle. Kalen handed over the weapon, bringing his own spear.

Cenric held his gaze. “If it charges, stab it. If you miss, I’ll get it.”

Kalen nodded solemnly. “Yes, lord.”

Cenric stepped up to the door and lifted the bar. He pressed his ear to the door, listening. Nettles? He sent the thought toward the barn.

Nothing.

Cenric glanced to Kalen. “Ready?”

“Yes, lord.”

Cenric ripped the door open and stepped to the left. Kalen stepped up beside him, spear at the ready.

Inside was dark, especially with the waning sun. The smell of dung, sheep, and the stench of death burst out. Aegifu must have told the truth about two dead lambs, at least.

“Get us a torch!” Cenric called to Aegifu.

The old woman swatted at one of her many charges, yelling for the girl to get them a torch. “You’d best not burn my barn down with only weeks to the first snows!” Aegifu shouted.

The girl returned carrying a lit torch, her head down. She tried to give it to Kalen, but Cenric snatched it out of her hand. With a spear, Kalen would need both hands.

Cenric and Kalen searched the dark, waiting for their eyes to adjust. There were several stalls made up from wooden slats, but they all appeared open.

“Stay back, girl,” Aegifu said, probably speaking to the girl who’d brought them the torch. “Let the men handle this one.”

Nettles? Cenric squinted into the darkness of the barn. He might have wanted to close the door after them, but he’d rather not be trapped inside.

Something stirred from the shadows. It fled from the torchlight, shrinking back.

Kalen glanced that way. Spear out. “Did you see it?”

“Something small,” Cenric muttered, pointing to the darkness. “No bigger than a cat.”

Kalen let off an awkward sigh. “Well. That’s something.”

They edged toward the movement. The stench of death grew stronger.

Cenric raised his arm, lifting the torch as high as he could without setting the thatch on fire. Movement scuttled back from the torchlight.

It must be another lynx.

“Come here,” Cenric beckoned. “Come here and let us kill you, little thief.”

He came a step closer, Kalen at his back.

A low rumble vibrated through the air. It took Cenric a moment to realize what he had heard.

Kalen grabbed Cenric’s shoulder and jerked him back as a snarl ripped through the air.

“Hold!” Cenric snapped, facing squarely forward. “If we run, it will chase us.”

“What is it?”

“Not sure.” Cenric raised his torch, catching a glimpse of a grey, white, and black coat. It was some sort of canid, but he couldn’t make out the details.

A low rumble came from the dark. The creature was trying to project strength, hiding its wounds behind aggression.

“I don’t think—”

Cenric never heard what Kalen thought.

An explosion of fur and claws and teeth burst at them from the darkness. Kalen jabbed straight for the beast’s chest, but instead of spearing it through the heart from the front, the spearhead scraped along its shoulder.

The animal stumbled to the side with a yelp and snarl. Cenric spun to face it, sword ready. He blocked the animal’s path to Kalen while the boy raised his spear again.

By the torchlight, Cenric finally got a good look at the animal. It was a dyrehund. An exceptionally aggressive, starving dyrehund.

“Nettles,” Cenric exhaled the name.

Wherever she had been these past months, she had not fared well. She was far thinner than she should have been, making her legs look too long and displaying her ribs under her thick pelt.

She tried to circle the two men, ears flat and teeth bared. She favored her left shoulder, where Kalen’s spear had sheared her pelt open.

Crouched to the ground, Cenric lowered his weapon. “Easy, girl.”

Nettles? came Snapper’s confused thought from beyond the open barn door as he recognized her. Pups?

Back, Cenric repeated to his dog. He kept his attention on the growling female. Nettles? Friend .

She pinned her ears, lips curled. Go.

Friend. Be calm. Cenric had been told his father could command dyrehunds like soldiers. Either that was an exaggeration or Cenric just lacked the skill.

Godric, Nettles demanded.

Cenric shook his head. Godric is gone .

Godric! The female snarled, canine teeth flashing. However Nettles had gotten here, she was frightened and in no state to be reasoned with.

Regardless, Cenric couldn’t harm dyrehunds, not intentionally. As the dyrehund’s teeth flashed, Cenric wondered how Morgi would feel about self-defense.

“Kalen.” Cenric kept his voice level, not taking his eyes off the animal. “She’s going to lunge again.”

The dyrehund pinned her ears, head crouching low.

“Easy—”

The dyrehund leapt, but not for Cenric. She shot past him, barreling for Snapper.

Hurt! Snapper yelped as the female crashed into him, her teeth finding the scruff of his neck. He pinned his ears, tail going between his legs. Nettles hurting Snapper! Whining, he dropped down low, trying to show submission.

Nettles wasn’t having it. The female latched on, yanking her head from side to side.

Snapper and Nettles had known each other for years, slept around the same hearth and run in the same pack, but none of that seemed to matter now. Nettles attacked him with a crazed fury.

Cenric rushed over and smashed the pommel of his sword down on Nettles. She let go and spun, lunging for Cenric.

Her body was thin, but she was strong and in her prime. Her teeth clamped on his left arm tearing into his sleeve.

Cenric let off a shout at the same time Kalen did.

Snapper lunged for the female even as she bit Cenric. The dog hadn’t defended himself, but he leapt to protect his master. Bad Nettles! Bad!

Snapper nipped the female’s haunches, and she let go of Cenric, spinning back to Snapper.

Kalen was on the dyrehund the next instant, stabbing at her side. Kalen was fast, efficient.

The dyrehund let off a yelp of pain. She jerked back to Kalen.

Cenric had dropped the torch—in the dirt, not the straw—but his sword arm was fine. He jabbed straight for Nettles’ neck as she twisted on Kalen.

The dog’s body seized, and her paws clawed at the empty air. Nettles let off a strangled snarling, gagging sound.

Kalen pulled back and speared her in the neck. He drove her to the ground, her body flailing like a fish.

She kept fighting, even with her blood soaking the ground. She struggled, getting weaker and weaker, then went still, mouth still open in a snarl.

Nettles hurt? Snapper’s ears pinned back. He stepped toward the dying female. Hurt? He looked plaintively up at Cenric. Help Nettles?

Cenric shook his head. He’d wanted to help Nettles, but the choice between Snapper and this feral dog hadn’t been a choice at all. Things had escalated too quickly, too violently.

Kalen and Cenric looked at each other, both panting. The dead dyrehund lay before them, seeming much smaller now. Cenric ripped his sword out and Kalen freed his spear.

“Good fight.” Cenric smoothed the dog’s coat. “Rest now, girl.”

“She bit you.” Kalen gestured to Cenric’s arm.

He grimaced, raising his arm for a better view. His sleeve had been torn open and he had several bruises in the shape of teeth, but shockingly no broken skin. Pain still throbbed through his entire arm. “Good thing my new wife is good at mending, isn’t it?”

Cenric looked over to Snapper. Hurt?

Snapper whined, coming over to Cenric with his ears flattened.

Cenric looked his dyrehund over, not seeing any blood on him, either. It seemed that the thick fur around his neck had come in useful. Dogs usually sustained wounds on their faces and forelegs in fights, but Snapper had dropped to the ground as soon as Nettles charged.

“Forgive me, lord.” Kalen cleared his throat awkwardly.

Cenric shook his head. “You did well.” He wiped his sword blade on the dog’s pelt. “Exactly as I taught you.”

“Still, I—”

Movement rustled from the shadows of the barn.

Kalen’s spear was up the next moment. He glanced to Cenric.

Snapper’s ears flicked up. Pup?

Realization hit Cenric. Oh no.

A squeaking whine came from the dark. Something stirred.

“Can you carry the torch?” Cenric knew what they were going to find already. Stay, he ordered Snapper.

This time, the dog dropped to his haunches, whining beside the dead female.

Kalen picked up the torch from where it burned on the ground. He led the way into the dark, spear at the ready.

The whimpering took them to a corner of the barn, in one of the stalls. The gnawed bones of a goat lay cracked and chewed across the entrance. From the look of it, the dyrehund had even cracked open the bones to lick out the marrow.

A flurry of motion, the shape no bigger than a cat, yelped and leapt into the light.

Kalen reached for it but missed. The small shape scurried toward Cenric, and he used his boot to block it.

The shape ran straight into his foot and yelped, scurrying back as the torchlight fell on a dyrehund pup. Its coat was the same shade as its mother. It flattened its ears and growled even as it balled into the tightest coil it could manage.

Kalen reached for it, and the pup dodged again. It ran straight for Cenric, and he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.

He lifted the puppy with his bruised arm, though it was starting to ache. The puppy weighed no more than a pound or two, face still plump and limbs too short.

It wiggled in his grip, making a squeaking sound like a wounded rabbit, calling for its dead mother.

The puppy appeared well-fed despite Nettles’ almost emaciated shape. That was probably why she’d been desperate enough to come this close to humans. It was a wonder that Nettles had gone into heat so late in the season. This pup should have been weaned and learning to hunt by now.

Cenric wondered if there had been more pups somewhere in the woods. There probably had been at some point. Cenric grimaced, looking over to the corpse outside the barn. He wasn’t sure what else they could have done. Maybe he should have put Snapper inside Aegifu’s house, first. Regardless, he couldn’t take back what had happened.

“Do you want me to take it, lord?” Kalen asked, holding out a hand.

Cenric held the pup to the light. It had drawn itself into a ball again, whimpering.

“No…” Cenric said after a long moment. “No. Find a basket for me.”

“A basket, lord?”

Cenric thought about it. Foretellings were Morgi’s only way of telling him what not to do. Her ways of telling him what he should do tended to be more symbolic.

It wasn’t often Cenric was sure he was seeing a sign from Morgi, but this seemed too coincidental to be anything else. He had found an orphaned dyrehund puppy the same day he brought his new wife home. A dyrehund puppy that had been born months out of season.

“This is for my wife.”

“Lady Brynn?”

Cenric shrugged. “She likes dogs.”

“Cenric!” Aegifu’s voice shouted from the entrance to the barn. She jabbed at the dyrehund’s carcass with her cane. “Are you just going to leave this here?”

“Kalen, find something we can use to wrap the body. We’ll take her home and bury her with my brother.” He would reunite Nettles with Godric, if he could do nothing else for her. “After you fetch me a basket.”

“What happened to your sleeve, boy?” Aegifu demanded. “And what’s that?”

Cenric sheathed his sword and moved the pup to his right hand. “It’s a gift,” Cenric answered.

“Well, that does seem fair.” Aegifu extended one hand. “After you forced me to put up with that crazed dyrehund for days.”

“Not for you.”

Pup? Snapper came nearer, cautiously.

Pup.

Puppy? Snapper’s excitement was almost palpable. Puppy!

Kalen returned carrying a basket that looked deep enough the pup couldn’t crawl out.

Cenric shoved the pup inside. Immediately, the little animal huddled into a corner, crying. Cenric felt a bit guilty at that, but its mother had attacked Snapper, attacked him. What should he have done? “It’s for my wife.”

“Your wife?” Aegifu squinted at him. “Did you marry that Rowan girl? Well, it’s about time, but she can’t speak to the dyrehunds. She has no right.”

Cenric shook his head. He and Rowan had parted ways months before. “Not Rowan. Someone else.”

“Oh? And when was this?”

Cenric thought for a moment. “Three days ago.”

Aegifu snorted. “Short notice, it seems. Did you get a baby in some thane’s daughter?”

“She is Brynn of the Istovari sorceresses, niece to King Aelgar, and lady of Ombra.” Cenric set down the basket.

Snapper leaned over the edge of the basket, seeming to have forgotten the dead dyrehund. Puppy!

“Ah,” Aegifu nodded as if Brynn’s name explained something. “I still have more right to that pup than she does.”

“The puppy is for her,” Cenric repeated. “If she doesn’t want it, I’ll bring it back.”

“It’s like that, is it? Fine. Come inside, alderman. It’s too dark for you to travel home tonight.”

Cenric glared up at the sky, but had to admit Aegifu was right about that last part. He picked up the basket with the puppy, cursed at nothing, and followed his aunt into her small, thatched house.

In the barnyard, Kalen had found a threadbare blanket and was working to wrap Nettles’ body for travel.