Chapter 4
DION
She would be the one to kill her. I awoke from my sleep hearing that phrase spoken to me, but I couldn’t have told you from who or where.
The light in our room was low, dawn had come and gone but the day was yet to begin. I turned to the other bed, not surprised to see no sign of Roman. He would’ve spent the night out talking with locals, he always did when we visited villages.
I yawned and sat up, took my shirt off the bed rail, and got out of the uncomfortable thing. I was happy enough to have a roof over my head, yet if I was going to, I’d like it to be comfortable. I snorted. I sounded like some royal pig. Probably would’ve fit right in with Lady Skol’s court.
I splashed my face with the cold water in the basin and threw open the window.
I felt the tender scar on my abdomen, looking at it in the mirror.
The wild packs of feral werewolves were getting worse.
It wasn’t the first time we’d been attacked, but it was the first time I’d heard one of them mutter the name ‘Locke’.
I pulled my shirt on and stomped into my boots. I threw on my robe and brought up the hood. Giving the room a final look and with our travel bags in hand, I closed the door for the last time.
The front room was empty at this hour. Just a serving girl and the chef running the morning meal, but other than me, the only people I saw coming down were those leaving or Nicholas himself.
I asked for two of the breakfast meal and ales, and commenced waiting for Roman. I knew that he would come in soon, and after not long, he did.
“Alright?” he asked, sitting at the table. “Good sleep?”
“Just the dreams,” I said, stifling a yawn.
“Better or worse?”
“Neither,” I replied. “Just…different this time. Still with her. Still in the anteroom, but–” I scratched my beard, looked around the room. “I wasn’t the only one there this time.”
Roman had stopped with his mug half way to his mouth. “Not the only one?”
I nodded. His face twisted in a frown, thinking, then he nodded. “This girl comes then.”
“But it was a wolf I saw. Not a woman. And she most certainly didn’t have a scarred heart.”
Roman shrugged. “Being this close to Lassig, the disturbance yesterday? It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He took a large mouthful of the gruel, made a wry face, then took another spoon. “Besides, there’s other things we have to speak of. We can’t leave yet.”
“Why’s that? I’ve got the bags–”
“It doesn’t matter.” Roman finished his ale in one go and then signaled for a second serve of everything. His face looked tired. Alert, but he was exhausted. “You’re gonna want another serve too. We’ll need our energy today.”
“Why, what’ve you discovered?”
Roman didn’t answer, he waited for the girl to bring the second serves of food and drink and then began eating. When he’d finished his second bowl of food and was sitting there pondering his thoughts with his ale, he was ready.
“Locke did what we thought, he’s brought extra men. Not an army, or legion’s worth. But there’s some big boys there. Under any other pack, other than your father’s or Locke’s, they’d be an alpha or beta. They’re strong boys. Dirty and cunning. He’s planning something–”
“We should warn Father,” I said. I stood and Roman immediately ushered me to sit down.
“We can’t, if we alert him there’s the chance Locke will find out. And I don’t want Locke to know that I know anything. I’ve already made arrangements and spoken to Ripjaw. He’ll gather men.”
I nodded earnestly; our lives had changed in a blink of an eye. Was this the beginning of my life now? “What can I do?”
“You’ll do as I do. We’re keeping our eyes peeled. I know it’s happening in the square though. But Locke wasn’t the only one to bring plenty of men, the other leaders have come with more men too. Everyone’s showing force. Confidence is falling with your father I’m sorry to say.”
I swore, hung my head, wishing I could do something more than wait. I was strong enough to decimate any of these leaders. I was strong enough to challenge my own father.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Roman said. “And no.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not the time. You cannot choose the time.”
I grunted. I’d been waiting my whole life for that. “Then why stay?” I said. “If the girl is so near, the prophecy begun, why stay?”
Roman smiled, took a sip of his drink. “Because soon–”
“The girl comes,” I finished. “I know.”
“At least you’re learning quicker since that,” he said, gesturing at my abdomen. “How is it?”
“Good,” I said. “Tender.” I spun the food knife in my hand, laying the balance on my palm and letting it fall naturally. For the last year it had always pointed at Roman once the knife came to rest, no matter where he sat.
He saw the knife and didn’t bat an eyelid. “Well let’s not waste the day,” he said. “It’s gonna be a storm by the end of it. You’ll feel it as soon as we leave.”
Roman settled our tab with Nicholas and we left.
But he was right, as soon as we left the inn the air was thick with power.
Werewolves sensing and communicating filled the air.
They were other packs, so we couldn’t know what was being said, but I could feel it.
A valuable skill Roman had taught me when I was young.
We walked the streets with our hoods up, appearing as beggars and guides, we used the excuse to probe questions from visitors. They rarely answered, but their silences and looks told us more. Many were on edge. Many were waiting too.
A young girl and her brother were playing in the street, spinning a hoop, and rocking marbles in the thing when it was on the ground. I watched them with a smile on my face, I’d always wished to have such freedom. I was jealous because I’d never had the chance.
Roman tapped my chest, pointing out two mountainous men. They leaned against a set of barrels, looking as if they meant to deliver them. And if they had, I wouldn’t have been surprised if either of them could pick both barrels up in either arm.
“It’s tricky,” Roman whispered. “So close to Lassig, the Siren Singers would feel any change…”
I nodded back. That was the odd thing about this show of force, would anyone dare shift with Lady Skol’s wretched monsters so close? They’d disable all of us in seconds.
We made our way slowly to the square. The feeling of power even thicker. My skin was crawling, my heart slow but thoughts fast. I was watching any and everything. The men gathered in their groups, the looks passing between larger groups.
All the while, Whiteclaws were beginning to trickle in. Gathering on the entrance side of the square and guarding the Pools of Prophecy.
Of course. No one needed to shift to enter the pools, nor drink from them. But force may be needed to gain access to them.
I saw the girl and brother again, playing in the middle of the square now, by the water well. A similar hulking group of men were nearby. The boy’s marble went too far and landed in the middle of the group. A large man bent down and crushed the marble, a toothless smile at the boy.
He frowned and his shoulders dropped. His sister comforted him. I hated Locke’s men.
“So what do we do?” I asked, when we’d stopped halfway around the square, between the pools and men.
Roman slid down against the wall, taking a small prayer hat out and putting it at his feet. I did the same. He didn’t have to say anything, I already knew the answer.
We’d wait.
We stayed in that position with our heads bowed for hours.
I counted off the time by watching the shadow cross the square.
The men all stayed. The feelings of power stayed, but always just out of sight.
Everyone was talking. I’d been able to separate most of them into their packs, and I had the sneaking suspicion that they were all waiting for Locke’s men to make the first move.
Which reminded me that Father would be in his meeting at this moment.
He would be in the large Alpha hall, the visitors before him on the other side of the fire.
None would dare cross the floor with the Flame of Salvation between them.
It had burned since the battle to retake Moondaj from Lady Skol’s army. It was the symbol of all wolves.
Then again, I’d thought the pools had been that too.
But we were here waiting for a battle for it, it seemed.
The day stretched on and heat grew. My back stiffened and blood slowed in my body.
I was beginning to feel lethargic. Next to me Roman nodded forward.
Something I’d never seen. I was going to shake him awake but realized how tired I was too.
My arms were incredibly heavy, eyelids…something tickled in the rear of my mind. .
My eyes snapped open. This was a charm.
I looked around the square quickly but subtly. Where was the caster? Who had brought the shaman in?
I saw similar wolves all asleep or falling asleep. I saw the Whiteclaws by the entrance nodding just as I had.
Then I saw them. A group of Firepaws, guarding a small woman of the desert. A Sleep Singer.
By the shackles at her feet, Locke had picked her up on the way. But she’d been given too much time already, most people were out cold. I had to act quickly. I had to–
I felt out with my wolf power. My wolf within was distant. But I had to edge closer towards it. I could shift, but—could I afford to show myself?
More were dropping off. All the other pack men were stirring, they must’ve known the antidote melody. They were unaffected. They were aware of a greater plan.
I channeled more power, heightening my senses.
I had to override her power. I had to get beyond it, but she’d been casting the charm for so long unguarded.
I trickled a little more power.
A little more.
A rush of sound flooded my mind. I broke beyond the charm, beyond the wall separating the wolves and their respective packs. I could hear everything. Every wolf’s thoughts.
And they all knew I’d broken through.
Mayhem began.
The singer stopped her charm, yanked into silence by the Firepaw rushing the entrance. The Whiteclaw soldiers woke up in surprise. Roman snapped up, but I was already gone.
Everything was in slow motion as I bounded across the square. The girl and her brother were back, but now in the middle of two groups of murderous men.
I held as much power as my human form could handle and leaped the full cart of wine barrels. I pushed through a group of men about to pounce upon some waking Whiteclaws. They fell like twigs in a breeze.
My soul was burning with power, my wolf howling through every mind that would hear within the village walls. I was silencing the whole desert.
I slid in front of the girl just as the two enormous brutes of Locke’s came upon the girl.
I caught each of their fists, crushing their hands in my grip, and then twisted their arms until their forearms snapped.
The shock of my sudden appearance stopped them.
Then they felt their hands, looked at their arms, and began screaming.
The wall of men raging forward stopped. Stumbling into each other and afraid to put another foot forward. Everyone looked at me in awe. I felt my body coursing with power, my howl only just ceasing to echo across all of their minds.
I breathed haggard breaths, tense and waiting.
The little girl and her brother ran away, but no one watched.
I was the focus.
The Alpha of Prophecy.
Then two things happened very quickly. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen entered the square. Her beauty even more radiant in this hellish space of violence. And the Siren Singers began screeching from the Lassig walls.