Chapter 16
Fern
It was a week until the full moon, and Fern was beginning to recognize the way its pull affected the wolfkin.
She could identify it more easily in herself as well, those strange sensations she hadn’t been able to articulate before Darion had brought her here.
The restlessness. The aggression. The gnawing, humiliating lust.
And the frustration knowing there was nothing she could do to slake them.
Back in the dining hall, she clutched her broom so tightly she worried the stick might snap as she watched the crowd, faceless bodies of muscle and hands that touched and tongues that tasted and skin meant for tasting…
The wolfkin closest to her began sniffing the air, a sign she had lingered too long, so she moved to the other side of the room, creeping along the edge of the wall.
There was nothing to sweep, of course. If anything, the broom’s bristles had permanently etched grooves into the floor she’d been pretending to clean for the past few weeks. But the repetitive motions had become soothing.
And when that failed, she’d stick her hand in her pocket, counting and cataloging her treasures.
The flake of obsidian
The bone shard.
The snail shell.
The broken tip of a quill, still stained black with ink.
And the handkerchief they sat in.
It was a ritual now, and she was almost glad Mauricia had destroyed her first collection, because it forced her to carry her new one wherever she went. Now she didn’t have to wait until the end of the day to appreciate them—she could pull them out and look at them whenever she wanted.
Once she was done, she patted down her skirts, bulky with the blanket and pillow still hidden beneath, and resumed her pretending, long after the last wolfkin left for the evening and the Solvekh had finished clearing the tables.
The nest is inadequate. You need to make something more permanent.
She snorted quietly to herself.
You’re a wolf, you don’t need a nest. You mean a den.
Her wolf chuffed. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
She almost barked a laugh, catching the sound before it could escape.
That’s rich, coming from you.
Her wolf circled once before slumping down, resting her head across her paws.
You know, Fern continued, if you come out on the full moon, we might be able to make you a “nest.” Although it couldn’t be in a tree. Too high.
Even imagining it made Fern’s stomach lurch.
You sound like an idiot, her wolf replied, rolling her eyes.
Says the wolf who thinks she needs a nest.
Her wolf stood suddenly, ears straight up and alert, causing Fern to turn around.
Two guards approached her, their expressions grim.
“Come with us, Ashpaw. Alpha Darion commands your presence.”
She froze, her face paling and heart stuttering an arrhythmic staccato while her mind ran through what she could have possibly done to earn this summons. She hadn’t talked back to anyone. Hadn’t been touched. Hadn’t drawn attention to herself…
Was this about being in Kyntha’s room the other night, punishment for not finishing the task?
Fern finally managed a shallow nod, leaning her broom against the wall and following them, recognizing immediately where they headed.
The Council Chamber.
She heard someone run up from behind, crashing into her and grabbing her skirts for support.
“Dammit, Ashpaw, how can you be so clumsy?” Mauricia hissed, gripping them tightly as she righted herself.
I’m not the clumsy one, you horrid cow!
Was what she would have said, if such a retort wouldn’t lead to a beating.
“My apologies,” she whispered instead.
Mauricia stuck beside her, strangely enough, as though she too had been called to meet with Darion.
The smug smile she wore had Fern more worried every step, the blood draining from her face so quickly she feared she might faint.
Sound became muffled, vision tunneled, and her breathing shallowed.
A firm hand on her arm kept her steady, and she looked up at the guard who now walked on her other side.
He stared straight ahead, pulling her and keeping her on her feet.
They reached the door, and the guard knocked. No greeting was necessary, because Darion had been expecting them.
“Enter.”
Fern was led inside, stopping short of the table, while Mauricia walked around her and joined Darion and Kyntha from where they sat on the other end.
One of the guards left, while the other stood a foot behind her.
The door closed, and silence fell.
No one spoke.
And Fern knew she couldn’t say anything to break the awful tension until they addressed her, so she waited, sweat pooling under her arms and down her back, her knees trembling.
Then Darion said, “Search her.”
Fern’s brows furrowed as the guard immediately wrapped his arms around her, and she found herself fighting the urge to fall back into his embrace.
This isn’t a hug, you idiot, she hissed to herself.
His hands dug into her pockets, pulling out her treasures and placing them on the table, and her eyes landed on them immediately to make sure they were all there.
The flake of obsidian
The bone shard.
The snail shell.
The broken tip of a quill, still stained black with ink.
The handkerchief they sat in…
And a pearl earring she’d never seen before in her life.
She looked up in horror, finding its twin in Kyntha’s ear.
“No…” she whispered.
“I told you,” Mauricia crowed, arms crossed. “When you mentioned you lost your earring at dinner, I went back to search for it, and found the Ashpaw under your table. She’s a disgusting little pack rat, as you can see. She stole it for herself.”
“I did not!” Fern blurted loudly, slapping her hands over her mouth as though that might shove the words back inside.
Darion seethed, his face turning red. “The evidence is right in front of us, Ashpaw. You dare lie to me?”
Kyntha clicked her tongue softly. “It’s a compulsion with this one, I’m afraid. I don’t think there’s any curing her.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I swear it, I did not take the earring. I wasn’t even near the head table!
” She then fell to her knees, wincing at the sharp pain as she landed hard on the stone, and clasped her hands together.
“Please, Alpha Darion, you have to believe me. I have no idea how that ended up in my pocket!”
“Liar!” he bellowed, raising and slamming a hand on the table. “A liar and a thief!”
He rounded the table, grabbing her roughly by the neckline of her dress and pulling her up to her tiptoes as he lowered his face into hers, fire, anger, and disgust in his dark blue eyes. “Do you know the punishment for stealing, Ashpaw?”
She shook her head, sobbing softly.
He grabbed her right wrist and pulled it onto the table.
“Contemptible she-wolf,” he spat. “You have maligned our customs, broken our laws, and embarrassed me for the last time. Dominic, your sword.”
The sound of metal sliding out of leather had Fern struggling uselessly against his impossibly strong grip. “Please,” she cried, snot and tears mixing as she wept. “I’ll be good, I promise!”
The guard handed the weapon to Darion, who examined it first, checking the weight before raising it in the air.
“By clan law, theft is punished by severance of the dominant hand.”
There was nothing she could to convince him otherwise, her insistence of her innocence only further proof of her guilt in his eyes. All she could do was resign herself to her fate, and hope maybe she’d bleed out and die, putting an end to this misery once and for all.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, bracing herself for the impact and the pain while stretching her fingers one last time.
“Move, I need to speak with my brother.”
The sword froze in the air.
“He’s in the middle of an important—”
“Whatever he’s doing isn’t nearly as important as the news I need to share. Now move!” the voice commanded.
The door whipped open. “Brother, I—”
Fern did not see him, her stare focused on the hand she’d never see again.
But she recognized the voice.
“What in Solas’s Hells is going on here?”
Kyntha sighed prettily. “The Ashpaw has been caught stealing my jewelry. My attendant witnessed the theft herself.”
There was a pause. “Why aren’t all the alphas here?”
Darion’s grip on her wrist tightened.
“The Ashpaw is my responsibility, so her punishment is mine to decide and enact as I see fit.”
Eidan’s body shifted behind her. “Permanent maiming requires the entire Council’s approval. You know this.”
Darion’s grip then loosened a fraction, and he grunted as though he’d forgotten.
Finally, Fern dared to look at Eidan, and she attempted to catch her breath.
He smelled of the wind and horse, as though he had been riding for days, his hair slightly unkempt, his beard longer than when he’d left.
Fern desperately wanted him to look at her, but his focus was on Mauricia.
“You’re the witness?”
Mauricia averted her gaze and bowed her neck. “Aye, Alpha.”
“Meet my eye and tell me what happened.”
The color left her cheeks, and she turned towards Kyntha, as though she might intervene.
Instead, Kyntha placed a soft hand on her arm.
“Go ahead. The truth will not harm you.”
Mauricia blinked heavily, swallowed, and then told her story again. This time, her voice wavered, her words stumbling and filled with doubt.
“I… Kyntha lost an earring, and I-I thought it might be in the dining hall. So I went to look for it, and thought I saw—”
“Thought you saw or did see?”
“Um…”
“Answer me!”
She flinched. “I saw the Ashpaw stick the earring in her pocket. And it was there! We all saw the guard find it.”
She pointed towards the earring on the table, looking too strange and out of place among the companions it had joined.
Eidan stared at the earring for a moment, and then looked at her again. “You’re lying.”
Then his eyes fell to Darion. “Did you actually watch her as she spoke?”
Darion growled. “The evidence—”
“Easily planted. Are you honestly so quick to judgment?”
Darion opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He stared at Mauricia more closely now, his gaze flickering towards Kyntha for the briefest moment before returning to his brother.
He remained silent.
Eidan sighed. “Dominic, summon the Council.”
* * *
Alastair steepled his fingers in front of his lips, his focus narrowed as he watched Mauricia give her testimony for the third time.
He nodded, then gestured for Fern to speak.
“Tell us what happened in your words, Ashpaw.”
Fern’s mouth was dry, and she coughed when her throat spasmed. Karn rose at once, offering her a sip of his ale.
“There, there. Just speak the truth of it.”
She nodded, the movement jerky. He gave her a small smile, patted her on the head, and retook his seat.
“It’s… true that I like to collect small objects, but they are discarded items, none of them stolen.”
“I don’t know,” Norden said slowly. “I’ve been looking for my missing quill tip for weeks.”
The alphas all chuckled. Except for Darion.
“But I swear, I did not pick up Kyntha’s earring. I wasn’t even near the head table tonight.”
Alastair leaned forward, his tone gentle. “But then how did it end up in your pocket?”
She sniffed, her voice cracking. “I don’t know. Really.”
The alphas then looked at each other, silently deciding the verdict before confirming with Alastair, who nodded in agreement.
“Kyntha’s attendant is lying. The Ashpaw speaks the truth.”
Kyntha gasped. “Mauricia, you lied to me?”
Her expression turned to terror. “I—”
“Did you take the earring?” Eidan asked.
Mauricia locked eyes with Kyntha, who turned away in disgust, and then responded with a quiet, “Aye.”
“And did you put the earring in the Ashpaw’s pocket to accuse her of the crime?”
“… Aye”
Alastair grunted. “Then she is the guilty party, and forfeits her hand for thievery.”
Mauricia cried out in terror, the guard keeping her in his grasp.
Darion, meanwhile, sat still at the table, arms crossed, staring in the middle ground.
Alastair turned to him. “Son, an alpha needs to lead with reason and logic. When you react on emotion, you make mistakes that threaten the clan’s trust in us as their leaders. I’m very disappointed in you.”
The muscle in Darion’s jaw ticked. “Aye, Father. You are correct. I… acted recklessly.”
Alastair stood. “From now on, any punishment for the Ashpaw must be brought before the full Council. Even for petty infractions. Am I clear?”
Darion did not look at Mauricia as she wailed.
His eyes, hard and unreadable, settled on Fern instead, as though her innocence somehow deepened the offense.
“You are clear.”
“Good. Eidan? See the Ashpaw back to the servants’ quarters. And Darion? Deal with the thief.”
The rest of the alphas stood and filed out of the room. Karn squeezed her shoulder on his way past, while Norden gave her a sympathetic nod, and Alastair a wan smile.
Then Kyntha let out a small gasp, running to Fern and sweeping her into a hug.
Fern wanted to recoil, but her smell and touch were so clean and inviting, making her want to return the gesture. She compromised between her opposing desires by standing still.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I had not realized Mauricia’s distaste for you was so great. Such a poison for the clan.”
And then she whispered, too softly for the others to hear.
“You’re becoming an even greater inconvenience than I feared, and I have little patience for complications.”
Then backed up slowly, planted a kiss on her cheek, and walked out.
Fern blinked, unable to move.
Eidan stood in front of her. “Ready?”
That she-wolf means to kill us, her wolf whispered.
Fern nodded. “Aye.”
She followed him out the door.
I know.