Song of the wolf, p.16
Song of the Wolf, page 16
“If I may be so bold, my queen, who am I to you?” Red Wolf asked, when she reached the tent flap. He hadn’t moved from his spot by the fire.
“A friend, if you like.”
The words tasted bitter on her tongue.
They woke the next morning to another layer of frost covering the normally green grass around the camp, turning the ground silver as the ice particles reflected the light. Talin changed into her merchant’s disguise and met Kadis at the edge of the camp, along with the soldiers selected to pose as their security detail.
“We’re ready?” the Draconian prince asked.
“We are,” Red Wolf said.
“Good. Remember to keep your faces hidden.”
The six of them moved off ahead of Bo’Kata’s and Bo’Galesh’s troops, following the road while their diversion kept to the trees, completely hidden from sight. Talin had sorely wanted to bring the bow and arrows that Red Wolf had gifted her, in case their cover was blown, but shooting a heavy recurve bow like that with her wounded shoulder was impossible. She’d settled on her sword and a dagger instead.
Slowly, excruciatingly so, the tall city walls of El’Vane loomed into view. Talin saw Red Wolf’s sword hand tense and touch the hilt of his blade briefly. He stole a glance at her.
“Be careful,” he said softly. Talin nodded.
“Halt!”
The Draconian guards at the gate motioned for them to stop. Talin thought she saw a flash of movement in the trees bordering the road, there one moment, gone the next.
“What is your business here?” They spoke in an unfamiliar dialect of Kier Dekkel, but Talin had been taught the language as part of her tutoring and could still piece together what was said.
“We’re simple merchants, good sir,” Kadis replied. “We have been trapping rabbits and other animals to sell their meat and skins in El’Vane, as well as some trinkets we have traded from the border villages. The roads have been dangerous, what with all the…rebel attacks we’ve heard about. My companions and I were lucky to make it here without incident.”
“We’ll have to search the caravan,” the guard said, signalling for his men to move in.
A single arrow sailed out of the trees and punched clean through the guard’s throat.
No backing out now.
Talin drew her sword, as did the rest of their group, and the remaining guards quickly raised their shields to protect themselves from further shots. Red Wolf stepped back neatly to place himself between her and the City Watch guards.
“Into the city, now!” the guard captain snapped. “We’ll deal with your paperwork and permits later!”
They were ushered past the guards and through the city gates along with the first caravan in the column. Talin stole a glance back just in time to see Bo’Galesh’s infantry rush out to swarm the second caravan as reinforcements came to meet them.
“Keep your hoods up and wait until we have their full attention,” Kadis said in a low voice.
Archers were running up to man the walls now. A lone guard made it to the gate mechanisms and stood ready to lock the city down. On the street, a small crowd had gathered to watch the commotion.
“There, that’s our chance,” Ettrias said.
The six of them slipped into the crowd silently and left the southern gate behind. Finding an empty alleyway, they tethered the pack horses and caravan, and Kadis left two of his Drakels to guard them while the rest of their team continued towards the heart of the city on foot.
“Look up, above the buildings—that’s the keep, Ked’Vane.” Kadis pointed to the fortified castle towering over the rest of the city. “Our targets are held in the dungeons beneath them. There’s a delivery gate to the southwest that should be unguarded. We can enter through there.”
“By all means, lead the way,” Talin said.
Their path took them through the winding main roads and side alleys to a bustling market square; Talin glimpsed traders selling foods she had never seen before, as well as expensive-looking rugs made from animal skins. Nobody noticed them in the middle of the crowd. Kadis continued at a brisk pace, long legs making it difficult for her and Ettrias to keep up, particularly with her brother still limping slightly.
“The guards will surely sound the alarm when they realise we’ve vanished,” she said.
“Unfortunately so,” Kadis admitted. “But it is my hope that Bo’Galesh and Bo’Kata will keep them preoccupied for a while yet. With most of the City Watch positioned at the other gates, they will have to funnel their reinforcements from elsewhere.”
They left the crowd behind and found themselves in an open space just before the keep. Tall walls loomed before them, the dark stone foreboding. Kadis quickly crossed to a small door set into the wall and gave it an experimental tug.
“This area is off-limits, citizen. State your business here.”
Kadis cursed under his breath as two guards approached.
“Deepest apologies—we’re new to the city.” Talin stepped in front of him neatly. “My companions and I are merchants from Kies Tor to the east and have only just arrived in the city on official trade business with Ve’Tehll. My good friend Celio is a servant at the keep and only wished to show us around a little. We were under the impression that this delivery route would be left open for us.”
Kadis opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
“We only wish to acquaint ourselves with the keep a little,” Talin said. “If there are security concerns, I’m afraid you’ll have to bring it to Ve’Tehll directly. This delivery gate should have been unlocked.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Kadis cleared his throat. “I distinctly remember having someone unlock this gate before showing the Torrian delegate around the city. I’m sure we would all be grateful if you could let us through now.”
“We would…have to clear it with Ve’Tehll.” One of the guards scratched his head. “I’m sure you understand. Standard protocol and all. It shouldn’t take too long.”
Kadis and Red Wolf exchanged glances. Talin motioned for her bodyguard to stay his hand.
“Ve’Tehll already knows who we are and why we’re here,” she said. “Or should I report you to him for failing to comply with simple directives?”
“N-no, not at all!” the guard stammered. “My apologies, honoured guests. I didn’t mean to be rude. Please, don’t let us get in the way.”
The two Drakels stood aside to let them pass. Talin saw Red Wolf’s hand still tensed near his sword and prayed to the gods that it wasn’t obvious. She put a hand over his wrist. He relaxed a fraction at the contact.
“Good thinking back there,” Kadis said, once they were out of earshot of the guards. “But I’m afraid it’s only a temporary solution. Those guards will get suspicious eventually.”
“How long before we’re discovered?” Talin asked.
Kadis hissed through his teeth. “Impossible to know. We must work quickly.”
This is not going to end well. Talin let out a long breath. “Lead on.”
XX
Golmin’s route through Stormwood had led him off the main path and into the depths of the forest where few travellers had ever tread. Part of him was glad of it; in the wilderness, it was easier to track which way the queen’s party had gone. The soft ground here made deep impressions of horse hooves and footprints, and the thick canopy made it difficult for the rain to wash out the tracks. He had passed one of their camps yesterday and found little more to track them with. Red Wolf had taken care not to leave anything that might indicate where they were headed.
There were things he could use, however, like the way they were moving southwest instead of directly west to the border. It meant that Red Wolf had sensed a heavy storm close to their position and adjusted their route to avoid it and the floods that it had no doubt brought. Golmin wondered again if they had made it across the border before the full moon. If not…
He pushed those thoughts aside. Red Wolf knew how dangerous the Hellhounds were and how dangerous the wolf could be. He would have made sure the queen didn’t come to any harm.
But he doesn’t know about Wormwood’s betrayal, nor of Ettrias’ potential involvement.
Golmin picked up the pace.
He found another one of their camps at dusk, though this one was accompanied by two bodies. Judging from the remains of the fire, they had been ambushed early in the morning—no doubt the first of many bandit attacks they would have faced on the road. He brushed aside some of the fallen leaves and picked up a bloodstained dagger.
Red Wolf was injured, then, he concluded. The outlaws who lay dead had clean blades otherwise and no man in their right mind would remove a protruding blade, lest they bleed to death. But Red Wolf had his healing and the queen’s naivety to his advantage.
“Unless he told her?” Golmin mused to himself, then shook his head. That was unlikely. Red Wolf had been adamant that his abilities remain secret. Golmin had suspected that bandits and outlaws might come after them, but this deep in Stormwood?
People are getting desperate.
Dragging the bodies out of the camp, he settled down by the remains of the fire and lit it again, feeding it some more fuel to keep it going. It was getting dark, and he didn’t particularly fancy travelling after sundown.
Golmin set out again at dawn as the first rays of light struggled through the canopy above. The sunrise brought with it another storm, and he soon found himself soaked to the bone despite his thick travelling cloak. He could see why Red Wolf hated the storm season; Highlanders were used to dry summers and the occasional snow in winter, and Red Wolf’s Hellhound blood was more suited to the frozen far north. Golmin remembered adjusting to the weather in the south when he first joined the Royal Guard. He’d served in Lord Whitehall’s army in the Highlands before Red Wolf recruited him and hadn’t ever been south of the White River. Nobody had warned him about the storm season. His first year at the palace had been an interesting one, to be sure.
Checking his map, Golmin realised he was close to a town, but the tracks left by the queen and her escort were quickly fading. He briefly wondered if he should stop for supplies and shelter from this rain but decided not to risk losing the trail completely.
If Red Wolf feigned an injury, they would have passed through the town for supplies and healing.
Golmin turned north and headed for the town. With luck, the locals could tell him which direction they had gone and save him some trouble.
He arrived in the early hours of the morning, as market stalls were opening up and the townsfolk were beginning their work. A quick exchange with a vendor told him where to find the nearest tavern, and he headed there first to listen to the gossip. He doubted that the queen would have stayed here; the camp was far too close for them to waste an entire day’s travel to sleep under a roof. But the locals always gossiped, and he knew that tales of a giant with golden eyes and a woman in fine travelling clothes would find their way through town. Golmin took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink.
“I’m looking for a tall man with golden eyes,” he told the barkeep. “Around seven foot. He’s travelling with a young girl and two southerners.”
“Aye, I heard someone fitting that description passed through,” the barkeep said, making his coin disappear and producing an ale. “Word is that he’s one of the giants, returned from their slumber in the mountains. All nonsense if you ask me. Giants went extinct a thousand years ago.”
“Do you know where they went?” Golmin asked. “Or which way they were headed?”
“Not a clue,” the barkeep said. “I can tell you where they won’t be headed, though. Further north. The storms have flooded the roads.”
“Right.” Golmin took a swig of ale. “What about west? To the Forts? Which crossing would be closest?”
“Crossing?” The barkeep looked dumbfounded. “Are you mad, pal? Nobody who goes past the Western Forts has ever returned.”
“Which crossing?” Golmin repeated.
The barkeep scoffed. “Morvale if you head directly west, but the roads are flooded. More likely they went to Aldurin, directly south of it.”
Golmin produced his map. “Where exactly?”
“Here’s Morvale. Aldurin to the south.” The barkeep pointed, and Golmin scribbled it in with a charcoal pen.
“My thanks.”
“The Hellhounds have completely taken over in the west,” the barkeep warned. “If your friends have gone to the Forts and passed them, they’re as good as dead. You’d be wise to turn back now instead of trying to find their remains.”
“Hmm.” Golmin stuffed his map into his pack and finished his drink. “I’ll take my chances.”
He stopped by the market briefly to purchase food for the road before setting off. The shopkeeper who served him told him that he’d sold some supplies to a man with dark hair and blue eyes, who had been travelling with a giant. They’d followed the unflooded road southwest. That gave him some more information to work with. He decided to follow their route out of the village and consulted his map as his horse continued at an easy trot. The road he followed led through another village before branching out towards two crossings at the Forts. The northern fork led directly to Morvale.
Assuming they did follow the road all the way, he thought to himself with a sigh. They had left almost a month before him, and although he could track them through which villages they had stopped at, Red Wolf had taken care to cover up the trail. Most of the villages they could have passed had a single road leading out of them which only branched out much further down, making it impossible to determine which path he’d taken—if he’d taken the road at all. Their trek through the wilderness before had showed Golmin that their movements were irregular and evasive. The queen and her lord commander had not wanted anyone to follow in case her council figured out where she was going.
This isn’t good. Golmin stopped his horse and frowned at his map. If Red Wolf had decided to lead them back into Stormwood, they could have gone to any of the crossings south of Morvale. Assuming they did make it through the Hellhound-infested west, they could be anywhere in the Draconian Empire by now. They could even be on their way back home. If he looked for them in the capital and they weren’t there…
Golmin felt like he was following an endless trail of breadcrumbs—only the breadcrumbs might not even be there. He only knew that he had to find the queen and tell her of the plot to take her throne.
The full moon. What if I’m already too late? What if Ettrias got to her while Red Wolf wasn’t there?
He pushed the thoughts out of his head. There was no time to be thinking like this, not now. He resolved instead to work with what he knew to be true. Red Wolf and the others couldn’t have gone much further north due to the floods, and he doubted they would have any business going north anyway. If they had followed the road and encountered no difficulty, Morvale was closer and smaller than the other crossing on the fork. They were more likely to have gone there. If they’d vanished back into the forest and continued their journey there, Red Wolf would try to take the quickest route through Stormwood, cutting directly west. The other crossing would be a more likely place to look in that case.
Think, Rufus! You know Red Wolf. Would he follow the road?
No, of course not. The road was far too open, too easy for a tracker to follow. They would have gone south, vanishing into the forest, and…
And then he would have circled northwest again to Aldurin once he was sure he’d made their trail disappear.
Golmin changed course and headed for the southern crossing.
By the gods, I’m never forgiving him for leading me on this wild goose chase, he thought. If only the man would take a reasonable path like normal people, make it easier for him to track…
He understood the secrecy, though, especially in light of the treachery he and Master Corvan had uncovered. Wormwood’s rumours had already turned most of the kingdom against the queen. By the time she returned, he would have everyone convinced that she had fled Kies Tor and left her people to die at the hands of the Hellhounds. Her reputation would be destroyed, and Ettrias would become king.
Golmin wasn’t going to let that happen.
He would find them in the Draconian lands, explain the situation, and implore them to return. Wormwood and Highett would never expect it. They would be unprepared. Their plans would be dashed to bits.
Golmin put away his map and headed deeper into the forest.
XXI
The six of them had managed to make it across the rear courtyard and all the way to the steps leading down into the dungeons before two more guards stopped them. Kadis had been quick to spin the story they’d made up earlier to dismiss their suspicions, but it soon became apparent that these guards would not be so easily fooled. None of them had keys specifically for the dungeons, and Kadis’ master key for the keep would have raised far too much suspicion; only Ve’Tehll and the other insurgent leaders were thought to have copies after the end of the civil war.
“Say again. You have express permission to visit the dungeons for…what, exactly?” The first guard scratched his head. He was a short Drakel with scales the colour of sand and long horns.
“Just showing our guests around,” Kadis said.
“Our ‘honoured guests’ wanted to see the dungeons, of all places?” the guard lifted a scaled brow. His eyes narrowed.
Beside Talin, Ettrias’ hand inched closer to his sword hilt.
“Don’t,” she said in a low voice.
“They’re not buying this story,” Ettrias muttered.
“I’m sure we can call Ve’Tehll down here right now and have him confirm things, wouldn’t you agree?” the guard said.
“That won’t be necessary,” Kadis said. “Surely there’s no need to trouble our supreme leader for a matter so trivial…”
“I know you.” The guard made a low growl in his throat. “You’re the outlaw prince. Kadis.”
“I was really hoping we could ignore that part.” Kadis’ lightning-fast hook punch knocked the guard out cold. Red Wolf threw a jab at the other guard’s face before sending him to the ground with a kick to the liver. A choke from behind put him to sleep completely.
