The Wolf
The First Tale From Carrock
Page 6 of 7
Cold wind pushed its way past the tightly closed shutters of Alick’s dismal den. The fire crackled, throwing odd shadows on the wall. Only two people were in the room. The taller was Onri, his dark eyes glittering in the dim light. Alick sat motionless in his high, black chair, eyes focused on a point beyond the walls. The younger man impatiently shifted his weight, watching his mentor in agitation. The wizard’s spirit was far and wide, searching for something. Far away, the Wolf was running west.
Suddenly the chest of the wizard swelled out in a calm breath. He expelled the air, eyes clearing. He registered Onri’s impatient glare complacently, rising and pouring himself a goblet of wine, which he drained before settling down in his chair and regarding his apprentice again.
“Dylan has found the Scholar, I believe,” he began slowly. “I cannot find him anywhere in Carrock, but I have discovered where Tabea is hiding.”
“So, will you disenchant her?” the beau asked eagerly. The wizard shook his head.
“No, because she first has to consent to becoming your woman and you know she won’t do that.”
“Even if freedom from enchantment is the prize?”
“Even then.” The wizard sighed. “Women are a lot more complicated than you think, especially when they are loyal to their men. If they are crazy, loose like your girls, then it is no problem to control them, but once they decide they will spend their whole life with someone and that someone promises the same to them ... it becomes very difficult. But now,” the philosophical tone left his voice, “we must prepare for his arrival. Stay away from the Pullenys. We must capture them in their human forms when my birthday arrives. That is the only day when I have no power whatsoever, but it is also the only day when Dylan á Carrock will venture to challenge me. I will be ready for him and so will you. Don’t let the women distract you, Onri, or else it will be your death.” He fell silent, brooding over his plans. And far away, the Wolf ran on.
The large black Cat was lying on the porch, quietly waiting. Three days since full moon. She was already sensing a change beginning in her. It was the same yearning she’d felt shortly before the freedom of full moon. She remembered joking and laughing with Stev and his family that night. They had all rested late into the day. Rest — that was all she’d done that month. No action, no challenges by Alick, nothing but watch the farm in silence. Sometimes the tall young man would talk to her in her own tongue. He’d told her that night of the full moon, that in six days she should be on the promontory with a package of clothes that Prisca would take with her and leave there in the morning. Then for once, she’d be human — fully human again. It would be wonderful!
The thunder of a horse’s hooves cut through her reverie. She instantly knew that it was a very light steed. She calmly rose and slipped into the bushes. Hidden among them, she watched a small white and brown beast quickly canter up to the farm. The rider was a dainty person sitting in side-saddle position. She was dressed in white with a large feathered hat on her head. Golden hair was carefully tucked up under it and her eyes were hidden by the broad brim. She slowed her horse with a light tug of her reigns. Tabea noticed fine lace gloves on her hands. The blue eyes slowly filled with a jealous disdain. The great Cat rose silently and paced after the beast, crouched as if ready to spring. The young woman halted her steed in front of the house, oblivious to the beast behind her, but the horse sensed Tabea’s presence, slightly dancing around. Suddenly it whinnied, rearing up. The girl showed her superb riding skills, staying in the saddle. The sound brought Stev rushing around the house and Prisca flying through the door, Mother Pulleny on her heels. The young man reached up and grabbed the bridle, making a soft whickering sound. In an instant the horse had calmed while the large Cat sat on her haunches, curiously eyeing the stranger. Stev shot a reproachful glance at her.
“I’m sorry the Cat surprised your horse,” he apologized to the girl. “She is actually quite harmless, unless she get suspicious of someone.” He paused a bit at a loss for words. “I’m Stev Pulleny.”
“My name is Alisande,” the girl answered primly. Tabea pricked her ears. “I was looking for Dylan á Carrock.”
“Uh — he’s not here now,” the young man told her. “He’s out and away.” Alisande nodded and slipped off her mount. It surprised him to find that she just barely reached to his shoulder. Something about her suddenly captivated him and he felt very awkward. His mother saved him from having to fumble for some words by stepping forward.
“Perhaps you would like to rest here, Lady Alisande?” she offered with a curtsey.
“I — I guess that would be all right,” the girl stammered, tearing her gaze away from the young man. The big Cat nosed up to him and nudged his leg. The girl looked down and screamed.
“Don’t worry, she won’t hurt you,” Prisca cried, running and putting her hands around the beast’s neck, as if to protect her from the other woman. “Tabea is nice unless she gets mad, right?” A soft purring came from the large throat and the big tongue came out to give the little girl an affectionate lick. Alisande put a hand to her chest, as if to calm her pounding heart.
“Prisca is right,” the young man said, the only one who really understood that Tabea wanted to speak to him. “I’ll be in in a minute.” The Cat freed herself from the girl’s embrace and padded behind the house, the young man following. Finally she turned and faced him. He sat down on a low pile of wood.
“Okay, what’s all this about?” he demanded.
“She’s Dylan’s foster sister,” Tabea meowed. “He told me about her when he’d returned at the beginning of the year.”
“Foster sister?”
“His father seems to have adopted her, Stev. I hope that her being here is okay. I’m afraid that it might be something that Alick had in mind. You know about the Lady Roanna, don’t you?”
“I knew that she was Alick’s sister, yes, but what does this Alisande have to do with it?”
“She might or might not have something to do with ‘it,’ but let’s be careful. Don’t mention what I told you and don’t tell her who I am, okay?”
“Okay. Let’s go in the house.” He got up and she followed him, her sleek fur glistening in the morning sun. Deep in the woods the Wolf was moving at high speed towards his destination. It would not be long now.
Alisande had taken off her hat and gloves and was uncomfortably sitting at the kitchen table. A ray of sunshine from the window lit her pinned up hair like a shimmering head covering of gold. Her cheeks were reddened and her healthy, youthful beauty struck Stev like an enchantment, ensnaring him stronger than a thousand steel ropes. What was so capturing to the young man was registered with cool rationality by Tabea, who padded over to a sunny spot under the window and laid down, eyes half-closed, but always watching the stranger.
“Have you come a long way, m’lady?” Mother Pulleny asked, putting a rough cup full of fresh milk in front of her.
“Yes, I have — from Enfurt.”
“That’s a long way,” Stev commented, sitting down across from her. “What would make you travel so far?”
“My — my foster father Colyn á Carrock died,” she answered in a trembling voice. “It was so sudden. I — the only thing I could do was to find Dylan. It had to be Lady Roanna. I never liked her too much.” The young man glanced at the Cat. The big head just barely nodded.
“Where did she go?” he asked.
“Back to Carrock. She gave me these silly clothes and the horse. We traveled almost to the castle. Shortly before we got there I fled. I think she’ll be able to find me here quickly.” The gray eyes looked liquid. “Please help me. I don’t want to go to that crazy wizard and I know the lady can’t stand me. She said that some man named Onri had asked for my hand.” A quiet hissing came from the Cat at the mention of the beau’s name. Alisande looked at her, shocked.
“Onri is hated by all creatures around here, almost as much as Alick himself is,” Mother Pulleny explained gently.
“We’ll help you, Lady Alisande,” Stev told her. “What could we do first?” She looked at her flashy garments and smiled shyly.
“Would you have some decent clothes?” she asked timidly.
“Tabea?” The Cat purred her consent to letting the girl have some of her clothes.
“That’s that then,” the young man laughed. “Mom will get you some.” Tabea rose and slipped out the door. A few moments later there were sounds of careful footfalls on the roof. The Cat turned her sensitive nose and ears to the road and waited. And the Wolf ran on.
The wait wasn’t too long. Evening was just beginning when about fifteen mounted men rode up to the Pullenys’ farm. None noticed the motionless beast sitting on the roof of the porch.
“Stev Pulleny!” the leader thundered. The young man came around the house, carrying an axe.
“Ah, Phillip, has Alick enlisted your help again?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I don’t like this either, but there was a slave girl who escaped the Lady Roanna’s entourage. Alick wants her found, or else I’ll lose my head and so will these men.” He raised his gloved hands apologetically. “I hope you haven’t seen her.”
“I have,” the young man admitted staunchly. “She’s here and you can tell Alick that. You can also tell him that she’s under my protection and that of Dylan á Carrock, being his foster sister.”
“What? Who told you that?”
“She did — and so did Tabea, for that matter. She won’t be leaving here until Dylan has his rightful place again, Phillip. Tell your wizard that.”
“Hey, Sir Phillip,” a soldier with a scarred face snapped, “are we going to let this brat tell us what to do? It’s fifteen to one!”
“Shut up!” the leader shot back. “This young man happens to be my friend and I respect his protection and territory.”
“Well, I don’t. I’m getting that girl and the money.” He made to dismount, drawing his gun. In the same instant a black blur shot from the roof, bowling him over. The Cat was now sitting on his chest, forepaws on his shoulders, breathing down on his face. His eyes widened.
“Aiiee! The hell-cat!” he screamed trying to push the beast off. “Get it off me, get it off me!”
“Tabea!” The Cat retreated, hissing. The blue eyes were livid, the fangs and claws bared. This was the one thing they feared as much as the Wolf.
“I’m sorry to have to threaten you, Phillip,” Stev said quietly, “but if you and your men don’t leave within ten seconds, I’ll let the Cat go.” The rider smiled confidently and winked.
“Okay, Stev.” He made a sign with his right hand. I’ll be back tonight. Then he raised it over his head and signaled his riders. They turned and left the place, shaking. And the Wolf was now nearing his destination, no more than forty miles away.
Roanna stood by the fireplace of her room, watching the leaping flames dully. Alick faced the window, staring at the coming night.
“Good timing in killing him,” he remarked sarcastically. “And a good thing to lose that fool girl, too. Now they will know about it.”
“I couldn’t stand the old fool anymore,” she snapped. “And that girl was so cute. I wish I could have kept her.” The wizard turned around.
“He never knew who you were, did he?”
“No, unless someone else told him.” Alick nodded to himself and looked back out the window.
“Time is growing preciously short, sister,” he hissed. “My birthday is one day away and Dylan is closing in on us. I believe the end is near.”
“Don’t say that, my lord,” she answered, taking a seat by the fire. “You still have some tricks up your sleeve, don’t you?” He looked at the sky with a melancholy attitude.
“I can’t find him, Roanna, no matter how hard I try. It’s like trying to look into a cloudy lake. You can’t see the bottom. I sense that even the Word has turned against us. Where did I step over the line? What border have I broken? I’ve adhered to all the laws written in the books. I never did anything to call this wrath down on me.” He lowered his head. “I’m afraid, for the first time in my life, deathly afraid. For the first time a mere man will have power over me. But I won’t let that happen.” His head snapped up, the dark eyes burning with hate. “I will kill him first.” With that he turned and stalked from the room, leaving the Lady Roanna to stare into the flames and ponder his words.
Moving quickly and silently, the Wolf was nearly at the great promontory. The sun was going down in the west already. He didn’t have much time to find the place he’d hidden his clothes. This would be the last time. Now he’d break the power of Alick.
“The Word is with me,” he repeated to himself. The assurance of that small sentence gave him confidence. He would make it, fatigued as he was. Six days of non-stop running. Twice he’d been spotted by men, but they hadn’t been able to get him. Now he had very little strength left, but he knew he must get to the promontory first. He looked up, there it was. He painfully climbed the slope. There was still an hour till sundown. He’d made it! Slowly he laid his weary bones down beside the small cave where his clothes lay. He could rest until the sun disappeared.
Tabea had been impatiently waiting since noon, watching the east for any sign of the Wolf. She was certain that he’d arrive soon and wanted to be the first to see him. Still, idling makes one bored and it is often difficult for some people to do nothing but watch for someone when bored, so Tabea did what would be natural to a cat — she began to wash herself. She finally got so engrossed in her project that she missed the gray shadow sneaking by below the great rock and away to the small cave that she knew nothing about. When she was finished, she turned and watched east again. There was no sign of the Wolf. Slowly worry began to creep up in her, along with that pins-and-needles sensation. What if he didn’t make it? Where would he take on his human form? Could she find him in time? While she was pondering these questions the sun vanished behind the mountain The prickling suddenly became a white-hot flame and she cried out, a high-pitched cat-wail echoing among the cracks of the mountains.
Slowly she pushed herself up, rising on her feet, straightening, a full woman again. For an instant the moon caressed her supple form before she bent to retrieve the clothes that lay beside her. She dressed quickly, feeling the warming comfort of the rough cloth on her skin. It was not very chilly, but she knew that she was now fully human again and that ran icy thrills of joy up and down her spine. She stood hugging herself, looking out at the wide valley in front of her. Suddenly she heard a silent footfall and turned. A tall figure peeled itself out of the shadows, coming towards her in a stride she knew so well. She rushed into his arms with a little cry of joy.
“Dylan, you made it!” He just silently stroked the long, golden-brown hair, his eyes closed. Tired, just so tired! was all that passed through his dulled mind.
“I’ve missed you so much,” the girl in his arms was whispering.
“So did I, Tabea,” he managed to say, finally letting go of her and sinking on to a large rock behind him. She caught the fatigue in his green eyes and haggard face.
“You need to rest, Dylan,” she told him, suddenly worried that he’d collapse on her. He just nodded and rose again with extreme effort.
“Come.” She slowly led him down the hill to where Stev had hidden two horses. They mounted and quickly moved towards the Pulleny’s farm, some miles north and west of there. As they rode, the young lord told his lady what he’d found out.
“This is going to be a battle between me and Alick, Tabea,” he sighed wearily. “No one else will be able to help, except in keeping everyone else away.” She just nodded silently. Finally the winking lights of the farm were in front of them. He reigned his horse to a halt in front of the house and climbed off, putting one hand against the wide flank of his steed to steady himself before slowly proceeding up the steps to the porch. Someone must have heard his heavy footfalls, for the door swung open and a slight figure rushed through it, throwing her arms around him. After a moment of surprise he recognized her.
“Alisande!” She stepped back and regarded him in a shy fashion. “What are you doing here?”
“I ran away from Lady Roanna,” she said, a silent sob shaking her body. “She — she killed our father.” Now he took her in his arms to comfort her.
“It’s all right, little sister. Father is probably happier where he is now than when he was here.” He released her and then turned to Tabea, who was just behind him, taking her hand to show that actually they belonged together. With utmost effort he walked into the room and sank down on a bench, leaning his back against the wall.
“Hello, sir,” he heard Stev say. He just barely nodded back.
“He needs to sleep,” Tabea announced, trying to cover her shock over the pallor of his face. She gently ran her hands through his thick red-brown hair. He managed to give her his winning smile. With united strength they were able to heave him up off the bench and lead him into the spare bedroom where Alisande had slept the night before. He collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to remove his cloak and sank into blissful night.
The sun was already peeking through the window when he awoke. Someone had taken the time to undress him and carefully cover him up. Now he rose, finding new clothes on a low chair beside the bed. He pulled on the pants before going to the low wash basin and splashing his upper body and neck with the cool, refreshing liquid. It’s just what I need, he thought. Somehow the exhaustion had totally vanished through those short hours of sleep. It couldn’t be more than two hours past sunrise. Now he finished dressing in the wide, soft tunic and pulling on the rough socks and heavy boots. There was also a light belt with a holster on it. The pistol was lying on the night stand, wrapped in a soft, white cloth. He unwrapped it and checked its function, then wrapping it up again and putting it back down. He left the gun belt lying on the chair and went out into the main room. Everyone but Stev and Alisande were there, busy with various chores. His clearing his throat made them notice him.
“Good morning, people,” he laughed as Tabea flew at him in a joyful embrace.
“Oh, Dylan, you’re finally up,” she whispered.
“Yes and feeling better every minute, lady love,” he answered, putting one arm around her shoulders and directing her to the kitchen table in the middle of the room.
“Where’s Stev?” Tabea giggled to herself before answering.
“He went out to do some chores in the yard and Alisande followed him.” The young lord raised one eyebrow. “I think she’s fallen for him,” his lady surmised.
“It very well could be. I just hope that she won’t keep him from doing his chores and that he will have a clear head to help me in my last battle against Alick.” The mention of the wizard suddenly sobered Tabea, who sat up straight and stared out the window.
“But I could use a little breakfast,” he announced with a smile. Mother Pulleny just laughed and placed a hunk of bread, a bowl full of butter, some jam, and a mug of fresh milk in front of him. He busied himself with the good food and after a short time was finished. He rose, wiping his hands on a wide cloth napkin.
“Now to find Stev,” he said and left the house, trailed by Tabea. After some searching they found the two young people in the barn, the girl milking the cows and the young man getting hay out of the loft for their morning meal, before being let out to pasture.
“I see you’ve put her to work,” Dylan called to announce himself.
“She wanted to,” came Pulleny’s voice from above.
“I would rather say that she did not want to let you out of her sight,” the young lord explained with a wink. “But we have to get going and find the others.”
“I’m coming,” Tabea announced.
“Me, too,” Alisande chimed in. The young lord shook his head.
“No, you’re both staying here. We’ll be meeting at my log hut this afternoon around four. You can come there if you want to — but no disguises, okay?” They both nodded. Tabea put on a pretty pout and wound her arms around his neck.
“Are you sure, love?” she asked.
“About your staying?” She nodded. “Absolutely.”
“All right, I’ll stay here, after all I am a farm girl.” Dylan laughed quietly and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Finally Dylan and Stev were alone again, riding through the woods towards the little log hut that had been the young lord’s favorite hunting place. The horses needed little guidance, being Dylan’s own dappled gelding and Stev’s black mare. They’d been here often by many, many different paths. The young lord smiled at his one-time playmate.
“You’re quite thoughtful, Stev,” he remarked.
“Huh?” The other shook his sandy head. “I can’t get that girl out of my mind,” he admitted with a grin.
“Alisande?” A nod answered.
“Hm,” Dylan mused, “she did have quite a dreamy quality about her when she looked at you. Have you spoken to her about it?”
“I’ve only known her for a couple of days. I don’t want to jump on her in that way.”
“You don’t believe in ‘love at first sight’?” Stev shook his head.
“No, I believe that there is infatuation at first sight, but love has to develop — like it did with you and Tabea.” The young lord smiled sadly.
“I didn’t have the courage to ask her to be my wife until some time after we’d slept together. I feel rather bad about that, considering all the trouble that my father caused by a similar action. Maybe I should be the one to go into exile, Stev. I just don’t understand it.”
“Forget it for now. You first have a bone to pick with Alick and then I thought you were going to have your wedding.”
“But don’t tell anyone about that yet, okay?” Dylan commanded with a grin. “I’m not even sure if Tabea is aware of my plans.”
“Oh, she’s aware all right. She told me herself.”
“Good, that simplifies things for now. But here we are.” They’d just broken from the wood and come into the small clearing where the little block hut was standing. Dylan dismounted and stretched his legs before tying up his horse next to the others that were already there. He surveyed the area, realizing what a security risk he was taking. There would be watchers about, he knew that and Alick knew that he knew it. It made him grin to himself as he entered the room. The six men and two women were already there.
“My lord!” The first that came forward was loyal old Roche. He looked as if he’d had a rough time since Dylan had seen him last.
“Are you all right, old man?” he asked affectionately.
“As well as anyone who escapes Alick’s prisons, sir,” he answered with a straight face. Dylan looked around at the others. All but one were of the Gentry of Carrock. There was Phillip and Poul, Enfer and Galbin. Last of all, Will Michou was standing behind all the rest.
“So here’s my informant, eh, Will?” The barkeep just smiled quietly. “But I know that you can rally more men than any of the others here.” He looked at them silently, thinking for a long moment. Finally he leaned on the table and looked each of them in the eye. “I have a plan, ladies and gentlemen, and all of you have to help me with it, otherwise Alick will have his power in full. We must be finished by midnight tonight. Now this is what we’ll do...”
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