Book Two : The Dragons Egg : VIII: The Wolf King: Gil : Draft

VIII

The Wolf King

Gil

In Gil’s mind, when looking back, it all rather happened in quite literally a blinding second. They were standing face to face with a great white wolf and then a blinding light hit his eyes and he fell to the moist forest ground, his knees thudding against a small, angular stone. What occurred next was beyond Gil’s understanding - he could hear the violent barks of the wolves who leapt upon him and then was surprised to hear human voices speak.

“Kya, hurry up!” a deep voice commanded close by.

“Aed?” Gil said aloud as he rolled about upon the ground.

“It’s okay Gil, it’s okay!” his brother replied, his voice shaking with fear. Now looking back, he wasn’t sure that his knee jerk reaction was the best way in which to induce calmness to the situation - however he violently searched the ground with his hands, looking for Aed, whilst kicking away at the rough hands of his torturer. His eyes were firmly shut, the blinding light causing a sensational whip of agonising pain in his head whilst a swirling tide of nausea formed within his stomach, until with one clean strike, he was knocked unconscious. When he awoke, his body was being thrown about in such a way that he found himself instinctively wrapping his arms about the neck of what seemed to be a wolf. His body had been tied to the body of the wolf and he could feel the swiftness of pace, his face being haphazardly attacked by stray branches. As he ventured further into the depths of Dulga forest he felt a strangeness pass over him ad wondered if he had been touched by the spell. Gil had heard many conflicting accounts of Dulga forest and the terrible spell cast over its victims- some old tales spoke of a dreadful curse that clung to the human soul and as its victim ventured ever closer to the heart of the forest they would eventually turn mad and some of the elders had said with heavy eyes, that when they finally reached the great river where the river fairies dwelled, they would gladly give up their life to the river queen, Aloura, who with her seductive singing and beauty would devour her victim and never would they be seen of again. Gil, his hands desperately entwined around the neck of a wolf suddenly felt his other, less used senses spring to life. He felt the thunderous thudding of the beast’s heart under his body and could feel the rise and fall of its chest as it ran like the four winds. But what chilled him to the bones was the loud wolfs cry, which echoed throughout the forest like the ripple caused when a stone falls into the water. An intense warmth from the wolfs body heated his own and brought a strange calmness to him as he learnt to adjust himself upon the wolf, angling his body in such a way that his shoulders and back did not burn or ache as heavily. Gil dipped his fingers into the heavy fur coat of the wolf and leaned his head down low, upon the side of the wolf’s throat and concentrated on his breathing. He could feel the other wolfs by his side, their large feet causing faint sounds upon the ground. He could also hear the grunts of his companions and the sound of their bodies crashing against their captors body, giving to him some hope.

Time seemed to stretch on forever and with it his body became weakened and sore, despite his attempts at relaxation. He could feel the little warmth from the sun fade away as the light began to fall behind the trees and the darkness of night quietly stalk over the heavy forest. With a heavy thud, his captor suddenly stopped sprinting and with surprise gentleness, Gil felt the wolf bend down towards the ground. With his ears he could hear a strange sound and then human voices once more took form. A pair of rough hands untied Gil from his captor and with swiftness he was brought to a tree and once more tied up, this time alongside what felt like Aed and Quill.

“Gil is that you?” Aed whispered heavily.

“Yes,” Gil answered quietly, his back rubbing alongside the hardness of the tree, the thick roots edging into his thighs and legs with pain. “Who are they? I thought wolves were extinct?”

“So did I.” Aed replied. Gil could feel his brother’s body move as though trying to close the distance between himself and Gil.

“Were in big trouble aren’t we?” Gil said with a sigh.

“Events are taking a turn for the worst, that much can be assumed,” Quill announced with a disgusted groan. “Can someone please explain to me who this black witch is?”

“Her name is Ethla,” came a shallow voice from behind the tree.

“Welsam?” Gil asked aloud, his body starting to chill from the lack of warmth.

“Yes, I’m here and so is Cadr, but he is somewhat without words,” Welsam replied, his voice thin and cracked, the trauma of the day’s events, evident in his words.

“What does she want with Dulga forest?” Quill said quickly, uncaring of Cadr’s condition.

“She is in search of Belnun’s cave,” Aed said clearly.

“But why?” Gil said, interrupting the conversation as he tried to move his body, the threat of earthly insects invading his body suddenly become a very real reality.

“She is in need of his bones it would seem,” Aed said simply as a gentle gust of wind swept over them.

“For some sort of spell?” Quill said, his voice tight and confused.

“We think she is trying to resurrect Belnun in order to use him as a weapon against Nuyay,” Cadr suddenly intervened.

“Galean’s dragon?”

“Without a dragon, Beon cannot hope to conquer his father or brothers,” Ade said in a fact of matter way, a manner which forced Gil to smile lightly. His brother’s defiant voice was a comfort in an unknown and perilous situation, giving warmth to Gil’s fears and soothing his thudding heart.

“If that is the truth of the matter, then we are doomed.” Quill said, his foot kicking out against a branch with fury. “Did she see you?”

“I’m not sure.” Aed replied, his voice aloft and quiet as though his mind had been transported elsewhere.

“If she thinks us taken hostage by these mongrels then I am sure she has long forgotten us.” Quill said soundly.

“We are wolfs,” a mighty voice intervened, causing Gil to suddenly sit up and turn his face quickly; searching for the source of the deep voice. “Not mongrels.”

“Is there much of a difference if you intend on devouring us in the same manner?” Gil said with courage, feeling his brothers body suddenly still with tension. Gil could feel a person standing before him, and felt his body lower itself down. He needed no sight to determine that the man’s face was suddenly a centimetre in front of his own, he could almost feel his warm breath upon his cool skin.

“We shall see. I have need of you for the present moment.”

“I see. So you will drain every minute detail from us and then devour us?” Gil said with disgust. The man suddenly laughed aloud as though in mockery of his prisoner.

“That depends on the information, don’t you think?” he said with ease.

“I cannot speak for my companions, but as for myself, I have no useful information in which to give,” Gil said with youthful arrogance, which betrayed his shaking fear.

“Ah to be young again,” the man laughed, suddenly raising himself from the ground and walking away. Silence fell upon the prisoners for a moment.

“Brother, I think you should be careful with how you deal with your current predicament, you are no use to me dead.” Aed said with conviction and brotherly concern. Gil didn’t bother to reply because in truth he knew his brother to be correct.

“Aed, should we tell these wolves about the witch?” Cadr said as Gil heard the sparks of a fire spring into life close by. He could feel a little heat reach his cold body and splayed his hands out towards the distant light that filled his darkened sight with a soft redness.

“It may keep us alive a little while longer?” Gil put in as he strained to move closer to the light.

“What if they are allies with this witch?” Quill interceded, his thigh touching Gils.

“That puts us in a fix,” Cadr replied coolly. “How can we make sure that they are on our side?”

“History,” came Welsam’s reply. Gil felt his brows furrow.

“History?”

“Do you remember the tales of Dinga and Tull?” Welsam said, his voice confident and strangely assuring.

“I am a little familiar with the tales,” Quill returned. “What about them?”

“They are based on the twenty years war between warring wolf clans of the north,” Welsam went on as Gil moved his legs with discomfort. “Dinga was the wolf king of a small tribe that lived beneath the Eerie Mountains of Galgor- close to Gaul city and Tull was the wolf king of a tribe that lived beneath the Dragna Mountains of Fiar.”

“I think I remember vaguely,” Gil said as his mind sieved through various childhood memories of himself and other young children sitting around large fires as the elders spoke of the terrible tales of Dinga and Tull. “Dinga and his tribe crossed the river of Fiar and moved north to the forest of Dragna, claiming the ancient wolf land as their own, but I cannot remember why?”

“It is said that Tull and his tribe had against the wishes of other prominent tribes, made an allegiance with the nightwalkers in order to bring an end to the rampant killings of innocent humans taking place throughout the kingdom of Meer,” Welsam explained, the air still and filled with electricity. Gil almost felt as though the wolves had fallen silent at Welsam’s words. “Dinga, steeped in the traditions of his people, rounded up his tribe from all over Galgor and together they moved north and invaded Dragna forest, thus initiating the twenty years war, in which many wolves, nightwalkers and humans died.”

“Yes and the High King Ballour sent a heavy group of soldiers to the Eerie Mountains and executed the leaders of the war,” Aed added, his voice etched with sadness. “Some say they killed women and children.”

“Strange tidings beseeched the kingdoms and after the slaughter of Dinga’s tribe, Tull and his own tribe went missing,” Welsam said quietly. “Many believed that they too had been slaughtered by Ballour and others believe them to have gone into hiding.”

“But what has this to do with the witch?” Gil said with an agitated groan, his skin covered in a cold sweat.

“Dinga sought the black witch out in her lair and pleaded with her to wage impenetrable horror upon Tull,” a deep and resounding voice suddenly interrupted, causing Gil to momentarily freeze. It was the same man with which had laughed at him earlier, and yet his voice betrayed no trace of jest or merriment. “She sought out Tull and his tribe, who had travelled south to the ancient site of Chethe, which lies east of the small town of Calnua, which lies also upon the northern shores of the river Fiar and the shores of Lake Meerethe,” the voice went on, this time crisp and unwavering. “Chethe is believed to be protected by an ancient spell and so Tull and his tribe thought themselves safe and protected, but the witch knew of such a spell and when she found them, she broke the spell and searched for Tull, his wife and children who were asleep as the sun was high in the sky. She cast a terrible curse upon them and brought them to the great stone table of Chethe and there she killed them, believing the royal line of Tull to have been terminated.” A long silence crept over the companions and their captors as the new information seeped into their minds. Gil felt his blood run cold through his veins. Everyone had always assumed that the Tull tribe, known for their courageous acts of compassion towards the nightwalkers to have been executed by the High King, it was why many of the nightwalkers, themselves in hiding had such hatred towards the King and had killed many galgorian men, women and children in the last decade. But had they known the truth, Gil thought, then maybe the future would have looked different.

“What happened to the rest of the tribe?” Welsam asked, his voice shaking with anxiety. Gil had known the fat Welsam since childhood and rarely did he ask or enquire of anything, his confidence being non-existent and his levels of courage also being non-existent. It was strange that he had suddenly come into his element, as though determined to keep himself and his friends alive, no matter the cost. A pulse of pride surged through Gil as Welsam talked.

“They were given a secret pardon by the High King and sent south to the forest of Dulga,” the man answered quickly and sharply.

“You mean….you…you are one of them?” Welsam asked shyly.

“Many believe that the black witch knows all, but she forgot that Tull had a brother who lived away from the tribe, not wishing to get involved in any more bloodshed. His name was Ulf and he was my father.” the man answered. “I am his son Uff and my brother Ulfr is now the king of our tribe.”

“So you are not working with the witch then?” Gil asked, his heart pumping hard.

“No we are not,” Uff replied calmly. “Though we believe you are.”

“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” Aed said simply, his body shaking with a fever. “We are connected to her not through want of such a connection but by what some would call fate.”

“Fate?” Uff said coldly, a silent laugh upon his lips.

“Brother, I would choose your words wisely,” Gil whispered under his breathe with rapid speed.

“Calm Gil, I know what I am about,” Aed said under his breathe.

“I wish I could draw courage from your words,” Gil whispered to himself.

“We come from the small village of Dulgar, upon the western edge of the forest,” Aed said loudly. Gil could see in the redness of his eyelids, moving forms coming closer to them and felt his body instantly plant itself into the roughness of the tree for safety. Some of the forms were upright and walking, whilst a few other seemed to be crawling towards him. One shadow in particular drew close to Gil and stopped before him. He could smell the meaty breathe of the wolf and felt nauseous. With surprise he did not feel as though the wolf was about to kill him, no he in fact almost suspiciously thought the wolf curious. “Our seerer spoke to me of the witch, and that she intends on stealing the bones of Belnun, I believe in order to resurrect him and use him as a weapon against Nuyay.”

Suddenly the wolfs began to speak in a language unknown to Gil, however the wolf that had been ever so close to him, stayed put as though guarding him. After several minutes of intense discussion, Uff came back to the companions.

“If you speak the truth, then there is no time for us to rest this night, however…” Uff stopped and Gil felt his eyes upon him. “If you lie, we shall find out and your chances of survival will be extinguished in one breathe.”

“I promise you, I am not lying,” Aed said with strength. “We wish you no harm, but I am afraid that Ethla will bring great trouble to your people and the forest. She must not find the bones.”

“Is that why you have entered the forest?” a female voice intervened, causing the companions to rustle slightly. Gil knew who had spoken almost instantly, the voice came from the wolf which stood close to him.

“Kya!” Uff scolded hotly under his breathe. Gil watched as the form of Uff came to stand before the wolf. “Do not speak!”

“Sorry uncle,” the young woman replied as she bent her head to the ground in submission. Gil smiled slightly as he tried to turn his head away in order to disguise his jest.

“What are your names?” Uff enquired, his voice a little softer.

“I am Aed, and to my right is Gil, my brother and to my left is Cadr a friend,” Aed said firmly. “Beside Cadr I believe is Welsam and to Welsam’s left is Quill.”

“You are their leader?”

“I am the son of the village leader yes.”

“Why have you come into the forest?”

“We enter the forest every year upon name day,” Aed replied. “The men who have come of age each take on the dare of sleeping under the forest for one night. It is a tradition among our tribe and declares a boy a man.” Gil could hear the soft laugh of the Kya as Aed spoke, a frowned deeply with anger.

“That is all?” Uff asked with surprise. “They sleep under the trees and thus are declared men?”

“Well yes,” Aed said, embarrassed and confused. Gil heard Kya say something aloud in their native tongue and cursed under his breathe when a great and thunderous collection of laughs filled the heavy air. To his left he could feel Aed’s dismay and to his right, Quill’s anger.

“How strange,” Uff spoke up, his voice now light and airy. “Your men must be soft like the gentle morning birds perched upon the branches.” Another great rumble of laughter erupted around them.

“Soft? Soft say you?” Gil exploded, his body now engulfed in a sudden flame. “You have the gal to call us soft?”

“A child can lie under a tree and still when they arise, they will arise a child,” Uff said with arrogance. “Our boys must face death and if they survive, then are made into men.”

“As is so with us!” Gil shouted with frustration. “You think that we simply lie under trees as though it meant nothing? This forest and the animals that live within have had us at their mercy and you think us silly for spending a night within its folds?”

“It is only a forest, boy,” Uff declared with an uncaring air about him.

“Not to us it isn’t,” Gil said with a flush. “Maybe to you animals it is, but to us it means certain death.” Suddenly a wolf pounced on Gil and he could feel the edges of its long teeth.

“Kya enough!” Uff ordered gruffly. “There is truth to his words.” Kya growled deeply into Gil’s ear before stepping away from him once more. “We do not kill humans.”

“You only cut out their tongues, yes?” Gil said with puffed out shoulders.

“No we have never encountered your kind in the forest before, it is a first for us,” Uff said with kindness.

“But our friend, he went into the forest and returned six months later without his tongue?” Aed said with a pleading voice.

“That was not our doing,” Uff returned sharply as though annoyed.

“Then whose was it?” Cadr interrupted.

“There are many a strange beings and animals that live within Dulga forest, it may have been the fairies or the nightwalkers.”

“Nightwalkers?” Welsam almost screeched.

“Yes, they live within Dulga, but have caused no trouble for us.”

“Maybe not for you they haven’t,” Gil said, almost regretting his words immediately.

“Those within the forest cannot risk being exposed to the outside world, if you enter the forest, you enter at your own risk. We must defend those who live here, those who be killed by your people, who do not understand them and who do not see them as their equal.”

“We are not all barbarians,” Aed said with kindness. “There are still those who would live side by side with magic as we did in the old days.”

“The days you speak of are long gone now,” Uff said with a groan. “War is upon the horizon and it will be those possessed of magic that will be the first to suffer.”

“Not by our hands!” Gil said with loyalty. “There are men even in our village who possess magic and we do not see them as a threat, we would protect them with the same loyalty as those without magic.”

“Unfortunately not all of Meer looks upon magic with such a liberal view,” Uff replied. Gil could see the tall man walk away from the companions and near the great fire. Kya held still, her eyes upon him.

“Can we have some water please?” Gil pleaded with the woman. “My friends and brother will need food and water for the journey ahead.”

“You are our prisoners not friends, why should we feed you?” Kya replied coldly. “You may be the death of us, to feed you would be to feed the enemy.” With that she leapt away from him and disappeared into the crowd of figures. Sometime later two young male wolfs came and gave the men some water and bread. Near to the fire several of their captors were immersed in a talk and before soon, when they had finished eating and drinking, they came to the men.

“We must leave now and make for our home,” Uff said. “We cannot risk you remembering the trail and so you must forgive us.”

“For what?” Gil enquired.

“For this,” Kya said with what Gil could almost feel was a smirk. A sharp blow hit his head once more and he fell into a darkness.

*

He could smell the fresh and fragrant grass as his face was pressed against the floor of the forest once again. Upon his skin he felt the sun’s rays for the first time in days and smiled, his mind swirling and his bones aching. If he was to die then he felt he had been given the precious gift of light as a departing gift and felt himself at peace. He had always known somewhere deep inside that his life would be short lived, he knew not how this feeling had come about or from where, it had been a feeling he had never openly discussed with anyone before, a feeling he had hidden from for years, replacing his fear with bothersome behaviour mainly consisting of alcohol and women. But now that he had had time to think about his future, he felt sure that the door to the next life was soon approaching him and in a way he felt at one with this fact, was he angry that he had nothing to show for his life? Yes, but most men lived lives of inadequate adventures, and most men never truly accomplished their desired dreams and in truth lived a monotonous life, each sharing in the same circle; birth, name day, marriage, children and death. Gil found that he was not supressed for anger with himself, he knew his life would be short, but his brother’s was only beginning. He had a wife and a child on the way and Gil would be damned if he was simply to be killed. No they may have never shared a close bond but he wouldn’t allow his brother to simply die and if that meant having to sacrifice himself, then so be it, there would be no greater honour than giving his life for the life of his brother, who was a greater man than he and who deserved to return from this nightmare alive.

Gil could feel Aed close to him, unnervingly quiet and still. As he calmed himself, he could hear the soothing ripples of water close by and wondered if they were near the river. A sudden shock hit him when he realised that he could hear the strange curling cries of Welsam and Quill close by and turned his body towards Aed.

“Aed what’s wrong with them?” he asked aloud as he tried to crawl towards his quiet brother. Reaching Aed, he tried to nudge him into life.

“There is no point in trying,” came a familiar female voice.

“What have you done to them!” Gil cried out as he tried to lift himself off the ground.

“I have done nothing to them, it is the spell that attaches itself to outsiders, it cannot be helped,” Kya replied as she helped Gil to his feet. “Do not worry, soon they will be as they were.”

“What do you mean soon?” Gil asked as he stumbled ineloquently on his feet. Kya did not respond, she simply took Gil by the arm and forced him to stop moving. He could feel her move behind him, her body warm and her scent a strange smell. Her breathe did not stink of meat as it had previously and he found himself strangely stirred as she untied his blindfold. It took him a minute for his eyes to reacquaint themselves with the light, but when eventually they did he found himself staring out at a great lake, its waters a cool aqua. With raised brows he looked up from the beautiful lake and found himself staring at the great mountains of Meer and without command, his mouth fell open with awe. They were so tall and commanding that he felt a shiver of fear run through him. Their seemed to be white tops somewhere hidden beneath heavy grey clouds which loomed over the mountains menacingly. Great mountain birds hawked loudly as they flew overhead and with strained eyes he could see several paths that made their way up the mountains. The most commanding mountain was before him, protected by at least a dozen or so smaller mountains at either side. He wondered to himself if the great mountain was home to Belnun’s cave, but a grunt from Aed brought him back from his awe struck silence and quickly he turned, thumping into a body. Quickly Gil stood back and the tall and strange woman before him. He had never seen a woman like her before. She was as tall as him and had golden hair of which he had never before seen, it was as gold as gold itself and it flowed down her snow white skin like a running river. She stood naked before him, her body covered by her thick and lengthy hair, which shimmered against the light of the sun. With a stunned breathe he found himself looking into her amber eyes and once again felt his mouth suddenly mould itself into an o. She had golden marks upon her face, which framed her brows and cheekbones. With a straying gaze, he found that her bare arms were too marked with beautiful golden patterns and wondered to himself how such a beauty could have been so carefully hidden away from the human eye. It was after a brief observation that he found Kya staring at him oddly.

“Hurry we must untie your friends,” she said roughly, turning abruptly from him and bending down before Aed. “Quick before the spell completes itself.” Gil immediately gabbed Aed’s unmoving body and helped him up onto his feet, where Kya untied the cloth from his head.

“Aed? Aed can you hear me?” Gil asked firmly, seeing his brother’s eyes glazed and unresponsive. About him he became aware that the rest of the group of wolves were now handling the other prisoners. Gil was struck with their rare and beautiful forms. He was struck the most by a man, who was the tallest among them all. He had pure silver hair that flowed about his body like Kya’s, his eyes where an unearthly silver and upon his skin was silver markings, not unlike Kya’s. He caught his gaze and held it for a moment before bowing his head.

“We must jump now!” he called out deeply.

“Jump?” Gil asked Kya who was now forcing Aed over to the edge of the river.

“Yes, come on!” she beckoned to him loudly.

“But why?” Gil said with a nervous smile. “Why are we jumping into a lake which is probably at least several degrees below zero?”

“You will see,” Kya smiled broadly, her amber eyes bright with jest. Gil came to the edge and watched on with horror as Welsam, Quill and Cadr who had all been suffering from delusional nightmares cast by the spell, were thrown into the water, their bodies submerging beneath its icy liquid, never to re appear.

“Where have they gone?” Gil cried out.

“You ask too many questions do you know that?” Kya said before kicking him in with one foot. He felt the ice of the water immediately strike his body as though he had been struck by a thousand arrows. He kicked his feet wildly, trying to swim his way up to the surface but found his body being tightly sucked downwards, the light of the sun fading with every metre that he descended. Fear, a deep black fear suddenly took a hold of him and he found himself encapsulated in a panic, his lungs filling with burning air and his heartbeat suddenly fading. Soon he was alone in the darkness, his body being sucked down what seemed to feel like a tunnel. He felt his body rushing along with the current as his lungs began to fail him and his head began to feel as though it were close to exploding. With a sudden kick from the current he was suddenly forced upwards and a great light hit his eyes and in what seemed to be mere seconds he found his body being pushed up to the surface of the water. Gil’s legs had turned to jelly and his lungs were so strained that to breathe the air once more pained him deeply. He cared not for dignity when he cried out for help, his arms, weak and feeble, flapping haphazardly above him. As he kicked and cried, he felt a pair of strong hands grasp him waist and pull him towards the shore, with speed he looked beneath him and could see her amber eyes, bright and fierce. Kya was pulling him to the shore and with one swift and strong surge, she threw him to the sand.

“Gil!” came Aed’s voice. Gil looked up, granules of sand stuck to the left hand side of his face. A pair of rough, men’s hands helped to lift him up from the sand and with anxious eyes, Gil found Aed’s blue eyes and smiled.

“Are we dead?” he asked as he coughed up water.

“No, we are alive,” Aed smiled as he helped Gil to sit up.

“You were strangely quiet and aloof when last I spoke with you,” Gil said with raised brows.

“I can only say that the spell cast over the forest, had indeed ensnared me,” Aed said with a thoughtful look.

“What happened?” Gil enquired seeing the distress in his brother’s eyes and knowing that something serious must have made itself known to him.

“There is no need to talk of it, it was only a spell and nothing more,” Aed lied, his eyes glazed with concealment.

“Why do I not believe you then?” Gil whispered as he suddenly became aware of a great crowd of wolves, encircling himself and his companions. It suddenly occurred to him that he, Aed and his friends were currently residing within an enormous cave. With enlarged eyes, he took in the beautiful cave, its walls adorned with precious jewels and pictures, painted in what seemed to be gold, silver and copper. The water of the small lake illuminated the ceiling, joining with the light of the dozen or so torches of fire. The sound of gentle, running water instantly brought a calmness to his traumatised body and with endorsed strength he brought himself to his feet and with the aid of his brother, walked over to Welsam, Quill and Cadr who were all huddled together quietly, each with their eyes upon the great walls. From the corner of his own eyes, he spotted Kya, now standing with an enormous man, who looked to be a few years older than she. He was tall, broad and lean with jet black hair and jet black eyes, and he looked like a great warrior with whom no one would cross. With a slight ache he observed the pair as they both touched each other’s forehead with their own a gesture in which many of the wolfs who had brought them here took part in with other young females.

“These must be the caves of Ballundan,” Welsam said with wonder, his large brown eyes filled with curiosity. “I read about them when I was a child. They are believed to be the first caves in which the wolfs of the north come from.”

“How long do you think it will be before we meet our deaths?” Cadr asked Aed, interrupting Welsam’s speech with coolness. Clearly in Gil’s eyes, Cadr cared not for the history of the caves and he shared in his nonchalant thoughts.

“If they wished us dead, then they wouldn’t have brought us here,” Aed said with a collected calmness, his blue eyes weary and forlorn. Once again, Gil wondered what had happened to his brother whilst he was under the spell of Dulga, had he seen something distressing?

“Here take these,” Quill suddenly intervened, pressing small, pointed sticks into the palms of his companions.

“Where did you get these?” Gil whispered to his friend, who now placed a small and sharp stick into his hand.

“I made them last night when you were busy talking,” Quill responded with a wink.

“Ever the planner,” Gil smiled in return.

“I…I haven’t killed anything before,” Welsam stammered to Cadr with pleading eyes.

“Don’t worry boy, I will guard you,” Cadr replied kindly, forcing a smile to formulate upon Welsam’s face. “Just you stay close to me alright?”

“Okay.”

“There are other ways in which to outsmart you enemy, just remember you have the knowledge and we the weapons,” Cadr said under his breath as Welsam edged his body closer to his strong protector. “Both are necessary.” Gil felt sorry for his friend, whose face was now a deep red. All his life he had been subjected to tortuous bullying by many young boys within the village and so spent most of his time cooped up in the great hall, with his books and the seerer. Gil had to admit with shame that he had been one of those boys who had plagued the life out of Welsam, not just for being fat but for being in their eyes, soft. It wasn’t until his sister’s death that he and Welsam had struck up a friendship of sorts. Gida had spent much of her time with the boy, both being avid readers and lovers of history and so in his grief, Welsam had bestowed upon Gil an endless discussion of his time spent with Gida, a gift which had brought back life to Gil and warmth to his hardened heart. He may not have been a strong warrior who could wield a sword or bow, but he had a great mind and a kind heart, two qualities many of his others friends lacked, qualities he too at times lacked. As he stood, deep in thought, the curious crowd before them suddenly fell to the ground like dogs and bowed. Gil watched on with curiosity as they kneaded their heads to the ground, their lower bodies perched up high in the air. Then he saw him, the great wolf king himself. He was mightier than Uff, who followed him through the crowd. He was tall, broad and terrifying, with silver hair, silver eyes and a great sword by his side. Gil could not deny the terrifying beauty that came to stand before them, and instantly felt his legs turn to jelly once more. About his body was a great cloak of grey fur, which covered his bare body. Yet like those around him, he had strange markings upon his skin which intrigued Gil. The cave drew quiet and Gil felt his body shudder with anxiety.

“You have brought great danger to my people and this forest,” Ulfr began with a raised voice. “If you believe that I can simply let you leave Dulga you are wrong.” As he spoke, Gil noticed his brothers face contort with concern. “There are rules that we must abide by and you my prisoners must also abide by them.”

“Brother, this is not necessary!” Uff whispered hotly. Ulfr held up a hand and suddenly with precision, Uff stepped away with his head bent.

“Who is your leader?” Ulfr almost barked. Gil looked to Aed with worry.

“I am,” Aed said plainly as he stepped forward and bowed.

“You say that Ethla has entered the forest?”

“Yes.”

“She is making for Belnun’s cave?”

“Yes.”

“And she wishes to resurrect him?”

“Yes.”

“Do you lie?” Ulfr growled as he walked over to Aed and circled him, a foot taller than the young man.

“No, I do not lie.”

“How can I be sure?” Ulfr teased mercilessly.

“You must send scouts to the cave,” Aed asked with his head still bent. “They will confirm that what I say is the truth.”

“I have already sent scouts, they will return shortly with news,” Ulfr said as he observed Aed’s body and face with curious eyes that seemed to penetrate everything in their midst. “But first you and your friends must prove their worth.”

“Prove our worth?” Aed said quickly as he lifted his blue eyes to the wolf king.

“You have the chance to keep your life if you are willing…”

“How?”

“You and your men must fight to the death,” Ulfr said coldly as he began to circle the rest of the company, his eyes falling to Gil with a sudden heaviness. Gil felt ice spike at his heart and instantly turned his gaze away from the wolf and let it fall upon Kya, who glared on with concern. With a sudden roughness, Ulfr forced Gil’s head back towards him. “Do not gaze upon my daughter or I will take your sight from you, do you hear?”

“I…I am sorry,” Gil said swiftly, his skin warming with embarrassment.

“Father, they are weak and in need off rest,” Kya suddenly intervened.

“This is no matter for you daughter,” Ulfr said with tint of warmth upon his words. “They will find their strength when faced with death, as we all do. It is the greatest task a man faces in his life. If he is truly a man he will be victorious.”

“We will not survive!” Aed complained with a new sudden wave of passion. “My wife and child will be awaiting my arrival home!”

“I care not for you or your family!” Ulfr growled, his growl so fearsome that the cave shook. “My loyalty is to my people and their safety and you have put all that into jeopardy!”

“Not intentionally!” Aed pleaded. Gil watched as Cadr stepped forward angrily, but sighed as his brother lifted and arm to keep him away. “We want to help you.”

“My people and kind have survived very well without the help of you humans!”

“But the world is changing my lord, the sky darkens and a time for cooperation between us has come,” Aed said with desperation. “A great and terrible darkness is about to descend upon us and we need your help as much as you will need ours in the coming months!”

“What help can you give to us human?” Ulfr said quietly. “My people bled and died for your kind and still we are exiled and outcasts.”

“Not in my eyes or the eyes of my companions,” Aed returned with closed fists and bright eyes. “If she takes the bones of Belnun, there will be no more Dulga forest, she will raise it to the ground and take out the very thing you are trying to protect.”

“The unity between man and wolf has long been broken, no war or second darkness could ever unite us again,” Ulfr said firmly, turning away from the companions. “Take a minute to think about your decision; certain death or the hope of life.”

Aed’s shoulders fell with strain as he turned to the rest of the group. Gil walked over to him and took him by the shoulders.

“We have no choice!” he pleaded. “We must fight.”

“You, myself, Quill and Cadr yes, but not Welsam, he will surely die!” Aed said under his breath as the companions huddled together. “He does not deserve to die.”

“I…I don’t mind fighting…” Welsam stuttered helplessly.

“No!” Cadr said with a stern look upon his youthful face. “There must be a way in which to protect him?”

“We have only two options, not three!” Quill said with a grunt. “We can protect Welsam if we fight together?”

“Quill’s right Aed, if we want to survive this and keep Welsam alive then we must fight as one, not separately,” Gil said as he rubbed his forehead, which was no aching and covered in sweat.

“Please, you don’t have to sacrifice yourself for me,” Welsam said with courage. “Let’s be honest, I have no chance of stopping this witch from what she is about to do, but you all do…you’re stronger than me. Even if we were to survive, the witch would kill me without a second glance… so the way I see it, I will die no matter what.”

“I refuse to believe that,” Cadr said protectively. “We will protect one another. If they want a fight then let us give them one.”

“We have no weapons!” Gil said through gritted teeth.

“We have our sticks?” Quill smiled in jest, his forced merriment bringing no comfort to Gil.

“Sticks? Against these beasts?” Gil argued hotly as he closed his eyes briefly. “Have you seen these wolves? Their nearly as big as us and that is in animal form.”

“I don’t suppose you would have any information that could somehow keep us from fighting Welsam? Any historical document or legal loophole?” Cadr asked the young man who was clearly in a state of shock and trauma.

“If only,” he whispered. “I know very little of this tribe, my only knowledge of them is through the Dangle and Tull tales.”

“Great were doomed!” Gil muttered with disgust. “Well I suppose it is better to die trying than not.”

“There must be honourable rules surely?” Quill asked Aed. “I mean we must be allowed to use swords at the very least?”

“Somehow I don’t think rules apply to us,” Gil returned as he glared at the ever growing crowd of men, women and children. He found Kya and held her gaze, pleading with her for help, but she merely looked away.

“Have you come to a decision?” A deep voice asked. The group turned away from one another and faced Ulfr. Aed took the lead and walked with strength towards the wolf king. Gil followed closely, his eyes on the five wolves that stood behind the king, ready and awaiting orders. Among the group of men was the terrifying man who had been at Kya’s side.

“This is not good,” Gil said aloud to himself as the man met his gaze and smiled.

“Is there no other way for this to be sorted out?” Aed pleaded with Ulfr and Uff.

“No, these are the rules to which you and other prisoners must abide,” Ulfr said with straightened shoulders. “You are fortunate enough to be given a choice.”

“Will our opponents be fighting as men or wolves?”

“As men, to ensure that both groups are on an equal footing, we are not barbaric,” Ulfr said with a smile.

“If we survive, do you promise to let us go free?” Aed asked as he prepared himself for what was to come.

“You will have your life, is that not enough?” Ulfr said firmly, his eyes betraying his anger.

“No.”

“You entered the forest knowing the risk you took, you are in no position to negotiate terms with me human!” Ulfr said aloud before turning on his feet and walking away. “Prepare yourselves.”

Aed came back to the group with worried eyes.

“Quill, Cadr, keep Welsam behind you at all times,” he ordered before turning his eyes to Gil. “Now is the time to prove yourself brother.”

“Let’s show these bastards how to play fisticuffs, shall we?” Gil growled as the turned and readied himself, marking out Kya’s friend as his first victim. He could feel his brother smile as he bent low and stared into his opponents jet black eyes. No, he would not die this day and neither would his brother and companions.



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