Wolf Curse (Midnight Wolf Curse Book 1) Page 2

  Alcar had used the most eloquent pronunciations in his words and I just knew I couldn’t get away from this one; no matter how hard I wished he would wait until tomorrow.

  “Your Majesty,” he then greeted my father as he jumped off his horse.

  “What’s the urgency, Alcar?”

  “Your Majesty, I believe that to be a matter for inside the walls of the court and away from prying ears. But I can assure you the matter is most pressing.”

  “Very well,” Father sighed, “Summon the Courtess, the Master of Coins, the Spell Master and the Commander of the Palace Guards to court, and we will convene momentarily.”

  All the four counsellors stood straight, like stuck up snobs holding their breaths, but it was Alcar who conveyed the message.

  “Your Majesty, The Commander of the Guard had to take action in your absence. He has led a battalion to the Wolf Temple.”

  Father’s temper exploded. “Our commander, on wolf territory! What the hell’s going on?”

  3

  CHAPTER

  “There was a letter delivered, Your Majesty. The Commander read it…” Alcar glanced around at the other servants, “but we should really discuss this in court.”

  “Even the dead wouldn’t wait for court in the light of this. I must recall the troops or there will be war. Athroxane!”

  I snatched my leather gloves out of Kerri’s hands, rushing towards Mazzi. “Coming Father.” All hope of having a calm evening with a hot bath was shattered.

  Andreas’s horse neighed as he harshly veered it around, setting off at a gallop after Father. Vargo gave me a leg up on Mazzi and was up on his horse before I had even got mine in motion.

  “Ya, ya!” I kicked my heels into Mazzi’s flank and sped after Father and Andreas.

  I couldn’t tell whether it was my heart, or Vargo’s horse’s hooves behind me, that pounded in my ears. This wasn’t going to be a quest like the others with my father; this was serious. The Commander had trespassed on wolf shifter territory. On treasure hunts we always stayed within the parameters of safety, this time we weren’t avoiding the danger; we were heading straight into the heart of it.

  We soon arrived at the edge of the Fairola jungle, and my aches and pains disappeared in a rush of adrenaline as we spared no time to rest but barged forwards on foot, having left our horses to graze on the other side of the dense vegetation. The humid air trapped inside the thick greenery that was tunnelling around us made it hard to breathe. Every tree, with its twisting limbs, either blocked our way or revealed a new path to tread.

  It would be easy to get lost if you didn’t know the way. I took high steps to follow my father, ensuring I wouldn’t trip over any curling tree roots hidden under the clusters of tropical plants and colourful flowers. The pollen that floated in the air glittered like a thousand shining stars as they were intercepted by the few sun rays, which had managed to penetrate the canopy roof. Butterflies and birds fluttered around us relishing the light – the sight of them was a good indication that we were trekking close to the river as the insects never drifted too far away from it.

  Then again, neither did the wild cats, baboons, or the wolves as they battled for the same luscious territory. The other animals who were lower down in the food chain, strayed farther away from the river and only circled back when they needed fresh water. Just like us Fae did.

  A dimness like the murky light during a cloudy day, had swept over the forest by the time we reached the river in the west. The river fractured the two territories, and we were about to cross that line. When I saw that river, warning bells rang on high alert in my mind.

  Never cross that boundary!

  Father had forbidden me time and time again, not ever to go anywhere near this boundary. Fae didn’t belong on the other side of it – on the other side, we were the game and not the hunters.

  I wanted to turn back. I was already exhausted after our recent treasure hunt, and there was only one other area that I despised more: Alpha Mounty’s territory in the volcano pass in the south. That place even terrified my inner diva.

  But so far, we were still on Fae territory; all but my toes that I dipped in the ice-cold spring water dividing the lands between wolf and Fae. It wasn’t as cold as holding a blue magic cord, but I would never dip more than my toes into this temperature. The shallow stream that rippled over my toes and pebbles was as clear as the purest glass, flowing from the Fairola jungle in the north to Alpha Mounty’s volcano district in the south.

  I cupped my hands to pick up water to drink, seeing a wavering reflection of myself in my palms. I sunk my lips under the surface to suck it all into my mouth. It was so refreshing I almost forgot the imminent hardships ahead. Nonetheless, I was reminded that we weren’t on safe ground when Vargo’s boots appeared in my peripheral view as I sat squatted down.

  “Princess, we should move away from the open,” Vargo warned.

  “Give me a moment, Vargo,” I snapped, tired of him still seeing me as the small child I was when we’d first met. “Are you not going to drink?”

  He hunched down beside me without his gaze losing its focus on the jungle on the other side of the river.

  “We must be quick, Princess.”

  “Relax Vargo,” Andreas said squatting down on my other side. “The entire Fae guard is out in these woods on their way to the wolf temple. They are probably only a whistle away.”

  Father grunted at the remark. “Are they faster than the baboons though?” he challenged as he too drank his fill.

  Andreas turned his head pensively. “Then Roxie will be the only survivor, as I’ve seen her run faster than a Fae on fire when cook Clarence catches her nicking chocolates from the kitchen.”

  I giggled in my hand. “And she’s more vicious than a baboon when she snags me, I’ll tell ya!”

  Father and Andreas laughed; they knew what I was talking about.

  Big, brutish, and totally belligerent, Clarence would be a good match with Vargo; he didn’t have any humour either. Some said his heart was as black as his hair.

  I didn’t even get a smile out of Vargo. He stretched out his hand to me, his face pure with duty. “Princess, let me help you cross the river.”

  “Why? Not even a baby ant could drown in it. I think I can manage to skip across it without suffering fatal injuries.”

  I put my boots back on, tying the leather all the way up to my knees. I loved those boots. The bleached horse skin was even whiter than my hair. I stood and flicked my hair so it spread over my shoulders.

  “Please,” Vargo pleaded, holding out his hand. “The stones can be slippery.”

  I didn’t want to offend his honour, so I took his hand. He squeezed it too hard over mine as we suddenly heard a sharp baboon cry. We all looked up at the treetops. What frightened me more than the actual notion of company was that it sounded like a warning scream rather than a hunting call.

  We aren’t the ones being hunted; the baboons are.

  Whatever was coming after them, making hundreds of balls of brown fur swing past us, wasn’t going to be child’s play for us four either.

  Vargo yanked his bow over his head and anchored an arrow into position. Andreas unsheathed his sword to hold it up in front of him, and Father started to weave a blue cord.

  I had just frozen, but the fervour of terror warmed my chest around my thumping heart. My eyes darted from bush to tree to rocks, trying to establish from where the beast might attack.

  4

  CHAPTER

  I managed to get my wits together and slid an arrow from the quiver on my back to anchor in my bow, ready to shoot. My pulse was still racing when the sound of the stressed baboons faded.

  What was going to be creeping out of the long grass?

  Beige fur and bright yellow eyes swished past within the dense vegetation. It had been so fast I couldn’t see where it had gone and I swept my arms along, aiming my arrow at the swaying tall grass. A large cat stepped out into the open, glaring at us. She
pumped her paws at the ground, her shoulders bobbing up and down in concentration. By the look of her ribs she appeared starved but she planned to pounce no matter what the odds were. It was do or die.

  These wild cats were fast and strong and could take down one or two Fae easily, but we were four Fae. She took her time inspecting us, obviously knowing she would need to be cunning to win.

  Father’s cord was the length of an arm by the time he had to stop to rest his energies.

  Vargo turned his head in Father’s direction. “Shall I fire, My King?”

  “No, wait until she has decided to attack. If you miss, there is a good chance she would be quick enough to harm one of us before we have her under control. Athroxane, you give it a shot; it’ll be good practice.”

  The feline hissed at us like a cat would at its master who had suggested giving her a bath.

  “Me?” I didn’t want to kill it, and I didn’t like doing the blessing ritual to honour its life afterwards. “And what then? We would have to drag her with us on the entire hike to the wolf temple?”

  Andreas flashed a grin. “Well, she is lighter than any of us,” he joked, but I understood his point.

  If I didn’t kill it and it killed one of us, we would have to drag a friend to the temple instead, so I tightened the string, supported the knuckle of my thumb on my cheek, and closed one eye. With my open eye, I looked into the wild yellow globes. She could be a mother, a passer-by, or an innocent not even intending to strike and I was prepared to defy the law of life that the holy Fae Mother had created.

  I hesitated, tasting bile raise up in my throat to coat my tongue. My muscles had started to give in and my hands had begun shaking. My aim couldn’t possibly stay true now, but if I missed, and Vargo missed, she would dig sharp claws into Andreas who was standing closest to her.

  I couldn’t hold onto the feather any longer as quivering muscles compelled my fingers to release the arrow. The white feather whizzed past my eye and the black arrowhead brushed the wild cat’s back before drilling itself into the ground.

  I’d missed.

  The cat jumped at Andreas so quickly that Vargo couldn’t release his arrow in the fear of making Andreas the target. Paws with extended claws tore Andreas’s clothes and blood stained the fabric. Father launched himself fearlessly over the beast, strapping the blue cord around her neck. He screamed as the magic froze his blood; that’s how I was certain it was a strong cord he had woven. The cat roared too, its life draining, sucked up by Fae Magic.

  The muscly cat twisted as she writhed in pain. She swept her front paw around her back to rid herself of her enemy, striking the side of Father’s torso. He stumbled to the ground and the cat flew at him like a full-fledged eagle before I could load another arrow. Vargo barged towards them with a bull-like charge, circled the feline’s waist and wrestled her to the ground not hesitating to sacrifice his life for the royal family; he never had.

  I was still aiming my arrow but didn’t get a clear angle to shoot. Andreas raced towards the fight, bending down to pick up his sword where he had dropped it earlier and jammed the blade into the cat’s side before the animal could sink its fangs into Vargo’s neck.

  The beast slumped on top of Vargo – there was no more sign of life. My knees buckled and, as I dropped onto my bottom, my lungs emptied from the relief.

  It was over.

  Danger averted.

  For now.

  Hopefully, the baboons wouldn’t return to see what had become of the wild cat, to see it dead and us alive, and no longer be afraid of attacking us.

  Andreas helped Vargo up onto his feet. “Thank you, Master Blackstorm,” Vargo remarked.

  Andreas moaned a reply of welcome and clutched his side, his hand coming out bloody from under his cloak when he brought it out again.

  Father glowered at me.

  “You missed.” He pointed at Andreas’s side. “You’ll heal that.”

  Andreas sat down on a knee-high rock. He loved being glorious and tough but also adored receiving the gentle care of women. Father didn’t like it when his attention was directed at me, but this time it was my fault to correct; my wound to heal. I could be sure that Father was going to put me in extra archery lessons when we got back home to the castle.

  “Where were your guards, My King?” Andreas mocked, as he lifted his well woven tunic to expose his damaged flesh to me.

  “They are probably defending my honour.”

  I didn’t want to look up at the men and just hoped Andreas was not going to challenge Father’s comment. I poked extra hard at Andreas’s raw flesh to distract him. He moaned, twisting his head down to give me a questioning stare.

  I averted my gaze. “Just checking how deep it is so I know what size to make the healing cord.”

  There were four cuts; one from each claw, but they weren’t deep. I could make four small strips of cord rather than one wide long one. It would take a little longer to do, but that would teach him not to backtalk my father.

  I focused the Fae magic between my thumb and index finger, rubbing hard and fast, the warmth from the friction creating a yellow glow.

  “Sinsra livris meris, sinsra livris meris, sinsra livris meris.”

  Andreas had already started a thread himself, so I stopped the process and all the power faded. I looked up at Father as an apprentice seeking advice from her master.

  “What are you doing?” Father asked Andreas. “Athroxane must honour this to bless the Holy Fae Mother. It was her mistake.”

  “Relax, Trevor. I wasn’t shaming her in front of our Fae Mother, I was just helping her along a bit, or this’ll take longer than we have to spare. The other wild animals won’t stay away forever and the longer we take to reach the wolf temple the more likely it is that we arrive at a war zone.”

  Father grunted but didn’t prohibit his actions any further.

  I started again, Andreas mirroring my motions.

  “Sinsra livris meris, sinsra livris meris, sinsra livris meris.”

  When my cord was the length of my finger, he focused his gaze on me.

  “Ready?”

  5

  CHAPTER

  He inhaled. “Together on three.”

  I panicked, shaking my head. “But won’t that be more painful for you?”

  His lips curled up to a half smile. “Yes, but less painful for you Princess.”

  Behind me, Father grunted but I didn’t look.

  I was his only heir, and I knew he wanted me to learn the tough lessons of life and not receive the cushy princess treatment. I needed to know how to rule Fairola Kingdom when that time came.

  My mother had been a role model of a queen before she died. Everyone wanted to know, or be, Sandra Crowford, and it was a terrifying reputation to live up to. I hoped my father would never leave me in charge; he was better off training any of his commanders to become the next king than trying to shape me into a lady. I knew the laws and customs like the back of my hand but not because I’d studied them with great enthusiasm, no, only because I had been dragged through the boring ordeal; following in my father’s footsteps. My passions were the treasure hunts for ancient artefacts, travelling the world and seeking out adventures. Like the one we’d just been on, but as all adventures, they come to an end and now it was time to return to the castle life and uphold my duties.

  Andreas tapped my hand for attention. “So…together on three?”

  I nodded at Andreas, arranging the cord by laying it straight in my palm, readying to press it against his bleeding wound.

  Andreas raised his eyebrows at me. “One.”

  I placed my hand below the lowest cut.

  “Two,” he murmured as his neck compressed, and he looked down at his chest.

  “Three,” he called before screaming with his mouth closed as we both pressed the threads between the flaps of broken skin.

  “Sinsra livris meris.”

  A flame ignited in my chest; a sensation like streaming fire gushed down my s
pine and legs, and it felt like someone had placed hot onyx along the length of my forearms.

  “Sinsra livris meris,” I called again.

  My throat burned in my effort to force back the tears.

  The closing wound finally dissolved the cord and the effects ebbed away. I panted hard to catch my breath, as I inspected the area. The cord had been strong enough to heal the skin together without leaving a visible mark.

  I was relieved; I didn’t want to use the painful magic more than necessary.

  Andreas poked around with his fingers to inspect my work.

  “Good job, Princess.” He chuckled and winked at me. “Ready for the next go?”

  I looked at the next wound, which was still oozing fresh blood. This wound was much larger.

  I let out a sigh and nodded.

  But before I put my fingers together, Vargo’s voice rumbled behind me. “My King, let me heal Master Blackstorm in the princess’s stead, so she can regain her strength.”

  Father started preparing to leave, threading on his shoulder bag and folding his arms into the straps of his quiver. “No! She must learn to be accountable for her own actions. Athroxane, again!”

  I used my left hand this time to weave the cord, as my right hand was still throbbing. The more I worked away on the cord, the fainter I felt.

  Father walked up to me and handed me his water flask.

  “You need to drink more.”

  I obeyed, as I didn’t want to risk being marked with a brand line, although I had always wondered whether Father would actually punish me with one, or whether that might be the one time he turned a blind eye.

  The water did help to wash down a lot of the discomfort in my throat.

  I handed the flask back.

  “I’m almost ready,” I said, my voice muffled as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.