Destiny (35 page)

The dark coil of evil that Enelya had seen wrapped around Dínendal’s soul should have been warning enough. She should have pushed the point of Benda Heimild first, before seeking mother’s help with this mess. Enelya swore she wouldn’t make that mistake again. Placing a reassuring hand on Terus’ shoulder, she walked past the Wenci staring once again into the Klavikian’s eyes. “Thank you for keeping them alive Terus.”

She could hear the hesitation in Terus’ mind-speak.

A ripple went through the gathered Elves as wordlessly the Blood Guard spread out in a defensive circle apprehensively. The soft padded footfalls of Eila came to a stop next to Enelya as her mother spoke her thoughts out loud.

“Dínendal is responsible for this? Where is Gwindor Helyanwë?”

“I do not know. Dínendal was in charge when this started. I tried to stop him, but he was beyond reason. I’d hoped your presence would stop the needless deaths of our people.”

They both ignored the muffled groan from the Elf in question as Aliya dragged him roughly to his feet at a slash from the Spirit Mother’s hand. Seeing her arched eyebrow at the gag in Dínendal’s mouth Aliya lowered her head in distress.

“He wouldn’t stop spouting his hate, Spirit Mother.”

Sliding from Eila’s back Enelya’s mother came to her side with Ohorn and another Blood Guard close by eying the injured warrior warily “It’s good you came to me first. An attack on a Werewolf and his pups within our territory can only lead to trouble with the eastern wolf packs. Ohorn, we must leave no trace that they were ever here.”

“No! That is not why I asked you here Spirit Mother.” Urgently Enelya faced her mother, cutting her off as she spread her arms out wide. “I needed Dínendal stopped, not the Werewolf. With the Great Forest’s blessing, I touched this warrior’s spirit when he saved us all from being consumed by a Tuonellian Hulk and its small army of Scourge not far from our borders. I owe him Skuldir Líf.”

Ignoring the sharp intake of breath from the Elves around her, Enelya backed up until she was standing directly in front of the feverish Klavikian. The ‘Skuldir Líf’ was a life debt. A promise to guard and protect until the debt had been paid back in full. For a shaman, this meant two lives instead of one. Not that any of that mattered now. Only she and Argus truly understood just how dire the situation had suddenly become for them all.

In the brief touch, Enelya had shared with the Paladin as the life force was fleeing from her shattered body by the Otso River. She’d seen the Klavikian’s entire life. The horror of his parent’s death, the pain and loneliness of his life, the bravery and selfless sacrifice that made up the core of his being and most importantly what was yet to come. The vision had shaken her soul, awakening something deep inside of her that she’d never felt before.

Even though the decision had been instantaneous, the reality of following through with what Enelya knew she had to do was another matter altogether. The decision would change her and Argus’ lives forever. Although Argus had agreed without hesitation, they both knew the Klavikian’s quest would change their lives, but none the less it was something they had to do.

Turning around Enelya placed her palm on the armored chest before her. Fearlessly she met the golden eyes speaking loud enough for all to hear. “This warrior is more than just a Werewolf. He is the son of Ilmarinen Ironwolf.“

A ripple of shock ran through the Elves around the clearing as they grasped the meaning of Enelya’s words. Even her mother froze at the mention of the legendary Paladin’s name that had almost singlehandedly saved their world from annihilation. That this could be his son standing before them boggled the mind.

“The prophecy will never come to pass!”

Spinning around at Dínendal’s scream, Enelya was just in time to see the fighting spear flying straight for her heart. Stepping backward she tried in vain to whip her arms up in time to deflect the heavy triangle-shaped head, but there wasn’t enough time as her back slammed into the armored chest behind her. Before she could do more than scream a large callused hand swept her aside.

Rolling back to her feet, Enelya saw Dínendal slammed to the ground by the Blood Guard as she heard the sickening thunk behind her. Turning around she could only stare in horror at the thick wooden shaft sticking out of the Klavikian’s chest. The tinnearlian head had effortlessly punched through the armored breastplate like it was made of paper.

Unbelievably, even mortally wounded the Paladin somehow managed to stay on his knees. Blood ran down the front of his armor from the jagged hole in his chest as his white-knuckled fists gripped the spear shaft. The shriek of metal filled the air as his arms suddenly flexed to full extension. Incredulously everyone watched as the Klavikian’s hands slide further up the bloody shaft. Taking a solid grip with both hands once again, he yanked with one mighty pull as the barbed spearhead ripped free from his chest.

Tossing the gore-covered spear on the ground the Klavikian’s feverish eyes held Enelya’s gaze as the large hole in his chest began to glow with a golden light. Within seconds, the wound closed of its own accord. As the light began to fade, his eyes slowly began rolling back into his head.

Springing to her feet, Enelya rushed to the Paladin’s side as he fell backward. Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders she tried to hold him up, but he was simply too heavy. Crying out for help, she fell on top of him as he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Location Irlendria / Startüm Ironwolf:

For the longest time I was only aware of pain, conscious or unconscious it followed me lashing at my very soul. Even though a part of me logically knew the torment I felt was from my body’s fight against the consumption eating me from the inside out. In my weakened condition my feverish thoughts began to take on a life of their own. Time passed in a never ending series of nightmares as memories of the past and present hounded my mind like a relentless beast.

Peace only came in short spurts, when the cold cloths bathing my burning forehead lowered the fever enough to make me semi-lucid. During those brief moments, I was aware of my surrounds … of the soft fur beneath my back, the gentle hands that worked to keep my body from overheating and the soft lips that pushed chewed food into my mouth for sustenance. I was weak, too weak to open even my eyes, but every time I felt the warmth of that touch my heart raced in my chest.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I fought to hold onto that soothing presence it always seemed to slip away, disappearing with the first waves of pain as the sickness returned. As my back arched from the hunger spasms rocking my body, tears rolled down my face as I gasped for breath. It was always worse just after I ate.

The agony that racked my body was unlike anything I’d experienced before, which in itself was a shock. I was used to being hurt. For as long as I could remember pain had been a steadfast part of my life. A constant companion thrust upon me at birth. I was familiar with its many forms. I knew its terrible embrace, but this … this was something horribly different.

“I must be dying.”

The crystal clear thought shot through my mind as the darkness rose up inside of me again. It disappeared a moment later as waves of agony began crashing through my body. Almost as if they’d been lying in wait the nightmares followed returning in strength. In a feverish haze, I once again relived my early years on Earth as I cried out in pain.

Being trained by my Grandsire as I grew up meant that I was thrashed on a regular basis, usually to the brink of death on most days. My combat lessons usually ended with my body lying broken in a bloody heap on the floor as I waited for my injuries to heal. Again and again, the brutal beatings would repeat. Stopping only when my energy pool had been depleted to the point I could no longer heal my injuries anew.

Only then did the pummeling stop. I’m sure Grandsire and I would have had a much healthier relationship over the years if the lessons had stopped there. Not to mention, I probably wouldn’t have freaked out so bad five years earlier about my life, but at the time we both thought we were doing what was necessary to prepare me for the upcoming war against the Tuonellians. Unfortunately as with any two Alpha males, we always pushed each other too hard. Only calling it quits when I had nothing left to give.

Afterward, Grandsire would prepare something for us to eat, while I writhe on the floor in agony until I’d built up enough energy to repair my shattered body. After being hurt so many times over the years you’d think I would’ve become numb to that level of physical abuse, but it never worked out that way. No matter how many times your hands are crushed or your ribs are broken, your body never gets acclimated to that level of pain.

Although the old wolf’s methods would have been considered inhumane by Human standards, they were normal for members of the Pack. If anything, young Werewolves had a much harder time with combat training since they didn’t have the ability to heal their injuries in the blink of an eye. Usually, it took a day or two for a Werewolves’ body to recover from a beating like mine. Learning a lesson could take young Werewolves weeks or even months, while my God-given powers allowed me to learn the same lesson in a matter of days if not hours.

Through it all, the constant pain had taught me one very important truth that nothing else could have. No matter what happened to me on the battlefield, no matter how badly my body was beaten or broken, the secret to being a Paladin of Ukko or Werewolf was having the will to endure. The will to endure all the shit that life threw at you and still remain standing.

I would never give up.

I would never give in.

Simple mantras that I’d learned from the Humans during my time on Earth. Whereas an outsider would’ve expected me to have only hatred for my Grandsire from the daily beatings, I’d received while growing up. For me, it had the exact opposite effect. I understood the lessons he’d been trying to teach me in a way few others could have ever comprehended.

To have the ability to heal any physical injury and continue fighting would sound like a miracle to most people. In truth, it was exactly just that. But like anything given by the divine, it came at a terrible price. A horrendous responsibility that would never go away, but none the less must still be endured. It was the gift to live through the agony of a thousand deaths. The curse to know firsthand the pain that must be endured, yet still be willing to fight for what was right. It took special kind of fortitude. One that Grandsire had struggled to help me build over the years. The physical and mental abuse he’d inflicted upon me while growing up was his way of giving me the strength and inner conviction needed to face the destiny that had been chosen for me since before my birth.

In my mind’s eye, I rose to my knees. Facing the hurricane of pain beating at my soul, I howled in defiance as something snapped inside of me. My thoughts tumbled again as I awoke to being dragged through the forest between two hulking Minotaurs, before being dumped to the hard packed ground half-dead.

Unmoving, I listened numbly to the sounds of battle erupt around me, when the mental screams of the twins suddenly ripped through my thoughts like a tinnearlian blade. Lifting my feverish head, I felt my own body being pummeled as the Elves attacked Frostbrand and Starfire. In that instant, a burning fury reared its terrible head up inside me like nothing I’d ever felt before.

I’d always feared of losing control of the monster that lived just beneath my skin. The savage Werewolf waiting to rear its ugly head at a moment’s notice. Throughout my entire life I’d struggled against it, holding the rage in check with an iron fist. Any momentary lapse and I could have slaughtered countless of innocents on Earth. But now, functioning on instinct alone with injuries so severe that I was knocking on death’s door, I had nothing left to fear. I did the only thing I could to save the girls.

Reaching deep into my soul, I released the raging beast within me. Immediately the Werewolf side of my soul howled to life. The thought should have horrified the Klavikian inside of me, but instead, I gave a prayer of thanks to Ukko for the burning fire growing inside of me. The Fring devastating my body should have made such a physical response impossible, but somehow I managed to lift myself up. As a primitive roar ripped from my lips, I smashed into the Elves attacking the girls shattering their ranks in seconds.

Nothing would be allowed to jeopardize the future of the Pack! My thoughts were suddenly jolted back to the present in a flash as icy water splashed on my face. My head lolled weakly from side to side, but even that little bit of exertion seemed to exhaust me.

For a second, I didn’t know where I was, but as the water was wiped from my face, the anxiety seemed to lessen. Lying still, I listened to the sounds of water being rung out in a shallow bowl next to me as my mind struggled to piece together my scattered thoughts. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt better. My head was clear and the pain that had been racking my body was all but gone. The fever must have finally broke.

Once again I felt the cold, soothing touch brush against my skin as soft hands gently moved down my body washing the sweat away. My eyes felt like they weighed a ton, but after what seemed like an eternity, I managed to crack them open. For a second everything was blurry, but my vision cleared a moment later as my eyes adjusted to the low light as I focused on my benefactor.

The first thing I noticed was the brown mane of hair that cascaded around the small woman as she worked. The crimped dreads hung teasingly across a bronze shoulder, barely covering the slope of small breasts that rode high on her chest. Sitting on her knees as she was, I at first thought she was naked, but as she moved around to clean the grime from my body, I noticed the hide loincloth hanging from her slim waist. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her work. It was as if I were suddenly aware of her nakedness in a way like I’d never noticed a woman before. The sudden desire rising up inside of me was shocking in its intensity as my thoughts reeled.

During my time growing up on Earth, I’d never been interested in female companionship, other than in teaching new students the word of Ukko. Not that I wasn’t aware of the attraction the females I taught felt for me. My single female students were always throwing themselves at me, trying to get me alone in the back room or getting handsy with me in one-on-one sessions. Normally it was subtle. Most cultures around the world tended to frown on women being too forward about their sexual advances, but in places like South America, more than one woman had expressed their desire for me in no uncertain terms.

I’m sure the truth would’ve surprised most of my students, but for the most part it never crossed my mind one way or another. Don’t get me wrong. There were times I wondered if something was majorly wrong with me. I mean, shouldn’t I have been struggling like any other horny teenager growing up on Earth having to learn how to control their hormones? By Ukko’s light, I should’ve had some sort of a sex drive going on, but there was nothing.

At the time, I’d just figured it was for the best. It wasn’t like I had any kind of a future to offer a prospective mate even if I had wanted to be with one of the many women who’d expressed their interest. So for the most part, teaching and helping those in needs became my focus outside of training and learning to control my powers. Grandsire wasn’t exactly pleased with my decision, but it wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter. Ignoring the pain and suffering of innocents was not an option for a Paladin of Ukko. Not to mention, I needed the meaning it gave to my life.

For this reason any level of intimacy was foreign to me, which was part of the reason I was unsure at first who was more surprised when my body began to respond to the small hands gently stroking my skin. As the hardness began growing between my legs, a part of me realized I should be embarrassed at my body’s physiological reaction, but as the girl crouching near my feet looked up with a hungry grin, those concerns flew from my mind.

The savage intensity of the girl’s beauty held me captivated. She almost glowed in the flickering light. Her skin was decorated only by a primitive rawhide necklace with a row of large fangs that hung between the soft valley of her breasts, flawless except for reddish-black stripes that marked her cheeks and forehead. Studying the wild eyes that watched me closely, I suddenly noticed the pointy ears peaking out of the dreads on either side of her face as something inside of me snapped in recognition.

She was a Wild Elf! The sound of my beating heart thrummed in my ears as the implications hit me. Immediately the dam burst as memories of the last several days came flooding back to me. Grandsire being killed, the Tuonellians coming to Earth, the battle with the demon knight, rescuing Frostbrand and Starfire and our flight down the mountain, the Fring, and the Elves … gasping for breath my eyes darted urgently around the large tent looking for Starfire and Frostbrand. Seeing them nowhere in sight, I felt the panic welling up inside of me as one single thought reverberated in my mind. I had to save the girls!

Fear, rage, loss … the complex emotions assaulted me as I struggled to roll onto my hands and knees, only nothing happened. Except for my arms flailing uselessly at my sides my body refused to move. My first response was to reach for my power, but instead of feeling the familiar strength surging through my veins, nothing happened. My energy pool was bone dry as if I’d been fighting for my life. How could that even be possible?

True panic hit me then. Instinctively I searched inside my battered body as I fought to lift myself up. From somewhere deep inside I felt the power given to me by Ukko still flowing into my body. Instead of pooling into a reserve like it normally did, it was feeding directly into my body. Without a second thought, I redirected the flow, brutally forcing it into my muscles.

The scream that ripped out of my parched lips only came out as a low rasping moan, but that didn’t lessen the severity of the pain or the convulsions racking my body. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as abused muscles clenched in agony, exemplifying just how sick and injured I truly was.

Instantly soft hands gripped my face as a musical voice urgently whispered in my ear. “Be at peace Klavikian, all is well with your charges. You have the word of Enelya Tasartir. You must let your body fully heal if you are to recover your strength." More soothing words followed, most of them lost in the haze of pain, but gradually the tension drained from my aching body.

Slowly I once again became aware of my surroundings. This time, the small Elf was lying on top of me. Her small breasts were pressed against my chest as her hands steadily stroked my face. Feeling me stir beneath her, she lifted herself up to straddle my chest as she reached for a bowl by her knee.

The movements of the girl’s lithe body made me intensely aware of her nakedness as she pulled out a strip of meat to chew on. There was definitely nothing under that loincloth but bare skin! Pushing the thought away, I mentally shook my head ignoring my body’s reaction.