Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance (27 page)

long walkway. Terror began to clamp its jaws around her

heart.

The Jaguars were killers!

But why go through so much trouble just to kill her, unless

she was to be some kind of ritual sacrifice?

The hall ended abruptly, opening up to a large, brightly lit

receiving chamber. Tropical foliage threatened to overtake

this room as well. The greenery lent a false sense of serenity

to the atmosphere.

On the far side of the room, a man stood gazing out of one

of the many large windows that looked onto a lush courtyard.

Despite the beauty before her, Laura was overwhelmed with

dread—feeling the evil that oozed not just from the man, but

from the very pores of the stones that made up the chamber.

The man smiled to reveal rows of white teeth, but they

could just as well have been fangs, for Laura knew the truth

of these people.

He was lighter of skin tone that the others she had seen,

with hair that was almost a golden blond. His green eyes

turned her blood to ice.

Were these the eyes of the Jaguar in her nightmare?

He took her clammy, damp hands in his. Laura gasped

when she caught sight of his hands. At the tips of his fingers

were long, claw-like black nails.

"Hello, Princess. I take it you have had a long rest." He

smiled, but his green eyes glittered with malice.

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Laura pulled her hand away too quickly as if his touch

would rot her skin. "Who are you and where is my

grandfather?"

"Ah ... you would like to get directly to the point." He

spoke with only a slight Spanish accent.

Laura nodded, waiting for him to answer her questions.

"My name is Qeq-isceq. I am Dark Claw. And as for your

grandfather ... you will see him in good time—if you

cooperate with me," he added.

Laura glared at him, "What do you want with me?"

"Very good," he graced her with another smile. "You like to

waste no time on small talk."

She remained silent, but continued to slice at him with her

eyes.

"The Kingdom of
Coba
' has been waiting for you for a very

long time, Laura." He paused as he poured two glasses of red

liquid, offering her one.

She refused the glass and he shrugged his shoulders,

setting it on a marble table adorned with golden jaguars.

"I am the leader here in
Coba
—the king if you will, and you

my sweet princess are to be my bride."

"You must be confused ... your Majesty." Laura's own

smile was hard and unyielding.

"On the contrary, Senorita, I know exactly what I'm doing.

It's you who are confused, and a little too spirited if I might

add. But that is of no consequence, we will tame you." Dark

Claw's words were soft, but carried a harsh edge.

"Long ago, our own princess disappeared with her white

lover ... and you sweet flower, are one of her descendants.

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It's your duty to give us the heir to this kingdom and in doing

so, you will also give birth to the conqueror of
Coyopa
'."

Her confused stare assured him of her innocence of the

Kingdom of Light. "I see that your wolf-lover didn't take you

into his confidence like I thought he might have," he smirked.

"That is very good. You will learn what you need to know

from me."

"And what is that?"

"Did you take the
Sungmanitu
as a lover?" He ignored her

question in favor of his own.

Warning bells went off in her head, telling her that she had

walked into a danger zone. A mask of confusion dropped over

her features.

Gasping, she feigned surprise. "I have no idea of what you

are talking about."

"You mean to tell me ... that he never touched you?" Dark

Claw arched his brow skeptically.

Laura's smile was bitter. "Oh I wanted him to, but he

wouldn't because I was not one of them."

This brought a smile to his face. "Could he have been that

much of a fool? No matter ... he is no longer an issue, is he?"

Laura's eyes narrowed on him. "What do you know about

that?"

"Everything, Senorita, I could not have him soiling my

bride now could I? And we surely could not allow his child to

be the one to claim our related kingdoms."

"Do not talk in riddles. I want to know what is going on

here." Laura's voice rose, as did her frustration.

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"It's quite simple, Senorita. Our prophecy tells of a child

born of a
Sungmanitu
and a
Baalam
; that child will rule both

kingdoms and lead our people back to the Kingdom of Light."

Laura smiled in triumph. "Then tell me, Your Majesty, if I

am a descendent of a
Baalam
and you are a
Baalam
, our

joining cannot very well fulfill any prophecy, can it?"

Dark Claw's hand snaked out to twist her hair in his

fingers. Pulling her near, he leaned down and she felt teeth

sink into her neck. His bite was painful, but drew no blood.

Laura cringed in revulsion.

He laughed. "I happen to know, my little liar ... that you

carry his seed, but his son will be mine, and together we will

rule
Coyopa
'."

"Why did you pretend not to know?" Laura choked the

words out.

"I knew he had been your lover, but ... I did not know until

this moment that he had indeed impregnated you," Dark Claw

laughed.

"No need to worry, my love ... as soon as we have

conquered
Coyopa
', your
Sungmanitu
bastard will be

eliminated and our own son will take his place. No longer will

the leaders be contaminated by the wolves."

Dark Claw's voice emanated an evil unmatched by

anything Laura had ever imagined. He brought his mouth

down to hers, delivering a brutal kiss that left her lips bruised

and bleeding.

Laura brought her hand up to slap his face, but he gripped

her wrist so tight it made her gasp in pain.

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"Do not ever attempt to strike me, my love," he breathed

his fury into her ear.

"Now, you may see your grandfather for a brief time, but

not again until after the joining ceremony. This will take place

in two days' time." He informed her before turning away to

gaze out the window.

She had been dismissed. The same man that had brought

her to the chamber now reappeared. With one hand on her

arm, he led her down the hall in the direction from which they

had come. Once inside her room she was taken to an

adjoining courtyard where a small table had been set for two.

Laura was shocked when she saw her grandfather seated

at one of the two chairs. Running to his side, she threw her

arms around his frail body.

"Grandpa, are you okay?"

"I'm still breathing." He gave her a weak smile.

Carlotta hovered over them. Laura turned her attention to

the beautiful young woman.

"Dark Claw has ordered that you and your grandfather

have the best that
Coba
' has to offer. Dark Claw hopes that

you will see that he has only good intentions for you," she

told Laura.

"Thank you," Laura whispered, hoping it was enough to

reassure the girl that her efforts were appreciated.

"Dark Claw has instructed that you are free to come and

go as you please, as long as you do not attempt to leave

Coba
'," Carlotta explained to Laura as she was laying out

silver trays laden with food.

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Despite Laura's resolve not to enjoy the food, she was

famished. She filled her plate with an array of roasted meats

and colorful vegetables.

Satisfied that the senorita was eating, Carlotta withdrew

from the courtyard.

"What happened?" Laura asked in hushed tones.

"I was packing and these men came out of nowhere. That

is all I can recall until I woke up in a cell," Busby explained as

he nibbled at the food. Laura could tell that he didn't trust it

enough to consume it willingly.

"The food is okay to eat, Grandpa. They will not hurt you—

at least not right now."

"They want your child," he stated.

She nodded her acknowledgment. "Until they have what

they want, they will not risk harming you. You are their

leverage with me at the moment."

"That is not good," Busby shook his head. "You must not

let them have the child."

"I know," she whispered. "We must eat for strength, and

figure out a way out of here. Where are they keeping you?"

she asked.

"I was blindfolded, but I know we didn't leave this building.

They brought me up from some tunnels. My cell is

underground."

"This is some sort of palace, so I assume they must have

their holding cells below." Laura pondered the problem.

"If I'm free to roam about as I please," Laura continued, "I

will find the tunnels that lead below and I will find a way out

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of here." Laura tried to sound confident, but fear and doubt

threatened to seep into her thoughts.

As it had countless times before, her heart cried out for

Justin. If he were alive he would feel her need, her terror, and

he would descend upon these enemies to save her and his

child.

Laura shook herself from the wishful thoughts. She was on

her own and it would be up to her to save her family.

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234

Realm of the Wolf Book I: Wolf Dance

by Lorraine Kennedy

Laura decided to wait until the next morning to begin her

discovery of
Coba
'. She didn't want to appear too anxious.

Her night was restless, and when she did finally sleep, wolves

haunted her dreams. When she awoke the next morning,

Laura was determined to find a way out of her prison. She

would never allow that monster to harm her child.

After a breakfast of fruit and bread, she decided to begin

her exploration in the palace. It was no castle, but large

nonetheless. Her first impression had been correct; the

architecture was of Mayan origin. Had the
Baalam
joined with

the Mayan, as the
Sungmanitu
had with the Lakota?

Where had she heard of
Coba
'? She was sure that she'd

heard the name in connection with an ancient Mayan ruin.

She wondered if
Coba
seemed as deserted as Beaver Creek to

the outside.

The palace contained luxuries that one only dreamed of.

The building itself was made of stone—the furnishings carved

of jade and marble as well as gold. In the courtyards, marble

statues of jaguars spilled water from their mouths into jade

lined ponds. No matter where one walked, the heady scent of

flowers followed.

Laura finally made her way to the front of the palace.

There she half expected to be detained as she walked through

the huge doors leading to a descending mountain of stone

steps. From the top of the steps, Laura looked onto the

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ancient city of
Coba
'. To her surprise, it was full of the hustle

and bustle of any modern village or small town.

There were no automobiles. It seemed that carriages

pulled by donkeys were the transportation of choice. In the

city center, hundreds of people were gathered at a market.

Laura explored alleys and streets, amazed by the grandeur

of the Jaguars' city. There were dress shops, meat shops, and

places to rest and buy a drink—even restaurants. Laura's

thoughts turned dark. She wondered if maybe they served

humans at these little eateries. But looking upon these

people, one would never imagine that they were cold-blooded

killers. Laura kept walking, knowing that sooner or later the

city would have to run into a jungle. Eventually she came to a

place where commerce establishments gave way to rows of

small cottages.

Scanning the horizon, Laura could see nothing past the

cottages but the darkened jungle. She pushed on, making her

way down palm lined streets. Every once in a while a resident

would peer out at her curiously. Finally she reached a path

that led into the heart of the Mexican jungle.

Just as she set her foot onto the path a voice called out to

her from the nearest cottage. "It won't do you any good to

take that path."

Laura swung around to find the source of the voice.

Watching her from a neatly kept yard was an old woman—a

shawl protected her head from the sun.

Backtracking, she wondered if all the people of
Coba
' had

been informed to keep an eye on her. Taking a chance, Laura