The Sorcerer's Scourge (20 page)

The wagon master reported that the attack was three days north of End’s Run; but that was three days by wagon. Landrin found the wagons and bodies about two hours before sunrise. The scene was just as Edmund had described at first appearance. A closer inspection confirmed his tale. The wagons were still there and fully loaded with timber, iron ore, and gold ore. The horses that had been unable to break free of their traces showed the greatest signs of predation, some nearly half consumed.

Over a dozen human bodies lay scattered about, most with weapons near to hand. The causes of death were the obvious large bite wounds although there were signs of smaller wounds, likely the result of scavengers. At least a dozen wolves lay dead amongst the bodies as well. Landrin spent the most time examining these, but none of them was what he was looking for.

Dawn was quickly nearing and Landrin needed to find a dark place to hole up. Fortunately, this region was largely mountainous and deep fissures and caves were not uncommon. Landrin, like all vampires, possessed a sort of sixth sense when it came to finding dark places in which to hide from the sun’s deathly light. It took less than an hour for him to find a deep cleft in a rocky outcropping. It was cramped and calling it a cave was akin to calling an icicle a glacier, but it sufficed.

The days were blessedly short this far north even this time of year. Landrin crawled back out of his nook a scant ten hours later and returned to the site of the attack. It did not take him long to locate the tracks left by the wolves. He followed the visual evidence of the animals’ path as much as he did their scent. A vampire’s sense of smell was nearly as keen as their hearing and sight. Landrin would give all of these heightened powers back if he could be human once more. However, he knew that could never be and focused on following the trail left by the wolves.

Landrin slowed to a jog several hours later when his ears picked up the sound of several pairs of feet padding through the snow-covered forest nearby. His keen eyesight spied the dark forms darting in and out of his field of view, but they always kept pace with him. It did not take long before the wolves announced their presence with growls and yips as a warning to the intruder and calls to their own kind.

The vampire slowed to a walk then stopped as the smell of the wolves became prevalent. He knew he was near a den, and moving any closer would initiate an immediate attack. Landrin waited patiently and calmly as first dozens and then scores of wolves warily approached and surrounded him. He had purposefully chosen a shallow depression and let the wolves have high ground so as not to appear as threatening. He only hoped it was enough to buy him a moment to speak with the leader.

Most of the wolves were exactly what they appeared to be—wolves. However, Landrin was able to make out at least a dozen others that were far more than they appeared to be by virtue of their slightly greater size and a distinct difference in their scent. He knew these to be lupin. Lupins were wolves with the ability to transform into human shape. Unlike a werewolf, their wolf form was their natural and preferred state. Lupin only used their human shape when they felt it necessary to interact with humans or the other humanoid races.

A big, silver female stepped ahead of the pack and abruptly transformed before Landrin’s eyes. Despite knowing what these creatures were, the transformation was still shocking and exciting to behold. In the space the wolf had just been occupying, now stood a nude, middle-aged woman with dark hair shot through with grey.

“I am Luna, Den Mother to this pack and friend to the others who choose to help us defend our territory,” the lupin announced.

Landrin gave the woman a slow bow. “Greetings to you, Den Mother. I am Landrin, laird of the human den called End’s Run nearly two days run to the south.”

“You are a perversion of life,” Luna declared. “But you do not carry the stink of evil intent as the other abominations do, which is why I have granted you this moment to explain your presence before my pack tears you to pieces.”

“I thank you for your indulgence, Den Mother, but I think we both know that it is in both our best interest to listen at this moment and not act rashly. I am not only capable of defending myself due to my nature, but possess powerful magic as well. Violence would be devastating to us both.”

The Den Mother curled her human lip in proximity of a wolf’s snarl. “You think you could defeat us all?”

Landrin knew that he could not show weakness and must convey confidence or the pack would not hesitate to attack. He was confident he could battle these creatures and survive, but no one would walk away a winner in such an eventuality.

“I think it would be disastrous for us both. You could force me to flee, but only after I inflicted horrible death on your pack.”

“If you do not wish a fight, then why are you here?”

Here tone indicated she already knew why Landrin was here, but she would give nothing away. If Landrin wanted something, he would have to ask for it.

“Your wolves attacked and killed several of my pack. From what I have heard and seen, it may have been the act of an individual enlisting the aid of your wolf allies.”

Luna looked upon the vampire unblinkingly as she pondered how best to answer. She finally decided upon forthrightness.

“One of my younger sons acted foolishly, but I will die before I give him to you. The pack will deal with any violation of pack law. I lost one son to the encroachment of the two-legs. I will not lose another for any reason.”

Landrin nodded his understanding but he had to prevent a recurrence and escalation of the violence. It was going to be hard enough as it was to keep hunters and miners from killing every wolf they found once word got around about the attack on the wagons. He was certain everyone in End’s Run had already heard about it and would be making a call to arms.

“Why did he lead an attack against the humans, Den Mother?”

“They come into our territory, cut down our trees, dig up the ground, and kill and run off the game. We were all angry and restless, and one decided to act,” Luna answered, obviously unhappy about that decision.

“How vast is your territory, Luna? Perhaps I can try to warn my kind away from most of it so this does not happen again.”

Luna weighed the words of the vampire carefully. She hated his undead kind even more than she despised the land-defiling humans, but she knew she must protect her pack any way she could. If words could manage such, it would be far preferable to battle. A battle she knew in her heart she and her pack could not sustain. It would not take long for the humans to learn of their weakness, and once they did, they would cut them down like any other animal.

“Our land stretches to those hills there,” she answered and pointed with her finger, “to the valley there, and to the river there. Keep your humans out and there will be no more attacks from my kind. Be sure your kind does the same.”

There was only one mine in the area that he knew of. He would have to relocate it. It would cause a few grumblings, but concessions needed to be made. The biggest problem was that the only road going to the northern mills and mines cut through the lupin’s territory.

“I will close the mine that lies in your range, but we have territory to the north and east that is only accessible by crossing through your territory. May we use our road to travel through it as long as I can get promises of decent conduct from those that use it?”

“I will allow it, but can you guarantee the conduct of all of your people? What happens when they violate the truce?”

“Then you deal with them accordingly, Den Mother, and I promise to the same. I will warn my people. If they choose to ignore that warning, then they choose to accept the consequences.”

“Then so be it, vampire.”

Landrin turned to go but curiosity got the better of him and he turned back. “Luna, you said you lost a son to the two-legged. How did that happen?”

The alpha lupin looked into the distance as the memory brought on a fresh wave of grief. “It was many years ago when our den was far to the north. The two-legged came, wielding cold iron and drove us away. I decided it best to move the pack instead of fighting. But on the night we fled, one of my sons was left behind. He was always an adventurous one and I could not keep him in the den. I returned for him, but I could not catch his scent. He was too young to hunt and survive on his own. Even after all this time, my heart still cries out for him.”

“I am sorry for your loss, Den Mother.”

“Life and death are both the way of nature.”

Landrin nodded, detecting the allusion to his unnatural state of life. He walked briskly for nearly five miles before his escort of wolves departed. He then broke into a run. A feeling of impending urgency made him push himself. Even so, the distance was too great to make it back to End’s Run before the sun rose again. He had only minutes to spare when he located a hole to crawl into, evicting a very unhappy wolverine who chose to sleep elsewhere that day instead of fighting the fearsome creature for its den.

CHAPTER
8

Queen Annette sat in the solar of her apartments embroidering with her handmaiden, Mildred, while her two youngest children played on the floor nearby. Her only daughter, three-year-old Brigitte, stacked wooden blocks while two-year-old Joseph knocked them down. Both children found the activity hilarious to which their laughter attested.

It was getting late in the evening and Annette wished her husband would conclude his meeting with several members of the church hierarchy soon so that he could tuck his two youngest children into bed and read them a story before it got too late. Her oldest son, Miles, was away in Southport attending The Academy. Her only company of late was Mildred, who could go hours without speaking and was a poor conversationalist when she did. A handful of guards tried, and failed, to be unobtrusive as they stood sentinel outside, inside, and all about the several rooms that made up the royal chambers.

 The queen started in surprise when Mildred looked up and asked, “Did you hear that, Majesty?”

Annette cocked an ear towards the open door and listened. Above the sound of the children’s laughter, she heard the sound of metal clanging about as if someone had dropped an armload of pots and pans. As she listened, she began hearing the muffled voices of men outside and down the hall.

The queen set her needlework aside, stood up, and stepped into the adjoining room. The clatter of metal and the shouts of men were becoming prevalent and seemed to be drawing nearer. Some of the guards began looking at the door nervously.

“Guardsman, what is happening?”

“I am unsure, Your Majesty,” the guard replied. “I will ask one of the men in the hall and find out.”

The guard crossed the room and, just as he was about to open the door, the portal burst open. He jumped back, drawing his blade in one smooth motion as several guards, many of them bearing wounds, practically fell through the doorway and into the room. One of the new men turned, slammed the door shut, and dropped the crossbar.

“Guardsman, what is the meaning of this!” Annette demanded to know while she tried to keep the fear from her voice.

“It is treason, Your Majesty!” one of the men that had burst into the room declared as he backed away from the door.

Before Annette could ask anything further, something heavy slammed into the stout door with enough force to make the crossbar jump in its cradle. All eyes turned towards the door as the men outside began rhythmically pounding on the barrier with some sort of makeshift ram. One of the guardsmen inside stepped away from the others and made to stand guard next to the queen. However, when he turned, Annette saw not the concerned eyes of a man sworn to protect her, but the look of a cold, calculating killer.

Before she could utter a cry, the man drew back his sword and thrust. Annette was suddenly shoved backwards by Mildred who interposed herself between the queen and the assassin’s blade. Annette watched in horror and let out a shriek when the sword burst out of Mildred’s chest. Quiet, doe-eyed Mildred slumped lifelessly to the floor as the traitor pulled back his blade for another strike.