Lady of Wolves (Evalyce Worldshaper Book 2) (14 page)

“But what of the soldier? I'm assuming you questioned him. Did he have anything to say?” Kalla asked.

“He is healed and resting at the moment. Kasai is keeping an eye on him.” The War Mage's face twisted in a grimace. “He said they served someone he called 'Dashkele si'kituk', who is mobilizing an army. They were sent to 'recruit' more cannon fodder, though they've already stripped the packs of their strongest members and are now taking any healthy males left.

“They call themselves the Donnerkeil, the Lightning Storm. The bracers they wear are magick, imbued to add strength and stamina. An Artisan's handiwork, and a skilled one at that,” Vander said. His look said he knew all too well who that might be.

“And what did he have to say about this ruler, this 'Dashkele si'kituk'?” she asked.

“His name is Kartoff. Emperor Kartoff, who is claiming to be the living embodiment of the Old Wolf and so far has had the strength to back his claim. He has been utterly ruthless to those who have stood in his way,” Vander replied with another grimace. An unreadable expression crossed his face, gone as quickly as it had come. The three walked to the living hall, slipping in through one of the side doors.

The War Mage led Kalla over to where Kasai sat beside the young soldier's pallet. The boy was asleep at the moment. Muted gasps greeted the Healer as the Dashmari recognized the marks upon her brow. There was a rippling effect as the people knelt, whispering her name in reverence. And hope, Kalla realized. Hope that she could restore order to their land. To their packs and families. She sighed again. It was too late to have Aleister hide the marks once more, but she did so hate people kneeling to her.

“Please. Get up. I am no one you need to kneel to. Here and now, I am Kalla kyl'Solidor,” she said. Slowly, uncertainly, people began to stand. The female of the hearth they now used approached her shyly.

“Would you care for refreshment, Lady A…”

“Kalla, please. And that would be most welcome, thank you,” the Healer said. Her host bowed and poured Kalla a bowl of water, then fixed her a meal of spiced fish on bread made from acorn flour. She refilled the bowls Kasai, Vander and Aleister had been using, and offered them some of the fish and bread. As they ate, the young soldier stirred awake. Moss-green eyes blinked blearily. His gaze focused on Kasai, closest to him and his scent spiked suddenly in fear. He was terrified of the Magister. The boy struggled to contain his fear, turning his attention to the others. His eyes flicked from Kasai, to Vander, then to Aleister before settling on her. He swallowed hard, green eyes widening as he took in the marks on her forehead.

“Dashkele ti'amaraaq,” he said softly, but, whereas other's reactions had been reverent, his was fearful. “Please, Great Lady, please… forgive me for attacking you.”

“You did not attack me, young one. That was your companion. You have nothing to fear from any of us, so long as you behave. What is your name?” Kalla asked. The boy swallowed again, nodding.

“My name is Nikolai, Lady Amaraaq,” he said. A pause. “What will you do with me, Great Lady?”

“Just Kalla, please. We will take you with us. It would be the safest course for all of us. I wish to deal with this Kartoff. You can help.”

“But… how can I help?”

“Information, young one, information.”

“You would fight your father then, Great Lady?” Nikolai asked. Kalla shook her head.

“The Emperor has deceived you. He is not Kituk in any way, shape or form. He is a power-hungry person with the backing of a powerful, corrupt mage. If he will not back down from me, then I will challenge him. And I will put things to rights. The packs will be free to once more rule themselves, with a few small changes,” Kalla amended with a glance at the War Mage.

Vander picked up the conversation.

“Nikolai here told us earlier that the Donnerkeil are being housed in
LabyrintheSangra
and
LabyrintheFulmen
, the Blood Warrens and Thunder Warrens of Carginov's Peak.” Bitterness laced the Dashmari's words.

“You know this place?” Kalla asked.

“Well I should,” Vander said. “The Blood Warrens were the home of my pack, long ago. Bad memories. But I can see why it was chosen. It's highly defensible with plenty of room for a vast force and plenty of water from the adjoining Thunder Warrens. I can show you the best routes to sneak in, if they haven't collapsed in the quakes. I found plenty of places to hide when I was younger and plenty of hidden ways out so I stayed safe. My father was a harsh man, my brothers little better.”

He waved the thoughts away. “Or we could just go straight in, with the Fox's help. Illusion to look like soldiers.”

“I think I could disguise all of us now. Maybe not a week ago, but my own powers are still growing,” Aleister said.

“I think that's the best idea, if you think you can pull it off,” Kalla replied.

“And what of this one then? Do you trust that he will not give us away?” Kasai asked.

The hawk had been silent during their conversation. Nikolai startled at the magister's voice and tried to edge away from him.

“
Why is he so afraid of Kasai?
” Kalla asked Aleister.

“
I am not sure. My brother has done nothing to him, save for the task Vander set him. To keep an eye on him. I would guess it is because he views Kasai as an alpha not to be trifled with.

“
Incidentally, it was the War Mage that ordered him to press the offensive with the pair of them. I trust their judgment, both Vander and Kasai.
” A pause. “
I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, milady, but I don't know that I have it in me to be quite that ruthless,
” the Fox said. Kalla laughed softly.

“I think he will not give us any trouble, Master Kasai.” She looked to the boy, “Will you?” Nikolai shook his head.

“No, Great Lady. I will be no problem. You spared my life. Your companion saved my life. You… would have been fully justified in killing me. I expected no less. I am grateful, Lady Amaraaq. You have my loyalty, if you wish it,” he said.

“Then you will have no objections to me reading the truth of your thoughts?” Kalla asked. The boy swallowed nervously, but shook his head. The Healer moved closer to him, brushing a fingertip across his forehead. A brief moment of contact and she knew he spoke the truth. He would be loyal to 'Amaraaq'. Like what she'd sensed from the Dashmari of this small village, he wanted someone to believe in, someone who would restore their lives to what they had been, however harsh it might have seemed at times. Someone who would fight for
them
and not for a hunger for power. Someone who would let their alphas and their families return home.

“I will put things to right, young one,” She smiled down at Nikolai. “And one day, you will be able to tell your own cubs that you were there.”

It was late in the afternoon by the time they left the Dashmari village. Nikolai traveled with Vander in the
Stymphalian
. Kalla and Kasai followed with the wyvern.

Following Vander's instructions, the Fox brought his ship to ground in a forest clearing bordering Carginov's Peak. It was near dark when they landed and the magi quickly set up perimeter shields around ship and wyvern. When they were done Kalla surveyed her tiny pack.

“Okay, then. Let's go get this over with.”

Kalla followed Vander and Nikolai as they approached the mountain hold of the Dashmari Emperor. Nearby a massive waterfall rumbled, drowning out all efforts to talk to one another aloud. Aleister and Kasai walked behind her, neatly boxing the Healer in between the four of them. The Fox had used his brand of magick to turn Vander's mane black and his eyes a bright emerald green. If one didn't know better, they might think he and the Healer were siblings. The two Arkaddians now had lighter skin and a brown mane and ears. All were dressed in the uniforms of the Donnerkeil. According to Nikolai, there were female members, so Kalla's presence wasn't a big deal.

Following Nikolai's lead, they stopped at the entrance and saluted the guards. They were regarded suspiciously for a moment and Kalla breathed a sigh of relief when the guards finally waved them through.

The group entered the Thunder Warrens. Underground waterfalls echoed the monster outside, creating a roaring cacophony that rolled like thunder throughout the caverns. Nikolai and Vander led them through the tunnels, occasionally stopping to salute what Kalla assumed were senior officers. Deeper in the caverns, torches lit the passageways, casting flickering shadows over the smooth-polished walls. They made it through the Thunder Warrens with no problems. Finally the noise from the falls receded and they entered the Blood Warrens. And met their first challenge. A burly soldier stood guard at the passageway they needed to traverse. He stopped them as they started to go down it.

“What business do you have here?” he growled out.

“A message for Emperor Kartoff,” Nikolai replied.

“The Emperor is busy. Give me the message and I will make sure it gets to him.”

“We need to deliver it in person. A spoken message, not a written one, concerning a possible challenge to his power,” Vander said.

“Then you can wait until the Emperor is not busy. It must not be that important, if you will not pass it along,” the soldier scowled.

“Oh, enough of this,” Vander growled. With a gesture, he bound the soldier in coils of air and set a ward to silence his cries. Had it been left to him, the War Mage would have simply killed the soldier, but he didn't think Kalla would take kindly to that.

Stowing the guard in a side-room, they hurried down the corridor and into a large chamber lit with bonfires, set up as the communal dwellings were. At the farthest end of the vast cavern sat the Emperor. Drawing closer, Kalla studied the man who had managed to pull the packs together, however brutally. An older male whose black mane was streaked with flint-grey, he wore the uniform of the Donnerkeil, but had far more adornment. He had two thick wrist bracers, a thick bronze torc, rings on three fingers and a thin silver crown with a pair of leaping wolves that clasped a sapphire between their paws. A ruby pendant hung around his neck, glittering in the firelight. All of these items were enchanted by Artistry. Even the Emperor's boots were enchanted.

The man's face was set in harsh lines, his gaze restless and watchful. It honed in on them as they approached. Brown eyes narrowed, ears twitching back in a gesture of faint puzzlement before pricking forward. Vander and Nikolai stopped a good distance away from him and gave the gesture of supplication. Around them, other soldiers payed heed to the group without seeming to.

“Yes, soldier?” the Emperor asked. His voice was deep and gruff. Kalla pushed between the two in front of her, stepping closer to Kartoff. As she did so, Aleister dropped the illusion on the group as the War Mage wove shields around them. Gasps and the rustle of weapons greeted the change. Kalla held up a hand and the movement ceased.

“I am Dashkele ti'amaraaq. I bear the marks of the Lady of Wolves. I challenge you, Kartoff, for rulership of the Dashmari people.”

Shocked silence greeted her declaration. When Aleister had dispelled the illusions, Kalla had released the dampening shield on her power. Any who sensed her could now tell she was a powerful alpha. Many edged away from her, looking nervously from the Emperor to Kalla. Others had their attention on Vander, whose mane had returned to its normal color. His icy blue eyes met their stares and most backed down from his cold look. The Emperor regarded them for a long moment.

“You claim to be Amaraaq. You would challenge me, then?” Kartoff asked. He waved a dismissive hand towards them. “I have crushed all opposition before you. You will be no different.”

His gaze settled on Vander, and his lips pulled back in a sneer that bared his long canine teeth.

“And you've brought my freak of a son back to me,” he said in a biting tone.

Kalla's ears flattened and her lips pulled back in a snarl. Had Vander guessed, before they had come here, that the Emperor was his father?

“You will have to kill me to harm him. And, no matter what you think of him, your son is more than a match for you in an equal combat.”

“I doubt that,” Kartoff sneered. “He never had the guts to stand up to me before. A sniveling coward is what he was and I see no difference now, if he hides behind another.”

“Enough. Do you accept the challenge, Kartoff? A fair challenge, too. You keep your equipment, I keep my magick. Otherwise, neither of us can use aggressive magick. I'm guessing some of those impressive Artisan pieces are enchanted for war magick,” Kalla replied in an even tone.

“No aggressive magick. You will face me in physical combat if you persist in pursuing this futile challenge,” Kartoff said. The Emperor removed the rings, the torc and the crown. “There, only defensive items. I trust you do not object.”

Kalla shook her head. Keeping her gaze on the Emperor, she addressed the crowd as a whole. “No one is to interfere with this challenge. To ensure that, the War Mage will seal the Emperor and me in wards.”

Kartoff approached with a mock bow that earned a deep bass growl from Vander. The War Mage pulled the others back, then raised his hands in an expansive gesture. Blue and purple light flashed around the combatants, fading into nothingness.

“The boundaries have been set. Let this challenge for pack and people commence,” he said in a formal voice.

For a moment, Emperor and mage merely stared at one another, assessing. Then Kartoff darted forward, drawing a pair of wicked hooked knives, his enchanted boots giving him an extra bit of speed. The Healer danced nimbly out of the way, mindful of rocks. Despite having been mostly cleared, the cavern floor still had remnants of the giant rocky spires that still adorned the shadowed recesses.

Kalla had drawn her hidden dagger. She was faster than Kartoff, even with his enchanted boots, her diminutive an asset. Kalla flitted around him, staying just out of range. Behind him now, she dashed in and scored a graze along his side. His personal shields flared with the contact, their strength diminishing with the hit.

Kartoff snarled, spinning to lash out at her with the hooked knives. The closer one contacted her own shield. Kalla pushed more energy into them. She felt the locks to Amaraaq's power shiver awake.

Time slowed to nothingness by the weight of the fight. More blows were traded, but neither had yet made the other's shield collapse.

“Enough!” the Emperor snarled, coming to a halt. “Will you do naught more than run from me like a scared puppy? You waste my time!”

He hissed soft, unintelligible words and a misty vapor filled the cube. It swirled lazily, then gathered together and darted for the Healer. Twining around her, the smoke became a flame elemental such as the one that had assaulted Vander. Yellow-orange eyes stared at her.

“Amaraaq, indeed. Finish her!” Kartoff growled. The elemental locked eyes with her and she saw only desperation in its orange orbs. The coils slowly tightened around her body and Aleister's fear surged through her. The magister fought with his desire to help her. To protect his mage, his
liya
.

Orrderrsss, Lady. Break chainsss. Not send away. New orrderrss. Now!

Kalla frowned. She knew she could dismiss the elemental from this plane entirely. His words suggested she could also break his summons and keep him here. And that he might be willing to help.

“I release you from your bond! I free you to give aid if you will or to banishment from this plane if you mean me harm,” she said as the locks fully opened. The creature relaxed against her, uncoiling.

Jahnsen help, Lady Amaraaq. Jahnsen help.

“Harass the wolf then. Drive him towards me, but do not harm him,” she said softly. The elemental nodded. His body dissipated into smoke, only to reform by Kartoff. The Emperor snarled.

“What is the meaning of this? You are supposed to be attacking
her
not
me,
you stupid excuse for a wyrm.”

Jahnsen hissed and grew larger, puffing smoke out of his nostrils. Kartoff snarled again, backing away from the angry elemental. He whirled around just in time to fend off an attack by Kalla. Darting between the two, he sprinted to the far side of the cube, where he was met by a coalescing Jahnsen. The elemental could move faster than either Kalla or Kartoff by shifting from smoke to solid.

Back and forth they went before the Emperor finally howled in frustration. Instead of blocking Kalla's latest attack, he accepted the blow and it scraped across his shield. There was a bright flash as the shield collapsed.

Grabbing her wrist, Kartoff spun Kalla around, using her as a shield against Jahnsen. Kalla smiled grimly. That was all she needed. By summoning Jahnsen, Kartoff had broken the agreement against magick use, leaving her free to use her own.

Without any further words she sent her power coursing between them, overloading his heart. It was over in seconds. Kartoff tensed, then slid bonelessly to the ground, his dying breath sighing from his lips.

Once more Kalla found herself in Carron's bright realm as Amaraaq. A grizzled, weary-looking frost wolf faced her, dwarfed by her greater size. Beyond him, she could see Carron, waiting patiently.

“
It really is you… Dashkele ti'amaraaq.
” Kartoff said in a tired voice. He seemed different now, freed from the taint that had infected him. “
I did not believe. I did not want to believe. Please, forgive me.
” The wolf sank to his belly, ears drooping submissively. He slunk closer to her and rolled over on his back, in a purely vulnerable position.

Amaraaq narrowed her eyes. She understood that Kartoff had completely given himself over to her judgment. She also understood that if she 'killed' him here, his essence would enter Oblivion. Everything that he had ever been and ever would be would vanish, utterly destroyed.

She lowered her head and he met her gaze, unflinching and unafraid, merely resigned to his expected fate. She used her muzzle to nudge him over onto his side, nipping at his throat, but not hurting him. He gave her a puzzled look.

“
I will not destroy all that you are. You don't deserve that. If you wish to pay a penance, go to Xibalba. Serve Araun until such a time as he releases you,
” the wolf goddess said. She didn't know what had made her think of that, but to her mind, it would be punishment enough.

“
That is more generous than I deserve,
” he replied. Kartoff turned his gaze to the ground, looking even wearier than before. “
Can you… No. Will you pass a message to my children? Tell them I am sorry? To all of them?
” A tired laugh. “
A perfect time for regrets…

“
Tell Vander, I am proud. He has become the alpha I knew he had it in him to be. I was harsh because I had no other choice. I wanted him to be strong enough to survive. If I had treated him otherwise it would have made him more vulnerable. Better that he thought I hated him. That was the only thing that kept him alive for as long as it did.

“
By all rights I should have killed him the day he was born, but I couldn't… I watched my own father kill my infant sister. It broke my mother's heart. She didn't live long after that. I couldn't do that to my own mate… or my own cub. I was glad when they took him away, to the Kanlon. I thought things would improve for him…
”

“
I will tell him. I wish you had been able to yourself. Peace be with you, child of wolves.
”

The Deathbringer moved forward. He stopped by the wolf and inclined his head to her.

“
It is time. I will take him to Xibalba, as you wish, Lady Amaraaq.
”

Amaraaq nodded. She closed her eyes as Carron stirred up the sands with his wings and when she opened them Kalla was back in her own body. Only seconds had passed and no one was the wiser for her experience.

A muted chatter began beyond the wards. She looked down at the body at her feet, filled with sorrow at what she'd learned. She was also more than a little nervous. This had been too easy. Far too easy, to depose the Emperor, though the Healer was thankful. After all they had already been through and all they still needed to do, she was glad this was over quickly.

Heart'sss Glory, Lady Amaraaq. Desstroy Heart'sss Glory.
Jahnsen's voice woke her from her thoughtfulness. Kalla bent down and undid the ruby pendant from Kartoff's neck. She studied it for a moment, marveling at the beauty of the stone itself, and the enchantment worked on it. It served as house and anchor for the elemental, forcing him to obey whomever held the pendant and knew his name. Looking back up at Jahnsen she saw the pleading in his eyes. The wish to be free, to no longer be a slave. Kalla sent a burst of power into the ruby, shattering it into dust. The elemental sighed.

Jahnsen thanks you, Great Lady. Jahnsen will serve Amaraaq willingly. No need for gem. Lady keep Jahnsen safe?

Kalla blinked. “You wish to serve me? I don't know anything about summoning. It is a forbidden art,” she said. Jahnsen shook his head.

Sssummoning bad. Willing sservice not bad. You ask, Jahnsen can come or not come. You summon, Jahnsen must come. We be friends, yes? No slaves.

“Friends. I think I rather like that idea, Jahnsen. But what do you need kept safe from?” she asked.