Lady of Wolves (Evalyce Worldshaper Book 2) (15 page)

Bad man, Lady. Sssummoner. Very strong. Bound me to gem, to serve wolf lord. People unhappy, Lady Amaraaq. Make them happy again?

The Healer nodded. “Yes, I am going to try to make them happy again” She didn't object as Jahnsen coiled around her again, looking over her shoulder. She stood, surveying the crowd. At a nod, Vander withdrew the wards and approached her warily, keeping an eye on the elemental. He knelt by the Emperor's side, checking for a pulse.

“The Emperor is dead! The Lady Amaraaq has won the challenge. She is alpha,” Vander said the crowd. As one, the Dashmari soldiers knelt, whispering her name reverently. Aleister came up beside her, eying Jahnsen.

“
New friend, I see,
” he said. Kalla nodded.

“
I'm glad you're safe, milady,
” the Fox whispered in her mind and she smiled. Reaching out, she twined her fingers through his. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed.

“
You are not worried what people will think?
”

“
No. You are my
liya
and Amaraaq's Consort. People don't like it, that's their problem,
” Kalla said as she surveyed the crowd.

“Rise, my Children,” she said in a gentle voice. Slowly, uncertainly, the Dashmari rose to their feet. Others had come in from side chambers, and a tall, thin male from this group made his way to the front, the crowd parting easily for him.

He, too, wore a uniform, but it was different from the others. The jacket was longer and flared at the bottom, stitched with an odd design of interlocking squares. He was a handful of years older than Kalla, but his careworn face aged him.

The soldier's thick black mane was longer than most, nearly as long as Vander's. Like the War Mage, he wore it pulled back into a loose tail. He walked with a limp, noticeably favoring his right leg. Dark brown eyes regarded her for a moment, flicked for the briefest instant to Vander, then settled on the Emperor's body. Sadness flitted across his face as he knelt before her. The Fox released her hand, settling back into the role of magister.

“You have defeated the Emperor, Dashkele ti'amaraaq. What will you do with us now?” Resignation warred with bitterness in the man's tone.

Kalla frowned, studying the man. He bore a resemblance to the Emperor. A son, perhaps. But then… that would make him Vander's brother. One of them anyway. She glanced at the War Mage, sensing his tension. His expression was a mix of anger and hope.

“Aryff…” he said softly. The man looked up and Kalla could see the resemblance between the two.

“Vander. You seem to have done well for yourself at the Kanlon. I suppose you will take great satisfaction in killing the last of us,” Aryff said in a tired voice. The War Mage shook his head.

“I have no intention of killing you.” A glance back at Kasai, a shared look. “What's in the past is done. It's over. You… are the last of my family?” Vander asked in a slightly puzzled voice.

“Three were killed in the quakes, before the other mage came and reinforced the Warrens. Two challenged Kartoff's madness and lost their lives. I served as the Bloodwolves' Dashmuynin, then as one of the Donnerkeil's.” He turned his attention back to Kalla.

“Great Lady, you rule the Dashmari now. I beg of you, don't follow Kartoff's path. Let the soldiers return to their families.”

“That was my sole intention in coming here to face the Emperor.” She raised her voice, so all could hear her. “You are free now, all of you. Go back to your Packs and families. Go home and rebuild your lives,” she said. Murmurs greeted her words.

“Take the Emperor's body and prepare it as you would any alpha. Treat him with honor,” Kalla said. She lowered her voice so that only those immediately around her could hear. “Kartoff wished me to tell you he was sorry. To all of his children.” She held out a hand to Vander. When he gripped it in puzzlement she sent the memories to him in a flash.

He jerked away from her, but the only hint she had of his true emotions was a tense look from Kasai. The Dashmuynin's voice brought their attention back to where he knelt before her.

“Thank you, Lady Amaraaq. For everything,” Aryff said. He started to get up, then fell back as one leg gave way. He grimaced in pain, shyly accepting the hand Kalla extended. She pulled him up, assessing the problem as she did.

“Old wound?” she asked. The Dashmuynin nodded.

“Very old,” was his only reply.

“I am a Healer. I can fix that,” she said.

“No. If you are willing to heal, there is one here who needs it more than me,” Aryff said softly. Two soldiers came up beside them and carefully lifted the Emperor's body from the floor. Aryff said something to them in Dashmari and they nodded, then carried Kartoff from the cavern.

Aryff cast his brother an unreadable look, then gestured for Kalla and her group to follow him. He led them through a series of side chambers, finally coming to a small one off by itself. The Dashmuynin hadn't spoken during the walk. He stopped before the hide hangings to the room and turned to the group.

“It would be best if only you came in, at least at first, Lady Ama-”

“Kalla, please,” the Healer said, a hint of exasperation in her voice. She glanced back at the others. “Please, wait here for a moment.” They nodded, looks ranging from puzzled to concerned. Jahnsen disappeared in a puff of smoke, with the admonition to call him back if she was in need. Aryff pushed through the hangings and Kalla followed him inside.

The room beyond was small and dark. A single lantern barely illuminated the huddled form of a person bundled in blankets.

“Merryn? Merryn, I've brought someone to see you. A Healer,” Aryff said softly.

“No magi. Please, Aryff, no more magi,” a plaintive voice responded, thick with pain and oddly garbled. The figure's fear spiked high enough that Kalla wrinkled her nose. The poor child was terrified of her. Or rather, terrified of magi. The Dashmuynin sighed heavily.

“Merryn, the Healer can help you. She… she is not just magi, she is Dashkele ti'amaraaq. She has challenged Kartoff and won. No other will be allowed to hurt you,” he said.

Merryn shifted, groaning with pain. Aryff knelt down to help her roll over. Kalla knelt beside him and gave a muffled, involuntary gasp when she got her first look at Merryn.

The girl had been beaten and badly. One eye was completely swollen shut, and the fine bones below it looked crushed. Her other eye was barely open, the faint gleam of a dark eye just visible. Her nose also looked to have been broken. Kalla reached out and placed a hand one of the girl's, earning a whimper of pain and fear.

The Healer sent a gentle pulse of power through Merryn, easing her considerable pain and dulling the fear as she did her assessment. Kalla was stunned at the damage to the young wolf, by the sheer number of broken bones. The fingers of one hand, the wrist and lower arm of opposite arm. Several ribs. A shattered femur. The fragile bones in her face. There was considerable soft tissue damage as well, masses of healing bruises along the entire length of her body. The girl was lucky that she'd sustained no serious internal injuries.

“What happened?” Kalla breathed softly. Merryn now lay quietly, sedated by the Healer's power.

“Another mage did this to her. Grosso, his name was. He had been supporting Kartoff, in his bid for power. Instigating him to these ends you saw here. He returned here about a week ago, badly wounded. Left two days ago.

“He took out his frustrations out on Merryn. Kartoff had given her to the mage, in a political marriage, when Grosso first began helping him solidify the Packs. I still have no idea what prompted my father to do such a thing. Until now…” Aryff's voice broke off for a moment. “Until now, Grosso had never hurt her. Not like this. Merely treated her with an indifference that hurt in its own way.

“He… didn't care to deal with us. Saw us as little more than animals and turned Kartoff into a vicious hound, hungry for power. When he returned, wounded, he took out his anger and frustration on an easy target. She was trying to help him… I did what I could, but a Dashmuynin's gifts extend only so far…”

“She means something to you, doesn't she?” Kalla asked gently.

“She is my sister. My baby sister. She was my responsibility. I failed to protect her just as I failed to protect my little brother…” Aryff said.

“You didn't fail. You did the best you could, given the circumstances.

“I can heal her Aryff, but I'm going to need help. Otherwise it will take me forever. She has a lot of damage to be fixed and almost all of it will be painstakingly slow. Bone reconstruction is never easy, no matter how slight the damage and this is not slight. I need Vander here,” she said. “Our magisters can wait outside. They will not object.”

“I was under the impression that my brother was a War Mage. Grosso spoke of him sometimes, never very kindly. He, too, was only valued as a tool that could be used. I am glad he is in better company now,” Aryff said softly.

“Vander has learned new skills during his time with me. Grosso set him to kill me or die trying. Your brother was my test to claim Amaraaq's first aspect- Mother of Wolves. We were bound together, for a time, in a bond similar to the magisterial bond. During that time we learned the skills of the other and he has more than proven his capability as a competent Healer,” Kalla replied.

Aryff nodded and started to rise, but Kalla put a hand on his arm, then asked Aleister to send Vander in. She told the Fox what was going on and asked if he and Kasai would guard the door, keeping any curious people away. A brief moment and the War Mage slipped through the door.

“I need your help, Vander. It will make this healing go faster,” she said.

Vander nodded and moved to her side. She scooted over so that he could sit comfortably beside her and together they unbundled the now sleeping Merryn from her nest of blankets. Vander whistled softly as he did his own assessment. Without being asked, he settled down and began working to reknit her leg. Kalla started with the fragile face bones, carefully unknitting the healing that had started, then beginning it over again.

Time passed in a slow, focused haze. Kalla was aware, at some point, of Aryff pressing a bowl of water in her hands, urging her to drink. She did so with a distracted air, taking the brief respite to reassess Merryn. They were about halfway done. Vander had finished with the femur, a massive undertaking in itself, and moved on to her ribs. Kalla began working on the wrist and arm bones.

Another small eternity passed, before both Magi sat back, exhausted. As he started to come back to himself, Vander began to shake. He jerked away when Kalla went to touch him, snarling, ears flat. He surged to his feet and stormed through the door coverings, muttering in furious Dashmari. Kalla heard Kasai's voice, first questioning, then angry and concerned. She reached the door in time to see Vander, now running, shift into his wolf form, Kasai chasing after. The hawk cursed and shifted himself, using the smaller, swifter harrier form to keep pace with his charge. He squawked, clearly angry at having been forced to change. Aleister gave her a bewildered look.

“He can only have seen Merryn's memories when we healed her,” Kalla said aloud for the benefit of Aryff.

“Seen her memories?” the Dashmuynin asked.

“Yes, when a Healer does extensive healing, they are often inundated with the patient's memories. It is a completely uncontrollable experience. It is part of the Healer's trust to not reveal a patient's memories. A confidentiality.

“I would guess that Vander saw what happened to her, just as I did. And now knows who she is,” Kalla said softly. “It would be best to leave him in the care of his magister for the time being, if he will even let Kasai get close. For myself, I need to rest.”

“There are quarters available nearby, if you wish, Lady Kalla,” Aryff replied. “I have a feeling I know where my brother has gone. He will likely stay there all night. A safe haven when he was younger.”

They followed Aryff to a room nearby. As the Dashmuynin left, Kalla felt the crack in the locks, open til now, whisper shut. The day had been long and eventful and she was more than ready to sleep. While she was concerned about Vander, she trusted that Kasai would calm the War Mage.

Her tummy rumbled and Kalla became aware that she had not eaten in quite some time. Apparently Aryff had thought of that, for a soldier scratched at the door covering, then poked his head in. He gave Kalla the submissive gesture a little uncertainly.

“Lady Amaraaq… Empress… the Dashmuynin ordered me to bring you something to eat,” he said, holding out a wrapped bundle and a pitcher of water. Kalla touched his throat and took the offering, graciously thanking him. He backed out, bowing as he went.

She unwrapped the bundle to find more of the spiced fish and acorn bread, along with some yellow cheese. She split the food with Aleister, and after sharing a companionably quiet supper, they made a pallet and settled to sleep.

Kasai had followed the angry wolf into the depths of the Blood Warrens. Vander finally came to a halt in a dead-end cavern. The mage had lit magelight globes as he ran and now they spun lazily in the small chamber.

Kasai shifted as he entered the chamber, approaching the wolf warily, briefly wondering at the white-furred scars lacing his slender frame. Vander was angry, beyond a reasoning angry, and the hawk was uncertain how to calm him down. Rage bubbled over to him from the wolf, fraying his own temper.

“
Go away!
” the wolf snarled.

“What is wrong with you, mage? You are being unreasonable,” Kasai replied, voice growing heated. “Do you not think Kalla is worried?”

“
It is none of your business! Go away!
”

“It
is
my business. Am I your magister or am I not?” Kasai snapped.

The wolf growled, hackles raised and when the hawk took a step forward, snapped at him, trying to drive him back. Kasai's temper finally broke and he took another step forward, prepared for the wolf's snapping jaws.

He darted in and grabbed the wolf's muzzle, clamping the jaws shut. Vander thrashed, trying to free himself and Kasai was surprised that the War Mage didn't simply use magick. The magister pressed his advantage and wrapped an arm around the wolf's neck, wrestling him to the ground. Kasai had a sinewy strength, and had fought longteeth before. Compared to that, handling the frostwolf was easy.

“I didn't ask for this,” Kasai hissed. “But here we are.”

Vander stopped his flailing, going very still. He made a noise between a whimper and a growl, his emotions suddenly fluctuating between fear and anger.

“Now, I am going to let you go and I expect you to talk to me,” Kasai said. Slowly he released the wolf. As soon as he was free, Vander darted back with another growl.

“
If you ever touch me like that again you will regret it, no matter what I owe you, hawk,
” Vander said.

“Don't make it necessary then. Now… what is wrong,” Kasai replied, unruffled. The wolf snarled again, ears going flat.

“
I will kill him!
” the wolf howled in his mind.

“Who do you want to kill?” Kasai asked.

“
Grosso. I will kill him if it is the last thing I do.
”

“I'd already like to kill him, for harming the Khan, but that is not what set this anger off. What happened in that room, with your patient.”

“
You wish to know so badly? Then here! See for yourself!
” Vander snarled, breaking down the barriers between them. Memories flooded Kasai. A young girl, given as a bond-mate to the Rang'moori mage. Her very young attempts to make him happy and his harsh, contemptuous rebuffs. The girl sad, because her husband thought her and her people worthless. Little better than animals, he called them. And why would he want to mate with an animal? Several memories of the young girl huddled alone, crying or being held by Aryff as she sobbed.

The mage was gone a great deal of the time, leaving Merryn alone. Then, his final return, bloodied and burned. He'd barely been able to heal the burns and had been left with scars on a great deal of his right side. Nightmares had plagued him and when he'd woken he taken it out on the nearest target- Merryn. He beaten her near senseless, as good as raped her even if she was his wife, then finished the beating, leaving her near dead when he left for good, muttering about needing to focus his attention on Argoth next. Kasai understood that the girl was Aryff's sister and so by default, also Vander's. A sister he never knew he had.

“
Still not a good enough reason?
” the wolf growled.

The visions changed, the memories becoming Vander's own. A much younger War Mage was chained to a wall, in some dark place. He hung limply and completely stripped, barely daring to breathe, so afraid his fear was choking him. Shapes writhed in the shadows and one came alive, lumbering over to him. A chimeric creature with the head of a bull, leonine claws and heavy hoofed feet. The beast, a shadow elemental, raked claws down the mage's chest. He whimpered, but didn't scream. The shadow elemental raked claws down him again, only this time lower, earning a sharp pained cry from his chained captive. Cold laughter from the shadows encouraged the elemental to keep having fun with Vander because the boy needed to learn how to listen and follow instructions. Kasai recognized the voice as Grosso's.

“
I could go on. Just ask Kalla. She's seen my memories.
”

“Enough,” Kasai rasped. “Enough. I have seen enough. Blessed Hounds, how could anyone do such a thing? To either of you?”

“
And now do you understand my anger?
” Vander asked.

The wolf shook his head, fighting a yawn. The flight and the confrontation with Kasai had allowed his anger to override the need for sleep and regeneration, but it had reached a critical point. He needed rest. He needed to trust that his magister would keep him safe while he recovered.

“I understand. We can discuss Grosso better in the morning, with the Fox and Kalla. For now, we both need sleep,” Kasai said. Vander didn't argue. He curled up in a ball on the far side of the room. The rock floor didn't look so appealing to Kasai, so he opted to switch back to his hawk form. Fluttering up to a nearby ledge he kept quiet watch til he was sure no-one had followed them, then allowed himself to sleep as well.