© Clay Clearbrook

 

Chapter 3 - Arkaten

 

“Who said anything about leaving?” The sergeant snorted. "They're still here."

"You had them arrested?"

"Only in a manner speaking," The sergeant admitted. "The City Council was unsure of what to do about them. Still are, if you ask me. Didn't want to arrest them and didn't want to leave them wandering around free either. So they cleared out an inn and put'em all in there until they could figure out what to do with them."

He did not have to wait long before the runner returned with orders to the sergeant to allow the travelers entrance and with a request for Shira to appear before the Council.

Shira was hesitant to allow Karel out of her sight. But after a brief consultation with him, Kyleen, and the sergeant, it was agreed that Karel and the Sisters would seek out the inn where the mercenaries were being held while she would honor the Council's request.

Once again, Karel was struck with the awareness that life for Shira had changed in more ways than she let on. While he was more used to the city leaders of the mainland, he didn't believe there was enough difference to explain why the leaders of a city like Arkaten would be interested in a young woman who until recently, had never been more than five leagues from a village so small that it didn't even warrant a small dot on a map.

During their journey so far, he had tried whenever possible to weasel out more details on what Shira had been up to since the destruction of their village with little success. He was also convinced that the Sisters knew something about Shira that he didn't. Why else would they have agreed to postpone their mission of returning him to the mainland? Compared to the orders of their Reverend Mother, the request of a simple village girl would have meant little. Yet if they did, indeed, know something about her, they were being as close-lipped as she was.

After getting directions from the sergeant, and after seeing Shira off to meet with the council, a very disgruntled Karel led the sisters through the streets of Arkaten.

There was a marked difference between the city within the walls and the sprawl beyond.

Personal residences within the walls spoke more of wealth and nobility. There were no ramshackle hovels or even simple single-family residences here. Even the shops that lined the streets tended to be more grand affairs, catering primarily to the money within the inner city.

The splendor displayed all along the route to the inn had all of them gawking like rubes from the countryside as they passed. Here they were seeing the same grandeur, the same sense of peacefulness that may have existed on the mainland in the years before the Night of the Royal Deaths.

When they reached their destination, according to the instructions given by the sergeant, the travelers could only sit upon their horses, staring at the magnificent building that confronted them in sheer awe. It took several moments before Karel noted the squad of guardsmen before the entrance of the building. Guardsmen that were eyeing them warily.

Shaking his head, Karel urged his horse forward and reached down to hand a note the sergeant had given him to the corporal of the guard.

The corporal read the note carefully and then, with a snap of his fingers, detailed two of his men to hold the traveler’s horses while they dismounted.

After ordering the soldier Sisters to stay with their horses, Kyleen and Tyra followed Karel as he headed up the steps to the entrance of the elaborate inn.

Unlike most inns, the entrance to the Copper Top Inn, as the copper-trimmed sign out front proclaimed the place to be, did not open directly into the common room. Stepping through the entrance, Karel and the Sisters found themselves in a small lobby with a long countertop along the opposite wall. Behind the counter, a glum-looking man looked up from his ledgers.

"I'm afraid we're not open for business, gentlefolk," He stated before they could speak. From the tone of his voice, it was not a state of affairs that he relished.

"I understand that you're housing a company of mercenaries from the mainland," Karel asked as he led the way to the counter.

"Them!" The innkeeper, for such Karel believed him to be, gave a brief scowl and then sighed. The scowl was replaced with a look that somehow combined both frustration and compassion. "No, I cannot complain about them," He said. "They have caused no trouble and did not ask to be stuck here."

"So they are here," Karel clarified. The innkeeper nodded.

"And a more morose lot, I have never seen," He said. He waved a pudgy hand towards a set of doors to their right. "Most of them stay in there in the common room but some hardly ever come out of their rooms. I have to say, they act more like whipped pups than Black Wolves."

Karel resisted an urge to reach across the counter and grab the innkeeper, settling instead on grabbing the counter both hands.

"What did you say?" He demanded.

"I – I said most stay in the common room…" The startled innkeeper began, trailing off as Karel shook his head.

"Not that." He growled. "What did you call them? What was the name of their company?"

"Why, the Black Wolves," The innkeeper stammered. "At least that's what the pretty young thing that led them said."

Karel did not wait to hear any more. He sprinted for the doors to the common room, the startled Sisters belatedly trailing after him.

He slammed through the double doors and then came to a sudden halt, almost causing the following Sisters to run him over.

His abrupt entrance had gained the attention of those in the common room and, after a brief moment of stunned silence, there was a sudden shuffling of seats on the wooden floor as no less than twenty men and women jumped to their feet.

"Captain Durick!" One scarred veteran exclaimed, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. As if the man's voice was a cue, the rest of the crowd began to push towards Karel.

"Black Wolves! Attention!” The veteran barked in his best parade ground voice. Every man and woman in the room froze in place. Standing stiff, as if ready for a parade ground inspection. The veteran, a sergeant Karel recognized from another unit within the Black Wolves, pushed through the crowd, tapping one young soldier as he passed. "Lentil, go fetch the lieutenant."

The young soldier spun and sprinted towards the stairway at the back of the common room while the veteran sergeant continued to make his way towards Karel. Reaching his destination, he drew himself up and saluted.

"Sergeant Welien of Black Wolves platoon six reporting, Sir!" The veteran barked.

Karel bemusedly returned the salute and then motioned for everyone to relax. A commotion at the rear of the room caused Karel to look up just as a petite blonde woman came barreling down the stairway. She paused near the bottom as she caught sight of him. Her eyes widened and then she was down, pushing and shoving her way through the crowd.

When she reached Karel, she didn't bother with proper protocol. Instead of coming to attention and saluting, she leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, burying her face in his shoulder. Before he had a chance to react, she pulled herself away and, looking up at him with a tear streaked face, reared back and delivered an open palm slap to his face that nearly spun his head around.

"Damn you, Karel!" She yelled and then once again embraced him, this time, burying her face in his chest.

"I see you practice unusual disciplinary tactics within the Black Wolves," Kyleen drawled. Karel blushed, rubbing his still stinging cheek, and then gently pried the woman away.

"Kyleen, Tyra, allow me to introduce my second, Rahney," He said, picking the petite woman up and sitting her down at arm's length.

Kyleen's eyebrows raised.

"Lieutenant Rahney?" She asked. "The one called Angel?" She looked back and forth between Karel and the woman, clearly not ready to believe it.

"One and the same," Karel nodded. He understood the Sister's confusion. Angel, or Angel Face as some called her, had a reputation among the mercenary companies on the mainland. From her looks, she did not appear near old enough to be away from her parents, much less part of a mercenary company. Yet Angel had proven herself again and again in battle, becoming known for her skill with both sword and bow in the field and her skill with daggers when off duty.

Angel was unusual among mercenary women in that, unlike most, she went to great lengths to embrace her femininity when off duty. She was also extremely conscious of her looks, especially her face. Karel knew that the arms and legs hidden beneath the uniform she now wore bore several scars from past battles. But with one small exception, her face, neck, and hands had escaped scarring. That one exception was a tiny, virtually unnoticeable, nick on her right cheek where the tip of a sword had touched her just enough to draw blood. Karel had been there when that happened and had witnessed the berserker rage Angel had fallen into. None had stood before her and soon enemy soldiers were doing the unthinkable: They were willingly turning to face the Wolfblade rather than face the insane young child-woman that fought at his side.

"Rahney," Karel gave the small woman a shake to gain her attention. "What in the name of the gods are you doing here?" Looking over her head he could see several members of his old platoon, interspersed with Black Wolves from other platoons. There were some new faces, probably recruits inducted after he had left. It was in these faces that he saw the fear, the uncertainty. Frowning, he looked back down at Rahney. "What is this? What are the Black Wolves doing on the Great Isle and where is the rest of the Company?"

Rahney shook her head mutely and sergeant Welien cleared his throat.

"Begging the Captain's pardon, sir," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "But we here in this inn is all that's left of the Black Wolves."

Karel staggered back as if the sergeant had struck him with a physical blow. The Sergeant nodded sadly and placed a hand on Rahney's shoulder.

"Twas the lieutenant here that held us together," he said. "She had us gather all the other Black Wolves we could find and told us she was coming here to find you and we could follow if we wanted." He shrugged. "There was some as thought they could make it on their own or join with another company but the rest of us…Well, here we are."

"The others never made it."

Karel spun and glared at Kyleen, for it was she who had spoken.

"You knew about this?" He demanded. "You knew, and you said nothing!"

"We knew parts of it," The Knight admitted. "It was one reason the Reverend Mother sent us to find you." She turned away and looked at the Black Wolves. "We did not know that any survived. Those that went on their own were hunted down and slaughtered. Three were known to have joined other companies. Those companies soon shared the fate of the Black Wolves."

Karel stumbled to a table and fell heavily into a chair.

"What…" He began but was unable to finish.

"It was you they wanted," Welien continued.

"Who is ‘they’?" Karel demanded. He held up a hand before Welien could answer. "No, start at the beginning. I want to know exactly what happened." He then looked at Kyleen. "And then you and I will have a talk about what you know and what I need to know."

The story that unfolded left Karel shaking with rage. Apparently, not long after he had left the Black Wolves, they had received what appeared to be a plum of a commission. Normally, the Black Wolves would hire out one or two platoons at a time. This commission, however, called for the entire company. Eight full platoons. Nearly a thousand men and women, not counting their support personnel.

The company traveled to the agreed-upon place, supposedly to meet one last time with their employers, and set up camp, completely unaware that they had walked into an ambush.

"Orcs they were, Captain," Welien had said. "Orcs and scaly, hooded mages. They came from everywhere all at once in the middle of the night. There was no warning, the night guards raised no alarm. Just suddenly they was in the camp and…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

It was a massacre. Only those who fled near the end survived.

"Through it all, this white-haired woman, and a young thing she was, strolled through the camp, pretty as you please. But no one could get near her. She kept calling out your name, saying that anyone who turned you over to them or gave them information about you would be spared." Welien had a disgusted look on his face. "I'm shamed to say there was some that tried to take her up on her offer. The lieutenant here did for three or four of them traitorous bastards herself."

Seeing that all was lost and that remaining to fight would lead to nothing but the meaningless deaths of everyone, Rahney had gathered the remnants she could find, grabbed what supplies they could, and fought clear of the embattled camp. At that point, the very darkness that had aided the ambushers now became their ally.

"They were lucky," Kyleen added. "We don't believe the Disciple of the Hand became aware that any had escaped her trap for several hours. Obviously, her first mistake was in choosing the location of the ambush." Here she nodded towards Rahney and Welien.

"That's the honest truth, Ma'am," Welien nodded. "We was no more than two days away from Bratoc." He said, naming a port city on the mainland. "It was there the lieutenant told us what she planned."

"The Reverend Mother never considered that any survivors would try to make it to the Great Isle," Kyleen said. "Apparently the Disciple did not consider it either." She shook her head. "But I would not guarantee that she doesn't know by now. If any of those who knew where your lieutenant was bound but chose not to accompany her fell into the Disciple's hands, you can be assured that whatever they knew, she now knows as well."

As the story unfolded, more and more of the remnants of the Black Wolves began to gather in the common room. Obviously, the news that the Captain had arrived was being spread to those keeping to their rooms.

"What I don't understand is how you reached Arkaten before we did," Karel commented.

"Well sir, we didn't have much to go on," Sergeant Welien explained. "Lieutenant Rahney only knew the name of your village. And begging the Captain's pardon, do you know how many villages along the coast of this blasted isle are called Near Sea Village? And I'll be damned if each and every one don't think they're the only one. And we really couldn't be too picky about the ships we could take. The lieutenant got us aboard the first ship bound for the isle’s east coast."

"That probably saved your lives," Kyleen nodded. "We know that the Disciple's human followers scoured Bratoc looking for you. If you had still been there, they would have found you."

During the entire exchange, Rahney, who had pulled up a chair next to Karel's, had sat with her head bowed, her hands clenching each other in her lap. Karel now turned to her and, using the tips of his fingers on her chin, lifted her head so she had to look at him.

"You did good, Rahney!" He said. "But why bring them here? I've told you often enough that the Great Isle doesn't really welcome the mercenary companies."

Rahney tried to turn her face, but Karel would not let her. Finally, she sighed and shrugged.

"I just knew that if we stayed there, we would all die," she said. "And Sergeant Welien was right. Those bastards were looking for you."

"And so you came here to find and protect your Captain," Kyleen finished for her.

"Yes," Rahney hissed, yanking her head away from Karel to glare at the knight. "He's our captain and he's saved our asses more times I can count. We owe it to him."

If Kyleen took offense at Rahney's tone, she gave no sign of it. She simply looked at the young lieutenant for a moment, a smile teasing the corners of her lips.

"As you say," She nodded.

"Again, begging the Captain's pardon," Sergeant Welien broke in with an embarrassed cough, "but I'd say the why of it don't matter no more. We're here, and that's that." He gestured towards the gathered Black Wolves. "What's important now, and what we need to know, is what we do now."

"That is the question, isn't it Sergeant?" Karel muttered. He pushed himself to his feet and looked at the gathered men and women in the common room. Part of him wanted to yell at them. Wanted to make them see that he was no longer their captain. He couldn't do that. Like it or not, they were his responsibility. "We'll figure it out, but not right now. While you all have been sitting around here on your butts, we've been on the road. Quite frankly, I'm not going to think straight until I've had a bath, something to eat, and a good nights sleep. In the morning, I'll want to talk with Lieutenant Rahney and the senior noncoms and we'll figure out where we go from here."

"I see you found them," A new voice spoke up and Karel turned to see Shira step in the common room. He had expected her to join them. What he had not expected was the reaction of every person in the common room with the exception of the Sisters and himself. In barely a heartbeat all the Black Wolves had blades in their hands and were glaring at Shira with undisguised hatred.

"Bitch!" Rahney screamed, launching herself towards the newcomer.

"Lieutenant Rahney!" Karel barked, jumping to put himself between the two women. "What the hell is this nonsense, Lieutenant?" He gripped her shoulders, having to physically keep her away from Shira.

"It's her!" Rahney yelled. "She's changed her hair color, but it's her. She's the one that brought those orcs and damned wizard things down on us. She's the one that was looking for you."

Karel felt something freeze within him. Maintaining his grip on Rahney shoulders, he turned first to glance at Kyleen and then Shira.

"It's Shara, isn't it?" He demanded. "Shara's the Disciple of the Hand."

"I tried to tell you, Karel," Shira nodded, stepping forward. She looked Rahney over and then nodded again. "You must be Lieutenant Rahney." She said. "Karel mentioned you in his letters. You look exactly as he described you."

To say that Rahney and the Black Wolves were now confused would be an understatement. They looked to Karel and with a sigh, he realized that his bath, meal, and rest would have to wait.

"Rahney, this is my sister, Shira," He said in a voice loud enough that everyone in the common room could hear him. Rahney stepped back, lowering her blade. She looked back and forth between Karel and Shira.

"Shira. You told me about her. You said she was…" Her eyes widened as understanding dawned. "Twins. One with black hair and one with white."

"Shara," Karel nodded, naming Shira's white-haired twin. "And according to Shira, Shara led orcs and those wizard things to our village. She destroyed our village and killed our parents."

"But somehow couldn't find it in her black heart to kill her twin sister!" Shira spat.

"What’s she got against the Captain?" Sergeant Welien demanded, pushing forward to stand beside Rahney. "Why would she want to kill her brother?"

"I don't know that she does want to kill him," Shira answered. "But she's already shown that family means nothing to her. She stood by and watched while our mother was tortured and our other brothers and sisters cut down."

"And to top it off," Karel added, "she might not even consider me family. I was raised by them and considered them my family, but Shira's parents were not mine. As far as I know, my parents died soon after I was born. Mother and father raised me as if I were their own, but they never tried to claim that they were my true parents."

He spread his hands and looked around at those gathered in the common room.

"I honestly don't know why she wants to find me," He said. "I only know that if it is that important for her to locate me, then perhaps it is just as important for me not to let that happen."

"Oh, sweet Dyera," Kyleen exclaimed, drawing all eyes to her. She was looking at Rahney and Sergeant Welien with a look that said she had just realized something unpleasant. "What if they didn't escape before she found them, Wolfblade?" She asked. "What if she allowed them to escape, thinking they could do the job of locating you for her?"

"Hold on, Rahney," Karel said, holding up a hand to stop Rahney's instant protest. "Kyleen may have a point. Shara is by no means stupid." He lowered his voice so that only those few around him could hear what he said. "She would know that you would never betray me. I know and you know that you would never lead her to me willingly or knowingly. But what if you didn't know it?"

"You're thinking that one or more of those that came with us, might really be working for her." Sergeant Welien made it a statement, not a question. "Maybe one of the new recruits?"

"First of all, as likely as it is, we don't know that she is using you to try to find me." Karel pointed out. "And if she is, I can't really think of anyone less likely she would use then a new recruit. That would be too obvious. No, she would use someone who's been with us for a while, someone we feel we can trust." He looked the Sergeant in the eyes. "That's what makes it tough. We don't know if she has followers amongst those you brought with you, we just know that it is possible, so we have to react accordingly. And quite frankly Sergeant, no offense intended, but the only one I know I can trust is Rahney. And if you ask the good knight here, she'll tell you I'm a fool for even trusting that much."

"As the Wolfblade said, no offense intended," Kyleen said, nodding towards Rahney. "But he's right."

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance in this matter," Tyra spoke up for the first time. When Karel looked towards her, she shrugged. "One of the gifts Dyera gives to her paladins is the ability to tell truth from lies."

She stepped forward, raising her right hand. Having seen paladins work in the past, Karel was not surprised to see it shining with a faint blue, outlining glow. Many others, however, had not had the privilege and he heard several hissing, indrawn breaths and several mutters of sorcery.

Tyra obviously heard the same thing for she let her eyes travel around those in the room.

"It is not sorcery." She said, loudly. "It is not my power but that of Dyera. I am only the conduit and the guide. I shall simply ask a question."

Seeing hesitation on many faces, Karel beckoned to the Paladin.

"Test me so they all can see will happen." He commanded. Tyra nodded and stepped up to him.

"I shall ask you questions." She said, obviously playing to the audience. "You must answer one of them with a lie." She paused and then again looked out over the audience. "Understand that even if you say something you believe to be the truth, if it is not, it will be revealed as such." She stepped toward Karel and laid the tips of her index and middle fingers of her glowing right hand on his forehead.

"Is your name Karel Durick?" Her voice took on an unearthly tone as she asked her first question. "You must speak your answer." She added when he nodded.

"I am." He answered aloud. Those watching saw nothing different.

"You were the supreme commander of the Black Wolves before you retired from the mercenary company?" The Paladin asked, obviously, giving him his first opportunity to tell a lie.

"I was," Karel answered. There was an audible collective gasp throughout the room as the glow around the Paladin's hand abruptly shifted color to red. Tyra nodded, one corner of her mouth twitching as if resisting an urge to smile.

"You're a human male." She asked. She was smiling at those around them now, as if sharing a private joke and Karel was impressed, realizing the Paladin was doing her best to put those around them at ease.

"I am." The laughter he was stifling fled as the glow, which had faded back to blue with the start of the third question, suddenly shifted to a purple color. Obviously, Tyra was surprised as well.

"Obviously something you believe to be true is not." She said. She raised an eyebrow and looked at those around. "Could it be that your Captain is actually a woman who thinks she's a man?" She turned back to Karel. "Let us find out. Are you a male?"

"I am." Karel grated. The hand returned to its blue glow. Tyra opened her mouth to ask another question, but shut it and let her hand drop as she turned to the audience. "Well, there you have it." She said. "He's obviously male. So, therefore, it is obvious as well that the Wolfblade has begun to believe the tales told him, that he is part wolf."

There was a smattering of laughter which Karel forced himself to join in. Even so, his questioning eyes sought out and locked on those of Shira, demanding answers he felt she had. She held his gaze, but nothing in her manner suggested that he would gain anything more than he already had.

"So who's to be next?" Tyra asked. Karel was not surprised when Rahney stepped forward. As she had with him, Tyra instructed the mercenary Lieutenant to answer her questions with at least one obvious lie.

In short order, Tyra cleared the Lieutenant and the senior noncoms in the room and began on the others. Every so often, the glow of her hand would change hue and Tyra would ask a few clarifying questions before moving on.

As the Paladin worked, Kyleen kept her eyes roving across the mercenaries gathered in common room. After the Wolfblade, Rahney, the sergeants, and corporals had been cleared, most of the others in the room had lost their fear of what the Paladin was doing, yet a few remained nervous. They were easy to spot and it was these that Kyleen watched closely. Sure enough, three of them, two men and a woman, began edging their way towards exits. With subtle gestures, she got Sergeant Welien’s attention and, with just her eyes, pointed out the three.

The Sergeant gave a slight nod, his face hardening. With gestures of his own, he gave silent orders to those around him that had already been cleared by the Paladin. Soon they were spreading out, moving with apparent nonchalance, until they were positioned by the room’s exits. Kyleen did not believe for an instant that it was chance that had led the older veteran to the exit the trio was heading for.

Seeing that the Sergeant had everything under control, Kyleen resumed her scan of the room.

It took the better part of the afternoon for Tyra to work through those gathered in the common room, and then start on those that have chosen to remain in their rooms. By the time she was finished, she had uncovered one other person, in addition to the three that had tried to leave the common room.

None of the four, it was discovered, had been original members of the Wolfblade's platoon. Shira took charge of those four, having them led out of the building by a squad of the city guard. Karel never asked what was to become of them.  Quite frankly, if he could not put the sword to them himself, he didn’t care.

"My guess is that, if the Disciple had planted anyone in your platoon, they didn't make it out when you're Lieutenant broke through their lines and escaped," Tyra commented later. She looked exhausted but had refused suggestions that she get some rest. "I don't think we can go wrong if we assume that she knows you're here."

"She may not," Shira commented. She had not moved far from Karel's side during the interviews, moving only to fetch the squad to take away the informants, and now sat with him, Rahney, Sergeant Welien (whose first name she had learned was Bran), Kyleen, and Tyra in the private dining room, just off the common room. The other Sisters, after seeing to their horses, had been shown rooms and were now in the common room mixing with the other Black Wolves. When everyone turned to her after her comment, she shrugged. "We don't know how they communicated with her. Obviously, they haven't had a chance to report since you arrived and they were discovered." She shook her head. "But Tyra is probably right. It is probably best to assume that she does know you're here."

"Actually, she probably didn't need her spies to tell her that." Kyleen mused. "Those orcs that attacked us at the waystation were there at her bidding and those that escaped would've told her what they saw."

"Ladies," Karel's look encompassed the two Sisters and Shira, making it clear to whom he was referring, "I think it's time for some answers." He glared at the three for a moment before continuing. "I have allowed you to lead me along this far with very few questions. Chalk it up to finding my home in ruins and all but two of my family dead. No longer. Whether I wanted it or not, I have a responsibility to these men and women." He gestured towards Rahney and Bran though it was clear that he was referring to all the Black Wolves. He looked directly at Shira. "I want to know why Shara is after me, and don't try to tell me I'm just the target of some sibling rivalry. I want to know what the hell happened with her and I want to know what happened to you. Where did you learn to wield the sword and since when do city elders beg an audience from a girl from a village most people in the city have never heard of?" He now looked at the Sisters. "And since when do knights and paladins of the Sisterhood of Dyera, under orders from the Reverend Mother, ignore those orders on the words of that same small village girl?"

When none of the three answered, Karel slapped the top of the table with his hand, the sharp crack startling both the lieutenant and the sergeant sitting on either side of him.

"By the God's, you will answer me or I will take the Black Wolves back to the mainland and deal with Shara myself." He threatened.

"You would lead them to their deaths," Kyleen warned. "Your foster sister commands power you could not possibly understand. She has given herself fully to the Black Hand. She has become a cleric of Helastin."

From the corner of his eye, Karel noted that Rahney had paled considerably. Her eyes darted back and forth between Karel and the three other women, but she kept her silence. He turned slightly to his left and noted that, whatever he felt at Kyleen's news, the grizzled old sergeant let nothing show on his face. He turned back to glare at the women across the table.

"You're right." He said, giving a sharp nod. "I don't understand. But the three of you have kept your secrets long enough. No more!" This last was said while looking directly at Shira.

Shira’s eyes widened as she realized that the man before her was not the biddable brother she had stumbled across in the woods outside their ruined village, but rather the hardened man he had become after ten years with the mercenary companies. A man used to leading, not following blindly.

If Karel noticed her reaction, he gave no sign. Instead, he gestured to the two Sisters.

"You came here to find me and return me to your Reverend Mother." He said. "You knew what had become of the Black Wolves, yet you said nothing." He turned back to Shira. "You tell me we must go to Castle Relnia, yet you never say why. I was willing to follow you and allow you to keep your secrets for the time being because only you and I were affected." He placed both hands on the table and leaned forward. "The Black Wolves numbered almost a thousand men and women. One thousand and for all we know, the paltry few gathered here, thanks to Lieutenant Rahney and Sergeant Welien, are all that is left. All the rest slaughtered, just to find me. Why? What makes me so important to Shara? Why destroy the Black Wolves, wipe out our village? I want answers and I will have them. Or you can go to Castle Relnia alone and you Sisters can return to your Reverend Mother and let her know that I respectfully decline her gracious invitation!"

He stood, showing his chair aside, and stalked from the room.

No one followed him as he made his way to the room the innkeeper had cleared for him yet he was not surprised when, as he lay on the room’s single, wide bed fuming, his eyes closed, there came a soft tapping on the door.

"Come." He growled. He heard the door open and close. He fully expected to hear Shira's angry voice. Instead, he heard the soft rustling of clothes and then felt the bed shift as someone climbed in beside him. His eyes flew open as soft lips pressed to his and a naked body straddled his hips.

Rahney pulled back, looking down at his face. In her own, he could read both determination and fear. The determination to seek that which she had never dared before and fear that she would be rejected.

Karel unfolded his arms from behind his head and with gentle pressure to her shoulders, pushed her until she sat up straight. Her eyes closed as his fingers traced gently downward over and around the swell of her small breasts, down her sides and over her hips. She remained still as he drank in her body with his eyes for a long moment before pulling her back down for another kiss.

 

To be Continued…….. 

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2015 by Clay Clearbrook

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.