“‘Why should I permit my prey to walk free when they so rashly wander through the hunting grounds of the Wolf Clan on a night such as this when the moon shines so brightly?’ I asked. Though my thirst had been slaked, my pride could not permit me to accept defeat from a mortal girl. ‘Who are you to beg a favor from Sir Reginald, the prince of the Wolf Clan?’
“‘I am no one of consequence,’ she replied. She fell to her knees and looked up at me with tears in her eyes. ‘I am the mere daughter of a blacksmith, but for the sake of my sister, I would gladly lay down my life.’
“‘But you are even now within my grasp,’ I said. I was angered, for though she knelt, there was something like pride in her supplication. Who was she to stand against me? What a fool I was not to my own hypocrisy! ‘No power on Earth can save you from me, and yet you beg for the life of another?’
“‘I do,’ she said simply.
“‘What if I wish to take you both of you this very night?’ I asked though I already knew that I could not harm this gentle creature. It vexed me that she somehow seemed to know this. How else could she have spoken with such confidence?
“‘Then there is nothing I can do,’ she said as she pulled her dagger from her sleeve. ‘But still I will try to fight you until my dying breath.’
“I laughed. How could I not? This little girl actually thought to fight me! Never had I encountered such a bold creature. Even as she begged for the life of her sister and threatened me with a weapon that she knew was worthless against me there was a dignity and grace and fearlessness to her that I could not ignore. I shall never forget the image of Anya on her knees before me begging not for her own life but for that of another. It was a thing of beauty. I could not help but be moved by her fierce loyalty and gentle kindness towards her sister.
“‘Lady Anya,’ I said, for truly she deserved such a title though she had not a drop of noble blood in her veins. ‘You are indeed a strange woman. You will come to the castle of the Wolf Clan and swear fealty to me and my clan forever more and serve as my own personal servant and seer. If you do this, then I will spare your sister.’
“She turned deathly pale, as well she should have. The mortals that entered the castle of the Wolf Clan rarely left alive. And those who did were forever changed. She would be entering a life of terrifying servitude to the deadly Wolves as the lowest of slaves. I will not deny that it gave me pleasure to see her finally show fear.
“She bowed her head respectfully and said, ‘My lord, I swear that I will come and serve you and your clan, but I beg you to let me first take my sister home and say farewell to my father and brothers, for I may never see them again.’
“It baffles me to this day that I gave her permission. I warned her that I would rain down destruction upon her entire family if she failed to come to me by sunset the next day. She stood before me and bowed low promising to come as I commanded. Without another word, she led her sister away, and I stood stunned at what had just occurred. I, Sir Reginald, mighty prince of the Wolf Clan, had willing let two such beautiful creatures slip through my fingers. I would be the laughingstock of the clan.
“Part of me was certain that she would not keep her vow and that the next night I would feast upon the blood of her entire family. How foolish I was! My sweet Anya, ever fearless and honorable. Never in her wildest dreams would she have broken her word, even to one such as me.
“The next night, as soon as I had awoken, I readied myself for battle. Surely Anya’s father and brothers would fight to the death to protect their dear daughter and sister. I was eager for such a fight, for the thought of their blood running down my sword filled me with excitement. I alone would destroy Anya’s family, and all who saw the fierceness of my wrath would look on in terror. But it was not to be, for when I reached the courtyard, I found Anya waiting for me. She had kept her word.
“Augustus, the captain of the Wolf Guard, stood beside her. He told me later that her whole family had followed her to the very gates of the castle, and that from his post, he had seen her say her final farewells just as the sun had begun to sink in the horizon. Her younger sister, the fair Elise was the last to leave her side.
“She never saw her father or her sister again in her life. Her brothers she would see one last time, but it only brought bitter pain that I shall not speak of yet.
“She worked hard and served me well. Any tears that she might have shed for her family, she hid from me, but it was clear the greatness of her loss, for never had she been apart from her family. She fascinated me. No creature ever had such a diligent and gentle servant. She was a sweet balm to my unholy soul. With all of her purity and goodness, how could I not fall in love with her? Every second that I spent with her was a moment in that blessed paradise that I shall never enter. Oh, the damned creature that I was! That I still am! She was the most glorious gift that heaven could ever deign to bestow. And she loved me! This angel loved me as no cursed monster could ever hope to deserve.”
As Lord Reginald spoke, his face seemed to glow with an ethereal light. His eyes were filled with joy and love. His smile was almost celestial.
The memories of his love swirled around Elizabeth as his words flowed over her. She was utterly enthralled by his tale. She was there with him, all those centuries ago. She felt herself being pulled into a sweet oblivion without time or thought. A place where the most wonderful memories dwelt in all their unfading beauty. All around her seemed to fade into nothingness.
Suddenly Anya stood before her, dressed in a gown of soft white silk. She was no longer the young maid that Lord Reginald had met on that dark road, but she had bloomed into the fullness and beauty of womanhood. Around her neck was an intricately wrought crucifix of silver. Golden curls cascaded down her back, and her clear blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. The smell of roses and lilies followed her like a train. She was glowing with happiness as she beckoned to Elizabeth.
“Come with me, young one,” the vision whispered to her. “My lord’s power is too great for you. Come with me, and I will keep you safe in the place between places.”
Elizabeth did not fully understand what she meant, but she ran into Anya’s open arms even as she felt that her body was still sitting on that wooden crate. She sank into Anya’s warm embrace and breathed in her sweet essence. She felt as if at long last, she had found her home.
A feeling a tranquility filled her entire being as she drifted away with Anya on a calm sea.
Chapter 5
“You have mesmerized her, father,” Marcus said reproachfully, seeing that Elizabeth had fallen into a deep trance where she sat. Romulus was curled up at her feet and seemed to be asleep. “You almost mesmerized me.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I haven’t heard you speak with such power and passion since I was still a child.”
Lord Reginald’s expression became grave. He laid Elizabeth gently on the floor, wrapped her in the velvet covering that had been on the crate and placed his hand on her head. A deep vertical line appeared between his eyebrows as he looked up at his son in bewilderment.
“If she is mesmerized, it is not by me, my son. She seems to be asleep.”
Sir Marcus raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. “That is not possible.”
“See for yourself.”
Sir Marcus crouched beside Lord Reginald and laid his own hand on Elizabeth’s head. He stood up almost immediately, deep frown on his face. “You are right, but how?”
“I am not entirely certain,” Lord Reginald replied as he stood beside his son. The line between his brows deepened as he frowned as well. “It is as if something is protecting her from my power.”
“It’s a miracle that she survived,” Sir Marcus said. “Any other mortal’s mind would have been destroyed by the vision that you were showing her. It was far too vivid.”
Lord Reginald shook his head. “I
forgot myself as I spoke. The memories of my sweet Anya fill me to overflowing.”
“Perhaps it was not merely the memories,” Sir Marcus said. He gazed shrewdly at his father. “You know, or you think you know, what protected her.”
Lord Reginald shot him a dangerous look.
“Forgive me, father.” Sir Marcus said with a respectful bow. “We will not speak of it.”
Lord Reginald nodded curtly in response.
“Her life force is indeed strong.”
Lord Reginald’s expression softened at Sir Marcus’ words. “Yes, indeed it is.”
“But not as strong as mother’s.”
“No,” Lord Reginald said. There was something like regret in his deep voice. “But she has a different kind of strength that she is not even aware of. She is like and unlike gentle Anya. Perhaps that will save her.”
“Your words are of little comfort,” Sir Marcus said.
Romulus lifted his head from between his paws and let out a small whine.
“Your companion agrees with me. Look at him pretending to be asleep.” Sir Marcus said with a fond smile as he looked at the wolf.
“Romulus does not need to sleep,” Lord Reginald said. His smile mirrored his son’s. “But he does like to try. He can almost dream when he runs through his memories.”
“Ah, to dream,” Sir Marcus said. “It has been far too long.”
Lord Reginald let out a deep sigh. “Yes, to dream of my sweet Anya would be almost as wonderful as holding her once again. But instead, I must be content to walk through these sweet smelling groves and dwell within the memories of the joys we shared until the dawn drives me to rest. Romulus will watch over young Elizabeth until she wakes.”
Marcus looked down at Elizabeth’s sleeping form with a troubled expression on his face. In a single liquid moment, he knelt and kissed her forehead gently. As he stood, he nodded once to Romulus and then followed his father into the night.
Friday
Chapter 1
Elizabeth woke up as the sun was rising. She groaned and stretched, feeling that unpleasant stiffness that comes from sleeping on a hard wooden floor. The early morning sun filtered through the wide cracks in the shed’s ceiling and walls, transforming the floating dust motes into dancing sparks of color. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as memories of the previous night swirled in the front of her mind. Had it all been a crazy dream? Was she still dreaming? No, everything around her felt solid and real. But then again in the vision that Lord Reginald had shown, everything looked solid and real too. Especially that last part. What had happened after she ran to Anya? She had felt so alive as she fell into that strange oblivion. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair.
Beside her, Romulus lifted his head and yawned. His yellow eyes were on the same level as Elizabeth’s brown ones. The wolf looked at her thoughtfully. His expression was more intelligent than any animal that Elizabeth had ever seen. He even looked more intelligent than some of her fellow college students. She jumped in surprise as the yellow eyes flickered and changed to a piercing blue. Before she could quite process what she was seeing, they had turned back to their usual yellow. She rubbed her eyes again. Maybe it had been a trick of the light or something. Or maybe she had just imagined it.
“Good morning, Romulus.” She patted him on the head and smiled. Normally she would have felt foolish talking to an animal, but after last night, she was no longer sure exactly what normal was. Her whole world view had changed so drastically that she hardly knew herself. The wolf continued to stare at her in silence.
A sudden pain shot through her temples. Elizabeth gasped as everything around her grew dark. At first it was not as clear as the vision that Lord Reginald had shown her last night. It was fuzzy, like she was looking into a fogged up mirror. She heard Lord Reginald’s deep voice telling someone about Anya. As she listened, it became clearer, like tuning the static out of a radio station. The fog before her eyes melted away, and she realized with a jolt that she was seeing herself from last night listening to Lord Reginald’s story. She was curled up on the floor looking up at herself. She could feel hot blood coursing through her veins and hear the soft whisper of her own breath. Her heartbeat seemed to make the air quiver.
Then there was the smell, faint at first, but growing stronger with each passing moment. It was a cold smell that she somehow knew was the smell of death and another smell, warmer and richer. She realized in a flash that she was somehow in Romulus’ memory, seeing and smelling herself as he must have. It was by far the strangest thing that she had ever experienced, and considering last night, that was saying something.
Her head began to throb painfully. She shook herself out of the vision and began to massage her temples. She could feel Romulus’ eyes on her even as she looked away. Her thoughts were a jumbled mass of confusion. She took a deep breath and looked back at him. “I wish I knew what the hell you are and how you did that. Lord Reginald and Sir Marcus are one thing. They can actually talk to me, but you’re something else entirely aren’t you.”
The wolf licked her face.
She giggled. “Deep down you’re just a big puppy, aren’t you?” She scratched him behind the ears. She didn’t think that she was quite ready to find out exactly what he was. Not yet anyway. Her headache began to fade as she sat and tried to gather herself.
“Thank you for looking after me while I slept,” she said after a few minutes.
Romulus whined in response.
Elizabeth got to her feet and stretched. She was still tired, but there was no way that she was going try to go back to sleep on the floor. She longed for her soft bed in West Hall.
The wolf stood up with her and rubbed his head against her leg.
“You and I are going to be good friends, aren’t we?” She ran her fingers through the rough fur on his back. “As long as I keep scratching you in all the right places.”
She opened the door and squinted as light poured into the little shed. The overgrown trees of the grove were like miniature mountains of green with fruit in all stages of maturity peeking out from under the stiff waxy leaves. They no longer seemed even remotely ghostlike in the bright morning sun.
With Romulus at her side, Elizabeth walked down the rocky path to the nearest tree and plucked a ripe orange. She usually had trouble eating this early in the morning, but she was halfway through her third orange before she even realized it.
“I must look ridiculous!” she said as she laughed at herself. Her fingers and chin were sticky with juice, and bits of peels littered the ground around her feet. She was about to ask Romulus which way the university was when he abruptly left her side and started to trot away through the groves. Elizabeth jogged after him with the unfinished orange still gripped in her hand.
The brisk morning air was invigorating, but all too soon, they stood at the gap in the wall near West Hall. Elizabeth ate the rest of her orange, wiped her sticky hands on her jeans and gave Romulus one last pat on the head.
“Thanks, friend,” she said. “Let Lord Reginald and Sir Marcus know that I’ll be back here at sunset as they requested.
The wolf licked her hand in farewell and bounded away through the trees in the direction that they had just come.
Elizabeth frowned. It had just occurred to her that she did not remember Lord Reginald or Sir Marcus asking her to return. She had just somehow known that they wanted her to, and of course, she wanted to hear more about Anya. She let out a sigh followed by a yawn. Right now she was too tired to figure it out. She’d worry about it later. Without a backwards glance, she left the grove and stepped back into her own world.
Chapter 2
Elizabeth found her roommate Michelle dozing with her head on her desk. She closed the door as quietly behind her as possible and slipped off her shoes. As she crossed the room on her t
iptoes, Michelle jerked awake.
“Huh? What time is it?” she said. She lifted her head, brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and looked around in a sort of groggy panic.
“Sorry,” Elizabeth whispered. “It’s little after 5 am.”
Michelle yawned and rubbed her eyes, smearing her black eyeliner and mascara across her cheeks. “No worries,” she said. “I just don’t want to miss my class.”
“Chemistry exam this morning?” Elizabeth asked. She changed into clean pajamas and got into bed. Part of her was frustrated that she had woken her roommate, but at the same time there was something comforting and familiar about coming home to her. Despite her exhaustion, she felt like she needed to hear a human voice. “Have you been up all night?”
“Most of it,” Michelle replied. “I might have napped for like twenty minutes just now.”
“You should probably get some rest. You wouldn’t want to fall asleep during the actual test.”
“Whatever you say, mother,” Michelle said. She stood up and stretched and yawned again. “Hey where were you all night?”
“Nowhere, Michie,” Elizabeth said after yawning herself. It was just too contagious.
“Oh come on, Lizzy,” Michelle protested. “I always tell you where I’ve been.” She walked to the mini fridge that they shared and pulled out a can of energy drink.
“Whether I ask or not,” Elizabeth said under her breath.
“What was that?” Michelle asked. She took a gulp of her drink and made a disgusted face. “Why do I even drink these things?”
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. Her bed was so warm and soft, and sleep was calling to her. “You know how bad they are for you.”
Michelle chugged the rest of her drink and let out a huge belch. “I know, I know, but if I go to sleep now, there’s no way that I won’t sleep through my class.”
“Well, good luck. I’m going to sleep now.”
“It’s not fair,” Michelle said. “When am I ever going to need to know any of this stuff?”