RONNI probably should have locked her in a separate hut.Saelyna looks visibly shaken when I get to her. Keilen stands beside her, wringing her hands and I frown at this unlikely alignment. What the hell is she up to? 'Please tell me Gylen is being eaten in there'. They both whip around to face me, Saelyna looks particularly horrified. I like that new look, it makes her cuter. 'Not to burst your bubble, but no', Keilen says, 'I'll be back, I got work to do'. She gives Saelyna a smile and disappears around the bend of the hut.'Why would you people keep wolves in cages? What for? And who's that…the grey wolf? Why was she chained up?' My gaze flicks to her lips and back to her frantic eyes. 'Come on. You shouldn't be here', I say and grab her arm. She doesn't fight, but she pulls her arm out of my grip as she follows me.When we're short distance from the hut, I ask her what she was doing there. She balks and folds her arms over her chest. 'I'm not a kid', she says. 'No', I shake my he
CYRANI watch them splash about without interest. I never learnt to swim, and I'm definitely not learning with these wolvens. Sitting here, on the edge of this rock suddenly feels precarious, and I stand up to go when I see it.A brown wolf slinking forward quietly. I blink severally, it must be the same hallucination I had two days before. But it's real; all my senses have picked up the all too familiar traces of danger.Instinctively, I reach for my arrow. It's not at hand. I take out my hunting knife, but it takes me a while to realize it's not even looking at me. Then I remember the others.I yell for them to get out of the water, waving my arms wildly and jumping frantically. Gylen hears me but when he turns, the creature has slouched off. He swims closer. 'What did you say?' he asks. 'There was a wolf's, I say, 'Brown and..and the largest animal I've seen..' Seirmon and Edril come by as well, their eyes scou
CYRANThe trail is fresh, so I have little difficulty following them steadily downhill. I pay attention to the sounds of the forest, stealthily moving along the shadows of the trees. Deja vu, and I'm back in Halden woods, hunting for game, being attacked by a wolven that ironically, I am now tracking.I stop suddenly. The tracks have gone cold, and I can't see much anywhere from here. I scout a little, sweeping the place in an arc, but I don't find anything. I'm about to keep heading forward, when a hand falls on my shoulder and heaves me up into the branches of the oak tree.I'm face to face with Gylen in human form, but he places a finger to his lips, then stares pointedly into the distance. I follow his gaze with dread and there are two wolves.They are the largest beasts I've seen, but there's something else about them as well. I can't place it, but I'm not going to check it out this time. Gylen is unnaturally
SAELYNA I have never actually considered learning to knit or crochet or anything that requires me sitting still. Veesa has her way of convincing a person, though, and I have absolutely no idea how I've been able to sit here for the past thirty minutes or so, knitting a scarf. I'm not actually knitting anyway. Just fumbling with the wool and getting it all wrong. We're all seated in a circle as Veesa talks about the old days, when she was still a young woman like us, back when Halden was a large forest town known as Halden Woods. The other girls listen to her while they work, some even staring up while their hands move automatically, like machines. 'I fell in love with and married Tion. It was a time when wolvens were at peace, when Quindar was filled a land of different folk that coexisted peacefully. He was a wolven lord, of the king's court, and he owned this very land in fact'. The girls murmur in awe. I wonder how old she must be. A hundred years, give or take. 'We had a beautif
CAIVANPalma is usually sober after sex, but this time, she's less sober. She lights another cigar, non-cherry, and hands it to me. 'I quit a long time ago', I say, as I button up my shirt. Then I draw a chair and sit in front of her. 'Well?' She rolls her eyes. 'All you southerners are the same, business, business, business. Except you though. You do it best'. 'Palma!' She waves a hand and lies back on the bed, stretching one bare leg over my thighs.'One of them passed this way, a court man like you. No name, he just came for business. Leeta gave it to him, but I was listening when he talked afterwards'. She blows on the cigar for a moment. 'He got high on some of her drinks. Then he began boasting about something called the hybrid. Said they had reached a breakthrough and they have finally tamed the raveners. All that was left was to find the horn'. She tosses the cigar into the ash tray on the table. 'That was all. He didn't say anything else before h
CYRANI'm sitting on the edge of the outcrop again, but this time, I watch the sun set in the west, sliding slowly out of view behind the distant hills. It's a beautiful thing, and I wonder how I've missed much of it my whole life. Our cottage was below the hill next to the forest, so the sunset wasn't really something we saw daily. I saw it once, though, but the sky had been the darkest that day, and the village was of smoke and ashes.I hear approaching feet and I don't need to turn to know it's Gylen; he walks like he has all the time in the world, with a leisure gait that I admire. He sits beside me, his left hand in a cast and his left eye looking as queer as ever on his long face. 'I want to be alone', I tell him. 'What a coincidence. So let's be alone together'.We're silent for a while. 'You look…positively useless', he says suddenly. 'Thanks', I snap, 'I feel better already'. 'It wasn't a compliment', he says mildly, t
CAIVANI'm too stunned to drink mine. He's combined genn and iden. It must take an toll on him though, because one side of his face contracts, though he tries to hide it. That was the faint tang of magic I had smelt back in the dining hall. I wonder what other secret experiment he's carried out, and I wonder how much abominations he's willing to undergo for power.Presently, he stands up gracefully as a deer, and stares up at the sky. 'The skies will cry today', he says, 'Auspicious, one would say'. I don't ask what he means. 'You'll stay for the festival?' he inquires. 'As you wish, my king', I mutter. He drinks again before regarding me quietly for a while. It strikes me how he's looking more of a deer these days. 'I'll need you to visit Tussel the day after the festivities. I have a need of your…skills'. A real bump in my plans, but I'm sure I can turn things around. 'Yes, my king'.He stares at me again, and I feel like I'v
SAELYNAFaridah, Michelle and Constance teach me a song as we carry wood back to the circle. The Wolf's Bane, they call it. It has a catchy tune, though the lyrics make me cringe now and then. They call them out though, at the top of their voices without abandon. 'The sweetness of her groin, he sang of her with praise. The wolf of Myre was gone, and all he swore to be chaste. They called upon his name, but Wunder would not come. His mistress held the chain, and his bottle of rum'.Veesa chuckles now and then when she hears a particularly lewd line. I give her a sidelong line when she chortles out loud at one, 'The noble lady swung her staff and the alpha's balls were mush'. 'Oh dear', she mutters, wiping her eyes. 'Aren't you worried someone would hear them?' I ask, cautiously glancing around. 'Hear them? Dear, do you know what the valley is called?' she says. I shrug, and it's quite surprising that I don't. It's practically in my backyard.
Reflections Their progress was slow, and the constant motion did little to lessen the stress that weighed heavily on their hearts. Each minute brought them closer to the witch, closer to the woman who threatened the safety of the people of Eriu and their future. Every inch took them further away from home, further away from their families and their friends. Time was running short, and soon enough they would be forced to make a choice. Either they could save their Kingdom or die trying. They had lost track of the number of times they had narrowly escaped the clutches of the witches; yet, none of them gave up hope. A feeling of uneasiness settled inside of them, an uncertainty that they were approaching the center of the witch’s domain. Finally, the group reached an intersection, and all eyes turned in unison towards the hallway that split down the middle, one path leading to freedom and the other to destruction. The Queen raised a trembling hand towards the rightmost passage, ta
Their progress was slow, and the constant motion did little to lessen the stress that weighed heavily on their hearts. Each minute brought them closer to the witch, closer to the woman who threatened the safety of the people of Eriu and their future. Every inch took them further away from home, further away from their families and their friends. Time was running short, and soon enough they would be forced to make a choice. Either they could save their Kingdom or die trying.They had lost track of the number of times they had narrowly escaped the clutches of the witches; yet, none of them gave up hope. A feeling of uneasiness settled inside of them, an uncertainty that they were approaching the center of the witch’s domain.Finally, the group reached an intersection, and all eyes turned in unison towards the hallway that split down the middle, one path leading to freedom and the other to destruction. The Queen raised a trembling hand towards the rightmost passage, taking a deep breath,
With the amulet clutched tightly in his hand, Caivan rejoined Saelyna and Gylen, his expression determined. “I’ve found it,” he declared, his voice filled with a mix of hope and determination.As Cyran continued to engage the witch in a fierce battle, Saelyna stepped forward, her eyes meeting Caivan’s. “Give me the amulet, Caivan. It will amplify my magic and weaken her grip on the Queen.”Caivan nodded, passing the amulet to Saelyna with care. “Use it well, Saelyna. We’re counting on you.”Saelyna held the amulet close to her chest, feeling its power resonate within her. She took a deep breath, channeling her courage, her determination, and the collective strength of her friends.In that moment, time seemed to stand still. The air crackled with anticipation as Saelyna prepared to confront the witch head-on, armed with the ancient incantation and the newfound power of the amulet. The final battle was about to begin, and Saelyna was ready to seize their chance at victory.The room puls
Caught in the crossfire SAELYNAQuain let out a long sigh, he was very curious, but, seeing how I answered, he thought he didn't want to disturb my concentration. I tried to concentrate as I thought about the sentences I had read from Gylen's writing.The sound of the door opening made Quain and I turn our heads. Caivan had just come out in the clothes he had changed into."Quain," Caivan called, causing Quain to raise half an eyebrow in surprise. "Me, Saelyna, Cryan, and Gylen are leaving. I trust you to take care of the others. Stay alert and keep an eye on the surroundings. Don't trust anyone except Prince Charles. I'll be back in a little over an hour, but if we're not back in an hour, I authorize you to take the others with you. Caivan gave Quain a message, then reached for me. "Leave the stone the queen gave to Quain, so he can access it if anything happens to us."I immediately nodded in understanding, it was only fitting that Caivan became an Alpha, famous for his ruthless wa
Walking togetherCAIVANThe one I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Saelyna and Cryan came into my room."There's Gylen too," Cryan said to himself, then Gylen told him to sit by his side while Saelyna sat next to me."Why are you all here? Are you having a little meeting?" Saelyna asked with a half-raised eyebrow in surprise."No, we're just having a little discussion," I replied, standing in for Gylen.While Saelyna just nodded in understanding. "What about when you met Prince Charles? What did you talk about?" Saelyna suddenly remembered and asked me and Gylen."I'll explain it to you, but first I have to ask you," I grumbled as I looked at Saelyna from the side, then I picked up a map and some notes we had made because it would be useful for Saelyna and we didn't have to go too far in explaining it. It was all done by Gylen before the two of them came to my room."Everything is summarised here. I'll explain later. But where are you going?" I said, wondering when I saw that
An unsolved mysterySAELYNA"Are you called the Queen?"I nodded my head as Caivan asked. "I will see her now." I quickly closed the door to the room as Caivan made way for me. Maybe Cryan had told him. "When I get back, tell me what happened while you were talking to the prince."Caivan followed my footsteps towards the room where the Queen was. "Of course, you must be careful. I will be waiting for you in the room." When we reached the centre room, with the Queen's room in front of it, guarded by several soldiers, Caivan told me to leave and that he would return to his room.Feeling my heart pounding, I steadied myself before walking over. The soldiers made way for me to pass, apparently they had been informed by the Queen that I was her guest."Excuse me Queen, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for inviting me." I bowed slightly and waved my hands in front of my stomach.The Queen, who was in her seat, smiled at me and then told me to sit down in one of the empty chairs she
An unsolved mysterySAELYNA"Are you called the Queen?"I nodded my head as Caivan asked. "I will see her now." I quickly closed the door to the room as Caivan made way for me. Maybe Cryan had told him. "When I get back, tell me what happened while you were talking to the prince."Caivan followed my footsteps towards the room where the Queen was. "Of course, you must be careful. I will be waiting for you in the room." When we reached the centre room, with the Queen's room in front of it, guarded by several soldiers, Caivan told me to leave and that he would return to his room.Feeling my heart pounding, I steadied myself before walking over. The soldiers made way for me to pass, apparently they had been informed by the Queen that I was her guest."Excuse me Queen, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for inviting me." I bowed slightly and waved my hands in front of my stomach.The Queen, who was in her seat, smiled at me and then told me to sit down in one of the empty chairs she
First mission CAIVANI saw the Prince's legs move, he was about to turn and face us. This was the first time we had met, and I had sent the Prince a letter before we had spoken by telephone."Yes, you are my people. And we should protect you if you need our help." The Prince smiled broadly, he was quite handsome and authoritative. He shook his robes back, then walked over to me. I sat up and looked at him seriously. "Have you looked around your room?" he asked again as we faced each other."I have, Your Honour." I wasn't the only one who answered him, my friends in the back also replied."All right, just call me Charles. Are you the leader of them? Is your name Caivan? It's good to see you here, I hear you're a great fighter. If you are not tired from travelling and have more time, perhaps we can have a chat first. Or if you want to bring your deputy with you, that's fine too.I smiled broadly at that, then nodded briefly. "At your service, Your Honour." Then I turned to look at Gyle
Prince's welcome SAELYNAI don't want to, he must be very tired. And who really needs to be carried by Caivan? We decided to walk together. Five minutes was not too far and long, we could observe each other's surroundings and make small talk."Later we will come to a village where people live a simple life and we have to be friendly, don't make any noise. Be polite if you want to pass through their area, when we walk again we will meet the market before entering the city park and there we can see the huge city of Lexington. Then our goal is to find one of the kingdoms there, the kingdom of Brahzeil is the largest and has a lot of knowledge we can seek. There is a prince there who will help us, I hope you don't make a fuss. This prince is called Charles". Gylen explained to the others as Caivan's representative, while they all nodded in agreement. There are ten of us on this journey. We had a well thought out plan and had made sure that we would not betray each other.After about five