Lone Wolf

The wolf’s jaws snapped at the boy as he ran. They missed flesh, but closed on the back of his tunic, tearing through threadbare fabric and exposing the boy’s scrawny back.

Zachary swore.

He faced too many problems and too little time.

A long spear of teho appeared in his hand, and he threw it off-balance. He missed, but the spear struck the ground in front of the wolf, scaring it enough to send it fleeing into the thick forest that surrounded the path.

The effort almost cost Zachary his life. The two wolves closing in on him saw their opportunity and leaped, jaws aimed for his neck and legs.

Zachary stretched out his hand and willed a shield into place. One flickered, vanished, then solidified. The wolves hit the barrier hard. He almost lost the shield, but refocused his will in time to prevent it from fading.

His antagonists landed on their feet, shaking off their injuries. Low growls emanated from the back of their throats.

Zachary backed up a step. Usually, one good hit was enough to send a whole pack of wolves retreating. They preferred their prey weak.

These looked like they were ready to fight another round.

He gritted his teeth and formed a sword. Sweat formed on his forehead, but he didn’t let either sword or shield fade. He advanced against the wolves, swinging his sword wildly from side to side while shouting as loudly as he could.

The wolves were unimpressed, and for a moment, they were at a stalemate.

Then, as one, their noses went up. They sniffed the air and broke away, disappearing into the woods as if they’d never been around in the first place.

Zachary held his sword and shield for a moment longer, worried it might be a ruse.

Some of the animals were getting too clever as of late.

He saw and heard nothing. He released teho, sighing with the satisfaction of a soldier taking off their heavy pack after a long day’s march. His legs quivered underneath him, but he refused to either fall or rest.

Zachary found the boy another fifty feet down the path. He’d found a small hollow in a large oak tree and squeezed into it. A decent hiding place, if one was playing with the other children in the village, but no protection from a wolf’s nose.

He said a small prayer of thanks that the wolves had run when they did.

He kneeled down next to the boy and spoke softly. “They’re gone now. Let’s get you home.”

Zachary closed his mouth and forced his body to breathe through the nose. For a few seconds, he felt as though he were suffocating.

His heart slowed, though.

His arms burned, the teho sword growing heavier with every breath. He maintained his focus, forcing the blade to remain in his hands. Once his breath had recovered sufficiently, he went through his forms again.

He wasn’t grateful to his father for much, but he did thank the old man for hiring the best sword master money could buy.

His father’s reasons all had to do with appearances. Any future magistrate would want to demonstrate excellent swordsmanship, even if the only weapon most magistrates ever picked up was a quill. Zachary’s father believed that those who relied on swords to solve their problems were little better than brutes.

Of course, a quill was little defense against the wilds.

Whatever his father’s reasons, Zachary had studied under the best, and although he’d never excelled, he’d learned enough. And what he had learned had saved his life several times.

With a grim smile, Zachary wondered what his father would think of the investment in his son now.

He banished the thoughts from his mind, just as his sword master had taught. Exhausted or not, his training for the day wasn’t yet over.

He lost track of time as one cut led to the next. He only paused when he saw Brenda approach. The matriarch of this small community was old enough to be his mother, but she radiated a youthful energy that often made her seem much younger. She raised her hand in greeting, and he let his sword fade so he could return the gesture. The mere effort of raising his hand almost proved to be too much.

He grimaced, and Brenda laughed. “Another long day of training, I see,” she said. “Even saving young Snorri’s life didn’t earn you a day’s rest?”

He returned her smile, now used to her banter.

“Any other man would be basking in the glory of the nearest tavern,” she continued. “You wouldn’t even have to tell the tale yourself. Snorri’s da’s been telling everyone with ears to hear, and more besides. The tale grows more outlandish with every retelling, too. I’m about ready to believe you saved Snorri from a pack of fifty wolves.”

Zachary chuckled, ignoring Brenda’s unspoken question. She wanted to know why he was out here, and why he pushed himself to exhaustion every day. She was just too polite to be nosy. Those who lived on the frontier had their reasons for abandoning society, and most didn’t care to speak of it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her. He’d put his life in her hands any day. It wasn’t even that his purpose was really secret.

It just somehow seemed right not to speak of it.

None of it was about him.

“Three wolves,” he said, holding up three fingers. “Though they didn’t scatter as quick as they usually do.”

Brenda’s eyes narrowed at that. “Truly?”

Zachary nodded. “I worry.”

Brenda gazed out to the mountains, turning purple in the dusk, far to the west. “We’ve had no trouble hunting, so there’s no lack of prey.”

He’d thought the same. “I’d suggest reinforcing your wards at night. Might be worth an extra layer until the wall is completed. More warriors on the night watch might not be a bad idea, either.”

Brenda looked as though she’d swallowed something sour. “We’re stretched tight as it is.”

“I can help with the watch.”

She made to refuse, but he cut her off with a gesture. They both knew she couldn’t really afford to. “I can sleep during the day. And we both know I’m no good at building the walls.”

“The foreman did ask that you never volunteer again.” The smile returned to Brenda’s face. “But enough of that. The meal is ready, and everyone is gathering. Tonight we feast in your honor.”

Zachary groaned.

He stood on the wall, his face tilted toward the night sky. Without a cloud to interrupt the view, the scene awed him. There were more stars than he could ever hope to count. How big was the universe? Were there planets around the other stars, too? If so, what were they like?

Would there ever be answers to any of his questions?

He smiled, then looked down as an erupting ward interrupted his mind’s wandering. Brenda had taken his suggestion and had her two tehoin place an extra layer of wards in front of the unfinished wall. By the end of the night, Zachary was certain they’d be thankful for the extra protection. Tonight, the wilds tested them.

Beyond the wards a veritable menagerie had assembled, unlike any Zachary had seen before. Wolves and deer, hawks and sparrows, and hares and coyotes all circled the perimeter.

All without killing one another.

The rules of predator and prey seemed not to apply in these lands tonight.

Unless one considered the wilds a predator, and humans their prey.

Behind him, the ladder creaked. He turned to see Brenda climbing to meet him. He offered her his hand, but she waved it away. A few seconds later she joined him in his study of the wilds.

“You should be sleeping,” he said.

“Couldn’t,” she replied. “First watch told me about this, and I decided I had to see it for myself.”

“Enjoy,” he said, gesturing to the scene below. Antlered deer kept charging the outer wall of teho. Soon, it would crack, and another layer of protection would be gone.

But it wasn’t the deer that consumed most of Zachary’s attention.

That honor went to the small pack of four wolves laying down behind the bucks, watching them. When he pointed it out to Brenda, she shuddered. “Eerie.”

“You haven’t seen the half of it,” Zachary said. At her skeptical look, he said, “If you watch long enough, you’ll see that they take turns attacking the wards.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “What do we do?”

“All that you can. Same as always.”

They watched the scene in silence for several minutes. Then Zachary turned his eyes back up to the sky. Unless they redoubled their efforts, the animals wouldn’t make it through the wards before dawn. He expected them to scatter, then, either by choice or because the well-rested population of the village would drive them off.

Brenda’s voice made him jump. He’d almost forgotten she was there. “I figured out who you are.”

It was a sign of how long he’d been in the wilds that his first thought was that she knew of the band.

“Before this,” she gestured back to the village, “I was a commander in the army. I met you and your father. Quite a few years ago now, I guess. It took me forever to recognize you, though I was sure I’d seen you before. Didn’t figure it out until the feast tonight.”

Zachary was relieved she didn’t know of the band, but didn’t know what else to say.

“So what is the firstborn son of one of the most powerful magistrates in the state doing way out here?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Zachary said. “And I’d much prefer it if he never did.”

“You running away? Because this is a terrible direction to be running. East is where all the fun is for young men. Did you get turned around somewhere?”

Zachary smiled, both at her jest and the larger ploy. “You would have been a force to be reckoned with at court.”

She pretended to be offended. “I doubt that.”

He eyed her and sighed. “You use humor to disarm people. It tempts them into revealing more than they intend. And it makes people misjudge you. They don’t realize just how serious you are. Were you in court, you’d be among the most important people there, and I suspect few would even know.”

She gave him a mock curtsy. “You flatter me, sir.”

Zachary rolled his eyes.

“But you also avoid my question.” Her voice held no trace of humor now. “And it’s a question I’d like to know the answer to.”

He heard the edge in her voice. No doubt, she feared the political implications of his presence.

There was a good reason he never told anyone who he was.

Cliona had been one of the only people who knew and hadn’t cared. Even in the academy, he’d attracted sycophants who only saw a route to his father.

“My reason is personal,” he admitted, “and I’d rather not say. I can promise you it has nothing to do with my father or the governor’s court.”

Brenda studied his face for a full minute while he did his best to ignore her.

“Fair enough,” she said. “I believe you, and you’ve done more than enough around here to earn your right to privacy.” She smirked. “Besides, I figured it out. You’re here because of a girl.”

“How—?” He closed his mouth, realizing it had probably been a guess and he’d just confirmed it for her.

She grinned at his reaction.

Brenda climbed over the edge of the wall and descended the ladder. Zachary approached the edge and watched to make sure she made it safely. When she was about halfway down she looked up at him. “It’s always about a girl.”

And then she was at the bottom of the ladder and gone.

Zachary ran his hand through his hair as he returned to his post.

She truly would have been a fearsome force at court.

He rested the next day. At first, after Husavik, he’d pushed himself to the breaking point day after day. Eventually, a day had come when he couldn’t move at all. Now he balanced training and rest, and found his life immeasurably richer for it.

Purpose was powerful. But it could blind a person, too. It caused one to miss the incredible variety life had to offer.

After a long and deep sleep, he walked through the village.

It still wasn’t much - little more than a small collection of homes surrounded by a nearly completed wall. Brenda and the others had only stopped here a few months ago as the last of the snows melted. By all measures, they’d accomplished as much as anyone could expect.

Zachary enjoyed it here.

He found he enjoyed most places along the frontier.

There was a simplicity to life out here that he treasured.

When mere survival required so much effort, the rest of life’s problems fell into their appropriate places. There were still arguments and conflict. Zachary didn’t think a group of humans could gather in perfect peace. But they lacked the vitriol of court politics.

At the end of the day, they were fighting together for the right to see the next sunrise. Nothing else compared to that.

Everyone in the village had a task, and Zachary, though a guest, didn’t allow himself to be considered an exception. Today, he carried materials for those building the wall. The foreman gave him a nervous look, but Zachary remained well away from the actual construction. He might be competent with a sword, but that was about the only tool that belonged in his hands.

At the rate Brenda was pushing them, Zachary expected the wall to be finished within the next two days.

Which made the timing of the wild animals even more curious. It almost felt as though they were trying to drive the settlers away before the defenses could be finished. Zachary puzzled over explanations as he worked, but nothing came to mind.

Perhaps it didn’t matter. The village needed to be defended from the wild regardless.

But the questions ate at him.

Brenda’s people worked even harder on the wall that day than usual, ignoring for a day the other needs of the new community. She didn’t want them unprotected any longer than necessary. When Zachary checked on them after lunch, he was certain less than a day of work remained.

The wild launched another assault that afternoon.

Brenda’s two tehoin spotted the advance first. They were outside the walls, setting the wards for the night to come.

Zachary heard the shouts, but didn’t respond at first. He was helping to carry another log to the wall, and the time of day skewed his judgment.

The wilds attacked at night.

He assumed there had been some accident or discovery that demanded others, but nothing so urgent he couldn’t get this log to where it needed to go. It wasn’t until the bells on top of the wall began to ring that Zachary realized he might be needed.

Zachary and the woman he was helping dropped the log at the same time, and together they ran for the wall.

When they turned the last corner and saw the battle, Zachary skidded to a halt.

There were more animals than he had ever seen in one place. A flock of songbirds flew overhead, a fluid sphere of wings that bent, twisted, and then reformed. They sang together, but not their usual harmonious songs. Instead, they screeched some discordant nightmare that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Below, the situation was even more chaotic.

A herd of deer, led by an enormous antlered buck, tore through the streets. More squirrels than Zachary could count scrambled across the walls of a newly built homes.

Zachary watched it all, not quite believing the story his eyes were telling him. His gaze traveled out, beyond the wall.

A pack of wolves advanced on Brenda’s two tehoin. They ignored the gap into the village. Up on the walls, the guards were mostly concerned with the animals that had already broken through the opening in the wall.

The tehoin had lost their protection from the village.

Brenda’s tehoin were vilda, like him, although not quite as strong. Zachary liked them. They were a husband and wife who had carved out a living for themselves by serving as tehoin in new frontier settlements just like this one. Once they felt a village was safe, they moved on to another assignment. Over the years, they’d seen more of the edges of the six states than anyone Zachary had met.

Their stories and opinions fascinated him, and while they lacked his strength, they’d had plenty to teach him about twisting teho into the wards that protected humans against the wild.

Two wolves had circled behind the couple, cutting off their retreat. Combined with the distracted guards on the walls, they had few options.

Zachary feared he might not get a chance to learn anything more from them.

He formed a shield and ran forward, ignoring the cry of the woman who’d been helping him carry the log. He sprinted along the side of buildings to avoid most of the herd of deer, but even there, his shield was battered by the bounding creatures.

His progress was painfully slow.

If she had been here, she could have leaped to the rooftops, but he didn’t possess her gifts. He had to fight for every foot he advanced.

He reached the gap in the wall, already tired from the effort.

The couple stood about sixty feet away, back to back. They had cast two shields, one over the other. The wolves fully encircled the tehoin. They attacked in a constant flurry of tooth and claw.

One of the bubbles of teho vanished. The wolves moved on to the next without pause. A few seconds later, a second shield reappeared, now inside of the other.

With every shield that fell, the couple lost space. Eventually, they would lose their lives.

Zachary formed a spear in his hand and advanced. He focused on a wolf that presented its side to him, but held his throw. The wolves were in a frenzy, and he hadn’t yet been noticed. If he could kill even one without a fight, it would be a tremendous advantage.

He threw, and his aim was true. The spear caught the wolf through the side, piercing its lung.

That earned him the attention of the pack.

He’d thought he might peel off two or three of the animals.

Instead, they all turned on him at once.

Zachary stood his ground. He formed one more spear and threw it, catching one of the charging wolves in the throat. Then he ran out of time. He formed a shield a second before the wolves reached him. The wolves hit it hard, sending a wave of pain through Zachary’s head as he fought to maintain his focus.

He couldn’t attack without dropping his defense, so for a moment, all he did was watch as the wolves clawed and bit.

Zachary didn’t have the most experience in the wilds, but he’d come across wolves on his travels before. They’d always struck him as thoughtful predators, a dangerous combination of strength and cunning. These were anything but. He saw no intelligence in their mad stares. They just attacked.

His shield wouldn’t last long. Already his focus waned.

He didn’t know what had happened to the other tehoin, but he didn’t want to count on them for help. If he couldn’t defeat wolves, what hope had he against the true demons who walked this land?

A memory of Damion struck him with an almost physical force. One of the man standing against a demon with his oversized sword.

Zachary noticed all the wolves were bunched up against his shield.

Maybe Damion had something to teach him, after all.

He rotated, positioning his body for what he planned. He thought one last time of her, and the thought brought a smile to his face.

Zachary dropped his shield.

In that moment between life and death, he swore he felt her presence.

He formed a sword, twice as long as any he’d formed before. He cut across the space in front of him, almost perfectly parallel to the ground.

The sword cut and cut and cut.

One move was all he had time for.

But it was enough.

Brenda didn’t have to persuade anyone to work through the night. Zachary hadn’t been cognizant of his surroundings for a time, but he was told later that after the wolves died, the other animals lost their cohesion. Many of the deer found their way out of the gap in the wall, but many fell to the bows of the villagers. Combined with the meat from the wolves, there would be little need to hunt for several weeks.

In the wild, nothing was wasted.

Once the animals had been cleared, the villagers had worked without sleep. The married tehoin placed a single line of wards before their strength failed them, and all anyone could do was pray the wilds didn’t come again that night.

By the morning, the wall was complete.

There was no celebration. The settlers went to their homes and collapsed.

Zachary was no exception.

They woke up the next day alive, and that was all the excuse anyone needed. By the time Zachary stumbled out of bed, he could smell roasting meat and spilled drink.

The scents unlocked the last of the tension he’d been carrying. He gratefully accepted the first drink offered him, and got his day started in a manner he hadn’t enjoyed since his days at the academy.

He made his way toward the cookfire, exchanging pleasantries with the settlers as he did. Many had jumped into the food and drink early, and the square in the center of the village was as lively as Vispeda on a festival night.

Zachary enjoyed his drink, but savored it. For some reason, the idea of drinking himself into oblivion held little temptation anymore.

The tehoin found him as he sat down for lunch. Somerled was drunker than his wife, Kjellaug. He thanked Zachary in between belches. “One of the most impressive cuts I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Kjellaug was more coherent. “It was a bold move,” she said. Her eyes were unfocused, not from drink, but from memory. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Brenda joined the three of them. “I’m not sure anyone has. It felt like a coordinated attack.”

Zachary felt the same, but was glad his thoughts were echoed by the more experienced warrior.

Kjellaug spoke for the couple. “Brenda, it’s good you’re here, because now we only need to say this once. Now that the wall is done, our contract with you is over.” She held up her hand to stall Brenda’s objections. “We’ll stay another week or two. Long enough to make sure your wall will hold and to make sure the wild doesn’t try anything like that again.”

“Thank you,” Brenda said, her relief evident.

Kjellaug turned to Zachary. “Somerled and I plan on returning to the interior. After yesterday, we feel that we need more tehoin to be effective in protecting new villages. But we’d be pleased if you would join us.”

Zachary shook his head. “I’m honored, but my path leads a different direction.” He thought of Hakon, Solveig, and the others, and wondered what they would think of this. “There’s a group who would be interested in hearing of the events here. Like you, I plan on staying long enough to ensure the village is safe, but then I’ll be traveling my own way.”

Brenda winked at the couple. “He’s got a girl to catch.”

Zachary looked up at the sky, filled with wispy clouds. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. “I do.”