Warwolfe (de Wolfe Pack Book 0)(111)

Alary wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. In a fit of fury, he reached out and slapped Kristoph across the face. It was hardly a blow and Kristoph’s head didn’t even move from the force of it, but the sharp sound reverberated.

“I hold your life in my hands and you speak to me in such ways?” he hissed. “You are stupid, Norman. Stupid!”

Kristoph was hoping to provoke the man into unchaining him just so they could have a fair fight. At least if he was free, he would have a chance of survival. He wouldn’t fight; he would run, and they wouldn’t be prepared for it.

Challenge him!

“Mayhap,” he said, “but you are afraid of me.”

“How dare you say that!”

“Then why do you keep me chained?”

“Because you are my prisoner!”

Kristoph cocked a smug eyebrow. “Because you are afraid of what I will do if you remove these chains. That makes you a coward. Remove these restraints and prove to me that I am wrong.”

Alary was so angry that his face was turning red. He landed a few more slaps on Kristoph’s face.

“I do not chain you because I am afraid of you,” Alary snarled. “I chain you because you are an animal and deserve to be chained. When we reach Tenebris, I am going to throw you in the vault and let you rot there!”

That wasn’t exactly what Kristoph had in mind but he took heart in the fact that in order to move him to the vault, they would have to unchain him from this wagon bed. Moving under his own power meant he still had a chance to run, a chance to escape Alary to freedom. It was a chance he was willing to take because he knew that once he entered the vault, the odds of him leaving alive were stacked against him.

“We shall see,” was all he said.

Enraged, Alary ordered him chained up again as the man headed back to his horse. He wanted to make it to Kidderminster by nightfall so that the following day, it would be a short trip to Tenebris where he would lock himself in. Kristoph knew this because he could hear Alary shouting to his men, declaring that there was no army in the world that could breach his walls.

They were the ravings of a madman.

As the wagon lurched forward to continue their journey, Kristoph found himself looking at the landscape, wondering where Gaetan and his brothers were but knowing in his heart that they were out there somewhere. He hoped they made their move soon, wherever they were, because once he was inside the walls of Tenebris, it would make his rescue considerably more difficult. If he couldn’t escape before they were able to help him, then the situation would be dire, indeed.

If you are going to make your move, Gate, now is the time!



“Your assistance against the Men of Bones was appreciated more than you can know,” Antillius said. “You and your men are, indeed, great warriors.”

It was early morning in the village of the Tertium as Antillius and Gaetan stood near one of the big outdoor fire pits where men were warming their morning meal or simply warming their bones. It had rained off and on most of the night, even after the Homines Ossium had been repelled, and only now were people awakening to assess the damage left by the raiders.

Gaetan had only gotten a few hours of sleep himself, staying awake until just a few hours before dawn to patrol the village and ensure that the raiders wouldn’t return. Ghislaine had been moved back to her hut with Jathan to stand guard over her while Aramis had remained with Antillius’ daughters because the trio seemed to have been targeted by the raiders. But the rest of Gaetan’s men had patrolled the village as Gaetan did, well into the night.

This morning, the outlook was a little brighter and the damage seemingly minimal. Gaetan had just finished off a massive slab of bread slathered with the pork and wine sauce from the previous night, but he had steered clear of the “mad Mercian beer”, as he called it. He had consumed the apple drink, sweet as it was, but at least it didn’t make his head swim. Belly full, Gaetan now stood with Antillius, listening to the man’s praise.

“We were happy to help,” he replied to Antillius’ statement. “You said last night that the Men of Bones raid frequently. Are there usually so many?”

Antillius nodded. “There can be,” he said. “We have guards on the perimeter of our village but when the Homines Ossium attack, I have told them not to engage but to warn us quickly. I am afraid if they engage, they will be killed and we shall have no warning. I should not like to lose men that way. Our numbers are too few.”

Gaetan understood that. “Do you have dogs?”

Antillius nodded. “A few,” he said. “I saw the big dog that you have. A magnificent beast. If we had animals such as that, we would surely scare away our enemies.”

Gaetan grinned. “I will tell you a secret about that dog,” he said. “The only battle he is capable of is one with his tongue to your face. He will lick you until you surrender.”

Antillius laughed. “He is big enough that he does not need to be fearsome,” he said. “Based on his size alone, he would scare men away. You would not want to leave him with me while you went on your mission, would you? We have a few female dogs and I would love to have a few litters of pups from your beast. Mayhap more of the new blood I was speaking of last night. Even our female dogs must be given new blood if they are to survive.”

Gaetan could sense the desperation in the man trying to keep his way of life from dying out. “If you promise to give me my dog back when I return from reclaiming my comrade, then I will leave him with you,” he said. “But treat him well. I am quite fond of him.”