Masques (Sianim #1)(8)

The Wolf smiled, as wolves do, and rolled over against her on his back. She rubbed his stomach (something that he didn't allow in public) and one back leg snapped rapidly back and forth as she caught just the right spot.

After he felt he had cheered her up he said, "Don't worry about it, Lady. I know that living in that place for any length of time will twist your thoughts and feelings until what you feel and what he wants you to feel are tangled together in a knot that would baffle a sage." His voice was gentler than she had ever heard it, sounding like velvet on gravel. "Time will help."

"I know," replied Aralorn softly, still rubbing his stomach, and then she continued in a lighter tone, "but I'm not looking forward to the next decade or so."

Wolf rolled over with his improbable quickness and nipped her lightly on the hand in response to her quip. He tacitly agreed with her unspoken decision that the discussion was too serious.

Aralorn tilted her head to the side, a slow grin twisting her lips. "So you want to fight, do you?" She tackled him and began a wrestling match that left them both flat on the ground and panting.

"Will you be able to sleep now?" he asked, rather hoarsely, even for him.

She nodded and rolled over until she was on the bedding, unwilling to use enough energy to get up and walk. She mumbled a "goodnight" that lost most of its consonants. He touched his nose to her cheek and woofed softly before curling up against her.

In the end, it was the stallion that woke them both. His high-pitched whistle split the early dawn. Aralorn leapt to her feet and had the bed rolled up almost before she opened her eyes. Bridling and saddling the horse took somewhat longer, as the obstinate beast wouldn't stand still. As she worked she kept an eye on the Wolf as he stared into the darkness. At his signal she left what was not already attached to the saddle and mounted the stallion, who was already trotting. Although not built for speed, Sheen managed a very credible gallop as he followed the Wolf's lead. The Uriah were close enough behind them that they could hear the howls the beasts made when they found their camp.

Aralorn had fought the Uriah before, and she knew that they were faster than any horse she'd seen. They were too close behind and gaining fast. She drew her unusually slender sword from its sheath on the saddle and slowed the stallion in preparation for facing the creatures.

Noticing that Sheen was slowing, the Wolf darted back and nipped at the stallion's heels, nimbly dodging the war-trained horse's well-placed kick. "No," he snarled. "You don't stand a chance against the number that we have behind us. If you keep going I can lure them away." With that the Wolf began to veer off, but Aralorn guided Sheen to block his path.

She shook her head and shouted over the sounds of the Uriah, "It's me that they want. They won't follow you, and even if they did it would mean that you would have to face them alone. Together we might stand a chance."

"You know better than that, Lady." His tones rang with impatience. "Against two or three maybe, but there are many more than that. You needn't worry about me; I can keep ahead of them on my own." Here the Wolf paused a moment, as if he were choosing his words carefully. "They will follow me if given a choice between the two of us."

"What do you mean by that?" Then before he could answer she said, "Cursed obscure Wolf. Never mind. We don't have time to argue." It was getting difficult to talk and keep Sheen from bolting as the howls grew nearer.

He flashed his fangs at her in a mock smile as only a wolf can do. "Lady, this isn't the first time I've dealt with them, nor will it be the last."

She didn't want to leave him. If she hadn't known he was no ordinary wolf she wouldn't have even considered leaving. But, against this many Uriah she would be more of a hindrance than a help. She heard the wails of the Uriah increase exponentially as they sighted their prey.

"Right," she said abruptly. "I'll see you in Sianim. But, plague it, Wolf, take care not to let them ruin your fur coat." With that she turned Sheen in the original direction and urged him on.

The Wolf stayed in the path of the Uriah and watched with yellow eyes as they came closer. When the tone of their calls changed and became even more frantic, he knew that they had recognized him, and he broke into a swift run, leading them away from the path taken by his companions. Aralorn, looking back, saw that the Wolf had been correct; all of the grotesque, humanoid forms followed the Wolf's trail.

Aralorn traveled during the dark and slept or at least tried to during the day - not because it was safer that way, but because she couldn't stand to wake from her nightmares alone in the dark. Sometimes she traveled for miles without seeing anything.

On the evening of the third day she left the forested mountains behind for the gentler hills and valleys of the lowlands. Traveling was faster there, and it was only another day until she caught sight of Sianim.

The fortressed city stood on the lop of an artificial plateau in the middle of a large valley. Nothing but grass was allowed to grow within a half mile of the hill, and even that was kept short. The plateau itself was steep-sided, and the road that led to the only gate into the city was narrow and walled so that only three people could ride side by side through it. Although it was good for defense, the narrow path made it a nightmare to get large groups of soldiers in and out of Sianim.

The origins of the city were shrouded in the dust of ages past: even the oldest known manuscripts mentioned it as a thriving city. Originally the city had been a center of trade, but the small armies hired by the merchants to accompany their wagon trams drew mercenaries from all over. People looking for groups of mercenaries to hire began to go to Sianim, Gradually the mercenaries themselves became the center of Sianim's economy. A school for training in the arts of war was founded, and as one event led to another Sianim became a city of professional warriors.