down.
“Rest, elder. You hit your head very hard. It took nearly all of my strength to heal you; do not waste my efforts.”
“Heal me?”
“Magic is not only useful for killing.”
“Where is the . . .”
“Werewolf? Over there.” Aurelius could barely see the old man’s gesture, but he saw a dark shape silhouetted by the glowing red and blue moss hanging down from the entrance of the cave.
“Is he . . . ?” Aurelius frowned, struggling to find the right word.
“He stubbed his paws on a root and hit his head, too, but he has more padding and a thicker skull than us. He’ll be fine.”
“Why did he save my life?”
The wolf started toward them and stopped with his giant head mere inches from Aurelius’s own. Aurelius surprised himself by reaching out to pat the beast on the head as though he were a giant dog.
“Don’t do that.”
“What?” Aurelius stopped petting the beast’s head.
“I said don’t touch me, human.” The monster shook his hand off and padded away. “ I saved your life because you saved mine. Now we are even, so do not thank me. Should we meet again, I might kill you. Only honor prevents it now.” The monster stopped walking when it reached the entrance of the cave. He stood there as though poised to leap back into the forest at any moment.
Aurelius turned to Gabrian. “Can you hear that?”
“Hear what? Oh . . .” Gabrian trailed off, nodding knowingly. “He is speaking to you.”
“I didn’t realize . . .”
“That he could? He is a werewolf. Of course he can speak.”
Aurelius shook his head in disbelief. When the world didn’t swirl uneasily with the movement, he tried to stand. Gabrian helped him up.
“Where are we?” Aurelius asked, looking around. The cave wasn’t utterly dark. A few crusty red lichen and furry blue moss glowed along the ceiling and walls, but absent were the hanging icicles of the forest. The cave was reasonably large, at least two stories high and a few dozen feet across. It extended deep into the tree, branching off in two shadowy corridors. “It looks like a cave, but this is a tree. You don’t suppose someone, or some- thing made this place?”
“Hmmm, I wonder. . . .” Gabrian mused, looking around.
“What is it?”
“There’s blood on the walls,” Gabrian said in a quiet voice.
Aurelius felt an icy tentacle of dread crawl through his stomach. His hand automatically went to his side, but found his holster empty. Suddenly he remembered losing his pistol when the wolf saved his life, and he cursed viciously under his breath.
“Something wrong?” Gabrian asked.
“I lost my weapon.”
“That is a shame. Now what will you shoot me with?”
Aurelius just glared at Gabrian until the old man looked away.
“Something approaches.”
Aurelius followed the old man’s gaze to the entrance of the cave, his heart hammering in his chest. He peered into the hazy red gloom, but saw nothing.
“There’s nothing there, Wrinkle—”
That was when he saw a hulking shadow swirl out of the gloom. Its silhouette seemed to be that of a man— thud, thud, thud— but its footsteps were not. The wolf standing the doorway began snarling and backing away as the shadow drew near.
The giant stopped beneath the entrance, barely clearing it with his head. A nearby clump of lichen and moss cast a blue-red glow upon its face, and Aurelius gasped. It was almost a man, but far more terrifying. Two large yellow eyes glared from either side of a broad nose with fat gold rings pierced through it. The creature’s broad jaw and high, sloping forehead led up to a bald scalp with a pair of short horns poking out of it. Grotesquely bulging muscles and veins like cords of rope stood out on the giant’s frame. He seemed oblivious to the fact that much of his skin was exposed to the cold air, as though not even the elements could threaten him.
The monster grinned, revealing sharp, rotting yellow teeth. He heaved a giant carcass off
“Rest, elder. You hit your head very hard. It took nearly all of my strength to heal you; do not waste my efforts.”
“Heal me?”
“Magic is not only useful for killing.”
“Where is the . . .”
“Werewolf? Over there.” Aurelius could barely see the old man’s gesture, but he saw a dark shape silhouetted by the glowing red and blue moss hanging down from the entrance of the cave.
“Is he . . . ?” Aurelius frowned, struggling to find the right word.
“He stubbed his paws on a root and hit his head, too, but he has more padding and a thicker skull than us. He’ll be fine.”
“Why did he save my life?”
The wolf started toward them and stopped with his giant head mere inches from Aurelius’s own. Aurelius surprised himself by reaching out to pat the beast on the head as though he were a giant dog.
“Don’t do that.”
“What?” Aurelius stopped petting the beast’s head.
“I said don’t touch me, human.” The monster shook his hand off and padded away. “ I saved your life because you saved mine. Now we are even, so do not thank me. Should we meet again, I might kill you. Only honor prevents it now.” The monster stopped walking when it reached the entrance of the cave. He stood there as though poised to leap back into the forest at any moment.
Aurelius turned to Gabrian. “Can you hear that?”
“Hear what? Oh . . .” Gabrian trailed off, nodding knowingly. “He is speaking to you.”
“I didn’t realize . . .”
“That he could? He is a werewolf. Of course he can speak.”
Aurelius shook his head in disbelief. When the world didn’t swirl uneasily with the movement, he tried to stand. Gabrian helped him up.
“Where are we?” Aurelius asked, looking around. The cave wasn’t utterly dark. A few crusty red lichen and furry blue moss glowed along the ceiling and walls, but absent were the hanging icicles of the forest. The cave was reasonably large, at least two stories high and a few dozen feet across. It extended deep into the tree, branching off in two shadowy corridors. “It looks like a cave, but this is a tree. You don’t suppose someone, or some- thing made this place?”
“Hmmm, I wonder. . . .” Gabrian mused, looking around.
“What is it?”
“There’s blood on the walls,” Gabrian said in a quiet voice.
Aurelius felt an icy tentacle of dread crawl through his stomach. His hand automatically went to his side, but found his holster empty. Suddenly he remembered losing his pistol when the wolf saved his life, and he cursed viciously under his breath.
“Something wrong?” Gabrian asked.
“I lost my weapon.”
“That is a shame. Now what will you shoot me with?”
Aurelius just glared at Gabrian until the old man looked away.
“Something approaches.”
Aurelius followed the old man’s gaze to the entrance of the cave, his heart hammering in his chest. He peered into the hazy red gloom, but saw nothing.
“There’s nothing there, Wrinkle—”
That was when he saw a hulking shadow swirl out of the gloom. Its silhouette seemed to be that of a man— thud, thud, thud— but its footsteps were not. The wolf standing the doorway began snarling and backing away as the shadow drew near.
The giant stopped beneath the entrance, barely clearing it with his head. A nearby clump of lichen and moss cast a blue-red glow upon its face, and Aurelius gasped. It was almost a man, but far more terrifying. Two large yellow eyes glared from either side of a broad nose with fat gold rings pierced through it. The creature’s broad jaw and high, sloping forehead led up to a bald scalp with a pair of short horns poking out of it. Grotesquely bulging muscles and veins like cords of rope stood out on the giant’s frame. He seemed oblivious to the fact that much of his skin was exposed to the cold air, as though not even the elements could threaten him.
The monster grinned, revealing sharp, rotting yellow teeth. He heaved a giant carcass off
Similar Books
