Chapter 8

For Wahleia, the morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise and she knew the day was going to be special. After picking up her carrying roll along with her spear, she had no trouble finding Esai and Tuda, as the two of them were standing in the entry way taking turns looking in the silver mirror that stood taller than themselves. The reason for them looking in the mirror was due to the new clothes Wahleia had bought for them as the two of them were to be recognized along with several other trainees, for their efforts on the field during the training.

Stepping into the hallway, Wahleia could see both of them standing taller having lost the hunched over slouch she had seen with many slaves. Smiling at seeing them standing taller with pride at being something more than a slave, Wahleia ushered them out the door saying they did not want to be late for the ceremony.

Outside the three of them were surprised at the number of people already out in the streets all heading to the training grounds outside the walls. Joining the crowd, as they were moving in the same direction, Wahleia was somewhat confused because the few conversations she had with the other observers had given her the impression, that while there would be a ceremony, the event was always low key and mostly for the enjoyment of the families of the participants.

What the trio found exiting the gates, was anything but low key, Wahleia thought as they followed the line of people heading into the fair. The transformation of the grounds was startling; the open area where the trainees had learned to fight was no longer an open dusty field where they had beat upon each other for more than two months, learning how to fight as a group. The dusty field was now much smaller, or seemed so, because of the crowd that was gathering. Besides the onlookers the rest of the grounds were filled with all manner of vendors, all hawking their goods barely leaving room for those who were receiving honors to be recognized.

The three of them made the mistake of stopping halfway through the gates, this brought about a number of curses from those behind them who were just as excited to be heading out of the city to get to the field and join in the festivities. Stepping out of the flow of traffic once they were clear of the gates, Wahleia realized what she was seeing now would put to shame any fair she’d attended in Pyre. She could see tents all around the field, near and far with banners of many colors fluttering in the morning breeze.

Adding to what she could see; Wahleia could hear several minstrels, each playing just about anywhere they could find some space, all trying to catch people’s attention, to draw them from the center of the field. This early in the day the instruments did their work well as people drifted away from the grounds to visit various vendors. Taking everything in, Wahleia liked the idea of a fair and thought it all would be fun remembering back to the fairs in Pyre she had been to. Before they could wander among the booths Wahleia reminded Esai and Tuda there was little time before they needed to report for the festivities. When they frowned, she assured them there would be time to look around after the ceremony.

Dismissing them to report in with their trainers, she watched them head towards what remained of the training field. She turned with a smile on her face and her two guardian companions headed off in a different direction to enjoy the festivities herself.

“How did Uncle Nugo do all of this so quickly?” Anni asked her sister, scanning the crowds for a sign of Wahleia and her wolves.

“I don’t know,” Conni answered also scanning the crowd for any sign of their new friend.

The girls knew she had because they had seen Esai and Tuda out on the parade grounds being instructed as to what their parts were to be during the festivities. The girls also had a part to play, that being to find their new friend. The twins had accompanied their family outside the walls with their guards, outside the protective circle afforded the royal family, they had their own protectors. The guards were not inconspicuous; drawing attention to themselves while the girls themselves wanted to wander about without anyone giving them a second look. So it was with pairs of guards in front and behind that the girls searched for Wahleia. Their progress was significantly slowed by the guards doing their best to keep the commoners away from the twins.

It was in a fortunate moment that the girls who had been on their best behavior until then, found the chance to disappear by ducking under a tent flap when all of their guards were distracted by the press of people. The twins were passing underneath the other side of the tent when they heard the guards shouting for the people to get back as they looked for the girls. The guards continued calling out their names in obvious distress while they moved around and away from where the girls had managed to disappeared.

Not bothering to answer the continued calling of their guards, the girls continued their escape passing under the side of another tent and yet another until the girls were fairly sure they had eluded their protectors. In their haste to make an escape, they did not pay any attention to where they were and it was only after the voices from their guards had faded away that Conni and Anni looked around trying to figure out where they’d ended up. What they realized was they had no idea where they were other than a number of animals in various pens including horses that to the girls looked as if they had seen better days.

“Any idea where we are?” Conni asked her sister, while trying to find some marker she recognized.

“No idea, other than these animals look as if they pull wagons, we’re probably where they keep them after they drop off their loads.”

“Okay, but where do we go from here?”

Looking around for a second, Anni answered, “I hear a blacksmith over that way,” pointing to where she was hearing the sounds of a smith working in his forge.

The sounds from the smithy grew louder as they moved in that direction and before long they were in front of a smith working not paying them any attention a others looked on as well. The girls thought the forge was too small for any great work as the man looked as if he was making nails. Conni and Anni didn’t linger around at the forge when they spotted Wahleia farther down the row talking to one of the vendors.

Hurrying towards Wahleia the twins were brought up short when two men stepped in front of them blocking their path. When they tried to go around the men moved continuing to block their path.

“Excuse us, we’re trying to catch up to our friend,” Conni said to the men while trying to appear friendly.

Only the men didn’t move out of their way instead said, “Your friend will just need to go find someone else to be friends with, you two are coming with us.”

What followed neither girl expected, the men blocking their path reached for them, their shock was short lived as they backed up out of reach of the men leaving the men with nothing but air. The girls had backed up but their continued freedom was short lived as they bumped into other people behind them. Before they could turn around to ask for help, they were grabbed by other men who had moved behind them while the men in front blocked their way. Struggling to break free, the girls did their best to escape, but the men proved too strong for them and even trying to kick the men proved fruitless, being lifted off the ground. Grabbing the feet of the girls intending to immobilize and end their struggling, the men had tried to avoid was a commotion. Unfortunately for the men their attempt to take the girls quietly without much attention ended with the girls screaming for help, drawing the attention of other fair goers.

There were other sights to be seen and things to be heard as she joined the crowds looking in the tents for things to buy while at the same time, while also stopping occasionally to listen to a minstrel play from time to time. For the music she heard she would drop a coin or two in the bag or hat left out for people to show their appreciation of their efforts. Eventually she stopped listening to the music as there were other items she was looking for not only for herself but Esai also. She traveled around the fair for a while when a different sound came to her ears, one she had left behind at her home and that was the sound of a smith working his forge. Knowing the work involved as she had created her own spear head, she wondered how different other smiths were compared to the man who had assisted her more than a year ago. What Wahleia found was more of a disappointment because the smith was not so much working with iron but other metals including gold and silver and browsing his wares she found nothing to catch her eye.

Leaving the smith behind, Wahleia was having a good time at the fair walking among the vendors hawking their wares. The variety of goods available surprised her as nothing like this had been available in Pyre. Taking her time to search though the stalls, thinking of home she smiled at how similar the vendors in both were the same, willing to haggle with people for what they wanted. Stopping in front of a stall that sold jewelry, she was admiring several pieces she thought Esai might like though she did not know for sure as she had never bought jewelry for anyone before. Putting down the piece she liked, Wahleia asked about another piece she was looking for when she paused, hearing a scream.

Concentrating, she could tell there was more than one person screaming. Looking down the row she had been walking, and being taller than most men, she could see what appeared to be a fight of some sort. Why six men were required two girls who were struggling between them she did not know. From where she stood, her vision was limited with just glimpses of hair being thrown about as the two girls struggled against the men trying to control them. She didn’t like the idea of women being treated as those two were, but whatever was happening it did not involve her and she turned away thinking she’d need to be more watchful herself even with her wolves.

She was just about to walk away when the next scream from the two girls carried her name to her ears. Turning to see who had called to her, Wahleia was confused as a second scream was a call to Moon standing beside her, who was also facing whatever fighting was occurring. Before she could react she felt both of her wolves leave her side moving through the crowd towards the shout of Moon’s name yet again.

Seeing both girls struggling, Wahleia realized it was the girls she was supposed to meet. Following her wolves who were doing an excellent job of creating a path for her to follow, she realized the men were trying to kidnap the girls as each of them was being carried by two men, with the last two following being trying to stop any pursuit.

Before she could take more than a few steps, images from both of her wolves intruded into hers bringing Wahleia to her knees. With images from the wolves in pursuit, Wahleia took a moment to focus trying force the images out of her head so that she could join the chase for the girls. Clearing her sight of the images coming from her wolves took Wahleia a few of seconds. When she had forced the images out of her mind she joined in the chase after the girls whose father she had promised to meet today. She had to wait until her vision cleared enough that she could follow where they had gone. During those seconds she heard the first scream and yet another image flashed before her eyes, this of a man being brought down by one of her wolves. This image was not nearly as bad as the others as it was only a single image and she could see through it.

The wolves didn’t didn’t wait to go after the men and Wahleia had to move quickly through the crowd to follow, knocking people out of her way trying to catch up as they went after their prey who were fleeing with the girls. The men wouldn’t even have a chance of outrunning the wolves, even if they weren’t carrying the girls and Wahleia was not far behind. Even though there had been six of them the struggling girls were doing their best to stop their escape.

Shadow was the first to reach the fleeing men being larger and stronger than his sister, and instead of leaping for the throat to latch onto to kill, he went for the back of the exposed leg of the nearest fleeing man to bring him down, to be killed by his pack that followed. The man’s scream as well as dropping his part of the bundle caused a chain reaction and the shift in load unbalanced everyone causing them to lose their hold on the girls. The men fell every which way because of the suddenness of the attack and the confusion caused by their companion’s screaming. When the man screamed there was the taste of blood that Wahleia sensed which lasted long enough for her to round the corner where everyone had gone. Seeing the scene in front of her she started drawing power, not bothering to conceal what she was doing, as no one in the fight was paying any attention to her. She slowed enough to sign for blindness and unleash it on the man she could see threatening Moon.

Moon had been just behind her brother, she too felt the thrill of the hunt and now in the chaos, she went for another man, one of the fallen, finding his throat bare she bit down and thrilled in the taste of fresh blood. Her prey tried to fight her off, and although she was smaller than her brother and not fully grown, she still manged to keep her hold until she felt his windpipe give way and he stopped struggling against her.

Releasing her hold on the dead man she looked up in time to see a man approaching with a weapon in one hand while his other hand was bare. Her brother was in a worse position as two men faced him with drawn weapons, while the last man along with the one her brother had hamstrung held onto the two squirming girls, telling the ones standing to finish the wolves quickly.

Baring her teeth, Moon was readying to charge the man who, she could see as well as smell, was afraid of her, trying to move backwards, while Moon’s white teeth shined in the morning light. Waiting for her prey to expose himself, she felt the power of her pack leader behind her and was comforted in knowing her leader was with her. Still watching the man for a weakness she was surprised when the man cried out dropping the knife to raise his hands to his eyes. His distraction was the chance she was waiting for, lunging forward, going for the man’s throat. Instead, what Moon found was an arm raised to his face, still it was in front of her and she bit down causing him to scream as the bones in his forearm gave way being no match for the dire wolf’s crushing jaws.

Still holding the arm of the man she’s bitten, Moon felt her pack leader, charge past her and she could feel the strange power of her pack leader. This time the feeling coming from her was different, stronger as she charged the prey threatening her brother.

Continuing past Moon who held the arm of one of the screaming men, Wahleia could see Shadow was facing two men, though how he had gotten them to turn their backs to her, she did not care. Wahleia was holding her spear and shield when she summoned the power once again only this time used it to make herself faster and stronger. Moon watched as her pack leader crashed into the back of one of them men, not even trying to use her spear on him, knocking him sprawling to the ground. The commotion was all Shadow needed charging forward latching onto the man’s jaw as it was the closest to the wolf.

Turning to face the last man, she was glad to have her shield as she felt the blow he tried to give her even though her shield stopped the poorly aimed thrust. Where he stood he was too close for Wahleia to use her spear on him, what she could use was her shield and with her enhanced strength swung the shield in an arc catching the man full in the chest sending him crashing to the ground.

Her advantage was short lived as the blow she had given him had knocked him down but he was up again before Wahleia could take advantage of his position. Now though she had room to bring her spear to bear and was ready for him once he regained his feet. Seeing his disadvantage, with only a dagger to face a spear and shield, his first thought was to flee never thinking about the wolves that were close by. The wolves never had a chance to chase down the last man because as soon as he threw his dagger, he turned to run but only made it a couple of steps before he felt great pain emanating in his stomach. All he could do was grab his stomach as he was overcome by pain the likes of which he had never felt before and never wanted to experience again.

Leaving him withering in pain, Wahleia turned to face the two men she had run past to help her wolves. She found them both still holding the girls while brandishing daggers, threatening the girls. Not waiting for them to make their next move, Wahleia summoned the power again, making both of them sick the same as the man behind he. They both dropped their knives they held as they doubled over in pain; so sudden was the pain that both girls finally had their chance to escape; which they did retreating behind Wahleia and her spear, while drawing their own daggers in the process.

After a pause, without turning away from the men, Wahleia asked, “Who are they?”