“Quickly!” Annelise urged, and the djinn stretched her hands to the sky. She wiggled her fingers, crinkled her nose and closed her eyes as Annelise watchedimpatiently.
Just as she was going to urge haste again, the djinnspoke.
“As she wishes, so shall itbe.
Make this stag ofAnnelise.”
Annelise felt a tingling pass over her flesh and she slipped from Mephistopheles’ saddle. She looked down and saw her flesh darkening to a rich hue ofbrown.
Hooves grew on Annelise’s hands and feet. Her arms lengthened and she found herself on all fours as naturally as could be. A great weight was on her brow and she knew she sported an impressive rack of antlers. Her clothes fell from her and were discarded in the snow as she stamped herhooves.
“That was quite good, was it not?” the djinn asked in apparent awe of her ownabilities.
But a dog howled and Annelise did not want to waste her opportunity to save Rolfe. She dashed into the forest, directly toward the hunting party and thedogs.
She had to distract the dogs to saveRolfe.
Even in her fear of failure, she was amazed by the power of the stag’s form. It was exhilarating to run at such speed and with such grace. Annelise felt her long legs stretch out, and savored the agility of her new form. She leaped over fallen branches and frozen streams with untold ease. She ran with remarkable speed, her nose catching the scent of dogs, men and steedsahead.
The dogs spotted her all at once, it seemed. They turned from whatever they had cornered, their noses high as they strained for herscent.
“God’s blood, what a creature!” a man breathed. The men in the hunting party turned as one and Annelise fled in the opposite direction with all the speed she could muster. The horses thundered in pursuit, and the barking of the dogs made her pulserace.
She knew how this race would end. There could be only one outcome. Annelise had exchanged her life for Rolfe’s and she did not have a singleregret.
* * *
The dogs gathered around Rolfe,fangs bared. They snapped and growled as they backed him into the undergrowth. Rolfe’s heart pounded in his ears as he snarled. He lunged at first one dog and then another, keeping them at bay, though the end of this tale was mostclear.
He was vastly outnumbered and when he heard the horses of the hunting party approach, he knew he could not hold them off forlong.
But he had to give Annelise enough time toescape.
Rolfe prayed that even now she was riding away. He hoped that Mephistopheles would guess his master’s will and carry Annelise out of danger. He knew that she would prefer to join the fray and defend him, but even together they could notwin.
He did not want Annelise to witness hisdemise.
He did not want her left alone to entertain this hunting party in the wake of theirkill.
The dogs edged closer, first one then another nipping at Rolfe. Their circle tightened and their eyes glittered in anticipation of the kill. Horses whinnied and men’s voices rose in close proximity. It would not be muchlonger.
He willed Annelise toflee.
“This one is mine!” a man cried and Rolfe feared he recognized thevoice.
The dogs backed away with reluctance, growling and whining atintervals.
Enguerrand de Roussineau stepped closer, his dark eyes gleaming with animosity. Rolfe was shocked to realize that this knight understood fully what he did. Enguerrand knew what Rolfe was; he knew that he would be killing another man, not awolf.
Worse, he relished theopportunity.
“Ah, wolf,” Enguerrand whispered. “You will be the fare at the feast to celebrate my marriage to the fair widow Annelise.” He smiled. “I suspect her spouse will fail to meet her this day and I shall be compelled to escort her to Beauvoir with our kill. I wonder how hungry she will prove to be.” His voice dropped to a malicious whisper, one that his companions would not overhear. “It matters little. I will have her inheritance all the same, as well as yours, and you can do nothing about it butdie.”
Rolfe was filled with new purpose, both from the need to defend his beloved and his determination to apologize to her for his doubt. He would not leave this man to claim Annelise as his prize.He would not abandon her to the cruelty of such avillain.
If he or Enguerrand must die, Rolfe knew which he wouldchoose.
The wolf within, cornered and threatened, raged to defend himself. Rolfe let the beast takeascendance.
