My breath catches. “You want me to... help him?”
The alpha lies down with an audible sigh. Paws crossed, he rests his head, eyes fixed on me. An expectant stillness settles over the pack, though I’m not fooled by their relaxed postures.
Keeping a wary eye on the wolves, I edge forward a few more steps, and seeing no immediate reaction, I quietly approach.
The alpha lifts his head from his paws as I kneel next to Llyr. Ears perked forward, his amber eyes assess me. I remove the blanket and pull Llyr’s clothing aside. My stomach plummets as a cold dread washes over me. His makeshift bandage is yet again a deep crimson color.
Warm air, redolent with musky fur and damp earth, brushes my neck. Spinning around, I clap a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream at the sight of the enormous alpha wolf now looming behind me.
Every muscle tense, I sit perfectly still, hearing only the wolf’s soft sniffs and the drumming of my own heart as it investigates me. Seemingly satisfied, he turns his attention back to Llyr. He pushes his still form with his snout once again, then looks back toward me.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help him,” I say.
Sitting back on his haunches, the alpha unleashes a spine-tingling howl that prompts a chorus from the others. My hair prickles as a wave of chilling, haunting cries washes over me. Their combined sound is both unsettling and strangely moving, resonating deep within my chest.
The alpha bows his head toward me, then, with a powerful bounce, muscles rippling beneath his silvery coat, he disappears back into the swirling mist, the rest of the pack following suit.
I stare at the blank wall of mist. What just happened? I shake my head, blinking. Am I so tired I’ve started imagining things?
The sound of Llyr whimpering quickly pulls me out of the haze I’m in. Whatever just happened, Llyr’s injury is still very much real,and he’s possibly paler than before. His eyes move rapidly under his eyelids, and more whimpers escape his lips. I leap out of the way as he tosses himself to the side. If it’s a result of a dream or pain, I don’t know, but he keeps tossing and turning, loosening his long hair from its tight, careful bind.
I kneel back down next to him. “We’ll be fine.” I stroke his long hair back from his face. “Youwill be fine,” I add, echoing his words to me back to him.
I cock my head.
What isthat?
I study the delicately pointed ear peeking out from his long hair. It’s human size, but with its top shaped like a leaf, if slightly more rounded. It doesn’t look like any human ear I’ve seen. Could it be a defect?
I tilt his head over to the other side to see if it’s the same. It is. I frown. I’ve known him for years. How have I never noticed this before? I try to visualize what he usually looks like when I see him, his long hair bound at the nape of his neck. That’s it. He always has his ears covered. I don’t think I’ve ever seen his ears before. But... does this mean he’s not human?
My hand trembles as I lift his upper lip, revealing his teeth.Fangs!
Staggering backward, I land on my backside. First the wolves and now this.The old man sure has some explaining to do.
Pushing to my feet, I shake my limbs to regain some warmth. One thing is for certain: I’m not a murderer, and without a fire, we’ll both freeze to death. And I still need to cauterize that gaping wound.
Making sure to stay close to Llyr this time, I set out to gather another armful of the dry branches. There’s a part of me that desperately needs to confront the whirlwind of the last few days, while the other wants to bury it deep inside, ignoring it all. I glance over at Llyr. I need him to wake, if only so he can provide me with answers. He’s hidingsomething—that much is obvious.
I retrieve the flint from my satchel and arrange the dry branches in a small pile. It takes several strikes before a spark catches, but eventually, the kindling smolders and then flares to life.
With the fire established, I kneel next to him, doing my best to clean the wound using our sparse water supply. Adding a couple more branches to the fire, I take a moment to savor its precious heat before I get to work.
Grabbing one of Llyr’s knives from his belt, I place the blade in the fire, getting it as hot as I can. Then I wrap my hand with a piece of cloth so I won’t get burned as I lift it by the hilt. Squeezing Llyr’s wound shut with one hand, I bring the glowing red-hot blade down, praying he won’t wake from the pain.
I cringe at the sizzling sound it makes, pressing down a gag as the acrid odor of burnt flesh reaches my nose. It’s an odor I’m all too familiar with. Llyr’s lack of reaction is reassuring yet concerning. I’m relieved he doesn’t seem to notice the pain, but it’s also an indication of his profound unconscious state.
Satisfied with my work, I lean back on my heels. The wound still oozes a little blood, but I’m sure the bandage will keep it in check until we’re out of the pass and Llyr’s body can heal itself again. Oh, how I wish I had Mrs. Cooker’s healing balm in my satchel. That one works wonders.
I perk up. I do, however, have the hare in there.
Retrieving the hare from my satchel, I quickly gut and skin it, then skewer it on a sharpened branch. Holding it over the flames, I rotate it until the meat is cooked through, thesurface brown and crisp.
I hold the waterskin to Llyr’s lips.Drink, old man. I don’t want to waste what little water we have left, but it’s hard to get water into someone who’s unconscious, and most of it makes its way down his cheeks. Curling up next to him, sharing our body heat, I eat a piece of the grilled hare myself, then wash it down with a small amount of water. Given the situation, I want to limit both my food and water intake. There’s no telling how long we’ll be trapped in here with noprovisions, and only the Father knows what it’ll be like on the other side. It could be a wasteland for all I know.
After cleaning the rest of the meat from the bones, I wrap the meat in a cloth to save for later and use the bones to make a bone broth for Llyr. He needs all the strength he can get.
I glance at the eerie, silent mist, barely visible now that night is approaching. Although I’d like nothing more than to sleep, I also want to put as much distance behind me as possible. Grinding my teeth against the cold, I wrap Llyr in his wool cape and decide to use his spare blanket as a makeshift sleigh. After strapping him to the blanket with his belt, I grab its edges and begin pulling him behind me.
