‘Why?’
Wulfric considered his answer carefully. ‘When I am in my wolf form, I am not myself. Rational thought is extinguished and replaced by instinct. The animal takes over. I am like a bystander – trapped in my own body, watching the world through the eyes of the creature I’ve become. It’s really quite fascinating.’
In Jack’s opinion, it sounded horrific. What could be worse than the inability to control your actions?
‘The Power,’ Wulfric held his hands in front of his face and studied them, ‘is incredible. You feel strong, and fast.’
‘You aren’t … violent, are you?’
Wulfric roared with laughter. ‘Just don’t get on my bad side, kid, and you’ll be fine.’
It wasn’t himself that Jack was worried about, but the lives of the human empathisers who confronted Wulfric when Jack wasn’t around to defuse the situation.
~
Jack stealthily left the camp at midnight and made his way to the tavern around the corner. He hoped that there were no officials having a drink after work.
He was in luck – no one from the Realm’s guard was at the tavern. In fact, no one was at the tavern at all. Every chair was empty. Jack checked his timepiece and saw that it was a quarter past midnight.
Perhaps they weren’t going to come; they might have thought it a trap. Jack had been foolish to assume they would show up.
Hands clamped down onto Jack’s shoulder, and suddenly, he became very sleepy. His legs gave way, and he crashed to the floor. Someone rolled him over and loomed in and out of sight. Everything was blurry. Jack tried to talk, but his words were slurred. It was as if he’d been drugged. Blurred figures appeared around him, muttering between themselves, but he couldn’t make out everything they were saying.
‘He’s resisting,’ someone said. ‘He’s strong.’
‘I gave him enough to knock out a buffalo,’ said another.
‘You don’t know what his Power is. He could be dangerous. Do it again.’
The hand came down onto Jack’s chest this time. He tried to struggle, but his limbs felt like lead. Finally, everything went black as Jack slipped into a deep sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Howl
JACK GREENWOOD
Jack was finding it extremely hard to open his eyes. He’d had a peculiar dream in which he had been abducted by Mages unknown. The top bunk he was lying on felt different; it was hard, like stone. Not only that, but the camp was eerily quiet. Most of the time it was loud and rowdy.
Jack tried to roll over but found that he had been restrained. His first thought was to blame the other guards; they often played pranks on the newbie’s. But something wasn’t right.
Jack pried his eyes open and blinked against a bright light that was being shone in his face.
‘Whassat?’ he mumbled, trying to shield his eyes. Of course, his hands were restrained so he could not.
‘What is your name?’ said a woman loudly and clearly.
‘Huh?’ Jack was confused. Slowly, the memory of what had happened was coming back to him. He hadn’t fallen asleep at the camp, like he’d thought. No, he’d gone to the tavern to meet with the human empathisers. They’d ambushed him.
Coming to this realisation, Jack struggled against his bindings.
‘Don’t bother trying to get free,’ said the woman. ‘You are quite secure.’
‘What are you doing?’ Jack asked, his vision slowly returning. ‘Why have you tied me up?’
‘We can’t be too careful,’ she said. Her face was looming into view, and Jack recognised her as the tiny woman who had led the mob.
‘I came here to help you,’ said Jack. ‘Let me go.’
‘Sorry, I’m afraid we can’t do that until we know who you are, and what you want.’
More faces became clear, and Jack recognised them as other members of the mob.
‘What did you do to me?’ he asked, noticing how lethargic he felt. It was unsettling, as it wasn’t often that Jack was rendered this weak. His healing abilities meant he never got sick, or injured.
‘The Sleep can often be confusing,’ she said. ‘It will wear off soon.’
‘He shouldn’t even be awake,’ said a man. ‘He is recovering faster than anyone I’ve seen.’
‘What is your Power?’ asked the woman.
‘Why should I tell you?’ Jack said begrudgingly.
‘You haven’t got much choice, Dear.’
It was true. Jack was at their mercy. Sighing, he admitted, ‘I’m a healer.’
This seemed to shock the group of people gathered around Jack.
‘Well, that’s why the Sleep isn’t lasting,’ said the man. ‘His Power is fighting it. Most don’t wake up for a solid twelve hours, but he’s only been out for half an hour, and already he’s coming to.’
‘His Power level must be stronger than yours,’ replied the woman. ‘No need to take it to heart, Anton.’