The Steele Wolf

CHAPTER 14



I was in a wagon being pulled by horses. My jaw hurt and the bouncing of the wagon over the trail jostled it. Gritting my teeth from the pain only made more pain shoot through the whole side of my face. I desperately wished for unconsciousness again so I could escape it. My good eye was blurry and I had problems getting it to focus. But I could see the body of a man lying in the back of the wagon with me, covered with tarp.

Another jostling of the wagon and the tarp slipped slowly from the man and I could see the still, deathly white form of my father. I tried to grunt out a cry, and I alerted whoever was driving that I was awake. The wagon came to an abrupt stop and the sound of feet hitting dirt told me that the driver got out. A moment later the wagon bed dipped with the extra weight as he then stepped into the back with me.

Roughly, I was grabbed and a canteen was pressed against my swollen jaw and teeth, but the pain was too much and I started to sputter and choke as liquid poured down my throat. I tried to turn my head away. I wasn't really surprised that it was Bvork who was holding the canteen. I tried to spit out the liquid.

“Swallow it!” Bvork ordered and pressed a rough hand on my windpipe.

I had no choice; it was either swallow or die. The liquid had a bitter aftertaste and a familiar sense of heaviness overcame me.

“Good thing I still had plenty left over from that night months ago.” He gave me a similar disgusted look that I had seen earlier on his father. “I saw what you did to my father. And I'm not taking any chances.” He glanced over his shoulder at the still form.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized it wasn't my father lying in the back of the wagon, but Rayneld. In my fuzzy, drug-induced state I didn't look at the length of the beard and the eyes were closed.

“And I'm gonna make sure you pay.” He glared at me and gave me a swift kick in the stomach before nimbly jumping down from the wagon bed.

“Ah didna nean to,” I answered as best as my swollen jaw would allow. He must have hit the tree and fallen forward onto his own knife. I closed my eyes in disappointment at what I had accidentally done.

“It will all work out,” he chuckled from the side of the wagon. “Siobhan will stay behind and has agreed to say that you ran away again, only this time in shame and that my father and I have gone after you to convince you to stay. But something awful happened and Rayneld tried to save you but you both died.”

I was left to wonder in silence what that something awful could possibly be. He was right about me not having access to any kind of power as long as he kept me drugged. I tried to reach for it and I couldn't touch anything, it was gone, or I was numb to it. Whatever this drug was it also kept me from speaking to Faraway and wolf. It humanized me. Bvork must have gotten the drug from the Septori. I tried to organize my thoughts over the last few hours but the fuzziness in my mind kept distracting me.

My cousin or uncle must have set Aldo's house on fire to be a distraction for the clan as they once again tried to arrange my death and disappearance. I applauded their tenacity in trying to keep the clan bloodlines pure. After all, it wasn't very long ago that I was just as cold hearted and strict. My father was right; we had cast out anyone with any hint of Denai gifts into the mountains.

The sun was directly overhead and I tried to turn my head and shield my eyes from the glare, but that left me staring at the dead form of my uncle. So I settled for closing my eyes against the brightness on my lids as the drug made me sleep. We stopped two more times as Bvork made me take more sips of the drugged canteen. Soon the sun was starting to set and the wagon started to climb uphill. Racking my brain, I tried to imagine what was up this way and I couldn't form any coherent thought. It wasn't until the sound of rushing water did I realize where he had taken me. It was Kirakura Falls.

Kirakura actually meant silent death in our old language. No one ever came up this way except for trappers. And they would forge the river farther upstream with their wagons. If you crossed at the wrong time of day or season, you could easily be swept downstream in the swiftly running currents and over Kirakura Falls, the steepest waterfall in the Shadow Mountains, with wicked looking rocks on the bottom. I remembered looking over it as a kid and seeing various wagon wheels and small boat pieces littering the embankments of either side of the falls.

My mouth went dry in fear. My mother was drowned in the river and he planned to send me over the falls, where the rushing river or rocks would very possibly crush me to death if I survived the fall. I tried to rock myself back and forward in desperation to free my hands that were tied behind my back but only succeeded in twitching my fingers. My body was still numbingly paralyzed.

Bvork unhitched two horses that I didn't even notice that were tied to the back of the wagon. “A horse for my father and one for me,” he explained as he caught my surprised look. “We had to come after you on horseback or we would have never caught up to you. I’m not dumb; I won’t underestimate you like my father.” Leading the horses away, he tied them to a tree and then proceeded to step into the wagon. He pulled off the tarp that covered his father and wrapped it around his arm. He placed next to me a bag of food and my cloak.

Reaching down with his knife, I blanched, expecting to feel the sting of the blade cut me but instead I felt a small jerk as my hands were cut free. Throwing the rope to the side, he again poured more drugs down my throat. Jumping out, he went to the horse and began to lead the horse and wagon down to the water’s edge.

Leading the horse in a full circle, he made the wagon enter first and was making the horse back into the rushing current. I could tell from the roaring sound of the waterfall that we were really close to the drop off and if the rushing water caught the weighted wagon, it would pull it into the river. All of us would be swept away over the falls. I cringed that he was going to unnecessarily kill the horse.

Bvork was having trouble getting the horse to back into the current. The horse was fighting him. I felt the splash of water as the wheels dropped off the small embankment and hit the water. But it wasn't far enough in. The horse was refusing to enter the river and was desperately trying to turn to the side.

I grunted out in frustration as I tried to move my body, but I was a prisoner in my own mind. I felt my hands twitch in response again and I focused all of my attention on moving my feet. The curling of my big toe gave me hope as I prayed that the horse was stubborn enough to delay getting any deeper in the water.

“Darn it horse,” I heard Bvork yell out, as an angry snap of a whip accompanied his curses. The horse whinnied in protest and snorted and stamped against the oncoming lashes. My life was being spared by the stubbornness of a horse. I heard another whinny, this time in pain, and the horse stumbled backwards into the wagon, which made the wheels sink into the riverbed and start to slip on the rocks, farther, and farther into the river. This is it, I thought as more water splashed into the bed and began to pool around my feet.

Another tug and the wagon stopped. Furiously the horse fought and pulled against the current and strained towards the shore.

“Bvork! Stop!” a feminine voice yelled out, riding to the river’s edge.

“Siobhan! What in the world are you doing here?” The sound of the whip stopped as I assumed Bvork turned to deal with his sister.

The cold water made my limbs tingle and burn with feeling. Come on, come on, I silently urged as my legs started to spasm and twitch. Almost. PLEASE! I prayed. I didn't want to die.

“I can't let you do this!” she begged.

“You have no right to be here,” he yelled back. “You should be back in the village telling them that she ran away. It will look suspicious if our whole family has disappeared.”

“I won't do it,” she snapped back firmly. “I won't live under your rules anymore. You can't make me.”

Yay, cousin, I thought in amusement. I could really get to like her, if I lived past today. The grunting of the horse as he continued to try and pull the weight up the embankment stopped as he slipped and fell into the water.

More water filled the wagon bed and weighed it down. The horse gave up on the embankment because it was too steep and tried to turn upstream to find another way out. The wagon lurched and water sloshed into my mouth and face. I spit it out as the wagon bed evened out. We were in trouble; there was five inches of water in the bed and it was covering and stinging my whole body. But at least it was taking the numbness away as pins and needles of coldness encompassed me.

Grunting in pain, I was able to reach up my hand that felt like dead weight, grasp the wagon side and slowly pull myself into a sitting position. I could see that my ankle was swollen and black and blue. I didn't want to even look at my face knowing that I had one swollen eye and a swollen jaw.

I saw Siobhan pull out a sword that was too large for her and challenge her brother. Bvork laughed and pulled out his sword from his pack.

This was a very uneven fight and unfair knowing firsthand how devious a fighter he was. She charged first and I was surprised at how determined Siobhan was. She attacked and parried and fought her brother with the intent to kill. But I could see where it was going. She wasn't as strong as her brother and her heavy sword was tiring her. Bvork blocked her sword thrust and then backhanded her across the face. She fell into a heap on the ground and didn't move.

An undertow caught the wagon and started to pull us into the middle of the river and the horse screamed in fury. He dug in his hooves and desperately tried to get out. I had to hand it to the horse, he wasn't going to give up. My uncle’s heavy body rolled against me and pinned me to the side.

“Aahhh,” I grunted out as I struggled to move his body off of me.

Another scream of the horse and I turned to look at a very familiar white back. Faraway! Somehow, Faraway was the horse that was attached to the wagon. Of course he would have to be here. No one would believe I had run away without my horse. I smiled in delight, as I realized why this particular horse was fighting so hard. I couldn’t speak to him and I tried to encourage him with prayer. But my smile turned to fear as I realized he was losing the battle. By turning upstream he was fighting the weight of the wagon and the rushing current.

Bvork stood on the side, arms crossed, and watched silently as we were slowly being pulled farther out into the river. Any farther and Faraway wouldn't be able to touch bottom. I felt around Rayneld’s body until my hands found a knife on his belt. Turning my body as much as I could, I pulled myself over the back onto the driver’s bench.

The bench dug into my stomach as I slashed at the tethers that bound Faraway to the wagon. I cut one tether off and the wagon slid sideways and Faraway screamed. It was too late. We were pushed into the middle of the current.

Movement on land caught my eye and I watched as four men on horses charged out of the woods led by a giant grey wolf. Fenri, Odin, Kael and what looked like Joss leading a thunderous charge to Bvork who turned in surprise and raised his hands as he was almost run over by the horse; unfortunately, he rolled away at the last minute.

Dismounting at a run, Kael ran at Bvork, engaging him in a fight for his life. Fenri stopped to check on Siobhan, while Odin and Joss ran to the water’s edge.

Odin hollered and ran down the side of the embankment, following us as we were flowing at the river’s mercy, Joss running as fast as he could ahead of him. Reaching for Faraway's reins, I wrapped them around my forearm and then desperately slashed at the remaining tether. Once the tether was cut away, the wagon flew from under me. I was dunked head first into the water. My arm burning in pain; it took on the brunt of my whole weight.

Faraway moved more easily without the wagon, but by now we had floated too close to the waterfall. I tried to shift and move to one side of my horse so I wouldn't be in the way of his dangerous, kicking hooves.

Gasping for air, I was repeatedly dunked underwater. There was nothing I could do as I had wrapped the reins around my arm and I didn’t have the strength to grab them higher up. At least my body didn't hurt so much in the water.

Faraway made me proud as he fought and kicked to get to the edge. He foamed at the mouth with effort. Odin was yelling and pointing but, it was no use, I couldn't hear him over sound of the roaring waterfall. I heard the unmistakable sound of the wagon being smashed against the rocks. I turned and watched it get bashed to pieces before heading over the falls.

Faraway was getting closer to the shore, but he was tiring fast. I was too heavy, and he hadn’t recovered from the ordeal yesterday. I looked and saw Joss perched on a large rock that protruded into the river, he was lying on his stomach, but the current slowly pulled us out of his reach. He caught my eye as I floated past him and he must have known what I was thinking, because I saw him mouth the words. NO! Don't!

It was too late; we both couldn't make it out alive. I fumbled and unwound Faraway's reins from around my arm and sent, with all the effort that I could, one last mental thought to my horse, praying that he would get it.

Farewell.

I released my grip on his reins and swallowed a mouthful of water as my head dunked underwater before I rose to the surface and bobbed precariously through the waves. I watched Faraway, load lightened, touch the embankment and struggle slowly out of the water.

Joss' horrified face was the last thing I saw as the thunderous roar became deafening. I felt like I was falling and flying at the same time as I went over the falls. My body was still too numb to feel the crushing waves pound me, and I truly felt a freedom and peace as if I was being embraced by God even in death.

God must truly be a loving and forgiving God if he was willing to save a twisted monster like me. All of a sudden, a bright warm light surrounded me and I was floating in the air. It was ethereal, until I was dumped, wet and cold, on the rocky embankment back at the top of the falls.

My eyes flew open and I spit up what must have accounted for half of the river. Choking and wheezing, I tried to calm the frenzied beating of my heart.

Joss was next to me, pale and gasping for breath as he leaned his sweat stained forehead against the ground. This was something I was very familiar with, a sure sign that he overtaxed his Denai abilities pulling me from the water.

Odin collapsed next to me and the large warrior broke down into sobs. “I thought you were gone. I saw you go over.” He sniffled. “It's a miracle.” And then he looked at me and gasped in horror. “What did they do to you?”

Silent and ashamed, I looked away and saw Kael slowly walk towards me, his shirt torn and bloody. When Kael saw my injuries he paused and stiffened, his eyes turned stormy in anger. I looked to Kael and flicked my eyes to where I last saw Bvork and he nodded slowly. It was all the affirmation that I needed; the SwordBrother had already avenged me.

Joss looked at me with joy in his eyes, and then sorrow.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine.”

“Thalia, don't you ever do that again,” he admonished. “I wasn’t even sure if I could.”

“You could have burned yourself out doing what you did,” I challenged him.

“I was going to try and slow the water and bring you closer but you let go. You left me no choice, I had to try.”

“Have you ever tried to stop a raging river?” I asked.

“Uh, no. I've never tried that either.” He looked sheepishly at me.

“Then don't get mad at me for a decision I had to make. You would have done the same thing in my shoes.” I smirked at him and then felt the pain flare up in my jaw.

He touched it and I felt a slight tingling go through my jaw. “It's not broken, just fractured. But I don't have the strength to heal you. I'm sorry.” He looked angry with himself.

I reached up and grabbed his hand. “Joss, don't be sorry. You saved my life... Again. As long as you get me back on the road towards home I'll be fine. The sooner I get home the better. How's Faraway and Siobhan?”

“Both are good.” This came from Fenri, who walked Faraway over to me. The horse leaned down and nuzzled me.

I felt a warm flicker of emotion touch me and then another thought.

In the words of the human, Don't ever do that again!

The human must be Joss. I painfully grinned at Faraway.

I won't do that again. I promise.

We are bonded, we go together. Okay?

Alright.

“Where's Father?” I asked, looking around.

Odin answered. “Thalia, he was injured in the fire and we wouldn't let him come after you.”

“Then what are we waiting around here for? Let’s get home.”