Darren glanced back at me. "Are you coming, Ryiah?"
I hesitated for a moment. Maybe. Maybe I could do this. I took a step forward and gripped the gate's handle, my knuckles white with trepidation. One of the hounds trotted forward to sniff at my fingers and I jumped back, retreating to where Heath stood a couple feet away from the gates. My hands were slick with sweat and I wiped them nervously against the skirt of my dress.
"I – I can't." My throat was dry and the words came out scratchy and odd – like I was choking on sand.
Darren frowned. "What do you mean you can't?"
"I mean…" I clenched and unclenched my fists anxiously. "I just can't, Darren."
"Ryiah." Something about the prince's voice made me look up. "Are you afraid of dogs?"
I forced myself to hold his gaze. "When Derrick was five, one of them attacked him. I was only eight. We'd both grown up playing with our neighbor's dog Bo and then one day it just turned." My breath hitched and I made myself breathe out more slowly. "It was terrible. Crawley had to – he couldn't call Bo off – he had to… And then Derrick had to spend two weeks being treated – we, um, we couldn't afford a healer so it was up to my parents to tend to his leg… It's fine, now, but I – ever since that I just..."
Darren hadn't once taken his eyes off me the whole time I was talking. Now he straightened and approached the gate's entrance with Wolf trailing behind. When he reached the edge of the enclosure, he rested his arm on the top of the barrier's railing. "Ryiah, I want you to come here."
I stared at him, wide-eyed. "You are mad if you think that I'm going inside."
"Ryiah," he said patiently. "You want to be a warrior mage. Facing your fears is part of that."
"Darren, I can't!" I was ashamed when my voice cracked.
"You can," he said patiently. His eyes held pity. "Ryiah, Bo was sick. It happens with the hounds occasionally when they are bitten by an infected animal - or even one of the strays. There's no known cure when it happens… there was nothing you could have done differently." He patted Wolf's head. "Heath and the rest of the kennel's staff know the signs. You are safe. Now come meet Wolf." His smile brightened as he looked down at the shaggy-haired mutt. "He's the only family member I can promise will give you a warm reception."
I forced myself to take a step forward, and then another, until I was in front of the gate. Darren nodded encouragingly as I unbolted the latch and timidly stepped through its entry, every inch of me on alert.
Darren held out his hand and I took it, hoping he wouldn't notice how clammy my fingers had become. I let him gently pull me closer to Wolf, and then held myself rigid as the mutt eagerly sniffed at my boots. The other hounds remained at a distance, seeming aware of my obvious discomfort. Wolf yelped and I dropped Darren's hand, heart slamming into my ribs. For a second all I could see was the cold, hard axe and Bo whimpering in a pool of his own blood.
"It's okay, Ryiah." Darren's voice broke through the haze as his hand found mine again. "Wolf just wants you to pet him."
The hammering in my ears shifted and I forced myself to look away from the prince and down to the panting gray dog at my feet. The dog looked up at me and thumped its tail, then made another whining noise.
"He's a bit needy, I'm afraid I've spoiled him."
I took a deep breath and reached out to touch him. Wolf yipped and jumped up to meet my hand. I stumbled, unable to stop myself from pulling back in fear, and landed on the ground with Wolf bounding up right on top of me. Wolf lodged his head at my throat and I shrieked, arms held up against my face only to feel his warm, wet tongue licking my wrists and hands enthusiastically. I lowered my arms, embarrassed, and the dog darted in to lick my face much to my chagrin.
Meanwhile, standing above me was Darren, shaking with laughter.
I timidly began to pet the dog, still keeping one eye on him while I shot Darren a half-hearted glare. "Thanks for that! I could have been mauled!"
"By what? Being licked to death?" Darren snickered and then crouched down beside me to rub Wolf's head. "Naw, this one is a coward. The palace cats tease him about it all the time. The hounds chase them and then they take their frustration out on poor ol' Wolf because he's not fast like the rest of them. He's only a stray."