Page 47 of Father of the Wolf

Granny sighed deeply and started the vegetables heating on the stove. Then she filled two mugs with coffee and sat down at the table. “Please sit with me, and I’ll tell you a story I should have forced you to hear a long time ago.”

Hope set aside her knife and sat down across from her, waiting for her to continue.

“First, you must understand that there are many kinds of people. I know you have accepted Athair and his kind, but there are also many others. Some are like us, and some are very different. Many of the so called myths are actually based on truth, or parts of the truth.”

“Near the beginning, when magic was part of life, some of the people were different. They were stronger, with godlike powers. Yet regardless of their strengths or weaknesses, they were still people. Some were good, and some bad. One group, the giants, had enormous physical strength and practiced some magic. Others had beauty and more power in their magic. There were wars and fights between people and between the groups. Eventually, humans became involved. They tended to think of the first group as monsters and the second as gods, but that was not exactly true. To help end the wars, the two main groups agreed to exchange ambassadors.”

She cleared her throat, and then continued. “The giant who joined the gods was named Loki, who became blood brother to one of the stronger gods. He had several children by three very different women and eventually his impulsive nature caused him to fall into disfavor. Loki was captured and imprisoned by the other gods. When Loki was caught, two of his sons, Vali and Narvi, tried to protect him. The gods changed Vali into a wolf and forced him to kill his own brother to prevent Loki’s escape.” She paused.

Hope opened her eyes wide. “Go on.”

“Athair’s people, the clans of the Valàfrn, are the descendants of Vali. The gods feared Loki’s children so much they placed curses on them to prevent them from ever coming to full strength. Vali’s curse was for him and his children to constantly struggle against their animal natures. Among other things, Vali could only take human form during the three nights of a full moon. He could not face his own children having the same fate and spent centuries searching for ways to allow them to have relatively normal lives. Vali found that through sorcery and magic, his children could become shape changers. In this way, they would gain control over their physical form. So, you see, they are not really werewolves, but more like shape shifters with the base form of the wolf.”

Hope stared at her in awe.

Ella stood up to check the food and asked, “Any questions?”

“Only about a million,” she mumbled. It all sounded like a fairy tale to Hope, but now was as good a time as any to get answers from her surprising Granny. “How do you know all this? And why does Dàn call you Keeper?”

Granny continued to stir the vegetables, slowly adding seasoning. Then finally, she answered Hope without turning to face her. “Vali’s mother, Sigyn, asked her stepdaughters to help protect the children of Vali. The younger one, Eisa, agreed. Eisa became the first Keeper of records. After she died, her daughter became Keeper. We are descended from Loki’s mortal daughter, Eisa.” She turned to catch Hope’s gaze but didn’t stop at her incredulous look. “One woman in each generation of our family is given the responsibility of Keeper.”

“So, you really are this Keeper?”

“Yes, and you will take over for me when I die.” Granny held her gaze, as if trying to force Hope to accept her far-fetched story as reality.

“I already have a job, remember?”

“Then you will have two. You have to accept this. We are the Keepers of knowledge for the children of Vali. We were given a few gifts to help us, including memory, healing, and protection. They really do need us.” She stepped close to Hope and caught her chin in a gentle grip. “Have you never wondered why you are so drawn to animals? Why you can save more hard-luck cases at the clinic than any other vet? Or why you have a perfect memory for all those medical texts? You are strong so that you can fulfill the role for which you were born.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all this sooner?” She almost choked on the strangeness of what Granny expected her to blithely accept.

“I wanted to, and I should have. At first your mother wanted you to be raised without knowing. That’s why she moved away when you were born. She promised to move back and teach you what to expect when you graduated from high school. Then after the accident, you were so fragile. I wanted to wait until you were stronger.”

“Is anyone ever strong enough for that kind of knowledge?”

“Perhaps not. Do you remember the healers I asked to come see you?”

“The doctors and shrinks?”

“No, the ones who came here to the house. The healers. They were Valàfrn. You reacted by ignoring them and rejecting their help. You reacted so strongly that I stopped asking them to come. I had no idea how to make you accept their presence long enough to tell you the truth. After a time, I stopped trying. I am sorry for that weakness now.”

“Granny—” Hope halted. She hesitated to bring up the attack, but knew it was time to be honest. “Do Keepers act like a magnet to them?’

“What do you mean?”

“Would any of Athair’s kind have reason to hurt you or me because you are Keeper?”

“No. They are forbidden to harm us. The guilty are punished with exile, or worse. And even without punishment, they risk their crime being recorded among the Keeper records for all time. Why do you ask?”

“I believe that when I was attacked a month ago, it was by one of them.”

“Impossible.” Granny stirred the vegetables hard enough to splatter several pieces onto the stove top. “Is that why you’ve been acting so strangely? I want you to tell me everything so we can find the one guilty of this atrocity.”

“I think it was Sgrios.”

“No. It couldn’t have been. Although, he does seem…” She froze for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought. “I doubt he would do such a thing. Being without a clan is a fate worse than death, even for one such as him.”

“Could he just not know? After all, even Athair didn’t remember the Keepers of before. How does Dàn know about you when the others don’t seem to?”

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