Page 5 of The Wolf

“Okay, Mama.”

“That’s a good girl. I’ll get this untangled and then you can begin again.” Scarlet frowned but didn’t fuss. Her mum wiggled her brows. “And once papa is done with his meeting, we can sneak down to the kitchen for a sweet before bed.”

Oh boy. That put a smile on her face. She loved the sweets that Dris made. She had the best biscuits in the whole world.

Her mum dropped a kiss on her forehead before standing, taking Scarlet’s yarn with her. “Why don’t you read a little while I get this untangled?”

Scarlet hopped to her feet and skipped over to the bookshelf along the wall that led to the door. She ran her fingers over the spines of old and new books alike. Her gaze shifted to the door. What was Papa doing right now? Who were the strangers that he talked to at night?

She peeked at her mum, who was humming a soft tune in her chair as she plucked at Scarlet’s scarf. On tiptoes, she snuck to the door and turned the knob. The door cracked open without a sound and Scarlet peeked out into the hallway.

Her brows furrowed. Where were Javeh and Dadid? They always stood guard. She opened the door a little farther and squinted down the hallway. Her lips lifted into a smile as she spotted Dadid striding down the corridor toward her. Maybe he was bringing them warm milk! He often like to sneak them treats on nights like this.

A silhouette pulled away from the wall and Scarlet stiffened as the shadow crept behind Dadid. The shadow monster grabbed the guard by the head and yanked. A cry caught in her throat and tears filled her eyes as her mind struggled to understand what she’d just witnessed.

“Mama,” she croaked.

Scarlet hiccupped as her mum yanked her from the door, closed it and locked it. She released Scarlet and pushed a dresser in front of the exit, the feet screeching against the stone. Scarlet shook as her mum whipped around and grabbed her by the hand, towing her to the rear of the room. Her mum pulled a blue book from the shelf and part of the bookshelf swung silently backward, revealing a hidden passageway.

“Mama?” Scarlet cried.

Scarlet flinched as someone slammed against the other door, causing the dresser to rattle. Her mum cursed and pulled Scarlet into the dark stone corridor, closing the secret door and plunging them into darkness.

Tears dripped down Scarlet’s face and she began to shake. “Mama, I’m scared.”

Her mum lifted Scarlet into her arms and began swiftly walking in the dark. “I know, my love. I need you to be strong and quiet for me. Can you do that?”

“Dadid…” Scarlet hiccupped again.

“I know, I know, baby. But we have to focus on getting to Papa.” Her mum pressed Scarlet’s face into her neck. “Take a deep breath. You’re safe with me. I will never let anything happen to you.”

Scarlet clenched her mum’s sweater in her hands. “How can you see in the dark?”

“Special mama powers. Now we’re getting close to another room. I need to put you down so I can make sure it’s safe.” Scarlet didn’t want to let go. “I need you to be brave for me, my love. Let Mama put you down.”

Scarlet released her mum. Her mama kissed her on the forehead.

“Now, keep quiet so Mama can make sure the coast is clear.”

She nodded and waited, her heart thundering in her ears. She stared hard into the darkness, trying to see something—anything, wishing she had her mum’s powers. A small shaft of light shone from her right and she watched with wide eyes as her mum opened a small door and held her finger up to her lips. Scarlet nodded, her bottom lip trembling as her mama slowly pushed back a curtain.

Scarlet began to shake as her mum completely disappeared. She curled up into a ball and waited, ears straining for any sound. What if the shadow monster had gotten her mama? What if her mama never came back? What if—?

The curtain lifted and her mum held out her hand. “Quickly now, Scarlet. We need to move.”

Scarlet climbed to her feet, her legs shaking, and she took her mum’s hand. Her mama closed the door and then led Scarlet through one of the guest quarters, toward the large door. Her mum froze as the thunder of boots echoed faintly against tile in the distance, along with a hair-raising growl.

Scarlet tucked into her mum’s side as she locked the door and backed away from it. “Time to go back the way we came, love.”

Her mum pulled Scarlet into her arms again and moved back to the secret door, but her mama paused, cocking her head.

“What is it?” Scarlet whispered.

Her mum pulled away from the hidden door. Slowly she edged away, spinning in a circle. She held Scarlet tighter and rushed to the closet, opening the doors and pushing her inside. Her mum dropped to her knees and leaned away, cupping Scarlet’s cheeks.

“You are so brave, do you know that?”

“What’s wrong, Mama?”

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