Page 47 of Crowned A Traitor
Wolfgang hesitated, holding his sister’s legs. “You have been running since last night. If you collapse, I will leave you.” Lilith also trained her to be brutally honest when necessary. Wolfgang opened his mouth to speak, but instead, he slowly handed Lottie over. She was small but carrying anything for a length of time is exhausting, especially in Malum. The air is always cold and thick trying to strangle you, while the roots of the trees were desperate to trip you up.
Wolfgang dropped to a knee, pulling a container of water from his backpack. “The full moon is almost here,” he said looking through the cracks in the trees.
“Is that a problem for you?” Klara asked, and swore, she almost saw a smile.
“No, I can control the shift.”
Klara pulled at the back of her neck. All she needed was for the Lycaon to go rogue. The difference between Werewolves and Lycaons was that Lycaons could stop the shift and maintain consciousness when in their altered form. Werewolves could do neither.
The full moon moved above them, brightening their path. The realization smacked her between the eyes. “Worried about the Fae?” Arthur asked in a hushed tone sensing her unease.
“The sun and moon will be even brighter in the Neutral Lands. There will be no smog or dark clouds to shield us.”
“Let’s just worry about getting to the River first before thinking about the other side,” Arthur said. Klara nodded, swinging her axe through a bustle of briars.
“Has Lottie changed yet?” Klara asked Wolfgang as Arthur continued further ahead. A young Lycaon had little to no control over themselves during their first years. “No, she still has a few years. I was worried that the shock of the fire and the loss of our pack would cause her to awaken, but there has been no fever.” Klara could see from his glazed expression that he was thinking out loud.
“Yet,” Wolfgang finished, and Klara wondered if she would ever love someone that much, if she were even capable of it.
“How do you expect to pass through as a…”
“Lycaon? I’m not offended. There is no other place for us now.” Wolfgang walked up alongside her as Lottie yawned on Klara’s shoulder. She looked much bigger on Klara’s back than on Wolfgang’s broad shoulders. “The caves and reserve is nothing but ashes, those that remain will go into hiding for some time.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant. Once we cross the Neutral Land, there are hard protections before Kalos. If you have…” There was a rite of passage in a Lycaon pack that would seal the border from him. Wolfgang stopped in his tracks, whistling softly.
“You don’t think much of Lycaons.” Lottie stirred, hearing her brother’s harsh tone. The movement made Klara wince. She had never carried anyone before, let alone a child.
“The answer then?” Klara pressed as they continued after Arthur. “No, I’ve never consumed a Human heart, none of my family has. We use the hearts of animals for the changing ritual, not a Humans or Creatures.”
“Why?” Klara asked, knowing it wouldn’t be hard to find a Human heart. “All you had to do was bribe a port official. Or better yet, some sailors are Human that were saved from shipwrecks by the ghost ships. Most Humans are too afraid to leave the ships or dock, but it wouldn’t be hard to hunt them.”
Klara wondered why his pack had forsaken an ancient tradition.
“Lucifer hasn’t restricted the tradition.” It was one of the oldest traditions since Creation, most Creatures were granted clemency for such traditions but only per generation.
Wolfgang cleared his throat, “my pack doesn’t follow the old ways. Didn’t.” Klara noticed his shoulders slump as he talked of his family in the past tense.
“Do you know why Abadan went after the packs in search for me?” It was a strange start to hunting her, and Klara could find no logic in it.
“The packs were gaining strength. Most packs backed you as the future ruler of Malum as they supported your Father when the treaty was created. The Alphas would have accepted anyone over the High Queen and her pet Eve.” Wolfgang didn’t make any mention of Lilith, but Klara didn’t want to ask and interrupt.
“My parents didn’t involve themselves in politics, but they still attended pack meetings, and Abadan’s Crimson Guard didn’t stop to ask before they blocked the cave and set it alight.”
Klara could hear the pain in his voice. Wolfgang let out a soft chuckle, and for a moment, he looked his age. “If only they could see me on the run with you, they would not believe it.”
“Careful!” Arthur called, and Wolfgang pulled Klara back as she was about to disturb a snake bed. Wolfgang’s skin made contact with Klara’s, and she saw the curve of a scar, but a flash blinded her from seeing into his mind. Wolfgang dropped her hand as quickly as he had grasped it.
“You are hurt?”
“Can’t conceal much from you,” Wolfgang winced, lifting the corner of his shirt. Angry red veins emanated from a deep circular wound at his waist. His defined side made her look away, not wanting to linger. Confined to the Castle, she wasn’t used to being in the company of Creatures her age.
“The silver won’t kill me, my body will push out the bullet eventually,” Wolfgang grunted as Klara placed her fingers very lightly on the veins, her magic told the infection was already setting in. She couldn’t see into his mind, but Klara could feel the searing heat of the silver in her veins before he tugged his shirt down.The silver bullet is in too deep. He can’t reach the silver himself.
“Can you change? Maybe force it out?” Klara asked, and Wolfgang shook his head.He would have been handy in a fight.
“Not with silver inside me, don’t worry, I can still hold my own.” Judging from his cold eyes, Wolfgang thought she was contemplating abandoning them. The thought had crossed her mind as she saw the snaking veins getting closer to his heart, but she had cost them their family, the least she could do was take them the rest of the way.
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