The Steele Wolf

It was then that I became the strong, uncaring Thalia. I had to prove myself to everyone and close off any emotion. I became the strongest advocate against Denai and impure bloodlines, even though deep down there was always the fear that I would always be different, mistreated like my mother.

The memories, one by one, flew back as if I was reliving my life from childhood to adulthood in slow motion. I felt myself gag, as I was overwhelmed with the knowledge of how much self-loathing I had for Denai and myself. The hatred was strong and deep. My eyes couldn't focus and I grabbed my head and waited for it all to stop.

Breathing in a deep breath, I looked at my uncle. “It was you at the river that day, not my father.” I stated, feeling myself go nauseous at the thought that I was there when my own mother was murdered. “You killed her.”

Rayneld’s eyes opened in disbelief and then he chuckled in pleasure. “Ah, so you do remember.”  He turned back towards me. “Yes, I killed her and I tried to get rid of you. But you came back.” My neck hairs went on end as he talked and I let him, because I needed to know everything he knew. “They promised me you would experience great pain and wouldn't live through the process. They lied, because here you are, back to plague me again.”

“Who?” I asked him. “Who was it that you gave me to?”

It was coming back; I remembered everything from the night that I disappeared months ago, or almost everything. Bvork had refilled my tankard of honey mead for me during our feast. An act that made me raise my eyebrows in question, but one that made him throw his head back in laughter.

“Relax, cousin.” He gestured to his own in an offertory salute. “A toast to the future clan leader, I heard Fenri talking to your father. Your future looks secure.”

Warily, I clanked mugs with him and drank down my drink. A few minutes later, I began to feel light headed and fuzzy.

Something was wrong with my drink and I stumbled out of the main hall and tried to make my way home. Bvork met me and led me into the woods, where Rayneld was waiting. Slowly, my limbs felt like lead and my body began to go numb. Even my consciousness began to fade in and out.

There were more men in the forest and I remember seeing red robes and horses. A gag was placed in my mouth and a bag that smelled faintly of flour was placed over my head and tied around my neck. I could still hear and I heard the sound of a moneybag exchanging hands and Rayneld and another talking.

“She won't remember anything,” a low voice injected. “As long as she drank all of the serum.”

“Are you sure she's what you’re looking for?” Rayneld asked.

“If she's from the bloodline you think she is from, and she carries any of their blood, then she will do,” the low voice replied too low to determine actual gender.

“That's fine.  Just as long as you promise that she will never show up here again.”

“That would be inconvenient for your plans, wouldn't it?” The gender-neutral voice chuckled. “Few rarely survive our...how can I put this, um… delicate process.”

Deftly, with my hands tied and feeling weighted down from the drugs, I was hefted over someone’s lap on a horse and the saddle pommel dug painfully into my rib cage. I gasped for breath as the horses took off into the woods and my head slammed against the side of the horse and everything went black.

I awoke a good deal later; it could have been hours or days, because I was still in a drug filled haze.  But I opened my eyes to the putrid smelling laboratory, as I was being strapped into the iron butterfly for the first time and had my first glimpse of the Raven wearing the silver mask. All of the hated and suppressed memories came flooding back.

Tears burned my eyes and dripped onto the ground and I screamed in rage at my Uncle Rayneld. “How could you?”

“It was easy. I did what I had to do to guarantee the succession of our clan to be untainted. With you gone, that only leaves my bloodline left to rule. There were rumors that you had been found and when Bearen went to bring you back, I couldn’t let that happen.  The men I hired at the pass were supposed to kill all of you, but you survived.  Imagine my surprise to learn you didn’t remember anything. Siobhan noticed it first, so we changed tactics. Bvork would have been willing to marry you if he won the Kragh Aru and rule in your stead. It would have been such a simple solution. Of course no children would be allowed from the union. And if you ever regained your memories an unfortunate accident would have to occur.” He sighed dramatically and shook his head. “But your antics at the arena, by fighting in disguise... How stupid. You’ve disgraced yourself and us. Now he refuses to marry you, the fool.”

Rayneld came forward and pulled a knife from a sheath. The moonlight glinted off the sharp blade, and I stared, mesmerized by the beauty of a weapon so deadly. Shaking my head from the trance, I glanced up from the blade. Standing up and precariously balancing myself, I squared off for battle.

“Did it hurt, Thalia? Were you in pain?”

“No,” I lied.

“You know if your father really knew what you have become, he would kill you.”

“You lie. My father wouldn’t.”

“That’s why he is weak and will be killed next,” Rayneld promised.

“Who was it that took me?” It was my turn to change the subject and surprise him.

“What?”

“I want a name. Who approached you to kidnap me? How did you get involved with the Septori?”

“What good would a name do you now?”

“I need to know.”

“It’s not who you think it is, and there are more than one. The master always has an apprentice. If you cut off the head, the snake can still bite.”

Quickly I started to pull power to me so I could try and attack him. But I needed to keep him thinking and distracted.  This was the last bit of information that I needed from him.

Casting a quick glance over my shoulder, he looked at me hesitantly before answering. “Yes, I think I will tell you. The leader is one of your precious Denai.”

I looked at him in confusion, but I had no time as he lunged forward with his blade. I grasped for power to defend myself and felt Faraway jerk awake at my onslaught for power, but I was too weak and too slow. Too slow to realize that the whole time he was talking he was moving in a circle to make my back face the forest. I had forgotten about the second person. I was too slow to realize the glance over my shoulder was to signal Bvork to attack from behind.

I saw my power connect and send Rayneld flying backwards into a tree with a loud crack; his huge form fell forward onto the ground with a thud. It was the same time a club hit me in the side of my face and I heard more than felt the cracking of my jaw. Only one thought consumed me before I fainted.

“Again?”

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.